Best way to fluster the Ro's? I love all of them and want to give them kisses everyday 💞
Aw, how sweet of you! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡
Flustering some of these ROs might change depending on circumstance (who’s around them, recent events, their current relationship stage, etc.) but I’ll try to be a general.
Hm . . . You’d have a much better chance of flustering him with something spontaneous, an act unannounced and unexpected. I struggle to imagine what would fluster rather than pester, but I’m sure it can be done.
Perhaps public is the secret ingredient. Not so much PDA, but rather (maybe) a public declaration of love? Something too sappy would undermine the attempt, but just like a blabbermouth spiel about how much you care for him, admire him, or desire him would really throw him off-kilter. Enough to crack any chance he might have to fully conceal his reaction beneath a composed exterior.
Ugh, I accidentally imagined Mockingbird doing that in front of his parents and it’s making me cringe. ◞‸◟Though you might fluster him far better with them as an audience . . .)
Mm, otherwise, I’d say mix the unexpected with something that goes really out of your way for him. A surprise date that, whilst not extravagant nor complex, shows you really put everything you had in it. A scrapbook tirelessly assembled and maintained over years, acquiring an extremely rare edition of a novel he loves, recalling some off-hand comment he made weeks ago about some minor discomfort or interest he has.
If you ever do fluster Akil (in a pleasant fashion), he’d probably be impressed more than anything else, haha! He tries extremely hard to be a tough nut to crack (on the surface) (ᵕ—ᴗ—).
Displays of thoughtfulness, acts or gestures that require a degree of careful affection, are a reliable method—especially if such an act is a break from routine.
Ah, but for the best method . . . Biting her should do the trick. Playfully, absentmindedly, seductively, lightly or harshly - it doesn’t matter. So long as it’s done beneath of veil of privacy. In the public eye, her guard up too much to allow herself any flustering.
In private, when the world is you and her alone, she can allow herself this vulnerability. A gasp, small and sharp, as her face blooms red from desire and embarrassment. That addictive balance of trust and fear, danger and security.
And the effect would repeat whenever she sees the marks you left behind on her skin, her gaze fixated on the remnants of your teeth to better avoid the flushed expression she wears in the mirror.
Hm, honestly, I’m leaning towards . . . maybe calling out certain fixations and behaviors he has in the relationship (more so if they do it with affection)?
Being teased for how touch-starved he is for them, his overprotectiveness in the littlest matters. Even calling out his jealousy (though perhaps not if it has any relation with Retriever, considering the bad blood between them (•ᴗ•,, )).
Sigmund can, at times, be insecure over his neediness towards his loved ones. His clinginess that he tries (and fails) to mask behind duty and caution. It’s a weak spot for him.
I don’t think he’s impossible to fluster otherwise, or difficult per se, but he doesn’t strike me as someone who would fluster commonly outside this sort of teasing. And even then, his flustering would more so consist of him biting his tongue, a feigned glare of unamusement accented by a deep blush across his features. That classic little “alright, alright” muttered under his breath, through grit teeth, if you kept pushing, kept cooing or teasing or complimenting his flush. Sigmund knows better than to fully expose himself as tongue-tied in these situations. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Existing within a 5ft radius.
Aha, kidding! But, truth be told, Imka is horribly easy to fluster in the earlier stages of a romance. She adapts, slowly and surely, but her heart is still easily excitable compared to the others.
Sudden, public displays of affection, big or small, are an easy go-to. A hand on the small of her back to guide her, an unannounced kiss before saying goodbye. Calling her an overly cheesy pet name while in a group conversation, or resting your hand on her thigh. Just thoughtless, instinctual habits of affection in front of others are enough to make her trip over her own feet.
Sweetness, and cuteness, are also absolute kryptonite for her. Forwardness as well.
Oh goodness, it would probably have to be something heartfelt. I’m thinking some sort of act or words that are really just super genuine and upfront; perhaps simply vulnerable.
Like, deep into the romance (whether or not there’s a pre-existing relationship) being told, near verbatim, a simple and real “I love you” for the first time. When the authenticity of the MC’s affection for him cannot be denied or mistaken, and he can no longer blind himself to this truth.
Or, perhaps, he’d fluster (ever so slightly) after a kiss that’s so brief and chaste but so clearly lights up Mockingbird as if it were truly something wondrous— a sentiment he too often fears is felt by him alone.
Elouan is overly familiar with grand gestures and wild passions. He's familiar with desire, desperation, and all the dramatics that can come with love.
It is the mundane that startles him. The routine, the small and simple gestures born from a selfless care.
Uh, hm. Similar to Elouan, you’ll likely catch her off guard by professing a love or desire that’s far more serious than she’s used to.
