#morally gray female mc

[mademoiselle-crabaletta]

When the study came out that said 60% of americans read at or below a 6th grade level I was like "no frickin way"

But after reading reviews on goodreads.............I can see it 😭

[alivingfire]

i'm going to take the phrase "morally gray character" out of the hands of amateur book reviewers and put it on a high shelf until everyone is ready to use it correctly

[writers-potion]

MASTERPOST (PT. 1)

Daily Writerly Updates! | Open to post requests & questions My Writing Tea & Tips Community: @@writing-tea-tips

+ Feel free to chat with me anytime :) Think of me as your next door writer neighbor 🏡

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

For worldbuilding, vocab lists, weapons &fighting, and more: MASTERPOST PART 2>>

❤️ Romance Writing Prompts

Meet-Cute Ideas

Reponses to: "How Could You?"

Responses to: "Break my heart." 💔

How would you develop a relationship that’s been constantly one-sided?

Enemies-to-Lovers Dialogue Prompts

List of Relationship Tropes <3

Library Romance Prompts

Arranged Marriage Prompts

Responses to: "I love you"

Soulmates AU Prompts

"I love you but I don't" Prompts

Romance Novel Tropes & Subgenres: a comprehensive list

The Romantic Academic

Forbidden Love Dialogue Prompts

Angry Love Confessions

---

☕📜Writing Scenes

Scenes: The Basics🏕️

Structuring Your Fight Scene

Writing Funny (But Intense) Action Scenes

Ideas for Flashback Scenes

Writing The Perfect Kiss Scene

Fantasy Battle Scenes 101

---

✧𑁍.ೃPlot Tips & Tropes

A Very Brief Outline of the Three-Act Structure

Plot Type 1: "The Quest"

Writing Text Conversations - follower question

Fairy Murder Method Ideas 

Gossiping Scene Idea Prompts

Child Eating Fairies Ideas + The Mysterious Cave Trope - follower question

Writing Political Intrigue

Comforting a Fire Girl Scene - follower question

Energize a Sluggy Middle

2 Types of Deaths in Fiction

Literary vs. Commercial Plots

Fantasy Tropes that I Love

Writing the Perfect Betrayal 

Writing Strong Opening Lines

Plotting Tips for Romantasy

Dark Fantasy Tropes List

Dark Academic Plot Must-Haves 

---

✩₊˚.⋆☾ POV Related

1st vs. 3rd POV For Mad Characters

Emotionless Character POV

🧛🏻‍♀️Character Writing Tips

Redeeming The Bad Boy Character

How to Write Redemption Arcs 

Writing Diverse Characters - Things to Remember

Character Nickname Ideas

How to Write Liars Believably

Choosing the Right Character

Organizing Character Relationships

Writing 1st POV Character Fears 

Introducing Non-binary Characters

Teasing Sibling Dialogue Prompts

Writing A Drug Addict Character

No Redemption Villains

Emotions and humanity for the Non-Human Character - follower question

Writing Gangsters

Characterization: Unforgettable Characters

Human Feelings for the Non-Human Character

The Character Arc: 101

Emotional Mini BIO

Writing Autistic Characters

On Writing Blind Characters

Writing Homosexual Characters 

Establishing the MC-Reader Bond

Writing Child Characters Believably 

Toxic Parent Prompts

Writing Morally Gray Characters 

Writing the "Mean Girl" Character

Writing Introverted Characters

Strong Female Characters 

Fantastical Asian Monsters (Part I)

🕐List of Dirty Character Traits

Dark Backstory Ideas

Good Characer Traits to bad

A List of Toxic Traits for Your Character 

Character Names with Unfortunate Meanings

---

MASTERPOST PART 2>>

[peachdues]

the older I get, the more appreciation I have for morally gray female MCs.

I’m so tired that the men get a pass to do extremely questionable shit and still get to avoid the label of being a “bad” or “toxic” character but god forbid a woman exist in any gray. She either must be as pure as driven snow or a villain (who isn’t allowed any redemption arc and in fact must be sexualized and then killed by the hero).

The world does not exist in black and white. Let women in literature exist in shades of gray.

[bloodydesires-if]

Bloody Desires: The Cure - Intro Post

Demo TBA (Twine) | Itch.io Page

Bloody Desires: The Cure is a supernatural interactive fiction set in the 21st century. When the Vampiric Round Table (VRT) summons you to New York, you have no choice but to go. The VRT has learned of a credible rumor that a cure for vampirism is somewhere out there. But your kind aren’t the only ones searching for it. The dangerous supernatural exterminators, Heaven’s Hunters, seek the cure to wipe vampires from existence.

18+ for violence, blood, death, sexual themes, explicit language, and morally gray storylines.

Embark on a bloody adventure featuring:

6 unique MC backstories;

3 clans to choose from (Viscardi, Crescendo, Saleyrn);

characters, both supernatural and mortal, who you can form alliances and relationships with (or piss off?);

the ability to play as non-binary, male, female, cis, or trans;

opportunities to level up your skills for the fight ahead; 

multiple endings. 

Learn more about the backstories and companion characters below.

The following companions have platonic and romantic routes.

Kieran Collins - The Shifter

137 years old (looks early 30s) | Irish | male | he/they

Kieran is a shifter who takes on the form of a wolf. They have full control of when they shift, although it can be painful if they shift too often between resting. In his human form, he relies on knives and has spent his life studying supernatural rituals and artifacts. 

Charlotte St. Claire - The Deadly English Rose

28 years old | English | female | she/her

Charlotte is a Londoner with a dark past, having spent a large portion of her life entangled with the dangerous underworld of London. This path led to her imprisonment by a group of vampires who treated her as their personal blood bag. After escaping on the precipice of her death, she was found by Kieran who took her under his wing. 

River Silvius - The Witch

32 years old | American | non-binary | they/them

River is the youngest witch in their family and was raised in the state of Washington. They are currently a professor at the New York Institute of Witchcraft, the premier witchcraft college in North America. They sometimes work on cases with Bennett. 

