#I'll politely reject the male lead

[glassica]

Second Male Lead

Notes: M!yan 2nd male lead, Gn!reader*, jealousy, reincarnation, obsessiveness, possessiveness, implied potential kidnapping and murder *reader is more like an observer, not shipped with anyone

-> part 2 with different yan

You got second male lead syndrome.

No matter how much author emphasizing the undeniable chemistry and love between the main couple your eyes only had him. With brownish eyes reminded of untouched sacred woods and dark silky hair slicked back, he was a perfect balance of not too interesting to overshadow the male lead while unique enough to stand out from the extras. Friend of female lead from childhood, he'd always been by her side protecting and looking out to her well-being, hardly be wavered unless it was a matter regarding the heroine. His silent thoughtfulness reserved only for the main character had charmed thousand fans of the series, which included you.

In the previous world you kept daydreaming about travelling inside the novel just to whisk him away. After all, you read countless isekai stories where protagonists from your world winning the heart of abandoned side characters. You were sure you could do the same to him, by showering him with endless attention and love he didn't get from the female lead. In no time he'd be head over heels for you!

"Apologize, but I fear I'm unable to return your sentiments."

Giving you a polite bow, he gently turned down the bouquet of roses which you'd painstakingly catered to match his taste. Today was the equivalent of Valentine in your old world, you were determinded to catch the love of your life at all cost. His rejection throbbed your heart a little, but you weren't the one to back out easily. That's right, you'd been waiting your whole life (actually two) for this moment, you just needed to keep up a little more.

"No sir, please don't be sorry. I'm the one who out of the moon confessed to you. Of course you would be startled!" - you replied cheerfully, trying the best to hide your disappointment. "My feelings came out too strong, but if you don't mind, would you mind joining me for a dance later?"

"I'll have to decline that. I've never been a fan of dancing. I'm really selective in choosing partner and to be honest, there's only one I ever want to take to the dance floor."

You knew right away who he was talking to. The nobleman didn't even bother to be subtle, as the whole time talking to you his eyes unchangingly laid on her. Shining with glitter and lace, basking in attention of the whole ballroom, the heroine was there, hand in hand with her royal lover, rejoicing herself to the dreamy sound of orchestra. The scene was wholly magical, breathtaking,… and perhaps jealousy-inducing.

For obvious reason this lit a fire in your stomach. You cursed the author for making it almost impossible for you to leave any impression on his mind, when your competition was the center of this universe and everyone’s darling. In the midst of envy, you blurted out words that forever detrimented his opinion about you

"She’s engaged to the Crown Prince."

"I know."

"Sir, she would never look at you with those eyes. Perhaps you should look for someone who will appreciate and reciprocrate your passion."

Now you had his full attention, not a positive one mind you. Shooting an icy glance visibly filled belittlement and fury, as though he was sneering at you extra character for having audacity to dictate how he should live his life.

"Oh well, she will soon. You don’t just assume I’ll sit there and let any vermin taking what’s rightfully mine, no? You believe I would be that selfless of a man?"

For the first time ever in your interaction had you sensed enthusiasm in his often monotomous voice. That’s right, the second male lead never got emotional by any happenings until it was about his target of affection. In other words, he would get ruthless, pretty, pretty ruthless, when anyone ever presented as a threat to his relationship with main character. He clashed plenty of times with the Crown Prince at the beginning of the book, then slowly retreated to the background after realizing his childhood friend was serious about His Highness. Lots of readers pointed out how odd he waved the white flag so effortlessly considering he had vehemently expressed dislike towards the male lead. Everyone collectively chalked it out as plot hole, but what if…

No, you shouldn’t dwell further than that. Epecially right at this moment you witnessed with your own eyes two extremes of emotions on the man’s face. The intensely lustful heat and adoration following every movements of the heroine, the bloodlust and pure venom on his pupils when looking at the Prince. You vaguely had a gist of what was going on in his mind, and it wouldn’t bode well for you to stick your nose into that.

Funnily, all that jealousy for the main couple you felt earlier was fully replaced by pity and well wishes now. Perhaps staying as an extra wasn’t a bad thing after all.

