#book talk

Great question! So a lot of these have a good amount of overlap with each other, but I think there are pretty firm distinctions in the underlying logic of them. Also, of course, not all romantasy love interests fall into these character types! Currently, the most popular two types are Rhysands and Kylo Rens. Draco in Leather Pants is less prevalent, but possibly experiencing an uptick with all the Dramione fic being published, and Shadow Daddies, imo, aren’t fully codified in trad publishing yet actually, but I’ll come back to this point.

Also, all of these can/do fall under the dark fuck prince umbrella. That’s not a separate thing.

Rhysand: Right off the bat. Rhysand is not Kylo Ren. Taking you by the shoulders and making you repeat after me until you understand in your soul that they are not the same!

There are several things that make up a Rhysand, but not all of these have to be present to qualify. The most notable tells are wholly superficial. Rhysands are smarmy, glib, and very fond of extremely juvenile innuendos that are treated like they’re charming. Their dialogue reads like stuff you might hear in a middle school classroom. They will often have stupid nicknames and endearments for the female protagonist (Feyre darling in ACOTAR; Hearteater, later turned into just Heart in Lightlark). Their default state is being several hundred years old and immortal (Grim in Lightlark; Death in Belladonna) but there are also exceptions with ordinary lifespans (Kai in Powerless; Xaden in Fourth Wing)

Rhysands often have significant tattoos (that the female protagonist could also magically acquire), wings, or a combination of dark hair and light eyes, and descriptions that might sometimes lean vaguely racially ambiguous. When they want to appear aloof they may keep their hands in their pockets (a hyper specific tell, but I’ve seen it!) and when they’re angry or aroused they growl every word of dialogue. They almost always have a random group of friends that love them unconditionally to really cement that they must be great guys. They also fucking love saying “It’s your choice” or some variant, among other generic platitudes that are meant to be empowering.

Frequently their romantic arcs will actually center helping the protagonist work through trauma, or let go of restrictive religious or cultural beliefs that are making her miserable. (Crown of Starlight; From Blood and Ash; Scarlet Veil) They are there to recognize that even the most personality-free protagonist is hiding the strength of a #girlboss— and this strength, and whatever institutional or magical power she is allowed, is of course directly granted to her by the Rhysand who she is wholly dependent on. Their sex positivity, lassez faire attitude, and surface level liberal politics will also often be framed as very unique in their world, like OG Rhysand being the first High Lord to allow his wife the title of High Lady, as opposed to simply being a consort. Not like that seems to mean very much, practically speaking. But how else would we know that they single handedly invented feminism?

They may or may not be introduced as minor antagonists (as the OG flavor was!) or as being ostensibly on the protagonist’s side but with some light conflict to make them seem initially untrustworthy (Kingdom of the Wicked; From Blood and Ash), until the protagonist falls in love with them, where they often turn out to actually be untrustworthy, though this beat is given varying levels of weight. Usually the betrayal has to do with the protagonist’s relationship to them (the OG reveal being that they’re ✨soulmates✨ and he’s known the entire time but apparently had no plans to tell Feyre ever) or it can be more dramatic (“Hawke” turning out to actually be an enemy prince Casteel and also the rebellion leader known as the Dark One who was responsible for the death of someone Poppy cared about in From Blood And Ash; Lightlark having the reveal that Grim erased all of Isla’s memories of their relationship so she could idk… pursue a relationship with some other guy to further Grim’s schemes) but sometimes there’s no betrayal at all. Generally though, anything they do is eventually framed as justified and for the greater good. Because, conveniently, another core tenet of a Rhysand is that he is uniquely self sacrificing, and deserves all the pity in the world for it. And though the protagonist may be initially upset at him, if at all, she will eventually get over it and forget that he is, or has ever been, capable of doing anything wrong ever. These characters, resultantly, tend to occupy a very odd space in their world, because simultaneously the narrative will insist on their physical and political might— they are frequently, explicitly, the most powerful people in their respective worlds, something that implicitly is meant to bolster their moral righteousness— and yet somehow nothing is ever their fault and they are never responsible for anything.

Some Rhysands however aren’t introduced with as much structural power, though this is itself framed as a sacrifice, and power they could have easily taken if not for their sheer goodness. This is typically also tied to some sort of tragic backstory, and possibly sexual trauma, which is mostly kind of just there to make them look noble, sad, and desirable in their angstiness and never matters otherwise outside of said desirability. Even if the tragic backstory means them being forced to hurt or kill other people, still, the biggest victim we must consider is the Rhysand himself. And once they are free of whatever weight of the world was holding them back, they can then take up the mantle as most powerful guy in the entire universe.

