Epic Darcy Fails: What Your MMC Should Never, Ever Do

Because even the king of brooding has standards

Welcome to Epic Darcy Fails!

Where we explore all the ways your male main character can absolutely ruin his romantic prospects by doing the exact opposite of what our beloved Mr. Darcy would do. Because if you're going to write a swoon-worthy hero, you might as well learn from the master of "how to be devastatingly attractive while emotionally constipated."

Epic Darcy Fail #1: The Proposal Disaster

What Darcy Would Do: Confess his feelings with painful honesty, acknowledge his flaws, and accept rejection with dignity (even if it stings like a thousand bee stings).

What Your MMC Should NEVER Do:

• Propose via text message with the ring emoji

• Start with "So like, we should probably get married or whatever"

• Follow up rejection with "Your loss, babe"

• Immediately slide into her sister's DMs

• Post about it on social media with #DodgedABullet

The Lesson: Vulnerability is attractive. Entitlement is not. Darcy may have been proud, but he owned his mistakes. Your MMC should do the same (preferably without the social media commentary).

Epic Darcy Fail #2: The Communication Catastrophe

What Darcy Would Do: Write a thoughtful, detailed letter explaining his actions and motivations, even when it's uncomfortable.

What Your MMC Should NEVER Do:

• Communicate exclusively through memes

• Leave her on read for three weeks then show up with "hey stranger"

• Explain complex emotional situations via interpretive dance

• Use his best friend as a messenger because "feelings are hard"

• Send a carrier pigeon with a note that just says "my bad"

The Lesson: Darcy's letter was a masterclass in taking responsibility. Your MMC needs to use his actual words, not emojis or intermediaries.

Epic Darcy Fail #3: The Jealousy Meltdown

What Darcy Would Do: Feel jealous, brood about it privately, maybe give some pointed looks, but ultimately respect the heroine's choices.

What Your MMC Should NEVER Do:

• Start a fistfight at her best friend's wedding

• Key the other guy's carriage (or car, depending on your genre)

• Write angry Yelp reviews for every business the rival frequents

• Show up uninvited to every social event to "mark his territory"

• Challenge people to duels via LinkedIn

The Lesson: Darcy was jealous of Wickham but handled it with class. Possessiveness can be swoon-worthy; stalking is just creepy.

Epic Darcy Fail #4: The Grand Gesture Gone Wrong

What Darcy Would Do: Make meaningful changes to himself and his behavior, then quietly prove his worth through actions.

What Your MMC Should NEVER Do:

• Hire a flash mob to perform outside her workplace

• Buy a billboard with her face and "SORRY" in Comic Sans

• Show up at her door with 47 cats because "you like animals, right?"

• Serenade her from the street at 3 AM (neighbors matter, people!)

• Propose on the Jumbotron at a sporting event she doesn't even like

The Lesson: Darcy's grand gesture was helping her family quietly. True romance is about what she needs, not what makes the biggest spectacle.

Your Turn, Fellow Authors!

What Epic Darcy Fails have you seen in books (or maybe accidentally written yourself)? Drop them in the comments, and let's laugh together about all the ways our MMCs can spectacularly miss the mark!

Remember: When in doubt, ask yourself "What would Darcy do?" Then make sure your character does literally anything except slide into DMs or communicate through interpretive dance.

Next week: We'll explore "Darcy-Level Brooding vs. Just Being a Jerk" because apparently, some authors think these are the same thing. Spoiler alert: they're not.

Happy writing (and Darcy-ing),

LiAnne Kay