How far is too far? (tw: Parental abuse)

John_Owl

Per aspera ad astra.
Joined
May 20, 2023
Messages
948
Points
133
I'm asking this as a writer... In your experience, how far is too far? I've got an MC that was abused by his mom and neglected by his dad. It was described in general terms. But I'm currently about to introduce a character who is currently being abused by her parents - it's a societal thing for them. Think of the drow from the Menzoberranzan trilogy in the legacy of Drizzt - combat-focused, so physical beatings are almost expected.

Also, I want to note, solely physical beatings and emotional abuse. How far, along these lines, would be too far for most readers?
 

RepresentingWrath

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
13,556
Points
283
As long as it serves actual purpose and isn't just torture porn or used to hide questionable or illegal fetishes I'm ok with everything. Even sexual stuff. Majority probably won't take sexual abuse well, while K5 won't like any abuse at all.
 

ElijahRyne

A Hermit that’s NOT that Lazy, currentlycomplainen
Joined
Aug 12, 2021
Messages
1,829
Points
153
I'm asking this as a writer... In your experience, how far is too far? I've got an MC that was abused by his mom and neglected by his dad. It was described in general terms. But I'm currently about to introduce a character who is currently being abused by her parents - it's a societal thing for them. Think of the drow from the Menzoberranzan trilogy in the legacy of Drizzt - combat-focused, so physical beatings are almost expected.

Also, I want to note, solely physical beatings and emotional abuse. How far, along these lines, would be too far for most readers?
It is probably best to imply it, or keep the scenes brief, unless you have a goal that cannot be reached without expanding it.
 

ArlindoFrancisco

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2024
Messages
89
Points
48
It depends; you just can't make it too long because it might look like some kind of fetish you have as an author, so as long as it doesn't fill every chapter, fine.
The setting is also important, if it is low fantasy, heavy beating is just a must; you can go brutal with it, but again, it can't be too much.
 

John_Owl

Per aspera ad astra.
Joined
May 20, 2023
Messages
948
Points
133
Depends on what is the social zeitgeist of the story you are writing.

If it’s low fantasy setting with heavy traditional values the answer will be different from a fantasy story that leans heavier into modern 21st social values.
fairly typical isekai. Modern setting this world, high fantasy in the other.
As long as it serves actual purpose and isn't just torture porn or used to hide questionable or illegal fetishes I'm ok with everything. Even sexual stuff. Majority probably won't take sexual abuse well, while K5 won't like any abuse at all.
Well, "actual purpose" could be a variable question. It sets up the character to go "dexter" on her parents before GTFO'ing out of the village to join the MC, but it is technically an isekai fantasy smut, so her META purpose in joining is a fulfillment in the harem portion, but storyline-wise, it's because she'd always just been a tool, product, or culmination - never an actual person. Meanwhile, the MC and the group show her more care in a 5 minute battle than her parents ever had, since her parents always had ulterior motives. I feel it serves a very good storyline purpose, but others may feel differently. side note - it's also a little poetic, given the shared history between her and the MC. both abused by parents that couldn't give a damn about them - different worlds are surprisingly the same in a lot of ways.
As long as you don't fill every chapter with it you can go pretty far.
it's been mentioned. The MC was physically beaten by his mom, but it was always just mentioned as character backstory. This one is happening on screen, right in front of the reader. Which is why I wasn't sure.
 

Seaspecter

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 29, 2022
Messages
700
Points
133
it's been mentioned. The MC was physically beaten by his mom, but it was always just mentioned as character backstory. This one is happening on screen, right in front of the reader. Which is why I wasn't sure.
I think it will be fine, I've had some truly awful stuff happen on screen and I only lost readers once.
 

John_Owl

Per aspera ad astra.
Joined
May 20, 2023
Messages
948
Points
133
I think it will be fine, I've had some truly awful stuff happen on screen and I only lost readers once.
well, my latest chapter has 7 readers, so losing readers, plural, is a big hit. Still, I think I'll take the risk.
 

TASTYLEADPAINT

Resident Tech priest
Joined
Aug 10, 2020
Messages
601
Points
133
I'm asking this as a writer... In your experience, how far is too far? I've got an MC that was abused by his mom and neglected by his dad. It was described in general terms. But I'm currently about to introduce a character who is currently being abused by her parents - it's a societal thing for them. Think of the drow from the Menzoberranzan trilogy in the legacy of Drizzt - combat-focused, so physical beatings are almost expected.

Also, I want to note, solely physical beatings and emotional abuse. How far, along these lines, would be too far for most readers?

How far you can go depends on the precedent set in the story and the person.

If from the rip your character is clearly a.monster who kills indiscriminately. It wont be too far if they walk into an orphanage and burn it down.
 

CharlesEBrown

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 23, 2024
Messages
4,676
Points
158
In general, it is more effective to simply let the reader (or viewer) know the abuse happened - maybe even make it a LITTLE ambiguous that "it probably happened, no it must have, but maybe it didn't" - that way the READER (or viewer) is "complicit" in the abuse instead of forced to watch it, if that makes any sense - more of an emotional gut-punch rather than a punch to the face, I guess.
 