[angel-tsugikuni-kamukura]

Manhwa's I have read this year

Pink means it's my favourite ones.

The remarried empress

Men of harem

Lady and the beast.

Royal Shop of Young Lady.

Forget My Husband I'Il Go Make Money.

I Want To Become The Emperor, So I Need A Divorce.

I tamed my ex husband's madog.

The Villainess Debuts Gorgeously.

I Will Fall With The Emperor.

I Failed To Throw The Villain Away.

your regrets mean nothing to me.

Bastian.

my in-laws are obsessed with me.

A Divorce evil lady bakes cake.

The price of braking up.

The tree are living a married life.

Dangerous Fiancée.

My Husband is a antisocial count.

Baked by the barones.

Who kidnapped the empress.

the villainess tames the beast.

if you desire my despair.

the abandoned princess secret Bedroom.

The Mistress Runs away.

It's not your child.

The monstrous dukes adopted daughter.

The Saintes returns as a vilian.

Regina Rena.

You never meet a villainess like me.

Tru education.

As the Villainess I rejected these happy bad endings.

The archduke gorgeous wedding was a fraud.

I will take the dutchy from today.

Isn't being a wicked woman much better.

Flirting with the villain's dad.

Goddess emila wants to escape.

My goal is to achieve success on my own

I refuse to be executed a second time.

Romance is dead.

I'm devorsed but I'm a chaebol.

I'm in trouble because my husband is so cute.

I'm the queen in this life.

Go away romeo.

Janice.

If you want a fake sister.

I'm being raised by villain's.

I'm the fake saintess but the gods are obsessed with me.

The heat of the reincarnated villainess.

Attic princess.

The older sister of a maniac.

I thought it was a common Isekai story.

The abandoned bachelorette enjoys her simple life.

Love doesn't matter.

I've become the villainous emperor.

The way to protect the female leads older brother.

I have become the heroes rival.

Death is The only ending for the villainess.

Who made me a princess.

Marriage of Convenience:95

Royal marriage.

Aidin.

The Obsessive second male lead has gone wild.

I am the real one.

I don't love you anymore.

I'm ingaged to the Obsessive male lead.

Lies become you.

You go marry my husband.

How to get my husband on my side.

Empress simulation.

I'll be the matriarch in this life.

The dukes dark lady.

In to the light once again.

My body has been possessed by someone.

Depths of malice

Becoming the villain's family.

My destiny to be the hero's saviour.

The real daughter is back.

A noble pirate.

The world without my sister.

I'm devorseing my tyrant husband.

Even if I'm the villainess I'll become the heroine.

Beast's Flower.

Once Wicked always wicked.

Ashtarte.

Crownless queen.

I thought I didn't have long to live.

I tamed a Tyrant and Ran Away.

Beloved in-laws.

The villainess revenge.

Your Majesty please don't kill me again.

And Unseemly lady.

Baby tryant.

The tyrant wants to be good.

I will politely decline the male lead.

I'm the villainess but so famous.

Crazy princess renia.

The gangster baby of the dukes.

Surving as an illegitimate child.

It's useless to hang on.

Empress cesia wears shorts.

Of all things i became a crow.

No more turning a blind eye.

I became the Ugly lady.

A Stepmother's Marche.

While you are in love.

Devine inconvenience.

After I cured his insomnia, Tyrant became Obsessive.

Revenge is sweeter than honey.

My Unexpected Marriage.

From Duty to Devotion.

Hated It Even More.

I'm to lazy to be the villainess.

The tyrant princess wants to get married.

Stella the star princess.

Please support my revenge.

Reasons to Protect the Witch's son.

The Reason Why The Twin Lady Crossdresses.

Why Do You Love Me When Refuse Your Request.

Finding Camilla.

I Don't Want to Be Loved.

The Villainess has Fun.

Surviving as an Obsessed Servant.

A Saintess adopted by the grand Duke.

I Adopted a Villainous dad.

No Place for the Fake Princess.

Villainess need a Tyrant.

Tamed a blackened slave.

Princess hundreds ways of martyrdom.

A Perfect Ending of the Villain.

Beast within.

I will seduce the male lead for my older brother.

I've become the true villainess.

