Green Eyes

[raefinlay]

I've been reading the new(ish) Luna line to get a feel for that particular market. Read one that was pretty decent. (C.E. Murphy's Urban Shaman.) Read another that was abysmal. The abysmal one contains the typical hero/heroine in a love/hate relationship. They torment each other verbally while being undeniably drawn together by flaming passion, blah, blah. *has headache from rolling eyes so much* If I read another "sparks" or "moth to flame" metaphor I will spork this book.

Also, the heroine has green eyes. Not only are they green, they are oft-noted whenever the reader is forced to wallow in the hero's POV.

Dude(s). In one of my WIPs, my heroine has green eyes. I didn't do this because it was a cliche. I did it because *I* have green eyes, so I know how to write about them. Color-crayon green. Green that makes people look twice and say, DUDE, you have GREEN eyes. My sister has green eyes. My cousin has the kind of sea-green eyes that make you think about tropical beaches. Green eyes are just...normal. To me.

But reading the abysmal book, I'm getting it. I see why people are so irritated by the green eye thing. Why do so many authors choose this color for attractive heroines? I guess Hitler ruined us for blue. (Unless, of course, the blue eyes are accompanied by dark hair.) And brown is just so...I dunno. Why not brown? Do we still have subconsious, residual issues with brown?

*repaints all characters with brown eyes*

Comments

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

I have green eyes. And red hair. But my hair does not flame, and my eyes don't spark. I keep candles at a safe distance to avoid that sort of thing.

And my bosom doesn't heave very often, since I stopped smoking.

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

But, do you have a smattering of pleasing freckles across your pertly turned nose?

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

Pretty much, yeah. If by pleasing you mean, don't make me want to soak my face in bleach.

[cristalia.livejournal.com]

So long as the eyes are not just a touch too wide for beauty.

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

I think I read that book.

Or--*shudder*--is there more than one?

[everyonesakitty.livejournal.com]

Holy cow, I just discovered that jodi and you and rae *all* have green eyes. how did I miss this fact? That's so cool!

*surrounded by green eyes*

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

Ah, I have green eyes too. And hair that is a different shade of red than Amanda's.

I am missing the freckles though. I might be too old for a perky splash of anything. :)

[everyonesakitty.livejournal.com]

wow! I guess green eyes are pretty common after all. I had no idea. I'm so jealous of the red hair... *pours dye*

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

I think most people have hazely-green eyes, but in high school I knew two people with eyes the really real color of green bottle glass. One had naturally black hair and white skin too. And another guy with black hair and the most gorgeous seafoam green eyes evah. I've never seen purple, though.

[pjthompson]

My cousin has these gorgeous hazel eyes that are actually gold. The only time they show green is when she cries. Nature is so cool.

[pjthompson]

Auburn hair and brown eyes. Like Jaime, my pleasing splash of freckles have pretty much faded into the background, but there was a time they were so thick it looked like I was wearing a saddle over my nose.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Except for me! I have the black black hair and the dark brown eyes. Which, oddly enough, are outlined in black. That is, the brown part has a ring of black around it, and then you get the white part of my eyes. Weird.

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

Everyone I've ever seen up close had their hair color somewhere in their eyes. Mine have a little ring of coppery-orange right around the pupil. Everybody's eyes are cool if you look close enough, which makes it even worse when authors fall back on flashing and sparking defiance and melting with love and all that crap.

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

Everyone I've ever seen up close had their hair color somewhere in their eyes.

Doode. Now that you mention it, it's totally true. *experiences paradigm shift*

Also, I just did an edit/search for "spark." I'm so embarassed.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

You know, I've never thought about it but you're right. I can only think of a few people whose eyes aren't like that and those are the folks whose eyes are really, really memorable in the "Wow, I didn't think they made eyes that pretty" sort of way.