you may call me Housemaster Wilkes, for administrative reasons. any pronouns you feel moved to assign me in the moment are fine. use your heart.
i welcome you to read my original works of queer fiction, Ashcombe — a 90s boarding school romance featuring first love, repression, rugby mud, terrible british weather, emotional damage, and one american boy having an absolutely normal time in england. by which i mean: not at all, and it's sequel, Westray, a second chance love story mixed with idiot old man yaoi.
Ashcombe: [link here]
Westray: [link here]
there is also a cursed third child, East Works [link], where I dump my one-shots, and then there might be a fantasy novel chewing the bars of its enclosure in my brain (but worldbuilding is scary, boo).
this blog contains writing updates, playlists, ao3 nonsense, character brainrot, and me maintaining the legal fiction that my own fictional boys have not personally attacked me and left me with trauma.
i usually have no idea what i’m writing about until i hyperfixate my way into learning a subject in alarming detail, at which point it becomes everyone else’s problem.
Ashcombe and Westray were beta-read by two cats sitting on the keyboard and my own aggression at 1:53 AM. Now I have had other sets of gorgeous eyes helping me as well.
please also feel extremely free to come chat with me about Overwatch, Dungeons & Dragons/tabletop RPGs, Warhammer 40k, N.K. Jemisin books, World of Warcraft, religious metaphors, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, cats, good tea, cardamom coffee, and worldbuilding.
Ashcombe extras and playlists will be tagged #ashcombe extras and #ashcombe playlists for anyone who wants to browse the emotional damage in a more organised fashion.
asks and message box are open and very welcomed. i will cherish every single comment like a tiny dragon sitting on a hoard of emotional support gold.
links:
Ashcombe: [link here]
Westray: [link here]
East Works: [link here]
Greetings from the Ashcombe Non-Cinematic Universe, where everyone is emotionally damaged, nobody communicates properly, and the Google Docs continue to multiply in the dark.
I have been enjoying the summer, which means my promoing has been:
a) nonexistent
b) reblog-based
c) not especially creative
But that is fine, because my novels are very much existent and somewhat creative. There are tropes, yes, obviously, but I like to think of them as delightful, toe-curling seasoning. A little spice. A little garnish. A little “oh no, why are these idiotic teenagers/adults/timeline-dependent disasters doing idiotic things again?”
So, without further ado, I warmly welcome all delightful recurring commenters, silent readers, new victims, and connoisseurs of queer yearning to the current menu:
❤️ ASHCOMBE / 169k words, 38 chapters, completed on AO3.
Original M/M boarding school romance set in 1993–1994, featuring first love, rugby, repression, religious trauma, terrible teenagers, dorm rooms, yearning, British weather, and falling catastrophically hard for your roommate.
Come for the cute boarding school romance. Stay because the garden chair made of emotional damage has already hit you and you can't crawl away.
❤️🩹 WESTRAY
Now updated to chapter 33/45 on AO3!
The sequel that can also be read as a standalone, if you enjoy entering a room while two grown men stare at each other with years of unresolved emotional damage between them.
Second-chance queer romance, adult reunion, old wounds, new hunger, renovations, heatwaves, Greek food, better clothes, worse communication, and the slow horror of realising the love did not die. It just learned to wait and sharpened its knives before pouncing.
🫀 EAST WORKS
Now updated with chapter 9/? on AO3!
The forbidden archive. The side quest forest. The drawer full of AUs, missing scenes, alternate timelines, smut, deleted scenes, bad ideas, worse ideas, and occasional wholesome content standing bravely in the corner as a statistical minority.
Chapter 9 is Robbie POV and includes one tattooed electrician with a nice grin and a filthy mouth. As we all know, East Works is where only the bravest may enter in search of my more... explicit shenanigans.
Please read the warnings, pack snacks and don't feed the wildlife.
I love you all. I love your comments, your yelling, your support, your theories, your live reactions, and your willingness to follow me into increasingly cursed landscapes.
Come read. Come chat. Come hang out. Poke me here or on Discord (housemasterwilkes).
I bite only consensually, and usually after multiple chapters of emotionally damaging slow burn.
Wonderful Westray river-view header by my loved, gorgeous, funny, sharp collaborator witch darling @rocksaltandroll (go read her Ted Lasso fanfic, or original works - we also have a kinktober collaboration incoming!!)
Character art by absolutely wonderful @cursedartistnelari, who you should commission when they have their commissions open again, because if you don't, I will, and I'm gonna steal that commission spot.
