#how can i deny him his personhood and gender identity?

[fictionkinfessions]

767145035525406720/sighhh-when-will-people-learn-to-not-being-weird?source=share

Omg I was liyterally just thinking abt this yesterday, I'm kinda sick of a lot of the fandom treating me/us(???) Like we're a child, cause no. No I'm a grown man, I'm a big boy thanks

I know to a certain extent, at least for me, the crew treated me like I was young and naive as well, and yeah maybe I was a little bit, but I AM an adult, I'm not just some stupid naive silly sunshine boy

- Daisuke, Mouthwashing (Fictive, #❄️💀🔥)

w

[pynkhues]

Heyy! Would you mind if i asked u to explain to what extent is lestat and his mother’s relationship incestuous? I havent read the books but i keep seeing everyone talk about lestat’s fucked up relationship with his mother altho they never talk about specifics and i’d like to know bcs i love lestat and i wanna know everything about him!!! And i also i dont trust just anyone to know bcs some people on twt just lie about having read the books😭 so yeah i trust you lol i hope it’s okay Thank you!!

Hey! Of course! It's - - mm, kind of a how long's a piece of string question to ask how incestuous they are, because on the one hand, very, haha, and on the other hand, it's more complicated than something like, say, Jaime and Cersei? I think what Anne was interested in exploring between them was an already unclear identity dynamic born out of isolation and trauma - mother-son, lovers, and avatar - and then reversing the parent-child with maker-fledgling.

In that sense, context is pretty important. To give you the short version, Gabrielle is an Italian woman (her gender identity is totally up for discussion, but I'm going to use she/her pronouns here just because Anne does) who's both highly educated and pretty independent for her time. She's an avid reader, well-travelled and wealthy, when her family marries her off to a French aristocrat from the Auvergne countryside. The Marquis - as his name implies - is titled, which means something in this era, but he's otherwise totally destitute, and also very abusive. Gabrielle is - in this sense - the total embodiment of a gothic heroine where she's isolated in a foreign country with a cruel man who basically bleeds her dry financially.

She has eight children to him, only three of whom survive childhood (and I tend to think this feeds into Gabrielle's complex relationship with her own body). Lestat's the youngest, and is pretty much immediately Gabrielle's favourite although she struggles to show this. We don't know how much Gabrielle's detachment from her children and her unwillingness to show affection stems from the years married to the Marquis, how much she's divorced herself from her body and role as mother as a result, and how much is just her, but it definitely shapes how Lestat receives love (which absolutely feeds into his relationship with both Louis and Nicki). He's desperate for Gabrielle's attention, and she loves him but neglects him to the point where she doesn't even teach him how to read, despite literature being her only solace in the Marquis' house.

Gabrielle and Lestat basically become emotionally enmeshed at this point, especially as Lestat's brothers follow in their father's footsteps and become further vectors of his abuse, and that enmeshment leads first to emotional incest and then a physical attraction that's acted on at least in kissing if not more (it's ambiguous). Their sense of intimacy is in a lot of ways perverted through trauma, but Gabrielle's really unclear with boundaries with Lestat which also leads beyond emotional incest to a sort of identity bleed. As I mentioned above, she also sees Lestat as avatar - he's her masculine self, she literally calls him her phallus in the book - which as a parent, is manifest of her own abuse of him. She, in those moments, can and would deny him his own personhood and independence and see him only as an extension of herself.

There's a reading there that that's reflective of Gabrielle being either non-binary or a trans man (and a number of parallels that Claudia and Gabrielle were both turned in the wrong bodies - Claudia as a child, Gabrielle as a woman), something amplified by the fact that she predominantly wears men's clothing after she's turned into a vampire. I can and do overall agree with both those readings, but I think it's also reflective of Gabrielle recognising Lestat has social power that she never will and that dressing as a man gives her greater freedom and mobility in an era where women had little.

Their relationship actually becomes a bit less incestuous when they're less isolated in Paris and Lestat starts whatever weird psychosexual thing he has going on with Armand, haha, and Gabrielle tries to help Nicki adjust to a vampire life he's never going to adjust to. She and Lestat have a pretty loving departure from one another where she goes to travel the world again, and they spend a long time out of touch as a result because Lestat can't communicate with her as his fledgling (and still can't read or write). They only actually reunite when she realises Lestat's in danger while on tour towards the end of TVL, and then teams up with Louis to try and save him from Akasha.

So yeah! It's a really complicated relationship and in a lot of ways I think goes beyond just incest and feeds into trauma and abuse as something that perverts family dynamics, but also has profound impact on personal identity. She's kind of the worst in a lot of ways, but I honestly love Gabrielle as a character and she's often really fun (her and Armand hating each other's guts is very funny) and I can't wait to see her on screen. There's a reason she's the character Sam and Jacob are both the most excited about, but I do think she's probably going to be a very polarising character for audiences.

