Crying MCs?

[ThisAdamGuy]

This is a weird question, but are you turned off by main characters who cry? It's really important to me that the characters I write feel and act like real people, but I also know that a lot of people read litrpgs for power fantasies.

My main character was in what's say was a coma for thirteen years for simplicity's sake. He wakes up and finds out that he's gone from being a teenager to an adult in the blink of an eye, everyone he's ever known is probably dead, and the entire world has gone insane. There are monsters everywhere, people are doing magic, and if he doesn't kill things every day he's going to go back into a coma. He's always been a timid guy who's never been in a fight, and after holding it together for a couple chapters, he gets overwhelmed and breaks down and cries. Another few chapters go by, and then he's forced to kill his first monster. He's all alone when it happens, he nearly dies, and when he's done he realizes that this is what his life is going to be like from here on out and has another breakdown.

I think that's going to be the last time he cries, at least for a long while, but that's still twice in the first dozen chapters or so. I feel like it makes complete sense for someone to break down at times like that, but I'm curious how other readers will react to it. He is going to get stronger, but it's not going to be an instantaneous thing. So, would you be turned off by this?

 

[BigBadBoi]

The only ones who dislike it are low IQ dumbasses and teenagers that don't care about story and are only in it for "hype moments and aura". I doubt they read anyway.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Crying as a person is very realistic. I would be concerned that the MC I was rooting for is a psychopath if they didn't cry, especially over realistically emotional situations. Crying is a natural state of life, and to deny it or shun it would be to deny or shun emotions, empathy, and truly living life. An MC who cries is an MC who cares.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

Sure, you can use crying as much as laughing or singing if the situation calls for it.

 

[RepresentingPride]

This is a weird question, but are you turned off by main characters who cry? It's really important to me that the characters I write feel and act like real people, but I also know that a lot of people read litrpgs for power fantasies.

My main character was in what's say was a coma for thirteen years for simplicity's sake. He wakes up and finds out that he's gone from being a teenager to an adult in the blink of an eye, everyone he's ever known is probably dead, and the entire world has gone insane. There are monsters everywhere, people are doing magic, and if he doesn't kill things every day he's going to go back into a coma. He's always been a timid guy who's never been in a fight, and after holding it together for a couple chapters, he gets overwhelmed and breaks down and cries. Another few chapters go by, and then he's forced to kill his first monster. He's all alone when it happens, he nearly dies, and when he's done he realizes that this is what his life is going to be like from here on out and has another breakdown.

I think that's going to be the last time he cries, at least for a long while, but that's still twice in the first dozen chapters or so. I feel like it makes complete sense for someone to break down at times like that, but I'm curious how other readers will react to it. He is going to get stronger, but it's not going to be an instantaneous thing. So, would you be turned off by this?

It can have a huge impact on the readers depending on when and how you make your mc cry, even more when it's a male and you depict him as a strong being who never/rarely show emotions.

 

[Tempokai]

Crying is a powerful pathos generator that can be accidentally overused if mishandled properly. That particular emotion is always hit or miss unless you use the context behind that action. It is the pure essence of a drama. Kenneth Burke said, rhetoric (therefore storytelling) is a drama, and crying is pure Act.

You need to make proper agency on which the MC kills that monster, the context behind the MC and why he's timid, the proper context behind the scene, and the most important, making the purpose of that crying coherent. You have the act-agent tension, because he's timid but needs to do stuff before crying, so don't mess it up.

If that is broken, I would've personally cringed so hard my immersion would break apart or dropped the story if I feel that will happen again and again. Good luck.

 

[ShrimpShady]

I love Boys Who Cry

I can't speak from the perspective of a LitRPG reader, as I'm not one, but I really enjoy when characters are allowed to express the full range of human emotions, including crying. I think that's the most straightforward way to add a complex, human dimension to your characters. Crying really only becomes a problem when it feels like that's all the character does, which doesn't seem to be the case with your MC.

In fact, a lot of the most beloved protagonists in fiction are given the permission to cry. Take Guts from Berserk for example (my personal favorite). What makes him special is that he has all of these complex, conflicting emotions and doesn't just aurafarm all day.

So crying definitely isn't a turnoff, especially in the case of your MC where it seems like a reasonable crashout. I think most audiences will resonate with it if they care about the character up until that point

 

[BearlyAlive]

"Emotions, bad, emotions are for losersand pussies. Heh, good male characters never show any emotions outside of anger and snark! Make them drop witty one-liners, cool philosophical quotes that show their anger is right and cool, and make them all dark and brooding! That's how you write good characters!" -Edgy teens and romantasy authors actually agreeing on the wrong thing.

Sure, let them cry, let them fear, let them believe in things that make no sense to others. Makes them flawed and thus human. And flawed characters are relatable and thus likeable.

 

[Corty]

No. Every character must be a sigma grindset chud.

That's the rule, sorry. Anybody showing any emotions besides being based is an automatic 1-star from me.

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

This is a weird question, but are you turned off by main characters who cry? It's really important to me that the characters I write feel and act like real people, but I also know that a lot of people read litrpgs for power fantasies.

