what IS the appeal to soulmate tropes

I hate when I start having an idea for one character and it turns into having that idea for multiple characters, but, basically, i started thinking of Bruce Wayne and then Lex Luthor creeped into my mind

One of my favorite yandere tropes is "helping you for your own good, even if it's against your will and you hate me for it", and, I was actually thinking about the whole red strings of fate soulmate trope again, and I started thinking of Reader almost immediately rejecting Bruce or Lex for, multiple reasons, but they won't take no for an answer, and then I ALSO started thinking, what if I throw ABO into the mix?

You're an adult Unpresented and basically a second class citizen in society and you've gone your entire life not knowing who to love or trust, growing up in an unstable if not outright abusive home, poor, not being able to be close and affectionate with people the way everyone around you is with their scenting and purring, and you eventually grow resentful of everyone else. You're constantly mistreated and called slurs and working shitty jobs, doing a catering gig at a high class party when your red string of fate appears and you think, "oh great, it must be another member of the waitstaff, if I cause a scene I'll lose this job and be even more in debt, maybe i should sneak off"

Cue you turning around and your soulmate is one of the richest men in the entire world and he even has a supermodel on his arm. Like you're either turning around and seeing unfathomably rich infamous man whore, 'is kind of a brat in his public persona' Bruce Wayne OR the guy who is equally as rich and is constantly beefing with Superman and does things like secretly cures cancer but waters it down to make more money as a treatment rather than a one-time cure

You're just instantly expecting rejection, not wanting any sort of confrontation, and also feeling more than a little humiliated. You finally meet your fated mate and you're working a service gig holding a tray of finger sandwiches while he's a billionaire in black tie attire eating caviar and sipping champagne. Not only is there this ENORMOUS class divide between you, absolutely daunting differences in how you live your life and the expenditures of wealth and flagrant flaunting of it, but he's also an Alpha, and you're... nothing. And you're not sure if you even want a mate anyways. You don't really believe in it. You don't want to give someone that opportunity to hurt you

You're just instantly wanting to run away, meanwhile Lex/Bruce is peeling the model off their arm and bee-lining for you IMMEDIATELY to introduce himself, not giving you any opportunity to slip away. Bruce would take the tray out of your hands himself whereas Lex would snap his fingers and have someone else do it, both of them expecting you to, essentially, immediately drop everything you're doing to get to know them, talk to them--

and your voice cracks as you reject them. Sorry, this clearly isn't going to work out. You need to get back to work, and the differences between the two of you and the worlds you live in are far too different--

But he won't take no for an answer. The arrogant Alpha is vaguely dismissive as he laughs off your concerns. The two of you just need to get to know each other! You're soulmates, how could you two not be meant to be?

But you refuse. You don't really want to talk to him at all. In fact, maybe you even dislike him. Bruce Wayne is publicly a playboy and Lex Luthor is infamously callous and outspoken about his hatred and distrust of Superman; you have genuine reasons to immediately dislike either man

But they know you're their mate now and you're in their sights. You could run away from the party and be back at your home, thinking you've bought yourself some time, and they're in their penthouse/basement respectively, using their supercomputers and superhuman knowledge to research every single scrap of information about you. No stone is left unturned. They'll hire a PI and private security to secretly follow you around while still researching the best way to approach you, concocting the perfect scheme to lure you in. All it takes is some hacking and some bribes and they'll know your rental history, your employment, your hospital records, old report cards from grade school, files from your last psychiatrist, EVERYTHING. They basically know your entire life story within 24 hours of meeting you, but they still want to speak to you, hear your own words, your own thoughts

Bruce is convening with the entire Batfamily, telling them about his new Unpresented mate, how you've had a harsh life and he wants them to have nothing but patience and love for you, with them fully intending to forcibly assimilate you into their pack while telling themselves you're just a little wild because you don't know your place in society, who you are as a person, and have never had your own proper pack to "socialize you", NOT that you're reasonably upset for being forced. Meanwhile Lex is over here making arrangements for a new luxury penthouse apartment in Metropolis for you to stay far away from the riffraff in the slums who harass you and threaten to burn your old beaten down house in the 'burbs down (and maybe even bribes someone to actually do it just to chase you into his arms), and begins legitimately actually genuinely researching how to "cure you"

and of course you guys know my cookies and creme is "whoops, now that you're obsessed with me and think I'm dumb and helpless and just a little uwu bean who needs to be rescued, turns out I'm an Omega! Sure hope you don't have any infantilizing if not outright misogynistic thoughts on how I need to be taken care of by other people and protected because I'm just SO delicate :)", so then you have Lex wanting to keep his oh so rare and elegant and pampered mate away from the rabble he thinks you're way too good for, and at the Wayne home you have like half the home thinking of you like their sibling if not ANOTHER PARENT and the other half convinced there's way too many psycho criminals out there for you to be allowed to be by yourself ever again

And I guess my final note is the juiciness of like, for Bruce specifically. Batman has to rescue you from being mugged or murdered or harmed in some way and you just start pouring all your stressed out feelings to him, about the mate you don't think you deserve, how scared you are, how you don't know how to love and he's so put together and successful, and suddenly here's the red string outting Batman as Bruce Wayne as you just sit there "Oh SHIT" realizing 1. You just told him like literally everything in your head including how you think he's an untrustworthy capitalist whore and 2. Oh God he's fucking Batman

Like... just imagine the excuse it gives him... criminals or let alone the Joker himself sees that red string between you and the Caped Crusader and soon every criminal in the city knows the face of Batman's mate and its never safe to show your face ever again. sure, he COULD potentially hide you away under a fake name on some island somewhere, but why do that when he can forcibly mark you and keep you as his house spouse? What, are you gonna break poor little Damian's heart that you AREN'T gonna be his new parent? But the pack is already so attached to you...

Matching scars is a soulmate's mark and you demonstrated that on Sokka and Azula's hands, does that mean the soulmates concept exist in Gladiator universe?

Uuuuuh... well, that's not entirely the intent there, since in their case, they inflicted the scars upon themselves in a wedding ritual? XD The idea of the rite they did comes from my age-old research into wedding rites for a different writing project, and I learned about the handfasting-including-palm-cuts ritual, which I thought might be an interesting fit for the story (and I think the general fandom likes it too? I've seen a few people referencing handfasting as a wedding rite in their content here and there...). So, as far as the classic "soulmate AU" concepts are concerned... that wasn't really what I was going for when I wrote their wedding rite, but you're very much free to see it that way if you'd like to.

Worth noting that, if you want to interpret it as "they chose to be each other's soulmate", then I'd say that interpretation is absolutely correct xD

Removed from the idea of the marks, though, I just believe in love in a slightly different way than the classic soulmates/fated lovers sort of ideal that has become very popular in fanfiction. For me, love has to be built and nourished above all else. That's why the story I've written is about a love that doesn't come easily at first, but that becomes stronger as a result of the mutual growth of our main characters. Basically, if you say Sokka and Azula were simply eternally fated to be together in Gladiator... well, that's fine by me, but what I value the most is the journey they undergo in order to become the best partners they can be for each other. They make their own choices, they chose each other, and if in doing so, they've voluntarily become soulmates. That's how I'd put it, personally.

