[Idea Advice] Imprinting/Mate Bonds as Brainwashing

[Yadal]

I've got some ideas for where this story might go, but although I have ideas I really don't know how to make the story "go anywhere" in a natural progression. Requesting advice on how to turn my half baked ideas into a good plan.

Core Idea: A character who views Imprinting or Mate Bonds as nothing more than brainwashing, and is as disgusted by them as characters in Radiance are by Chelsea's powers. They may be around others who seem these things similarly and spark off a major argument with outsiders, alternately they're on their own.

All I've got right now is abstract ideas. I'm not sure how good they are in principle, but even if they are the story risks turning into a bunch of 'things that happened' rather than a unified plot. The story simply rolls towards a single inevitable conclusion, and isn't particularly subtle about where it's going. Maybe I can fix that somehow?

Werewolf:
For a supernatural creature, I figured a Werewolf would make for more drama than a Vampire. A Vampire in the post-Radiance world would probably have chosen to become one and such bonds are usually reciprocal. A Werewolf faces a one-sided bond more comparable to slavery, a social group likely to put them under severe pressure making drama easier to write, and the possibility that after their Imprint dies they may be broken badly enough to die themselves to motivate them.

After becoming a Werewolf (probably not wanting it), the character wants to lock themselves up in the room, get an Internet job or other job they can do without seeing anyone they might imprint on, and not be reduced to what they see by phasing with others. The rest of the pack don't like this, but nobody's arguments can budge them.
(EDIT: Thinking about it later I can see the Internet idea sounding a bit dumb. But if they were careful to only check a single website with no photos on it, plus perhaps a few online games where it wasn't an issue, I could see it working)

Drama points are an Alpha having to make their decision about whether to allow this, people arguing with them, resentment from the pack when they are down one member, and a highly untactful Werewolf ruffling feathers by comparing the Imprint bond to Chelsea. As a possible twist, a tactless idiot tries to trick a woman into going to see this untactful Werewolf, making him angry and arguably everyone else.

Human:
I think this is an inferior idea, but putting it for the sake of completeness.

A human wouldn't be so likely to have strong views, so I'll say that after having been exposed to a movement who casually argue that these bonds are brainwashing (it emerged in reality in Twilight Anti-Imprinting fanfics, so why not here?), they are persuaded when a friend who became a vampire changed drastically all for the sake of a mate who didn't even want to turn. Their "allies" are unpassionate but believe (honestly believe, mind you) for half-baked philosophical reasons, whilst the 'protagonist' takes a far more active effort because they don't want to be responsible for something like that.

The protagonist is likely not to be irresponsible about this, but they aren't perfect so eventually a mistake leads to a Vampire mate bond (statistically far, far more likely and no reason why not), or possibly the Werewolf protagonist outlined above for extra drama. This character is familiar enough with Chelsea that they are highly hurt when the Protagonist denounces the bond as nothing more than brainwashing and refuses to have anything to do with it.

The Imprinted Wolf/Mated Vampire's social group don't like what is happening to them, so they try do something about it. I would have the Mated Vampire know Alice so her power can get denounced as manipulation but it's too implausible. The scenario basically splits into two variants:

A- The Werewolf/Vampire wanted to find an imprint/mate, but the Protagonist argues that they're not going to be some sort of slave-master nor are they going to get "roofied" (not accurate, but close enough somebody might say it) themselves. I could add that the Protagonist doesn't want a super-intense relationship, perhaps out of fear of commitment or because they want both themselves and their love to have lives outside of each other feeling anything else is evil and unhealthy.

This scenario probably ends in tragedy realistically, although it is at least dramatically compatible with a happy ending.

B- The Werewolf/Vampire did not want to find a mate. In this scenario, the Protagonist has a good point (the most plausible utilitarianism is Preference Utilitarianism, I might point out), but pragmatists could argue that now it's happened there is no practical choice left.

Either way, good drama ideas include the Protagonist having trouble getting a date because the date sees them as taken, friends of the Werewolf/Vampire's reactions to how they are feeling, how the Werewolf/Vampire feels when their 'true love' doesn't want anything to do with them, and the Protagonist getting a bad reputation and having to do something about it.