[rei-ismyname]

Rare Avengers Ws in Avengers Academy: Marvel Voices Infinity #6

Get it, Carol. It's nice to see Piotr back to being a big gay bozo and Carol being sexually forward. Shut up Logan, seriously. They should fuck.

By the White Wolf/Lenin's Ghost! I don't remember the last time Colossus was referred to as a communist, definitely not this decade. He doesn't dispute it either. The costumes 💜 Their body language/stances 💜 Pete's second speech bubble 💜💜

Good for you, Piotr. Emotional openness and declarations of love between men is very positive. Logan is being a bit of a stick in the mud here, gotta stay MASCULINE for the kids. They should fuck.

Not going to lie, I was concerned here. The Avengers as an institution have a TERRIBLE record with treating young people as people with agency, or even just as people. Just ask The Runaways or Young Avengers (or any mutant.)

I had to look it up but Shela is BlasterDame from New Mutants: Lethal Legion. Super gross how her parents are attempting to use the police/machinery of state to deny her personhood and gender identity (and let's be honest, endangering her life. Don't call the cops, especially not on trans kids.) It's cool that she's able to use her real name as a shield against the parents she's clearly gone no contact with. My worry increased a lot here. Even just giving up her location would be dangerous AF and against her wishes, and The Avengers work closely with cops.

Not sure of this kid's deal, but this one panel conveys a lot about his life so far. Tony Stark would probably ruin this kid's life by handing him over, Cap too depending on who's writing him. I can categorically say that being arrested for any of those warrants would be a terrible thing. He is shitting bricks, and it's sad that he expects to be in jail soon. Completely warranted based on past behaviour though.

No idea what's going on with the Red Goblin, but if snitching ass Spider-Man vouched for him he's probably G. I started to feel better because I doubt they'd set up a rule of three and then break it. It'd be cruel and hypocritical. Having a historically troublesome symbiote around is worth discussing.

Oh. Oh, okay. This is actually going to be an emotional moment. I'm not familiar with Carol's family but I can guess. On a lighter note, look at those guns.

That's... how you do it. I do wonder if maybe opening with that might have been kinder. What do you think?

See that's beautiful. This does more good for humanity than a dozen punched bad guys. Unconditional support, protection and advocacy, community building. Yeah it's work to be there for queer/runaway/disadvantaged kids, a lot of work. It's not a problem you can punch and you're up against systemic Sisyphean forces pushing the other way. But traumatized kids without support will sink - providing them with it is truly superheroic.

Every team or institution in Marvel has failed at this time and again. In a world where the hero/villain paradigm is the norm they're basically guaranteeing that they'll be fighting that kid once they grow up - they'll remember asking for help and getting turned away or handed over to abusive parents/cops. It's the same IRL but Carol Danvers isn't going to show up for you. A surly dude with knives for hands isn't going to teach you self defense (probably.) Even in the comic it's only kids with powers getting this break.

It's a lot to ask of anyone but being aware isn't hard. Bare minimum just don't call the police bc they don't help people, especially minorities and marginalized kids. Try to keep in mind that a lot of people had different opportunities to you, and/or are dealing with things you can't imagine. I have experienced a lot of this, and the people who called the police on me for being homeless probably don't know the damage they did.

Great comic!

[crystaltoa]

See, that’s the thing though. Most likely, absolutely none of the things listed above were intentionally written as trans or queer subtext. Loveable misfit protagonists that don’t fit in, or a band of rebel heroes hunted by a corrupt government are just tropes that can be picked up by any author, regardless of their personal beliefs or politics, and used to tell a compelling story.

But those tropes carry an inherent extra layer of personal meaning for queer people. It could potentially be argued that the tropes are inherently queer or queer-adjacent, regardless of who is writing them. But as I said, anyone can use these tropes, and it is not always a meaningful reflection of the attitudes they hold in real life, or an intentional meaningful commentary on queer experiences.

A transphobic animator tells a story about a boy who hides his powers and true nature from his family for fear that his own parents would try to kill him, and then gets upset when the character is read as trans by a large portion of his fandom.

A children’s author writes about a fantasy government descending into fascism, they begin targeting witches and wizards who they claim are impostors on the basis of genetics, and insinuate that their magic must have been stolen from “real” witches and wizards. Same person later goes on a crusade to ruin the lives of trans women, claiming they are not “real” women and that their very existence is inherently harmful and damaging to cis women. Not a single drop of self awareness there.

I could write literal essays about how aspects of Bionicle lend themselves to a queer reading and I find it absolutely fascinating to read it as a queer text, but I think it’s important not to confuse that interpretation with authorial intent. It’s entirely possible for someone like the person screenshotted in the original post to not see the queer themes in Bionicle, because the queer themes were very likely accidental and therefore, only arguably present.

