#unhinged constance

[pedrohub]

PEDRO PASCAL dancing (?) backstage of Saturday Light Live (Feb 2023)

[wild-moss-art]

In honor of oc x canon week I offer a depiction of how I feel every day as I torture them for sport

[cringespace]

rtc incorrect quotes pt. 2

Mischa : I can never give Constance shit because I’m jealous of them. They look at their life and say, “Sweet! This is perfect!” Mischa : I look at my life and say, “Welp. Time to get drunk.”

Ricky : Get in loser, we're going shopping. Ocean : This is a McDonald's drive thru.

Constance : Mischa ... Mischa : Oh no, 'Mischa ' in B flat. Mischa : You're disappointed.

Noel : So... This is my full potential? Mischa : Yes. Noel : So, then it's... Mischa : All downhill from here. Noel : Like Ocean . Mischa : I do not know what this Ocean is. But it sounds disappointing.

Ricky : I just found out that humans are capable of fitting a light bulb into their mouth with ease but can’t take it out without shattering it, and now I have to physically restrain myself from putting a light bulb in my mouth

Ricky : Can you keep a secret? Noel: Well, I'm good until I meet the next person.

[mancandykings]

Thank you LUKE VOIT for 6 (six) slutty months with the San Diego Padres

[kneeslapworthy]

because im Built Different™ i would destroy the Whisperer by simply responding to every question with “your mom” and my resolve would never break 

[ballroomfitz]

[la-petite-tannante]

Unhinged. 🖤

[deirdra-hearts-nadia]

I've been thinking about the fandom for The Arcana, and I have come to the conclusion that it's weird as hell. In my 20+ years participating in online fandom spaces, I've never seen a fandom quite like this one. I've seen drama, sure, but the core of most fandoms is a large community of people who love the same media and come together to celebrate it.

The Arcana fandom is not like that. From the very beginning we're more fractured, more factional, more fragile than most. You just have to look around at all the posts lamenting the death of the fandom every 2 weeks to see that something is really wrong here.

And I think a lot of it has to do with the nature of the canon. I am not saying this to criticize The Arcana, the devs, Dorian, or my fellow fans. I have just noticed that, as a piece of media, this game occupies a very unique space that is reflected in the way its fans interact with canon and with each other.

Welcome to the TED talk ain't none of y'all asked for.

Part of what makes this fandom unique is the evolution of fandom as a whole in the face of new types of media. As gaming becomes more mainstream and games themselves become more complex, the way we engage has necessarily changed in response.

Books/ movies/ shows are slightly more static in terms of canon than video games; canon is what it is and how you interact with what is there is largely to do with who you are. Everyone has the same base material to engage with, and that results in a certain amount of constancy. You can't interact with The Princess Bride in a way that changes the movie, only in ways that change your own perception. There isn't a whole lot of room for OCs without rewriting canon, so fans tend to consume OC-based fiction and art with the assumption that it's likely to be self-insert wish fulfillment fantasy time. That isn't always true, but there is a reason the term Mary Sue was coined.

Otome games and other choice-based video games make a very different fan environment, because the way you interact with canon is completely different. You have to build a character in order to interact with the story, and your choices directly impact your experience of canon.

But most western choice-based games are in the context of a larger RPG universe, e.g. Fallout or Dragon Age. There is a lot more to the story than the romance plot and so there's a lot more world to experience, contextualize, and build upon. There's certainly plenty of unhinged ShepxGarrus erotica, but there's also an abundance of fanworks that engage with the plot, the worldbuilding, and the canon characters with relatively little of the player's character needing to be on the page at all.

By contrast, most otome games that make it to English-speaking fandom spaces are Japanese. The romance is the point, but we also start from a place of wariness of our fellow fans. Because there's a huge difference between "harmless weeb" and "orientalist fetishizing creepo," and you know going in that both ends of the spectrum are possible, there is an amount of caution. We curate our space, looking for the creators who align with our expectations and values before we ever begin to interact.