ThrillingHuman

always be casual, never be careless
Joined
Feb 13, 2019
Messages
4,738
Points
183
I'm asking this as a writer... In your experience, how far is too far? I've got an MC that was abused by his mom and neglected by his dad. It was described in general terms. But I'm currently about to introduce a character who is currently being abused by her parents - it's a societal thing for them. Think of the drow from the Menzoberranzan trilogy in the legacy of Drizzt - combat-focused, so physical beatings are almost expected.

Also, I want to note, solely physical beatings and emotional abuse. How far, along these lines, would be too far for most readers?
Rape ofc. But less extreme would be some way of limiting autonomy in a very intimate way, like forcing a marriage or ruining an opportunity that the character has been working very long for without a second thought to the child's opinion. Like, say you spend chapters on character preparing a ticken for some Academy and making plans and then the parent character just goes and sells it or such.
 

beast_regards

Dumb-Ass Medal Holder
Joined
Jul 19, 2022
Messages
1,489
Points
153
How long could readers manage?

Problem with the abuse, any kind of abuse be it parental or sexual or bullying, it all takes place over the long periods of time. It is not a one-time thing. Time is the essence, not the graphical intensity of it. There has been a lot of extreme stuff written. Web novels readers aren't much interested in the long-term problems, any kind of long-term problem, they demand resolution, and they demand it fast, because that's the nature of the web novel. There is no initial investment, and the alternative is only one click away. This is something which doesn't happen with traditional publishing where there is, in fact, initial investment, be it in effort (bringing the book home from library, then returning it) or monetary (paying for the book). In web novels there is no such thing. Readers could leave with the click, and will leave with that click.

Did you notice how fast could the web novel's protagonist solve problems, I mean, on average?

It's unusually overnight (or at least since the next chapter)

And that's the problem.

You couldn't portray the gruelling, long term, nature of the abuse.

Your audience could sometimes have a stomach for cruelty, but always, always lack patience.

Go for your abuse routine for longer than three chapters with no resolution in sight - let it be running away or good old patricide - the readers will leave. Hell, they might even leave after one chapter, and will most likely leave you a bad rating to remember them by. Then, the story would be dead, and the message you want to send lost. There is no story is no one shows to read it, or is there? It's up to you, really.

And then there is an elephant in the room. It's pink, and it's called escapism. Do the readers even want to read about the very real issues of the real world, they read to escape them, and when you think of it, what is the most likely trauma in young adults that makes a predominant part of your reader base? If any, it would be abuse, and you don't want to poke that.
 

RepresentingWrath

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
13,556
Points
283
Well, "actual purpose" could be a variable question. It sets up the character to go "dexter" on her parents before GTFO'ing out of the village to join the MC, but it is technically an isekai fantasy smut, so her META purpose in joining is a fulfillment in the harem portion, but storyline-wise, it's because she'd always just been a tool, product, or culmination - never an actual person. Meanwhile, the MC and the group show her more care in a 5 minute battle than her parents ever had, since her parents always had ulterior motives. I feel it serves a very good storyline purpose, but others may feel differently. side note - it's also a little poetic, given the shared history between her and the MC. both abused by parents that couldn't give a damn about them - different worlds are surprisingly the same in a lot of ways.
Well, one part of the actual purpose is longlasting repercussions abuse brings, and author's exploration of this topic. Example, if character was sexually abused, they will have problems getting intimate, or the opposite and they act like assholes during lovers because of repressed memories and trauma, and so on. How exactly this happens and why, and how they will deal with it. Stuff like that is ok to me. I might not read it all because I'm not always in the mood for this type of story, but I am ok with it.

Meanwhile, if the character, child, was abused, saved, and it is never brought up again. This is just torture porn which is not my cup of tea, and depending on how detailed it is, it can be too much. Or you know, child was abused, save, and the fact is forgotten for a long time before author remembers it has to have some longlasting repercussions, so they bring it up once. Just as bad as the previous example.
 

Tempokai

The Overworked One
Joined
Nov 16, 2021
Messages
1,396
Points
153
My "too far" limit is LISA: The First. If you know, you know.
 

Anonjohn20

Pen holding member
Joined
Mar 22, 2023
Messages
1,835
Points
153
I'm asking this as a writer... In your experience, how far is too far? I've got an MC that was abused by his mom and neglected by his dad. It was described in general terms. But I'm currently about to introduce a character who is currently being abused by her parents - it's a societal thing for them. Think of the drow from the Menzoberranzan trilogy in the legacy of Drizzt - combat-focused, so physical beatings are almost expected.

Also, I want to note, solely physical beatings and emotional abuse. How far, along these lines, would be too far for most readers?
As long as no one is getting raped/sexually abused, then I can read it, no problem.
 

John_Owl

Per aspera ad astra.
Joined
May 20, 2023
Messages
948
Points
133
As long as no one is getting raped/sexually abused, then I can read it, no problem.
Nah, nothing like that. It's a society that values combat prowess and uses selective matchmaking for the best potential. The character's parents were the best in their generation, so they were paired off for reproduction. They produced 2 daughters. The character in question was kinda like Azula - She was perfect in all things simply because that's what was required. When she found something she wasn't perfect at (a battle against the MC's group), she went home to report and got beaten for losing, essentially. I can go into detail, but that's basically what it boils down to.
 
Top