Soulmate bonds are generally a pretty frequent occurrence, this can get combined with magical marriages, though it was very much not the same thing in the ACOTAR series. Sometimes there will be some other reason for a bond (Scarlet Veil with its vampire blood exchange enthrallment, for example) but either way, it is magic, and it allows the characters to sense each other’s feelings, or even outright telepathic communication. More broadly Rhysands may have psychic powers of some sort, given the original’s propensity for psychic torture, but that’s a trait that isn’t always carried over. Rhysand magic powers tend to vary, but they usually do have any at all! And along with them there will be the ability to teleport/“winnow” which isn’t a huge tell on its own, but tends to be fairly recognizable.

Critically, the narrative must revolve around a Rhysand. He is framed as being correct in all things. Even if he’s temporarily sided with an antagonist out of necessity, he is morally and ideologically correct, and his primary function is to sexily ferry the protagonist over to a similar status of correctness. This can take the form of intellectually or physically challenging her, sexually harassing her, or just reminding her constantly of his supposed feminist politics. Rhysands are often benevolent overlords who are framed as entirely deserving of having a complete ideological stranglehold on the story, and all of the good characters. Materially disagreeing with him is outright a punishable offense. This framing of his perfect and morally justified control, despite all the liberal trappings of these stories, tends to have intense fascist undertones.

Kylo Ren: These guys are tricky because they exist on a spectrum of canon to fanon, and those things can be contradictory, whereas the Rhysands are usually recreated from a face value reading of the text without many transformative elements being thrown in. (I find this really interesting in of itself and probably due to the fact that Rhysand occupies a narrative space that fans are happy with, whereas notably no one is happy with the sequel trilogy)

The single most obvious Kylo Ren tell is that the author will describe his physical appearance in loving detail, and the particular emphasis on his features will make it 1000% clear they are picturing Adam Driver. Specific signifiers are emphasizing his height and size, a downturned or broken nose, longish black hair. Sometimes they’ll give him a fun eye color to throw you off the scent, but sometimes not. Usually they will look tired, and maybe have a scar across their cheek. Often, in fantasy settings particularly, they will be wearing Kylo Ren appropriate clothing as well, maybe even a significant mask— which can open things up for an equally significant unmasking scene.

Don’t worry, if the descriptions aren’t enough to go by, there is also a high chance that there will be official author commissioned art, and that it will clearly be referencing Adam Driver. For example! These are all official art pieces for the Lost Ones, Hurricane Wars (originally Reylo fanfiction), Once Upon a Broken Heart.

Another easy way to pick out Kylo Rens is that they will usually be accompanied by other Star Wars characters, to a degree that doesn’t happen as much with other character expies. If there is a Kylo Ren, then there is almost definitely a Snoke, Hux, Han Solo, or Luke Skywalker to be the source of the Kylo Ren’s tragic backstory (Hurricane Wars; Love Hypothesis isn’t romantasy and therefore doesn’t fully belong here but I just have to mention its abusive, rapist Luke Skywalker who takes credit for other people’s academic accomplishments) or sometimes in lower stakes settings Rosehux or Finnpoe can exist as satellite friends who have already paired up, or are about to, that play the part of nonthreatening cheerleaders for the main couple with no other plot relevance (For the Wolf; also going to mention Love Hypothesis again)

In demeanor, Kylo Rens are typically sullen, humorless, and not particularly outgoing. The canon vs fanon divide tends to be in his temper and how in control of his own actions he may be. A lot of Kylo Rens will actually be very self possessed and mature per narrative standards, where the female lead will instead be framed as the temperamental one. Whether or not he’s written against a Rey can vary, sometimes the protagonist is more of an OC. But also I’d venture to say that Kylo Rens are paired with a Rey, fanonized or not, with much more frequency than Rhysands are paired with Feyres.

Because Star Wars is a visual media, a lot of the beats carried over are more literal or visual— like the mask. You can often recognize scenes from the movies as key incidents. Notable examples include the Reylo lightsaber battle at the end of TFA, the one where they fight together in TLJ, the bridal carry in TFA, most of the force bond scenes— particularly the hand touch imagery, etc. I’m frankly not familiar enough with Star Wars to catch every reference off the top of my head, but it’s usually clear that the author is picturing something very, very specific that is cinematic rather than something that is geared towards text and easier to convey.

Another thing that’s common to carry over is the very concept of the force bond. This can be very similar to the Feysand telepathic mate bond, or more visual to match the depiction in the movies. A key point of differentiation though is that the force bond tends to be more mysterious and something the characters don’t know how to navigate as well (for example, the visions in For the Wolf) rather than an immediate channel for communication. Sometimes this can also be more of an ambiguous ✨connection✨ that the characters don’t fully comprehend that can have various in universe explanations (Bastian and Lore in the Foxglove King being reincarnated gods who were once married), but typically it does progress to allow actual communication somehow. Generally both characters will have some sort of opposing magic, this could overtly be light and dark powers (Foxglove King; Hurricane Wars), and sometimes there will be a beat where the Kylo Ren must teach the protagonist or offers to à la TFA.