Now, then, if you're curious...

My skepticism about the soulmates trope in media is honestly to be blamed in the misuse of the subject in a certain TV show I'd rather not name, where two "soulmates" were actually a very soulless, uninteresting pairing with very little to offer to the story. The female character in particular had soooo much potential and so many other characters she actually had way more chemistry with... and she got forced into a boring relationship with this boring dude with whom all she ever got was drama, drama, more drama, and then he was dead and then the drama was about him being dead.

After enduring that... I'd much rather not fall into the pits of soulmate writing when it comes to basically assuming that a couple is "perfect" for each other just because someone slapped a "soulmates" label on it. Because without the proper work to build up the romance there, without exploring what makes it a strong relationship... it feels like there's no real purpose to the couple being soulmates. It ends up feeling like an arranged marriage, forced to happen by the writer, and not something based on chemistry or character dynamics being fun and important. Of course, there's a LOT of ways to do soulmate AUs and there have been very good ones... but when I think of the basic, common concepts for those, where there's a mark or a sign, and the characters just have no say upon the matter and just accept it as fact because that's how their world works? That's... not my thing. And after having watched the TV show I mentioned earlier and feeling utterly disappointed by the outcome of that storyline... I'd really rather not end up writing anything that feels like that :'D

Even back when I wrote The Reason, where I threaded in the concept of the red string of fate, it was never something overt and that they could confirm was truly happening: it was something they believed had been drawn between them, even a matter of faith and hope that they would be a good match for each other, I'd say. So even if I reiterated that theme every chapter, ultimately, they chose each other and the story is about how they learn to make that conscious choice rather than just about stating they're fated to be together.

So yeah, I guess this is one of my strange controversial opinions about fanfic tropes, I suppose X'D I don't think the trope in itself is bad and obviously it can be written well, brilliantly even... but while I objectively write Sokkla as soulmates in my stories because I always want them together, I only ship them with each other and I primarily focus on their relationship in the content I create, I think the notion of the classic "soulmate AU" isn't one I'll be likely to explore much, personally. If I ever do, the soulmate situation will likely be much more of a background thing than the primordial core of what I'm doing.

Hope that wasn't too convoluted or confusing to understand x'D

fellow writer here 👋🏻 I wanted to know what your drafting process was like for TRT…how did the idea come to fruition and how do you draft each chapter? do you follow a plan to guide the story or just wing it? It’s one of the best I’ve ever read and I’ve always wondered what your writing/thought process looks like

Heyo writer friend! I can absolutely talk about this! And I'm going to do the best I can not to sound too much like this:

-How did the idea become TRT: so after a friend challenged me to try a 2nd POV fic (the only POV I hadn't written yet) and I'd chosen DD, I was trying to think of an idea that I could build a plot around. That was when I saw a little image blurb that said something like, 'In mythology, a red string of fate ties two soulmates together. It can tangle or stretch but will never break.' And my brain went... what if you had someone who could see those threads? And what if there were more threads, more colors, more types of connections? What if you could feel them? The plotline kind of blossomed up around that: obviously it would be useful for tracking, so a Big Bad should want to use it (enter Man in the White Coat funded by the military), and all protagonists need a Big Secret, so I can use one of my favorite tropes of the Morally Grey But Likeable Bad Dude (enter Ciro). I'd also been taught about the seven basic plotlines for large stories, so it made sense to choose a combo of 'Overcoming The Monster' and 'Rebirth' since those are continual themes explored by multiple characters in the DD universe. I also looked for openings to write my take on my favorite tropes from my favorite stories, and so those influences are there if you know what to look for (books like the Dresden Files, sci-fi fare like Stranger Things, etc).

-How the fuck did you plan this beast and the chapters: I do in fact have a guide/outline for TRT to guide me for each chapter! I generally wing it for shorter fics, but once I realized just how big this was going to be and decided I was going to go for it, I knew I needed an outline. I actually figured out what worked based on talking at a con to Mike Laidlaw, who at the time was the creative director of the Dragon Age series at Bioware, which is known for expansive stories with rich, detailed, branching plotlines. I wanted to know how the hell they kept track of everything, and bless him, he talked with me for a good while. They use a combo of a wiki page and twine, and twine was visual which worked well for me - highly, highly recommend twine. I've got my outline broken down in general events/themes/arcs, and then get more detailed as needed, though not too detailed since I like a little freedom in deciding how to do it as the event gets closer. Generally, everything flows downwards into the chapters like so:

Overall arc: these are the two arcs I listed above - Overcoming the Monster and Rebirth. Think 'Destroy the Ring' for LOTR. Even when a bunch of other stuff happens, these are the two eventual end destinations. I've got this broken down into general stages (which will be broken down further, as you'll see below) like, 'Avoiding connection due to fear of WC', 'Reveals WC tracking', 'Decides to stay and fight WC', 'Thread Training As Prep', 'S.H.I.E.L.D. involved to fight WC', 'Almost Caught By WC', etc. This allows me, at a glance, to figure out how the major events are driving everything else that's happening in any given chapter: how is it influencing the emotions of the characters? How is it nudging events along? What clues should I be leaving? Etc. It also lets me figure out how to create a rising arc of tension. This is then broken down further as needed, and I can get as specific as possible (I broke down Miami pretty detailed as I got closer to it). I also try to make sure most of the smaller arcs in the chapters nudge these two plotlines along at least a little. Everything should serve your overall arc in some way, is what I was taught. Admittedly I sometimes deviate from that cause this is fic and it's fun (aka: why this story is so long), but if I were publishing this, I'd snip some of those elements out.

Major Arcs: these are sometimes breakdowns of the overall arc (say, Matt and her relationship, which both plays into the Rebirth arc and also is an arc of its own), and sometimes they're standalone plotlines. If it were a tv show, some of these would be classed as the arcs for a single season rather than the entire show. I've got Matt and her relationship broken down into stages for this - 'Wanting to Connect', 'Struggling Not To Connect', 'Considering Running To Escape Connect', 'Accepting Connection', things like that. I then have those events broken down further, so 'accepting connection', for example, is broken down into the kidnapping arc, which fuels those chapters.

