Would Hawkgirl Work Better as Romantasy? With Special Guest: Kerry Fray

Can Hawkgirl fly in a Victorian ball gown? Where exactly do you tuck the wings? And is a hundred-year grudge a "third act breakup" or just a very long argument? She has lived in ancient Egypt, the Old West, and the Age of Piracy, and her defining story is a love that survives death and reincarnation. That sounds a lot less like a superhero book and a lot more like a romantasy. What would a romantasy editor change? And is the real reason she's never clicked that DC keeps telling her story as an action book instead of a love story? In this episode of our Hawkgirl series, romantasy writer and reader Kerry Fray explains the genre and how its conventions map onto Hawkgirl's reincarnation-based love story. Romantasy blends the structure of romance fiction with a fantasy setting, ranging from paranormal romance to full high-fantasy epics. Topics covered: the "fated mates" trope and its roots in religious traditions, why Hawkman's constancy of affection across lifetimes mirrors classic romance heroes, enemies-to-lovers and friends-to-lovers plot structures, the "third act breakup" and why many readers dislike it, how grudges and past-life baggage work in a romantic narrative, and why prose gives readers more room for internal conflict than television does. And yes, the microphones are in the wrong position -- it was our first day filming with the new mics. They work beautifully, they just block some of our hosts' faces. D'oh! Chapter Titles: 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Defining Romantasy and its Tropes 05:54 Evolution of the Romance Genre 11:37 Internal Struggles and Third Acts Conflicts 15:42 Reincarnation and Historical Settings 24:10 Ancient Eygpt and Fanfiction Tropes 25:21 Closing Thoughts