#(i feel... like i'm forgetting some kind of relationship option LMAO)

[coeluvr]

So I just read the demo for the first time and… are you okay? Like do you need to talk to someone? Cuz holy shit, that was depressing. Don’t get me wrong, it was great, but I am just mentally, emotionally, and physically drained now (don’t ask me about that last part). All in all, I really enjoyed it, but I do have some thoughts.

Firstly, I don’t understand how anyone from Rosea (except for Hunter, Fadiya and her mom, and maybe Helios) has any fans. Like did they just forget that everyone else (including Lancelot) contributed to the total destruction of our family? Everyone’s over here shipping Lancelot and Luceris, and to be fair, if this was a different story I would too, but like… they’re the enemy? Speaking of Luceris…

Dude is on some shit. Like I get it’s the point, but everything about our relationship with him just feels weird and wrong, and I’m counting the days til we can kill him. Until then, I guess I’ll have to make do with disrespecting the memory of his dead wife at every opportunity. Also side note, but as a Straight Male tm it does feel a little weird having to fake a romance with another guy, especially a guy that’s like fifty years older than me lol (Luceris really isn’t beating the Catholic Priest allegations)

The rest of the cast are a lot of fun, and I’m glad they all at least have sympathy towards MC. I think Hunter is the coolest character ever and I want to be them, and Fadiya can do no wrong in my eyes. Vincent sucks, but I haven’t really spent much time with him so maybe that’ll change. Helios I feel sorry for. He’s a nice guy and I do like him a lot, but he’s unfortunately collateral damage in my crusade against Father Luceris. I hate that we have to hurt him to get revenge, but it feels very realistic and gives your decisions a lot more weight.

On the flip side, Soarine is perfect and has never done anything wrong in her life ever. If Soarine has a million fans, then I am one of them. If Soarine has ten fans, then I am one of them. If Soarine has only one fan then that is me. If Soarine has no fans, then that means I am no longer on earth. If the world is against Soarine, then I am against the world.

All in all, I love what you’re doing with this game, even if I do have to take a twenty minute break after each playthrough just to decompress lol. I can’t wait to see where this goes and am gonna stare at a wall until the next update drops. Thanks for making such an interesting story and give Soarine my love 💚

Lol hi, anon!

First of all, I'm fine 😭 I'm like that one happy guy that writes horror whose name I keep forgetting but I bet someone knows who I mean.

Regarding the characters from Rosea that are not all that great having fans, I don't know why that's unexpected to you if I am being honest lmao. In every fandom I've ever been in, there have always been people that like the antagonists. I enjoy Lancelot and Luceris' dynamic but I feel like that's to be expected since I literally created them. 💀 The day I write in all of the side couples you'll combust. /j

But also you don't have to fake a "romance" with Luceris? 😥💀 I can only think of the husband comments MC can make and those are entirely optional so...

I'm glad you like the other characters! Soarine is indeed everything. 🙇‍♀️

Thank you for your kind words! 💗

[seasideoranges]

❤: Which character do you think is the most egregiously mischaracterized by the fandom?

❤: Which character do you think is the most egregiously mischaracterized by the fandom?

Ask Game! OKAY SO I know this is asking for one specific character, buuuut I'm going to go through more than one character haha. To start;

Toph!

I was just talking about Toph in a server a couple of days ago, and I feel like people mischaracterize her a lot, but I kinda don't blame them! Toph is kind of a tricky character to write! But I read so many fics that just boil her down to "tough girl who doesn't take shit and bullies everyone" and like, yes, there is some truth to that, but she is also so much more! She's soft, she listens, she's genuinely a kind, good friend, despite her rough demeanor! There's a reason Sokka opens up for the first time about his mother with Toph.

Azula!

I adore Azula to bits, I love her, I want to see her get better and get another chance, but man, I hate how people lately have been woobifying the crap out of her lately (this happens to Iroh and Zuko too!!). I seen an argument on TikTok that Azula had a right to mortally wound Aang because it was SELF DEFENSE?! I thought OP was joking, but uh, nope, they were completely serious haha. You can't say you love 'problematic' characters only to try and make them 'unproblematic' as possible!

Aang!

I noticed that there's some people that hate Aang with a passion, so much so, that they'll try to paint him out as this sexist, abusive person/partner/father, and it bugs the hell out of me. Kind of makes me laugh a little too, seeing how powerful the haterism is towards this fictional 12 year old boy. This discourse especially gets worse when TLOK gets thrown into the mix and people try to paint him as a 'deadbeat' father, and some even try to compare him to Ozai?? It grosses me out, and the 'deadbeat' part is far from the truth! Words have meaning and weight to them, people!

Sokka!

Had to throw my fav in here of course. Here's the thing, people will either characterize Sokka as being nothing more than a dumb jokester, or they'll acknowledge that he's smart, but completely forget that he's incredibly grump, sarcastic, and skeptical which can lead him to be borderline cynical, especially in S1! There's also the whole "Sokka didn't really love his mom" discourse and, not to sound dramatic, but it makes me want to rip my hair out LMAO. I personally think that Sokka is one of the most interesting characters in ATLA and it kinda sucks seeing people gloss over him so much.

URSA!

Now this might be my most controversial take lmao. Before I start, I'm not saying Ursa was a perfect parent, and I wont be talking about the comics in this part, just strictly the show. But at this point, I almost feel like an Ursa defender because people greatly misinterpret her character and try to paint her to be just as bad as Ozai, especially when Azula is thrown into the mix. I'm sorry y'all, but I don't agree with the "Ursa was a 'boy' mom and favorited Zuko and abused Azula" takes. I don't think this was the case at all, and her relationship with Azula is so much more complex than that. People tend to forget that A) This was all Ozai's doing, he saw Azula as a weapon and put a wedge between her and the rest of her family (specifically Zuko and Ursa) and B) Ursa was also abused. She was an abused woman, trapped in a horrible situation, and wasn't left with a lot of great options or freedom.

Anyways I could talk about this all day with pretty much the rest of the Gaang, but I'll try and keep this from getting too long haha! AND AS ALWAYS, I don't want any discourse! I am always open for discussion! I love reading other peoples takes and I am always willing to change my views!

[bandluvr97]

mbb 🎅

Noooo, I wish I got paid the big bucks, I absolutely do not. I let boys flash their money instead.

That’s so amazing! I have friends who are social workers and I see how hard they work, I admire you for doing it. So are you like a case worker?

Shownu is the definition of Head Empty Face Pretty Heart Full. Changkyun is so correct for gnawing on him out of nowhere. Sometimes I forget how strong he is, and then he’ll do some insane dance move and boy HOW, but then gets off stage and wears sandals and socks unironically… But after dancing “Bad Girl” of course he gives off dad/husband vibes, he understands the milfs. Anyway I miss his vocals, Minhyuk’s doing great covering for him but he’s not Shownu.

