All is not well in Essen-- and it is brilliant.
Roman Wild, played by my
nsgbf the affectionate and charming
DG, is about to make a decision that will put into jeopardy my beloved
DeRo and I am...all a twitter. (Quite literally because I'm tweeting like mad).
If I say that this actor ---->
is brilliantly portraying a man torn between two lovers, will you believe me?
I'm talking about Alles Was Zahlt--my German soap. I've been following this show for months--well years if you count hundreds of vids I watched in a lost five days last January--and things are about to get real. It's going to be a dark time for the fragile and tender (also ba-lay-zingly steamy) relationship between young puppy-eyed Deniz Ozturk and dramatic perennially 3rd placer--Roman Wild.
It's also going to be riveting.
This Week.I've been sequestered deep in my writing cave working on
Dan and Caesar's second book, (which btw is coming so slowly my own G thought I'd finished it two months ago. I quote him here: "You're still working on THAT?" Bastard. Sometimes writing is slow. OKAY? That doesn't mean I'm not
working!).
What the hell was I saying?
Oh. So, Trust Me If You Dare obviously deals with issues of commitment and trust. It's the continuation of a new relationship; my readers didn't get to know Dan as well as they'd like to in the first book; and I'm carefully considering how to bring more Dan into a first person narrative (in which Dan is not the POV character) while keeping things fresh, funny, and frank. And, goddamn, it ain't easy.
How does one take a new relationship and add drama without pissing the audience off or turning readers away? How to keep them hooked? How to do it with humor?
I'm thinking...temptation. But is it too soon?
Which brings me to my reflections on
AWZ and the storyline they've developed, particularly for actor Dennis Grabosch's character--and the risk it involves for not only Roman Wild, but for the continued love and support of the rabid fandom, of which I am a card carrying member.
Because, let me be frank (and funny and fresh)--people don't forgive cheaters easily, even when they're cute. And this one is terribly cute.
Conflict is so ... conflicting!
Romantic fiction enthusiasts generally agree that cheating crosses their invisible line in the sand. Period. Some will forgive violence or rape or homophobia or alpha-male-itis, and many readers (if sales figures are anything to go on) embrace the unlikely lurve in polyamory--but cheating? That's a nearly irredeemable act in romance, particularly when it's a likable POV character or a beloved hero.
With the exception of Stephanie Plum and Sookie Stackhouse (off the top of my head).
While I'm sorting through my own work--I'm wondering how far is too far, and I'm really paying attention to craft. I'm seeing how a good storyteller (and this is where I give a nod to Tom Chroust and the writers of AWZ) opens a can of whoop-ass on us and we still manage to empathize with the main character--but a great storyteller delivers growth and depth of understanding for both the characters and the audience. A great storyline puts us in the very shoes of every single character in the conflict--and we're equally conflicted.
Shit. I am utterly effing spellbound. And I am digging DG even more than before, which I didn't think was possible, because he's delivering. Boy Howdy.
Monkey-in-the-Middle
NO, they didn't choose what I think is the obvious solution for
The Trouble in Essen:
Menage Is The Answer
::grumbles::
I'm not getting my book written any faster, but truly, how can I not watch this?
Bastards!
If there is one thing Alles Was Zahlt does well, it's to craft believable characters in unbelievable situations and make them leap through every contrived hoop imaginable. And I buy it! Why? Because these characters make good and bad choices, they learn from mistakes, they grow, and things aren't ever black and white--even in mythological Essen.
I love this most about AWZ--I mean I also dig the unprecedented humor, the clever costume department , the savvy sound track, and the naked boys getting grubby in the shower--sometimes alone and thinking of the wrong man (MEROW)--hey, I'm human! Still, it's just a brilliant and fun show--but there's an underlying truth involved that makes the damn thing so gripping. So worth my time.
What's your take? Can you forgive a cheater? And if so--how do you get there? Do they have to crawl? I don't like crawling in my romances. I think making someone crawl isn't love at all--I think people have to live their apology and prove growth. Earning REAL forgiveness is equivalent to offering REAL forgiveness.
Anywho. Back into the writing cave I go.
LB, who luffs you all, is going bye-bye for the next week.
PS
RANDOM FACT: A concertina just arrived on my doorstep.