Katerina Kallergis - The (Other) Vampire

282 years old (looks late 20s to early 30s) | Greek | female | she/her

Katerina is a vampire who was born in Greece almost three-hundred years ago. She despises vampirism - including herself and other vampires. Not much is known about members of her clan, the Infinitum, as they are a tight-knit group of vampires who value privacy and usually avoid other supernaturals as much as possible. 

Bennett Williams - The Cowboy

31 years old | American | male | he/him

Bennett grew up on a ranch in Texas, where he was the only survivor of a Heaven’s Hunters (HH) attack that wiped out his family, including his sister who was a Witch and the intended target. He is currently a private investigator for supernaturals and their families. He is fond of his cowboy hat and shotgun and wears an eyepatch on his left eye. 

There will be additional characters who play their own role in the story, including members of the Vampiric Round Table, clan leaders, Heaven’s Hunters, and more. However, this post would be too long to list all of those people.

Here’s a brief look at the six possible backstories for MC. Subject to change if needed by the author.

Shadow of War World I

Born: 1896 - London, England | Turned: 1915 - Loos-en-Gohelle, France

Born in the heart of London, your life brimmed with dreams. But those were overshadowed by the devastating turmoil of World War I. You were driven by a sense of duty at 19 years old and enlisted alongside your best friend from secondary school. After watching your best friend fall in combat, you were overwhelmed by survivor’s guilt and were left trying to navigate the war-torn world without them. Eventually, you were dying on a different battlefield, reminded of them. But as the darkness closed in, so did a vampire…

Shadow of the Roaring 20s 

Born: 1898 - New York, NY | Turned: 1922 - New York, NY

Born to a working-class family in the heart of New York City, you spent the entirety of your mortal life there. Your Sire was drawn to you as soon as you entered the speakeasy that fateful night… as your connection with your Sire grew, so did both of your desires to never lose each other. A year after being turned, a relentless group of vampire hunters took them from you as they sacrificed themself for your sake...

Shadow of the Spanish Renaissance 

Born: 1608 - Barcelona, Spain | Turned: 1635 - Madrid, Spain

Born to a merchant family in bustling Barcelona, your early years were spent comfortably and your family hoped you would follow in their footsteps. But your passions lay elsewhere. You found yourself inspired by artists such as Coello and Velázquez, and frequented libraries and salons. As you grew older, the weight of familial obligations bore down upon you. One night while you were in Madrid visiting friends, a vampire approached you with a proposal…

Shadow of the French Revolution

Born: 1770 - Vizille, France | Turned: 1799 - Paris, France

Born to a family of budding rebels in Vizille, you experienced the backdrop of social unrest and discontent. As the revolution began to spread across France, you found yourself at the midst of it in Paris. It is there that your Sire became fascinated by your sense of justice and chose you to be their eternal descendent. Against your deepest desires, you were thrust into immortality, a fate you never sought, as your original intention was simply to fight for the betterment of humanity…

Shadow of the Zhou Dynasty

Born: 890 B.C. - Western Zhou | Turned: 867 B.C - Western Zhou

Born into a prestigious family, you spent much of your time at court, learning from tutors and schemers alike. As a young adult, you were caught in the crossfires of a power struggle within the court. Betrayed by those you once trusted, you were the victim of an assassination attempt. You only remember your eyes closing….and then waking up as a vampire, your sire nowhere in sight…

Shadow of the Nile

Born: 1050 B.C. - Tanis, Egypt | Turned: 1023 B.C - Thebes, Egypt 

Born to a family of esteemed lineage, you were raised in the sacred walls of the Temple of Amun-Ra in preparation for your future as a religious figurehead. You did eventually become an important leader in Thebes during a time of political imbalance. But then you died. When you awoke, a vampire was watching over you with an amused look. They swore to have found you already dying in an alley…

-----

Asks are welcome if you so desire, however, I won't be doing NSFW reactions or long reactions at this time. I will still do some regular reactions and answer general NSFW. Thanks!

P.S. please let me know if there's an error in the post, thanks <3

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

If people could hate on Lane and Lou, they could do the same to Devi too. I wonder why if the MC weren't like Vicky/Agatha/Laia personality-wise, why some fans would hate them? Saying Lou is too masculine and Lane is b-word. I'm replaying PSI and HSR back-to-back just to make sure I didn't miss anything because I thought they have feelings?? They just don't tend to show it?

You're right anon! Everyone has the equal potential to hate on any of the MCs, which makes it clearer when certain MCs are hated more than the others because it implies there's a collective underlying aspect of their character that fans view as unlikable. Of course, the answer is just plain misogyny but here is my guess as to what's going on internally.

Two main things (that definitely go hand in hand) I've noticed people want from a female MC is for them to be nice (very vague I know but just an overarching word including selflessness, caring for others, vulnerable with their emotions, etc.) and feminine. They can't be too much of either of those things or they're deemed too weak (that's a whole other discussion). The MCs have to be layered and complicated but to them, if they do not include the two aforementioned traits somewhere than they are "unlikable" or "too masculine."

Vicky, Agatha, and Laia can be described as feminine MCs (based on their wardrobe and how they're described in their books) who are known for being kind and putting others before themselves (Agatha can be more morally gray from what I've heard but y'know). Lane can be described as feminine (serving cunt in Siberia like a queen 💅🏽) but the reader doesn't have access to her emotions like they do with other female MCs even though that's an intentional part of how she's written??! My guess is that because society expects women to act a certain way, when women or female characters in this case deviate from the norm, it's seen as ~unsettling~ or unpredictable. And some fans don't like that.

Lou unfortunately has the more obvious answer. I will be honest and say I know less about PSI than I wish but based on those other confessions I read, people think she's "masculine" because she's more of a tomboy and because she has traits most people associate as masculine (assertive, ambitious, not depending on another man, less emotional/more rational). On the surface, she doesn't fit into the traits I mentioned earlier and ig fans don't like that and ignore the rest of her character 😭😭 Maybe they're the reason why one of the endings makes Lou have a kid, like a last-ditch effort to "compensate" for how drastically different she already was in comparison to other female MCs idk.

