#earthy? acrid? like. ‘show don’t tell’ is overused as writing advice but this is where it’s relevant imo

[aeide-thea]

was rereading a fic i have bookmarked, that i’m quite fond of, and got tripped up by a passing characterization of a character’s scent as, among other more specific descriptors, “something undoubtedly male”—i know i’m unusually allergic to sweepingly stereotypical gender assertions, and i do in fact get the sort of sexiness descriptions like that are trying to reach for, but i really gotta say, i think it’s lazy unexamined shorthand and cheapens the writing

#like. i know my stereotypes. either that’s trying to sexify a kind of body odor it’s pretending women can’t have— #which is nonsense— #or it’s some kind of Perfume Stereotypes claim about‚ like‚ ~musk~ or tobacco or leather or whatever Traditionally Masc-Coded scent you like #either way i just feel like. if you want me to be constructing a vivid intimate visceral sense of this character’s‚ like‚ sillage— #write with the kind of vivid specificity i can base that kind of construction on #earthy? acrid? like. ‘show don’t tell’ is overused as writing advice but this is where it’s relevant imo #like my MOST generous read is that it sets up a contrast with the character’s eager receptivity but like. that’s homophobic actually‚ lol #like masculinity and bottoming/subbing are not in fact a contrast #so i’m rejecting that interpretation and returning to my original complaint #anyway. you’ve been listening to Complaint Interlude‚ here on WNKR