Falling for the King [FINISHED]

2021 Update

Hey everyone. I have returned from my slumber to talk a bit more about the more controversial aspects of this story.

Please note that I've fallen out with Nono (formerly known as Neomi or Nozomi) since writing this story. She does not know I'm writing this and the opinions reflected in this chapter are purely my own and not Nono's. If you want to know what she thinks, ask her yourself.

I wanted to come forward and talk about the age gap between these two characters. At the start of the story Ollie is 14 and King George is 19. I cannot stress enough how NOT OKAY it is if a 19 year old has a relationship with a 14 year old. I really regret writing this with that context. I should have made Ollie 16 and the King 17 at the start of the story, that would fix most of the issues.

The age difference really amplifies the already existing power imbalance between the King and his servant. They are at completely different points in their life, King George all-powerful and ruling a country, Ollie shy and just got his first job. This is not a healthy balance for a relationship to start in.

So, why did I change my mind about this? Well, I've grown up. I wrote this story when I was 16, together with a girl two years younger than me. She wrote Ollie to be her age, and I wrote King George to be just a bit older than me. And since we were friends, and our age gap didn't result in a power imbalance, we didn't see a problem. But I've grown now. I'm 19 myself now, and people who are 19 are a hell of a lot more mature than I ever imagined. I'm living on myself now. I cook, I do the dishes, I do groceries, I wash my clothes, I clean my room. I am responsible for myself. I have had multiple jobs. And you also do all of these things to an extent as a teen, but it's different when you're out in the real world doing it. I've grown so much in the past year. I couldn't imagine dating someone who is 14. They're just starting high school! They're practically babies! /ex It is beyond not ok for someone my age to date someone who is essentially still a child. That is gross.

As a reasoning for my actions I pointed out that times were different. It is true that people were treated differently, and it's difficult to say what an impact that had on people's emotional maturity, brains still grew the same. And either way, it's a shit excuse for a fanfic that is as historically inaccurate as ours. Our story is mostly a modern gay fantasy, by two young queer women who were just discovering their identities. It should be treated as such, and not a historical work.

Lastly, if you're a teen in a relationship with someone who is that much older than you, GET OUT. They don't truly love you, they're taking advantage of your age and vulnerability. Even they tell you and/or themself otherwise. I'm sorry if my story was a part of making you think that it was ok. It is not.

I apologise to everyone who was hurt by my actions. I have not yet decided what I'm going to do with the story. Changing the age of the characters or taking the story down feels dishonest. But if this story in its current form is harmful to potential victims of abuse, I'll do that. I don't want to cause any more harm.