Did you like Hyungwon’s look in “Love Killa” most? I loved his crazy Fight Club outfit.

SO glad Wonho’s back and doing well and happy. He deserves the whole world. He's so beloved and his big muscles are for hugging (and thirst traps, aka the two most important actions).

Dude, being by yourself to grow is great! Knowing what you want, and not compromising is the best decision. Yeah, lmao, I'm 29, of course I’ve dated. I'm basically an old spinster at this point, according to my dad. But I’ve had to be the bad guy too often, where they catch feelings when I don’t, and we have to deal with the fact I’m too selfish with my time and space to be good for someone. I’ve got shit to do.

Hey love ❤️ lol!!! Fair enough 😂😂😂 best to let people show off their financial worth lol is it fun to people watch or are you more into the behind the scenes stuff?

Oh yeah it can be tricky and a little difficult some days but for the most part it’s rewarding 👍 aw thank you love ❤️ that’s very sweet of you!! 😊😊 yeah I am a case worker in Canada but social wise in the states (only six months into the position and it’s great 👍)

“Head empty, face pretty, heart full” is a perfect way to describe shownu and it’s very accurate lol it makes him such an amazing leader and he’s just so calm and composed it’s a sense of comfort ❤️❤️❤️he really is correct with the gnawing of his arms like come on man have you see those?!?! The man literally is a human pillow it’s insane and he’s a comfort human if that makes sense lol what do you think about his arms? Oh yeah!! There was one dance that OT7 did with a cover song and shownu did a twirl and the splits like SIR!!!! Ooof!!! Them feels love them feels!! Right?? He is doing a great job as a step in but he’s going to get relief soon lol

I absolutely loved his look for fatal love era and love killa was the absolute bomb! He looked gorgeous with the long hair and he sounded amazing, his outfits were on point like it was so well done 👌👌👌👌 did you see the suits though?!?! Like whooo boy!

Amen to that though!! Very glad it was resolved and we have our baby boy back ❤️❤️❤️❤️ he’s just a ball of positivity and it’s lovely 😊 don’t get me started on the thirst traps love 😂😂😂 (heavy inhale of air) he was crazy for doing that and then acting innocent like jessi said “Disney face marvel body” 😂😂😂

Thanks love ❤️ and right??? Like do I want to explore the options? Absolutely 👍 am I ready for that at the age of 25? Not yet but I’m getting there lol plus I was looking for a friend to lover kind of vibe and the people I was talking to only wanted to have sex and rush into things right away and honestly im not into that right now (the rushing into things) but if I meet the person unexpectedly and we vibe then sure! But I’m in no rush for dating if that Ted talk explanation makes sense lol I get the working vibes honestly it’s hard to make the moves and feel genuine about stuff which makes total sense lol would you want to be in a relationship that’s genuine on both sides when there’s a calm lul period?

Hope the day went well ❤️

[fellstcr]

        byleth’s relationship call / permanent starter call !

    NOTE: by liking this post , you are letting the mun of this blog know that it’s okay to:

ask for your dms (privately!) / ping you in messages impromptu !

tag you in random starters !

send in random asks even when unprompted by memes !

basically you’re just formally letting me know that you’d not only like to form a unique bond with byleth IC, but that you’d be open to gaining a new rp partner who may or may not be randomly inclined to gush w/ you a whole lot without it being a bother  ;;v;; 

   p.s. if  you  run  multiple  blogs  (or  a  multimuse  ! ) please specify who/what for via reply so i can get back to you !

TIER — o1 .

                               ( enemies ! )

it takes a lot to get on byleth’s bad side, admittedly (unless you’re a slithers member). however, if your muse is a VILLAIN and you would like to lean into that full-stop versus a... fairly altruistic hero who has the ability to REWIND TIME, here’s the opportunity to! byleth has gone out of her way to stop crimes all across isola of her own accord, and has even joined a guild out of her need to shelter and protect. so it’s all fair game.

                               ( cat &. mouse. )

a step between enemies and rivals! generally speaking, if you would like to have your character engage in the occasional mental spar - or as i like to say, “play 4D chess”, there’s a place for that as well! byleth is not only very heroic but is more than capable (and willing) to get her hands dirty to get a job done. she’s also on board with morality debates, if that’s your muse’s cup of tea.

                               ( rivals. )

is your muse competitive? perhaps they wield a weapon themselves? well, byleth is a famed swordswoman in her homeland, and very rarely (if ever) bested in combat. if that’s something your muse would get hung up over, and would create a friendly rivalry, byleth can handle it. though, do note that it will most likely be a ONE SIDED rivalry. byleth just does not have very strong feelings about competition. she knows her worth as a warrior and has no qualms whether she wins or loses. (if anything, she’ll probably greatly commend you for being able to best her in combat. it so rarely happens.)

                               ( acquaintances. )

your standard meet and greet. byleth sees your muse around sometimes, yours sees her around sometimes. they say hi, might grab a cup of tea or stop by a bakery every now and again. just your classic friendly neighborhood pals doing pal things, without getting into the meat and potatoes.

TIER — o2 .

                               ( workmates.)

byleth works at THE LIONHEART GUILD alongside corvus and others. she is primarily an offensive unit, who also doubles as a medic. if you’re part of lionheart, or their partner guild NO-EX, feel free to hit byleth up! she’s always willing to spend time with her allies. strong bonds begets better results, as far as byleth is concerned.

byleth is also a seasoned COMMANDER, even if she can’t quite remember it in her main/isolan verse atm. so to work alongside her might also mean working under her command, or vice versa!  basically: she’s very, very used to working in team dynamics. both in positions of power and as part of the grunt work.

                               ( partners-in-crime. )

this is more for people who are closer to byleth (cast mate or no). but essentially , whether you work with byleth in lionheart or not, your muse could potentially be someone that byleth considers an equal as a warrior. someone she can count on to make swift decisions and watch her back! and whom she will protect in turn. someone who can be a partner-in-crime with byleth will very rarely need her to speak to understand what it is she needs to get done. of course, being strong allies on the battlefield will also tie into some tier o3 suggestions as well!

                                (mentor / mentee. )

this can work two different ways! if your muse is OLDER, then byleth would be the mentee. someone who byleth can grow close to and lean on. not quite a parental figure, per say, but certainly  someone that byleth can talk to when/if she decides she needs to seek counsel. if your muse is YOUNGER, then byleth can and has easily slipped into an older sibling role before! she’s a natural at it. so if your muse would like to have an older sibling who is quiet, but a very good listener - not to mention someone who will protect you from all harm - then byleth’s your girl! she is VERY good at what she does.