Minor Arcs/Breakdown Arcs: and here is where chapters usually pop up, and the place I might wing it. This is the reason I leave myself some generalities and open doors in the outlines, specifically so I can go with how the story's flowing at present. Sometimes I can write a chapter/scene in from the very beginning before I have the outline worked out, because I know they'll fit SOMEWHERE even if I'm not sure where or how yet. I had the Post-Nobu chapters plotted out from the very beginning, for example, and the Kidnapping plotline was also written up really early on when I was inspired and the muse bit. Other times, when I'm actually drafting a chapter, I look at where we are in the overall arcs and major arcs, figure out how the plot needs to be progressed (or if we just hit something heavy and need a break), and workshop around different ideas until I find one that fits. While drafting it out, I keep notes at the top of goals for that chapter and the driving theme (so Devil Hunt themes/goals are, say, releasing the Devil, displays of relationship trust, thread training, and just plain fun). Then I write out an in-order list of, 'things that need to happen'. I usually re-read the previous chapter, too, so that I can ensure things flow properly from one chapter to the next. Once I've got all that down, I just... sit and write it out in a fairly basic fashion, glancing at the themes as needed, but still allowing myself the freedom to deviate a little if the flow needs to veer off a little, especially since I can nudge things around in editing (fun fact: roughly forty percent of each chapter you read in TRT is added in the editing process!).

So basically, when it comes to drafting chapters and outlines for a long fic or story like TRT, the way I work is: I like having an outline, specifically so I can figure out how to drive the plot and what clues/foreshadowing I need to leave ages ahead of time. At the same time, I always remember to leave myself a little room to breathe in individual chapters. I've found that locking myself in too much can either stifle creativity or I wind up painting myself into a corner. Let your outline and draft be the bones of the story, the muscle and the meat, while the chapters themselves are your clothes, made to be changed and altered as needed.

I was tagged by @jimlake - thanks!

rules: answer the 8 song prompts, then tag 8 people

1. your favorite song at the moment

Long-term, it’s Ottoman by Vampire Weekend- it’s Baroque Pop, which is one of my favorite genres. Right now, though, it’s probably peacefall by Purity Ring. I’ve been getting into their music recently, and the song is just the type that I can sing along to forever. 

2.  a song you associate with your favorite ship

Seeing as my favorite ship right now is Frilda, some songs I associate with that ship are Bluish by Animal Collective because both characters in the ship have an association with the color blue, and Into Happiness by Phantogram because the music video utilizes the “red string of fate” trope, and Frilda are basically canonically soulmates, so

3.  a song that could be about you

Uhhh... I don’t really know?

4.  a song that you think is overrated

Don’t have a song specifically, but you know what, as a whole, is overrated? Pop music. It’s all about relationships and sex and drugs or whatever and I hate it. It’s stupid. I’ll just sit over here and listen to songs about Cape Cod and prawns, thanks. 

5.  a good song that reminds you of a good memory

Intro by The xx. When I was little, and I visited my family’s cabin with my brother and father, he used to play The xx’s first album for us when we went to bed. Intro is, fittingly, the first song on the album, so it always played first.

6. last song you listened to

Gold Rush by Death Cab for Cutie

7. a song that makes you laugh

The Prawn Song by Superorganism. It is literally a song about how being a prawn would be better than being a human and it’s great. I mean, the lyrics literally go,

You do you, I'll do me Chillin' at the bottom of the sea and I say... I'm happy just being a prawn Oh, I'm happy just being a prawn, prawn, prawn, prawn

8. a song that you want your mutuals to listen to

Go! Listen! To! Lies! By! CHVRCHES! And! Fineshrine! By! Purity! Ring!! They’re literally some of my favorite songs ever and they’re prime examples of the music I like listening to! 

Tagging: @vanillapie-80 @yellowmagicalgirl @elizabethemerald @im-the-king-of-the-ocean @sc0rfuma and whoever else wants to do this because I’m too tired to think of anyone else rn

if you still doin that character thingy... Kanda, pls? or Krorykins, whichever u wanna do more, cuz i cannot choose 😅

*breathes in* This is it. This is how I finally get to write about two characters in one go because I also can’t choose XD I hope you don’t mind this getting long and thank you for giving me them, you beautiful human being! 🥺

Kanda

My otp for them: With Alma, no doubt (only trust!). Alma’s last moments break my heart, in a good way - they are soulmates meant to be. Their story is very sad and yet extremely touching and beautiful. I have a thing for lovers who meet again in their next lives, as I’m a sucker for the “red string of fate” myth. I get emotional just thinking of their relationship, and I wish, I really wish, that if they have another chance, that they can meet again and finally be happy together without being torn apart by the tragedies of war. My brotp for them: Weirdly enough, I’d say Allen! After Alma arc, Kanda seems to be a lot softer than before, and I’ve been loving the mutualism between him and Allen. They are very alike (as much as they hate to admit it), and that’s why they can understand each other well and know what the other needs without him needing to say anything. They’re both not good at talking about their feelings. Any other ships: With Lenalee! I know most people see their relationship as a brotherly one, but man, they have such good chemistry together. They bicker often, but just imagine what a killer duo they would be 💦 I’m weak for powerful couples. They know each other ever since they’re little, so they have shared a lot of moments together and know each other well, too - the scene in which Lenalee goes to meditate with him because she was scared of Lvellie was adorable; she feels safe around him. Their best friend: I want to say Marie! I think Kanda would rather people who don’t snoop around too much into his personal space, and Marie simply knows where these boundaries are at. He also knows how to deal very well with Kanda’s temper. He understands him but also knows of his flaws, yet he doesn’t question or confronts him, which I’m sure Kanda appreciates. He’s been recently showing that he cares a lot about Johnny as well, but deep down, Kanda does care about many of the people close to him.  My favorite nickname for them: It’s gotta be Bakanda, the pun is just great XD It doubles in greatness because, in my language/official release, this got translated as “BabaKanda”, which is also a pun! In Portuguese, “babaca” is the same as “idiot”. So I appreciate this silly pun a lot more thanks to that XD My favorite AU headcanon of them: I think that, sadly, Kanda won’t make it alive to the end of the story. I headcanon that, in case he does die, it’s after repaying his debt with Allen in a roundabout way; he did help Allen, but at the same time, he went to rest in peace together with Alma. And Allen did fight for them to be happy together, so I just... kinda want this to be true. It would pain me to see Kanda go, but this would be his happy ending and he deserves this. My favorite outfit they wear: A hard pick! Kanda is very handsome so basically, anything he puts on will look awesome. However, the one moment that made me go 💓 was when we saw him in civilian clothes (Chapter 208). Jesus Christ!? He was stunning. I really like his current Order uniform + outer coat combo too, looks so comfy and warm. Defining color: When I think of Kanda, I think of a mix of colors. Namely, Cobalt (#1338BE), Carnation (#FFA6C9) and Indigo (#4B0082). I believe it’s because of the Lotus Pain ending using this palette for the effects of the lotus flowers shining in contrast with the dark background colors. Would I date them: As handsome and amazing as he is, I wouldn’t. I know he’d hate my guts because I’m the type of person who wants to overthink and needlessly talk things over more than he should, and Kanda simply abhors the very idea of this 😂 He is a simpleminded guy, and I quite like that on him. First impression: I knew Kanda wouldn’t be the bland “angry asshole character” trope during his and Allen’s first mission together, in Martel. What he told Allen left a mark and made me think there was a lot more depth to him: "I hate the way naive people like you do things... And even more so, I hate people who don't keep their promises!" This one line told me a lot about his personality. Current impression: Pretty much my first impression, but with a lot more context! I really love Kanda and his past was a surprise to me. It made me appreciate him even more than I already did. Hogwarts House: I’d say Slytherin. He would stop at nothing until he found “that person”, and this House is well known for the ambition of its people. He’s also sharp and while not smarts smart, he is perceptive and intelligent in his own way; very skilled as well. Which Pokemon starter they’d be: Oshawott! Samurott looks as intimidating and stoic as Kanda, besides, it’s definitely based on a samurai, so they share this trait as well. Its first stages don’t look like much, but Samurott gets its own sword to fight with!

