BLACK SHEEP | DW

authors note

i promise, new chapter is almost done.
i just need to rant so read at your own discretion.

tw: discussion of violent acts, SA, r*pe, self-harm
(not in detail)

number one:

why, why, why, do so many fics just so casually discuss abuse, sa, or r*pe??? understood completely if you want to touch on the topic to bring awareness, or because it is an important part to your oc, defining their character, behavior, or attitude— but why is it just used as a plot scene & then never discussed again.

violence is a reoccurring thing in the book and movie, but take johnny for instance— he got jumped and it completely changed him for MONTHS.

in my personal experience, having gone through my own things, it took me THREE YEARS to even talk about it. everyone is different, but almost NO ONE gets over it in a week, so why do authors casually put r*pe in their story and then everyone's like "aw that sucks" and it's never brought up again?

if you want to have a scene where the oc is being comforted, maybe try being sick, or cutting their knee open by tripping??

number two:

STOP ROMANTICIZING SELF HARM.

enough said with this one. mental health issues like depression and anxiety are not to be romanticized. one of the members in the gang aren't going to come along and make it all better.

just stop.

number three:

it is stated in the book that some members of the gang are closer than others.

for example— it is told from pony's pov, and he discusses his distaste towards the way steve treats him, and that sometimes he does not like dally.

so why, everyday, is the ENTIRE gang at the curtis's house? you don't think darry has enough going on, looking after his two brothers, that he needs four other guys always over?

that never happened in the book or movies except in scenarios where there was a big event, ie a rumble, ponyboy coming home, etc.

number four:

please, please, please, stop over sexualizing EVERYTHING.

absolutely, some of the guys in the gang do sexualize females in certain scenes. but the oc isn't going to come along and have all the guys WOLF WHISTLE AT HER.

have some dignity. a fourteen year old girl is not going to make seven guys drop their pants right there— never mind that three of them are over 18.

number five:

internalized misogyny.

why are we always comparing ladies? one of my favorite quotes is something like, "a flower does not bloom and compare itself to other flowers".

stop villainizing femininity!!! not every girl in the book & movie is evil!!

quite frankly, no one is evil!

they are teenagers, and we all make mistakes— some worse than others, but still.

johnny can kill a teenage boy and we empathize with him, but cherry likes dally and all the sudden she's evil? make it make sense.

number six:

the out of character actions get me every time.

darry is not fifty years old!! he's twenty, and it is still young. sure, he has a lot of responsibility, but he is not going to act like an old man.

ponyboy is not always understanding! and he is certainly not the moral center of the book. so many times in the book he comes off as whiny, or sarcastic, or dismissive. he's only fourteen, and still gaining some sense of the world and what healthy relations are.

johnny is not completely mute! he can voice his opinion, ie the nightly double scene, and he SPEAKS. sure, he might be a little nervous sometimes after getting jumped, and he might not be super outgoing, but he still speaks!

two-bit's only traits are not liking mickey mouse!legit just stop with this one. he has a family that he seems to care about— his sister and mom— and he probably just has some self-esteem issues that cause him to search for validation by cracking jokes.

steve likes chocolate cake, fine! who doesn't? but that doesn't mean he's scarfing it down every minute of the day. and just because he likes cars doesn't mean he can only talk about them!! maybe talk more about his dynamic with the gang and what role he plays in it.

sodapop is not a clueless, perfect person. he is not happy all the time, and he is not dumb. ponyboy only described him happy-go-lucky, because that is how a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD sees their brother. the same way he sees darry as mean and apathetic, but he isn't. and just because he called himself stupid, doesn't mean he is! i'm sure you've had self deprecating thoughts before. talk more about how he deals with the loss of his parents, or how he is always the mediator between his brothers and how that affects him!

dally is not evil! this one gets me the most mad. he's been independent his whole life, of course he's gonna give some resistance to having to care about someone or address his emotions. he's not going around stabbing people or serving vigilante justice, he's just trying to get by. he has poor judgement from lack of parenting— he's not an evil person.

special mentions:

no one is going to fall in love with the oc in a day! stop it.

your oc is not the moral center. they make bad decisions too.

stop making girls seem overtly frail or dumb, and stop making them too tough and cold. there is a balance for everything, be realistic— everyone has emotions.

darry and the curtis boys are not going to take care of your random oc. just cause they offer up their couch, doesn't mean they are going to let some random person live with them.

if johnny lives in your story, he is not going to go 100% back to normal after the accident. he broke the middle of his back.. he will not walk again. and he will forever be scarred from the severe burns. he won't walk out the next week, and will suffer from a lot of trauma.

i promise, the socs do not care about your oc as much as you think they do. men at that time were not going out of their way to assault a girl! think a little.

and finally, write your story however you want, but please, never ever ever, make your oc the direct carbon copy of their love interest in female form. people are never 100% the same. it's one thing to share interests, it's another to have the same exact personality and behavior.

thanks for coming to my ted talk :)

ps. not calling you out, and saying your a terrible person, if you have done this, just be more careful with sensitive topics!! please!

be kind, stay healthy, and happy reading <3