Non-‘human’ (or in Ignika’s case, non-Toa) character desiring and achieving personhood is another trope that can be read as inherently queer. My favourite example is probably the Robin Williams film, The Bicentennial Man, in which an android undergoes an extensive physical remodelling and complex legal battle to be recognised as a ‘real’ man. Was it intended as a trans allegory? Probably not but hoo boy is it an effective one.

Ignika adopting and defining his identity as a person when he was not created to be one is inherently queer, whether intentionally so or not. It’s also an interesting subversion of the gendered ‘MacGuffin Girl’ trope, since plot important objects that become people in fiction are typically almost always female. Add that to Ignika’s longing for Matoro in the Mahri arc and there’s a lot to unpack about this character in queer terms. I think if the other Bionicle examples ‘count’ as trans subtext, regardless of authorial intent, then Ignika’s arc definitely does.

Also, you wouldn’t deny me the chance to make a trans-mask pun now, would you?

I am the destroyer of BIONICLE

Do not dare cross me

[strcetrat]

meet peter!

BASICS

NAME: peter andrew pettigrew

AGE: 24 / has no idea when his birthday is, has never celebrated it

GENDER IDENTITY: trans male (he/they)

OCCUPATION: informant / part time worker @ small shops

AFFILIATION: marauders

HOMETOWN: new york city

RESIDENCE: new york city

SEXUALITY/ORIENTATION: homosexual/romantic

MARITAL STATUS: single

PARENTS: unknown; abandoned @ orphanage

SIBLINGS: emma vanity (formerly; WE DON’T TALK ABOUT HER)

PETS: do the rats of new york count lol

LINKS: [ pinterest ]

CHARACTER SUMMARY (FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE shh i def didn’t finish the last parts)

(tw misgendering, transphobia, abuse, jail, law enforcement)

meet peter pettigrew, the street rat of the marauder crew

peter was left in the orphanage by his mother for reasons unknown, but the most likely being that she had him out of wedlock and keeping him would ruin her reputation. it was far from being prestigious or even particularly well run, the children were mostly left to their devices, except when they were “being naughty”, then the workers took delight in doling out punishment

his birth/dead name was annie, it’s the only part of his biological identity that he knows anything about, and he only knows it because of the hastily scribbled note that was tucked into his blanket when he was abandoned: ‘take care of annie’. he knows it’s not a guarantee that his mother was the one who wrote it or that his name really is annie, but given that not beliving in it would result in him having absolutely nothing to point to his coming into being, he would rather jump to all the conclusions.

the name peter he’d taken from the bible, as he used to use in the church late at night as refuge, his surname pettigrew he had gotten from a passing englishman and he’d adopted it because of his desire at the time to be anywhere but new york. he’d even given himself a middle name, andrew, because he thought that having two “male” names would further emphasize that he was very much masculine... it’s a hard era to live in

even from a young age, he already knew that his gender identity didn’t conform to what was expected of him, and it caused the conflict that eventually saw him leaving the orphanage. it was fine for a while, dressing up the way that they told him to, doing his hair up (he used to have long, curly hair that went past his shoulders) the way that they told him to, all in the hopes that someone would want to adopt him, but it all came to a head when he was six and he found out that he was on the verge of being adopted. which wouldn’t have been a problem if it wasn’t for two things: 1) he was going to be adopted by a family outside of new york and he didn’t want to leave the city, and 2) the family wanted a daughter because all they had were sons, and peter didn’t have the heart to be a disappointment to them. he reached this breaking point where he just cut off all his hair to ruin the appeal of adopting him (he had a clean record before then), and he was punished for it. he didn’t know if it was enough to break the adoption though, so he left a few days after and was living on the streets ever since.

he went to jail at one point because of a particularly vindictive man whose wallet he nicked, only to find out that he didn’t even that much money to begin with, and the man relentlessly pursued peter being punished to “teach him a hard lesson”. it was hard for him, particularly because of his gender, and because of the experience, he tries to err on the side of caution. it doesn’t help that some... law enforcement officers don’t really like him, but he doesn’t like them either, so at least it’s mutual

he met james potter after he stole mr. rich boy’s wallet and it’s been a wild ride ever since, from being introduced to sirius and remus, to doing bootlegging with them now in the name of “helping remus”. of the marauders, peter is the most apprehensive about what they’re doing, and he thinks it’s because he’s the one who has actual experience with the wrong side of the law and what is at stake if they get caught