The Arcana falls in a very unique and odd space because it is an otome, but made by Americans, with an attempt at a diverse fantasy cast. It's intended to be for American/ English-speaking audiences and is marketed as such. But making a romance game in America is challenging. Our way of approaching online media, especially smartphone-accessible media, is super fucked up, right? We are constantly trapped between the dichotomies of moral duty (Must Protect The Children) versus appealing to the customer base (Boom Anime Babes with Tig Ol Bitties). Because this is a mobile game, the developers can't make money if the game is removed from the app store, so they want it to be rated teen at the most. But the enticing bit, the thing that captures a potential fan's attention, is the flirtation and sexy implications. So from the jump they're in a weird space purely because they chose to make a mobile game instead of an indie video game released on Steam or similar.

So now you have an inherently split audience: mature adults who know they're getting into a potentially explicit romance game, and young adults/teens who have grown up in a more insulated internet culture where normal words are replaced with Orwellian doublespeak, like "unalive" and "spicy time".

THEN you add in the fact that the developers tried to build a diverse fantasy world, which is a fantastic idea both from an inclusionary standpoint and a broader audience standpoint. But because they didn't employ any actual sensitivity readers (did they think they didn't need them because fantasy can't have racism? Did they justify it as not being in the budget? Would love to know what's going on there) they fell right into a lot of the classic traps. We've been over these time and again, so I won't get into them here. Suffice to say, there has been Discourse. The presence of those issues means that more experienced fans will see those things and call them out, and that criticism causes even more of a split: the zealous apologists versus the critics. And critics can fall into two further categories: those who love the canon and want to see it do better, and the bitches who just love having something to bitch about.

Unfortunately, this combination means that there are inherently factions to this fandom, with staunchly opposed approaches to the media. So even before you enter a fandom space, it's already wildly fractured simply because of the nature of base canon.

THEN add to that the fact that this game is a dating sim. And to engage with a dating sim, you have to build a character and make choices based on that character. Some people will approach this work as storytelling, and some will approach it as an escapist expression of self. Neither of these ways of engaging with canon is wrong. Enjoying a dating sim as Me But Better is fun and completely valid! Engaging with a dating sim as a storyteller collaborating with the developers is fun and completely valid! But the two approaches are opposed in purpose, and that can make it difficult for the two types of fans to engage with one another's work.

Storytellers will well and truly invest in building a character. They may even build out communities, countries, cultures, and languages to make their world all the richer. They are investing hours of blood, sweat, and tears into Their Craft, pouring themselves into an opus of quality fanwork. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to big feelings. Fan artists and writers may feel underappreciated if all they get out of their hard work is 2 likes and a gif of a wolf making AWOOGA eyes. They may feel that critique of their work is unwarranted, or that there's no point creating if no one will engage.

The romantics will engage with canon and fanwork from the perspective that "this is my fantasy romance time". Their OC isn't so much Original Character as Optimized Characteristics--that is, their perfect self. They are here for wish fulfillment fun times in the relative privacy and anonymity of the internet, and good for them! But that may mean that criticism of canon or their fan work feels excessively personal--it is very hard to detach the ego from the OC when that OC is a projection of your best self. They may view any critique as a personal attack as opposed to a good-faith attempt at engagement or conversation. This can lead to defensiveness, or to leaving the fandom outright if it feels too hostile.

Unfortunately all of these factions cause rifts in the community. This sometimes turns into fandom vigilantism, where people begin to see any fan who doesn't wholeheartedly agree with them as an enemy. I've seen friends experience bullying and cruelty over their OCs and their art. I've seen predators use the isolated nature of the fandom to further isolate and prey upon already vulnerable individuals. I've seen some really shitty stuff.

But I have also seen beautiful community flourish. I've made friends who feel more like family than my actual relatives. I've seen people work through struggles and overcome deliberate attempts to tear us apart, finding forgiveness and friendship along the way. I've seen myself and others grow because of the community and inspiration we found here. And I saw all of that because I found my people. And I hope, Arcana fandom, that the rest of you can find your people too.

