Children of the Gods (Important poll #12306)

Nah, the essence inside him would automatically returns to you once you hit 18 (probably gonna have to edit my earlier post because of this), the essence was yours from the start anyway, he’s just holding it for you, hence the bestower, and also as Cronus’s safe-guard so that the essence won’t be used against him, wonder how that would work for him now. After the exchange is done he’ll be the same old Aeson, minus the essence inside him of course, what you should be worrying about is the fact that no previous bearer lived long after their awakening. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the exchange process itself is safe enough so he won’t die from it, but when it’s your turn to manipulate the essence there’s a significant risk of death, unless you can control the amount of power you use, of course.

Intriguing, maybe there is something like that and I just forgot about it. Though I am pretty sure that the exchange process itself is harmless and only the manipulation process could result in death, if I’m wrong would someone kindly correct me?

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Well, I didn’t know what would set people off. I can swear better than that.

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My Damon’s favorite band is Queen, favorite song is We Will Rock You, and his favorite movies are the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

He can’t stand people who think pineapple on pizza is a good idea. Or the idea of putting ketchup on a hot dog. To him it’s a sin.

What do you think of some of Damon’s likes and dislikes, @Okami-Nora?

Why is there no Santi and Avery :disappointed: (lol they’re not really my type but had to point it out)

@squarelyblue Okay, so Kasia and Sophia def sound like they’re on the same page. Smart + cautious…but that was thrown to the wind in Athena’s and Saint’s cases. Kasi didn’t go for the Hades hug bec she realized that her summoning was a formal event of sorts. In any other situation, she would have gone for the hug.

With Zeus, she wants to trust him. She really does, as he is her father biologically nmw. But he honestly hasn’t appeared interested in filling his fatherly role (unlike Poseidon, former dad) which strikes a bad chord with her. When he expressed disappointment towards her saying that she wants to give him a chance (or smth to that effect), that was a wrong move. I shake my head at thee, Greek Jupiter.

Aaaaahhhh okay interested or not, imma post character deets and stuff as soon as the opportunity presents itself hihi

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I’ve been meaning to post about my bearer for a while (and post more here in general) because this game is wonderful as well as the community for it! :heart: I’ll probably add much more to this plus fix any spelling or grammar when time allows it. School is very stressful so I’m always happy to relax by writing!

Zondra Angelis: The Atoner

Maybe it’s okay to not always be brave. Maybe it’s alright to not be right. But when your life hangs in the balance, every mistake another mark against you, when is it ‘okay’ or ‘alright’?

From a distance, Zondra has held up herself pretty well for someone who’s been on the run for three years. You couldn’t tell her from a face in the crowd she’s always found preservation from. She has a stoic demeanor, a taste for thrills, and ultimately hasn’t been broken down into pieces.

No. Those pieces of her were left behind in Phoenix.

Zondra is nothing short of paranoia and fury wrapped up into a girl who has a jar of nightmares enough to last her a lifetime. Her ‘taste for thrills’ really denotes into staying alive. She never forgets, never forgives. This logic applies to even her. In order to correct the past, she preservers onto the present.

She can be self-righteous, comparing her morals and humanity to the gods and ultimately takes pride in her position as the bearer. Finally, power has fallen into her lap, waiting to be revived as she wakes it up with her own will. (With Aeson’s help too I guess lol)

The death of Sawyer left Zondra with endless nights of crying and realization that her world was not for everyone. With deep revulsion against the seekers, she is on constant guard. She won’t be a coward ever again.

Zondra lives her life through the sacrifice of Sawyer. So many nights she thought that it’d be better to just let the seekers take her away, from the streets, even if death was the final destination. It is an insult and disgrace to Sawyer to ever think about death. It’s one of the reasons why she wants immortality and to ultimately become the hero that Olympus desires. Sawyer was a hero for her that day; now, now she gets to play the part of one because of it.

Death is unthinkable. Death has many places in the mind of a coward. Not so much a hero.

The fateful encounter with Saxon is a decision even I find difficult to pinpoint for Zondra. Finally, a chance to strike back at the seekers. They don’t play fair, that much was shown when Sawyer died. But it wasn’t a fair fight when the kill came down to Zondra; she had always known that her magic wasn’t a typical demigod deal. Seeing him actually defenseless made her feel as though maybe the hunters weren’t so . . . invincible. I usually go back and forth on it so my playthroughs shall vary a lot with this decision.