Though I suspect she'd have to be rather emotionally raw to truly be taken off-guard. Like, really strike deep and close to the heart that she has layered beneath so much distraction and detachment.
Maybe gifting her some jewelry similar to what her grandmother used to wear, and not letting her quickly dismiss the sentimentality of the moment with a quip. Or taking her horseback riding, and overtly mentioning you hoped it would help her feel a little more connected with her grandfather. Gestures and gifts like that, perhaps, may do the trick.
Otherwise, Jae is considerably sure-footed, and is rather adept at going with the flow. Even if caught off-guard, she’s quick to regain her senses and go along with whatever Mockingbird has up their sleeve. She can soften and be taken aback by romantic or physical gestures, but not to a degree where I can easily pinpoint her as flustered.
Oh, my first thought is a little bittersweet . . . but it’s a scenario that can happen in the narrative. I don’t think it is the best way to fluster him, though it would have a high success rate.
My immediate thought was coming to his defense in an argument against others, particularly when defending his ‘humanity’. Niccolò is not used to others sticking their neck out for him. Jae’s willingness to fight or stand up to others on his behalf —for better or worse—was a core reason why Niccolò struggled to accept the inevitable fallout of their romance.
Honestly, that may be the key to easily flustering him: highlighting his humanity. Asking if he's hurt (even if you know he does not bruise and break as you do). Offering him your warmth when the night is cold (even if you know he does not shiver as you do and will only worsen the cold for you with his touch.) But, really, snipping back at someone who thinks it’s ridiculous of you to do these things at all is the real kryptonite for him.
Though she would firmly deny the truth, Mutya is rather easy to fluster.
A soft breath against her ear, flaunting a bit too much skin just to tease her in front of an audience, an overly sweet nickname cooed affectionately from across the room . . . she breaks easily beneath your sweetness, nearness, and pestering.
It’ll be harder as years pass and your proximity, your teasing and touch, become familiar. But every now and then, she’ll falter still, forever weak for you.
Overall, teasing her is key to flustering her (easily).
Excessive compliments would be a quick and effective tactic for flustering him terribly. Especially when mixed in with small gestures of physical affection.
Fyodor is weak in the knees for any and all praise. It’s an absolute (and often unexpected) treat whenever someone validates or compliments some aspect of him. Whether it be a fond comment towards his looks or some expressed gratitude for a trait he possesses, he’ll clumsily (and hungrily) soften and startle in the face of these affectionate words so easily given.
Seriously, a few well-placed words intermixed with a light kiss or two would be enough to steal his senses entirely. Even if he struggles to believe the truth of these words for himself, he’ll gladly cling to the fantasy of Mockingbird genuinely adoring the little bits of him they’ve deemed worthy of praise.
Another tactic, though not necessarily the best way to fluster him, is to express some sense of possessiveness or jealousy over Fyodor. He won’t like the potential conflict from such a trait—especially if it ever causes tension between Mockingbird and Gabriel—but it would cause him to flush as he struggles to erase a smile from his face.
And the minor romances for a bonus . . .
Any chances of flustering him might be a lot higher if the MC is a near-mirror copy of his first love—in personality and looks. Oh goodness, if you were to see the kind of boy Dearil was back then as he drowned in that corruptible and unrequited love . . . Not even Fyodor could match that bad a case of infatuation!
I’ve been struggling to imagine a scenario where he would be genuinely flustered otherwise and, at this point, I’m caught between two. One is a little too dark for me at the moment (as it does not ‘fluster’ him in a good way) so I’ll only share one.
An MC who has fully embraced their gift—with lips painted in blood, a soul overtaken by their gift’s desire—might be enough of a sight to shock Dearil’s broken affection.
Aha, especially if your bloodlust was targeted against some adversary or another who stood against your 'romance' with him. Honestly, I think he'd be horribly flattered (excited) to the point of being 'flustered' if you exhibited a violent jealousy over him. If you could manage to leave Uriel sleeping with one eye open . . . Ah, you’d really be after his heart then. (ᵕ—ᴗ—)
Flustering her is far easier than most would expect. (Or, perhaps, it’s as easy as they would expect? Depends on how well someone is allowed to know her.)
Beneath her composed exterior, Curadora cannot help her romanticism. She is vulnerable to being carried away by the sentiment of the moment; by sweet nothings she burdens with too much hope, too much promise.
Language is the best way to startle her heart. A vow, a praise, a truth only you could ever think to offer her. Words pulled out from the soul, spoken from the heart, not quite sappy but dipped in love all the same.
I need you. I want you. I love you.
The first time you says these things, she will lose herself. The composure she clings to, depends upon, will fall helplessly before you.
From then on, poetry can be quite effective as a shortcut to reproducing that effect upon her.