                               ( student / teacher. )

similar to the mentor/mentee, but with combat! byleth is a mercenary by trade and a teacher of combat arts by profession. she’s skilled with basically every kind of weapon you can think of. (swords are her specialty, but she’s also well-versed in bows, lances, axes, hand-to-hand, etc.) she’s also an INCREDIBLE tactician. she knows how to read a battlefield and conduct herself and her units accordingly. if this is an area of interest for growth for your muse, byleth is the person to learn from. :) she’s also willing to learn from others who are just as, if not more, skilled!

TIER — o3 .

                               ( close friends. )

//toots the b support horn// ! listen, byleth very much needs close friends in her life. people she can consistently go to when she’s feeling lonely and doesn’t want to be alone. she’ll be more likely to send a text/letter your way, and coordinate with you to spend time together. she also can and WILL go out of her way to memorize your favorite things and gift them for you, inevitably. those who reach this rank will find that byleth is an incredibly thoughtful and kind friend who will ALWAYS put your needs first. let her dote on your muse !!

                               ( ride or die. )

similar to close friends except you’re one of byleth’s Priority People. her inner circle. you know how introverts have about... 2-3 people they consistently hang out with/want in their lives? you’re one of the chosen few for byleth. (cast members of the blue lions and the church of seiros would automatically fall into this category! i’d also lump the ashen wolves into this category as well, considering what goes on in the DLC. students from the other houses can also fall here with pre-established relationships plotting. :3)

                               ( found family. )

this is the top tier of the top tier list. the bread and butter. the “byleth would actually lay down her life for you without hesitation and would do so GLADLY” vibes. if byleth considers you one of Her Own then there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for you. she’s a thousand times more likely to put her full and complete trust in your muse, which - of course - can be a double edged sword. people in this category, as well as “ride or die” , will find that byleth... is especially vulnerable at this stage. meaning that she’s more easily hurt. she’ll take your words into DEEP consideration, even if they’re negative and/or untrue. your word is god to her, and so to get to this level of relationship with byleth means that you will most definitely be taken VERY seriously by byleth, intentionally or no.

TIER — o4 .

                             ( misc. )

basically for anything i might have missed that might be worth discussing/exploring! i’m not... entirely sure what to put here tbh?? anything that requires substantial plotting/pre-planning/chemistry, basically. hmu, essentially. >:)

[yonkimint]

Yayayay for the everyday updates!

Sorry I didn't send an ask of my reactions to your chapters in a while, whenever I'd finish reading the update, I'd go to your account only to see that the option wasn't available and never really knew when you would allow asks again so I'd kind of forget about it along the way lmao, I am here now 🥲

SO

I won't lie like I was a little sad when Bogum broke up with yn after that double date (poor everyone that was chaotic wasn't it 😂😭) but he did it so nicely and let's say it, it was only a matter of time too, I do hope they remain maybe friends, you want a bogum in your life even if he's not a boyfriend but he's probably sad too, he really liked her 😭

As for Taehyung, him FINALLY admitting to his feelings and seeing them as they are, that's good! I was really happy when he was cornered with no ways of avoiding the truth, like just say it dammit! Lmao! But then he did and his worries are justified I do believe, it must be scary to love your best friend when it's such a special relationship, I really hope that they can talk about it soon, Taehyung really owes it to the both of them to just sit down and talk about how they feel, especially since he knows how about her love for him, I don't think it can end up worse than when they almost stopped all contacts

I really can't wait to see what you have prepared for us! Thank you for writing this gem of a story!

Oh, you might have been trying to send asks to @yonkimint-replies! That's my other account and I have asks disabled on it since it's just for replying to people's comments on the chapters and reblogging stuff so it doesn't clutter up the main blog haha!

And yes! Poor Bogum is gonna need some time to recover after everything he went through in that short amount of time but we wish him all the happiness in the world!

As for our two main idiots, they really do need to just sit down and talk but we'll see how quickly they get there!

Thank you for reading it! I'm excited to see what you think as we wrap things up in the next few weeks! 💜

[leyyvi]

Paychecks was beautiful as always. Thank you for letting me feast on this! Like there is so many layers to this and how it could go wrong from the letter, to Zeke, the sugar daddy thing, Eren, the family drama (ON BOTH SIDES!) Okay but even Ymir! Like she loves you and only want the best for you but I feel like she needs so much convincing that Levi wouldn’t hurt you before she’d be like on bored because she feels like he has all the power in the relationship! But it’s Levi and I’d like to think he’d die a little on the inside if he hurt you.

All I want is for Levi to grab your face and kiss you! Like- “And worst of all, he… Levi wants to kiss you.” -Oh my god, that hit! Like I was like “JUST DO IT!” Then he was distant! I was like legit falling out of my chair like sweet baby boi! Don’t hurt YOURSELF! I feel like the main person who isn’t going to let Levi be happy and have good things, is Levi!

And I saw that anon mention that what if someone else was the person saying- “hello?” -Cause its a damn question! And my mind is racing, with all the angsty options! A girl? Hange? Fucking zeke! Idk but fuck if I’m not already down the angst rabbit hole.

Specking of holes! The ass play in this!- “Never even touched your ass before but you'll do it so easily for me, won't you?" -this is just 🥵 like sir I’d let you do anything! Woof.(side note this man is gonna kiss your legit ass before he kisses you and it’s frustrating in ever sense of the word.) I can’t wait to read it again. And toys? Um yes. Would love for Levi to have the remote for a little vibrator when he takes you to dinner. Or little plugs to help you get use to him playing with your ass. 🤩 Then Levi and the breath play! THE BREATH PLAY! Ley! You’ve blessed me with masturbating Levi! The whole sense was so damn hot. How he can’t keep his mind on one particular sense. Thinking of all the things you’d let him try. Because you trust him! (Ugh there were so many good parts and I know I’m forgetting some of my notes but hakehsosj it was amazing and I don’t wanna overwhelm your inbox)

chris i fucking died reading this whole thing. Ymir's gonna be a hard person to convince. She does notttttt trust these kinds of men (with good reason tbh) and Levi's not giving the best of signs sometimes so yikes WE'LL SEE.