From Zero to Hero. Maybe.

Like all the characters I come up with for CoG, I give them themes for their journey to discovery of the world or themselves. The themes I had going on for Zondra was the great demand for purpose and the power no one could capture from you even when in a cage surrounded by greater domination. She was built with the intent of being the character who has many pieces from her broken heart and ego then catching them with all she has left, arranging them into something that most would call Hope. All the seven deadly sins can pick themselves up in Zondra but Wrath and Pride illustrate her actions the most. I’ll go more in-depth with her virtues at a later time.

Zondra’s displeasure at a life taken away from her is the core of her ultimate Wrath. Being hunted like an animal with no room to breathe and your chances of survival depending on you running away was not a position that she wished for in life. What’s worse than taking away someone’s freedom? Dangling it in front of them by forcing them into a competition that they want no part of.

Pride is considered to be the most dangerous and even Athena admitted that cocky heroes don’t last long. Zondra’s pride isn’t so much that she’s better than anyone else, though it can appear that way when it comes to her self-righteousness. It stems from the fact that it’s a defense mechanism in a way that the role of the bearer is finally something she can scare the gods away with. There’s pride from the power that’s apart of her destiny. What else is there to her?

Envy and Greed wrap themselves up together in a ‘nice’ present that presents Zondra from forgetting the past in many ways. All around her, people are having fun, enjoying the gift of life and unwrapping it with no worry of what will be of consequence in the future. It ultimately holds her back from truly getting to know her own brother, someone who has people to claim as his family. That’s something better than what she could possibly offer to him after all these years separated. In fact, that’s why her relationship with Aeson might be strained at first, before all the bonding shows up. There’s always someone better.

While Aeson has been controlled by the gods for a good portion of his life, there are people worth fighting for. Zondra doesn’t want to make her relationship with him based off on a competition of who has it worst. Instead, it’s a competition of who has more in spite of their circumstances.

The other remaining sins have their place but for now, I went over the ones that are critical to Zondra’s character.

Relationships Thus Far

I could go on all day about Zondra’s relationships with the characters but for time’s sake, here’s ‘Zondra’s Guide to Olympus 101: Who to Avoid or Play Nice With’.

Athena: Zondra does not forgive her, mainly because there are so many emotions and near-death experiences that she has to say sorry for. There is a sense of regret from Zondra’s side. Whether or not she likes it, Aunt Alice is all the family she truly has. She’s on the ‘It’s Complicated’ List.

Hades: Although they may be the two sides of the same coin in many regards to how the gods treat them, Zondra can’t move past the broken promise forged years ago. He should have been the one to find her, not the other way around and in front of an audience no less. Aeson being his son doesn’t help the implications of why he never returned either.

Saint: Both can acknowledge that they’re related but don’t have to act on it through some bizarre family bonding time. Saint evokes Zondra’s envy; he has friends to turn to, a boyfriend for much needed affection, and knowledge of what’s going on.

Calypso: It’s complicated. Calypso’s dad wants Zondra’s head on a polished, crimson platter. She also qualifies for the seeker category and our heroine shall keep her distance.

Aeson: His hero act is endearing but not enough to win Zondra over who doesn’t think that he’s a real hero and basically has to play the part to keep his life in check. It’s a position born out of fear and it evokes understanding from her. The gods ask many things of people and Aeson is no exception. It’s no surprise that their idea for a hero is a poster boy for Olympus representing all the pomposity they have. He’s on the ‘Play Nice With’ List considering that he’s her other half.

Adonis: She’s a little uncomfortable by the fact that he was so into his smithing that anyone from outside could consider the noise a murder scene. At least that means he can concentrate on a task a hand, right? Though his joke fell a little flat.

