Problems with Enjolras and Grantaire
Okay, first, let me start by saying I LOVE BOTH GRANTAIRE AND ENJOLRAS and I understand who they are (at least, as much as I can without having read the brick), but I also know how the fandom likes to depict them and sometimes it pisses me off.
Grantaire, especially in modern AUs, is depicted as suffering from both alcoholism and clinical depression, on top of crippling self-esteem, which I usually don’t have a problem with, but sometimes it gets grating. Grantaire, despite popular belief, is not a delicate flower in need of coddling. He has depression, yes, but you don’t need to handle him with kiddie gloves in fear that he’s going to commit suicide or drink himself to death. Also, it’s canon (from what I understand from fans who have actually read the book) that Grantaire is a Grade A Asshole, to the same degree, in fact, as Enjolras. He has just as much capacity to hurt as Enjolras does -and I really don’t need to remind you that they’re assholes to each other ALL THE TIME.
Enjolras is depicted as being, essentially, a Social Justice Robot (which, fortunately, it appears the fandom is also noticing and finding problems with), with his friends being Priority #2, and he does not care for Grantaire at all (which is sadly, again as I understand it, canon). In modern AUs, though, which are the fics I’ll be focusing on, Enjolras is portrayed as caring for ALL his friends, including Grantaire. He’s a major asshole, as well, but he enjoys his arguments with Grantaire and usually values his input (when it’s relevant). Really, though, he’s mostly portrayed as simply being tactless and not being afraid to speak his mind, which sometimes lacks a filter (if he has one), and he says things that aren’t kind (on purpose), so he’s an asshole.
Now to the problems.
Grantaire is a poor delicate flower who needs to be coddled, especially when it comes to heartless asshole Enjolras’ treatment of him. If Enjolras breaks poor Grantaire’s heart, there’s going to be heads rolling. But what about Enjolras? One thing the entire fandom seems to agree on is that Enjolras never does a single thing half-assed, because if it’s worth doing then it’s worth doing right, and he throws 110% of himself into everything he does. This includes a relationship with Grantaire. In fact, this especially includes a relationship with Grantaire, because his friends are the MOST IMPORTANT thing to him, and he would never truly hurt any of them (even R) on purpose if he could help it. So where are the stories where Combeferre and Courfeyrac, knowing Enjolras so well and knowing that he’s 110% invested into his relationship with Grantaire, tell Grantaire that if he breaks Enjolras’ heart, he won’t live to see tomorrow and they can hide a body without it being found? I know there are a couple, but they’re very few and very far between, especially compared to the ones where Grantaire’s close circle threaten Enjolras.
How many fics are there where Enjolras and Grantaire mutually decide (as in, both of them together, completely conscious of the decision they’re making) that they are interested in each other and have sex, and then Enjolras wakes up with an empty bed and no explanation? Then he’s expected to wait for Grantaire to have his emotional freak out (which is understandable (the R bit, not the waiting bit) because Grantaire’s been into Enjolras forever and he needs to reevaluate his world view or whatever) and then, usually, welcomes Grantaire back with open arms after a quick conversation where Grantaire apologizes and explains why he left and Enjolras is so understanding. Where are the fics where Enjolras understands, but now Grantaire has to wait because Enjolras is still hurt that Grantaire LEFT WITHOUT TELLING ENJOLRAS AND ENJOLRAS HAD TO HEAR IT FROM AN INTERMEDIARY (usually Joly or Bossuet or an extremely reluctant Éponine).
