#-is honestly so weird but it IS fascinating. the biological urge to find yourself a mediatior. or to mediate. it becomes kind of like...

[birchbow]

You've said a couple of times that you can't really find an "in" or a particularly compelling dynamic for ashen relationships, and I also have a hard time coming up with an interesting way to frame a set of clubs so that the emotions are sufficiently intense to hold attention. The only thing I can come up with is basically a poly platonic BDSM relationship: a pair of bratty subs constantly getting into the troll-equivalent of slap-fights with each other, who both deeply respect/fear the central leaf and platonically get off on submitting to that authority. And the third troll gets a kick out of demanding and immediately receiving their obedience - like calming a moirail but more of a disdainful, stern, "You are going to sit down and behave. NOW." I dunno, maybe the two brats also enjoy seeing the other one humbled by the authority figure? I can almost wrap my head around this as a sort of kismesissitude where the respect is externalized to another troll (who is maybe older and/or stronger) and hatred is replaced with petty dislike. But it's still such a difficult dynamic to conceptualize.

This is all so true bestie lol. I'm not ashamed to admit that being like "it would have to be at least a LITTLE D/s, right?" has increased my interest from like a 2% up to more like 15% haha. Couples counselling but it's D/s and also the point is that you're not allowed to be a couple... wild.

Honestly, more than any of the other quadrants, ashen relationships seem prone to be like...temporary? If two trolls were constantly clashing and needed intervention, and then one of them was transferred somewhere else or whatever and situations no longer forced the two side leafs together, it seems like the relationship is now over--I wonder if that's a big trope in troll media? Followed up with either the middle leaf then pouncing on any pitch inclination their remaining partner finds in an attempt to rekindle a relationship, OR an ash/pale swing... or ash to something else! Ash->pitch? Either because one leaf left or because the third leaf couldn't maintain control and got sucked in. Hmm.

It's also a very tricky quadrant to like. Get set up, a lot of the time--there are trolls in my fics I could imagine having ill-advised pitch interest in each other, but finding them people who 1. know both parties/would be aware of their liaisons, 2. would know they're not good for each other, 3. have the inclination to step in, and 4. are not already quadranted to one or the other party.... tricky lol.

#ask time! #it's funny to imagine that in this particular way trolls are a lot more community-minded and attentive to each other than we are #it's chill to just like murder each other but also you should always keep an eye out and if somebody is having hate-sex they shouldn't then #like. get in there! romantically????? but like in a slightly baleful way also lmao #I like to write moiraillegiance with very biological in-built troll instincts and physiology and the concept of auspisticism being the same #-is honestly so weird but it IS fascinating. the biological urge to find yourself a mediatior. or to mediate. it becomes kind of like... #those AUs where everybody has like a secondary gender of dom/sub lmao. Assigned middle leaf at birth. #hey there you seem bossy wanna settle an argument WINK WINK.