Going back to the first thing you mentioned. Devi is both feminine and is clearly written as someone with noble intentions who cares about the fate of other people. Sure, she might have been somewhat reckless when younger, but we can see where she's coming from given her backstory (something we don't have with Lane and something people ignore for Lou because wawawa she's not talking about her feelings all the time as if there aren't bigger things happening in the plot).

I do want to conclude by saying you're not sexist just because you don't like a certain female character and you're not exempted from being sexist just because you like a female character. That's surface level talk and gets us nowhere. I'm just saying that if you notice you inexplicably dislike a female character(s), I implore you to dig deeper to find out the why.

TDLR: you didn't miss anything when rereading those books (I can speak for HSR more than for PSI) people just don't like female characters they can't fit into a box. Also, if you made it this far, ilysm <33

[karouvas]

I had been trying to figure out where some of my issues with Emma's characterization post LM came from you are absolutely right, it definitely feels like CC stopped focusing in Emma's gray morality to focus on Julian's

In theory I think the idea of their arc being Emma starting off the more ruthless and revenge driven character then easing up on that mindset as things unfold with Malcolm (I really like that little moment where she tells Julian about how her conceptions have changed since killing Malcolm didn’t give her closure, but we should have seen more of her introspection on this after it happened before bringing it back up in QoAAD) vs Julian being more of a wolf in sheep’s clothing whose manipulation and ruthlessness becomes more apparent over time, until eventually Emma is willing to do something morally gray (break the parabatai bonds) that in this set of circumstances Julian will not do, is compelling to me but the execution on Emma’s side falls short after LM because there’s not consistent enough exploration of her changing attitudes towards glorified vengeance and violence, more of an occasional check in. Part of this has to do with pacing/structure and although I love TDA and find the ensemble probably the most compelling overall of tsc series it is overstuffed with how many povs their are as much as tlh is. But also Julian clearly took priority to her at some point and his arc is more the focal point of books 2 & 3 despite all the povs, maybe if that was only the case for LoS it could work because then LM is more Emma focused LoS is more Jules focused but even though QoAAD is pretty all over the place Julian’s emotionless + grieving arc feels like it’s at the heart of the book, and I like that arc I mentioned I related to quite a few of the grief manifests as repressed/controlled emotion aspects so subjectively that clicks for me, but it does put Emma in the role of having to be more of a tether morally for most of the book and then there’s not enough of a transition between that and the moment where she goes to break the bonds. So yeah it’s partially cc prioritizing exploration of the male mc’s gray morality as the series goes on and being less interested in the female leads corresponding gray morality (and I know I would be far meaner about this if I didn’t like Julian as much as I clearly do) partly just other pacing and point of view distribution issues towards the back half of TDA that lead to this. Is how I see it. I do also think there’s something to critique about how while I adore blackstairs and enjoy that they flip some gender roles typical of cc’s earlier books couples, if when gender inverting the bad-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold x good-girl-going-bad trope the male version of the good girl with a dark heart thing gets to have a more centralized arc that is allowed to go further gray morality wise than female chars you’ve written in that vein (I would say that both Clary and Lucie count as this, Lucie in particular has a lot of parallels to Jules imo which is fun family tree wise ) and have the more centralized arc whereas while I do think Emma is a much better written character than Jace who she was clearly originally conceived as the female version of, she doesn’t have the centralized status Jace does narratively.

I do think both modern TSC arcs end up prioritizing Jace / Julian over Clary / Emma in terms of who’s character and dynamics the series eventually revolves around most (although again TDA being so ensemble changes this a little). I’m meaner about it with tmi because I don’t like Jace and Clace doesn’t work for me as a ship, and more just passively critical about it with tda because I do love Julian and Blackstairs really works for me as a ship, so I’m definitely a bit of a hypocrite there but I’ll still critique what’s relevant. I think both historical arcs do better with this I’ve spoken before about how Tessa is my Favorite tsc char as well as protag, and I think her arc and narrative is really really good and that she is central, maybe tied with Will towards the end but definitely her narrative isn’t given less importance than the guys and I’ve disagreed with takes on that to the contrary. Cordelia is an interesting case because again, the overstuffed nature of the cast means she often does not feel like the protagonist in her own story and I found that aspect worse in tlh than for Emma in tda. However I actually really don’t agree with takes that Cordelia’s story went badly because she was turned into ‘just a love interest/got lost in her romance plot’ because imo James is way less of a character in his own right than she is even in the last book where he has more agency than he did with the gracelet. Her emotions and struggles drive the plot of their romance much more than his do, and outside of it she does get to be a more proactive character in the Lilith paladin plot, dealing with her familial relationships etc. So while I did often feel like I would rather tlh focus on Cordelia herself more that really had nothing to do with James who I think was just not a priority for cc a lot of the time. Perhaps there is something to the cursed plots Will / James start out with and that device creating a need for cc to lean on the female protagonist’s characterization more (but also I’ve only read TLH once so maybe my opinion would change if I revisited I do want to say I don’t think I am a TLH or TMI expert).

[ekdarnellbooks]

Calling all monster and polyam romance lovers!

I have some fun things for you. All of my stories have explicit spice, some form of monster MC (from eldritch abominations to handsome vampires), and of course, a HEA. All of my published works are non-dark romance, but I still suggest reading the content notes at the beginning of each book!

Vrauma's Menagerie: a polyam alien romance novella about a woman abducted grom Earth to be sold to an alien's menagerie. Two agender aliens x human female. Tentacle smut, sweet and grumpy alien MCs, teaching aliens about pleasure, virgin aliens, alien abduction. Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

A Bond of Blood: an alien romance novella about a woman who crash lands on a strange planet after escaping a prison satellite and the alien who nurses her back to health. MF. Primal mating urges, size difference, over 40 FMC, bloodplay, spicy cinnamon roll MMC. Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

The Sorcerer of Shadowholde: a polyam fantasy romance about a woman struggling to control her illicit magic and her feelings for her best friend and the High Consul. MMF with an extended polycule. Sexual awakenings, friends to lovers, morally gray MMC, everyone is bi/pan, polyam found family, bloodplay, voyeurism/exhibitionism. Available on Kindle Vella.