Kylo Rens tend to be more genuine sources of conflict compared to the other common love interest types, or even seeming to be primary antagonists for a time, though typically this still isn’t given much weight, which is itself how you can immediately tell that they’re actually love interests. And their change in tracks isn’t really given much attention either, because it’s treated as a narrative given. Similarly, as I mentioned before, there is typically a Snoke or some other authority character controlling their actions that is there to absorb basically all culpability of their wrongdoings. (Hurricane Wars; Wicked Saints; Unholy Terrors)

This is distinct from Rhysand tragic backstories, because remember, Rhysands have never done anything wrong ever, even though they may have the reputation for doing so. In the omnipresence of abusive father figures forcing them to do wrong, Kylo Rens actually tend to have more overlap with Dracos. Another distinction is that, compared to the structural patriarchal benevolence of the Rhysand, Kylo Rens are more often aligned with institutions that are admitted to be immoral or oppressive. If there is an evil, ominous empire, then the Kylo Ren is the victimized scion of it, who must either escape its evil or try to idk fix it from the inside once he has the reigns.

In that sense, while Rhysands may be (narrative or literal) princes or kings, depending on where they are in their arcs, Kylo Rens are always princes, or somehow removed from immediate power. Even if they command a Knights of Ren analogue, it’s still not the highest rank of institutional power within the story’s scope.

Similarly, while Kylo Rens are typically older than the female protagonist, or may even be immortal, their relative youth is often highlighted— another point more in common with Dracos. A Kylo Ren is just a boy who is also a monster who is just a boy! (Unholy Terrors; Wicked Saints; all of these books ever tbh) This dichotomy is meant to be heartrending, but the narrative also tends to do very little to prove why this character is a monster or what that means beyond wearing black and being angsty. Because, again, while he may be abstractly responsible for any wrong doing or somehow be a threat to the protagonist, the narrative never allows this to feel real or visceral for fear of making him too culpable for his actions.

Despite Kylo Rens being presented as varyingly older, more worldly, mature, powerful, or literally just larger, to maintain his masculine appeal, I would say that, more broadly, the protagonist is the one who is typically ferrying them towards self actualization rather than the other way around (which is the quintessential mark of a Rhysand). In the larger scheme of things they are more often meant to be wounded, pathetic, and in need of rescue, but how genuine this feels can run the gamut.

Shadow Daddies: So. My hot take is that this isn’t a character type that has been fully codified in traditional publishing yet.

Important context about the history of the phrase is that it was coined on the Shadow and Bone TV show set. Has anybody ever used these words together prior to like 2021? Probably! But the way it’s currently used in the book sphere can directly be connected back to Shadow and Bone, its fandom, and the way that the Darkling has been fanonized. It has now bled into general book fandom parlance and people will use it exchangeably with “Rhysand” as a trope, but I personally feel this is because the character type hasn’t actually broken broader containment yet. Basically I’m saying everyone is using this term wrong. Sorry.

In my opinion, a Shadow Daddy, as the name suggests, is a daddy dom with shadow powers. He is often gruff and overtly paternalistic, with a vague goth aesthetic, but make it more masculine than your typical angsty, emo expectations. Gone are the 2010s era choice feminist trappings of the Rhysand. These characters aren’t liberal or coaxing, they know what’s best for the female lead and are willing to drag her into it until she finally sees things his way— which she probably will. They are a melange of the Darkling/General Kirigan as portrayed by Ben Barnes, and OG alpha male genre romance hero tropes. This is a type that’s crystallized with the most recent iterations of popular characterizations in the migratory DDLG fandom. They have more in common with fanon Halbrand/Sauron from Rings of Power specifically, or even some elements of how people in House of the Dragon fandom have written Daemon Targaryen— though the latter notably does not have shadow powers.

I won’t point to examples as I wouldn’t feel comfortable referring to unpublished fanfic or smaller self published works, so this one’s a bit of a “just trust me on this” thing alas.

But in my opinion the point is overtly eroticizing patriarchy and gender roles. The emphasis is on delicate, young female leads who may be superficially feisty but who otherwise have no real backbone or narrative agency. On how these men will easily throw them over their respective shoulders and force them into compliance.

They tend to be physically the oldest of these love interest types (regardless of immortality) and more rugged. They might have monetary or institutional advantages over the female lead, if so, the imbalance is uniquely highlighted and leveraged in way it simply would not be with either Rhysands or Kylo Rens.