I became the obsessive villain's babysitter.

I'll change my fate to be executed.

The tyrants tranquillizer.

Crow dutchess.

The Male Leaď's Nephew Loves Me So Much.

Falling for a Dying Princess.

I Am the Villain.

Why Do You Love Me When Refuse Your Request.

The betrayed queen is devoted to by the beautiful baron.

Baby Pharmacist Princess.

The Runaway Lead Lives Next Door.

The villains life l'Il live it once.

La Dolce Vita de Adelaide.

Why Would a Villainess Have Virtue.

My Childhood Friend Became an Obsessive Husband.

10 ways to get rejected by the tyrant.

I Became the Villainess in an Anticlimactic Novel.

To Those Who Long for My Destruction.

Becoming the obsessive male lead's ex-wife.

How to survive as a maid in a horror game.

the fake saint waits to leave.

Obsidian Bride.

Rosalyn Vogart.

Let's take a bath Duke.

The Precious Girl Does Not Shed Tears.

Father i don't want to get married.

The Priest Dreaming of a Dragon.

She No Longer Wields Her Sword.

I am the Male Lead’s Ex-Girlfriend.

Red Laurel Flowers to My Emperor.

I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend.

Please Don’t Come To The Villainess’ Stationery Store.

In This Life, I Will Raise You Well, Your Majesty.

Vengeance from a Saint Full of Wounds.

The Duke’s Daughter is Going on Strike.

The daughter of evil.

The Villainous grand Duke sister.

Beware the Villainess.

A wicked tale of Cinderella's step mom.

The devil raised a lady.

Reborn As a Character That Never Existed.

The Precious Sister of the Villainous Grand Duke.

I Didn't Save You To Get Proposed To.

I took away the tyrant's virginity.

The dutchess has a death wish.

Heaven official's blessing.

I'm being chased by my husband.

Why she lives as a villainess.

I'll just live on as a villainess.

I created a harm to avoid the male lead.

I became the sultans precious cat.

I'm a villain but I saved the female lead.

I will divorce the female leads brother.

Let's live together.

I became the greatest heiress of the empire.

I raised my younger sister beautyfully .

I Accidentally Saved the Male Lead’s Brother.

I Didn’t Mean to Seduce the Male Lead.

Here reigns the vengeful villainess.

I Am Selling the Main Character’s Shares.

The villainess reverse hourglass.

The price is your everything.

I became the mother of the bloody male lead.

I think it would be better for me to become king.

The Villainess is a Marionette.

As My Husband Said, I Brought in A Lover.

How a Villainess Survives as a Saint.

The Empress Wants To Avoid the Emperor.

The glamours life of the fake mistress.

The villainess reverse hourglass.

I Will Take Responsibility for the Welfare of the Male Lead.

Cinderella Wasn’t Me.

The Crown Prince’s Fiancée.

Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom.

Marriage Alliance for Revenge.

To My Husband’s Mistress.

The reason why raeliana ended up in the Dukes mansion.

Ennead.

[tradgays]

Interview with a Tradgay Beta Male

Can you tell me a little about yourself first?

Sure, I'll tell you a bit about myself. I'm a gay man living a traditional, conservative life, and I prefer to have a monogamous marriage with my husband. My husband is the Alpha male, and I take on the role as the beta male. We strive to live a tradgay life, which involves homesteading, limiting our use of technology, attending church, and embracing vintage aesthetics. We both identify as progressives and reject far right politics, but I still enjoy my role as the husband's beta and I'm proud to be a tradgay in the modern world.

How would you define a tradgay life?

To me, a tradgay life is one that strives to make the traditional masculine and feminine roles part of a committed gay relationship. We view our marriage as mutual and equal, where my husband and I each take on roles that serve each other. The Alpha takes on the responsibilities of providing, leading, and protecting, while the beta takes on the responsibilities to serve, obey, and submit. To us, this isn't oppressive or regressive, it's our own unique way of achieving harmony and balance, as well as a powerful demonstration of marital commitment.

The tradgay movement takes inspiration from tradwives, who are associated with the Alt-Right. You’ve described yourself as progressive. How do tradgays differentiate from far right politics?