Jury Duty: an alien romance novelette about a jury abducted from Earth and forced to decide humanity's fate. MF. Tentacle smut, everyone is morally gray (or worse), DVP and DP. Read for free on Tumblr or get the free ebook when you sign up for my newsletter!

[pinkysberg]

John doesn't deserve a baddie like javier and abligal javier I am right here jk but I wanted to do video eassy on why people hate on main interest esp when they are morally gray or challenging the main character mortalites and I wanted to ask about your opinion on why you think so many people are ducking on mary liction , molly o Shea and abilgal

ironically i also want to do a video on this but it's bc the reason is just always blatantly misogyny. there's some reasons that pertain to the way players don't like having their agency questioned or they want the mc to come to these conclusions without the influence of others - especially when those others are women.

ultimately, though, gaming communities, broadly speaking, are deeply misogynistic. even outside of red dead, people do this to female characters ALL the time. i don't even play games that often but off the top of my head, Yona from TOTK, Abby from TLOU (maybe even Ellie at times) like sometimes female characters are held to such an insane standard that it takes next to nothing for them to fall from public opinion.

[steppenwolfofslytherinhouse]

for my girlies who are morally grey,have tragic past and are emotionally unavailable (as opposed to it always being the man for some reason)

listen.

as a basically ancient being who spent most of my youth on this site+hyperfixating on various animes,tv shows,etc...

it's been 84 years and i have yet to come across ANY fcking work that doesn't go down the thrice-beaten path of "tragic morally gray dude meets this whatshername mother Theresa-ish y/n and they somehow make a perfect couple and blah blah blah.

...dude.As someone who has been constantly attracted to such fictional men BUT being morally gray,sarcastic,logic over emotion, no-nonsense typa girl...

WHERE.

ARE.

STORIES.

WITH.

SUCH FMC.WHERE!!!

sick of watching good animes,reading good fics etc. with an ABSOLUTELY unrelatable,bland as a fcking tofu type of girls who get these hotass mfs????

enough.somebody at least write a fanfic with female mc that is edgy,non whiny,i can handle my shit typa girl.a goddess of chaos herself.

ty for coming to my ted talk.

[sharlulu]

Hi! Hi! It's me again! Loved your previous answer! Stephan and Gray are truly made for each <3

Also if you don't mind I'd like to know which manhwa/manga are your favorites? And which underrated manhwa or anime would you recommend is a good read/watch?

Thanks and have a good day!! (Guessed it might be day where you are since our time zones seem to match. It was pretty late where I live too when I sent the previous ask😅)

Hi anon! Yup, it's day for me too, hehe.

Fav mangas:

Pandora hearts (i actually own physical copies of this one; if I were to rank my favs, this would take the first place. Great worldbuilding for a fantasy story, great characters, and the end just left me in tears) completed

Witch hat atelier (started reading it not long ago, and just loved it! I adore the magic system here and the concepts that this story explores are also immensely interesting) monthly updates

Frieren: beyond journey's end (a very melancholic fantasy story, I loved the atmosphere and the characters; and the artstyle was also great)

The apothecary diaries (one of my fav main characters and a great detective-ish storyline + palace intrigue + setting in ancient china) but oh my god are updates slow

Adabana (a very dark story about sexual abuse, murder and just angst in general. Nearly all men here, except for one, are trash. I guess this has an interesting potrayal of female rage and I'm pretty sure that the main heroines loved each other) completed

Fav manhwas and recs:

Duty after school (one of my first favs, has a very interesting artstyle and storyline. It's, hm, humans vs aliens war, but focuses on the characters and their relationships. And, eh, they are all high schollers) completed

Annarasumanara (actually has a k drama adaptaion, beautiful love story, just vibes no plot) completed

Hand jumper (has a very interesting fantasy concept with a morally grey and very smart mc, who is also not op) on hiatus

The weight of our sky (a story inspired by real events in 1969 kuala lumpur malaysia, emotionally gripping and also made me cry) completed

And ofc weak hero ;)

They are all available on webtoon btw. And I would say that half of them are criminally underrated

Oh and i also have the guilty pleasure of reading all those villainess reincarnation manhwas. Tho i never finish them 😅. The only ones which i can kinda recommend are Your Throne, Raeliana, Who made me a princess.

Underrated anime recs (not sure if these are underrated, but anyway):

A place further than the universe (slice of life, a nice story about chasing dreams) 13 episodes

Death parade (have no idea how to describe this 😅 interesting concept and great execution?) 12 episodes

March comes in like a lion (a story about a shogi prodigy; focuses more on internal struggles that actual shogi. I'd say the season 2 is better that the first) 2 seasons, 22 episodes each

Magi (typical fantasy story with great animation and character design. Keep in mind that it's not finished, and won't get a continuation any time soon) 2 seasons, 25 episodes each + a prequel

Whoa, that took a long time 😳, thanks for the ask, i had so much fun making this list, hehe

Have a nice day, anon!

[headspace-hotel]

you brought up a good point about how Leviathan as a series doesn't really set out to critique the realities of 20th century world powers so much as just have fun with the setting and the fantasy. Which YA series that did set out to at least partly engage with a Serious Issue do you think did the best job of it, and which do you think did the worst? (I remember liking the Chaos Walking books very much, but I haven't read them since I was in my mid-teens and I might have a very different feeling about them now)

I quit the Chaos Walking trilogy about 200 pages into the third book, because the moral lesson had gotten to be...well, that. A moral lesson.

The villain had this weird quest to make the protagonist violate his moral principles that didn't seem like realistic behavior for a person. It was so heavy-handed and I got tired of it. Even though the first book was pretty good.

A lot of YA books that try to handle feminist topics fall really flat. Particularly books that try to examine patriarchy or re-imagine gender dynamics in a world.

The book Crown of Feathers was pitched as a matriarchal society historically ruled by queens. Cool! But then that was completely thrown in the trash when the protagonist had to disguise as a boy in order to become a Phoenix Rider. That doesn't make any sense.