CONNECTIONS

james potter: gOD DON’T GET ME STARTED i’ve ranted a lot about my perspective on peter’s relationship with james. on the one hand, he loves the man, they’re brothers, he wouldn’t have gotten into something as dangerous as bootlegging with complete trust in everyone involved... on the other, it’s hard for peter to ignore how the differences in their social standings affects their views on what they’re doing. like seriously, james, you’re loaded, just help remus and call it a day. peter has some contempt for rich people and their pursuit of more wealth when there are a lot of struggling poor in new york... and james is, unfortunately, part of that. talk to me later i’m stressed

remus lupin: he will die for remus, he will do what it takes to help remus. remus is the primary reason that peter is in this line of work, and his love for them is what makes him feel responsible that he has to do his part to pitch in. peter resents being poor because he can’t give a lot to remus, and bootlegging is a viable option to get enough for himself and remus, it’s a tough reality to reconcile with himself. there’s an added layer to their relationship because they come from the same standing, from not having a lot, and he doesn’t want to reach a point where they go too far and remus is placed in a worse position that he already is in

sirius black: honestly? peter can’t help but think sometimes that it’s their friendship with james that sparked the idea in james’ head to get into bootlegging, and it’s... lol. cause now here’s a friend who left their family to get into... the same business that they were in. same with james, peter is a little apprehensive of the group’s stated reasoning that they’re doing this for remus, when it feels like there’s also a bigger, much more personal reason driving both james and sirius aka james is in it for the thrill and sirius is in it to get back at their family? he loves sirius a lot but he’s also very pragmatic in his view of their problem where he’s just like... ok you got out maybe don’t go back in? it’s tough

amycus carrow: lol who knows. he’s the target. peter doesn’t know what happened, how he went from playing nice and slightly flirting at a bar to gain amycus’ trust, to the two of them back in his apartment, having long talks, sleeping in the same bed. what’s worse is amycus is the only other person who knows his big secret, which... should probably worry him, but it doesn’t? maybe cause amycus doesn’t know he’s a marauder lol but most days peter also tries to pretend that amycus isn’t a death eater so maybe it’ll all work out.... not

emma vanity: THE STRUGGLE IS REAL OKAY he loves her and he hates her in equal meaasure, which maybe is testament to how much he... does love her? lol this isn’t a romance novel. it’s hard to accept that someone can go from being your partner in crime, someone who understands how hard life on the streets is, to spitting in your face and denying your existence, your relationship, your personhood. he’s glad she got out of the streets, but since, to him, it came at the cost of her soul, he can’t be completely happy for her

OTHER THAN THESE FORMED RELATIONSHIPS i would love to plot out other things with peter. i still love mirroring his canon storyline in hp where he’s the weak link of the marauders. he won’t betray them, but he’s thought of leaving behind their bootlegging. he works hard to maintain his covert identity, so he doesn’t get immediately fingered as part of the marauders. maybe someone else that he’s pickpocketed? or someone that he’s helped? he sidelines with small shops who are familiar with him and give him odd jobs so he gets some money. i dunno i’m terrible with wanted connections

[morganmaywrites]

Thoughts on a Romance: The Larkspur Series, Part 1

Introduction

If you’re reading this, I think you would agree that I like writing. I also like writing about writing. I even like writing about my own writing. Sometimes, I enjoy getting to write about my work: my process, my intentions, how I feel I’ve succeeded or failed in achieving my goals. A book post-mortem, if you will, peeling back the skin to rummage around inside the soft stuff underneath.

And, sometimes my metaphors are kind of gross.

This is one of those times, I’m afraid. On both accounts.

Now that the second part in my ongoing romance series, is out, I decided it might be fun to take a step back and engage with the books as a whole. As it stands, the first two parts, Caught and Collared and Bought and Sold respectively, serve as the initial half of this two-act play. There will be four books all told, charting the difficult beginnings of Aden Brand’s relationship with Kristoffer Rask, and culminating in (what I hope will be) a satisfying conclusion to a 20+ year romantic arc. A lot happens over the four books, and a lot changes for the characters as well, not only in the material world of the series, but in how I’ve come to approach them.

(Also, just to clear up the inevitable question: No, nobody’s going to die. I’m not that awful. I got all the deaths out of the way with Gale, thank you very much.)

That said, I realize writing an essay about what ostensibly began as, and still is, a kinky sex book may sound a bit...excessive. I’m sure to most people, it would be. And while this series doesn’t have much of a reach or an audience, I care a great deal about it. A lot of time, effort, and energy went into these books - too character-driven to be erotica, too rough around the edges to be fluffy romance - and I have a lot of thoughts about them. Thoughts about the characters, the story, the internal logic of the world, and how all of it came to be.

And so, if you’ll indulge me, I would like to talk about these books for a bit. But, in order to do that, we have to take the books apart piece by piece, to get at meat and bones of it. Let’s start where all books (just not these books, of course) start: at the beginning.

(Fair warning: There will be spoilers for both books ahead.)

Caught and Collared: Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and a Certain Suave Cannibal or Two

The inspiration for the Larkspur Series came from two strange, seemingly incompatible places: Billy Wilder’s 1954 romantic comedy Sabrina, and Bryan Fuller’s slightly less comedic (but no less romantic, I would argue) 2013-2015 television series Hannibal.

