#and y'know. open marriages / polyamory is a thing. (^:

[tonberry-yoda]

°afab her/she

°Bi

°One piece or Overwatch

°Don't really wanna be paired with Sanji lol also not any one piece girls that I'm into except maybe Madam Shyarly and also not into Tracer or Mei

°I'm really freaking shy. I'm usually calm but sometimes depends on the mood so I can be easily annoyed, patient but not that patient. I'm ngl I'm lazy haha, I'm usually pretty stubborn and take some explaining for me to change my mind about something, reserved, very quiet in the beginning but when I get to know someone I'll slowly open up and can be quite talkative if I'm in the mood for it. I like to tickle people (that I'm close enough with) that are ticklish,

°Out of a relationship I want a life partner but def no kids (and leaning no towards marriage), a person I can always go to for whatever it is, no polyamory tbh,

°I love stargazing, playing video games, meditating, listening to music, working out is nice, cooking, hikes (but not like the super crazy ones where you need some equipment) shwimming, worldbuilding, drawing like architecture type stuff, tryna get into caring for plants and things I'm interested in are the ocean - I just love everything about it (the animals, the way it looks both under it and above such as the waves/shore and coral reefs), space (I find it fascinating, like whats out there y'know? And not to mention how beautiful it looks), I love philosophy (can have a bunch of interesting debates y'know?) Also thinking of learning to play guitar later on

°My wardrobe mostly consists of black clothes, band shirts (rock genre), skinny jeans - mainly also black but some have like red patterns and some have like pockets and zippers; think hot topic for an idea, I do have a few things that aren't like that like sweat pants, hoodies, some shorts I'd pair with tights. I paint my nails (mostly black) and I wanna have tattoos one day not sure which kind yet tho - leaning towards oceany beachy vibes or cyberpunk vibes, maybe a few space ones here and there.

°My type of guy is assertive, calm, quiet, - although I don't mind a more different kinda guy like more rowdy and whatnot. I like guys that are kinda blunt (if they know how to be blunt without being rude although I may sometimes overlook the rudeness depending) attractive, don't care for height although most people are taller than me, loyalty. As for girls same could be said for girls. Lookswise I like both of them to be more on the masculine side. Also if you wanna choose a non-human character for me I'd more than welcome it haha be it an omnic or fishman although no minks.. Not really into them tbh

°My music taste is mainly rock (a lot of rock subgenres I like but some I really love are here) and especially metal but I do love a few other genres that I'll listen to every once in a while such as r&b, electronic, pop, and some reggae but reggae is kinda rare for me mainly reggae that's got like a beach vibe going.. unless that's what the reggae seen is? Idk if there's reggae songs that don't have beach vibes but anyways! Also rock reggae is cool and so is ska punk or skate punk; that skateboarder (I think it could be known as that? Maybe im wrong idk lol I blame my crappy memory) music also gives me the beach vibes and there's been quite a few songs and couple o bands I enjoyed in that genre.

°My love language is quality time together and gifts, I can be pretty materialistic (not that much tho) as I just love shopping.

°Idk if mbti types could help but Im an Intp and I know zodiacs are just for fun but my zodiac is actually a lot like me which is Aries~ I also tend to have a preference more towards men than women; tend to like guys more often. I like my space so I can be alone from time to time - It's pretty nice and relaxing

-Thanks for letting me add stuff I forgot btw!!

notes - Hey anon! Your patience means the world to me and I really hope that you enjoy this! My apologies for the hiatus, but hey, I'm not getting paid to do this anyway lol. I really hope you have a super day and enjoy the matchup :)

THE CHARACTER I CHOSE FOR YOU IS...

ARLONG !!

it just really fits

the beachy vibe, the love for philosophy and architecture, I just see y'all

he's a super blunt man, and you love that about him

and he loves you with all his heart. it's a lot of admiration for you. he just loves the things your passionate about and could listen to you all day

you two work really well together and travel a lot together

he overall just appreciates you as someone he can have by his side

bro spoils you. if your love language is gift giving, just know you will be showered with gifts

he's honestly the perfect partner to just work with and travel with that will meet your needs with lots of love <3

[multiplayr]

"At least you and Gabe managed to have families."

Jack associates both Ana and Gabriel with having a family. In context, this statement implies Gabriel had a spouse and even a child(ren), comparative to Ana’s situation: she was married at one point, and had a daughter, Fareeha. It does not elaborate further regarding Gabriel’s marital status, but we can know with some confidence that, at the very least, Gabriel had a child, and he was a father. Otherwise, why associate Gabriel and Ana together, as having families, in contrast to Jack’s inability to have a family (Jack Morrison was not married, and it is unclear if he has children)? 