Krory

My otp for them: With Elliade! Now, this is one complex relationship. I admit I don’t like Elliade much but, at the same time, I understand her. For an Akuma, she really did love Krory; and he still loves her too. I just wish she hadn’t left him in the dark for so long. Her love was selfish and, while I understand how she felt, I feel bad for Krory since he thought he was a monster and that drove him to loneliness. I wish things could have been different, because their love was really pretty despite the downsides, their feelings for each other were very strong. My brotp for them: I want to say Marie! The latest Discussion Room (Vol.27) mentioned how good Krory is at many things, one of them being music. I love to think that he and Marie could have enjoyable long talks about their shared interest, they do look like the type of guys to appreciate music on a higher, more emotional level. Any other ships: I don’t have any, but I’ll make a mention to Miranda! While I don’t ship them personally, I totally see why people do. They’re both soft sweethearts who are always ready to do their best towards the people they care about - and they also share low self-esteem, sadly. The world has been very unfair with them 😢 Their best friend: Definitely Allen and Lavi! They were Krory’s first friends ever, and it’s clear how much he cares about them. My heart literally can’t take how they’re the first thoughts that cross Krory’s mind when he’s scared; it means that he feels accepted by them, they bring him comfort and make him feel safe and confident that everything will be alright. It’s just so sweet. My favorite nickname for them: Krorykins! If there’s one thing the English translation did right (and I can’t say that for like 80% of it), was translating “Kuro-chan” as “Krorykins”. It sounds so silly it’s cute 😅 My favorite AU headcanon of them: Just like I wrote about Miranda on her post, I headcanon he’s one of the people to either drop out of the Order to side with Allen, or actively help him in other ways. I think it’s not a mere coincidence Hoshino-sensei had specifically him, one of the people who cherish Allen the most, accompany Chaozii to go after him. I’m observing with great interest, as they might meet again sometime soon. It broke my heart to see him wanting to see Allen but, at the same time, wishing he had escaped safely. My favorite outfit they wear: There’s only one answer to this question, and it’s his casual clothes! He looks so elegant and fancy, so handsome yet so adorable! I mean, just look at him! Defining color: When I think of Krory, I think of deep red, a crimson shade like Carmine (#960019). I’m very sure it’s because of his Innocence. Would I date them: Maybe? I think I’d like befriending him more than dating him. He’s close to me in age though (unlike most of the characters I’ve written about so far XD) so I’d be down to it. Imagine dating a sweet guy who not only could cook you your favorite dishes but also has a more assertive, wilder side to him. Sounds like the complete package. First impression: Who is this? He looks scary but my intuition tells me there’s more than it meets the eye. Oh, he’s crying. He’s worried...? That’s too sweet, I’m betting he’s not a villain. Current impression: Well, he wasn’t a villain just like I had thought! Krory is an amazing but underrated character, he definitely deserves more love and appreciation. I love his personality, but what I love the most about him is how he had everything to be the “plain edgy, shady character” and then this notion was completely twisted around. I love it when things aren’t just about appearance. Hogwarts House: I see him being in Hufflepuff! The best people I know (namely, my best friend and spouse) are from this House and while they’re sweet and caring people, there’s also a lot to them more than it meets the eye, just like with Krory! Hufflepuffs are dedicated, loyal, and capable. Which Pokemon starter they’d be: Great question because when you think of him, you’d instantly think of a bat Pokémon, right? haha But I’d give him Sobble, I think! Poor shy crybaby that gets to go from water to wine upon evolving into its last stage, which is completely fabulous and badass! Drizzile even has the prominent bang falling on its face, while Inteleon has what could look like how Krory’s bang gets upward when his Innocence is activated 🤔

Favorite Fics: Drarry Edition

Like I mentioned last time, reading has been a big comfort to me with all this craziness and sheltering at home, so I want to pay it forward and send love to some of the writers whose work has been brightening my quarantine. Thanks, guys!

For this list, we’re leaving the MCU for a while and heading over to the Wizarding World. I liked Harry Potter when it came out, but I never really read much fanfic until I realized a couple of years ago how much a redeemed Draco fit into the redemption trope that I loved in Harringrove, LoVe, SnowBaz, and other fandoms and ships. Once I started perusing the fics out there, I realized that one of the strengths of this fandom is the length and quality of the stories. I love stories that are a meal, and Drarry provides so many!

As I’ve gotten into the ship (so many years late, lol), these are my top 10 favorites.

dirtynumbangelboy by @magpiefngrl

This is probably the Drarry fic that I most enjoy. I come back to it fairly often when I need just a good read in the HP world. Fake dating is one of my absolute favorite tropes, which made this one an automatic win for me, but it’s written with such heart. I really, really love Draco in this fic. His uni studies and his flat being so different from the diffident image he projects. This is also probably the best Astoria I’ve ever read. Also--Jam Today! Read it now!

Do It All Over Again by DracoWillHearAboutThis

I only discovered this series earlier this year, and I’ve already read it at least three times from beginning to end. It’s a re-telling of the original series starting from Book 1. Draco sends himself a letter from the future basically saying that his dad is wrong, and he needs to give up his pure blood ideals and befriend Harry, then--boom--the Golden Trio’s adventures all happen with Draco in tow (and eventual romance, of course). The plot is fairly similar to the actual series, but I am there for the angst and the character growth. Narcissa kicks ass in this ‘verse, and Draco/Hermionie as besties is a treat! Book 4 and Book 6 are both amazing. And her titles are hilarious. This is the only series on my list that is still a WIP, but there’s plenty to read. Books 1 - 6 are complete, and a new chapter for 7 comes out every two weeks. It’s a safe bet so far, and it’s so good--why wait?

A Secondary Education by Thunderbird587

In this fic, Draco takes a job as Potions Professor at Hogwarts after getting divorced under horrible circumstances and renews his acquaintance with Harry, who is the DADA Professor. It’s got a bisexual awakening, and manages to combine friends with benefits with some supreme pining. Like a whole pine forest. Thunderbird587′s Draco POV is so fleshed out, and yet it also lets us see how Harry is pining, even when Draco himself doesn’t. Plus, at over 200K, it is long enough to get lost in for ages, which is perfect right about now. And when you finish the main fic, there are three other ancillary fics, two in Harry’s POV that take place during the main one. The cufflinks one is my favorite, but the writing is so good that I even thoroughly enjoyed the third sub-fic that fleshed out an OC. So, so worth the read--all of it!