*thinks about OCs* *Thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *Thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS ABOUT OCS* *thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCS* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks ABOUT OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *Thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *Thinks About OCs* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS ABOUT OCS* *thinks about OCs* *thinks about OCS* *thinks about OCs* *THINKS about OCs* *thinks about OCs* *thinks ABOUT OCs* *thinks about OCs*
Have you ever wanted to bring home a terrible teenager?
Come read ASHCOMBE on AO3: completed on AO3 / explicit original work boarding school m/m romance novel / 169k / terrible teenagers seeking loving readers.
Good news! Ashcombe Hall is opening its doors for one day only, and our current residents are seeking patient, loving homes with strong nerves and a high tolerance for rugby talk, yearning, emotional repression, and teenagers who communicate primarily through bad decisions.
All cast members come with age-appropriate baggage and at least one scene where they should absolutely have known better.
Please adopt responsibly.
Come read ASHCOMBE on AO3.
Completed / explicit / original m/m boarding school romance / 169k words / first love, rugby, yearning, terrible teenagers, and the emotional hazards of being sixteen / ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN
Prequel of WESTRAY (queer second chance at love)
Also to be read: EAST WORKS (the collection of AUs and one-shots for Ashcombe universe)
All teenagers come non-microchipped, emotionally under-socialised, and with varying degrees of trauma.
Descriptions of our adoptables under the "keep reading" line.
ROBBIE MCALLISTER
Small but sturdy working breed. Responds poorly to sudden affection and direct questions. Excellent recall on a rugby pitch, terrible recall when asked to name an emotion. May growl when frightened but is secretly very loyal. Best placed in a patient home with access to tea and one dramatic American boy to herd.
ISAIAH “IZZY” WALKER
Imported long-limbed show creature. Nervous, clever, decorative, and prone to theatrical displays. Not suitable for households with strict religious doctrine or poor cassette storage. Will bond intensely with a emotionally unavailable rugby player and make this everyone’s problem.
JAMIE SINGH
Quiet observation animal. Low-maintenance on the surface, and excellent with secrets, poor with nonsense, may stare directly into your soul if you lie. Best kept in a calm environment with occasional access to chaos for enrichment.
TOM FLETCHER
Large friendly golden retriever: cheerful, loud, physically affectionate, and good with most people. May attempt to solve complex problems by grinning or clapping someone roughly on the shoulder.
ELLIE CARTER
Tiny fox-terrier gremlin. Highly intelligent, food-motivated, and not to be trusted near gossip or unattended secrets. Will steal your snacks, heart, dignity, and potentially your legal arguments. Requires firm boundaries, which she will promptly ignore.
CHELSEA TURNER
Sleek black cat in eyeliner. Independent, sharp, affectionate on her own terms, and capable of drawing blood with one look. Not a starter pet. Best suited to homes that respect her intelligence and do not waste her fucking time. May adopt confused queer boys against her better judgment.
FREDDY BRUDENELL-FITZWILLIAM
Expensive pedigree bastard. Beautiful coat, questionable instincts, may become smug if praised. Requires socialisation, finer things in life, and possibly a bell around his neck so working-class scholarship boys can hear him coming.
HANNAH CLARKE
Practical working dog with excellent posture. Capable, dry, and not impressed by your nonsense. Good in emergencies. Best suited to people who understand that affection can look like telling you to stop being a twat.
SOPHIE LANE
Soft-looking but not actually soft. Elegant house cat with excellent earrings and quiet judgment. May appear gentle until provoked, at which point you will discover she has claws and a detailed memory. Good with girls, gossip, and emotional triage.
All adoptions are final. Ashcombe Hall accepts no responsibility for sudden attachment to fictional teenagers, rugby-related yearning, or the discovery that your favourite character is, in fact, a small feral imaginary creature in school uniform.
Come read ASHCOMBE on AO3.
Completed / explicit / original m/m boarding school romance / 169k words / first love, rugby, yearning, terrible teenagers, and the emotional hazards of being sixteen / ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN
Prequel of WESTRAY (queer second chance at love)
Also to be read: EAST WORKS (the collection of AUs and one-shots for ASHCOMBE universe)
❗❗ Art potraits generated at Picrew, either with makowka OC maker or makowka character maker II - if you fall into this rabbit hole, please be prepared to spend an hour or three.❗❗
Ao3 version that lets you open the 'director's cut' where I, the author, explain every detail in excruciating detail to you and what it is in reference to.
