Recent article I published (not really), thanks everyone who has contributed to this list for making it happen!!! 💗💕🙌❤️💖🫶

Reorganizing my TBR solely based on the male loserism potential to be encountered in the book

1. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, which seems like it’s almost entirely in Cazaril’s POV - “Cazaril is so miserable it’s almost comical. My poor old man (he’s barely 30)” (Pagebound user Nekoshka)

2. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan for Ouyang, who seems to be the main POV character other than the girlboss - “Competent in battle but a tragic meow meow when it comes to matters of the heart” (Pagebound user bbyoozi)

3. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie - every single one of the main 3 POVs are loser men, but the loserism and patheticism is sometimes a bit more subtle and only obvious to experienced connoisseurs like me. I recognize that this is what Abercrombie had to do in order to make sure the books appeal to straight male fantasy fans but he cannot fool me! Nevertheless, i had to bump this down a few spots due to the less overt nature of the patheticism

4. The Fox Wife by Yangzhe Choo - “somehow every man in that is pathetic in their own way, but i was thinking kuro fits this most of all” (Pagebound user azzyy). Not sure what the POV distribution looks like between loser males and others so this is in spot #4

5. The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes - “Guylag from The Works of Vermin is one of the poorest little meow meows i’ve seen” (Pagebound user the_rags). unclear on how many other POVs there are as of right now but this has shot up the TBR after a loser male was located and identified

6. The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow - I have multiple very trusted sources confirming that Owen is loser man central. however I also have a very trusted source talking about how Una and Vivian are both cool competent (and in the case of Vivian) gaslighting gatekeeping and girlbossing which somewhat detracts from the amount of loserism Owen can have just in terms of page space. Still very keen on this tho

7. Dracula by Bram Stoker - “I've read it a while ago so I'm not sure if it fits but I remember Harker being kind of a dumb dumb” (Pagebound user Valouz). Bumping it down a few spots because IDK how much of the narration is drac vs harker vs others and I will not be doing a single second of research for this list

Works Cited ayzrules. "Poor little meow meows (sci-fi & fantasy edition)". Pagebound, various contributors, https://pagebound.co/lists/d8374004-edd1-4f6e-b925-944d7f1dc10d.

I think Howl’s Moving Castle would fit nicely here -- I will cite specifically Howl’s hair tantrum scene where he somewhat dramatically yells “Despair! Anguish! Horror!”

god i love losers

since i believe in gender equality, i’ve posted a gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss list to go along with this one, for terrible women doing terrible things. again, i want everyone to know that i believe in gender equality so it’s of utmost importance that i announce this, because feminism

(also i don’t have enough characters to fit this link into the list description)

this list is gold. immediately bookmarked!

Can I recommend Ouyang from The Radiant Emperor Duology?

Since you are looking for suggestions: Assassin’s Apprentice for SURE. Poor Fitz

Art of Prophecy also would fall under this. Spoiled kid being picked for a prophecy that eventually doesn’t get fulfilled

Yes, Ayz!! May I offer The Devils by Joe Abercrombie? 3 out of the 4 main males are very pathetic 😂

Perfect.

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth would fit here, Dymitr is definitely a sad, tortured man

Not me thinking this was ‘books with a featured pet cat’ and running up to see which ones there were in addition to my sweet bb broccoli 🥦 😹

Arthur from Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake thrives on being pathetic 🙂‍↕️

You should definitely add The Curse of Chalion. Cazaril is so miserable it’s almost comical. My poor old man (he’s barely 30).

lmao I love this list and the books included

Oh!!! Several people have described Nic Miles from my fantasy novella The Awakening of Lora Abernathy as "God's wettest little meow meow, straight outta the cardboard box"! 😂😂

Quicksilver with Kingfisher.... I said what I said

this is fantastic, and i'm disappointed that i have no recs for this

Dracula ? I've read it a while ago so I'm not sure if it fits but I remember Harker being kind of a dumb dumb

Ayz if you open this to sci fi can I please suggest my boy Elijah Baley from The Caves of Steel? He swoons every time he goes outside bc outside is too big for him.

i’ll come back when i’ve finished the book i’m currently reading 🙈🙈🙈 ML seems like a really great contender for this list of patheiticism lol

BAHAHAHA

i love this list, but i fear i can only take so much male patheticism before i just never look in the direction of another man again (maybe this is a good thing??) lmao

Cardan from Holly Blacks The Cruel Prince The Folk of the Air Series gives me serious meow meow vibes. I do think he bucked up in the end / had his moments of non-meowness so I wonder if others would agree or disagree with me putting him forward for this list 😄

hi ayz i think about this list a lot and i have a suggestion! Guylag from The Works of Vermin is one of the poorest little meow meows i’ve seen.

Rand from the Wheel of Time is the epitome of a meow meow man 😂😂😂😂 he whines so much.

Midnight Ruin by Katee Roberts. The ex boyfriend is completely pathetic, and the fmc makes him crawl on the floor like a dog 😌

The title of this was too funny. 🤣 good job!

This is such an amazing list!! 🥰😊 I’m obsessed

I’ve read more of these than I would’ve expected 🤣🤣🤣

What a great list 😂 I would recommend Grimdale Graveyard Mysteries for a whole group of pitiful men. Also The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy and possibly The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue!

lmfao i like this genre

I have an nonfiction recommendation: an author who, because he wasn’t labeled gifted, decided to write a book about how to redefine intelligence. But all he does is whine about how he wasn’t identified as gifted. The book is filled with his envy and anger. There’s little science in it. It’s Ungifted by Scott Barry Kaufman. On second thought, don’t include it. It’s not a fun or even interesting read.

Howl of Howls Moving Castle is THE pathetic wet sobbing meow meow of all time that other meow meows only wish they were. The Wizard in Harvest of Hearts is also a miserable meow meow who’s heavily based on Howl

Okay not my poor little meow meow but you should add A Darker Shade of Magic because Holland is 1000% VE Schwab’s personal poor little meow meow, it’s so obvious he’s her favorite & she tortures him relentlessly

ACOTAR lol Tamlin

Since we’re including Shakespeare here can Richard II be on the list? He’s such a poor little meow meow that HENRY THE GODDAMN IV talked him into abdicating - a fool who thinks he’s the hero but also just wants to sit on a beach and cry.

And the poorest of Shakespeare’s (and history’s) meow meows, Henry VI, poor little guy. (Henry VI parts 1, 2 and 3, and Richard III)

thoughts on The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo? somehow every man in that is pathetic in their own way, but i was thinking kuro fits this most of all 🙂‍↕️

Well this gave me an excuse to read When Among Crows, and cross off a bingo square SCORE!

This list is amazing! 👏

“Our studies in male patheticology.” I am truly blessed to live in the timeline of our lords Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Pedro Pascal, and this list. 😭💖

is it mean if i say murderbot? it’s definitely my sad loser security unit, it just so happens to finally be improving through the power of friendship 🫶 edit: i suppose this is a tricky one since the list is for pathetic men and mb is agender, but i will also support murderbot and art going on the girlboss gatekeep list. for equality 🙂‍↕️

Shuos Jedao from Ninefox Gambit (Machineries of Empire), very much a kicked puppy and drowns in his own emptiness. He also has no life, literally, since he is (un)dead and everyone he knew (minus one guy who we hate and is also undead) died a few hundred years ago.

Why he falls into this category, in a nutshell: -lacks a body (dead) -mass murderer -gets kicked around by said other undead man -more things that might be considered spoilers, but just know that there is more.