Crown of Feathers also had this jarring infodumpy paragraph explaining what being trans was (there wasn't a trans character) that explained it in very 21st century western society type terms, and it made me frustrated because there have been so many different ways of understanding the spectrum of gender and sex throughout history in many different cultures.

I've read some books that handle sexual assault really badly—one of these is An Ember in the Ashes, which constantly used the threat of rape against its female characters, like the word "rape" was everywhere in that book. A couple of the antagonists seemingly exist to make graphic rape threats against one of the female characters. There's even a scene where the "love interest" pretends to rape the MC to like, explain why they were caught in the catacombs or something.

There's good stuff out there, though, for sure. Defy the Stars and its sequels, by Claudia Gray, are really good for "recent" YA, and I particularly appreciate how the series handles religion. The main character is like, Space Catholic and her faith is important to her and it never fades into the background entirely but the book is never judgmental toward characters that don't share her faith.

Defy the Stars is also one of the only YA books I've read where the characters TALK about sex in a healthy way. It's very GOOD and wholesome and sweet. The main character declines the offer to have sex with the love interest, because of her own personal beliefs, but it's not at all like..."oh this would make me a dirty slut if I did it," it's a very simple respectful "I don't want this and here's why, this is a personal boundary I have" and the guy is (privately) disappointed but not upset with her, and it's okay! And I thought it was really good.

Uhh...I'm sure what I'm thinking of will come to me immediately after I hit post but that's what I can remember so far

[equusgirl-writes]

[Image ID: a banner with the background of a dark forest against a gray sky. There's a gray transparent box over laid with an semi-ornate white border. Inside the decorative border is 'EquusGirl-Writes' in a handwritten script with 'A Writeblr Introduction' in sans serif font. There is an ink smattering pattern overlaid atop the background image. END ID]

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ

About the writer

✽ Call me Han or EG, it's up to you! (She/they)

✽ Late twenties

✽ I write fantasy (of varying subtypes) and horror (mostly of the gothic variety). I also have a few romances but those are currently shelved in favor of my other WIPs.

✽ Tag game and ask friendly. Tell me about your blorbos! Tell me about the cool worldbuilding thing you just made!

✽ DMs are always open. Say hi! Maybe we could be friends!

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ

About the blog

✽ I'd love to support and interact with other writeblrs

✽ Content I'd love to see on my dash and interact with:

∘ Horror ∘ Fantasy ∘ ALL THE WOMEN - I crave more narratives about women so if you have a WIP with a majority female cast, I would like to hear about it. Bonus points if it focuses on the dynamics between the women. More bonus points if you have complex mother-daughter relationships. Even more bonus points if you have GNC women or femme leaning characters. BIG bonus points if the women are “unlikable”. ∘ Varying shades of morality - MCs that are morally grey or just straight up villainous. “Dark” content. Dysfunctional relationships. I want all the morally dubious content. ∘ Mental illness - as my friend is fond of saying “my kingdom for a mentally ill character”. It does not have to be a “good” portrayal in the sense that the characters that have a mental illness have to be The Good Guys but I’d rather see villains who have mental illness rather than the villain is a villain because of their mental illness. Basically just…I want to see the subject handled thoughtfully and with care. Not this bullshit that mainstream media keeps pulling. ∘ Nonhuman OCs - being human is boring. I wanna be a vampire. ∘ Grappling with morality and what it means to be “human” (sentient) - what it says on the tin. I want to see more characters that grapple with their morality and what it means to be moral. I want to see characters whose circumstances push their moral bounds. I just. I love explorations of what it means to be human and the means people will go to to protect their humanity. Or the ways people destroy their humanity to protect the ones they love. ∘ Fat characters ∘ Chronically ill characters ∘Queer characters

✽ Coincidentally you will find a lot of these in my own writing

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ:･ﾟ

WIPs

✽ The Memories We Leave Behind - A gothic horror short story inspired by cellular memory theory.

Intro Post | WIP tag

✽ I have many more WIPs but that's the only one I've gotten my shit together on so far and it's the one I'm working on the most as it's a submission for a short story anthology with a deadline coming up soon.

[babyrowann]

this may not make sense to that many people or you might even disagree, but i wholeheartedly believe that books and the way they are written/marketed has completely changed since booktok became a thing and not in a good way….

before i get into this, i want to say that one amazing thing that booktok has done is introduce so so many people to reading and it’s let them discover a new passion they didn’t know they had and it’s let them join us in reading stories that just mean so much to you, which i think is a great thing!

that being said, booktok has amplified the “trope” trend. by this, i mean booktok has created this system where you learn about new books to read through tropes, so certain books get picked much more frequently than others ONLY because they contain specific tropes (enemies to lovers, chosen one, morally gray villain, one bed, etc). this has now cemented in place a pattern where booktok recommends books purely based on tropes, and readers are picking books bc of these tropes, so now AUTHORS are writing books that are simply popular tropes linked together, and they write a story AROUND those tropes instead of writing a story and putting some of these tropes in the story.

i’ve seen this happening especially in ya and some new adult books and i think it’s really disappointing bc so many stories and characters are feeling like a copy and paste of each other bc these authors are jumping on the trope trend to gain the visibility that booktok gives tropes. one example i can think of is aelin from tog. she was one of the first confident, strong, sassy, and feminine female characters that i read about back in 2015 and i LOVED reading about a new character like this, and i think a lot of people did too bc aelin became the blueprint. now almost every other ya fantasy protagonist is a stabby girlboss warrior… and they all feel the same and honestly are bland compared to the original (specifically poppy balfour but that’s a different post). i just think it’s disappointing bc i personally am not reading a genre i used to be very protective over bc im finding many of the ya fantasy stories i’ve read over the last few years feel the same. the same girl is the only one who can save us and is super powerful and is usually impulsive and beautiful and meets a sarcastic witty but tough love interest and maybe she’s the lost heir to the throne or related to the gods or something and frankly, it’s boring now. to name a few (from blood and ash, the plated prisoner, the prison healer, zodiac academy). give me a mc who isn’t the chosen one and doesn’t have powers but is stepping up through their own determination to help save the day, and isn’t “different from other girls”. but this kind of mc doesn’t fit the booktok tropes so :/ ALSO one last problem i have is the way booktok incorrectly markets books to gain views!! the biggest example of this i have is calling coho’s it ends with us a romance when that is only 20% of the actual meaning of the story. if that’s what’s you’re taking away from this book, then you missed the message. that’s about all i have for now, if you aren’t having this experience with books than i’m so happy for you!! and if you feel the same as me… welp

[celiabowens]

Adult SFF edition

High/Epic Fantasy

The Lies of Locke Lamora: heist fantasy following a band of misfits! It has morally gray characters, fun banter but heartwrenching moments and a pretty complex plot. It’s a classic to say “if you liked Six of Crows and want to try adult SFF try this” and it’s probably true. 