Avery: A friendly enough person with a friendly enough face. Out of all the people Zondra has met at Olympus, Avery is pretty tame compared to the rest of the colorful cast she’s encountered. It reminds Zondra of home, in a way. Back when bullies tried picked fights with her which lead to many adventures at the nurse’s office. The bandaids are a nice touch. Avery gets an A+ from Zondra! :medal_sports:

Sage: Zondra is, at first, admittedly impressed with the amount of hatred Sage has. Now, she’s replaced that with her own kind of hostility for the girl.

Santiago: Why should she deal with someone with a name that sounds exactly like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? He’s annoying at best and aggravating at worst. He gets points for being honest at least. It’s his delivery that sinks the relationship; his way of getting under her skin makes Zondra keep Santi at arms length.

Priscilla: Best not to get attached to a memory that never will be. She’s gotten used to the idea that her mother is truly dead, regardless of what Aunt Alice and Zeus confirmed.

Zeus: It’s not too surprising that the king of gods wants the bearer as his child. Essentially a relationship born with the intent of power. Zeus wants power to keep his own whereas Zondra desires it for freedom and the release of her fear plus a sense of security.

Harris: The unexpected roommate from nowhere! As long as Harris doesn’t try to pry into her life and make any loud noises, Zondra is a-okay with sharing a room. It’s a place to sleep, a luxury in her world.

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Alex is actually fine with Zeus being her father. She’s high-key in denial about half of everything–far as she’s concerned, she has a bed for the night, steady meals and has at least some protection from hunters. The Trials and the whole soulmate thing are overwhelming to her, so she’s just ignoring it until she has to deal with it. She hugged Hades and forgave Athena no questions asked, and she is willing to help Saint in any way she can. Zeus’s coldness just made her want his approval more. She is also stressed out to the max. Like if any of these people asked for a favor, she’d probably do it without hesitation.

Mia, however, has no interest in Zeus. She won’t rationalize his treatment of her, and if he doesn’t want to be a father, so what? She never had one to begin with, so how’s it any different? As for her aunt and uncle, she’s willing to forgive them…eventually and cautiously. She isn’t sure how much she can trust them after lying to her for so long. She wants to forge her own path, and cares little what anyone else thinks. She’s aggressive, but she generally won’t hurt anyone unless they attack first.

Alex’s is that Zeus can’t possibly that bad, lol.

Mia hates ice cream. She doesn’t like how cold it is (brain freeze), or how you can’t store it without a freezer.

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I feel Sophs differs here slightly in that she had 0 expectations per se. Like she’s more surprised she has a living father :))

Then less than stellar first impressions happen and now she’s decided to have Athena and Hades as her “divorced” parents

Sophs does not give a damn :)) mostly because she’s overwhelmed by the thought that her uncle is back and he’s just right there. And when he goes to her, and waits if she’ll accept him, the wall of feelings break

So at that moment, decorum? Psh. Can wait

She probably was crying too when she ran/hugged Hades and generally looked like a mess. She’s also an ugly crier and probably was hiccuping afterwards (stuttering through some of her q’s until Hera happened)

(And then jumped at the first sign that Ares was going to hurt Hades)

(No one is going to hurt her fam if she can help it)

Love that! Each character is their own.

I adore how some Bearers can technically make the same decisions in-game, but have totally different motivations and character behind them.

Kasi just watched in curious anticipation when it looked like Ares and Hades were gonna fight. Lol

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The more intellectual, cautious side of Veronica is telling her to be wary of Zeus but at the same time the more emotional, hopeful side of her really wants to get to know him.
While she doesn’t think that Zeus is necessarily irredeemably terrible (she believes that there’s a little bit of good in everyone, after all), she knows that in the end he’ll probably prove to be really bad for her, but that doesn’t stop her from hoping to have a genuine father-daughter relationship with him, and she has a pretty bad habit of going for things that she knows are dangerous for her.

It’s kind of the same thing for Athena and Hades. Ronnie loves them and all, but at the same time she’s still upset about what happened and she’s very overwhelmed with recent events so she’s kind of struggling about whether or not to truly reconcile with them.
Still, despite everything, Ronnie will defend them when she needs to. She hates the idea of them being hurt.

