83 The Why of Grunt (Essay)

What follows is an essay for those interested in answering a question that has been in the hearts of some of my fans since the start of the story, but I have never elaborated on. The question being: Why do chicks like Grunt?

That is a question with a very simple answer. I am the author and I want it to be.

But that is both a simple answer and a poor one. If the only reason why chicks like Grunt was because I say so, then the comments section of my story would be full of people complaining about how forced everything is and how undeserving Grunt is of the attention and affection he receives. We have all seen the multitude of stories on this site full of protagonists awash in female love and completely undeserving of it and we can all identify it with ease. So why doesn't Grunt make us feel this way?

Grunt is the quintessential female fantasy.

Le Gasp!

The most common female sexual fantasy in the world is a version of Beauty and the Beast with either a vampire, werewolf, pirate, billionaire, or surgeon in the role of the Beast, the aggressive and commanding creature that the female heroine needs to seduce and tame.

This may sound like bullshit, but this is empirical. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Grunt fits nicely within this role, but if that was all he was we would still hate him, because spoiler alert, all those categories are edgy, angsty, and overly dramatic which is why male and female literature is so different. To a woman all of those things sound romantic, but they are not. They are things to build an obsession around, not a genuine romance.

Ladies and gentlemen, obsession sells.

Twilight, 50 Shades, and all the "Romance" novels of their ilk are all steeped in obsession, not love.

So why do we all like Grunt, then. He is a huge reptilian monster with a deeply entrenched violent psychopathy. He is an unrepentant rapist, murderer, and cannibal. By all accounts even if I was trying to portray him in a steamy light at best he would be an Edward Cullen, Christian Grey, Sasuke Uchiha type that would make my vastly male audience want to hurl, but Grunt isn't just the monster in need of taming.

Under all the insane violence is a mother fucking cornucopia of hugely attractive social traits and skills. When Grunt enters the scene he is almost always an energy level or two above the other people in the conversation, he treats almost everyone he meets with kindness, respect, and intimacy that most people are afraid to engage in. Everything he does is full of power, precision, and good cheer. Grunt is never afraid to be himself, or be the butt of the joke, or be criticized and because of that he is socially free and empowered.

Grunt is a Magnificent Bastard. Despite his monstrous appearance and actions, his charm, style, and sincerity elevate him to a position that we can't help but like.

If you are interested in how I accomplished this, then you need look no further than a pair of YouTube channels I watch regularly before writing chapters: Charisma on Command and The Critical Drinker.

Charisma on Command is likely the best channel I have found that analyses social skills and provides incredible examples of the skills in action and mistakes to avoid. If you are feeling like your people skills are rusty from the various lockdowns and social distancing we have all been going through since Covid hit, then I cannot recommend enough some time spent going through their catalog of videos.

The Critical Drinker is one of the best film critics I have seen, and it for far more than his alignment with my world view and sense of humor. Drinker does an incredible job going through new and old movies and breaking down why people liked and didn't like the films. Watching a couple of his videos makes me more aware of story telling and characterization pitfalls and how to keep a plot and cast on course and interesting.

So there we have it. Let me know if you enjoyed this essay, or if you think I am full of it and completely missed the mark. I don't think I'll likely do more of these if at all, but this was a topic I've been thinking about and it helped to get it all written down, and since I took the time to write it, I might as well share it.