You’ll have the best chances of flustering him around his family or, even more so, anyone he might deem his ‘superior’ within the CARDINALS (Curadora, Uriel, or Dearil). Push the boundaries of PDA around any of them and you’ll eventually have him flustered beyond a coherent string of words.
Retriever is notably experienced when it comes to anything intimate. His time as a hero was coupled with some rather extensive experimentation and exploration of his sexuality. He’s had a long string of lover, partners, hook-ups, etc. of all sorts. So, usually, whilst he may still have moments where he’s weak in the knees or has butterflies in his stomach, it’ll usually be from the softer, genuine, and quiet moment of a deep romance (or the unfamiliar awkwardness of rejection).
The fast-track to flustering him, then, would be to compromise his image of ‘the perfect son’ or ‘the chivalrous CARDINAL’ in front of his kin or superiors—even if that ‘compromise’ is little more than overt innuendos or discreet touches.
Otherwise, Retriever is rather quick on the uptake for whatever you might throw at his feet in an attempt to fluster him.
I think it’s near impossible to genuinely fluster Lempo in a (positive) romantic context. She’s willing to act flustered in order to better please or appeal to someone’s fantasy, but it’ll likely only ever be an act.
I think, maybe, flustering her (in a positive manner) would require some huge sentimental gesture. Like, something relatively ‘extreme’.
Imagine the flashiest, grandest, most elaborate proposal that teeters on the impossible (and remove any promise of marriage) . . . You’ll probably be close to flustering her with a gesture like that, haha!
Or, on a more ‘realistic level’, tie a showy gesture that mixes some deep sentimentality for her, and you’ll have a chance to fluster her. (My mind keeps imagining the 'library reveal' scene from Beauty and the Beast but, rather than a library, presenting Lempo with a bee farm.)
Actually, after some thought . . . Lempo might find her kryptonite if one of her fathers were ever to tease her over her soft spot for Mockingbird. Her reaction might barely constitute as a fluster, but she'd be blushing red up to the tips of her ears, a rare type of smile both fond and shy pulling at her lips as struggles to meet your gaze. Her fathers are not the most overtly (traditionally?) romantic couple, so to have them coo and joke over Lempo's horribly sweet fixation on Mockingbird would cause her to lose a bit of her footing.
In his childhood years with Mockingbird, he was terribly easy to fluster. Elov, if he had a crush on the MC, would have been well-known around your household for his frequent and blatant habit of blushing around his crush.
Back then, any vaguely intimate touch would have flustered him. Taking hold of his hand, brushing a stray hair behind his ear, wiping a speck of dirt off his cheek . . . all this would have set his pale face aflame with unwanted yet undeniable affection.
Nowadays, you’ll have to work through his modern anger and spite before he’ll fluster like he did then.
Play on his nostalgia, remind him of the love he once felt, and you’ll see him soften back into some old habits. Once he’s more open to teasing and advancement from Mockingbird . . .
Physical forwardness is an easy tactic. Bones is not used to the genuine desire he feels for Mockingbird, and so his defenses against their nearness and touch is not as formidable as he’d like (once he’s lulled into a sense of security around them). His encounter with a hero MC, prior to their induction into the HAWKS, hints at his easy flustering towards even non-suggestive touches from them. The more forward or suggestive a touch is, the more visibly flustered he’ll be.
For less touchy Mockingbirds, being openly genuine and sweet out-of-the-blue, especially when he’s being openly hostile towards them, is an easy way to trip him up as well. It would more so be a mixture of shame and affection from him, but he’d be flustered nonetheless. Or, other than ‘sweetness’, just expressing a sort of conscious consideration for him when it’s not necessary—even if such a consideration is bluntly or stoically delivered.
I would say that Mishka and ‘flustering’ don’t mix, but if deeper in a romance, when their heart is a bit softer and more vulnerable . . . anything is possible!
As for the best way to fluster them— I keep circling back to affirmations on their individuality.
Like, after altering their appearance to better attract Mockingbird, being told the MC appreciates their company no matter how their body appears. Or, in one of their spiels about what is best for Fyodor, being asked what is best for them. Maybe even having someone be considerate of their presence even when it is not visibly seen, like greeting Fyodor and Mishka whenever you come across the vessel either one— being known and felt without a thought on the MC’s part.
To boil it down: any direct gesture or spoken affection that affirms you want them for them. Not as some ‘double-deal’ with Fyodor, not for the power or protection they can provide, but a real desire for them. Their thoughts, their words, their quirks, and their faults.
A reminder from another that, despite their current state, they are whole. That they are complete, distinct, and seen. Not a fragment of who they once were, not a split aspect of Fyodor, and not someone destined to be lost.
That would leave Mishka a little flushed, tongue-tied, caught off guard by this form of acknowledgement they greatly desire and, more often than not, must demand to receive.