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Sophia finding out that Zeus had Athena imprisoned and barred Hades from contacting her puts him even more in her black list

Like she understands why but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt her. And since 0 apologies were made, it’s you reap what you sow kind of thing

Oh! Sophia is totally that “hurt me or whatever but for the love of god don’t harm them” sort of person for her loved ones. She’d probably accept any burden so long as they’re safe

(Am honestly waiting for Cronus or the rest of Olympus to exploit this)

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Kasia’s favorite band is One Direction. It throws her back to better times. Laugh all you want, but their songs made her feel, even just for a little bit, that she could be normal and carefree and not terrified of Hunters at all.

Sometimes she remembers this bittersweet memory of Sawyer expressing his distaste for them. Kasi’s Directioner phase was just reaching its peak (she was, like, what, 14?), and Sawyer couldn’t ignore it any longer. He made this adorably stupid comment about how they weren’t even that cute; she knew right away that he was jealous. This gave her life. Kasia milked this hot button for all it was worth.

Her favorite song…okay, since COTG is set in 2016…hmmm. “I Know Places”, Taylor Swift. Headcanon: this song is where she got the idea of calling the Seekers Hunters.

Fave movie is…lol, Percy Jackson! She’s read all the books, but Kasi thinks the Lightning Thief movie is pretty good too as an AU. Also, Logan Lerman.

She planned to watch Sea of Monsters with Sawyer on opening weekend, but she never got around to doing it after…you know.

(I remember it either being on COTG’s tumblr or here on the forums that Hades would have been appalled at the idea of him in leather pants. Lol. Kasia was blissfully unaware of Aunt and Uncle’s true identities when she got into PJO, so I think it’s only fair that she would grasp for anything that breathed life into the fabled gods apart from Aunt Alice’s lectures and books. I doubt Athena could have dissuaded her without revealing too much.)

Aside from her stance on One Direction? Uhh…she usually doesn’t ship canon pairings together? Kasi’s pretty nonconformist and stuff. Like with Katniss, she ships her and Gale. And with Percy, Rachel. Welp.

(This kinda leaks into her own romantic relationships? She likes Aeson, but she feels like it’s too predictable of her since, like, the universe seems to be shipping them together.)

We’re sharing bearer right now? Can I join?

Hannibal Angelis

Hannibal is, was, a sweet child, someone who only holds good will towards other, someone who never meant any harm he has done and is quick to apologize for every wrong, perceived or not. Someone who is afraid of getting hurt, but is more afraid of hurting others. Someone who, more than anything, wanted to have friends and build connection with others, this comes from an abandonment issues that stem from the absence of his mother and father for all of his life, and being forced to watch every day how everyone else at least have one of their parent picking them up from school. The existence of his aunt and uncle made the pain bearable to him and he can at least smile with all his heart.

The day uncle Henry left him was one of the hardest day in his life, he tried to be calm and rational about it because that’s how aunt Alice raised him to be, but deep down he was panicking, he just can’t understand why one of the most prominent figure in his life would leave him, was it because something he had said? Something he had done? Was he not good enough a boy anymore to warrant his uncle attention? Was it because he was useless? He’s not the strongest boy around nor is he the most charming, but he’s pretty sure he’s one of the smartest people at school, is that not enough? When uncle Henry promised that they would meet again he felt a glimmer of hope in his heart, maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t being abandoned after all! Too bad reality has other plan for him. He tried his best to hold into that sliver of hope, but each passing day prove to be harder than the last, until after a year without a single word from uncle Henry finally managed to tore that hope away from him. That day is the first time he tasted despair. Thankfully, his rational mind managed to help him by reminding him that there’s still aunt Alice and a myriad of other people that could still stay in his life. The scar never fades but his heart became stronger after that, swearing that never again will his friends and family abandon him, he strengthened the bonds between them, he became more self-sacrificing, he cherished every moment of interaction he had between them, in the hope that if they liked him as much as he liked them, then maybe they won’t leave him like uncle Henry! And it worked, he became one of the most popular guy in school thanks to his intellect and likeable personality. He lived in contentment, never once giving anyone a false smile because he’s at his happiest when he’s interacting with them.

