When Your "Funny Guy" Turns Into the Brooding Love Interest: A Writer's Confession

Or: How I Accidentally Created Another Grumpy MMC and Honestly, I'm Not Even Mad About It

Dear fellow fantasy romance addicts and chaos enablers,

I need to confess something. Remember how I promised you all a hilarious, witty male love interest in my new fantasy series? Someone who would crack jokes while slaying enemies and deliver one-liners that would make you snort-laugh your coffee?

Well, meet Reeve. My "funny guy" who somehow morphed into the human equivalent of a storm cloud with abandonment issues.

The Plan vs. The Reality

What I planned: A charming rogue who deflects trauma with humor, thinks he's hilarious (he's not), and probably trips over his own feet while trying to look cool.

What I got: A man who communicates exclusively in grunts, eye rolls, and the occasional earth-shattering observation delivered with the emotional range of granite. His idea of small talk is telling someone their herbs are "weeds" and their coordination rivals that of "a newborn foal."

Seriously, this man looked at sweet Emerin who literally grows healing plants and makes tea for people and decided his personality would be "aggressively unhelpful critic."

The Evolution of My Grumpy King

Now, I had hints about Reeve's true nature as early as book 1. There were... signs. Like the way he moved through scenes like a shadow with trust issues and spoke in sentences so clipped they could cut glass. But I was in denial! I kept thinking, "Surely he'll crack a joke soon. Surely he'll lighten up!"

But it wasn't until A Reflection of Shadow and Light (book 4) that I had to face the brutal truth: my "funny guy" was about as humorous as a funeral dirge. There he was, force-feeding medicine to someone's terrible mother and leaving cryptic notes like some sort of emotionally constipated poet, and I finally had to accept it.

My funny guy was grumpier than a cat in a thunderstorm.

Exhibit A: Reeve's "Humor"

When Emerin spills ingredients in the kitchen:

• What I wanted him to say: "Well, at least you're seasoning the floor. Very avant-garde cooking technique."

• What he actually said: "That was impressively graceless."

When she falls into a stream:

• What I wanted: "You know, most people use boats for water travel, but I admire your innovative approach."

• What he actually said: "Maybe you'll manage to drown properly next time."

I CANNOT with this man.

The Accidental Perfection

But here's the thing, and don't tell him I said this because his ego is already insufferable, somehow Mr. Emotionally-Constipated-Shadow-Man became absolutely perfect for the story.

While I was over here trying to craft witty banter, he was busy being the kind of love interest who:

• Brings rare herbs from dangerous territories because he "happened to be in the neighborhood"

• Force-feeds medicine to someone's awful mother (literally the most romantic thing ever??)

• Rescues heroines from courtyards and tends their wounds with the gentleness of someone who definitely has feelings but would rather die than admit it

• Leaves cryptic notes that say things like "Not a mistake. Just impossible." (SIR, WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?)

The Reeve Experience

Reading about Reeve is like being emotionally manipulated by a very attractive glacier. He'll spend three chapters barely acknowledging the heroine exists, then suddenly appear with healing herbs and meaningful glances that make you forget how to breathe.

He's the kind of MMC who will:

1. Mock your life choices

2. Disappear for days

3. Show up at your lowest moment with exactly what you need

4. Refuse to explain himself

5. Leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about brooding love interests

My Official Apology

So to all my readers expecting a comedian: I'm sorry. Instead of getting a funny guy, you got a man who treats emotional availability like it's a personal attack and considers "speaking in complete sentences" to be oversharing.

But also... you're welcome? Because honestly, who needs jokes when you can have a love interest who speaks exclusively in heated glances and protective gestures?

What's Next for Mr. Grumpy?

The good news? You might just see more of our emotionally unavailable king in the upcoming A Reflection of Deception and Devotion (YES. You heard it first here!) Book 5 has an official title and trust me when I say Reeve's journey is far from over. Will he finally learn to use his words like a normal human being? Will he continue to communicate through meaningful stares and protective hovering?

Only time will tell, but knowing him, he'll probably find new and creative ways to be devastatingly romantic while maintaining perfect emotional distance.

The Lesson Learned

Sometimes our characters know better than we do. I thought I needed a jokester, but what the story actually needed was someone who could stand toe-to-toe with a healer who underestimates her own strength. Someone whose idea of flirting is telling her that her "herbs aren't failures" and "neither is she."

So yes, Reeve is grumpy. Yes, he has the emotional communication skills of a particularly moody rock. But he's also the kind of MMC who will literally fight your battles while pretending he doesn't care, and honestly? That's its own kind of magic.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go write another scene where he says something devastatingly romantic while maintaining perfect emotional distance. It's become my specialty.

What about you, dear readers? Do you prefer the funny guys or the grumpy ones who secretly have hearts of gold? And more importantly, should I attempt another "funny" character, or just embrace my apparent talent for creating emotionally unavailable heartbreakers?

Let me know in the comments, and remember: if your book boyfriend isn't making you question your life choices while simultaneously making you weak in the knees, you're probably reading the wrong book.

Happy reading (and swooning),

LiAnne Kay

P.S. Yes, Reeve does eventually get his emotional breakthrough. No, I will not be spoiling when or how. But let's just say it involves a certain someone finally calling him out on his nonsense, and it's chef's kiss perfection.

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