The Foundations!verse by Saras_Girl

All of the fics by Saras_Girl are great. You can’t go wrong with any of them. But Reparations, Foundations, and all the little one-shots after are my favorite. It honestly surprised me at first, because alcoholism is a trigger for me, but this fic actually helped me realize that it’s the addiction part, the fall to rock bottom that triggers me. Recovery stories are different. And, I guess, this one is a bit different in that, though it has plenty of characters recovering, Draco himself is actually in a healthy place and facilitating recovery without relapsing. Harry is a Healer in this one, which is not the usual, and I quite enjoy his other relationships in this ‘verse, as well. He, Ron, and Hermione’s friendship is great in this one (their pub nights crack me up), but I also really like Harry’s friends at St. Mungo’s. My second favorite Terry Boot ever, and two awesome OC chicks. And the process of Drarry going from can’t stand each other to in love is slow and prickly and yet really believable. Oh, and Harry and Narcissa’s relationship in this one is just fabulous.

Golden Age by zeitgeistic (faire_weather)

The Hufflepuff in me was bound to fall in love with this fic. I really enjoy Eighth Year fics, especially the ones that embrace inter-house unity (shouldn’t have taken them a war to see the need for that!). This one takes it to a new level when everyone in... I think it was 6th - 8th years were resorted at the welcome feast, and the whole 8th year dynamic is shaken up. Harry, Draco and Neville become Hufflepuffs; Hermione and Pansy become Ravenclaws; Ginny becomes a Slytherin; and somehow Ron and Blaise are the ones who stay in their houses because the hat thinks they are basically the uber Gryffindor and Slytherin. But with the rest of them, we get to see them embrace other facets of their personalities, which is super interesting. And then, after the resorting, we find out that Hufflepuffs have a whole different world going on that basically no one outside their house knows about, and that world is brilliant. Even Hufflepuff food in the Great Hall is different! Everyone would enjoy this story, I think, but if you are a ‘Puff, you really, truly should not miss it. And if you like this one, check out some of zeitgeistic’s other works. Her world building is fabulous.

Life skills outside the curriculum by Endrina

In this fic, Harry gets fed up with the Dursleys before his 11th birthday and runs away before he gets his Hogwarts letter. He ends up on the streets and somehow embraces this kind of instinctual magic that is really fascinating. A few years later, Draco runs away rather than get involved more closely with the Dark Lord, and of course they meet up. This whole fic is super compelling. Harry’s world view and the way people gravitate toward him even without chosen one status. Also, this fic has one of my favorite versions of Remus and Sirius ever. I really wish there was a part two that went in depth on everything that happened after the end of this one, but even on its own it is so worth the read. And everything is wrapped up. I’m just greedy and would’ve loved more. :-)

A Convenient Impracticality by @firethesound

This fic combines friends with benefits and fake dating into a really enjoyable story. Harry is so oblivious, but it all works out in the end. And Draco is a secret mastermind, but in a good way. So is Hermione. Unlike some of the other, angstier stories on my list, this one is so fun, and I love it. And if you like it, check out more of firethesound’s work, as well. It’s worth it!

you’ve got the antidote for me by kandakicksass

And then, back on the angst train, lol. Soulmates, red string of fate, rejected bond = terminal disease. Whew! There’s a lot to unpack in this one, but after I read it, I never forgot it. I read a lot of fic in a lot of fandoms, and I always know a story is going to become a favorite if it stands out so much that I remember it later and think about it. That surely happened here.

(We’ll Call This Fixer-Upper) Home by phdmama

This is one of the first fics I read on my first Drarry binge, and I’ve always remembered it. Just like I love Eighth Year and Hogwarts professor fics, I also love fics where they have really unexpected jobs--pretty much anything other than Aurors. In this one, Harry is an artist/photographer and Draco is an up-and-coming rock star. The music and art, the creativity is important in this fic, but it also really looks at Draco’s recovery after the war in ways I haven’t read since, and I’m also a sucker for our favorite characters actually addressing and recovering from their trauma. 

Boom Clap (The Sound of My Heart) by @femmequixotic and noeon (noe)

This fic takes the Eighth Year trope to the next level. Draco, Harry, Hermione, and some other faves are teaching fellows at Hogwarts. Junior professors, kind of. It read like if the HP crew went to college. And, of course, Draco and Harry fall in love along the way, but not without much angst and obliviousness. I really enjoy the Draco POV in this. His worries and anxieties feel so real for that stage in his life, but amped up because of the past. This was one I read, never forgot, and then had to go back and find so i could read it again.

So, those are my top 10, but there is lots of other good Drarry out there--both from these authors and all the others in the ship and the fandom. Thanks for all the writing you guys do.

Oh, and tagging @virtual-insomnia, but only because she said she might want to make some quarantine fic lists of her own. :-)

Oh my god, I have exposed myself! XDD Here’s my “fanfiction trope” tier list!

You can form your own ranking here!

Long-winded thoughts/rambling on each trope below:

My Faves: So. To start off, I confess that I am absolute TRASH for Disneyfied “instant love” shit. I look for fics featuring my ships and I want them to be IN LOVE AND TOGETHER, DAMMIT!!! Fanfiction is allllll about indulgence, so fuck yeah, gimme that instant love romantic fluff bullshit! Without any further ado, let’s Talk Tropes:

Look. Let’s be real. Fanfiction was literally designed around “I want Character A and Character B to bang” so of COURSE this is my number 1 spot! Sure, I could read a giant 100k fic with a crazy long plot full of all the tropes I like orrrrrr I can click on a 1k-7k oneshot which features nothing but two idiots being horny and then BAM! ALL RIGHT BITCHES, HOP INTO THE BEDROOM ASAP LET’S DO THE NASTY KHCLIKXHCGJVCGJHVKVHKB 😏😏😏🔥🔥🔥

So obviously Established Relationship for some Good Ol’ Domestic Fluff ‘n’ Smut, right? But Friends to Lovers is .... *chef’s kiss* a very strong contender for what I look for, whether one is oblivious or they both secretly pine for each other, this shit is gooooood. 👌👌 Hell, my #1 non-canon ship is literally that if it was endgame xhfjkbghd

I know people criticize Soulmate AUs for the whole “free will” thing and I totally get that...... outside of fanfiction. But in fanfiction??? FUCK YES, THEY BELONG TOGETHER IT WAS WRITTEN IN THE STARS BITCHES!!! BE IT SEEING COLORS FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE RED STRING OF FATE, TATTOOED WORDS, SOULMARKS, OR TELEPATHIC SENSES, IDGAF GIMME IT ALLLLLLLLL ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Speaking as an on/off retail and food & beverage employee, I KNOW that it is unrealistic AF for an employee to actually fall for a customer (it CAN happen I know, but like.... not likely lmao), buuuuut in fanfiction it’s so fucking cute because they flirt so adorably and sometimes awkwardly and omgggggg they get to bond over a cuppa after their shift and OMG THEY’RE SO TOTALLY IN LOVE AHHHHHHH YGLTUCVKLHDTCGVHBJCGJVHKBJVKHBJLKK 😍😍😍😍

I may be a slut for smut, but wholesome fluff can just make my heart sOAR OKAY???? Domestic, early dating, long-time marriages, friendship-turned-lovers, even Gen Fics can all have the fluffiest shit and I fucking love it, like YASSSSSSS give me fictional diabetes IMMA DIE IT’S SO CUTE AHHHHHHHHH 🥰🥰🥰

Fantastic!:

I almost put Historical and Fairytale AUs in My Faves (my favorite characters as fairies/famous fairytale characters or pirates/Victorian nobility/Ancient Romans? FUCK YES), but I don’t read them nearly as often mainly because it’s hard to find ones that peak my interest. I literally started writing two historical AUs specifically to fulfill that need for fuck’s sake XDD 

Unpopular opinion, but Slow Burns are VERY hit or miss with me, so much so that I ALMOST put it in I’ll Pass! *le gasp* 😱 It’s just.... I often claim that I cannot stand them (because canon tortured me enough, so WHY would I subject myself to more?!?!), and yet I have found one too many DAMN good Slow Burns that have tugged at my heartstrings and hell I’m even considering trying my own hand at writing one day in the potentially far off future, sooooo it gets a higher ranking by proxy! 😅

Mutual Pining and Angst are basically the same as Slow Burn, but with one major difference: I’m a LOT weaker for both of those tropes if done well and in a decently SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. Mutual Pining Friends to Lovers wrapped up in a fluffy (or smutty?) cute bow by the end of an oneshot or ficlet-sized chapters? FUCK YEAH. Angst in small doses, with a happy ending, or even one that rips my heart out but in alllll the right ways?? *chef’s kiss* Beautiful. But if you drag that shit out too long, Imma head right out unless it’s a damn good fic that sunk its hooks into my soul lmao XD

And despite my rants about ships, honestly? Gen Fics need a better rap!! 👏👏 There are some DAMN good Gen Fics that hit me with alllll the family/friendship feels. Or even retrospective fics that go into a character’s psyche can be soooo good.

Hurt/Comfort is fucking beautiful, and yet another contender for the S rank, buuuuut I hesitated because I don’t really.... look for them as much as Fluff or Smut. Similar to Angst, it’s definitely a pleasant surprise when I find something of that trope, but it’s ranked lower simply by design of “what I look for” in my fics. But yes, whenever I read ‘em, I’m in LOVE!! Such wholesome sweet encouragement and feels kwehjergg ❤️❤️

Missing Scenes can be such a gem because OMGGGG yes, let’s talk about wtf just happened and let the character process and grieve and talk and shit PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD---

Nice!:

Crossovers would normally be lower, but one of my favorite fics of all time is an incomplete Harry Potter/Star Wars one soooooo lolllll ^^” Besides, theoretically, crossovers sound like my JAM, certainly from a “living vicariously through younger me’s wants and desires” perspective.... *coughs* As it stands, I normally prefer crossovers as “fan art only” territory, but I have come across several fantastic crossover fics that I utterly adore, whether for the story, the ship, or the crack. Take your pick! The possibilities are endless!

Canon Divergence is..... interesting territory. Depending on the fandom, I either avoid it like the plague... or I seek it out, hungry for more lmao XD If the canon material is 99% satisfactory, I quietly nope away, sticking with canon fluff/angst or post-canon smut (or the occasional AUs). If the canon material is littered with holes, flaws, problems, etc, then, buckle up, let’s see what the fandom has provided as an alternative! So it’s smack in the middle by default. ^^”

Same with Fix It Fics. Unless it’s making my non-canon ship endgame or taking an annoying scene from the canon material where the two idiots don’t FUCKING TALK ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS, I honestly couldn’t care less about the concept. However, there’s enough “oh look: communication!” and “[insert non-canon ship] is now canon, bitches!” fics for me to be like 👀👀🍿🍿 .... you have my attention.

Why isn’t First Kiss higher up, you ask? But Starling, I thought you liked fluffy romantic bullshit???? I do, I do, but.... very rarely do fics featuring the First Kiss actually keep my interest. Oh sometimes, they fill my heart with FEELINGS AND LOVE AND I SQUEAL WITH JOY..... but otherwise, I just hunt down smut lmao 🤣🤣 It probably doesn’t help that I mostly ship Canon Couples who already have Their First Kiss in the source material. If I shipped more non-canon stuff, then FUCK YEAH, this trope would be much higher up! As it stands.... ehhh, I’ll take a First Kiss with one of my higher ranked tropes, thanks. ^^”

Honestly.... I have not read that much Huddle for Warmth fics O.o Theoretically, it sounds adorable AF, but I don’t have any particular strong feelings for it. That said, fluffy fics featuring cuddling are *chef’s kiss* so I’m placing this one higher to represent that lol XD

Humor usually work best with Gen Fics, imho, but I’ve definitely read some hysterically hilarious pieces with my OTP up to adorkable hijinks lol

I typically only touch College AUs when it’s PWP tbh lmao, but I have read the occasional fluff or plot in that setting, so it works either way. I never experienced “the university level,” having only gone to community college, so I don’t care for it in fiction/fics, but it’s definitely a FUN setting for shameless smut lol 😉

Me Likey:

Here’s where a lot of semi-neutral feelings go, with exceptions.

Like with Humor, sometimes a good ol’ Crack fic can perk me up, so why not? I’ve read some quality Crack that made me laugh hysterically, but it’s rare to find the kind that tickles my particular funny bone, hence why it’s lower on the list.

Magic AUs are ....... ???? Honestly, I haven’t come across too many to know how I feel about them, but theoretically, depending on the fandom, they sound AWESOME!!! Do Hogwarts AUs count??? Where characters from another fandom attend Hogwarts but it’s not a crossover, more like a fusion????

Time Loops, like most Time Travel AUs, I usually NOPE away from, mainly because 1) I’m just not really a “time travel” fan anyway, and 2) it often is used in a wildly convoluted case of Fix It Fics and that’s irritating to Canon Lover me lol. However.... I read one absolutely PHENOMENAL exception for Harry Potter, so for that alone, it gets a bump up from me lol XD

Now, I put on my Defend Love Triangles Squad™️ hat when I feel like it for canon material (for the most part), but for fanon it’s.... squiffy. Love triangles, whether canon or perceived, cause a fuck ton of ship wars in fandoms, so they’re kinda automatically... tainted for most fans, and I don’t blame them, cuz I kinda feel the same way. But.... I’ve definitely read a handful of fics that really tackled the “love triangle” (of either canon or perceived) with genuine grace and care, showing all sides with validity, understanding, and sympathy, sometimes with more angst or more fluff or hurt/comfort, depending on the story they’re going for. These are rare birds, but when they show up in the bowels of the internet, I can’t help but applaud their integrity for not just taking the “easy” route and bashing the living hell out of the character who’s not endgame in their fic (usually the character who IS the canon love interest.... ugh 🙄). But.... bashing is unfortunately too prevalent in those fics, so unfortunately, Love Triangle gets a lower ranking despite my fiercely protective ideas surrounding the concept as a whole.

