So there's the YA book made into movie thread that's getting into a serious discussion regarding the whole, "rapey male LI's are bad for the genre and setting standards for girls who are reading these books and it's damaging to them in the future". The first book in question. HUSH HUSH. Now, I didn't pick up on a lot of the rapeyness of it. He stepped over the line and had some anger issues, but it was the first YA book that got me back into the genre so maybe I'm a bit biased... Edward from TWILIGHT, total creep nation.
Then I started thinking about my book, and how the (main) LI to my MC can be a bit... angry at times. Setting the stage for the situation, a group of kids have lived in a facility for a decade, tweaked and manipulated to have elemental super powers. The LI MC controls fire. So OBVIOUSLY I go the route of being the total hothead. He's got anger issues, he's been aware of the secrets and the lies longer than the others, so he rebels against the company and fights for control and leadership. He's quick to kill the NPC guards and even fights with the third leg of the love triangle, the gentle giant type. He's rude, mouthy, arrogant, but gets his ass handed to him a couple times. He calls my MC stupid and a moron sometimes, but he does that with everyone.. it's usually a moment of frustration.
Reading that thread though, I started to reevaluate my story and wondered... Oh my God, have I accidently made an abusive relationship? I mean, my MC is fairly complacent with things and the facility in the beginning, and comes into her own by being the leader they need and confronting her demons.. she doesn't just lie down like a dog and take whatever he dishes out like other female MC's have been accused of being weak in that sort of situation.
But his personality, who he is, what's shaped him, is why he is the way he is and in book 2 when they're outside in the world, my MC starts to ground him and things definitely start to turn around. Book 1 is pretty devoid of physical closeness but there are moments that start to set up the emotional bond that tightens them in book 2.
And me personally? I've been in a very loving relationship for almost 4 years now. Nothing that started out with him being a bad boy and super dangerous and I wanted to change him. Just a normal guy and a normal girl who started hanging out and grew to like each other. My two previous relationships? Very much the same way. No bad boy who are picking fights with guys because they even looked at me because they're jealous and overprotective.. just some regular Joe's.
Is it possible, and I'm in NO WAY trying to justify any of the bad messages in these books (Hush Hush, Twilight, 50SoG)... that these women are writing about the idea of this guy who's arrogant, heated and passionate, but forgetting to follow through with the change they claim he goes through in the end? Is it possible that they're not at all aware of the abusive relationship they've written?
Then I started thinking about my book, and how the (main) LI to my MC can be a bit... angry at times. Setting the stage for the situation, a group of kids have lived in a facility for a decade, tweaked and manipulated to have elemental super powers. The LI MC controls fire. So OBVIOUSLY I go the route of being the total hothead. He's got anger issues, he's been aware of the secrets and the lies longer than the others, so he rebels against the company and fights for control and leadership. He's quick to kill the NPC guards and even fights with the third leg of the love triangle, the gentle giant type. He's rude, mouthy, arrogant, but gets his ass handed to him a couple times. He calls my MC stupid and a moron sometimes, but he does that with everyone.. it's usually a moment of frustration.
Reading that thread though, I started to reevaluate my story and wondered... Oh my God, have I accidently made an abusive relationship? I mean, my MC is fairly complacent with things and the facility in the beginning, and comes into her own by being the leader they need and confronting her demons.. she doesn't just lie down like a dog and take whatever he dishes out like other female MC's have been accused of being weak in that sort of situation.
But his personality, who he is, what's shaped him, is why he is the way he is and in book 2 when they're outside in the world, my MC starts to ground him and things definitely start to turn around. Book 1 is pretty devoid of physical closeness but there are moments that start to set up the emotional bond that tightens them in book 2.
And me personally? I've been in a very loving relationship for almost 4 years now. Nothing that started out with him being a bad boy and super dangerous and I wanted to change him. Just a normal guy and a normal girl who started hanging out and grew to like each other. My two previous relationships? Very much the same way. No bad boy who are picking fights with guys because they even looked at me because they're jealous and overprotective.. just some regular Joe's.
Is it possible, and I'm in NO WAY trying to justify any of the bad messages in these books (Hush Hush, Twilight, 50SoG)... that these women are writing about the idea of this guy who's arrogant, heated and passionate, but forgetting to follow through with the change they claim he goes through in the end? Is it possible that they're not at all aware of the abusive relationship they've written?
.
