It would be nice to at least write *something*.

[apocalypsos]

I've been starting a post on lovable douchebags and why I love them in my fiction, and fandom and sexism and fic taboos and whatnot, and every time I start it, I delete the bulk of it and feel the urge to go bang my head off the wall, because it quickly degenerates into why I kinda want to throw pies at half of fandom.

The content seems to boil down to:

1. Just because I (and other people) adore lovable douchebags doesn't mean we approve of every little thing they do.

2. Just because I (and other people) adore a ship in which a lovable douchebag hooks up with ... well, anyone, doesn't actually mean we support abusive relationships or marriages we know will self-destruct in a few years or whatever. (See: Chuck/Blair -- I fully expect those two to marry and divorce a couple of times with lots of angry sex in between and a couple of eyerolling kids who keep catching them both in compromising positions when they're supposed to be, like, signing divorce papers or whatever. 'Cause I like trainwrecks. :D)

3. Just because I (and other people) adore a male lovable douchebag doesn't mean we'd hate him as a woman, or vice versa. (Actually, there are some really fabulous female lovable douchebags out there: Faith, Sarah Connor, Starbuck, George Lass, Deb Morgan, etc.)

4. Just because I (and other people) adore a lovable douchebag doesn't mean we would want to have anything to do with him in real life. (I think Dean is hot as fuck. However, if he approached me in a bar, I probably couldn't make a run for it fast enough. He's a smug criminal transient, no matter how good he looks in those jeans.)

5. You might actually adore a lovable douchebag and not even know it. They're sneaky like that. (Jack Harkness is a lovable douchebag. Depending on the season, Buffy Summers and Veronica Mars are both lovable douchebags. Arrested Development is entirely peopled by lovable douchebags.)

I feel like writing a definition of a lovable douchebag, where your character would have to fit four basic rules:

-- They're a hero, at least technically.
-- You love them in fiction.
-- But in real life, you would haaaaaate them and not want anything to do with them.
-- They really wouldn't be bothered by that for the most part.

Is it sad that I'm establishing a claim on asshats we love to hate? Heh.

Comments

[catystorm.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this.

I love Dean to death and it's disheartening to see people bash me and call me a misogynist because I like him - but the caveat there is exactly like you said, if I was ever approached by Dean in real life, you better believe I'm going to be running for the hills.

Why is that so hard for some people to get? Some of us understand the boundaries of fiction and reality.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

The thing about Dean really bothers me because the sad fact is that he's no more sexist than any guy in real life raised in his situation -- no mother, broken absentee father, transient lifestyle -- would be. Quite frankly, he's probably less than that, considering he has no problem with female hunters and has Sam to temper him. As unfortunate as it is, it wouldn't be realistic for him to be completely respectful to the opposite sex even when they're evil.

Dean's sexist and that's okay. The problem comes when the WRITERS are churning out sexist bullshit. You can write strong female characters, not kill them off or torture them, and still allow Dean that slice of everyday sexism.

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

I'm still furious about how the writers started writing Dick Casablancas as a harmless comedic foil. He was going to rape Madison, hello! But then again I did just rewatch the first two seasons, so it's all fresh in my mind. Veronica, specifically, tolerating Dick makes me angry. He brought her into a room for his little brother to rape her, HOW does she allow him around her?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

See, I totally hate how they put that out there, because without it he's enough of a douchebag already. The thing with VM that always made it that much harder to watch was how many of the men ended up rapists or almost-rapists and how many of the women ended up victims or almost victims of rape. It's like Joss and RTD falling back on killing characters left, right and center. Like, find another plot hook, you guys, seriously.

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

See, I'm refusing to acknowledge the third season, so for me, it's just the second season that's bugging me. The third season, I could write an entire essay on how badly they handled EVERYTHING there. EVERYTHING. And I LOVE VM. It's still either my number one or two favorite shows ever. Examining that failed season would make me hate it, and I don't want to do that.

If they wanted to have a lovable douchebag, they should have written a new one, because as it stands, Dick Casablancas was already too much of an asshole to be in any way lovable.

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

Not saying I didn't read your Dick fics and enjoy them. If it were just second season Dick, I could have warmed up to him, but the inconsistencies in writing just drove me up the wall.

[lavenderfrost.livejournal.com]

(I think Dean is hot as fuck. However, if he approached me in a bar, I probably couldn't make a run for it fast enough. He's a smug criminal transient, no matter how good he looks in those jeans.)

Heh. I'd probably stick around just long enough to tap that, but yeah. No long-term commitment possible unless some serious changes happen, and I know better than to think any woman could change him by being in a relationship with him.

[dargie.livejournal.com]

I'd say that pretty much everyone in the Harry Potter verse is a lovable douchebag. The wizarding world is inherently douche-y.

[pie-is-good.livejournal.com]

I don't know how much I agree with the assessment of "lovable" with Jack Harkness anymore.

[troubleinchina.livejournal.com]

I haven't loved him since Adrift, and that underground lair, without decent paint or windows.