Reading · Catherine’s Substack

Some people acted in alarm after I posted wild snippets about Kye, the morally grey MMC from my YA Sci-fi Thriller.

Example of what I shared:

When they said HE’S MORALLY GREY but didn’t mention that he almost gets her KIDNAPPED so he can ‘RESCUE’ her and then tries to FORCE HIMSELF on her and when she escapes to her boyfriend in the rain he secretly follows with a SYRINGE.

Most of the commentary from people sounded a bit like this.

“That’s not morally grey. That’s just evil.”

“That’s supposed to appeal to women?”

I think they just need to read the story to understand ;)

But no, seriously, is my character actually morally grey or am I trying to take advantage of a trope for marketing purposes? Let’s dig into this.

Here’s the definition of a villain.

A character in a story or play who opposes the hero.
Originally, a low-born base-minded rustic; a man of ignoble ideas or instincts; in later use, an unprincipled or depraved scoundrel; a man naturally disposed to base or criminal actions, or deeply involved in the commission of disgraceful crimes

Here’s the definition of a morally grey character.

Morally Grey is a term used to describe a character who is neither good nor bad. They have no motivation to do good or bad actions. On the contrary, morally gray characters follow their ambition rather than those of the greater good or evil. Due to their goals being detached from these attributes, they could be intrinsically virtuous or vicious if their character’s values align with their objectives.

I will explain Kye further by dissecting my scandalous paragraph and let you be the judge. I’ll make constant references to the above definition to compare and contrast.

“he almost gets her KIDNAPPED so he can ‘RESCUE’ her”
a. Morally Grey Characters do not have a solid grasp on virtue or vice. They value their personal motivations and if they deem those motivators to be good to THEM, that is all that’s needed for them to act. So what’s motivating Kye? Without sharing spoilers, let’s pull a hint from the story.
Malin’s eyebrows raised. “Then what entices you my friend, if not women?”
Kye’s mouth turned slightly in a strange manner. “Personal ambition.”
“Haha. So money?”
“No.”
“Not money…not women. What then? Where does your ambition lie?”
Kye’s voice shifted from monotone to intense. “In freedom.”

So to Kye, freedom (from who or what he does not specify here) is the end goal. He will do anything to attain it. And he’s decided that his path to freedom includes Laeli, the FMC. When she does not respond to his desire to become closer, he grows desperate and feels the need to force her hand. Because he does not wish to do so in an overtly physically manner as he loves her in his own, twisted way, he decides to set up a scenario where she feels indebted to him and agrees to visit his mansion out of her own free will. (Manipulation, IK)

Let’s jump to the next line.

tries to FORCE HIMSELF on her
a. Kye has already proven to not be right in the head. He believes his aggressive romantic endeavors will be met favorably because Laeli has demonstrated what he mistakenly interprets to be signs of approval.
he secretly follows with a SYRINGE.
a. Laeli’s ultimate rejection has caused Kye to snap. He decides it’s suddenly necessary to use physical force, yet even now he believes such actions are justified. Here’s another hint.

“You are going to come with me,” he muttered. He pushed his mouth next to her ear. “I will take you away from here and then…we can both be free.”

We see here that Kye believes he and Laeli are in similar situations and their safety/success is tied to one another. His move is motivated by envy yes, but also fear, desperation, and concern.

Essentially, it’s not the actions but the psychology behind the actions that separate a morally grey character from a villain. A villain acts badly simply because he’s able to. His motives are rotten to the core. There is no grey area. He hurts others because he can; manipulates because he can. The line between villain and morally grey is VERY thin but it’s still there. Both have ambitions, yet these ambitions are fueled by distinct motives. The morally grey character believes his motives are justified because he’s working towards what he believes is right and good in the end. The villain thinks his motives are justified because it’s solely what HE wants, and it doesn’t matter whether what he wants is good or bad. He wants it, and that’s enough.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree or disagree?

Be sure to Subscribe because next week I’ll be sharing some personal experiences of mine and how they tie into Kye’s dark psychology, which will also be explained in more depth!

If you you can’t handle not being in the know, read Book 1 HERE so you can be ready to read Book 2 when it comes out ;) GET THOSE ANSWERS.

Well some of them, oop.