i dont want this to be offensive towards anyone that likes this trope, but does anyone else feel uncomfortable with age-gap fics? unless it's done really well and it doesn't make either of the characters just batshit crazy or completely stupid, i just don't enjoy it lol.
im actually really not phased by age gaps when both the people are past the age of like 20 like honestly it could be a 40 year gap and i would be like ‘huh ok’ but i dont feel as opposed to it as lots of others do?? like i see people get stressed over a 6 yr age gap between a 24 y/o and a 30 y/o but that really doesnt seem weird to me idk why (obvs its completely fine for ppl to be personally :/// about age gaps i get that, its just never really been a problem for me as long as its all consensual)
That post about the age gaps have reminded me of an old relationship I had that went up in smoke, feel free to read it cause I'm just talking about it cause it's on my mind
When I was sixteen, I developed a crush on a young man of twenty two, we did community theatre together and he introduced me to playing Dungeons and Dragons (which I did in secret since my mother was concerned with me being around older men, no one in the group was younger than twenty one and now I feel bad making her worry about me like that knowing what men are capable of)
After some awkward chasing and pining, he and I initiated a relationship that we kept secret, our DnD group knew and some of my friends but that was about it. Or so I thought, turns out my mother knew but she was aware I wasn't sexually active so she let me learn the hard way since I ignored her warnings. The relationship went on for months and it never went past some kisses and holding hands and playing games together, but he got a bit...weird.
He knew about my issues with my dad and took it to be a role model to me, a male role model, in essence, a father figure. This was where I ended it, because I didn't want him to act like my dad, I did find without my dad around, and I knew that was creepy. I ended things and he tried to stop me and insist I had no idea what I was doing, and thankfully my uncle cottoned on and took me home.
I didn't speak to my ex for years...until recently. I contacted him on facebook and we both discussed what happened, and that what we did was wrong, that I was too young and that he should have been more responsible. We're actually on better terms now and that makes me feel a bit better.
I'm grateful things never went sexual or perhaps they might have gone south, considering the only person I ever had a sexual encounter with is someone I despise for (surprise) manipulating/trapping/trying to intoxicate me and I was too afraid to say no.
Aaaaanyway, thats my two cents.
I did the whole age gap thing and it was a disaster. Guys, date within your age range when your teens, you may think four years isn't a lot but remember, you're a whoooole different person at sixteen than you are at twenty, or twenty-two in my case.