The tradgay lifestyle is not a political agenda; however, I do want to set the record straight regarding our similarities and differences from tradwives. Our ideas of traditional gender roles and marriage are based on different interpretations of the same values, to which we both pay respect. For example, we both agree that monogamy is an important part of marriage.

The big difference is that tradgays and tradwives adhere to their lifestyles for different reasons, which explains why our lifestyles take on different forms. Tradwives typically have political views that I disagree with; for me, the tradgay lifestyle is a personal and meaningful way for me to be a committed husband to my husband, rather than a political or religious one.

Why does it mean to serve your husband?

At the core of a tradgay lifestyle is the concept of service and obedience to one's husband. As I mentioned before, this isn't about oppression or submission; instead, service is an expression of obedience and commitment between husband and wife. To me, it's about honoring the bond between husband and wife and providing her husband with the support and assistance he needs to pursue his endeavors. It's an expression of love, respect, and devotion, and I take great pleasure and pride in this role.

Some would see submitting to a man as regressive- how would you respond to that?

I reject the idea that submitting to my husband is regressive. As a tradgay, I believe that the traditional model of marital roles is just as relevant in the modern world as it is in the past. I find fulfillment and a sense of purpose in serving my husband; my submission doesn't mean that I'm any less of an equal.

Are the relationships roles in a tradgay life part of kink or BDSM? How are they similar to this?

No, the relationship roles in a tradgay life are not related to kink or BDSM. From my perspective, the two lifestyles have some common values and principles, but they involve different activities and practices. Kink and BDSM are about exploring desire through power and control, while living a tradgay life is more about expressing commitment to your partner, even if there can still be discipline involved.

How does your husband discipline you?

My husband has a few ways of disciplining me, but he typically does so within the same context of service and devotion. He has set a few disciplinary measures for me, such as withholding certain privileges or assigning additional responsibilities. He only uses these measures when I fail to adhere to an agreement or when I make a mistake that might hurt our relationship.

What’s your typical day like as a “wife?”

My typical day as a beta male is pretty straightforward. I do most of the chores from taking the dog out for a walk to cooking dinner and keeping the house clean. I usually take time to spend with my husband, whether it’s talking about our day or having a calm dinner together. I typically don't have a lot of free time, between taking care of the house and obligations from my day job.

What’s the most fulfilling thing about living a tradgay life?

The most fulfilling elements of living a tradgay lifestyle are the bonds that we create with each other. My husband and I value our commitment to one another; living a tradgay lifestyle helps us to reinforce that commitment each and every day. Through the roles that we each take on, I feel loved and respected because I know that my husband cares for me and always has my best interests at heart. And it's a beautiful thing.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

do you know any anime that is as well-written as revolutionary girl utena or princess tutu? They’re both so good and so well-written that everything seems to pale in comparison and I was wondering if you knew any other anime that were similar in terms of being well-written. It’s ok if there aren’t as many similar themes

love your and vinelle’s works by the way!! Especially loving seventh seal, how I learned to stop worrying and love the bacchanals, and for the love of Alice. I feel like for the love of Alice is going to escalate quickly lol with edward being as edward as he is

Thanks for the praise! Look, @therealvinelle, praise.

Well, my friend, you've come to the right place. Caveat that the shows I'll list vary wildly in genre and expected audience. All are extremely well written but ah... some have more violence than others.

But if you could handle the rape, incest, assault, and so much more of Utena I think you can handle it.

Though I will note, a good number of these are bleak/have rape, violence, etc.

For the uninitiated, shojou are shows traditionally aimed at female audiences and shonen are shows traditionally aimed at male audiences. They tend to have distinct styles.

If I list a year in parentheses, it's because there's more than one version and that's the version you should watch.

The Rose of Versailles: shojou historical drama, following a fictional female royal guard raised as a man to Marie Antoinette, follows Marie Antoinette's reign and the leading up to the revolution.

Berserk (1997): shonen tragedy, in a medieval quasi Europe, Guts joins a band of mercenaries.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1981): space opera, a war between two equally powered states has been raging for 150 years. Now, with the rising of two prominent generals, the balance is starting to shift. About politics, the futility of war, and pacifism.