Kushiel’s Dart: a political fantasy tome loosely inspired by Europe in the Renaissance. Pretty heavy on romance and erotica (with BDSM elements) as it follows a courtesan navigating the political scene. It has an amazing female villain.

A Darker Shade of Magic: probably the easiest way to approach adult fantasy. It has multiple Londons and a pretty unique magic system and concept, plus a crossdressing thief, knives and great banter. 

The Poppy War: grimdark fantasy (TW: abuse, self harm, rape, drug abuse), inspired by Chinese history. It’s adult, but follows younger MCs and the unique blend of different historical periods/inspirations makes it extremely interesting. The characters are extremely fucked up in the best possible way, plus the use of shamanism is awesome.

The Sword of Kaigen: if you liked The Poppy War you could like this one. The Sword of Kaigen is an Asian-inspired militaristic fantasy, with elemental magic, a badass housewife dealing with her past and hiding a sword in her kitchen’s floor. It has interesting and nuanced family dynamics and a great reflection on propaganda and the use of narratives.

The Priory of the Orange Tree: high fantasy, featuring dragons, a F/F romance and pretty complex world building. The author reuses typical fantasy tropes and roles in a fresh way. Very readable in spite of its length.

Empire of Sand: inspired by Mughal India, this one focuses on culture and religion and has great slow burn romance (TW: abuse, slavery). It’s pretty slow paced, but the payoff is great. Also a good "YA crossover”.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms: first book in a companion novel trilogy, following a young woman who finds herself at the center of a vicious political struggle, as she’s suddenly become the heir to the throne. 

Black Sun: first book in a new series by Rebecca Roanhorse, inspired by pre-Columbian societies and cultures. It mainly focuses on religious and political conflicts. TW for abuse, mild body horror and suicide (not very graphic). Nice inclusion of lgbt rep across the whole cast + one of the main characters is blind. Great world building!

Historical Fantasy

The Night Circus: perfect transition from YA to Adult for a reader, The Night Circus is a gorgeous historical fantasy romance. The author’s writing is amazing, the descriptions and the subtlety of the main characters’ relationship are to die for.

The City of Brass: political/historical fantasy tome featuring Middle Eastern mythology. It follows younger MCs (honestly another series that could be a good way to approach adult SFF) and has great character growth throughout the series. The first book has some more trope-y elements, but the payoff is worth it. 

The Golem and The Djinni: historical fantasy (if you loved The Night Circus you could like this one), following two mythical creatures as they navigate New York in 1899. Slow burn romance, rich descriptions, fascinating combination of Jewish and Syrian folklore.

Gods of Jade and Shadow: a fantasy bildungsroman set in Mexico during the Jazz age. Another great way to approach adult SFF as it follows a young girl on a life changing adventure. It features Mayan mythology and a god slowly becoming human.

The Ghost Bride: set in Malaya in 1893, it follows the daughter of a ruined man as she receives the proposal to become a ghost bride. Lovely setting, rich in culture and extremely atmospheric.

The Bear and The Nightingale: a coming of age story inspired by Russian folklore. Another great way to start reading adult SFF: it’s very atmospheric and fairy tale-like. Also frost demons are better than men.

Queen of the Conquered: first book in a fantasy duology(?) set in an alternate version of the Caribbean at the time of Scandinavian colonisation. It follows Sigourney, a biracial woman (her mother was a slave, freed by her father) and the only islander who is allowed to own and use kraft and therefore has a position of privilege, which she constantly abuses, while telling herself she’s doing it for the islanders’ benefit. The book is hard to read, because the MC is no hero and her POV can be quite challenging to get through, but if you’re up for it I’d totally recommend this. (TW: slavery, abuse, death).

The Lions of Al-Rassan: this one has minimal fantasy elements, much like other Kay books, as it reads more like an alternate history. Using Moorish Spain as a template, it deals with the conflict between Jews, Muslims and Christians. Much like Under Heaven and most of his historical fantasy it shows common people being swept up in dramatic events. 

Urban Fantasy

The Divine Cities trilogy: starting with City of Stairs, it follows a female diplomat and spymaster(!!). The whole trilogy features an interesting discussion about godhood, religion, fanatism, politics, without ever being boring or preachy. It has complex and rich world building and a pretty compelling mystery.

Foundryside: heist fantasy following a thief as she’s hired to steal a powerful artifact that may change magical technology as she knows it. Also, slow burn F/F romance.

Jade City:  a wuxia inspired, gangster urban fantasy. Great family dynamics, very interesting political and economical subplots. 

One for My Enemy: sort of a modern Romeo and Juliet, but set in New York, starring two magical gangster families. The female characters are to die for.  

Trail of Lightning: inspired by Native mythology and the idea of subsequent worlds. It has a kickass MC and a good mix of original elements and typical UF tropes. You could like this if you liked the Kate Daniels series.

American Gods: a classic of the genre, pretty much brilliant in how it reuses old mythology in a modern setting.

Retellings

Spinning Silver: a very loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, with a gorgeous atmosphere. It mainly follows female characters from different social and economical backgrounds and reuses the original tale to challenge the antisemitic ideas around the role of the moneylander.