Greetings from the Ashcombe Non-Cinematic Universe, where everyone is emotionally damaged, nobody communicates properly, and the Google Docs continue to multiply in the dark.
I have been enjoying the summer, which means my promoing has been:
a) nonexistent
b) reblog-based
c) not especially creative
But that is fine, because my novels are very much existent and somewhat creative. There are tropes, yes, obviously, but I like to think of them as delightful, toe-curling seasoning. A little spice. A little garnish. A little “oh no, why are these idiotic teenagers/adults/timeline-dependent disasters doing idiotic things again?”
So, without further ado, I warmly welcome all delightful recurring commenters, silent readers, new victims, and connoisseurs of queer yearning to the current menu:
❤️ ASHCOMBE / 169k words, 38 chapters, completed on AO3.
Original M/M boarding school romance set in 1993–1994, featuring first love, rugby, repression, religious trauma, terrible teenagers, dorm rooms, yearning, British weather, and falling catastrophically hard for your roommate.
Come for the cute boarding school romance. Stay because the garden chair made of emotional damage has already hit you and you can't crawl away.
❤️🩹 WESTRAY
Now updated to chapter 33/45 on AO3!
The sequel that can also be read as a standalone, if you enjoy entering a room while two grown men stare at each other with years of unresolved emotional damage between them.
Second-chance queer romance, adult reunion, old wounds, new hunger, renovations, heatwaves, Greek food, better clothes, worse communication, and the slow horror of realising the love did not die. It just learned to wait and sharpened its knives before pouncing.
🫀 EAST WORKS
Now updated with chapter 9/? on AO3!
The forbidden archive. The side quest forest. The drawer full of AUs, missing scenes, alternate timelines, smut, deleted scenes, bad ideas, worse ideas, and occasional wholesome content standing bravely in the corner as a statistical minority.
Chapter 9 is Robbie POV and includes one tattooed electrician with a nice grin and a filthy mouth. As we all know, East Works is where only the bravest may enter in search of my more... explicit shenanigans.
Please read the warnings, pack snacks and don't feed the wildlife.
I love you all. I love your comments, your yelling, your support, your theories, your live reactions, and your willingness to follow me into increasingly cursed landscapes.
Come read. Come chat. Come hang out. Poke me here or on Discord (housemasterwilkes).
I bite only consensually, and usually after multiple chapters of emotionally damaging slow burn.
Wonderful Westray river-view header by my loved, gorgeous, funny, sharp collaborator witch darling @rocksaltandroll (go read her Ted Lasso fanfic, or original works - we also have a kinktober collaboration incoming!!)
Character art by absolutely wonderful @cursedartistnelari, who you should commission when they have their commissions open again, because if you don't, I will, and I'm gonna steal that commission spot.
I did my routine AO3 check this morning and saw good ol’ Ashcombe hitting 1000 hits! I remember when it had 16 and I was so pumped about it. 16 real people, looking at what I’d made.
I think it’s really cool that people find original works on AO3, too. I know the traffic isn’t the same as with fanfiction (AO3 is built for fandom, after all) and original work authors don’t have the privilege of a pre-existing audience showing up for characters they already love. But 1000 hits is huge!! It feels huge!!
Just for the logbooks: Westray is also at 245 hits, which is absolutely magnificent for a WIP sequel that isn’t even fully out yet. East Works has 106 hits, and I see you, I am concerned, and I love you all. Ashcombe on Wattpad has the full angel number: 777.
I am so pleased. Doing little happy dances in the original work trenches. Twirling a lock of hair around my finger. Squealing. Also eating breakfast and checking my emails, but those are not mutually exclusive activities.
❤️ ASHCOMBE: original work queer boarding school slowburn novel with smooching, rugby, emotional damage, terrible teenagers, idiots in love, and fixing your roommate’s tie. Completed on AO3 + Wattpad. EXPLICIT.
❤️🩹 WESTRAY: same idiots but later. A second-chance romance novel with a happy ending, adult careers, renovation as a shitty metaphor, also smooching, less rugby, and more smooching. 28/45 chapters out now on AO3. EXPLICIT.
🫀 EAST WORKS: my dumping ground for Ashcombe universe one-shots. AUs, alternative timelines, ₊˚✩ smut *ੈ✩‧₊˚, dilly-dallying, some traces of rugby, and general shenanigans. 8 one-shots out on AO3. EXPLICIT.