The Glass Mask (1984): shojou drama, a thirteen-year-old girl runs away from home to pursue acting, showing great talent, but at great risk to her own physical and mental wellbeing as she obsessively pursues her career.

Shiki: horror/thriller, a mysterious family moves into a rural village in Japan and the townspeople begin dying of a mysterious illness.

Cardcaptor Sakura (1998): mahou shojou (magical girl), ten-year-old Sakura happens upon mysterious items called the Clow Cards and must find a way to recapture them all and harness their powers.

Land of the Lustrous: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in the distant future, humanity has morphed into something else, and a jewel person named Phosphyllite makes a journey of personal discovery.

The Slayers (1995): adventure/action/comedy, Lina Inverse is a powerful mage with an eye out for gold, due to a fight she was never supposed to win, she finds herself pursued by gods and demons with the fate of the world at stake.

Kino's Journey (2003): absurdism, Kino visits a series of surreal towns for only three nights each.

Casshern Sins: sci-fi/post-apoctolyptic, after the end of the world, robots are all that remain and are slowly falling apart. An android named Casshern is said to be the cause.

Mononoke: thriller/character study, the mysterious medicine seller in the Edo era of Japan seeks out Mononoke in order to destroy them. To do so, he must learn both their form and their truth.

Steins;Gate: thriller/sci-fi, a group of social rejects build a time machine in their apartment, this triggers a series of catestrophic futures that must be undone.

Wolf's Rain: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in a dying world a group of wolves race to find the gates to paradise

Gunslinger Girl (2003): thriller/crime, an organization in Italy treats dying young girls with no connections to become cyborg soldiers. The show looks at the impacts of this on the girls and their handlers.

Now and Then, Here and There: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, a boy named Shu finds himself transported to a futuristic world in which a madman reigns as king. There, he finds his pacifism tested as well as his faith in humanity.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor: sci-fi/comedy, in the future Captain Justy Ueki Tylor finds himself captain of a broken down ship, it's unclear whether he's a genius, an idiot savant, or simply the world's luckiest madman.

Chaika the Coffin Princess: fantasy, in a fantasy world where a great war has just ended, two former mercenaries find themselves employed by the late emperor's daughter, who is seeking to find the pieces of her father's body in order to give him a burial.

Psycho-Pass: thriller/sci-fi, this is minority report but an anime. A young woman joins an organization in which criminals are sent to hunt down criminals, as it is a world in which crime is automatically detected before it can occur.

Fate/Zero: fantasy/action/tragedy, in the city of Fuyuki a great battle royale happens where mages summon figures of legend and history to battle on their behalf for the ultimate prize of the holy grail.

From the New World: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in the distant future psychic abilities developed. A group of children grow up in a rigidly controlled society and slowly learn the truth behind the world they live in.

Spice and Wolf: fantasy, a traveling merchant in quasi medieval Europe meets a pagan god looking to travel North given the spread of Christianity.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: mahou shojou satire, a satire of classical magical girl shows, follows a young girl Madoka who has the chance to become a magical girl in return for a miraculous wish.

Black Lagoon: crime, a young Japanese businessman finds himself kidnapped by pirates, his life turned upside down, and becomes a pirate himself.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, a young boy named Shinji is summoned by his father, head of a government organization, to fight apocalyptic monsters.

Fractale: sci-fi/post-apocalyptic, in a future where all humans interface with technology, a young boy meets a runaway priestess and the strange hologram traveling with her.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan (either version): the versions have differences but both are good, follows a quasi-Persian story about a prince who finds himself in a power struggle.

Magic Knight: Rayearth: mahou shojou (magical girl), a group of three girls find themselves transported to a magical girl where they must save the Pillar. However, not all is as it seems.

Samurai 7: sci-fi/historical, The Seven Samurai retold in a futuristic setting. The priestess of a village sets out in order to hire samurai to protect her village from bandits.

Goblin Slayer: fantasy, a priestess joins an adventure guild but finds her expectations and sense of safety dashed on her first misson: what was supposed to be a simple task of slaying goblins. She ends up joining forces with a man known only as the Goblin Slayer.