The Queens of Innis Lear: fantasy retelling of King Lear, very atmospheric and gorgeously written. Slow paced, but very satisfying build up, lots of backstabbing and miscommunication. (heads up though, one of the MCs is coded as aroace and I found the rep pretty bad on that. The book does feature casual bisexual rep though, which was great)

Lady Hotspur: genderbent retelling of Henry IV, set in the same world as The Queens of Innis Lear. Lesbian and bisexual rep. Heavy on political subplots, features ambitious women growing into their roles.

Deathless: sort of a retelling of Koschei the Deathless set in the first half of the 20th century. Brilliant reuse of Russian folklore to weave together politics and history. It does have pretty brutal descriptions of war, morally gray characters, unhealthy relationships and overall a lot of mindfuckery.

Space Opera

A Memory Called Empire: space opera inspired by the Mexica and middle period Byzantium. It focuses on topics like colonialism and the power of narratives and language. It has one of the best descriptions of what it’s like to live in between spaces I’ve ever read. Also very interesting political intrigue and has a slow burn F/F romance (and a poly relationship recalled through flashbacks).

Ninefox Gambit: a Korean-inspired space opera with a magic system based on math. It’s honestly quite convoluted and difficult to follow, but it also features some of the best political intrigue I’ve ever read. Plenty of lying, backstabbing and mind games. It also features lesbian and bisexual rep and an aroace side character (TW: mass shooting, sexual assault).

The Light Brigade: militaristic space opera set in a not-so-defined future in which corporations rule Earth and space in general. The book follows a newly enlisted soldier as they go through gruelling training and experience the side effects of being broken down into atoms to travel at the speed of light. It’s a heavy book, featuring raw descriptions of war, and quite difficult to follow (non-linear timelines...) but it’s also an amazing critique of capitalism and political propaganda (TW: death, mass shooting).

Gideon the Ninth: pretty much lesbian necromancers in space. Very loose world building, but a fun mystery full of banter. Can be quite confusing in the beginning, but a relatively easy and fun way to approach science fiction.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet: character driven space opera featuring a found family journeying through space. A fun read, that also deals with topics such as sexuality and race. Quite easy to go through, as the world building and plot aren’t particularly complex themselves. Also features a F/F romance. 

Science Fiction-Fantasy that I can’t fit anywhere else

Vicious: college roommates put themselves through near-death experiences to obtain super powers, only everything goes wrong. Follows a great band of misfits (and pretty much everyone is morally gray).

Middlegame: a brilliant and complex tapestry of alternate timelines, following telepathically connected twins trying to escape the alchemist that wants to use them to obtain godhood (TW: attempted suicide).

Piranesi: the long awaited return of Susanna Clarke, Piranesi is an odd, mysterious book set in a house with infinite rooms and endless corridors, apparently inhabited by only two people. 

Bonus Novella recs: novellas are amazing and don’t sleep on them!

The Empress of Salt and Fortune: an Asian-inspired fantasy novella, it gives a voice to people usually silenced by history. It follows a cleric (non binary rep) as they chronicle the story of the late empress, retold through objects that she used in her life. It focuses on bonds between women and the power that lies in being unnoticed.  

The Black God’s Drums: an urban fantasy novella, based on Orisha mythology and set in an alternate, sort of steampunk, New Orleans. 

The Haunting of Tram Car 015: alternate steampunk Cairo populated by supernatural entities. It has a compelling mystery, starring a great lead.

This Is How You Lose the Time War: epistolary set during a time-travel war, F/F romance and gorgeous prose. 

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls: a novella set in the Xuya universe (a series of novellas/short stories set in a timeline where Asia became dominant, and where the space age has empires of Vietnamese and Chinese inspiration), but can be read as a standalone. It’s a space opera featuring a disappeared citadel and the complex relationship between the empress and her daughter as war threatens her empire.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate: an incredibly heartwarming and yet meaningful novella about research and the meaning of it. It’s the tale of 4 astronauts on a crowdfunded mission to explore space, to observe and report without conquering. It’s written in lovely prose and is very casual in its lgbt rep.

The Deep: very good novella set in an underwater society built by the descendants of African slave women that were tossed overboard. It’s not an easy read at all, as it deals with trauma, both personal and generational ones. 

Bonus short story collections recs

A Cathedral of Myth and Bone: 16 short stories featuring myth, legend and faith, that mainly focus on women reclaiming their agency. 

The Paper Menageries and Other Stories: features plenty of different fantasy and science fiction subgenres. The Paper Menagerie in particular is an extremely moving tale.

Conservation of Shadows: science fiction-fantasy short stories that focus on topics like colonisation and the role of art and language. 

Graphic Novel

Monstress: series set in an alt 1900s matriarchal Asia, following a teenage girl who survived a war and shares a connection with a monster that’s slowly transforming her. (TW: slavery, death).

[hanafubukki]

Hey. I just want to hear some opinion. And i am sorry if i offend anyone with this ask since this is probably can be sensitive. I do not mean harm or wanting to offend anyone. This is pure curiosity from me. Probably i need to give a trigger warning for those who have dysphoria (sorry i don't know how to spell it). Warning : I want to discuss about female bodied human who claimed to be female. (Sorry if i seem overreacting, but i have some bad experience because i do not give these warning and being called some unflattering words)

What i want to say is... Is it just me who got weirded out by female!Yuu or any female yuusona or any female bodied Yuu/OC who is readily tell the twst cast that she is a female, i am talking about the yuu who is a minor aka student, first year Yuu.

This is not me hating those female Yuu btw. I am just genuinely confused.

I mean it's an only female in all-boys school. Doesn't that should already ring some danger alert? Shouldn't she feel a little unsafe? I mean you wake up in a different world, with no memory or you do, probably your clothes got magically changed to some weird cult-like uniform (you probably don't know that is magic), you don't have money, don't know anyone. You are basically an orphan, homeless, moneyless minor with no knowledge of the new world you are in.

And NRC is a prestigious magic school, an ALL-BOYS MAGICAL prestigious school. If a girl who is MAGICLESS studied there with 'special' circumtances wouldn't there be some scandals involved. I bet the reporters would have a field day. It just doesn't make any sense. It already defy 2 things that the school is known for. I doubt Crowley would say it openly or even accept it easily.