[spirit-lanterns]

Oh! To be kissed on the forehead by a woman that can command rooms by only her presence!😍😍💗😍😇😇💘❤😇❣️💞💗

Her slowly bending down as her hand sneaks to held back of 🐰 head, looking straight at Black Swan and placing a long kiss here. Her eyes only showing a challenge towards not only Swan but anyone.

Everyone in the room holds their breath, in disbelief or in utter distress? It depends on person, but one feeling is shared among everyone.

Disbelief.

Next thing they know is that Constance whisked away 🐰 into one of the private rooms.

Crisis averted by one horny bunny???(????????)

Also attraction meter of 🐰 is broken. To get her going you either have to be pathetic girlfailure or be fearsome, crazed criminal (Kafka doesn't count because she doesn't give vibes of unhinged murderess).

Leave it to Constance to break the attraction meter on Bunny 😅

At first Bunny Reader was only obsessed with cute and innocent girlfailures, but it seems the scale has been broken as Bunny is now obsessed with girlcriminals like Constance. Women who would absolutely wreak havoc everywhere with their prescience, as there is no in between.

To get Bunny to like you, you’d have to be a girlfailure or a girlcriminal. Sorry women who are in the in between 💔

[vaguely-concerned]

BEHOLD! The list of evidence for my bold claim that Pan and Freddie dislike each other ferociously on sight because they are, in some key ways and despite appearances, very similar people: 

- First instinct upon seeing Grace sad is to try to make her laugh to cheer her up. (See: Freddie’s very first lines in the game starting off as she means to go on, and about half the things Pan ever says or does lol. In the last scene with him before The Trial you can even tell him you’re there just because you wanted to talk to him and have something cheer you up.) General sources of levity and fun and play in Grace’s life if you seek them out. 

- They react with similar anxiety to the idea of Grace being really angry with them (Freddie’s surprised/dismayed “Why are you angry at me?!” in the red route of ‘I Can Teach You’, the millenia-old god of the wild hiding behind a tree for ten minutes because he thinks Grace might be about to yell at him lmao <3)

- Both of them seem to have similar interpersonal insecurities in general, judging by the enforced choice between them in ‘I Can Teach You’ (I love you both so much but oh my god. is this a constructive use of time or energy under the circumstances lol), softened and alleviated by the fact that at the end of the day the most important thing to either of them is that Grace is happy. It isn’t possessiveness, but there is an element of underlying ‘Hey. Hey I am your favorite right?? 🥺’ insecurity there that trips them both up to begin with. Once you play the game and go back to look at this scene again knowing everyone’s real motivations, they’re even coming from the same place deep down — genuine fear for Grace’s safety and wanting to help her. (Freddie uncomplicatedly out of love🥹, and Pan at that stage probably more out of a guilty sense of responsibility, though he does seem to take a shine to Grace herself pretty quickly as well. Also he demonstrably isn’t, uh. Completely wrong in saying Freddie’s involvement in this whole mess is likely to end in tears, even if he is being a real dick about it) 

- If you don’t choose either in ‘I Can Teach You’, they both show up within minutes of each other to watch Grace’s back in the Medusa quest anyway. One brain cell ping pong and no one notices because they keep trying to swat each other with the racquets whenever Grace glances away for a second

Sidenote but flirting with both of them one after the other in that quest is fucking hilarious, they’re just taking turns ‘Really? Right in front of my salad?’-ing directly at the camera (...listen I feel that there is a chance that as long as they kept Grace between them the whole time there could be a thing here. I think a possible universe out there where it happens at least once does exist if one cared to go seek it out. That’s all I’m saying.) 

- Seems a bit obvious but what else am I here for: both very drawn to Grace no matter what main trait you choose. Whether this is true vice versa is of course player-dependent, but it is one way you can play the game. 