I think Levi is always going to be his own worst enemy/critic and the biggest hurdle for him is getting the self-confidence to believe he's worthy of love ;;; Please I'm laughing so hard because someone commented about the "Hello?" line and everyone just took that and ran with it and I can't say a single thing LOL

"side note this man is gonna kiss your legit ass before he kisses you and it’s frustrating in ever sense of the word." I LAUGHED SO LOUD AT THIS PLEASE i didnt even think about that honestly?? hdfjkjshdf smfdh levi

chris full disclosure there's so much stuff you've sent me that i cant expand on bc they were plans...for...certain...stories...possibly.. :D idk how you do it but you manage to propose ideas that i literally have in my drafts SO often lmao.

fully enjoying your commentary it was so funny to read thank you so much for keeping up with the story and sending such thoughtful msgs as always!! <3

[queer-crusader]

How do you think Silver & Flint's relationship would have evolved if things hadn't ended the way they did in S4? How do you think things would have progressed through time? I tend to think about the what ifs a lot. I'm just curious what your thoughts are on it.

OOFT. I mean i have many thoughts! It’s... very hard to say really. Because i think one thing Black Sails does incredibly well is the way it builds a story and a character. Many choices made in this show are so dependent on what the characters want and who they intrinsically are and how they influence each other (willingly/knowingly or not), and i feel like there are many very complex interwoven roads that led them to the conclusion they got to. Which is one of the many reasons the finale felt like such a tragedy; you know things are going to end badly because you kind of see it coming. And dear god it does hurt, even with Flint being reunited with Thomas.

So. I think there are two ways to answer this question, and you can sort of divide them into canon-ish versus fanon wish. These may not exactly be clearly indicated bc like i said i have Many Thoughts, and i apologise in advance 😅 Another thing i’ll be looking at here is something we had to lay out for our characters when i studied acting - the goals/objectives/motivations of the character, and their emotional/mental state. None of this is meant to be critical against any character. I simply adore analyising them and the paths of the story, and I love each and every character i talk about here deeply.

So, looking at that finale. There’s several things that i could take from what you say about things not ending the way they did - for now, i’m looking at the confrontation between Flint and Silver in the woods, where Silver forces Flint to quit his war and reunites him with Thomas.

Firstly, let’s analyse what we get from the canon, and what i believe motivates these characters to bring them to the point they end up at. There’s that famous line i think of Silver where he says he doesn’t know anymore where he ends and Flint begins - their thinking patterns have become so intertwined, they basically share a braincell. The tricky thing about this is, just because he and Flint think similarly, share tactics, and a knowledge of how to use people in their means, just because they understand each other well, doesn’t mean they share opinions and morals. Flint especially seems to forget this. He believes Silver is with him in his cause to end Imperial rule. But from Silver’s final actions, it’s clear Silver values his personal wants and needs above that of this abstract crowd of people. He’s not oppressed - or hasn’t felt the effects of Imperial/religious oppression (as far as we canonically know) like Flint and Madi have. And that means he doesn’t have the same drive. He’s driven by his personal connections to these people, i believe, purely from his own point of view. Like, i suspect he struggles to place himself in the shoes of Madi or Flint to feel their pain and motivation. He can see it, he just... doesn’t fully grasp it. (There’s also a question of whether he wishes to, but i feel nowhere NEAR qualified on answering that, nor do i think the canon gives us enough material to give a perfectly cut & dry answer.)

So you have this big miscommunication. Flint believes that, because he and Silver have basically become one shared braincell, they have the same goals, while Silver is still driven from a point of selfishness. (Side-note: there was a moment in the show he became selfless! He wouldn’t give up his crew when faced with torture from Vane’s quartermaster! But then he lost a leg over it and it seemed to dampen that selflessness. I think from there on, moments where he seems to be motivated by the good of the crew come instead from an internal need to belong and be loved more so than a genuine sense of brotherhood. That brotherhood may still have been there, but i think he might have suppressed that instinct a little and instead let the more selfish needs take more of a front seat. Understandable and not bad/evil, like that’s super valid of him. But my point is, he’s not exactly ready to fight for another man’s cause he doesn’t have as much of a personal emotional profit in, especially when he knows it’ll end in certain death for everyone he cares about and he knows cares about him.)

So that’s sort of where the characters are mentally in that climax. I may be skirting details and summarising a bit hastily, but it’s also been a GOOD while since i’ve watched season 4, so i apologise. Flint (and Madi as well - she plays an equally important role i think!) is fuelled by a mix of rage born from oppression/discrimination, and a protectiveness for others who may suffer the same fate. Silver meanwhile is fuelled by a need much closer to home - to be loved and to keep those he cares for and deems important to him alive and around. I’ve framed it as their emotional drive, but really it is also their goal, their objective in that finale. Flint and Madi are looking to burn down an oppressive system while Silver... isn’t. For him, their goals stand directly in the way of his. And by the end of the show, he’s gained enough power to prevail in his objective, cancelling out those of Flint and Madi.

So, could it have gone differently? I think, if we wanna play with canon and keep it as close to canon as possible... It seems almost impossible. These people’s goals just do not align. (There’s that sweet sweet tragedy again.) So what you need for it to go differently in short is for one of, if not several, of these people to change their goal. But we’re talking their MAIN objective, their main driving force at this point in the show - so like, the chances of that are slim. ESPECIALLY if we’re talking about the canon characters. After all, for that, the characters would need to look inside themselves and fucking face up to some of their issues and work on them. (This is something which these characters are not very prone to do, bc jesus it’s a mess in there and if that were me i’d preferably not turn introspective either and be forced to look at all that.)

So if we wanted Flint to change his goal, he’d need to come to terms with the Empire being untouchable - which is bullshit bc like my man has a POINT, just because they seem to be able to be brought down doesn’t mean they ain’t - and to accept the homophobia and oppression they treated him and Thomas with, which, yeah fuck that, absolutely not, his rage and his goals are valid as FUCK. If we wanted to change Madi’s - lmao like listen i understand wanting her and Silver happy together bc we ship EVERYTHING in this house, but she’s poc and proper royalty and wants to end slavery. We ain’t touching her goals. So that just leaves Silver. Silver would need to face a part of himself that keeps him from placing Flint’s goals, or Madi’s goals, over his own. (I suspect we circle back to that insecurity and need to be loved, which defo stems from whatever trauma he swears doesn’t affect who he is today.) So for that he’d uhh... need therapy. And a shit tonne of it. But then you still have the issue that Flint and Madi will likely fight their war (bc they DESERVE IT), which may lead to what Silver considers inevitable - that they will die early and horribly, and he ends up all alone.

So, looking at playing with the canon-ish to change things? It’s gonna end in tragedy. There’s doesn’t seem any other way about it, i fear; not with the way these characters were written, with who they are and what drives them and what they want. If it doesn’t end in tragedy in one way, then almost certainly in another.

