i've been on wattpad for six and a half years, but i've been writing public fanfiction for almost eight. i've had my fair share of comments that request the female character to be harmed so the male love interest can take care of them/so they can see their love interest's reaction. and let me tell you— it's really heartbreaking.
i've gotten comments actually requesting for me to do this. for example, in Conflate, people have said things like "this sounds wrong, but i really hope that fallon gets shot instead of raven so bellamy can take care of her."
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yeah, that's a real comment i got.
in my maze runner story, Different, my female OC is one of two girls and is surrounded by 50-60 boys all the time. i've had people wish for her to be r*ped or sexually harassed/assaulted so that newt (her love interest) can save her.
the thing is, i have a fair share of male OCs in my stories. they are never treated this way. i've never had a comment saying, "i hope caleb gets stabbed so raven can take care of him!!!" and the question is, why? why must it always be female characters suffering so their (usually male) love interests can save them or just to see their love interest's reaction? why are female characters' bodies seen as objects to further romance, or something to be harmed for the sake of some angst in their relationship?
in case it needs to be spelled out: r*pe, sexual assault, and sexual harassment are not things to be taken lightly. it's not something that can happen and the character (regardless of gender or lack thereof) will be completely fine afterward. it is not something to be used to create a "cute" scene where the victim is rescued by their love interest. no matter what. no exceptions. (of course, these things are real and can be incorporated into literature, but with respect and done properly.)
people who wish these things are, even if just subconsciously, viewing the female character as an object or plot device, and that is not okay.
there is a difference between a female character being hurt and then her love interest is obviously worried about her, and her being hurt as an excuse for the author to write a cute scene, or even her being hurt just so the love interest can react. make sure you are respectful toward your female characters and be conscious of the line in the sand.
( ps: i know it kind of counteracts the mood i set while writing this chapter, but thank you guys so much for 50k reads on this! )
