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Jun. 3rd, 2025 03:30 amReading a fanfic in the “teens fight monsters” genre, I’m reminded of why I don’t stick to genre standards.
Civilian character tells monster-fighters they should see a therapist or something after all the death and suffering they’ve seen. Monster-fighters get mad at her for thinking she knows better than they do about fighting monsters. This is “teens fight monsters,” and the genre would be ruined if it changed to “adults help teens fight monsters.”
Take off the genre goggles, and she’s not saying she knows about fighting monsters. She’s saying neither she nor they know how to handle seeing hundreds of dead bodies, and they ought to talk to someone who can at least theoretically help with that. And frankly, the heroes are being assholes to her for wanting them to not break down.
I’ve written a few teenagers who fight monsters. Adults help to the limits of their knowledge and competence, and if that’s against genre standards, I don’t give a fuck.
Civilian character tells monster-fighters they should see a therapist or something after all the death and suffering they’ve seen. Monster-fighters get mad at her for thinking she knows better than they do about fighting monsters. This is “teens fight monsters,” and the genre would be ruined if it changed to “adults help teens fight monsters.”
Take off the genre goggles, and she’s not saying she knows about fighting monsters. She’s saying neither she nor they know how to handle seeing hundreds of dead bodies, and they ought to talk to someone who can at least theoretically help with that. And frankly, the heroes are being assholes to her for wanting them to not break down.
I’ve written a few teenagers who fight monsters. Adults help to the limits of their knowledge and competence, and if that’s against genre standards, I don’t give a fuck.