Either way, the Protagonist gradually growing old and dying out of sheer stubborness could make for effective drama as the Werewolf/Vampire struggles with knowing it is happening as well as sheer feelings of rejection.

[Nemo]

Especially if they're human, would they also have to avoid pictures of themselves getting out? If someone visits their family and sees an old photo, that could be a vampire mate bond right there. And then they have a vampire thoroughly dedicated to finding them, and their family might well take the vampire's side.

Edit: Hang on, that's a thing, isn't it. Rich people are definitely putting their faces on billboards just in case the right vampire walks by. The protagonist's reaction can be interestingly negative.

[Yadal]

If I remember correctly, there hasn't been a single mate bond in Luminosity/Radiance canon on a werewolf, and reason to suspect it's impossible (although Petra/Brady is hardly proof, it is evidence).

Thanks for the advice. That's definitely a plausible way they could stuff it up.

[Yadal]

Still not sure of the idea because of the weaknesses I've pointed out. I'll make one last post trying to actually write it out to garner interest. If it's still not looking good I'll give it up.

[Bluelantern]

I am currently away from home, but I will give a reply tomorrow

[Yadal]

I am currently away from home, but I will give a reply tomorrow

Got it. Thanks in advance.

[Bluelantern]

So I will elaborate more later but a few pointers

maybe you could consider hybrids protagonists? Not every child of a vampire might think their parent's eternal love is that great, or they can be a second generation.

How would you character is going to react to Elspeth? would they make their best effort to avoid listening to her?

Either way, good drama ideas include the Protagonist having trouble getting a date because the date sees them as taken, friends of the Werewolf/Vampire's reactions to how they are feeling, how the Werewolf/Vampire feels when their 'true love' doesn't want anything to do with them, and the Protagonist getting a bad reputation and having to do something about it.

Either way, the Protagonist gradually growing old and dying out of sheer stubborness could make for effective drama as the Werewolf/Vampire struggles with knowing it is happening as well as sheer feelings of rejection.

The Protagonist might die early from any cause that you find suitable too.

alternatively: the Werewolf/Vampire can die earlier, bringing some "closure" to the protagonist "plight".

[Yadal]

A Hybrid protagonist in the place of the human one... that's a very good idea. The Hybrid's father didn't want a mate bond before they got one, but said Hybrid still thinks it's nothing more than brainwashing. The Vampire who has mated on this particular Hybrid was somebody who didn't want a mate bond and probably would have seen it as brainwashing beforehand.

EDIT: Come to think of it, what if Alliera had kids some day? I don't have much faith in my ability to characterise her, but I figure that could be very interesting...

Elspeth would be an interesting plot twist, but I don't buy that she can get involved with as many relationships as she does in metafanfiction. I'm worried about the plausibility of that. If I suspend disbelief though, I see two possibilities. Either the character ends up believing inconvienient things because of Elpseth and struggles against them, or they see Elpseth's power as brainwashing (Justification: Elpseth can make mistakes, and no matter how careful she is her power influences people to believe them) and avoids her as well.

The Protagonist or the Werewolf/Vampire could die early, I agree. But that's a less dramatic ending, and it's not necessary based on the logic of the situation.

[Alicorn]

Allirea canonically had kids. They're enumerated in Flashes.

[Yadal]

Oops. A bit too old for my purposes, those ones.

A grandchild of Allirea's (or Allirea having another one post-Radiance) is possible, I suppose. The former isn't interesting though and the latter is it a bit implausible.

Alicorn, if you're responding anyway question. I don't want to oblige you, but this is just in case. Given the nature of the Human story as I outlined, what are the odds Elpseth would get involved realistically? How would she act if she did? Assuming that my character is self-consistent enough as to qualify as believing that these bonds are nothing more than brainwashing, what would you consider the natural result?

EDIT: The Wolf one is pushing it, but if you're alright with that just checking. I believe realistically Elpseth would not get involved in that, but confirmation would be useful.
EDIT TWO: Also say that the Vampire was somebody who didn't want a mate bond for some reason, but screwed up themselves. How would that affect Elpseth's most likely IC reaction?