- Incredibly similar defensive reactions to being picked on or sniped at (and no hesitation whatsoever in subjecting each other to exactly that immediately anyway haha) 

- A bit dark when you think about it, but they both express the sentiment that it would be better for them to step in and die if it means Grace lives. (Freddie very directly of course ;______; and then in ‘It’s time’, Pan in ‘The Trial’ and the little talk you have with him later in Athena’s office.)  

Matching ‘ride or die’ instincts once awoken, is what I’m getting at. Freddie gets extra points for sheer longevity and constancy, Pan gets extra points for getting there in a week. You’re both unhinged (affectionate) 

- They’re the only ones among the main cast wearing green, right? I think I’ve got that right? Well, Charon does too, I suppose, but he’s a bit more peripheral. (Persephone and Aphrodite wear blue-green, but that seems more associated with death and the underworld and the river of grief everyone keeps using as a metaphor throughout the game.) Somehow I find the idea/metaphor that once you get Pan out from under like three layers of bullshit he’s the same colour as Freddie (who is inarguably The symbol of devotion and steadfastness in this game no matter your choices) quite sweet. 

- Nerds. You know I am right. Slightly different kinds of nerd (Freddie is distinctly geek-flavoured and Pan collects rare books for sport sort of distinction), but still. Oh my god. Freddie should get the whole cast together to play D&D in the Reliquary post-game. It would be absolute carnage. It would be glorious hilarity. *GASP* no wait not the Reliquary, let’s go to the Underworld so Charon gets to play too. For the love of all that is good give this to me now please I need it 

- The only two people who think Freddie losing control of her powers and causing a dance number at a funeral is hilarious

In short this is a recognition of the self through the other (derogatory) situation for both of them and neither of them decides to take that with any dignity or grace (ahaha) in the slightest, I love them very much,  thank you and goodnight 

[wild-moss-art]

wrestle with yuri

[bigstupid69]

They're all here now!!

Mischa was the first one I did so if his sheet looks off and poorly formatted it's cause it is…

Headcanons below the cut

Mischa

☣ Now before I say anything "why are all the boys with each other" uhm cause I was indecisive on if I liked starrypoet, spacerap, or nischa better, I still ship mischalia honestly sometimes even more. So I just threw the rest of them into the polycule regardless

☣ He is a short king, short Mischa truthers rise he is literally only an inch taller than Ocean, she probably intimidates him more than the other way away around (Need more absolutely unhinged Ocean's who are one point away from screaming at someone, Trinity theater Ocean changed my life/j)

☣ He's practically Ezra's adoptive older brother at this point, bond over the Saw franchise and ICP. He's surprisingly good with kids, like he's a good guy he just looks intimidating and crusty, which I did on purpose. But he is literally the sweetest one in the choir, super physically affectionate, gives good hugs.

☣ Along with Penny he also constantly looks like he's been shoved down a flight of stairs, which he claims is because he's gotten into fights. It's not, he just fell down the stairs like her. He wants to think he's all tough and everything but it's like the complete opposite, he's a dork.

Ricky

☄ They are best friends with pretty much everyone except Ocean for obvious reasons. Constance and them make Kandi together. He's wearing two Kandi necklaces on his uniform, both of them loosely based on the Kandi singlets I made for the choir members. (which of course you have no context to unless you're the like 5 people I've shown them to.)

☄ They're breaking so many dress code rules and the school is just too tired to care. Dyes his hair regularly with Constance, also I know lots of people love the Savannah Potts hc, it's cute!! But I physically cannot draw masc presenting people without shitty facial hair. It's an addiction. I'm so sorry.

☄ Their art style definitely is similar to the late 2000s anime style every shitty windows movie maker slideshow presentation had. with a mix of warrior cats and sparkle dogs. I couldn't really present that in the like 4 inch amount of space I gave myself.