Marriage and relationships with Special Forces and Special Operations are often complicated, and it isn’t infrequent to have divorces, break-ups, and even infidelity occur. Soldiers (in particular, Special Operations, given their frequent deployments and classified information they are not permitted to bring home) and their relationships are often strained, or distant. The Overwatch organization is not exempt, and both Ana Amari and Jack Morrison have had long-term relationships that did not last. In contrast, Torbjorn Lindholm has a loving wife, and several children and/or grandchildren-----  here, we have a canon example of a relationship working out.  A marriage or relationship prevailing is not unheard of, either.  

It is confirmed that the family Reaper was observing was not a random family. Given Gabriel’s current age as Reaper (58), we can assume that the family was either one of his children (and grandchildren), or less likely a spouse who remarried. At the very least, knowing that Gabriel had had a family before the fall of Overwatch & the Swiss Headquarters explosion would partly explain and even justify Gabriel’s deep, unfettered anger and hatred for Overwatch, and what “he” had done to him: 

“He did this to me, Ana. They left me to become this thing.”

Gabriel Reyes had not only lost his “humanity,” he also lost his family; his life, in every sense of the word. In canon, the sentience and humanity of cyborgs is disputed and controversial, as evidenced from Genji Shimada’s interactions with others. It would also explain Gabriel’s perceived desperation in researching genetics: recruiting Moira O'deorain, a controversial geneticist and genetic pioneer, to experiment on him, upon his explicit consent:    

“She was personally recruited by Blackwatch's commander, Gabriel Reyes, who wanted someone who could help advise him on matters pertaining to genetics.”

Gabriel was a man with something to lose, everything to lose. He was willing to take risks to avoid the inevitable: he was dying. The augmentation and experimentation done to him under the Soldier Enhancement Program was allegedly killing him. He did not want to die, because he had a family, a career, and a duty to uphold the reason Blackwatch existed at all.  

Gabriel was married, even throughout his career as Blackwatch’s Commander. He was a father, and a deeply family-oriented man who compartmentalized and organized his time with his family (both biological and emotional), and his work. Blackwatch, under the United Nations’ Special Operations Group and Special Activities Division, could not divulge the nature of their profession to “outsiders” (neighbors, teachers, girlfriends/boyfriends, civilians in general). Only his immediate family knew, to an extent, that he was a member of the secret cadre within Overwatch known as Blackwatch.  

Gabriel inevitably “dies” in 2071, in the middle of a United Nations investigation against Overwatch, as an alleged coup broke out at the Overwatch Swiss Headquarters in Zurich which caused an explosion. His spouse, a widow. His children, fatherless. They could not even bury him. 

[lyraeon]

If you want success stories, I've got dozens of them - all anecdotal, since they're people I know in real life, but every comment on this post is #opinionz anyway so it's not like I'm muddying the data quality here.

I knew a lesbian thruple who were together for 6 years, living together for 4 of it, before one's career took her so far across the country that she and the couple broke up amicably rather than stress themselves with the distance.

On the flip side of that, a guy I know's husband has a girlfriend in another country. Married couple has been married around eight years and has two kids together. Last I heard they are actually organizing things so that the currently married couple is going to divorce and he's going to marry his girlfriend to get citizenship more quickly, so that he can get his transition covered by the government. His husband and their kids will follow, but that will be more complicated, sadly.

There's a married thruple of bears who frequent social events my best friend goes to. They range from 45-60 years old; two of them have been together since the 30s, the younger one joined them over 12 years ago. When marriage got legalized, one of the older two actually legally married the younger one, not his longer term partner, because the younger guy he had the best insurance of them all and he wanted to get his diabetes treated cheaper. Thank goodness he did - he was diagnosed with cancer only a year or so later. They're an open relationship, so occasionally there's others with them, sometimes just for a night and at one point for nearly two years... But since it's, y'know, consensual, all of them are fully aware of who the others are seeing at any point, and they often all date the same guy as a unit.

Years ago, I was with both a guy and a gal at the same time. I'd known for a long time I was polyamorous, especially as my feelings for my ex had been hard to shake for most my relationship with that boyfriend - but while I was with him I also realized I was pansexual, and after ages of consideration, asked his permission to date others too in order to feel that out. Again, it's consensual polyamory, not cheating. I went on a couple dates here add there with girls, but most ran off at the mention that the other partner I had wasn't a woman - gold star lesbians and all that, nevermind that he didn't want to be involved with whoever else I might date. I spent found myself falling for a woman I'd known for a while, but was pretty sure she wss straight - so when she confessed to me she might be bi, I asked her out immediately, and she confirmed that was why she told me. I dated both them at the same time for about two years, during which time she got a boyfriend, who I became good friends with, and another girlfriend, who I didn't get to talk to much beyond her introducing her to me.