ASHCOMBE by housemasterwilkes on AO3
Come read and hang out. The fandom is small, eager, fun, and full of great people. The author is also small, eager, mostly fun, and legally advised not to comment further.
I NEED TO REBLOG THIS AGAIN, GO LOOK WHAT @hum0r0us THE LITTLE GREEN ASHCOMBE ALIEN DID!
LOOK AT CHELS. LOOK AT ROBBIE. LOOK AT IZZY. LOOK AT THEM. I want to kiss all their stupid little faces and then immediately write them into absolutely terrible situations. LOOK, IZZY HAS A RANCID HOODIE ON. LOOK.
Seriously, getting fanart of your ridiculous beloved OCs is one of the biggest compliments an author can receive. I am currently basking on a gorgeous (maybe velvet?) fainting couch, being fanned by beautiful oiled people, using text-to-speech on Google Docs like, “Alexa, please write me a deeply self-indulgent new Ashcombe AU. Chop chop.” (imagine that in the poshest voice possible).
I am so in love with our tiny little fandom, and I want to invite every single one of you to join us. Come read. Come suffer. Come hang out. The tea is hot, the teenagers are terrible, and the people are very fun and full of deeply cursed ideas (and I am nothing but an enabler).
ASHCOMBE @ AO3
Have you ever wanted to bring home a terrible teenager?
Come read ASHCOMBE on AO3: completed on AO3 / explicit original work boarding school m/m romance novel / 169k / terrible teenagers seeking loving readers.
Good news! Ashcombe Hall is opening its doors for one day only, and our current residents are seeking patient, loving homes with strong nerves and a high tolerance for rugby talk, yearning, emotional repression, and teenagers who communicate primarily through bad decisions.
All cast members come with age-appropriate baggage and at least one scene where they should absolutely have known better.
Please adopt responsibly.
Come read ASHCOMBE on AO3.
Completed / explicit / original m/m boarding school romance / 169k words / first love, rugby, yearning, terrible teenagers, and the emotional hazards of being sixteen / ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN
Prequel of WESTRAY (queer second chance at love)
Also to be read: EAST WORKS (the collection of AUs and one-shots for Ashcombe universe)
All teenagers come non-microchipped, emotionally under-socialised, and with varying degrees of trauma.
Descriptions of our adoptables under the "keep reading" line.
ROBBIE MCALLISTER
Small but sturdy working breed. Responds poorly to sudden affection and direct questions. Excellent recall on a rugby pitch, terrible recall when asked to name an emotion. May growl when frightened but is secretly very loyal. Best placed in a patient home with access to tea and one dramatic American boy to herd.
ISAIAH “IZZY” WALKER
Imported long-limbed show creature. Nervous, clever, decorative, and prone to theatrical displays. Not suitable for households with strict religious doctrine or poor cassette storage. Will bond intensely with a emotionally unavailable rugby player and make this everyone’s problem.
JAMIE SINGH
Quiet observation animal. Low-maintenance on the surface, and excellent with secrets, poor with nonsense, may stare directly into your soul if you lie. Best kept in a calm environment with occasional access to chaos for enrichment.
TOM FLETCHER
Large friendly golden retriever: cheerful, loud, physically affectionate, and good with most people. May attempt to solve complex problems by grinning or clapping someone roughly on the shoulder.
ELLIE CARTER
Tiny fox-terrier gremlin. Highly intelligent, food-motivated, and not to be trusted near gossip or unattended secrets. Will steal your snacks, heart, dignity, and potentially your legal arguments. Requires firm boundaries, which she will promptly ignore.
CHELSEA TURNER
Sleek black cat in eyeliner. Independent, sharp, affectionate on her own terms, and capable of drawing blood with one look. Not a starter pet. Best suited to homes that respect her intelligence and do not waste her fucking time. May adopt confused queer boys against her better judgment.
FREDDY BRUDENELL-FITZWILLIAM
Expensive pedigree bastard. Beautiful coat, questionable instincts, may become smug if praised. Requires socialisation, finer things in life, and possibly a bell around his neck so working-class scholarship boys can hear him coming.
HANNAH CLARKE
Practical working dog with excellent posture. Capable, dry, and not impressed by your nonsense. Good in emergencies. Best suited to people who understand that affection can look like telling you to stop being a twat.
SOPHIE LANE
Soft-looking but not actually soft. Elegant house cat with excellent earrings and quiet judgment. May appear gentle until provoked, at which point you will discover she has claws and a detailed memory. Good with girls, gossip, and emotional triage.