The day his power awakened is one of the most confusing day in his life, on one hand he’s grateful that he has been given a means of protecting all he holds dear, but on the other hand, he never meant to hurt that person, yet his power hurted them anyway. After the discussion with aunt Alice, he’s filled with both determination and doubt. The determination to master this power so that he would never unintentionally hurt others anymore, and the doubt of why would aunt Alice hides those magical world from him, don’t she trust him? He never lied to her, so why would she mistrust him? The event from today would have been avoided if only she would train him how to control his power! But he dares not confront his aunt for he fears that it would strain their relationship with her, so he resolved to just master his power. The days spent alone in his room reading magical tome and doing mental training made him realize how much he longs for the presence of another, and how he loathe feeling alone. “Never again…”, he reminded himself, “not anymore.”. The prospect of being able to protect those he holds dear helps him bear the pain of loneliness, so he soldiers on.

The day he asked Aelin out is the most stressful day of his life, it has taken months to gather the courage necessary to do it, and he don’t think he would be able to bear the pain of rejection, but his rational mind gives him the reassurance he needed. “Calm down”, he whispered to himself, “I can do this! We’ve been close enough friend to make this not completely out of the blue, there’s also that plan I made to increase her likeliness to accept, besides, she herself seems to like me too, so everything is going to be alright, right? Right!”. Gathering his composure, he proceed to put his plan into motion. This plan of his is one created after much time spent reading romance novels, even though aunt Alice seems to think it is a waste of time and he should spend it more on reading scientific book, but he disagree, to him, social life is as important as his grades were. The plan went more or less smoothly, though most scenario don’t exactly play out as how it does in the novel, but it is fine as long they had fun and it helped set the mood. When the time of confession comes, he can feel his heart beating so fast that Aelin must have had heard it, the silence between his question and her answer seems to stretch into eternity. Once that eternity ended by her saying “yes” he was the happiest boy in the world, never before he has felt this kind of happiness, in his heart he swore that he will make this relationship work, it won’t be one of those relationship that started out with a blast and end with a whimper, no, he would definitely make Aelin his wife when the time comes, he would definitely builds a happy family with her by his side, he would definitely stay by her side, only death itself could tear them apart, and he would rather die first than to watch Aelin pass on before him.

The day the seeker came to him is the day his world shattered. What should have been a pleasant day spent with Aelin turned to be his own personal hell, he do not understand, what business could those people have with him or Aelin? As far as he know, Aelin is just a regular human girl, though very special to him, so that means they we’re stalking him, right? Not wanting to lie to Aelin, he showed her his magical power, thankfully she’s open minded and accepting enough to take the news. He took care not to hurt those seeker, wanting only to get both Aelin and himself to safety. Everything went well until that fateful encounter in the maze, planning to blast the dagger out of the seeker’s hand, he prepared to channel his magical power…until Aelin bit the seeker’s hand. He could not believe it, so shocked was he that when Aelin screamed for him to run away he instinctively does. When he returned to his sense, he felt sick toward himself, how hypocritical of him to abandon Aelin when he himself fears abandonment the most, how pathetic of him to not being able to do anything when the time to protect his loved ones comes, is this not why he spent all his time learning the art of magic? How useless, maybe if he spent more time furthering his pursue of magic he would be able to save her! Maybe if he spent more time strengthening his heart he won’t be left in shock! How weak of him, to not being able to fulfill his own promise. “Just like uncle Henry…”, he whispered to himself. He is useless, weak, he do not deserve happiness if he cannot protect it! Yes that must be it! He do not deserve to be happy if he cannot protect those that will make him happy, so he cutted his ties with everyone out of fear of what would happen to them, the only one left is aunt Alice. Aunt Alice must surely be strong enough to protect herself, right? Surely he can have enough happiness just with her, right? He tried to be happy with his situation, and it worked, even though the encounter with the seeker makes him paranoid and stressful.

The day aunt Alice disappeared is the day he lost all hope. He cannot fathom it, there’s no way the aunt Alice he know could be kidnapped or killed by those seeker, but that would mean she has abandoned him…but why? Why would she leave him? It must be because he did not lived up to her expectation, it must be because he’s useless and worthless, it must be because he has only been a burden to her all this time, it must be because she didn’t need him! That’s right! This happened because he is weak, useless, worthless, a burden to everyone, nobody needs him, they’re better off without him, they must’ve had a hard time because of his selfishness, they must’ve hated him! It’s not that he doesn’t deserve to be happy, it must be because he doesn’t deserve happiness itself! He never deserved happiness! What he does deserve is suffering! Yes, he deserve to suffer! He don’t want to suffer, but that’s what he deserved for being a pathetic human being. Such thought roam his mind as he roamed the earth. Never again would he make a relationship out of fear for their safety and of fear of getting hurt himself.

