#ostric

In L->R, T->B order: Elian, Nothia, Kian, Ostric, Frey, and Luvia.

All images are Creative Commons 0 (or similar free-use licenses) from Unsplash, Pexels, and (maybe) Pixabay.

Elian will sacrifice almost anything to save their brother.

Nothia carries everyone's weight.

Kian is burdened by brilliance and guilt and grief.

Ostric just wants a place to belong, to be told he's enough as he is.

Frey fears his own mind and wants every answer before his memory starts slipping.

This guy has had a crush on the MC since childhood. Everyone knows it. The MC knows it.

But, then, the MC can choose to be horrible to Ostric, siding with his toxic parents over him.

If the MC does it, Ostric says "I'm done." Which, yay, good for him!

But....if the MC continues choosing and pursuing Ostric (or if they had a strong history of doing so), he comes back. He gives the MC another chance even though he knows it is a bad idea.

He tells the MC they're not someone he can get over.

So I have two options here.

The MC ends up apologizing and they move to a romance route.

The MC realizes just how much power they have over Ostric and I lean into that. And they stumble their way through figuring out the boundaries. The MC able to be mean, trusting Ostric knows they still choose him and want him, that he won't walk away. Ostric taking every hurt, getting power over the barbs he's received his whole life because when the MC says them, he knows it means he's being trusted and chosen. And it hurts, but the MC soothes it with presence and kisses and affection, too. It's like lancing the pain, kinda.

1 is the safer route by far.

2.... some readers might like that. Instead of an apology scene and moving to equal ground, it becomes figuring out their boundaries together. For example, the MC might promise to never team up with Ostric's parents again, even if they make similar comments. Or they limit the insults and such to a specific time/place. And then finding that tension between 'they don't mean this' and 'they mean this and they love me anyway/because of it.' And the MC enjoying Ostric's reactions as they verbally flay him open.

...

Ostric's parents are toxic. You can intervene with a lunch. They'll attack him three times, and you can respond.

Ostric is a guard. Guards used to protect the walls, but now they're more mediators. They're shifting toward being cops, though. This is something Ostric is wrestling with.

Attack One: "[Name], you lead a guild, do you not? Do you not agree that maintaining strong relationships with other guilds is essential? How would you feel if one of your siblings sabotaged one of those relationships? Our Ostric gave a green slip to one our allies and simply refuses to withdraw it."

Attack Two: "Now, 'guild master'. That's impressive. How old were you when you assumed that position? 28? That's only a year older than Ostric is now! 28 and leading a guild while Ostric here is 27 and -- what is your title again? Right! A guard. How could I have forgotten? It's not changed in years. Such a tragedy, don't you think? He has so much squandered potential."

Attack Three: "Of course, he can do as he likes, but we are a family business. We've passed down from mother to daughter for 10 generations now. It would be nice if we weren't the last. I know Ostric has no interest, but he could provide a granddaughter, could he not? He's always been this way. So stubborn and uncaring of family. He knows we're a matrilineal business and still claimed he was of the sea instead of the sky. He's tried to make up for it, of course, but can you ever really heal a broken heart? He spat on everything our family stands for. We still love him, of course, though."

At each point the MC can

Agree (dogpile Ostric)

Argue

Keep silent

"Hm?"

"Mother had my ear cuffs all picked out, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't declare something I knew to be false. I would've been a terrible girl. I've no bird to my nature at all."

"No, you're more sea-suited. You always have been. Your parents just refused to see."