Okay, you can argue with 'the casts are not criminals' and i use this word here lightly. Buuuuuttt... Let's not forget that Leona, Vil, and Jamil almost kill people. Leona almost 'sand-ing' Ruggie, Vil almost poisoning Neige, and Jamil who dokan people into the night of dessert which cold can kill people. Yes, we can argue about how they are not bad people. But if you ask me, this can be classified as attempted murder right?

If murder can almost happen in that school and physical bullying can also happen, what other bad things that can happen? Also for the magicless female yuu, how in the world are you so fearless????

I am genuinely confused in how those magicless female yuu is so fearless?? How can you defense yourself against the talented magical students with 'gray' moral? You can say using fists or things like that, but how far can a mere physical defense and offense fight back against magic and poison?

Thank you for reading this essay and question. I hope you can give me some insight for this little problem. I hope this doesn't offend anyone. If it is, i apologize.

If you don't want to answer, please direct me to a blog that can answer this kind of thing. I don't intend this to be hate message btw.

Hello Anonie 🌸☺️,

As per your question, well, I'll try my best to explain to the best of my abilities. But many people have many differing opinions and views, so I hope you will keep that in mind. Also, I'm not always the best at explaining, but I'll try.

(under the cut for response)

(Before I start, I want to say I hope I don't offend anyone. If I say anything wrong or wording it wrong, please kindly point it out and I'll correct my mistake. I am a human being as well and I can make mistakes, but I am also always willing to learn. ☺️☺️☺️💕💕💕💕)

So I have a couple points I can make and different ways I can handle your question, so I'll try my best. 

Point 1: MC/Yuu

First, I will start off with your main point about MC/Yuu. You’re main issues is that MC is portrayed as a female to many people and how that can be a problem, especially in an all boys school. 

Now, here is the part that I think you focus too much on. 

The fact that MC is a female to alot of people eyes and the problem that it could bring.

I think wether the MC is female or male or feminine or masculine, there will be issues. 

Now I get the point that you are making, don’t get me wrong.

but you have to remember that MC/Yuu is from another world and not only that, but they are magicless, so in reality, it doesn't matter if they are female or not.

They will be in danger. They will be in trouble, not because of their gender but because of their setting and background that was set up for it. We play a character that not only is trying to survive in this world but are making friends and the narrative is focusing on the fact that we, as a magicless person, are trying to survive. That is literally part of the story, never mind the fact that it could be hinted that MC might have powers, or the fact that despite it, they are trying their best to survive. they are trying to make the most of living in this world and getting through day by day, one day at a time. 

And, as a human being, that's what we all try to do, right? 

We try our best to get through each day as it comes no matter the circumstance.

You bring up the fact about scandals and such, but remember NRC is a prestigious school. The headmaster can stop rumors like that from happening, I mean look at chapter 6.

also, to a point, MC is under the protection of the headmaster and the staff. No one, at least in my opinion, is going to cause trouble by breaking that protection.

you bring up instances about what MC went through, as part of the story so it doesn't matter if MC was a female or not, they would have gone through it either way. they would have always been in this danger. 

But you have to remember that despite the danger, MC survived it all

not only because it is part of the narrative 

but I personally think it cool, why? because here you have a magicless person survivng through all these struggles that even people with magic have and they are not only getting through them, but they are winning.

It shows you how far determination can get you. It shows you human strength.

not to say that it doesn't affect MC, You can see how tired they have become throughout the chapters. You can see from their responses to the slight sarcasm they have. they are tired but they keep going 

and we keep wanting to overthrow Crowley.

and I guess, I can see the implication you are implying with being in a boys school and dealing with magic and bullying but that applies to all MCs and there are fanfics that explores that tough side of it and even darker tropes.

but I think that at the end of the day, don’t think too hard on it. just enjoy the game for what it is. a fun adventure game with an interesting plot. 

because worrying about those aspects will just give you unnecessary stress and worries.

at the end of the day, that is what it is, just a game. and we can forgive a view points when it comes to story telling and plot holes. as we can do with any book or tv series or anything else. and anything we question, well that's what fan theories and fan fiction and analysis posts are for.

just have fun. ☺️☺️💕💕

Point 2: Self-Inserts 

You had brought up self-inserts and I just want to point out that everyone’s self-insert is different.

while the game might be the basis for the backgrounds for some

it is not the basis or backgrounds for all of them

everyone had different backgrounds or traits or capabilities when it comes to self inserts.

for example: I have seen those who have inserts that do not have powers in the beginning but require them later on or some that do have powers but the magic mirror just doesn't recognize it or some that just hide their powers.

same can be said with any other abilities they might have or might be hiding.

in the end, self inserts are made to give people a sense of belonging and a sense of immersion to the world they are a fan of.

its to bring a sense of comfort and warmth and to get away from real life just for a moment.

it is different for everyone, how their self inserts will react and how they would go about every situation that they come across. 

not all of them are helpless and even those that seem helpless can surprise you.

or maybe your favorite character will save the day.

at the end of it all, it for fun and its for comfort.

and I think that's what we need to remember.

for example: in certain instances I or the mc would have reacted differently, chapter 3 when everyone cheated??? I would have let them suffer a bit more. cheaters dont prosper and they deserve the punishment. Chapter 1 with riddle? after the overblot I would have helped him bake the tart because I would want to help him. Tsuntaoro never being invited??? guess what?? we are not starting this meeting until we drag his butt here. Bird brain for dinner after five chapter of overblot and he better be paying me for all this BS I am going through and fixing my dorm. or you know, social media is my friend and I'm sure I can make NRC look horrible for treating a student this way...

so there's many ways it can go, and I dont think you should focus on that one aspect of it anonie. 

Let’s have fun 🌸🌸

I hope that answered your question anonie, I tried my best to word it the way I see it.  if anyone wants to add in, please go ahead, and as stated before, if I said anything wrong or worded it weirdly, please let me know. I am always willing to learn ☺️☺️😊😊😊