The day he met Saxon is the day that he learned that how afraid he is of dying. He may fear hurting others more than he fears getting hurt himself, but he fears dying as much as he fears getting abandoned. He don’t want to die…he don’t want to die…but this guy seems intent on killing him…that’s why he killed them the first chance he got. After the deed is done all he could do was try to stop himself from vomitting, he can’t believe he just killed a human being, he tried to justify it by telling himself that if he didn’t, that seeker would continue to try and kill him again anyway, but even that sounds hollow in his own ear.

The day he met Saint is the day he learned pure envy. Why is the world so unfair? He has no keepsake from his missing mother, yet Saint does? Why? Why does he have everything I wanted, but I don’t? What made him so special? What made him worthy of happiness? Needless to say, the fact that Saint has something from their mother further worsen his abandonment issues. Did she abandoned me because she wanted to spend more time with him? Why did he chose him over me? Did she not want me? Am I worthless since the start? Am I not supposed to be born? Why him but not me?! And with that, his self-worth plummets to the abyss. “I’m unwanted, aren’t I?”, he whispered to himself.

The day he learned of the prophecy is the day he learned to hope once again. Maybe he does worth something, maybe he can be useful too, maybe he is needed by someone! And maybe, just maybe, he deserve to be happy after all…but deep down he feared that hope, knowing full well how painful it is to have it taken away from you. For now, he just have to do his best.

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Saint (Incest is wincest)

:rofl: OMG that made me spit out my water!

This reminds me of the first time I played the game I thought Saint was gonna be an RO for all of the two pages before he says he’s the MCs brother. I admit, I was disappointed to learn that, and more than a little tempted to see how, ahem, Classical, things could get.

But then Aeson showed up and suddenly my MC had an even hotter brother a soulmate and I was all, “Sign me the fuck up! :eyes::ok_hand:

And Aeson has been #1 husbando of all time ever since.

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Same, yo. Except that I read it waaay back, when we didn’t know who he was.

Horrendous, cliché-infested YA romance novels have clearly tainted my brain. Not every cute stranger-with-superpowers-who-tries-to-murder-me is an excellent boyfriend option. Who would have thought! :thinking:

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No this time it’s only girlfriend material with Sage around.

He has a lack of opinion on most things not relating to him or his interest.

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B-B-But!! Our meet-cute scene where I kicked him in the balls! Surely, touching their crotch so early on means we’ll get together in the end!

That’s it, that’s YA, right?

Summary

I actually don’t know, I mostly managed to avoid YA Lit because I’m 23 going on 24 and the YA boom wasn’t until I was in high school, long after I’d already started reading regular ol’ adult(?) literature.

The only YA books I ever read were the first three books of Vampire Academy (I went through a phase ok?), the first four books of H.I.V.E. (those were dark times), and the Orphans of Chaos series (I am not at all ashamed about this, they were genuinely entertaining reads that didn’t feel like they were patronizing to teenagers).

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It took me 5 minutes to understand tha YA=Young adults after I read it.
Scene1
in my bed watching TV while thinking of ways to create a new missile that is cheaper but as powerful as the GBU-43/B MOAB
have random thought
Me: oooh she meant young adult!! I am a fucking idiot.

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…u wot

rereads the comment

…run that by me one more time? :rofl:

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Same here dude. At first I thought they meant YAOI and it took me a whole day to realize that they were talking about young adult fiction.

What you describe is more anime than anything else.

The only Young Adult books I’ve read that weren’t The Hunger Games had Serious Stuff™ in them. Like one I read about a pair of childhood friends who grew up and ended up getting torn apart when both of them ended up on drugs, and even though one of them managed to overcome addiction, the other didn’t.

Young Adult seems to be a category for books in the same way Action-Adventure is a category for movies: both are way too broad to say “all X are like this”.

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