Thoughts On Goria #2: Sodom and Gomorrah: Excuse For A Lesbian Couple, Or Something Much Deeper?

Two of the most interesting characters in Goria, at least, I feel, are Ivy De La Rossi and Emily Grant, more "affectionately" known, respectively, as Gomorrah and Sodom. They contrast each other perfectly; Sodom is physically capable, but relies much more on her psychology shifting abilities, while Gomorrah is intelligent, but relies on her physical abilities. Sodom is deranged from the beginning, while Gomorrah only loses her mind after the death of someone very precious to her.

But, what makes them so "bizarre" is the fact that Sodom and Gomorrah are not only partners in crime, but *gasp* a lesbian couple! Yeah, I know, anyone who reads this all ready knows, but it doesn't stop the fact that it's taboo. The trick for me is writing them in a way that doesn't come off as them being there as fan service. True, Sodom looks like a plainer version of Jennifer Morrison and Gomorrah... well... But, despite their appearances, their personalities are vastly different. Again, Sodom loves to kill, whereas Gomorrah does it to make Sodom happy, but is weary of it at first. Sodom is a sociopath with maniac-esque tendencies, whereas Gomorrah is lighthearted and fun loving (at least at first and after Goria: World War). But, the contrasting personalities alone aren't enough to make them work as a "legitimate" comic couple.

But, as time would prove, the best thing about designing, whether its art, a logo, or a story, inspiration can come from others. In this case, it was a comic book called How Loathsome. The first chapter talks about the main character, Catherine, and her room mate, Nick, meeting a girl named Chloe at a bar. Nick is surprised to find out that Chloe is a transvestite. Before you back up, and delete me, bear with me. Catherine knows, and is a transvestite herself, and the two start a relationship. What's interesting about it (I'm not the target audience for the book, obviously, but I still loved it), is Catherine's thoughts on the relationship. "We were beautiful monsters, the kind the city thrives on, allows to flourish, and greedily destroys. I imagined us as twin creatures, and reveled in that twisted bond. Alone we felt like outcast aliens. Together we were perfectly matched, too unusual and awful for anyone else." (©2004 Tristan Crane and Ted Naifeh)

Truly as bizarre as it sounds, Gomorrah sees her relationship with Sodom nearly like that. Gomorrah is a monster, Infected with the Necrocyte, causing her spilt blood to become a living being that can be controlled by her. Her scars, tattoos, blind eye, and Infection make her unwanted by society's "normal" people, thus she sees herself as a monster in her own skin. She sees Sodom as equally monstrous at first, but later more so after finding Sodom can't (or won't) speak. Gomorrah feels Sodom is so monstrous, in fact, that she can't stand the sound of her own voice. This is mostly confirmed by the fact that Sodom can make people do her bidding, or go insane (or both), making Gomorrah believe that Sodom is so monstrous, she's practically a demon. But, on the other hand, she can't help but be drawn into what Sodom offers as a relationship, even after her father tosses them both out of his house because he caught them in bed together on Gomorrah's 18'th birthday.

Their relationship isn't without flaws. This may contain spoilers, so if you're at all interested in Goria, and don't want this ruined, skip this paragraph. Gomorrah tells Sodom several times that she loves her. Her actions prove it on a near constant basis. But, Sodom never tells Gomorrah she loves her until its too late. Sodom may in fact love Gomorrah, but at the same time she never shows much emotion at all. The only time Sodom says "I love you," is seconds before she dies due to a neck injury caused by Carapace. Even more emotional (and adding a kick in the ass to a cliche scene) Sodom actually says it out loud, proving that she did love Ivy. In fact, she loved Ivy so much, she couldn't die without letting her hear her actual voice. This is also what causes Gomorrah to go insane; without Sodom to tell her what to do, and without her equal monster, the one that understands what it feels like to be isolated, she goes ballistic. After the events, she repents by joining TORAH, and realizes she's not alone. She starts a relationship with a fellow monster (Goria), and failing that, with Sin.

The trick with this is that Sodom and Gomorrah are bad women, but they aren't completely above emotion. I want to make this feel like a real relationship, not having lesbians for the sake of having lesbians (Gomorrah's actually pansexual, but that's neither here nor there). Oddly enough, the only way to write this is by making the relationship seem sympathetic, and ultimately damaged. Fitting for the comic, but at the same time, aren't all relationships damaged?