☄ Him and Constance have matching tamagotchis, Noel also used to have one but it died and he sobbed for hours and never wanted to touch it again out of sheer guilt of killing a virtual pet.

Constance

♡ I'm ngl I like pretty much every Constance ship except for blackrose and kept seeing sugarspace art and thought it was cute. So there you go sugarspace crumbs, I'll draw them probably at one point.

♡ She is literally the reason why the choir is like mentally and physically stable. Course that's very mentally draining and never said it's a good thing!! She's probably pushed into the group therapist role at points, I hate the "mom friend" headcanon at points, it's accurate, but at points it can be really toxic, coming from personal experiences.

♡ She definitely shops at hot topic with Ricky and collects a bunch of really cheap fandom merch. Usually bracelets and necklaces, also really into styling hair. She braids Penny and Ocean's hair sometimes, and as mentioned before dyes her hair with Ricky.

♡ I don't like blackrose at all but they've dated for like… a day. It was not a great time. (Literally just one of those absolutely pointless middle school relationships that you forget about like immediately after a breakup)

[chickensarentcheap]

Bedtime Sneak Peek

From In a Heartbeat, chapter 9

@tragiclyhip @thebejeweledwatercat @munstysmind @themaradwrites @secretaryunpaid @youflickedtooharddamnit @asirensrage @residentdormouse @mrsmungus @kmc1989 @karimac @alisbackalleybbq

“Am I at least allowed to know where you are?”

“I’m safe.   That’s all that matters.”

“With him.”

“He has a name. I know you have this unhinged, bizarre hate towards him, but…”

“He took you away from me.  From your family.   He’s keeping you god knows where…”

“I’m here willingly.  I’m here because I want to be.   No one is keeping me under lock and key.  Or holding a gun to my head.  Why can’t that be enough for you? Knowing that I’m okay.  That I’m safe and secure and protected.  That I’m happy. Why…?”

“You barely know him.  You…”

“Tyler, mom. His name is Tyler.  Can’t you show him just that little bit of respect?  He saved me. In every way a person CAN  be saved.   And we’re happy here. With each other. We’re making a life together. And I don’t want you or anyone else ruining that for us.”

“Where exactly is here? Australia? Did you go back there with him?”

“No.  Not yet.  We’ll get there, though. Eventually. Right now we’re just taking things easy.  Lying low. Concentrating on each other.  Getting to know one another.”

“And you can’t tell me where all of this happening?”

“We’re in Europe.”

“Europe is a big place, Esme.”

“‘We’re in Austria.”

“Where in Austria?”

“Bergenz.” The lie rolls easily off her tongue.  “A little place right near Lake Constance. It’s nice and quiet. Nothing fancy.”

[serial-serializednovelreader]

Hello!!!! Feel free to answer any one/combination of these questions that you want you. I'll be excited to see your answers. Hope you're having a good day!

Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

23. Favorite picture of this character?

Quincey Morris

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

2. Reynie - I love how relatable he is, especially when he doubts himself, such as when he worries he's a bad person for liking the Whisperer (never mind that it operates similar to a drug) or when he fears he is bad for thinking they should cheat on tests. I also LIVE for his unhinged moments, like in TPJ when he yeets Noland's radio and later, Risker's diamond into the water. Like, Reynie, you absolute cinnamon roll, what are you doing??????

Sticky - that he's canonically very HandsomeTM and can pull anyone he wants!!! I love that for him, he deserves it. They just have to understand his love language of obscure words first...(oh and also he's braver than he thinks but you asked for my personal favorites and that's definitely mine)

Kate - Basically everything -- she's my favorite character overall -- but I think it's her positivity in the face of danger, her ability to bounce back from everything she's faced in her life. One line that still sticks with me is when Reynie says "'It's not funny, Kate.' For a moment - a fleeting moment - Kate looked desperately sad. 'Well, of course it's not funny, Reynie Muldoon. But what do you want me to do? Cry?'” It could come off as a little toxic positivity, but I feel like it's done in a way where that's just her personality, where she's not trying to influence others to act the same way, and I love that!!! I lean towards the optimistic side like her and it makes me happy to see someone like that in a book series I love so much.