I think Shadow Daddies are certainly downstream of the Rhysand’s benevolent patriarchy, but they’re also distinct from it. In a way, I think the popularity of the term, and how it is applied, points to readers wanting more characters along these lines, even when they do not exist in the mainstream. I think this is also not unrelated to most recent examples of Rhysands leaning a bit darker and more mean spirited in interpersonal interactions.

Given that the first of the show-era Darklina fanfic has been acquired for traditional publishing pretty recently, I suspect we may see more of this guy. And I think he’s indicative of the broader direction romantasy trends are moving in.

Draco In Leather Pants: I feel like a lot has already been written on this, but what’s most interesting to me is the trajectory of fanon Draco over time, and how his resurgence in recent years differs from older iterations.

Draco in Leather Pants was popularized and codified by Cassandra Clare’s Draco trilogy. She took a character who is like the quintessential snotty rich kid and bully and made him into someone edgy, cool, and counter culture in a way that bears very little resemblance to his canon characterization. The trope is, in this sense, closest to the Shadow Daddy in terms of fanon dominance over a textual reading, which makes the character more fluid.

Meanwhile, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s influence on Cassie Clare’s Draco trilogy was always very overt. She plagiarized entire scenes! And she happened to simply replace Draco with Spike, down to his leather pants, sense of humor, and appearance. And that shaped Draco fanon for most of that early era.

It’s telling to me that fanart of Dramione or Drinny will typically feature interpretations that look like the actresses at all, but Draco hardly ever bears a resemblance to even the most generous and stylized likeness of Tom Felton. I would argue that it’s because James Marsters has bled into the general idea of fanon Draco, even if current gen artists may not even know about this earlier fandom connection. (Takes that aren’t influenced by the movies certainly also exist, but this is about seeing art of what is clearly Emma Watson next to some random guy)

Examples of this OG era in published fiction includes Jace from Cassandra Clare’s own Mortal Instruments series, as well as Aaron from Only a Monster, and Nico from the Atlas series. A more masked variant is Cardan from the Folk of the Air series. (Gasp! He has black hair and he’s more glam than punk!)

Worth noting that slash fic fandom has pretty different conventions and doesn’t bleed into the romantasy sphere in the same way, so I’m not including things like Carry On by Rainbow Rowell or (debated) Red White and Royal Blue, despite their popularity. These books may have Dracos but they’re not the trope I’m talking about.

Anyway, the characters I mentioned above are fundamentally peers to the female lead, that are also meant to seem like they are varying degrees of dangerous to her. They are meant to be dryly witty, and kind of mean, though that is hiding a heart of gold. They are typically pretty averse to vulnerability (often implied to be a result of their bad home lives) and therefore likely to lash out if ever experiencing A Feeling— except if we’ve reached the requisite dramatic romantic moments in the story.

An integral part of a Draco, that has held true over time, is that his family angst is often very dramatic and also the center of the story. As I mentioned above, like Kylo Rens, Dracos typically have overbearing, evil, abusive fathers and possibly either a distant or saint-like martyred mother. Sympathy for a Draco’s trauma tends to overpower the story and often absolve him of most of his cruelties. How egregious this is tends to vary based on individual author skill though. And there are some differences between how the current and older gen variants approach this. While prior Dracos were allowed to be pathetic at all, newer ones aren’t really.

A Draco may be a bully or simply an academic rival, but he will usually be uniquely fixated on the protagonist and vice versa— which itself has always felt to me like a reconfiguration of Drarry lol.

In the vein of Dramione, the female lead will often be a newcomer to his world (this can be magic user vs non magic user, literally just from another country, or in the case of TFOTA fae vs mortal) and also of a different social class.

The newer variant also, curiously, seems to be more removed from the alt/punk trappings of early Dracos of this type, while all his other traits remain. Instead he is more squarely aligned with wealth and privilege. This is, in my opinion, not unrelated to the general cultural rise in fascism and the resultant rise of “old money” aesthetics.

The social power dynamic in more recent works is often also highlighted and intensified in a way it wasn’t really in the original heyday. (Rose in Chains/The Auction, Manacled/Alchemised). This can be at odds with the broader framing of them as peers. And you can often see the authors chafing at the fact that the Draco isn’t older or more naturally an authority figure, even when, like in the case of the two published fics I just mentioned, the story premise itself has been constructed around giving him authority.

If the original flavor was meant to be dangerous in a lower stakes, bad boy thrill kind of way, the newer type is meant to be genuinely formidable. Current gen Dracos attempt to command respect in a way that feels rather at odds with the base character type and therefore is often not particularly successful.

Here is an excerpt from Manacled to illustrate: