u/sweetdreamstoebeans

I’d really like to read about an FMC that demonstrates other types of trauma besides the common depictions (flinching, avoiding eye contact, “ice queen” coping mechanism) etc.

I’m specifically interested in an FMC who hides her interests/hobbies or “louder” aspects of her personality (like getting openly excited about things) because of past trauma. The trauma can be anything: a nit-picky ex, growing up in a family that teased her for anything and everything, being bullied by her peers for being “too much” or “too weird” etc.

What’s important is that we can see and understand why she’s ashamed of her interests even if they’re perfectly normal and even common, but to her, the thought of someone seeing her enjoying something triggers that panic/trauma response and makes her want to hide.

I think it would be interesting to see how this dynamic would play out in a romance, especially if the MMC is OBSESSED and desperate to learn more about her.

What I don’t want:

🚫Historical, Western

🚫 RH, poly, love triangle, cheating

🚫insta-love, insta-lust

🚫 “curvy” FMC or overly gorgeous FMC, I feel like they’re rarely well done and the physical descriptions of her super womanly woman curves are often repeated over and over and it fucks with my body dysmorphic disorder tbh

Bonus:

✅ stoic MMC that’s goo candy only for the FMC. So cute

✅mafia, MC romance, fantasy, paranormal, and Dark Romance are all good!

✅plain/unconventionally attractive FMC. I feel like these tend to force the MMC to fall in love with her and not just her body

✅ no triggers besides religious MCs or religious environments, and heavy gore (a little blood is fine, just not crazy levels of blood and viscera pls)

I just finished Bad Guy by Ruby Dixon and loved the concept of both the MMC and the FMC being captive or under the control of a government/group of scientists/a rich Lord. It can be a similar slave/gladiator dynamic, or something else, I’m open to anything so long as they’re both ultimately under someone else’s power

LIKES:

✅Sci-fi, fantasy (fae, especially), dark romance, mafia/underground fighting rings, shifters/omegaverse

✅I loved that both the FMC and MMC were unattractive to each other in the beginning. That’s not a requirement for any recs, but it was the first time I’d read that in a book and it was refreshing.

✅ size kink😬 I want a significantly larger MMC that the FMC could use as a weighted blanket if she wished

✅grumpy/cold/quiet MMC. Bonus points if he becomes protective and possessive as the story goes on

✅fmc that feels real. I don’t care if she’s quiet and scared or sassy and bold, so long as she feels like a person and not just a caricature.

✅creative anatomy. I have nothing to say to justify this…just gimme

Dislikes:

🚫Reverse Harem or Poly

🚫daddy/little girl

🚫exhibitionism (it was my biggest gripe with the book)

🚫Non-human MCs that are *too* non-human. Humanoid would be best, if you can. The MMC of Bad Guy was honestly pushing it for me, I had to disregard a lot of his descriptions and picture someone a bit less alien to get through the book but it was so worth it lol

🚫degradation/humiliation by one MC towards the other.

🚫Very specific but: any description of someone’s body producing oil 🤢 I tried reading the Human Pets of Talin series but the oil thing grossed me out so bad I was nauseous for the rest of the day lmfao

🚫Over-emphasis on the heroine’s beauty and/or “womanly curves.” I’ve found this tends to veer into body shaming of either the FMC or other female characters pretty easily and it’s exhausting to have the heroine constantly reduced to her body anyway. A few descriptions here or there is totally fine, I just don’t want the only thing the hero thinks about being her body.

EDIT: Forgot to add triggers! I don’t have many, but please NO:

🛑religious settings/religious abuse

🛑body horror or extreme descriptions of gore (blood is fine, just no using someone’s entrails as a scarf please, I have horrifying OCD and that image WILL become an intrusive thought for me)

🛑gang-bang or gang rape