[TC2]

I like boyfriends or lovers who support their woman to the end, regardless of the consequences.  A decent guy who deserves to be with such a fine beauty, rather than some dude that's just great in bed or something like that.  But it really depends on what the story is all about.  Sometimes for the sake of plot it is necessary to go a certain direction, I don't really care or imagine to be with a fictional woman.  It's much more important for me to see how the story goes, rather than if I can imagine myself being with a character.

[Mimi]

Some girls deserve a good girl too…

😉

[AlexG]

Hmmm… that last sentence, pelourinho.  I never stopped to think about it that way… and it does make a lot of sense. 

On that side of the coin, guys… do you find that your male protagonists are a lot like yourselves, or someone you could root for getting the girl at the story's end?

Somehow, I get the feeling that you're trying to target me for a comment . . .

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[pelourinho]

Hmmm… that last sentence, pelourinho.  I never stopped to think about it that way… and it does make a lot of sense. 

On that side of the coin, guys… do you find that your male protagonists are a lot like yourselves, or someone you could root for getting the girl at the story's end?

I think in any lengthy story, the author draws on him/herself and people they know for inspiration.  A protagonist might not be based on any specific person, but maybe an archetypal amalgam of whom we know.  Assuming the author is male, the protagonist might be autobiographical in nature, or at least might share some common traits with the author.  But since it is fiction, as an author you want to use the opportunity to exaggerate or distort some traits of the people you know.  Maybe you idealize certain character types, like in one story the male lead might be the way the author sees himself.  In another, it might be the way he would like to see himself, or maybe the way that others perceive him. 

Part of the fun of fmg literature is the opportunity to start with characters with familiar personalities and to depict how they would react in a fantastic situation.

[Prophet Tenebrae]

A girlfriend is as good as a boyfriend.

I think the important thing is that you have the boyfriend/girlfriend they should be fulfilling some purpose beyond sex.

[stmercy2020]

I think the important thing is that you have the boyfriend/girlfriend they should be fulfilling some purpose beyond sex.

Unless, of course, what you're writing really isn't intended as anything more than verbal self-stimulation  ;D  Nothing wrong with that- just keep it in mind.  If you intend to have your story have more depth than that, though, than the SO needs to bring something to the relationship that the protagonist can't readily provide for herself.  That 'something' could be any number of things- a different emotional perspective, understanding, sensitivity, security, vulnerability- whatever it is that the protagonist needs reinforced or provided from an external source.

[Prophet Tenebrae]

I think that the abusive boyfriend is something of a stalwart of the FMG genre. Girl gets slapped around by boyfriend, girl gets amazonified, girl beats boyfriend.

But yes, it's important they're adding something… unless it's just a "wank" story.

[Hunter S Creek]

A character type that can work even better than a bofriend/girlfriend is to use a "Ducky".  I refer to Jon Cryer's character in "Pretty in Pink". 

Although not a perfect fit: Cryer's character is well-known enough to illustrate the point. — I like the idea of a loyal character secretly pining after the Heroine enough to help her to make her dream come true even if it means that his dream will not.  The Geek/Nerd who helps his friend get the school heartthrob even though he would love to have her notice him instead. 
Of course in my version the girl would eventually come to her senses and choose the Ducky in the end.

Tschuss!
Hunter

[Ritz]

As Someone may of mentioned, there doesn't seem to be a lot of girlfriends in most FMG fanfics.

Now, I know I'm not speaking from any off-line experience, But It does open doorways for a Second FMG.

But considering it – Most of the time a Boyfriend will be a sex plot device… or a PE plot device… Which is always the cheep way out.

Now, finding a boyfriend/girlfriend during a story while dealing with the transformation… Now that would be something else.

[stmercy2020]

Now, finding a boyfriend/girlfriend during a story while dealing with the transformation… Now that would be something else.

Not quite sure how you mean, although I agree with your sentiment that BF/GF characters ought to provide more than gratuitous sex.  Do you mean it would be interesting to have a character gain a SO while literally going hrough the whole clothes-ripping process?  Or just more generally while learning to cope with an increasingly fragile world in a more long-term story, over a period of days, weeks, or even months?

[Author]

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