Worried about my Mentor character

Uhh... do you mean ‘looks like’ he’s 12-15 mean that there some kind of magical element that has made him just merely appear that age? Or do you mean to say the character is literally that age?

If its the former, you might have an argument for it, because appearances don’t necessarily mean anything. However, I’ve seen it been done like in the movie Tomorrowland and it was incredibly uncomfortable. Even if its not a literal child, it’s hard to really grasp that as a reader. And honestly, it is not worth the risk.

But if you’re saying the character is actually that age, then no, don’t do that. That is a pedophile as a main character.

 

Yeah, I'm with Rex. Even if the character is actually older, that's still treading into iffy territory. Using "mental age" to justify what would otherwise be pedophilia is not a good selling point in any media.

 

Dare to be different, but do so with care, purpose and design, and always with integrity. The term 'love interest' can mean many things. Ask yourself what forms the emotional bon between the characters and how best and truthfully is that interaction to be portrayed. How necessary and even demanding for the storyline is any natural tension between the charcters--romantic, sexual, or whatever. There is nothing wrong with a youthful character wise beyond his years, nor even a rightfully mature character who has the grace of youth. Each circumstance would present its own dynamics with character-relatable challanges and turmoil. Be true to the story you are trying to tell, and adapt the characters as needed in order to tell that story. Try it out, see what it looks like, and be damned what other people think. When the story is ready, it will be good.

 

I'm just trying to wrap my head around justifying a 20-something-year-old's attraction to a character who looks 12-15. I'm in my early twenties and a person that age looks like a kid to me--because 12-15 year olds are kids. The entire premise is discomfiting.

 

I think what you’re saying is like what I mentioned, it is not a literal child just merely looks like one. And like others have said, the idea is very discomforting.

It sounds like to me the romance is the more important dynamic, and that the goblin looking like a child is inconsequential. So why not adjust so that it appears as something else? Or perhaps it takes the form of a child on only a couple of occasions and doesn’t appear that way to the main character most of the time?

 

I'm nearly 30 now and as recently as a couple of years ago I still git asked my ID to get into some places because I've got such a babyface that people went as low as 15 when estimating my age. So I dunno, I would have no problem with a mentor character whom people mistake for a lot younger because this is a thing that happens.

 

I suppose a relationship between a 20 year old and a 800 year old is also out of the question, too. Guess I'll have to fix that somehow.

 

As long as they're both adults, it's fine, imo.

 

The thing is, OP is presenting it in a different way. They described the character as having a glamour over them, literally a "child image". Child. A character looking young is one thing, but having an adult character fall in love with someone who is explicitly described as having the appearance of a child is...uncomfortable.

 

I don't see the difference whether it's a magical effect or just their natural appearance being younger. It's an adult who looks like a teenager. I'm frankly a lot more disturbed by a millenarian mentor going out with their pupil in their 20s. Consenting adults, hah. Even without getting into the fact that a mentor is an authority figure and that's problematic in its own way, that's someone with the life experience of the entire Middle Ages matching up with a twenty-year-old. It feels very creepy.

 

I still disagree on the finer points, but all in all I think it would be best to forego the romantic aspect of the relationship entirely. It brings up unfortunate implications no matter what angle you look at it from.