I just emotionally knee-capped a friend on accident.
We were talking about kink dynamics in our writing and she confessed she didn’t understand the appeal of brats or what you’re really supposed to get out of bratting. Like she really likes Nathan’s soft dom dynamic but she confessed if Vlad turns into a little shit for the sake of it because he “enjoys being annoying” she’d probably go off him as a character and I had to pause and be like, you really think bratting is just about being annoying?
Yes she did. Then went on to talk about the kind of cookie cutter het-romances where attraction is built on annoying people (I’m sure it exists in queer romance too I’ve just thankfully never read it.) and how she can’t stand that kind of thing which is fair because same.
But no, I said, that’s not the bratting dynamic I’m building for Vlad in Phangs.
So what dynamic was I going to explore?
“Well, multiple aspects really, but for Vlad, it’s the certainty of knowing you’re in a safe space where you can say “no” to someone in a position of authority and know they’ll still love you afterwards.
That and funishments. Can’t go wrong with a good old fashioned span—are you fucking crying?”