Constance - definitely her sass and that one monologue in Riddle of Ages where she finally snaps after feeling excluded the whole book...not to mention feeling hurt Reynie thought she was annoying (even though she knew that was a temporary thought and NOT his true feelings)...oooof...that hurt, I can relate Connie girl :(

5. This is actually super hard!! I love music and I love MBS but for some reason I've never really associated the two together. Weird right? Here's my best shot!

As a group - Right Back to Where We Started From by Maxine Nightingale (because they need a feel-good family bop)

Reynie - Under Pressure by Queen ft. David Bowie (to describe his pressure as the leader)

Sticky - Lonely by Imagine Dragons (to describe his anxiety)

Kate - I'm Still Standing by Elton John (to describe her bouncing back from hardship)

Constance - I Don't Care by Fall Out Boy (to describe her stubborn nature -- plus I like to listen to this when I'm mad so it fits lol)

20. Reynie - if we're talking show, definitely SQ!!! I feel like they're both introspective and kind-hearted, and they would've made great bffs had things been different. In the books, to spice things up, I would've loved to see a young Nicholas and Reynie meet up -- they definitely would have been besties since as an adult, Nicholas always seems to know what Reynie is thinking. I do think they would still need someone like John to stand up for them since Nicholas had that gaggle of bullies on his back and he didn't Home Alone them/somehow persuade them to back off until later.

Sticky - For the books, a young Number Two. They're alike in a lot of ways and it just makes sense :) (not that they can't be besties at their current ages, but this is for adventuring possibilities, like with Nicholas). As for show Sticky, I think it would be highly entertaining if Jackson and Jillson had taken a liking to him while he's at LIVE. They find his intelligence and wit interesting and he's a favorite of Curtain so they start following him around too. At first, Sticky hates this but with time he starts to enjoy their harmonious presence, and how they seem to know what he's thinking. An ideal friendship? Maybe not. But certainly unique. I’d also love to see how this affects season 2.

23. Kate and Constance - the very talented @magic-swords-art drew this image of Kate and Constance after I asked and I can't stop thinking about it!!! 🥹🥹🥹❤️❤️❤️

Now you wanted to hear about my boi QUINCEY “THE COWBOY” MORRIS!!!

22. I actually don't read fics of Dracula (even though I know I should) but I guess something I don't like in actual movie adaptations of the story is when they leave him out, which is unfortunately most of them. Like hello????? You're leaving the most fun character out????!!!!! What's wrong with y'all?!?! I know it's because it's a Serious Story and they think having a cowboy will ruin that but newsflash: comedy can exist in a drama, it's been done before. Plus, the Dracula musical made it work. I don't see the issue here.

25. I saw the musical my freshman year of high school and one of my friends played Quincey. My first thought was, “there’s a COWBOY?!?!!?!?!?!” They definitely made him even more of a comic relief in the musical so that was fun to experience, but he didn’t get much more than that, iirc. Then, years later, I would read Dracula Daily and get to Quincey introduction. My first thought was, “THERE’S A COWBOY?!?!?” That’s right, I forgot this fact! Though as I read the book, I totally love what Stoker did with his character. For Quincey being a total stereotype of what a Texas cowboy is, Stoker still gives us ways to follow this character’s growth in an interesting way. Sure he starts as another suitor of Lucy, but when things get serious, Quincey does too. He actually knows what to do to hunt Dracula down (he is a cowboy after all and they did have to defend their cattle from various predators) and his role as comic relief gets pushed to the wayside so it doesn’t change the tone too much (see Dracula adaptations?!). You really feel for him and love him as the book goes on and you don’t want to see anything bad happen to this character. So tl;dr my impression is rootin’-tootin’ cowboy with a heart of gold. 🤠💛