I can see you closing your browser. Just give me a moment to explain myself.

To be more specific, the Larkspur Series came from two preoccupations of mine: dominant/submissive relationship dynamics, especially when complicated by class divisions, and the allure of Old Hollywood romance. Sabrina is one of my favorite movies, and one of my favorite Audrey Hepburn movies. Both Sabrina and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to me, symbolize the way emotionally complex stories about gender roles and class/social mobility in romantic relationships are glossed over as simplistic romcoms. Breakfast at Tiffany’s, based on the Truman Capote novella, in particular has impacted a lot of my thinking and work in regards to class, money, social mobility, and romance.

To say that class-conscious characters, such as Aden Brand in the Larkspur Series and Adam Harlow in my superhero novel The Crashers, are a recurring theme would be an understatement. Money, class divisions, the exploitation of the working class, and the transaction of money/labor in romantic relationships is something I ponder on a lot. In The Crashers, Adam is a young working class Irish Catholic gay man and army veteran with PTSD. Adam falls in love with Bridger, a middle aged man who ran from his roots as a working class bisexual Jewish youth to marry above his station. Bridger makes his way into the city’s Protestant, English-descendent upper class society by denying his background; through his relationship with Adam, he is able to return to, and make peace with, his identity.

Here, class is bound to cultural, religious, and sexual identity to define both Adam and Bridger as individuals. Class is rooted to their senses of personhood, as well as their senses as authenticity. With Adam, Bridger is able to begin the process of reclaiming his previous identity, which is juxtaposed against the values and ethics displayed by the upper class characters, such as Caitlin.

When Bridger’s wife Caitlin attempts to pay Adam to take care of her husband following their divorce, she’s using capital to recompense Adam’s emotional labor. She isn’t thinking of this as an act of purchasing Adam, of course, but as a means of ensuring Bridger is taken care of without her in his life. While I don’t explicitly criticize this exchange, I do try to highlight the complexities of class and commerce in the context of romantic and interpersonal relationships. Adam doesn’t accept the money, but moreso out of his own code of ethics than any explicit attack on Caitlin or her station.

In the Larkspur Series, I wanted to draw very clear distinctions between these divisions. Class isn’t just a matter of identity for Aden: it defines the boundaries of his relationships with the other characters. The crux of his antagonistic relationship with Celia is explicitly tied to this property and monetary exchange, as well as Aden’s low class status. But to talk about that, we have to go back to Sabrina.

Class, Power, and Romance: The Plight of Aden Brand

Like the titular character of Billy Wilder’s romcom, Aden Brand is the only child of a single working class father, in the employ of a wealthy family. He grows up on the margins of luxury, peering in on the lives of the Bellamy family, but never allowed inside their insulated world. Like Sabrina Fairchild, who leaves her roots as a chauffeur's daughter for a new life in Paris, Aden begins as a similarly precocious character. He’s intelligent, observant, and sensitive, earning scholarships to attend college far away from the Bellamy estate. They both freely wander the grounds where their fathers live and work, positioned in relation to the sprawling nature beyond the castle-like homesteads, peering in from the outside. Sabrina falls for David, and later Linus, Larrabee; Aden enters into an unconventional and illicit affair with Kristoffer Rask, the fiance of Bellamy heiress, Celia.

Moreover, they both leave home, but under difficult circumstances. The lovestruck Sabrina attempts to kill herself after being ignored by David, the love of her young life. An equally heartbroken Aden has a violent confrontation with his father Gale, which effectively ends their strained relationship. Sabrina leaves home to reconcile the love she can’t have, reminded of her station; Aden, in temporarily escaping his station, loses his father, as well as the love of his own young life.

Whereas Sabrina returns from Paris a sophisticated young woman, confident enough to pursue her romantic goals, Aden’s transformation is intentionally more tragic. He does indeed find his calling as an English professor, but he never reconciles with his past. Instead, he remains haunted by it, marked by a lingering, lifelong depression and anxiety. Sabrina, never truly waylaid by the despair that brought her to the verge of suicide, eagerly returns home to a loving father and the promise of new romance. Anxious and grieving, Aden is forced back home to deal with his father’s recent death and reminders of thwarted love affairs.

(Aden does undergo a metamorphosis about halfway through the book, but this awakening is much more of a sexual one, which I’ll get to later.)

As the plot of Sabrina flattens complicated emotional turmoil and class divisions into a story of one plucky girl’s search for love, I wanted to use that glossy, romantic narrative framework to investigate some of these themes. Aden, in essence, is a depressed, bisexual, genderswapped Sabrina Fairchild, with a dash of Holly Golightly thrown in there for good measure.