So what are our other options? What if we look at the fanon wish - whether it’s silverflint, or silvermadi, or madisilverflint, or just to have these kids be fucking happy? Well, you know what? Maybe it DOESNT have to end up in tragedy. Maybe, if Silver does align himself with the goals of the people he loves - after learning to communicate and place himself in other people’s shoes and prioritise the needs of his loved ones and compromising and all that jazz (god this boy needs therapy that only the fanon can likely give him, rip) - he could join them in their war. And maybe, his genius and creativity and quick wit will in fact propel their cause forward and help so much, none of them dies an early gruesome death. It’s not impossible! It just requires that sweet sweet character growth he doesn’t get the opportunity for in canon.

Another option, and this one is perhaps a little more plausible if the show had no episode limit or a desire to end in tragedy and “align” itself with “history” (they’ve played fast and loose with real history i’ve learned, and like,, it’s a story about fictional characters so why did it have to align itself with history?? Okay fine, as a prequel to Treasure Island, it still needed to end in tragedy for Silver bc we know where he ends up. Were there no Treasure Island and no rules and we could do what we wanted with the show and write a new ending, then what?). This one is more popular, you see it in loads of fics and i like it a lot. Silver sends Flint to the plantation. Flint and Thomas break out and get their war anyway. They’re pissed at Silver for a bit for being a selfish dick shitting on Flint’s dreams, but like,, it’s not as if it stopped Flint. (We can even look at it like Silver knew they’d probably fight their war and have better odds with Thomas in the mix, giving them a better opportunity - but like, that’s just a fun headcanon to play with that i don’t think aligns with what he explicitly states to want in canon.) And then, after some years, everyone learns to communicate and talk things out and maybe, maybe, Silver grows a bit and things become healthier between him and Flint.

Listen, the moral of the story is this. I love all the ships in this show. I think they’re all neat, and i love the different iterations in which people bring them to life and try to align them with canon. Do i think that with the canon we’ve been given, silverflint could happen? Maybe. Would it be healthy?? I mean... Probably not 😅 but like, that doesn’t prevent me from shipping it. (That’s not the point of shipping - sometimes you just wanna see that sweet sweet chemistry pay off, even tho u know it ain’t healthy. The characters are fictional. It’s okay. No-one will get hurt - apart from maybe you if you end up romanticising it and taking that into real life but ooft that’s a whole other kettle of fish.) But god, that’s the fucking JOY of fanfics ya know?? It may also be why i enjoy writing my modern au so much xD therapy is an option, and canon means even less than usual. All im saying is, when it comes to the relation between silver and flint, the fan community are a fucking godsend. You want them to be friends?? We got fics for that! Want them to bone? SO many fics for that! Want a sort of father-son role?? Uhh nowhere near enough fics for that, but the fandom’s still active so you never know! Partners in crime?? Hell YEAH that has potential, even in canon i think if u just stretch out fan-written episodes far enough!! (God can you imagine the POTENTIAL?? Ignore the war, the grittiness, the drama. Get me some pirate hijinks where the stakes are low but they’re still sharing a braincell.)

(Hmm. Now i need to add another idea to my WIP list lmao xD)

Anywayyy, hope this satisfies ur curiosity anon!!

[rpbetter]

You make some really good posts!! Can I ask something about DNIs? I know it's not directly RP-related, but I have trouble as an RPer with how many DNIs, with urls, there are now. I try not to interact with muns who have them, I block them, because it feels manipulative? But I'm also tempted to block people who follow those muns, because they probably think their DNIs are okay to have, so they're still "bad", just not as bad? Do you think that's overkill, am I shooting myself in the foot?

Oh, thank you! I'm very happy you've enjoyed them!

And, of course, ask anything at all!

I think, ultimately, the answer to whether that's overkill is entirely dependent on what your experience is and if you're happy with it. I don't think it is overkill at all, but if you feel like it is costing you too many mutuals, it might be overkill for you.

I'm a pretty insular RPer, I like a handful of close writing partners that I write a lot of threads with, so, having something like, under ten writing partners is great for me while it's miserable for other muns. I can go wild on blocking and not have it negatively impact my enjoyment, but I know that's not the case for everyone!

And I do, actually, I do go pretty wild with the blocking when it comes to things like DNIs. If it comes off as policing to me, not just something like a difference of opinion or a strong opinion on something, I'm going to block. Otherwise, it's just recognizing that this isn't a mun I'm going to work out with, but no hard feelings. With policing though...I don't want that anywhere near me or my mutuals, so, it's going to be a block.

Because they do tend to be in these odd, like, nested situations lol I totally will spend the effort if their DNI is bad enough to look at the muns they interact with and make sure I don't have future contact with them either. The RPC is such a big place, making it easier to forget URLs than to remember them, but it's also a place where we establish circles of contact, making it easier to run into the same group repeatedly. I feel like it's better for my peace of mind to be a little more certain than not at all that this isn't going to happen as easily.

If that DNI etc. has been so awful, I definitely don't require their mutuals professing the same beliefs as loudly as they are. If you interact with someone, maybe you don't know their pet fish's name or the obscure lore in a headcanon they posted five years ago or the rule they updated without telling anyone, but you do know what is on their pinned post or blog description or rules. At some point, we all visit each other's blogs in dash-view if nothing else when we're getting replies or checking for memes they might have posted, going through their tags, whatever. I do not believe that you're mutuals who reblog from each other often, reply frequently to each other, ship each other's muses and so forth, and all this time, you've somehow failed to notice your bestie mun is telling proshippers to die in their DNI lmao

No, you've seen it. And I find it extremely hard to believe, too, that it's never come up in conversation OOC either.

So, this hypothetical mutual is so oblivious to others, completely agrees with the other one's views while not feeling confident enough to share them publicly, or is scared enough of the other one that they won't disagree...and no matter which/which combination that might be, they're not a mutual I want.

Especially when it comes to a DNI with someone's URL in it. Hard pass on anyone who is okay with that!

If I visited a writing partner's blog, let's say this person is also my closest friend, I value them and the threads I have with them so much, and I saw that in their DNI they had dropped someone's URL? We would have to talk. I'd have to bring it up because it's the right thing to do (and would also be highly out of character for any of my friends, thus very concerning). There would have to be a question posed about what happened here, why did you feel like this was a good choice, and do you think it's increasing or lessening the problem to have that there?

Honestly, sometimes people do get so upset about something that has happened that their worst impulses are let loose freely. When you ask someone you have an established relationship with about that, unless you're being really hateful about it right off, it can help them settle down, take a step back, and see that this is maybe not the right action to take. To me, silence says you're okay with it.

When muns started putting more elaborate DNI's in, that alone rubbed me the wrong way because I genuinely do not think that the majority of that information is at all necessary. It's something I can see and fully understand minors doing, not because they're terrible or anything but because the impulses and rationale are just different. You're very much geared to be as loud as possible about things that are important to you, making them a part of you in a huge way, as a teenager. Shit just is unreasonably intense! But as an adult, I expect that behavior to be different. You don't actually need to say on your RP blog's DNI that "transphobes WILL be blocked!!!"