Megalobox (season 1): sci-fi/sports, a young man living in the poor part of the city enters into a boxing tournament in which he is almost certainly guaranteed to lose. There is a second season, and while it had good parts, I consider it much weaker than the first.

Vinland Saga: historical/action, it's the 11th century and Denmark is at war with England, a young man from Iceland finds himself in a Danish mercenary group all so that he might kill the man who killed his father. (I have admittedly not seen season 2 yet, so I can't speak to that.)

Captain Harlock (1978): sci-fi/adventure, the pacing's very different from modern animes but is a great anime about love, sacrifice, the brutality of war, the degradation of society, and more. Captain Harlock, a dissident and outlaw turned pirate, finds himself the only one standing in the way of an alien invasion.

Akagi: tension, a young man starts in on gambling through mahjong and slowly seeks higher and higher stakes

Kaiji: tension, a young man sinks down into the pit known as gambling and begins bartering his life away for higher and higher stakes just for that one chance to claw his way out of poverty

Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues: Focuses on the character Tonegawa and Ootsuki from Kaiji, but it's worth watching Akagi first as well. Deals with the hilarious ridiculousness of being a mobster who must please a psychopath

Lupin the Third: Part 1 (1971): A very 1960's feeling spy/action show revolving around the exploits of a phantom thief and his colleagues and enemies. Great art, music, characters and interactions, and the episodes are all extremely engaging.

Lupin the Third: Part 2 (1975): A great follow-up to Lupin the Third: Part 1 on an international scene.

[astrophilicity]

I've cracked it.

Manhwa hierarchy of male leads

Magicians>dukes>crown princes

[depressing-debbie]

Do you have any headcanons for what the characters personalities would be like in modern day?

YES I DO!

So first of all, I think my Oddly Specific Modern Headcanons lil series thing fits this pretty well, the masterlist is here

But I'll give you some more condensed personality headcanons <3

This is wayyy too long because I included far too many characters :)

PS I held back on Eren’s because I didn’t feel like angering the Eren fans with slander today... still a little bit aggressive but it could have been worse

AOT Characters' Modern Personality Headcanons

Eren: This just goes for season four Eren, but he's basically just edgy, maybe leaning towards a skater boy kind of thing. Does he have Male Manipulator Music posters all over his room? Yes! Yes he does. But he also paints his nails, so obviously that makes up for it, right??

Mikasa: She's that one really scary person in school that everyone was afraid of because she never really talked, but she's actually really nice? Just very quiet. At least 75% of her personality has to do with the fact that she always has headphones in.

Armin: I say this in my oddly specific headcanons for him, but I feel like it just summarizes him so well, he has these yellow rainboots and matching raincoat that he wears even when it’s just like lightly drizzling. He also does that polite little wave when he passes someone on the street even if he doesn’t know them

Jean: He's the epitome of anxiousness, but somehow also way too bold? Like he can't order food in public, but he will go out of his way to flirt with someone and end up getting rejected? Which leads to him simultaneously being arrogant and self deprecating.

Connie: He has a YouTube prank channel. How much more can I really say?

Sasha: She grew up with all guy friends and calls herself One Of The Boys.

Historia: Very kind Cottage Core icon that also got suspended for three days because she beat up someone that was being sexist.

Ymir: Seventy five percent of her personality is just judging other people, and the other twenty five percent is being incredibly sweet and vulnerable (only with Historia). Arguably similar to Eren, but will absolutely punch anybody who points it out.

Reiner: Himbo. I’m tempted to not even elaborate here. Yes, he plays sports, goes to the gym every day, and talks about “bulking season” and shit, but he ALSO cries at every movie with an animal protagonist. (He barely made it through charlotte’s web)

Bertholdt: If there were a human embodiment of Generalized Anxiety, it would be Bertholdt (relatable). Also you know that one friend that just gets made fun of by the group consistently? That’s him.

Annie: I am of the firm belief that only like three people have any knowledge of her personality at all because she just doesn’t speak. She’s actually very sarcastic to the people that do know her, but even then, very reserved.