In small doses, I can handle Unrequited Love... but like, it has to be for a side character. My OTP is my O-T-P for good reason, y’all! I ain’t all about THAT kind of angst!! Now, can I read a character who is PRESUMABLY suffering from unrequited love, until their love interest snaps them out of it? Hell yeah, but not enough to make me really dig the trope. I love my angst, but I have limits, yo.

Pregnancy and Baby fics sound fucking AMAZING grounds for Fluff, right?! Well, yeah, and I’ve definitely read quite a few that are fucking ADORBS, but.... I don’t actively look for them for deeply personal reasons. But of course, the few I’ve willingly read and loved and definitely precious AFFFFF 🥰🥰

Neutral: 

It’s hilarious that I put High School and Royal AUs down here because I am writing both, one posted, the other still in the works LMAO 🤣🤣 But in all seriousness, after giving it a lot of thought.... I don’t actually look for either of those in fics, not even out of boredom, but I also don’t DISLIKE them, sooooooo here they go in Neutral territory lol 

I KNOW THIS IS CRAZY UNPOPULAR buuuuuut I never really .... got the appeal of Sharing Bed. Oh I know WHY it exists (obviously lol), but like... for some reason, it and Oh God They Were Roommates are tropes I’m very, very lukewarm about. The only reason it’s not under “I’ll Pass” is because I’m a sucker for “Sharing Bed/Oh God They Were Roommates Headcanons,” where fans came up with gloriously hilarious ideas for either their ship or shipping dynamics in general. But for some reason, I never seek them out in fics. Maybe I just haven’t read enough fics to be converted, or maybe I’ve had too many roommates so I cannot suspend my disbelief even for fics lmao 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I read.... one (?) fic that featured Amnesia, and I don’t think it counts because 1) it was technically a spell, and 2) it wasn’t just Character A but literally most everyone in that world for forgot Character B existed due to a timeline thing..... it’s complicated. That was a fantastic fic, but it wasn’t really an “Amnesia” fic, sooooo yeah. But when I was younger, I loved the idea of Amnesia in stories, so it kinda stays in Neutral territory because I don’t hate the idea, per se.... 

I love the movie “Your Name,” too, but I’ve yet to find the Body Switching trope appealing in fics lol but I did read it once in a Humor fic once that I really liked

Drunken Confession is mostly a no-go because I do not drink and therefore Cannot Relate™️ lol but I’ve read one or two exceptions, so it gets a bump up from I’ll Pass. 

Arranged Marriage is mostly “meh” for me, buuuuut theoretically, I can dig an arranged marriage between my NOTP that never happens because my OTP noped the fuck off and eloped!! XDD And even then, I haven’t actually read any that did that, but I did write one once lmao

........... So. Why isn’t Unhappy Ending in I’ll Pass? Welllllll..... I’ve read some really, really good one(shots)...? ^^” I do love me some angst, even if I prefer it with happy endings, and though I say I have limits, I also can weirdly perverse moments where I’m like “I think I should read this fic that’s clearly gonna tear out my heart and soul 🙃 It’ll be fun! 🙃🙃” .... don’t ask me why, fuck if I know jdfkgdhkfjgnhf

For Major Character Death, see the above point

I’ll Pass:

Not to kinkshame, but I ain’t about ABO/Omegaverse. It is waaaaaaay too weird for me, but you know what, if you dig it, go you! It’s just not my thing.

I also “nope” the fuck away from Dark Fics. I can enjoy good angst and sad shit, but darker material is verrrrryyyyy difficult to intrigue me. It’s not necessarily “triggering,” but reading it can be genuinely uncomfortable and upsetting for me, so I just don’t touch them.

Bang or Die and Sex Pollen are just ?????? I’ve liked maybe.... one? Sex Pollen fic in my entire fanfic reading career, and even then it was veryyy tentatively lol it was well written, what can I say? It’s just not my thing, but go you if you eat that shit up! XD

I have no fucking clue why but for some reason, Fake Dating never appealed to me. I tried and I tried, but it’s just always bored me or drove me crazy and not in the right way lmao

Miscommunication in canon is literally the exact reason why I go to fanfiction outside of smut: TO MAKE THOSE DUMBASSES ACTUALLY 👏 COMMUNICATE 👏 PROPERLY!!! 👏👏👏 So no. In fics, I ain’t about that shit. Not again. I’m not strong enough. -.-”

..... *siiiiiiigh* Unpopular opinion once again, but yeaaaaah I am not a fan of Enemies to Lovers, across almost all media. Rivals to Lovers I have a soft spot for, and though it’s not really my “weakness,” I definitely get the appeal. Misunderstanding to Lovers can either be aggravating or amazing, depending on the story/ship (think Pride and Prejudice). Lovers/Friends turned Enemies (?) can definitely be beautiful grounds for ANGSTTTTT, buuuuuut I’m talking in very specific cases in canon worlds, not fanon as much (*coughs* Zeki! Anidala! *cough cough*). If anything, in those cases, I search for Fluffy fics to compensate for the Angsty source material. But no, I just don’t really dig Enemies to Lovers. And no, Inuyasha doesn’t count because Inuyasha is Kagome’s “enemy” for like.... two episodes. Afterwards, he’s just a grumpy asshole lmao

Kai Green Rant

So @noctisimperialistic wanted to know why I call Kai Green from Ben 10 a Creator's Pet. Not all Creator's Pets are Mary Sues and Gary Stus, but they're basically characters that are held to a certain degree by their Creators or other writers and treated as a good character despite glaring evidence to the contrary. Here are the reasons why Kai Green fits this category.

Every romantic subplot in Omniverse was biased in her favor

- Ben and Julie broke up for no reason other than to have an opportunity to pair him up with Kai.

- They introduced Ester and developed her relationship with Ben but at the end she was rendered totally useless when they shoved BenKai when it wasn't needed

- The harem episode came out it was revealed that Ester had given up because 'You Can't Fight Fate" and started dating Antonio

- Yeah, that Antonio, who was shown to be in a relationship with Sunny, Ben's cousin

- They basically broke up Sunny/Antonio just so that Ester could have another love interest to put her out of the game

- In fact that entire episode rendered every potential love interest useless because it was all done to show how Kai was The One for Ben

- These happened to be characters people found unique, likable, or had better chemistry with Ben

- And guess what episode came out after the Game Show? The last episodes set in the future where they're happily married

- Even though there's an implication in the OS that they were divorced

- Effectively screwing around the timeline to justify why they're still married even though realistically they should have divorced

Kai was never called out for her jerkass behavior towards Ben

- In fact a lot of it tried to be an example of how they shared "good chemistry"

- Kai got Exaculibur despite not doing anything to earn it

- This was done so that the writers could have a reason to show that "she can keep up with Ben" so of course she would make a good girlfriend