Well, yes, I should hope so lol we're a community filled with muns who are trans, I'd certainly hope you were not cool with that kind of thing. It's one of those assumptive states, it goes without saying because, in a group of legitimate adults, it literally doesn't have to be said that a trans mun in a group of trans muns in a RPC filled with trans muns would be intolerant of transphobic assholes.

And, no one likes a damn transphobe, it's not like this stunning, fresh information, here. Not making such a statement does not, in fact, act as a welcome.

Saying that, and I do not mean literally just that, it's just an example of the type of things found in a common DNI, is a little immature for me. Some of those things are, in addition to being purely self-validating: playing into the fear created by policing, virtue signaling, policing, or baiting. And all of them are pointless. Telling someone who would already be bigoted toward you and others to not interact if they somehow miraculously ID as whatever label that takes for them to not interact with your posts is waving a metaphoric red flag in front of a bull. Kind of like tagging a post as either "antis don't interact" or "proshippers don't interact." Actual quickest and most assured way to get that interaction!

I totally understand the age thing, it's self-protecting. Most people do respect it, but when they don't, you've clearly stated that this is not for whatever age group. Things pertaining to your writing and/or muse I also understand and think are great for a quick glance before someone even gets to the rules. Having in a DNI something like "muns who are easily triggered by gore" when you write a horror muse, for instance. You're advising them that this isn't a great idea for them, and it shouldn't be expected that you change your muse and topics because they decided to follow anyway.

But it became excessive very quickly, and there is the expectation that blogs have a DNI. The further expectation is that there be a specific list of things found in that DNI, if yours does not include it, you obviously don't have a problem with those things. I really cannot be okay with that, you know?

However, when it wasn't being used as a callout or a way to police, that was something that could just be ignored. Once URLs of other RPers started to appear, it was a whole other problem.

It used to be the pervading rule of the RPC that it is not alright to force other muns to chose between you and another mun that you had an issue with, but now we have DNIs with other muns' URLs in them. Now, it's the opposite take - if you have an issue with a URL being dropped in a DNI, or if you continue to interact with the mun, you're likely to get a callout or be on the receiving end of other bullying.

So, I very much think the self-insulating thing to do is to avoid those mutuals as well as the RPer with the URL-laden DNI. They could just block you, but is someone who was so juvenile as to put another mun's URL in their damn DNI going to be mature enough to do that? Will their friends once they complain about you? For me, it's too high of a risk of being around muns I wish would take a very long break from RP and only come back once they've grown up some.

I would never advise anyone to do something that is erring on the side of getting them into harassment water unnecessarily (as in, not something that pertains to digging in your heels and writing what you want or not tolerating bullying where you see it happening), and I feel like not doing what you are is that. However, I also am a firm believer in agency, even to make mistakes.

So, if you genuinely feel like blocking mutuals of someone with a URL-dropped/callout/other highly offensive and bullying thing in their DNI is costing you so many chances to RP that you're no longer enjoying yourself here? You might want to consider adjusting how widely you are blocking.

If that's the case, try going for mutuals who are what I call Casual Mutuals and leaving them open. Those are mutuals that the mun doesn't write with often or at all, they're technically mutuals because they both follow each other, but that's it. There might be some liking of posts or even comments or non-committal, OOC style memes sent in by Casual Mutuals, but that interaction is sparse and, yep, casual. These mutuals might legitimately be unaware of the mun's hateful, bullying bullshit in the DNI, or they are actually afraid to unfollow/block them at this point, so their option feels like staying around as quietly as possible.

With that last deal...you could even be doing someone a favor, Anon. When I've encountered that situation before, it's come about because the other person's Casual Mutual is painfully anxious, shy, and a previous victim of bullying. They feel isolated, they don't have many or any writing partners, and they really, truly, are terrified to distance themselves in a way that might be noticed. It's a type of toxic interaction that rarely gets mentioned in PSAs, presumably because it is so low on the actual interaction scale.

Giving them someone else in their corner, especially if that other mun is more open about their intolerant stance on bullying, can go a long way toward giving someone else confidence. I've had other people's Casual Mutuals become my Casual Mutuals and wouldn't you know it? After a while, they get braver. They see my friends and mutuals doing our thing without any of the bullying going on, they see us supporting anti-policing and not tolerating bullying, and they get brave enough to unfollow the hateful mun. It feels nice to even inadvertently help someone, and over the years, some of those Casual Mutuals have become great writing partners, too. People I would have missed if I had made the choice to block them by the association of a hateful mun they were trapped in the orbit of.

Just try to exercise caution! You seem like a reasonable person who doesn't mind truly thinking on things or doing the work required to be cautious. Assume the close mutuals are a problem, too, and block away. Build a wall with some razor wire on it with those blocks! Don't assume the low-interaction, very casual mutuals are, though. Check out their blogs for signs of agreement with Hateful Mun, and if they don't have any, give them a shot as far as just leaving them unblocked goes.

I also have to say, here at the end, that it's extremely nice to see that people out there are doing this. Honestly would have thought I'd be the last person to encourage a ton of blocking, but that's the environment of the RPC now, and it's really the only way we can deal with this issue. You can't reason with these people, you can't stop them, you can only stay away from them for your own good and send a message that this isn't benefiting them. Not everyone agrees with them, they're not going to keep having people left open for their attacks or their RP entertainment. And if enough people are just walling them off, that is a message they'll have to receive because RP runs on interaction with others.

They might think they want every "nasty ass" xyz Problematic RPer to block them, not interact, or vanish from their view of the RPC, but I don't think they realize what that really looks like. What it looks like is a huge percentage of the RPC missing, including people they didn't realize were "problematic." We tend to be quieter, wanting to stay in our own lanes and actually enjoy the hobby and each other. That's why they have to resort to shit like making everyone pre-guilty, or setting up traps to catch people out on being "gross."

So, I genuinely do not think they're prepared for the rude awakening of silence that would happen if we all actually vanished, but I am dying to see it lol and do sometimes have to wonder if the complaints about the RPC being dead/dying/empty, not in a fandom but overall, are coming from the purity police some of the time. It's quite active over on the Leave Folks Alone Over Fiction side of life :D

[0ffgun]

(1) Hi ollie! I don't know if this is too much of a personal thing to ask but I've seen you talk about your bf a lot on here and it seems our situation is similar. I met my partner online just before lockdown happened and we haven't met yet but we're planning on meeting up soon and I'm really excited but also really scared because I don't know what to expect and I'm scared I'll be a disappointment. I was just kinda wondering if you could share your story of when you met your boy irl?

