Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Heroes of the M/M

I've been thinking about this a lot. Well, alright, I don't lose any sleep over it, or...maybe I do. Hmm. Anyway, how do you like your heroes? Typically in a m/f relationship we read a lot about "alpha" males. The women tend to be, women, LOL. They may come in various attitudes from kick-ass-take-no-prisoners to demure and quiet. But they're still women and when it comes down to the nitty gritty, getting between the sheets, you might see a whole new side of vulnerable. Okay, so there's always the dominatrix, but that's a whole different story and perhaps they're only like that in the bedroom.

I'm writing a m/m. Both my males are ALPHA. Both my males are Alpha in Fantasmagorical. As readers of m/m would you rather see two different type men or equals? Does it matter? Does there always have to be a soft side? One man who'd rather always receive than give? Let me know your thought on the kind of relationship you like to read about in the m/m you choose. What makes you choose one story over another?
Happy Hump Day :)

11 comments:

Sandra said...

I've actually never read a M/M story. They have just never interested me. But there is one that I am thinking might be worth a shot.

In any book, I want to see a give and take type of relationship. I think it would be nice if there was a soft side at least once, to see a different aspect of the relationship.

In choosing one story over other for me, there has to something either in the blurb or excerpt that makes me want to know more about the main characters. Something that makes me believe that at the end of the story, I will have felt that these were "real" people that let me look into a window of their lives.

Annmarie McKenna said...

Definitely need a give and take, from both parties, I agree. As for soft side, I think I want both characters to have at least some sort of soft side to make them well rounded. :) Thanks, Sandra.

Unknown said...

I'm not big on M/M, but I agree with you Annmarie. It just makes sense. :)

Much Love Always,
Rose Marie Wolf
www.rosemariewolf.com

TK Winters said...

I can't say I've read a lot of m/m. Not because I don't like what I have read, I just don't go hunting it down. Nevertheless, whether a relationship is m/f, m/m, f/f, or any other combinations that could occur, it seem like give and take needs to be there. I don't know if that means a "soft" side. If the two men love each other, and loving equals a "soft" side, then definitely there must be a soft side for me. I haven't ever thought being "alpha" male meant being always tough and not having a soft side--to me it means knowing how to share feelings and hold your partner and ... just love them!

I never understand why there cannot always be equals in a relationship, whatever the gender involved.

Anonymous said...

Hi Annmarie,I am here,dont ant you alone.Not sure what to say but i cant wait to read your m/m book.
jodi

Anonymous said...

It depends on the story and the characters. Great characters make all the difference.

Personally, I love m/m books with two alpha males-- there's nothing like seeing a strong man lose himself in passion. But, I also like the ones where one has a little more give.

And though a lot of readers think the straight man falling in love with the gay man has been done to death--it's still one of my favorites. The idea of falling in love with the 'person' and exploring a whole new territory is the ultimate fantasy. I'm not alone in that one either. :)

One excellent book that comes to mind is Without Reservations by J. L. Langley at Samhain. One of the characters was smaller and more feminine looking, but he wasn't a push-over at all-- was quite strong in fact. And one was straight--normally.

I've read a bunch with two alphas that worked-- there was a push and pull on both sides. :)

ingrid said...

I like to read about two men who are alpha, but don't have to be dominate all the time. It makes the character human and the story more real, at least to me.

Annmarie McKenna said...

Ooh, good comments. I'm actually in the learning process with the m/m genre so I'm interested to see how Fantasm will go over. You'll have to let me know :)

Nicole Austin said...

I love all different combinations of personalities, but have to say I don't care for it when one of the men is whimpy. They should both still be alphas, at least to some degree. Having a soft side is great, love it, as long as it doesn't make him incapable of fending for himself.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't really matter to me, when I read a m/m story if they're equal or not... but I will admit that I would love to read about two alphas. I always say that you can never have enough of a good thing :)

Vicki said...

This really depends on the characters for me, and also on the situation the characters are in. My personal preference is to see relationships with lots of give and take. Real relationships don't work unless both partners can be vulnerable at times, at least with each other.

I really like to see characters who break the stereotypes of gay relationships, meaning I do get tired of reading stories where only one character is weaker and always on bottom. I like to see to "alpha" types together. I like to see those more effeminate men become the aggressors in the relationship. I like seeing those "alpha" types let go and be the receiving partner. I want to see real people, truthfully. I like to be able to think that the relationship could really happen, and when I write a M/M pairing, I try to make it as real as I can.

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