I’m writing an 18+ superhero story. My main character is a young man/woman (I don’t know their gender yet). They are a stripper and get powers from overdosing on a street drug that gives you superpowers. After that, their 31-year-old boyfriend dies (he’s older than my main character). My character decides to find his killer and originally plans to kill them but chooses justice over revenge and hands them over to the police, and then they decide to become a superhero vigilante.
How old do you think my character is?
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Honestly, that’s up to you to decide, and use in your story as you see fit. Depending on the jurisdiction, they may have to be over 21 to legally work as a stripper, although generally they would be in no danger of personal legal repercutions beyond losing their job, but that’s just one more detail you can pick and manipulate to fit what you want for your characters, story, and setting.
Thanks but he obviously can’t be a teenager if the main character is 15 and their friends are in their 20s, and their love interests are adult women in their 20s or 30s, then the entire “justice” and “hero” theme gets severely crushed.
No one is going to care that the older woman died; if she’s 31 and dating a 15-year-old, most people will think she deserved it, and the whole “protect the innocent” and “punish the guilty” idea collapses when the protagonist is a victim of grooming. Their two closest friends, who are 25, look bad too. They’re supposed to be “best friends,” practically family, but they’re okay with this kid being exploited by adults. That makes them look like accessories.
And while it does happen in real life, it’s still hard to believe that a 15-year-old would date a 30-something and not get caught. None of the adults around them say anything? No one reports it? At least if the protagonist were 18 or 19, they’d be legally an adult, and there wouldn’t be much anyone could do. But at 15, there’s a moral and legal obligation to step in.
Also, if this kid wants to protect women and children, that belief gets contradicted if they’re constantly being groomed with no one protecting them.
If the protagonist is 21 instead, everything clicks into place. They’re an adult, able to consent, and responsible for their choices. That’s why people don’t question similar age-gap relationships in other stories—because both parties are adults. The older partner might raise eyebrows, but it’s not immoral or criminal. It’s simply a relationship between consenting adults.
If the character is written as 15 while every partner is in their 20s, 30s or 40s the audience’s moral sympathy shifts immediately. Instead of seeing them as a driven vigilante fighting for justice, they become a victim of repeated grooming, which completely changes the story’s emotional core. Every relationship turns into an ethical red flag, and every adult around them looks negligent or complicit. Even if the intent is to make trauma part of their origin, it undercuts the “justice” theme because the abuse overshadows their heroism.
From a realism standpoint, it also breaks believability. A 15-year-old involved with multiple adults wouldn’t just slip under the radar—someone would notice, report it, or intervene. So unless the story is explicitly about systemic corruption or institutional failure, it just doesn’t hold up.
Who said anything about 15yo? You can’t strip legally under-18 in any jurisdiction worth reading about. Jesus Christ, chill.
Also, you said at the outset, 18+. Wtf, just who was this wall of text for?
You said, and I quote, “Honestly, that’s up to you to decide and use in your story as you see fit,” but I’m trying to say he obviously can’t be under 21 since all his friends and love interests are in their 20s, 30s and over.
Yes yes, you already made it clear you intend to spend all of your time writing anything but the story you described in your post. Bye now.