All adoptions are final. Ashcombe Hall accepts no responsibility for sudden attachment to fictional teenagers, rugby-related yearning, or the discovery that your favourite character is, in fact, a small feral imaginary creature in school uniform.
Come read ASHCOMBE on AO3.
Completed / explicit / original m/m boarding school romance / 169k words / first love, rugby, yearning, terrible teenagers, and the emotional hazards of being sixteen / ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN
Prequel of WESTRAY (queer second chance at love)
Also to be read: EAST WORKS (the collection of AUs and one-shots for ASHCOMBE universe)
❗❗ Art potraits generated at Picrew, either with makowka OC maker or makowka character maker II - if you fall into this rabbit hole, please be prepared to spend an hour or three.❗❗
Guess what? As a writer, there is truly no better feeling than this.
I got happily SWATted by a reader who had apparently been reading Ashcombe in silence and then suddenly surprise-commented on the final chapters like a beautiful emotional flashbang through my AO3 inbox.
Made my whole day. Possibly my whole week. I have been so pleased with myself that I am now unbearable to be around, which is unfortunate for my household, but wonderful for the local author goblin.
Anyway! Author updates attached to the same happy little post, because everyone loves a multitasker.
❤️🩹 WESTRAY chapter 16 is out on AO3.
Second chances! Adult feelings! Old damage in better clothes! Two grown men continuing their brave campaign against saying anything directly!
🫀 EAST WORKS has also been updated on AO3.
There are now 10k words of Chelsea, Izzy, and Robbie making questionable decisions while naked. Please read the warnings before proceeding. The forbidden archive is forbidden for a reason, and that reason is 99% me.
❤️ ASHCOMBE has nothing new today, because it is already completed on AO3, but the emotional trauma, terrible teenagers, rugby, yearning, and boarding school atmosphere remain available for all your checking-yourself-into-fictional-institution needs.
And, if I have time and brain juice tomorrow, I may officially start drafting Ashcombe universe book #3.
More on that later. The goblin is stirring. The Google Docs are looking at me with their beady little eyes.
Bernie tells the truth here: comment on your local author goblin’s works. Throw enrichment into their enclosure.
boarding schools, LONGFICS with sequels, first love, religious repression, rugby boys, dorm room yearning, institutional menace, 90s music, funny teenage idiots, devastating intimacy, and the horror of being watched by adults who think they know what’s best for you...
try ASHCOMBE by housemasterwilkes on AO3
169k words (+ sequel available) / completed / explicit / 1993, one gay Mormon disaster boy, one boarding school, one short rugby-obsessed roommate, infinite yearning and institutional horror
If you liked Young Royals for the institution, secrecy, class tension, and awful adults: try Ashcombe.
If you liked Heartstopper but thought, “what if everyone was worse, needed therapy and the school had worse heating?” try Ashcombe.
And, if you fall in love, there is a sequel to Ashcombe as well. Same idiots, better wardrobes, worse coping skills.
Ashcombe asks: who am I, if I’m not what they made me?
Westray asks: what did I become when I had to survive without you?
Gorgeous character art is by @cursedartistnelari - go get a commission!
I did my routine AO3 check this morning and saw good ol’ Ashcombe hitting 1000 hits! I remember when it had 16 and I was so pumped about it. 16 real people, looking at what I’d made.
I think it’s really cool that people find original works on AO3, too. I know the traffic isn’t the same as with fanfiction (AO3 is built for fandom, after all) and original work authors don’t have the privilege of a pre-existing audience showing up for characters they already love. But 1000 hits is huge!! It feels huge!!
Just for the logbooks: Westray is also at 245 hits, which is absolutely magnificent for a WIP sequel that isn’t even fully out yet. East Works has 106 hits, and I see you, I am concerned, and I love you all. Ashcombe on Wattpad has the full angel number: 777.
I am so pleased. Doing little happy dances in the original work trenches. Twirling a lock of hair around my finger. Squealing. Also eating breakfast and checking my emails, but those are not mutually exclusive activities.
❤️ ASHCOMBE: original work queer boarding school slowburn novel with smooching, rugby, emotional damage, terrible teenagers, idiots in love, and fixing your roommate’s tie. Completed on AO3 + Wattpad. EXPLICIT.
❤️🩹 WESTRAY: same idiots but later. A second-chance romance novel with a happy ending, adult careers, renovation as a shitty metaphor, also smooching, less rugby, and more smooching. 28/45 chapters out now on AO3. EXPLICIT.