Also, before I continue, let me remind you assholes that are getting uppity that ENJOLRAS 1. IS IN NO WAY OBLIGATED TO RETURN GRANTAIRE’S FEELINGS BECAUSE GRANTAIRE LOVES HIM, AND 2. DOESN’T SUDDENLY HAVE LESS OF A RIGHT TO HAVE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ABOUT WAITING FOR GRANTAIRE BECAUSE GRANTAIRE’S “DONE HIS WAITING” WHEN HE REALIZES HIS FEELINGS FOR GRANTAIRE. Grantaire having feelings for Enjolras for however long is completely unrelated to their current relationship. Grantaire doesn’t deserve Enjolras because Grantaire’s in love with him and has dutifully waited for Apollo to acknowledge his presence and deem it worthy, or whatever. Enjolras’ realization of his feelings for Grantaire are unrelated to Grantaire’s feelings for him. This isn’t a competition of who loved who longest, these are two separate human beings with different experiences and different personalities and different emotions. Especially if the two have come to a mutual understanding and decision to do something about their mutual feelings for one another. The understanding is that they have feelings for each other and are now going to do something about that (usually sex), if that wasn’t clear. That means that the two of them, together, have embarked on this relationship together, so when one of them (Grantaire) fucks off the morning after, leaving the other one (Enjolras) without warning and then doesn’t come back for a while, it doesn’t matter what reason they (Grantaire) left, they did it without telling the other person (Enjolras), after agreeing that they were doing this together. So Enjolras gets to think about it after Grantaire comes back, no matter how sincere Grantaire’s apology and explanation. Grantaire doesn’t get to have more emotions and emotional freedom because he’s been pining for x years (it’s not even fucking waiting, he usually never expects Enjolras to like him, which is usually the reason for Grantaire fucking off in the first place) and Grantaire has depression, etc.. Likewise, Enjolras’ emotions and feelings don’t get to be restricted because he’s the SJ Robot that made Grantaire wait. Grantaire fucking off for x amount of time to have an emotional breakdown without telling his new boyfriend is an ASSHOLE MOVE AND ENJOLRAS IS ALLOWED TO BE UPSET. In fact, Enjolras is ALLOWED TO BE UPSET ABOUT THINGS OTHER THAN THE SOCIAL INJUSTICES OF THE WORLD. Enjolras is a HUMAN BEING with HUMAN EMOTIONS and he gets HURT. Grantaire doesn't have the monopoly on emotions in this relationship.
It's not that I don't like these tropes occasionally, and I enjoy 99.9% of the E/R fics I read, but these little things build up until I need to get the frustration out.
tl;dr, Grantaire is an asshole and is just as likely to hurt Enjolras as the other way around, and Enjolras has feelings, too, and Grantaire doesn’t get a pass because he’s a depressed alcoholic cynic. Enjolras puts 110% of himself into everything he does (including relationships), and is just as likely to get hurt as Grantaire. Grantaire’s not a delicate flower and doesn’t need to be coddled, he’s an adult (in fact, he’s a cynical adult, he won’t be surprised), he can take it.
Sorry, I just read some fics recently and some of these E/R tropes just irritate me. I might post an edited version of the tl;dr on Tumblr. Maybe. If I can handle the angry and defensive section of the Grantaire fanbase when I "insult" their little cynical flower. CALM DOWN, CHILDREN, I LOVE HIM, TOO, BUT HE'S AN ASSHOLE, I THOUGHT YOU KNEW. Okay, I'm done being passive-aggressive, I swear.
Grantaire, especially in modern AUs, is depicted as suffering from both alcoholism and clinical depression, on top of crippling self-esteem, which I usually don’t have a problem with, but sometimes it gets grating. Grantaire, despite popular belief, is not a delicate flower in need of coddling. He has depression, yes, but you don’t need to handle him with kiddie gloves in fear that he’s going to commit suicide or drink himself to death. Also, it’s canon (from what I understand from fans who have actually read the book) that Grantaire is a Grade A Asshole, to the same degree, in fact, as Enjolras. He has just as much capacity to hurt as Enjolras does -and I really don’t need to remind you that they’re assholes to each other ALL THE TIME.
Enjolras is depicted as being, essentially, a Social Justice Robot (which, fortunately, it appears the fandom is also noticing and finding problems with), with his friends being Priority #2, and he does not care for Grantaire at all (which is sadly, again as I understand it, canon). In modern AUs, though, which are the fics I’ll be focusing on, Enjolras is portrayed as caring for ALL his friends, including Grantaire. He’s a major asshole, as well, but he enjoys his arguments with Grantaire and usually values his input (when it’s relevant). Really, though, he’s mostly portrayed as simply being tactless and not being afraid to speak his mind, which sometimes lacks a filter (if he has one), and he says things that aren’t kind (on purpose), so he’s an asshole.
Now to the problems.
Grantaire is a poor delicate flower who needs to be coddled, especially when it comes to heartless asshole Enjolras’ treatment of him. If Enjolras breaks poor Grantaire’s heart, there’s going to be heads rolling. But what about Enjolras? One thing the entire fandom seems to agree on is that Enjolras never does a single thing half-assed, because if it’s worth doing then it’s worth doing right, and he throws 110% of himself into everything he does. This includes a relationship with Grantaire. In fact, this especially includes a relationship with Grantaire, because his friends are the MOST IMPORTANT thing to him, and he would never truly hurt any of them (even R) on purpose if he could help it. So where are the stories where Combeferre and Courfeyrac, knowing Enjolras so well and knowing that he’s 110% invested into his relationship with Grantaire, tell Grantaire that if he breaks Enjolras’ heart, he won’t live to see tomorrow and they can hide a body without it being found? I know there are a couple, but they’re very few and very far between, especially compared to the ones where Grantaire’s close circle threaten Enjolras.