(2) Sorry if it's a really weird thing to ask for I just want to get an idea of the experience and you seem really happy so obviously everything worked out well so it'd be nice to get a positive point of view rather than looking at all the negative stories about meeting people online. Anyway if you're uncomfortable feel free to ignore this! Thanks

Hi there anon!! Don’t worry this isn’t uncomfortable for me at all - I’m happy to talk about it! (please excuse how gay this is going to get though, once I start talking about him I really struggle to stop dsgjkls) I’ll put this under a read more because it’s probably gonna get really long because I haven’t learned to shut up ever.

Alright so first of all (and this is the most important thing EVER) make sure you’re safe. No doubt you trust your person a lot if you’re planning on meeting up with them but even so, make sure the first time you meet is in a public place and that there is always the option of leaving if there are any weird vibes. PLEASE be safe. 

And okay so before me and Ryan met up in person we’d talk on the phone for around 4 hours every night (we still do it now, we can’t sleep if we don’t talk to each other for a couple of hours first, even if it’s literally just him listening to me playing video games and making weird noises every time I die dfjgkdfl) so we were already really familiar with each other. If you haven’t done it already, I definitely recommend talking to your partner over the phone too, it gives you a MUCH better idea of their personality rather than just typing to each other all the time, and it really brings you closer too! 

Our plans to meet up just kinda poppped up out of nowhere? Like we’d vaguely talked about it and then one day poof! we were suddenly desperate to meet up. Ryan lives with his parents and luckily they were totally on-board with the idea, I’d only been thinking of going over just for the one day but then his mum was like “why doesn’t he just come on the monday and go home on the friday?” and me and Sunshine LOST it jdskgjklds we were like FIVE DAYS IS SO MUCH??? And then once we had a date in mind we were just counting down and our phone calls got more and more frantic. We’d be up until 4am just talking about what it’s going to be like and getting more and more nervous. I had this really strong fear that we’d meet up and he’d realise he doesn’t like me as much as he thought he did? So you saying you’re scared of being a disappointment REALLY hits home, I feel that so much. 

I remember the night before we met up we were literally just laying in the dark on the phone making these weird panicked squeaky noises at each other. And then it was finally THE DAY. He lives 2 hours away from me by train and honestly I was fine for the whole journey until I got onto the last train and realised it would only be 15 minutes before I see him for real and I basically lost my mind lmao.

 It’s funny, really? I’d already seen pictures of him and talked to him literally every day but then the moment I saw him at the station I really wasn’t prepared for how truly gorgeous he is? I knew I liked him but then the moment we smiled at each other and said hi and just started giggling like IDIOTS I realised how intense my feelings for him really are and I became a whole wreck. 

I wouldn’t say it was awkward at first more like it was just.. clumsy? We already knew each other on such an intimate level and yet we didn’t know how to interact in person. The first hour or so was us kind of internally flailing around and me saying “oh my god” randomly every 2 minutes and him laughing at me because of it jksgjlds. We had a bit of a walk from the train station back to his place (which was where I’d be meeting his parents too so of course I was a mess over THAT as well) and we were just walking side by side casually and in my head the whole time I was like??? HOW?? DO I HOLD HIS HAND?? Do I just grab it? Do I ask if I can?? And my brain straight-up malfunctioned and I just yelled “OKAY!” and THREW my hand out in front of him and he did the cutest laugh and then interlaced our fingers and oh god I’m never going to forget that moment e v e r. 

Meeting his parents went so well I LOVE them (me and his mum are besties now I adore her) and idk things just went SO smoothly it was more than I could have ever asked for. And then his mum was like “okay go and put Oli’s stuff away etc etc” so that we could have some alone time (she’s smooth and I appreciate that) and then we ended up just watching a bunch of kpop videos while sitting together on the floor and I’d play with his hair (he has the best softest most top quality hair) and it was just so s o f t. Our first kiss was gorgeous too like it just happened spontaneously and then we both just had a whole gay panic and just sat there giggling with our foreheads pressed together for a good five minutes oh god. Honestly, I’ve been in relationships before but everything with Sunshine is like a whole new experience and it feels like I’m doing everything for the first time. I’m like a lovestruck teenager and it’s the best, and I can’t see that changing either, I think I’m always going to be this ridiculous. Literally every time he looks at me my heart does backflips and I get butterflies. I’ve found my forever boy through a random anonymous message on the internet and isn’t that just amazing?

Oh my god I wrote more than I thought I would I’m so s o r r y I really can’t shut up about him it’s ridiculous dsjgkjsd but yeah anon seriously I really hope things go well when you finally get to meet your person - please let me know how it goes!!! Don’t just focus on the things that make you nervous, make sure you also focus on the things that make you excited too! I know that people get squinty when you say you met someone online but honestly when you know, you know and at the end of the day it’s your decision. Just always do make sure that you’re safe and never do anything you don’t want to do.

[coeluvr]

Genuinely I’m so sorry that you keep getting weird asks or asks that don’t read the faq especially about Luceris/getting revenge/the character relationships/as I was writing this out I realized it’s probably easier to list what you DON’T get weird asks about. One of my favourite things about coaaf (and what really draws me to it) is how messy it can be at times and how you’re really willing to lean into and embrace that messiness. Like your characters aren’t some sanitized always-perfect never-problematic characters, they have their own motivations and complexities and disonnances and they don’t always “make sense” from a logical perspective but they do from a character perspective. Like you’ve laid out all this mud for me and I get to roll around in it and it’s fantastic

Thank you for your kind words, anon! 💗

Honestly it's not that bad because my memory sucks (Fadiya core) so I tend to forget all about them after a day or two but the feeling lingers yk.

The story is problematic and messy and none of them are saints they're all a bunch of losers making decisions they think are perfectly fine in their situation. It's odd to me how people want the other characters to be "normal" and "saints" when I give options for MC to be equally messy lmao.

I'm glad you like the story and everything that comes with it! I love writing this as well. 🥰

[artemis-lesbian]

8 9,11,14,15,16,38,54,58 70,75,81 asfdhdkflghs that's a lot but i'm a nosy bitch

OH JEEZ I appreciate these even tho they're gonna take me a while bc I'm doing it on my phone ahshdhdh. Also this got long as FUCK cause idk when to shut up even when typing lmaooo

8. Describe your crush

Mmmm idk that I REALLY have a crush rn like I send nice anons to a cute femme on here bc shes pretty and I like her personality but I wouldn't say I really have a crush atm

9. Describe your perfect mate

"Mate" agshdhdh UH idk I dont really have any preconceptions abt who I would like, like i keep my options open i dont wanna have this vision of a perfect person for me personally bc i feel like then I'd never find them but like ideally someone who's kind and understanding and is willing to put in effort into a relationship bc relationships are WORK yknow it's not always gonna come easy

11. Do you ever want to get married?

Yes I do!!!