Whereas Linus Larrabee’s uncomfortable reminders of Sabrina’s station are resolved through the absolution of true love, Aden is forever marked as a dog by Celia Bellamy and others throughout the series. His station has left him othered, lesser than, and subjected to the vice-like socioeconomic pressure wielded by the rest of the cast. He’s a Sabrina without the ability to overcome the conditions of his upbringing, forever tethered to his past like a slowly sinking rock.

The Bellamys themselves are based on the structure of the Larrabee family: the patriarch and matriarch, the heir, and the black sheep. Celia stands in for the cynical, business-minded Linus Larrabee. (Linus Rask, Kristoffer’s father, is also named after Humphrey Bogart’s character, because I’m a sucker for a random reference.) Ellie stands in for oat-sowing David Larrabee, the object of Sabrina’s starry-eyed designs, although Ellie is a far more responsible, warm-hearted person than the playboy and layabout of the film.

Kristoffer, for his part, actually does the double-duty of splitting the roles of Linus and David. He is at once the object of the protagonist’s youthful romantic gaze, as well as the mature, more pragmatic love interest the protagonist later falls for.  And, so, we have to talk about Kristoffer. Because he has more going on with him than he lets on.

Not So Grey: On The Subject of Kristoffer Rask

Kristoffer certainly hails from the upper class, part of the world Aden has been denied access to, but he enters the story in a state of limbo. Unlike Aden, who is struggling with himself as much as he’s struggling with rigid class divisions, for Kristoffer, his is a war of images.

Kristoffer’s family is wealthy, but not as wealthy as Celia’s. Even a subsidiary of his father’s shipping company is absorbed by Philip Bellamy’s industrial empire, a business exchange in which Kristoffer remarks he was “acquired” by the Bellamys. That isn’t entirely true, as he and Celia had a relationship beyond their respective family businesses, but still reflects on his lowered position compared to Celia.

Following his marriage, Kristoffer doesn’t own any property; everything in his possession is owned, signed for, or given to him by Celia. He’s seen as a playboy and layabout by his own family as well as Celia’s (with the exception of the Bellamy matriarch, Sabine), all of whom describe him as shallow and consider his interest in the art world “frivolous.” He doesn’t talk about himself, because no one asks. Kristoffer is, by general consensus, charming, but disposable.

Over time, these things define the person Kristoffer presents himself as. A layabout, who works very hard and takes his career seriously. A playboy, who loves his partners very deeply, and wants long-lasting relationships. A shallow fool, who has things to say if ever asked. Kristoffer has the status to do what he wants, but is subject to the expectations, assumptions, and economic constraints of those around him. He may not believe what others say about him, but what choice does he truly have in changing their minds? Kristoffer has a role that he must fill, to please those around him, and he’s resigned himself to it.

Kristoffer is, well - Kristoffer’s a woman in an Old Hollywood romcom. He’s a man owned by his wife, within the context of a dominant/submissive sexual and economic relationship, whose sometimes unpleasant inner life is glossed over for the sake of outward appearances. Celia owns Kristoffer, limits his financial mobility within the marriage, and dictates the framework of Kristoffer’s romantic relationships.

This in and of itself isn’t negative, as this is the relationship Kristoffer willingly enters in when he decides to court Celia, subjecting himself to her domination as part of their physical and emotional dynamic. However, when Celia uses this framework to control Kristoffer (and likewise disrupt Aden’s life in lasting, traumatizing ways), against Kristoffer’s wants and needs, the dynamic becomes gravely imbalanced.

Everything in the world of the books is subject to these kinds of power dynamics. Celia, from a position of absolute social, economic, and sexual power, dominates Kristoffer, who is consensually submissive to her. Kristoffer, in turn, dominates Aden, who is consensually submissive to Kristoffer. Aden and Celia sit at opposite ends of this spectrum with relation to Kristoffer, who is in a mediated position, but ultimately powerless.

Even as a switch, someone who moves between dominant and submissive sexual roles depending on the context and circumstance, Kristoffer’s an inherently subservient character. He’s submissive to Celia, because he enjoys the rigid structure of their relationship. Likewise, he’s submissive to Aden, in that his role as the dominant partner is predicated wholly on Aden’s desires to be dominated by him. Everything Kristoffer does, and gains pleasure from, is rooted in meeting the expectations of his partners. Complicated as it is by economic factors, the true power struggle is between Aden and Celia. Aden, who lacks wealth and resources, and Celia, who weaponizes them.

The Woman in the Ivory Tower: Celia Bellamy

Unlike Caitlin, who uses her wealth as a means to protect Bridger from emotional harm, Celia uses wealth to coerce and control. Celia pays off Gale Brand to essentially abandon his son Aden, and allows Kristoffer to think he drove Aden away for the entirety of their marriage. Despite the direct emotional harm she’s knowingly causing, Celia believes the ends (keeping Kristoffer to herself, within the boundaries of their established relationship) justify the means. She loves Kristoffer, so she’ll hurt him if it means he stays with her. She’ll hold wealth, power, and material possessions over his head, so he understands his place.

