I'm searching again. I'm hoping to find Clio or Calliope and convince either/both to visit for a while. I need help with my story. I have to take it apart and put it back together, but only at half the size. And I still have to have a story when I'm finished. Hopefully, it will be something I like. But I'm not able to go forward. I tried starting last Friday, when I got the good news about how I can't write a query letter and my book is too long anyway. I jumped in with my scythe and cut down some things early, but nothing since. Just clever words to myself in an effort to get me going again.
Perhaps that is why I went to Elfwood. I hadn't visited that site in over ten years. I had found it by accident. I don't recall what I was looking for. Anyway, I was fascinated by the wonderful fantasy art. Some of it was landscapes. Some was of animals, real and mythological. I liked the dragons. Much of it was about characters, warriors and wizards and such. The site is much larger now. There are thousands upon thousands of pieces of art there. I've spent two days just going through it, page by page. All levels of skill are represented, from the beginner with only a few days/weeks/months of experience, to master crafters who earn a good living from their talent.
Since the Cere people of Prophecies of Madatar are a flying people, I did a search on angels. Most of the artwork is of female angels, and most of the artists appear to be female. I found that interesting. Of course a good percentage of the figures are nude, or partially nude. Not that I have anything against nudes. I know a lot of people consider any nudity to be pornographic, but it doesn't have to be. Some of the art I have seen comes close to that, or even crosses the line, but nudity in art isn't always erotic. Depending on how it is done it can actually give one a sense of peace. That is when the nude characters do not appear embarrassed or aroused. It's almost childlike. How can I say that? Because it's true. Sometimes.
Seeing the angels drawings/paintings/whatever made me want to see pictures of some of my non-winged characters. I was specifically thinking about Tavaar. I like Tavaar. So I did a search just on female characters in fantasy art. There are over eight thousand results. Wow. And well over half are naked - at least from the waist up. It is amusing to me to see artwork of women preparing for battle who are naked, or near naked. I mean, think about it. You're going to go fight a battle in which you must kill or be killed. What are you going to first? Well, obviously, take off all your clothes. You wouldn't want them to get dirty now, would you? Another thing I find amusing is when I see a picture of a nearly naked woman traipsing through the forest. Apparently those forests do not have any insects. Try doing that in the northwoods of Minnesota. There are millions of mosquitos there just waiting for some idiot to come walking about with with the skin exposed and smelling of sweet perfumes. No. In Minnesota, if you are going to walk in the woods you will wear long sleeved shirts and long pants. You will wear horrific smelling sprays and lotions to keep the bugs off. You will put this on your skin and your clothes.
Still, the characters in these pieces of artwork are quite beautiful, both male and female, although I must say that generally the female figures are far more striking. Such creativity. I wish I had talent.
I suppose those who would criticize any art with any nudity would criticize my book and say I have crossed the line of decency. Maybe I have. I don't know. What I do know is that at the beginning, when I steadfastly refused to write anything even remotely erotic, my characters would not come alive. Everything about them was like the old Gumby dolls: posable, but without real life. My "good" characters always acted "good", and my "bad" characters always acted "bad". People aren't like that. As Jesus said, only God is Good. And I expect only the Devil is Bad. The rest of us are capable of behaving like either, and we keep shifting back and forth.
Regarding sex, even "good" people are capable of engaging in sexual activity with people they are not supposed to. It happens a lot more than some like to admit. Those who would damn without a trial often state that these "good" people were not good people at all, but merely pretenders. I don't think so. I agree they were not "good". But they are no different than those who criticize them. In fact, in some cases, I think they are better people. Not because of what they did/are doing, but they are not so judgmental and self-righteous. In the Bible, the only people Jesus ever got angry with were the self-righteous. He called them hypocrites.
We were made a sexual beings. That is part of who we are. It was only when I accepted this and allowed that part of my characters to come alive that they also lived. I do not have to think that my characters are behaving right. But I do have to let them behave in character. Some would never behave outside acceptable norms. Some reject the norms. Others, such as my main character, are struggling to understand what the norms are and why they are the norms. That's life, isn't it?
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