14. Do you have a crush on anyone?

Nahh not really. See above lol

15. Do you have any piercings?

No I do not! I wanna get my ears pierced and I've kinda flirted w the idea of getting a septum piercing one day but that one I'd try out w fake piercings first cause idk if itd suit me lool

16 for some reason didnt copy and I cant go back to it on mobile but I think it was do you have any tattoos

No I dont! I know of 2 tattoos maybe 3 that I want so far but idk when I'd get them. The 1st I want is a double venus the 2nd is the dates I came out to my parents and the 3rd I'm still thinking abt ahshdh

38. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to?

YEAH in hs I had like a MAJOR crush on this straight (as far as I know) girl in my english class who I had barely even talked to she was just v v pretty and I was like....fuck....I didnt wanna crush on a straight girl ahdhhdh

54. Is there someone you will never forget?

Ummm I'd say theres quite a few people I will never forget like they're all people that have made a difference in my life or otherwise people that just stood out to me like for example when I worked at a fast food place there was a deaf family that came in a few times and they're a major reason why I'm gonna take sign language next semester bc I was like wow they cant even order their food bc I have no idea how to communicate w them bc I and so many other abled people dont even consider to make the world a little more welcoming and accessible

58. What are five ways to win your heart?

Oh god ummmm

1. Be kind. If you're a selfish asshole that's an automatic no from me dawg

2. Try to make an effort to actually listen to me and the things I like. There is nothing worse than saying u like something and having someone go "ugh that's dumb" like at least be kind if you dont like it!! Just say like oh that's not for me but it's cool that you enjoy it like?? Or if you've never seen it/read it/etc try it out! Even if it's not something you enjoy and don't continue it the thought is great! I do that for everyone I care about so itd be amazing to have someone do it in return

3. Tell me explicitly how you feel. I'm not a mind reader and I'm EXCEPTIONALLY bad at reading people so I don't like to be expected to guess. If you talk to me and are honest about how you feel that's amazing

4. Little gestures go a long way. Sending me a video or a meme like hey I thought of you when I saw this. That's really sweet and shows that you actually think about me

5. Just be there. Literally just keeping a relationship going even just a friendship like. If we communicate regularly I'm gonna get attached lmao

70. What turns you on?

UH. honestly never having been in a relationship or anything......not a clue. literally the only thing coming to mind is like...a girl dancing for me. GOD thatd be amazing ahshsh

75. What’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for you?

I think one of the sweetest things is my hs teacher that I still keep in touch with learning that i was unemployed then trying to help me find a job. Like I'm no longer her student and she doesnt have any obligation to help me but she cares so much about me that she has written me recommendations and sent me links to job postings...like she just went out of her when she didnt need to and I didnt ask her to. It made me so happy that she cared so much about me that she would do that

81. Who are five people you find attractive?

Oh jeez like literally just scroll thru my #beautiful tag ahshdhdh but in no particular order

1. Gal gadot

2. Brie larson

3. Zendaya

4. Katherine mcnamara

5. Emeraude toubia

Like this isnt even necessarily a top 5 but just like the first 5 to come to mind lmao

[defeateddetectives]

HI MIRAI i miss the bar and have a question a propos of nothing: do you have any thoughts on the love/sex lives of the horrible exorcists outside of each other, WHO AND HOW WOULD THEY EVEN ATTEMPT TO DATE. what does that look like w both of their bizarre lifestyles. how much SUBLIMATED PINING gets misdirected. i'm sorry for all of these questions, this is just an "i want you to talk abt exorcists forever" ask

hi akitania we miss you too and i may or may not have answers to your questions but i’m also v loopy and procrastinating on life so here’s something, however incoherent, that i figured if i didn’t post now i would probably forget about bc that’s the person i’ve become :[

i have thought about this a little bit but mostly from the matoba seiji perspective of LMAO WHAT EVEN IS LOVE ( / BABY DON’T HURT ME!!!!!!!!!) but more like, if we’re talking canon-verse i could see it going a few ways for seiji (and haven’t exactly figured out which path i’m more attached to) -- i) he basically gets roped up into an arranged marriage of clan convenience and heir birthing (ie. the bad end offshoot of ‘in between parables’) ii) he kind of stays 5ever alone and dies a virgin bc if he can’t get what (or whom) his horrible subconscious wants, it won’t settle for anyone else either but he goes about it under the guise of ~the best interests of his clan~ and not having time for relationships and that other nonsense and/or letting romantic emotion best him and make him vulnerable etc etc (i lied, this is the path i’m apparently attached to most, welp), and iii) he tries a hand at being “normal” or at least doing what other people his age are doing and goes on a few dates here and there (the matoba family seems so insular and all-encompassing and i often wonder, does he even have any friends people who are not business acquaintances/clients???) but maybe some clients are ~overly appreciative~ or some such and he tries to humor as a ~learning experience/weird adventure of sorts~ bc part of him is still that bratty sixteen year old hiding under tables stealing desserts and a little bit #yolo -- idk if any of these would ever become something ~serious~ since he never really treats it like a priority and he also can’t help that he often feels a bit like a bored onlooker from outside a cage of lab rats half the time and can’t relate to them and it’s all very predictable. it’s more social experiment than anything until he eventually tires of even that and things end in either i) or ii). (option iv. ofc is the one where they overcome years of repressed animosity and longing and finally hook up but that’s not your question so i digresssss)

re: natori - this is where i think things get more messy since, i think natori is way better at being all mariah carey-esque and “I DON’T KNOW HER” or at least pretending to have his shit together in the sense of having a life outside of exorcism. i don’t doubt that many costars/other people he encounters amidst show business would have thrown themselves at him and he’s probably dated wayyy more widely than matoba and probably either tricked himself into thinking that it was going pretty damn well a handful of times (other times, it probably was in the direction of going well, but sooner or later, something or other would get in the way). i definitely see him as still having to work though a lot of issues with trust and also his perception of who he is and what’s important to him and boy’s still a bit of a hot mess and taking the cut and run approach to most of your life doesn’t really help much when commitment is involved. so basically, i could picture him either having a bunch of flings or thwarted attempted relationships but he’s always a little far removed from it all. (mutters incoherent comment about quick-witted, snarky dark-haired actresses always catching his eye and he knows exactly what it’s about and refuses to acknowledge any of it :)) i don’t think he would ever date within the exorcist community since it’s all Too Close To Home in multiple ways even though we see that he has some exorcist acquaintances he’s on good terms with. the tl;dr version is that he’ll probably go for things that are “safe” where “safe” also means generally inconsequential, whether he’s consciously aware of it or not.