Meanwhile my boyfriend asked about her frequently, but refused to ever meet her... That should have been the red flag right there, mind you. He broke up with me after a few months of escalating arguments, ending it by telling me he'd been cheating on me for months. I asked him why he hadn't just told me - I would have been fine with him being with this other girl too. He told me it was half because he didn't want her knowing about me, and half because it had let him feel like he was getting even with me. Apparently he'd only given me permission thinking that I'd go fuck a girl, realize it wasn't for me, and "get it out of my system" - and rather than be honest with me at any point that he was uncomfortable, he let it fester for 18 months before that breakup. The stress of it put a huge strain on my relationship with my girlfriend, who felt guilty and responsible for the breakup, and she left me a few months later. We stayed friends, though.

You see the difference there? It was non-consensual, so out wasn't polyamory, it was cheating.

The man I started dating a couple years later knows I'm polyamorous, but I'm still pretty scarred from how things went with the other guy, so even though I trust him to be honest with me, I've been quick to squash any crushes I get, rather than risk anything. I genuinely am happy with him, and I try to tell myself my life is complicated enough without another partner... But I also sometimes wish I had some place to take out some of my clinginess, since he's much more introverted than me.

There's a genderfluid girl I know who's got three girlfriends and a boyfriend, ranging from 3 years with one girlfriend to about 10 months with the other 2, who are a married couple. She says she feels more attracted/attached to some than the others depending on how she's feeling gender-wise that day. All her girlfriends also think her boyfriend is hella cute, but he's super shy, so I doubt the polycule will close any time soon.

Another girl I know is asexual, but her girlfriend of 5+ years isn't. She's got permission to go have sex partners, so long as she's safe and smart about it. Some of them have been long-term friends with benefits, others are one night stands, but every time her girlfriend knows she won't be home that night. The adorable plot twist was that about a year and a half ago, one of her hookups turned out to be a sex-positive asexual who described the event as "one of those 3-4 nights a year I just really am not in the mood for plastic". They went out a couple more times after that, then she brought her home to meet her girlfriend - and the two of them hit it off right away. She moved in with them about 4 months ago.

An enby I know has both a girlfriend and a boyfriend (though the latter is having gender identity issues right now). They know each other exist, and have even sent each other small gifts through their shared partner, but prefer not to meet each other, since they're all long distance anyhow.

Then there's the girls who we all knew belonged together in high school who finally started dating two years out of it. One of them suddenly had a God crisis (which is what had kept them apart before), literally moved out in the middle of the night, and turned up three years later, married and pregnant with her second child. By five years later she was on her third husband (the first two had been Good Christian Men - who were also physically abusive, yay) and fourth kid, and called her ex girlfriend to hang out for old time's sake. It quickly became clear they still had chemistry, and I got a few middle of the night messages from the married girl that were trying to decide if she should leave her husband, even though she was super happy with him (this one genuinely wasn't abusive). She was scared she might cheat if it went on too long. I reminded her about my previous poly experience, and she decided to talk to her husband about it. He'd been scared he was going to lose her, because stories of her ex made it clear how made for each other they were, so he was thrilled and flattered she still loved him enough to want to stay with him with her soulmate back in the picture. When she asked the girl back out, she was helpfully told, "technically you never broke up with me". She's now married to and living with both of them (living for about 7 years, and the wedding to her wife was about 4 years ago), but her wife is a demisexual lesbian, so her two spouses are just close friends, not partners themselves.

That enough examples for you? Because these are just the situations I know the full story of off the top of my head, and I'm sure I can find more - I belong to multiple polyamory positive/focused fandom groups, so I've met plenty of poly people, though hilariously half the people above I just knew anyway, and I've thought of others I've gone back and added as I wrote this last paragraph. CONSENSUAL polyamory can be a great thing - but it's like any other relationship, you have to be willing to work at it to keep it healthy. Love isn't just something you feel, it's something you do.

Opinion question. Do you think poly-amorous relationship could be long term sustainable? (on individual basis, not societally) Would your answer change depending on genders of members?

1.  I hope so because I am poly.  I’d like to think they can be long term sustainable, so long as everyone is okay with what is going on.  That said, even a two-person relationship can be messy, so I think that it’s just a lot harder to work out.

2.  No it wouldn’t.