6. So I feel like I am also the Comic ReliefTM in my friend group (though they’re also funny, I’m usually cracking jokes 95% of the time) and while that’s great, it can lead to outside people underestimating me or seeing me as frivolous/ditzy. I feel like that’s why Quincey keeps getting pushed to the wayside by movie adaptations— they see his character as not worth the trouble, even though I think audiences would absolutely love him given the chance. I mean look at Dracula Daily!! There were so many Quincey memes and love. In fact he’s in my top three fave characters (I’m sorry, he’s beat by Mina the train fiend)! So I guess we kind of have that in common. On a more fun note, his proposal was S-Tier and I hope to propose to someone, or be proposed to, with that same level of goofy sincerity. :P Oh, and I say “y’AlL” so we have that in common as well.

Thank you for the ask, Sophie, this was super fun!!

[ardenrosegarden]

I feel like I've asked you John for the unhinged character meme before so Constance and Geoffrey?

omg I actually just realized I had done them in the past for this specific one, but ironically enough not John yet. So I'll play bingo with Mr. Bedford this time >:)

Send me a character for unhinged bingo night

[randomnameless]

@zeroabyss replied to your post “@zeroabyss replied to your post “Since I'm...”:

Yes dead. Rhea wouldn’t have given up the chase otherwise, nor is she implied to have dedicated any military force to finding him at any point innthe current days. We know they were eventually called the 10 Elites because Nemesis and the rest pretended Maurice was dead the moment he became a Beast and disappeared, and History likewise remembered it as only ten. Nothing in the game suggests Rhea thought Maurice was still out there, and she absolutely would not have let him live if she knew he was around due to knowing she made sure to hunt down the other ten.

​Bear in mind in Nopes Maurice being part of the Elites is documented, and they later became the 10 Elites (rather than 10+1) because of the "curse" associated to that Crest.

The same book suggests Maurice became "unhinged" after a battle in Gronder - so before Tailtean?

Rhea hunting the Elites is, imo, fueled by both vengeance/retribution but also by the wish to recover whatever was left of her siblings - Maurice "slained" a Holy Warrior and was still hoarding Blutgang - Rhea wants to recover relics (it's the reason behind Constance and Yuri's paralogue in FE16 and it's mentionned in Balthus'!).

Imo, even if Maurice died in a ditch, Rhea would have wanted to "recover" the relic.

So, in a way, the hunt for Maurice should have been both a hunt to rekt him - if he was alive - and a hunt to recover what was left of Bob - the Nabatean who became Blutgang.

Now, in the modern times, we know there are rumours and legends about a demonic beast in Mircea's forest, I can't fathom Rhea/the CoS not knowing a thing about it (hell, why weren't they asked to deal with this issue?) so why wasn't she taking care of him?

As Rhea the Archbishop, maybe she mellowed a bit and adopts a more "reaction" approach, if a relic pops up she will acquire it, but she won't send her people look behind every rock and box if there's a relic inside.

But as Seiros the Warrior? The same Seiros who went to war and spent around 100 years to hunt Nemesis? Who continued to hunt the Elites after Nemesis' death? This Seiros would have let Maurice escape or Bob remain in the ditch Maurice died in (if Maurice died)?

I can't see it - unless there is some event that makes her drop the "Warrior" persona and adopt her more passive "Archbishop" persona - which is what this headcanon (lycaon's death) tried to explain :

Seiros the Warrior is so gung-ho on avenging her dead siblings and "recovering" them that she cannot protect the future (Lycaon's supposed golden rule and the happily ever after ending post WoH!) and the present (Lycaon as a person? Especially if he was her kid!), so Archbishop Rhea (and her many names!) will try to oversee the present - if there is a relic around she'll recover it but she won't exclusively focus on it and won't spare attention to Momo when there are people who currently need her help right now (just like relics though, if there is an opportunity or occasion where Archbishop Rhea can face Momo or meet him, he's dead meat) - and the future - her rez Sothis plan.