My main character was in what's say was a coma for thirteen years for simplicity's sake. He wakes up and finds out that he's gone from being a teenager to an adult in the blink of an eye, everyone he's ever known is probably dead, and the entire world has gone insane. There are monsters everywhere, people are doing magic, and if he doesn't kill things every day he's going to go back into a coma. He's always been a timid guy who's never been in a fight, and after holding it together for a couple chapters, he gets overwhelmed and breaks down and cries. Another few chapters go by, and then he's forced to kill his first monster. He's all alone when it happens, he nearly dies, and when he's done he realizes that this is what his life is going to be like from here on out and has another breakdown.

I think that's going to be the last time he cries, at least for a long while, but that's still twice in the first dozen chapters or so. I feel like it makes complete sense for someone to break down at times like that, but I'm curious how other readers will react to it. He is going to get stronger, but it's not going to be an instantaneous thing. So, would you be turned off by this?

For Female, She's expected to cry a lot during emotional moments. Her status as MC may makes it hard for reader to tolerate her crying as opossed to normal female, but theyre expected to cry here and there.

For Male, He's only allowed to cry when some tragedy happens. Like someone's death or funeral or something, or when He's alone/with someone he TRUST.

 

[Fairemont]

Only time anyone has cried in my story (so far) is when the MC got punched in the boob. She sqwuaked like a pterodactyl and teared up a bit.

Im sure there will be more crying later.

 

[Arkus86]

Crying is fine, it can even be a powerful tool when used well, but when it's all your character does, it's a major turn-off (looking at you, Tokyo Ghoul anime).

 

[LordAstrea]

Yeah, seems like a pretty normal reaction. People bottle up their emotions, find some coping mechanism or have delayed reactions and then it just all pours out after being too much. A character crying every so often for a good reason isn't a turnoff to me.
Visit the Grand Canyon and you'll see lots of men tearing up.

 

[Santaisblue]

In the situation you are talking about, that would be completely normal. It can be a turnoff if the MC cries WAY too much, or at any inconvenience, but in your situation there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

If it makes sense in story, fits the character's personality, and is not overdone (c.f. the last two seasons of Doctor Who if you want to see it over done), it is fine, humanizing even. Think I've only done it twice so far, except for characters mentioning it in flashbacks.

 

[sand_spark]

No. The type that bothers me are sniveling spineless MCs.
Off hand i'm thinking of Dragon Goes House-Hunting and A Herbivorous Dragon of 5,000 Years Gets Unfairly Villainized both of which I dropped a few eps in. What you described sounds completely justified.

 

[RainyLiquid]

A LitRPG protagonist having emotions besides 'insert cookie cut out here'? Impossible.

It can't be done.

 

[Kara_dija]

This is a weird question, but are you turned off by main characters who cry? It's really important to me that the characters I write feel and act like real people, but I also know that a lot of people read litrpgs for power fantasies.

My main character was in what's say was a coma for thirteen years for simplicity's sake. He wakes up and finds out that he's gone from being a teenager to an adult in the blink of an eye, everyone he's ever known is probably dead, and the entire world has gone insane. There are monsters everywhere, people are doing magic, and if he doesn't kill things every day he's going to go back into a coma. He's always been a timid guy who's never been in a fight, and after holding it together for a couple chapters, he gets overwhelmed and breaks down and cries. Another few chapters go by, and then he's forced to kill his first monster. He's all alone when it happens, he nearly dies, and when he's done he realizes that this is what his life is going to be like from here on out and has another breakdown.

I think that's going to be the last time he cries, at least for a long while, but that's still twice in the first dozen chapters or so. I feel like it makes complete sense for someone to break down at times like that, but I'm curious how other readers will react to it. He is going to get stronger, but it's not going to be an instantaneous thing. So, would you be turned off by this?

Oh my god. There are very few books where men cry. And while I get ick when they're the ones who are a crybaby kinda people? But love love love it when authors make men vulnerable and weak, and make them cry because life DOES get overwhelming and men DO cry. While I'm not really fond of the killing monsters and apocalypse genre, please keep this idea intact. We need less of the cold hearted, dark mafia men, and more realistic, humane portrayal.
That was just my two cents though. Good luck with the outcome. (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

 

[Valmond]

Well, there was a time loop game that revolved around crying. A lot.

Pretty damn good story though.

 

[Deleteacc]

Makes sense to me. Let it out. Probably best if earned and some attention is given to gender expectations (whether it's normal or not in your world for a guy to cry, is he alone? etc. and the expectations put upon your core audience) And earned can mean a lot of things. In a power fantasy it's probably not the best unless it's something particularly traumatizing and you want it to hit really hard (probably shouldn't happen too often). It could also be an interesting character trait. Perhaps the character starts off weak and cries at every little thing, then grows into someone more tough and holds it in, but then could continue to grow into someone who is capable of showing emotion but is also strong. Cry-baby to emotionally intelligent badass arc. Or they could just cry a lot, someone's probably into it.