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Making a twisted relationship work

I have space mermaids in my first fantasy book; they travel through space, have long, black, seaweed-like hair and pale skin, have huge eyes, and eat starlight.

That sounds really cool!

I have an immortal character in my graphic novel who either takes the form of a tall, muscular woman with purple skin, or a winged panther who can travel through space...lol just what it reminded me of...
 
I'm curious, are your Sirens exclusively straight, or are there gay/bi/pan ones too? .

I have at least one who is in a permanent lesbian relationship- they've actually done the mutual binding ceremony. I don't know that it'll precisely be common, but it also won't be a big deal. (The fact that her lover is a dryad rather than a siren well probably be a bigger issue.)
 
I can now imagine the little ones going 'Weeeeee!' as they are pulled along. :p

Unfortunately, so far the Undinai are merely mentioned in the appendices section. I might need to do something about that.
 
My concern is the possible appearance of rape, since it could be (not incorrectly) viewed as coerced?
I do not see how what you've described is rape at all. I think if you highlight your protagonist in certain ways readers might be more inclined to thoughts like, "...And look how he had sex with a helpless bound siren, that's rape..." But on the whole the idea of some perverted view arising from falling in love as you stated seems over thought. Is there something specific in your scenes which creates a violent vibe? You said you didn't plan on detailing scenes, which if you were to might create a nice romantic caveat in your story without being rape or erotica, so like I said, perhaps a bit over thought?

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If she's 100% subservient to him and has no free will of her own to consent or not (or if his will simply overrides hers), then yes, it is absolutely rape.
I think it is rape, but the author said they fall in love. Does this change things or mean consentual rape?

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Okay. I'm going to have to go into a little more detail. I would say I don't want to spoil anything but...to be honest, this isn't on paper yet and although I think I've got the beats down, 95% of what I'm tossing around in my skull right now is probably not going to wind up there. lol
So we have the Heroe's Journey, right? The "release" incident is going to happen, according to that journey, around step 8. It's approximately midway through act 2, and is the largest fail on the try/fail cycle. Due to his own failure, the mentor character is going to die, and the protag will nearly do so. Due to the binding, the female is going to save his life. This whole situation is going to force him to realize how he actually feels about her, and the truth of the source of their connection, a truth he's been aware of but dodging for some time- the fact that she can't do anything but help him and be with him. He will have her help him release her- she knows how to do it, and will be able to help him do it.


There is no love at this point. He hasn't earned it. She may like him, even respect him. But it won't be until his sacrifice of letting her go, and his embracing of himself (he was a very apathetic human, and this continues after his introduction to the new reality for quite a while- and is partly what leads to his epic failure), that he earns the right for her to love him. And even then it won't be until much later- if this is half through act 2 then I'm guessing near the end of act 3, around the major climax- that she grants it to him.
And although she does, as do all Sirens born and raised in this world, know the realities of what's going on, I'm not certain if she could tell him. Plus, having her tell him means he doesn't get to discover it, and this is a problem for me as a story teller. I need him to discover this world, including the less humanly acceptable aspects of it. (Again, this situation is a trait of the very nature of Sirens, and may not be something she would even think of him needing to be told, because his origins are not commonly known outside of a very small circle.)


Agreed. Which is the reason I'm going to have it stop once he realizes what's going on.
Can you tailor the nature of the binding to provide some of this for you? Sort of like a genie is bound to the finder of the lamp?

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Ireth

Myth Weaver
I think it is rape, but the author said they fall in love. Does this change things or mean consentual rape?

It sounds like Lima Syndrome (basically the reverse of Stockholm Syndrome) to me. Might not be rape, but it's still weird, imo.
 
I do not see how what you've described is rape at all.
I, personally, do not think it is. But I'm trying to figure out how to ensure my readers don't think my MC is a rapist bastard. (I have nothing against writing that type of character, even as a protagonist- The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant remains one of my favorite anti-hero fantasy series- but that's not who this character is, and not what I want to do here.

I think if you highlight your protagonist in certain ways readers might be more inclined to thoughts like, "...And look how he had sex with a helpless bound siren, that's rape..." But on the whole the idea of some perverted view arising from falling in love as you stated seems over thought. Is there something specific in your scenes which creates a violent vibe? You said you didn't plan on detailing scenes, which if you were to might create a nice romantic caveat in your story without being rape or erotica, so like I said, perhaps a bit over thought?
The only time I plan on going even slightly explicit (not erotica, but likely on the edge) is during the initial seduction scene. At this point, only Aphrodite knows what is at risk. Rune (the current, and likely temporary, name of my protag) is relatively new to this world, and has no clue about the extra side effects of this situation. He still views himself as a mid-to late-30's human male. He hasn't accepted the changes wrought on him by the alteration in his physiology. Aphrodite is a several centuries old Siren who knows everything about this particular world, and is confident (at least bordering on arrogant) in her powers.


Can you tailor the nature of the binding to provide some of this for you? Sort of like a genie is bound to the finder of the lamp?
That's actually a remarkably good analogy for what I'm working with here. The binding isn't Rune (the protag) making a slave of her. It is, and I desperately need to find a way to make this clear to the reader (obviously), a natural and unavoidable result of utilizing the Siren magic in "seduction combat" with another Siren. This natural, magical, result can only happen Siren to Siren. And it can be broken by a specific use of Blood Magic. It is a Blood Magic that every Siren knows.

Now for a question you kind of asked earlier, that I skipped over- regarding the "falling in love" thing. It isn't something that's going to just happen. And it isn't a result of the binding.
The Binding links them together. She cannot oppose his will. She cannot attack him, or cause him to be attacked. She cannot let him die. If he gives her a command, explicit or implicit, she is bound to it.
But if there is no command? She's free to do as she desires. I know that seems a fine line, and a delicate one, but it is the line I've drawn.
Now, for a variety of reasons, Rune will grow to care for her- the "her" he glimpses through the Binding. The peaks of the real her he sees. It's not love. It can't be love at this point. But it's the foundation for something that will be developed further.
When the situation develops and she saves him from dying, it is that caring which will cause him to release her. Knowing full well that he will likely never see her again, and completely against the advice of those with him. (She started out with the Bad Guys,and they were the entire reason she came him.)
 
It sounds like Lima Syndrome (basically the reverse of Stockholm Syndrome) to me. Might not be rape, but it's still weird, imo.

Interesting concept, but it's not Lima Syndrome. He isn't growing to care for his captive. She's not his captive. She's magically bound to him because of the outcome of the battle, but that is different from what you're thinking. And the love isn't going to develop because of or during the binding. Does he begin to care for her? Absolutely. But the parts of her he grows to care about are the parts that are despite the binding, not because of it. The parts of the real her that slip through.
 
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