- They already had plenty of female characters that could keep up with Ben, hell they could have introduced a character that actually had good chemistry with him and a likable personality

- Even so they made no attempts to improve Kai's personality or have her jerkass behavior be called out or treated as such

- Her episodes was basically used as tools to justify how awesome BenKai is, instead of focusing her as an individual

- Which made me realize that her only purpose was being a love interest with none of her interesting traits being explored in depth

- Another point: despite her flaws she never developed as a character. On her own she was smarmy and a bully

- She treated Ben's aliens as separate people instead of seeing Ben for Ben, something even Ben's own fans don't do

- She only wanted to tame Benwolf as a pet. Not as a friend, not because she was attracted to him, because she saw him as a fucking pet

- In short all she did was dehumanize him, as well as manipulated him into helping her all the while talking down to him like he's an idiot

Final Thoughts

No I do not like Kai Green. Is she the worst character? No. But is she a good character? Hell no. Why would I support a smarmy, condescending know it all who had the most dumbest and forced chemistry in any action cartoon? To quote TV Tropes on Omniverse's YMMV page:

"Arguably, Kai Green is this [a Creator's Pet]. She was touted by the writers as essentially being Ben's soulmate (with fellow love interest Ester ending her pursuit of him upon learning this because You Can't Fight Fate) and ended up being worthy enough to wield Excalibur when Ben couldn't pull it out of the stone. However, thanks to a combination of her jerkass behavior and her being Strangled by the Red String with Ben, she's become a scrappy amongst the fandom."

Aaaand back to more Luke route from Red String of Fate! Starting off with another Actually Rather Cute Moment Of Chemistry That Isn’t Just Romance Novel Melodrama

Tho also i forgot to mention a bit of drama that worked really well! Somehow I missed taking any screenshots of it, but there’s a sweet moment of our protagonist getting depressed remembering her deceased parents and then luke brings up his ALSO deceased parents and they share a hug together. Like I know that sounds a bit weirdly coincidental, but the actual dialogue was really good! It was super sad when protagonist was like ‘I’m so grateful that i got to know my parents for a few years, poor Luke lost them when he was so small’. And then she talks about her happy memories of going to this beach with them, and how she gets panic attacks trying to return to the beach, and he offers to take photos of it for her so she can still remember it without having to be so scared. It was just very well written! And I didnt screenshot it! GAHHHH!

More stuff below!

Aaaaand then we go into dating sim cliches again, the good old ‘mistaken for cheating’ scene. But protagonist seems super jerky for getting jealous here cos SHE HASNT EVEN TOLD HIM SHE LOVES HIM and SHE KEEPS TURNING HIM DOWN BECAUSE DESTINY. But like this trope still bugs me even when there isnt all that extra stuff, its really horrible behaviour to get mad at a man for just.. having female friends?? Talking to other women ever?? I mean he could have just been asking some girl in his class what the homework was!

Also another stupid addition- ha ha gay jokes. I didn’t wanna screencap the whole set of dialogue here but basically Aaron comes along to try and distract the girl and help you out, but HA HA FUNNIE JOKE the girl mistakes him for Luke’s boyfriend. And that’s just.. the joke. the scene just ends. Okay then.

Also this makes the whole thing super dumb because why is she overreacting so much even after she realized that Luke was uncomfortable around this woman and asked protag to help get rid of her. HOW DARE YOU TALK TO HER WHEN YOU WERENT TALKING TO HER AND DIDNT WANT TO, AND ALSO WE AREN’T FUCKIN DATING, SERIOUSLY WTF

Also like.. whoa this plot is really fucked up and I feel way more sympathetic for this girl than I think i’m supposed to?? Like she was dating Luke and then Luke just suddenly broke up with her for seemingly no reason, and also CUT OFF ALL CONTACT WITH HER AND RAN OFF TO A NEW SCHOOL Seriously, this nonsense with following destinies caused him to be an ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE to her, and just make both of them miserable! Like, we don’t hear that she was happy with this other man and he was totally right, she didnt need him. We hear that she’s been desperately trying to find him again and no indication she ended up with that dude! And like she’s just NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN We just run away from her and like we get to be sad about how sad he is about her, but the conclusion isn’t that he realizes he was wrong and goes back to her, or even becomes friends again, or even explains himself to her and makes sure she’s okay... I feel so sad for her wtf... why didnt she get an epilogue in the happy ending route...

SERIOUSLY SHE WAS TRYING TO COMFORT HIM ABOUT HIS GRANDPA’S DEATH like she’s called a ‘stalker’ by the game?? but her boyfriend just fucking ran away and deleted all his contact numbers overnight?? and all we see is that she’s trying to find out if he’s okay! I’d be so terrified something had happened to him, jesus christ! This poor woman!

wy she toch me

aww noooo poor grandpa what an endearing gramp moment damn I miss grandpa too why must every character in this game be cursed with a million family deaths

Things that were intended to be romantic but ended up creepy as fuck: 2 Chocolate moans and phone whispers, yikes...

Good dialogue that makes me go daww at their actual romantic chemistry, unlike all the everything else: 4

WISH YOU’D SHOWN IT TO US TOO seriously why make it a plot point if you’re not gonna show it i was looking forward to seeing his poems, not just being told they were apparantly great, no really

YOU ARE DANGEROUSLY OBSESSED PLEASE STOP HOW IS THIS ROMANTIC ITS JUST SAD AND SCARY how many chances at happiness has she missed?? how many years has she shaved off her lifespan by treating herself like shit for the sake of some dumb thing that may never happen??

YAAAAY GRANDMA We actually get to see his grandma!! Its weird cos other minor story roles didn’t get a picture, its been literally nobody but the main three so far. Anyway I love her design and oh man she is so oddly tiny?? Cartoon grandparents are even more loveable than real ones!

I love grandma

Anyway, the plot finally rerails and like the main catalyst for the two of them falling in love is just... grandma tells them they’re in love. Magical grandma can ~sense~ it and tries to convince her to confess to her grandson.

Also somehow magical grandma knew someone else who may have had the same power, conveiniently! And okay yes PLEASE thank you, can we challenge the destiny bullshit please-

NOOOOOOOOO stop missing the point aaaaa no it just proves the soulmate shit isn’t necessary to be happy in liiiiife

WHEN WAS THIS EVER MENTIONED

Aww this cg is really cute, gotta love that classic run into arms hug~ Tho I laughed when i noticed the sparkle effects look like dandruff!

The context of this here is that Luke uses his never before mentioned riches to help her get an interview with a famous journalist, and she’s so happy she hugs him. And like.. somehow this is like... sexual tension?? They can’t hug without wanting to kiss?? like do these people not hug their platonic friends ever, geez.. Funny that the kiss part actually ruined the cuteness for me! Cos they don’t actually kiss no matter what you pick, they just break the hug and act super awkward and angry at each other and its really frustrating??

DEVOUR FACE REQUIRE SUSTINANCE TO ENGAGE ROMANCE

Accidentally creepy ‘romance’ count: 3