🫀 EAST WORKS: my dumping ground for Ashcombe universe one-shots. AUs, alternative timelines, ₊˚✩ smut *ੈ✩‧₊˚, dilly-dallying, some traces of rugby, and general shenanigans. 8 one-shots out on AO3. EXPLICIT.
ASHCOMBE by housemasterwilkes on AO3
Come read and hang out. The fandom is small, eager, fun, and full of great people. The author is also small, eager, mostly fun, and legally advised not to comment further.
second chances, LONGFICS, queer reunions, corporate menace and a builder/caretaker, found family, terrible coping mechanisms, devastating intimacy, northern UK, yearning, and two men in their thirties discovering that never stopping loving someone is not the same thing as knowing how to live with them…
try WESTRAY by housemasterwilkes on AO3
💙 28/45 chapters / WIP / explicit / 2011 / sequel to Ashcombe but works as a standalone / original queer lit fiction
seventeen years after boarding school: one polished media disaster, one short & emotionally constipated builder, one catastrophically unfinished flat, several decades of unresolved grief, and a guaranteed happy ending
If you like second-chance romance but wished the characters had full adult lives: try Westray.
If you like “they never got over each other” but hate when that means neither character was allowed to grow up: try Westray.
If you think practical care should count as foreplay, emotional confession, and structural repair: unfortunately, this book was built specifically to harm you. yay! how fun! Westray!
You can read Westray without Ashcombe.
Reading Ashcombe first will simply make everything hurt significantly worse and make you find little hints everywhere.
Ashcombe asks: who am I, if I’m not what they made me?
Westray asks: what did I become when I had to survive without you?
—and, eventually: can I come back into one piece?
Header art by lovely, gorgeous, talented, funny, gentle, witchy and whimsical @rocksaltandroll.
boarding schools, LONGFICS with sequels, first love, religious repression, rugby boys, dorm room yearning, institutional menace, 90s music, funny teenage idiots, devastating intimacy, and the horror of being watched by adults who think they know what’s best for you...
try ASHCOMBE by housemasterwilkes on AO3
169k words (+ sequel available) / completed / explicit / 1993, one gay Mormon disaster boy, one boarding school, one short rugby-obsessed roommate, infinite yearning and institutional horror
If you liked Young Royals for the institution, secrecy, class tension, and awful adults: try Ashcombe.
If you liked Heartstopper but thought, “what if everyone was worse, needed therapy and the school had worse heating?” try Ashcombe.
And, if you fall in love, there is a sequel to Ashcombe as well. Same idiots, better wardrobes, worse coping skills.
Ashcombe asks: who am I, if I’m not what they made me?
Westray asks: what did I become when I had to survive without you?
Gorgeous character art is by @cursedartistnelari - go get a commission!
It's that time of day my darlings! Tell us some wonderful little details for your original writing project or work in progress my dears! (No fanfiction please- it's a wonderful medium but not the focus of this blog post.)
TODAY'S QUESTION:
Let us now speak of one of my favorite things! Archetypes! Next let's do The Myers-Briggs "Squad" Tropes, my loves. Which suits an any of your characters?
OHH, this is gonna be fun, thanks for the idea @orangelizardtattoo. I don’t buy the science behind Myers-Briggs character tropes, BUT I do think they’re an extremely fun tool of analysis. A bit like tarot cards!
Izzy is my obvious performer: fast mouth, big feelings, dramatic exits, jokes as smoke bombs, emotional intelligence used mostly as a weapon against himself. He has the ENFP/ENTP-ish disaster energy of someone who can read a room instantly, charm half of it, offend the other half, and then go home to overthink one sentence for six hours.
Robbie looks simpler on the outside: practical, grounded, quiet, stubborn, physical, loyal, deeply allergic to naming feelings out loud. Very ISTP/ISFP/ISTJ in the trope sense: a man of acts of service, fixed routines, and emotional repression installed at factory settings.
But the real squad trope is this: Izzy is the chaos strategist pretending he has no needs. Robbie is the reluctant protector pretending he has no feelings.
Together they are “the mouthy one who wants to be known but is terrified of being seen” and “the quiet one who sees everything and would rather die than say so directly.”
Which is why they are so awful and so fun to write!! Izzy sets emotional fires because silence feels unsafe. Robbie puts them out, sometimes in a very rude manner.
ASHCOMBE - the haunted 1990s boarding school novel
WESTRAY - the 2010s second chance at love of the same idiots
both explicit + by housemasterwilkes on AO3
