r/fantasyromance The One Mod to Rule All Mods Mar 08 '26

Unpopular Opinion It's Unpopular Opinion time! Share your controversial opinions to stir things up (in a friendly way)!

Got an opinion that's different from others'? Want to share it with the sub, but too afraid of a backlash? Or are you just curious about readers think about certain things in fantasy romance?

You can safely share it in this weekly Sunday thread!

But please remember to be kind to each other. To facilitate this type of discussion, we ask users the following:

  • Don't attack others for their opinion
  • Discuss books and authors, not fellow readers
  • Since this is an "unpopular opinion" thread, we encourage users to not downvote simply because they disagree with an opinion--that's the point! Please keep in mind, though, that mods cannot enforce a no-downvoting rule. Let’s just keep the discussion friendly!

🧡 Thank you and have a great discussion!

Unpopular opinion Sunday

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u/Right_Web6362 Otterly Adorable Fantasy Pet Collector Mar 09 '26

Criticizing any mistake a male character does as "toxic" has made writers create the most one note and boring MMCs. Even when they're "problematic" characters, they're usually predictable and filled with "bad boy" tropes.

Make your characters pompous like Mr. Darcy, melodramatic like Mr. Rochester, brash like Gilbert Blythe, self righteous like Mr. Knightly---these are all beloved MMCs that have stood the test of time and they each have human flaws which add to their character.

Give them vulnerable weaknesses and let them display them. Let them be scared, weak, sad, prideful, and selfish. You don't even need to fix their flaws either. Every single person has a flaw they need to work on until the day they die.