This use of capital to barter for her husband’s sole attention, at the expense of Aden’s trauma and Kristoffer’s suffering, is explicitly predatory. Celia’s reasoning may be relatable, if not justifiable in some respects, but her actions are so damaging that she can’t absolve herself of their impact on Kristoffer, Aden, Gale, and others. Moreover, it’s an unfair stipulation to place on an otherwise polyamorous relationship. While Celia’s extramarital relationships are short-term and usually entirely sexual, she knows that Kristoffer is happier in long-term, emotionally-involved, non-hierarchical partnerships. So long as he doesn’t place anyone else above or comparable to her, Celia will allow Kristoffer his “dalliances,” all the while reminding him of his imposed material dependency on her.

For all of these complications and raised questions, however, I concede that there is no nice, tidy solution. Class, privilege, and economic tensions don’t stop with the Bellamys. It isn’t as if Kristoffer simply stops being wealthy, or Aden immediately forgets how others see him. When confronting Celia, who is too entrenched in her denial and justifications by the beginning to Bought and Sold to be reasoned with, Aden’s only solution is to barter. By recompensing Celia for Kristoffer, reenacting the transaction between Celia and Gale seventeen years earlier, Aden is effectively purchasing Kristoffer. Aden, to his credit, isn’t proud of this choice. I tried to frame it as neutrally as possible in the final act of Bought and Sold, because it is inherently dehumanizing. Though Aden knows it isn’t noble or ideal, it’s the only solution he can come up with, in the context of the power dynamics at work.

Just as Celia believes her actions are justified by her circumstances, so does Aden. Neither of them is right, but the morality of the situation is already complicated by power, wealth, and emotional baggage. There is no clearly moral right or wrong answer; some choices are just less harmful than others. Aden’s recognition of this fact, in parroting Celia’s morality back to her, is the only way he can get her to see the harm of her own actions. Celia isn’t bested or shamed by Aden, she just realizes how destructive she’s been, and accepts the consequences of her behavior. She also accepts the root cause of her jealousy towards Aden, a fear of being outshined by the lowly groundskeeper's son.

Celia, while deeply flawed, isn’t evil. She’s stoic, stubborn, and emotionally closed off, using class as a means to shield herself from others. The same could be said of Aden, who is similarly emotionally reserved and assumes (although with good reason, in this case) that class determines people’s values and behavior. While divided by class, both Celia and Aden are a lot more alike than either of them is comfortable in admitting.

Money Changes Everything: Gender, Class, and Capital

So, I do admit any critique I attempt to offer is softened by this morally hazy, but ultimately peaceful, resolution. Neither Aden or myself could come up with a better way to deal with these issues, and that’s fine enough. However, what I was more interested in exploring through Bought and Sold is the use of wealth in romance books, and the potentially abusive nature of financial dominance. As I said before, it isn’t as if Kristoffer forgoes his wealth, and all of the complications it engenders in his relationship with Aden.

Kristoffer most certainly buys things for Aden, just as Celia did for him. Kristoffer will always be in a more financially, socially secure position than Aden. This takes the form of material goods, gifts, and gestures that Aden simply can’t reciprocate. Whereas Kristoffer always had means of his own, even in his marriage, Aden doesn’t, and will most likely never have comparable means on a professor’s meager salary. On the surface, Aden is always at a disadvantaged position in this situation, subject to any hypothetical financial abuse and manipulation that could arise in his relationship with Kristoffer. But I wanted to make it a bit more complicated than that, if only to raise a point.

Celia, as pointedly mentioned in Bought and Sold, owns four things in Kristoffer’s possession: the house they shared during their marriage, his car, his phone, and his apartment. The home, car, and phone have all been given to him, and the apartment he’s allowed to use. Celia, effectively, controls the places and means through which Kristoffer lives, works, travels, and communicates with others. That seems meaningless to someone with Kristoffer’s status, but these four things do very much represent his access to shelter, safety, and autonomy.

I don’t mean to imply that Celia is actively abusing Kristoffer in this way. Kristoffer does have means to leave his wife, and doesn’t consider himself mistreated or abused. But the case could certainly be made, because their relationship does have a lot of problematic elements. They love each other, but the foundations of their marriage are largely unhealthy. Many relationships with these kinds of lopsided power dynamics certainly are. Again, I realize this is less of a criticism and more of a thematic feature, but I wanted to put these ideas into the text and let them play out. I don’t intend to demonize or lionize anyone here, just look at the fallout of troubled relationships.