Hange: They have intense Preschooler Energy, they’re definitely the one friend that the group essentially just babysits. But they’re also surprisingly fierce when they need to be. The kind of person that would make an even bigger fool of themselves to distract everyone when you’re embarrassed. Which leads to everyone feeling so safe around them, but then they’re running with scissors five minutes later and everyone’s afraid again

Levi: I personally believe that Levi wouldn’t be a mean person, just kind of... over it. Like he just has better things to be doing than dealing with all of this? For the most part he’s quiet, but we all know he has the humor of a 13 year old, so especially when he’s really tired and not aware of what he’s saying, he’s absolutely hilarious.

Erwin: Absolute barbecue dad. He definitely reads books about submarines and brags about the features of his new grill to the neighbors. But he and Levi are opposites: Levi gets more relaxed when you get to know him better, Erwin gets a teensy bit scarier. Like he’s still a barbecue dad but... which an ominous past? And some very passionate and concerning theories about the government.

Zeke: Absolutely pretentious. Like sorry for the slander but tell me this man has a single non-pretentious opinion. Wine, movies, design, politics; it’s absurd. And he’s not quiet about his opinions either. You can tell there’s a lot of thought and education behind it all? But it’s still just so annoying.

Pieck: Literal mom. Like she’s the mom friend. Always. That’s all I have to say. (She’s also concerningly optimistic? She’s so comforting and gives the best advice because she’s just SO positive).

[abigfuckingbully]

Aiden Burke: This book is based in reality. How autobiographical is it?

Atticus Davis: This book is heavily autobiographical. It's a warped version of true life events.

Aiden Burke: You used to play music?

Atticus Davis: I grew up playing music. I thought originally that I was going to be a successful musician but I found it incredibly difficult. I was getting good at guitar, I had started a few bands from the ages of 16-19. Tried to make solo work but quit. I was depressed. Everyone I worked with 'couldn't do it anymore' or just 'lost interest.' I was 19 when I really finally gave up music and the hope of starting a band. To be honestly I'll never fully give that dream up, I'm a great performer. I am interested in being vox for a post-hardcore/math band. If you live in the Bay Area and you like my poetry hmu. My brother is the only one still making music as of now and he lives in Japan. I thought we were going to make music together at one point and play out. Again, just never happened.

Aiden Burke: You started writing when you quit music?

Atticus Davis: Yeah. It was a great decision. I had full control over the outcomes whereas with music I was relying on so many other people and their being fickle...

I started writing this collection of poetry titled 'Adulthoods,' which is how I eventually met my ex-girlfriend. Which I think is described in the book.

I can finish what I start and get my work as far as I want when I write.

Aiden Burke: Music is still important to your life.

Atticus Davis: Absolutely. I grew up in punk which lead to a really young interest in Anarchism and Ecology. When I was 16-19 I was frequenting shows and the more I learned I heavier life felt. I read Evasion and I read Endgame by Derrick Jensen, which is about how civilizations are all unsustainable and how our only hope for our future is violence against the state and monkey wrenching. I still believe in those things. But I was radicalized and exposed to those politics mostly thru music. I was hugely connected in music but I stopped frequenting shows when I was falsely accused of stalking a peripheral friend I'd known for 8 years.

Aiden Burke: You were blacklisted?

Atticus Davis: I was used for sex and then disposed of. I started to try to talk to this person about how I felt and found them completely unsympathetic. I had an idea that her ex boyfriend would be part of the picture again but I had no idea that we weren't going to be friends after 8 years of knowing each other. I tried voicing how I felt but I was met with silence and disinterest in the conversation then deemed a stalker for not accepting the silence. Feel like stalkers aren't confrontational. Feel like if the gender roles were reversed people would have been defending me and up in arms. They would have had to talk.

Aiden Burke: That's a huge loss of faith for you.

Atticus Davis: Yeah, after that I couldn't #believewomen and lost all interest in feminism. It seemed like a girl's club, borderline female supremacy, and on the ground having too many inevitable pitfalls for me to give a fuck what happened to women.

Aiden Burke: You said in a previous interview that you're interested in 'the relationship story,' or that model. That appears a lot in this book too.

Atticus Davis: Yeah, I wanted this book originally to be a vehicle to talk about all my previous relationships but by the time I actually got to writing about those relationships my memory was so bad that I really had to mine myself for the content. It ended up having the relationship stories in it but having a completely different main thread.

