When you do your real life things, please talk to me about the type of person who fancies Regulus :)))))
So in your post you talked about people who prefer Regulus to Sirius, which got me thinking about this subgroup of people who, when presented with the Black brothers as romantic options, prefer Regulus (and not because of blood loyalty or whatever). I’ve categorized them thusly:
Regulus looks, acts, and smells like an easy mark, as hard as he tries not to. He’s vulnerable. And while it is hard to get him to acknowledge feelings for you, it’s not all that hard to actually win him over and it’s downright easy to keep him interested in you once you've got him. So he’s going to attract people who like that he’s vulnerable and like that they can get away with treating him poorly. You mistreat Sirius and he’s Audi 500, he’s not sticking around for you to pull that shit with him again. You mistreat Regulus and he’s going to give you attitude, he’s not going to just let it slide, but he’ll forgive you and stick around .
This category includes: people who remind Regulus of his mother and/or Sirius (no, it’s not weird, what’s an Oedipal complex?), my hc of Evan Rosier
Regulus: trauma bonds with these people and loves them more fervently and permanently than any other group. He will overlook his other relationships for these toxic toolbags. Please give him the love and approval his mother never did.
For similar reasons but wildly different motives as opportunists, rescuers are drawn to our poor, obviously distressed Regulus. They want to save him from his family, save him from Voldemort, and save him from himself. They will beat their heads against the wall trying and they will not succeed. They will likely give up eventually (at least temporarily), after Regulus wears down their last reserves of patience and empathy.
This category includes: James, Lily, or Remus; probably any Gryffindor because this is such a Gryffindor tendency
Regulus: does not for one second trust these people. He questions their intent at every turn and pushes back against all their efforts to improve his life. He is more likely to categorize people like this as opportunists, while idealizing the actual opportunists as rescuers who have his best interest at heart. Why are you trying to distance him from his family and loved ones, is it to make it easier for you to take advantage of him???
The people who just want to sit on the windowsill with a book and limit their contact with other people as much as they possibly can. They like Regulus because he’s chill. He just wants to sip tea and hang out with cats and contemplate suicide. What a great vibe. They like ranting to Regulus about how much they can’t stand anyone else besides him. This delights Regulus because all he has ever wanted was to feel special.
This category includes: a significant portion of the Regulus tumblr fandom, I’m pretty sure
Regulus: adores them, but he is likely to friend-zone them, especially since they’re unlikely to be as explicit as necessary in their romantic pursuit of him
Regulus cannot stand these people. He finds them grating, overbearing, and obnoxious. They smile all the time and giggle and talk too much. This is the one category of person that’s a kind of exception for Regulus in two ways. First, he notices that they fancy him. This is because they make it obvious when they flirt with him, but also because he thinks them wholly beneath him so he doesn’t have that internal, “oh they can’t be flirting with me,” thought. Second, while it’s easy for most people to win Regulus over with some well placed care and attention, these poor fucks will never win his favor. They nurse a crush on him because they’re gluttons for punishment.
This category includes: Regulus’ one night stands (look, they’re annoying, but he’s not in a position--or doesn’t think he’s in a position--to be turning down offers)
Regulus: will use them for a distraction if he’s desperate, but will avoid them like the plague otherwise. He’s in an abandoned classroom with a misanthrope venting about/making fun of the brats regularly.
Everyone I’ve headcanonned as taking an interest in Regulus has fit in one or more of these categories. I fit in most of them, to a greater or lesser extent. In a Regulus Lives AU hopefully one of the categories becomes Healthy Loving Equal Partner. Teenage Death Eater Regulus isn’t attracting a lot of healthy folks though.
Also, I initially named the last category “high energy, low self esteem” before I decided they all needed to be one word for symmetry, which led to making this chart:
So anyway, now you can sort all of Regulus’ love interests into pseudo-houses.
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
janainaart
theartofmadeline
2087
baratheonpilled
blakekathryn