How many fics are there where Enjolras and Grantaire mutually decide (as in, both of them together, completely conscious of the decision they’re making) that they are interested in each other and have sex, and then Enjolras wakes up with an empty bed and no explanation? Then he’s expected to wait for Grantaire to have his emotional freak out (which is understandable (the R bit, not the waiting bit) because Grantaire’s been into Enjolras forever and he needs to reevaluate his world view or whatever) and then, usually, welcomes Grantaire back with open arms after a quick conversation where Grantaire apologizes and explains why he left and Enjolras is so understanding. Where are the fics where Enjolras understands, but now Grantaire has to wait because Enjolras is still hurt that Grantaire LEFT WITHOUT TELLING ENJOLRAS AND ENJOLRAS HAD TO HEAR IT FROM AN INTERMEDIARY (usually Joly or Bossuet or an extremely reluctant Éponine).
Also, before I continue, let me remind you assholes that are getting uppity that ENJOLRAS 1. IS IN NO WAY OBLIGATED TO RETURN GRANTAIRE’S FEELINGS BECAUSE GRANTAIRE LOVES HIM, AND 2. DOESN’T SUDDENLY HAVE LESS OF A RIGHT TO HAVE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ABOUT WAITING FOR GRANTAIRE BECAUSE GRANTAIRE’S “DONE HIS WAITING” WHEN HE REALIZES HIS FEELINGS FOR GRANTAIRE. Grantaire having feelings for Enjolras for however long is completely unrelated to their current relationship. Grantaire doesn’t deserve Enjolras because Grantaire’s in love with him and has dutifully waited for Apollo to acknowledge his presence and deem it worthy, or whatever. Enjolras’ realization of his feelings for Grantaire are unrelated to Grantaire’s feelings for him. This isn’t a competition of who loved who longest, these are two separate human beings with different experiences and different personalities and different emotions. Especially if the two have come to a mutual understanding and decision to do something about their mutual feelings for one another. The understanding is that they have feelings for each other and are now going to do something about that (usually sex), if that wasn’t clear. That means that the two of them, together, have embarked on this relationship together, so when one of them (Grantaire) fucks off the morning after, leaving the other one (Enjolras) without warning and then doesn’t come back for a while, it doesn’t matter what reason they (Grantaire) left, they did it without telling the other person (Enjolras), after agreeing that they were doing this together. So Enjolras gets to think about it after Grantaire comes back, no matter how sincere Grantaire’s apology and explanation. Grantaire doesn’t get to have more emotions and emotional freedom because he’s been pining for x years (it’s not even fucking waiting, he usually never expects Enjolras to like him, which is usually the reason for Grantaire fucking off in the first place) and Grantaire has depression, etc.. Likewise, Enjolras’ emotions and feelings don’t get to be restricted because he’s the SJ Robot that made Grantaire wait. Grantaire fucking off for x amount of time to have an emotional breakdown without telling his new boyfriend is an ASSHOLE MOVE AND ENJOLRAS IS ALLOWED TO BE UPSET. In fact, Enjolras is ALLOWED TO BE UPSET ABOUT THINGS OTHER THAN THE SOCIAL INJUSTICES OF THE WORLD. Enjolras is a HUMAN BEING with HUMAN EMOTIONS and he gets HURT. Grantaire doesn't have the monopoly on emotions in this relationship.
It's not that I don't like these tropes occasionally, and I enjoy 99.9% of the E/R fics I read, but these little things build up until I need to get the frustration out.
tl;dr, Grantaire is an asshole and is just as likely to hurt Enjolras as the other way around, and Enjolras has feelings, too, and Grantaire doesn’t get a pass because he’s a depressed alcoholic cynic. Enjolras puts 110% of himself into everything he does (including relationships), and is just as likely to get hurt as Grantaire. Grantaire’s not a delicate flower and doesn’t need to be coddled, he’s an adult (in fact, he’s a cynical adult, he won’t be surprised), he can take it.
Sorry, I just read some fics recently and some of these E/R tropes just irritate me. I might post an edited version of the tl;dr on Tumblr. Maybe. If I can handle the angry and defensive section of the Grantaire fanbase when I "insult" their little cynical flower. CALM DOWN, CHILDREN, I LOVE HIM, TOO, BUT HE'S AN ASSHOLE, I THOUGHT YOU KNEW. Okay, I'm done being passive-aggressive, I swear.