NOVEL NEXT Chapter : An Analysis
More musings from me ig. Posted in Volume 0 cause I didn't want to interrupt the flow of readers.
Basically, I wanted to talk about age gaps, since the age gap in this story will be a lot closer to infinity than zero (I know it isn't, it's definitely closer to zero, it's a figure of speech you math nerds).
A disclaimer first, I am somebody who was raised in a conservative state in the U.S., and so my views might be different from yours due to cultural and political differences.
Also, this is my analysis of Society's views on the topic in general. Things I say here might not reflect my own personal views on the matter (although there are some points wherein I make my own views extremely clear).
Okay, so, at least in the state I live in, there are Cinderella Laws, and so minors can do the deed if they are within 3 years of age of each other and one of them meets the age of consent.
So, a 17 year old can do it with a 14 year old, an 18 year old can do it with a 15 year old but not a 14 year old because they are not within 3 years of each other, the law basically becomes useless when the older one is 20, cause for it to be legal, both parties are within the age of consent (it's 17, if you couldn't already tell.)
Anyways, from this, an age gap of 3 years seems to be the largest acceptable gap by society for kids in their late teens.
What happens when we get to older ages though?
From my experience alone, it seems that when both parties are in their 20s, a 5-7 year age gap seems to be acceptable.
Getting even older, once both parties hit at least their thirties, 10-15 year gaps seem acceptable in the public eye. They're just happy that the two got married before they reached an age that might be deemed too late.
And then, after both parties are past the age of 40, any number of years seems to be acceptable. The public will just be like, good for you, you actually still have a partner at that age.
Now, onto age gaps between the barriers between the tens.
Between the teens and twenties, I believe that the acceptable age gap is around the same as the twenties alone, 5-7 years, provided they're both above the minimum age of consent (5 if the male is older, 7 if the female is older).
Between the twenties and thirties, it seems like 10 years is probably the max, any more and the younger of the two would be asked to "do better."
Between the thirties and 40s, I feel that, as long as one party is in their thirties, and the other is in their forties, then it's fine, so I'll say 20 years?
Beyond that, again, it doesn't matter, people will just congratulate you for getting a partner so late in life.
I will know apply the above musings to this fic, and any fics I make in the future.
First, I don't think it's acceptable at all for a reincarnated man/woman to date/fall in love with people they meet in the new world they find themselves in as they grow up.
Like, to me, every single transmigration/reincarnation story with romance in it is a story about a pedophile. Like, there's no defending this, please don't try to defend this, it's just the truth.
Like, a mentally 30 year old dude dating a 13-17 year old? That's just not acceptable at all! They're all creeps and are actually irresponsible adults for doing that.
I digress though, if you do forget this one fact, a lot of the stories are the usual brainrot I enjoy reading when I don't want to read anything intriguing and just want something to occupy my time.
But, the me who is a reader and the me who is a writer are different people.
I, in good faith, could never write something like that.
This dilemma doesn't really apply to this fic, because Shalom is like 50-60 something mentally, and Aphrodite is god knows how old (actual billions of years old).
But, in the other fics and stories that I will eventually write, I will always take into account mental age following the "acceptable" age gaps that I have discussed above.
Like, looking back at the stories I once published on this site (under a different pseudonym ofc), I can't help but feel disgusted at some of the age gaps I had written, having not realized them at the time due to the regularity of authors just disregarding the mental age gaps.
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Another note that I realized after looking back at this.
In cases like cultivation worlds or medieval worlds wherein the standards might be different, I think it's okay to be more flexible with the age gaps, especially if you're doing so to keep it faithful to the history that you are taking inspiration from.
But, there's still a point wherein you can take it "too far," and again, I feel disgusted by those that do.
Welp, that's my spiel on acceptable age gaps. If you're looking for fics and stories about dudes rizzing up girls in academies, sects, or whatever the equivalent of a secondary school is in the world, then you won't find it here.
Of course, I will still add romance, just, it'll be with A) older women or B) after both parties have passed a certain age.
That's all.