This is also par for the course in romance books with unbalanced class and power dynamics. One partner (usually the man) controls and dictates the other partner’s (usually the woman's) life, work, and autonomy through material means. A phone, a car, an apartment, a laptop, establishing control and influence by making the other partner reliant on the practical necessities you provide. This is then reinforced by grand gestures, such as new clothes or spontaneous holidays, to make the coercion appear whimsical, romantic, and fun. It’s not controlling, it’s sweet!

I don’t even really have to say it, do I? We all know what I’m talking about. This isn’t even the most egregious example of this in all of book or film, of course, just the most infamous and easily recognizable. I promise you: dig around in romcoms and romance books long enough, you start to see Christian Greys and Ana Steeles absolutely everywhere. This is my point: these kinds of relationships are so common that most people don’t even recognize them when they see them in media. A man taking over a woman’s life through economic domination is an acceptable, if not desirable, part of courtship. But if a woman does it to a man, we recognize it as harmful and constricting. Because Celia definitely exhibits some very Grey-like behavior, as she manipulates others and justifies those actions to avoid dealing with her own enduring emotional shortcomings.

It’s okay, according to Celia. She overstepped her boundaries and Kristoffer has every right to be upset, but it’s nothing a few sweeping romantic gestures can’t fix. He’ll come to his senses eventually, and see that she only has his best interests in mind. It’s fine, as long as it’s out of love.

This, of course, could have troubling implications for Kristoffer’s relationship with Aden. After all, Kristoffer is replicating a lot of these behaviors in terms of how he uses money on Aden. But unlike in his marriage with Celia, where possessions are used to remind him of his place, Kristoffer doesn’t use wealth to control Aden’s behavior. Kristoffer gives Aden practical, but not necessary, things, such as new clothes, or converting the spare bedroom into an office for Aden to work. Kristoffer does want Aden to live with him, and to provide for Aden financially, but these gestures come without strings or stipulations. Kristoffer’s offers to pay Aden’s way are always framed as a matter of choice.

In Bought and Sold, Kristoffer wants Aden to be help him choose a house, which Aden has no obligation to move into if he chooses not to. He buys Aden clothes, gives Aden gifts, and pays for Aden whenever they go out, but it’s never dependent on Aden meeting some arbitrary criteria. While Aden doesn’t have to work if he doesn’t want to, he also feels no pressure to be a kept man, as Kristoffer encourages Aden to do whatever Aden feels necessary for his own well-being. What Aden wants, Aden gets, but only if Aden communicates the wanting when faced with a clear choice.

In adhering to the negotiated framework of their relationship, Kristoffer simply wants to take care of Aden. He gains great pleasure from assuming the intersecting roles of dominant partner, owner, and caretaker, for their own sakes. Whether he’s buying Aden gifts or choosing what Aden wears, pulling out Aden’s chair at a restaurant or binding his hands during sex, these are all manifestations of Kristoffer’s desire to care for his partner. Aden has entered into this relationship willingly, as a submissive who enjoys relinquishing control of these facets of his life. Ever the contrarian, Aden may fuss and complain (sometimes out of anxiety, most often just to be a pain in Kristoffer’s ass), but he’s never coerced. Should his needs and desires change, Kristoffer’s methods of care will adjust accordingly.

Whereas Kristoffer wasn’t given choice in his marriage, subject to Celia’s wants and expected to yield rather than risk confrontation, Aden is completely free to negotiate their relationship at any time. Aden is only dominated insofar that he agrees to be. Despite his lack of means and social mobility compared to Kristoffer, Aden holds all the power in their relationship. It’s up to Aden to wield it wisely, and not to harm or manipulate Kristoffer for his benefit. Because, despite appearances and tropes, it really is Kristoffer’s heart at stake here. Celia and Aden are both resourceful, self-contained people who function in positions of power in their relationships, and it’s up to them to be kind.

But, you say, having resisted the urge to close your browser, what does any of this talk of economic exploitation have to do with Hannibal? The answer to that is, well, not much. While the narrative structure of Sabrina provided an angle to approach the books, it was Hannibal that influenced the relationships themselves. To go into that, come back for my next post, where I’ll go into all the sexy business. Which is the only business that matters.

Notes:

While applicable to some extent, I chose to leave this discussion squarely in the realm of interpersonal class dynamics and sidestep all sugar daddy/sugar baby discourse. I joke about Aden being a sugar baby (both in the story and online), but I don’t think it’s an entirely relevant to Aden’s circumstances. I personally see no problem with people who enter into relationships for financial stability, so long as all the partners involved are honest about their intentions.

Of course, Aden having a job doesn’t make him noble or morally just in this respect. It’s not a judgement call. I just think this conversation is different for a woman entering this kind of a relationship than it is for a man, given the reality of gendered socioeconomic discourse. I’m definitely interested in these kinds of discussions, so maybe I can save that for a later blog post.