Aiden Burke: And You said that was heavily influenced by alt lit/indie lit.

Atticus Davis: Yeah I literally just used to write poems about myself/my thoughts but I started reading people like Mary Miller and Elizabeth Ellen who write about other people. I didn't think/care if it was responsible I was just blown away that you could make art and sort of create these portraits of relationships with people you're dating/have dated. It makes you care more about those relationships and draw more meaning from them. Alt Lit/Indie Lit was a huge influence on me and initially reminded me of punk in that everyone was young and making this explosive/pop art. But they really aren't very punk, like, at all. The snobbery that pops up in countercultural/indie/punk circles is covered a lot in this book and that's what alt lit/indie lit starts to reek of. Punk was already dead to me at that point. Autobiographical fiction seemed like a very intimate thing. Like, real life stories with the names changed was completely new as an idea to me. A lot of the book No Such Thing as Broken is like @abigfuckingbully in that way.

Aiden Burke: In this book you're the main character. How much of this character are you?

Atticus Davis: The character is definitely a more potent version of myself because I can compose it but it's like a film in that it's 'hyperrealistic'

Aiden Burke: There's a scene where you repeat that, 'feminism is cancer.' Do you mean that?

Atticus Davis: No. The main character is an obstinate person who resists completely identifying as a feminist for the same reason I do. He's repeating a slogan he'd heard a woman tell him before, I took it from a conservative. It's mostly just to set himself apart from people who relinquish parts of themselves for the hope of cohesion/tolerance. He/I believe that in order to be moral/altruistic the way you arrive at and believe what you believe is as important.

It's also kind of an extreme inversion of the attitude of people virtue signalling. Hiding in a kind of filth of anti-social 'values'/ideas more than beliefs. Even if I believe what you believe I am/this character is definitely averse to wearing those beliefs on his sleeves because to him it feels more like a prostitution of belief or a way of building some exclusive club. I wrote it because I knew you're literally 'not allowed' to say that, it's like blasphemy of a religion, so definitely wanted to include it, just to fuck people up and reject people's sensibilities like Dostoyevsky Wannabe or anyone else who was convinced I was alt-right.

Aiden Burke: This character rejects counter culture strongly.

Atticus Davis: Yeah I think there's a lot of things/experiences that show a lot of intolerance, misunderstanding, and elitism in punk/alternative circles. I've seen call out culture abused and completely without substance or oppositely for the purpose of social control. Once exposed to this jealous boyfriend, of the girl who accused me of stalking her, who used the accusation that I 'fetishize women of color' to try and get his ex-gf to stop fucking me. It was founded in nothing. I like/date white girls predominately but I've also dated outside of my race, like anybody else in the Bay Area. It was a racist thing to say tho and definitely only served to satisfy a jealous person.

Aiden Burke: What do you want people to take away from this book?

Atticus Davis: I want people to break out of any paradigm and be militant in mining your life for personal truth and then acting accordingly. I want people who believe in things like anarchism and feminism to question if they are making progress and meeting like minds or alienating people and driving intelligent people out of their group/scene/'community'.

The different between thought and endorsement.

I also want people to be more accepting of sexuality in general. Seems like the counterculture succeeded to be the snake eating itself so that now women are just as interested in suppression of male sexuality as men used to be interested in suppression of female sexuality. Can't be entirely convinced that men who are openly sexual/sexually viable in a small group isn't met with anger outright. The counterculture is accepting of sex if it fits into what women view as 'appropriate' which means subtle and don't hit on anyone. But I've gotten laid hitting on women and have brought a lot of the women I've had in my life into my life by being arrogantly open about sex or just communicate that my interest is more than being friends.

Aiden Burke: What do you believe this story is about, if you had to summarize it?

Atticus Davis: It's about never giving up and never giving in even if it feels wrong while it's happening you might find yourself closer to yourself and in effect closer to God. It's really about how nihilistic I am and how the only things I really beleive in are myself and God.

Aiden Burke: Does this novel make you feel closer to God?

Atticus Davis: Yes, absolutely.