#ds: ask

[dormantstar-if]

I saw from your chart that Blaine died in 2026. When did they died?

Somewhere between Fall and Winter. Unsure when, I’ll decide when one day or you guys can help decide.

[dormantstar-if]

I'll eventually play a male MC with AGAB Blaine but omfg he's um...not likable at all from the timeline. I'm surprised he got back with Blaine, Blaine accepted getting back together and he kept Aster after she died.

I’m gonna put this all in one post considering they are all related and I rather not answer this again. This will be the last time I will talk about the “cheating”, and etc.

First I wanna clear up the misunderstanding with the routes, since it seems not everyone arrived in the same conclusion. In the same AGAB route, MC and Blaine were never dating, so there wasn't a breakup to get back together from, and there wasn't any cheating because they weren't in a relationship (they were essentially close friends who had feelings for each other). That doesn't mean MC is innocent, though. The problem was that MC kept stringing Blaine along while struggling with being in the closet and questioning their identity. MC was dealing with an identity crisis and trying to reconcile their feelings with the beliefs and expectations they were raised with. That explains why they acted the way they did, but it’s not an excuse why they treated Blaine the way they did. MC was not honest about what they were feeling, and they handled their feelings badly. Blaine did not handled their feelings well either. After their argument, they sought comfort from the first person who gave them the same kind of attention they had been looking for from MC (especially with someone with similar eyes as MC). Was that a healthy way to cope? No. They're just flawed new adults trying to navigate difficult emotions that never felt before, not perfect saints.

The opposite AGAB route is a different story entirely. In that timeline, MC and Blaine’s romantic relationship started earlier than their counterpart, and Aster is biologically their child (the other parent route didn’t exist). Their circumstances are different, their relationship faces a different set of challenges than it does in the same AGAB route. (I've considered making a prequel that explores MC and Blaine's relationship before the events of the main story, but I'm still deciding whether I'll do it. Maybe.)

I know Aster is fictional, so it's easy to look at the situation from a certain perspective, but one thing that's canon in every route is that Aster was never unwanted by MC.

Especially in the same AGAB route, MC had every opportunity to walk away. They weren't biologically related to Aster, and they weren't obligated to become their parent (legal, biological, and otherwise). Choosing to stay wasn't something they did because they were a "saint," this was out of pity, or because they were trying to hold on to Blaine. Their love for Aster is genuine and goes beyond blood.

I don't want Aster's place in the family to be reduced to a "charity case" or a burden that MC accepted because of Blaine. That's not what their relationship is. MC chose Aster, and they became a real family the moment Mc chose Aster. Blaine died when Aster was 12, but MC continued raising Aster alone for another five years. If MC's love had only existed because of Blaine, it would have faded after Blaine was gone and MC could have restarted their lives and drop off Aster to their grandparents. It didn't.

I think that's what makes the same AGAB route special to me. Unlike the opposite AGAB route, where Aster is MC's biological child, the same AGAB route explores a different kind of parenthood. MC didn't love Aster because they shared DNA. They loved Aster because after seventeen years of raising them, caring for them, watching them grow, and comforting them through heartaches. Aster is their kid no matter what anyone says. They both chose to love each other. That doesn't make MC a “Saint”. They are no means a perfect parent nor person, but loving Aster isn't one of those flaws. It's one of the clearest examples of MC growing into someone capable of giving unconditional love, even when there is supposed “nothing” that ties them together

[dormantstar-if]

Blaine is toxic. The way they sleep with other another person just because mc rejected them is honestly pathetic that they could not wait for mc.

I agree. Blaine is so pathetic for getting directly rejected (and thrown hurtful words) by the person they had been in love with for years that they have impulsively rebounded because they got hurt with someone instead of waiting like a good puppy for MC change their minds to say they are meant to be.

And I quote from a local moth: humans are complicated creatures and it takes a while to unlearn bad habits stances or anything of the sort.

That said, people who immediately label a fictional character as “toxic” because they had one impulsive, very human reaction in the heat of the moment are certainly… committed to viewing nuance as an optional choice.

[dormantstar-if]

Hiiii Quene how's your day going?

I have a question for you, how do the RO's react to MC making them take a break and giving them the lap pillow treatment? For example MC playing with their hair, feeding them snacks, and letting them take a nap?

Vin is resistant at first, insisting that they don’t need the break, but their resolve gradually softens. Resting their head in MC’s lap feels unfamiliar enough to leave them momentarily still, but they accept the affection without asking for more, their usual standoffish expression settled into a rare look of contentment before exhaustion finally catches up, allowing them to drift into a peaceful sleep.

Dan Il reacts with over exaggerated offense, but the smug grin tugging at their lips gives them away almost immediately. As soon as thy settle into MC’s lap, they melt shamelessly as soon MC’s fingers begin combing through their hair, happily accepting every offered snack as if it were only natural to be pampered this way. Even while pretending they’re far too important to be babied, they can’t resist basking in the attention, sneaking in the occasional self-satisfied glance at MC before drifting into an peaceful nap, if anyone deserved this kind of royal treatment, it was obviously them.

EXTRA:

Blaine initially tries to argue that there are more productive uses of their time (like work), but the moment their head comes to rest in MC’s lap, their reserved composure gives way to unmistakable fondness, and they become almost embarrassingly compliant, savoring every gentle stroke through their hair and every snack offered with grateful affection. Though they insist they’re perfectly fine, but the warmth of being cared for by their spouse quickly dissolves the fatigue they’ve been ignoring, leaving them relaxed enough to fall asleep, already convinced that no work could ever compare to moments like this with MC.

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Regarding the Blaine cheating allegations. I find that IF readers tend to think that the ROs belong to them if they have feelings for the MC even if there’s no relationship they expect the ROs to be faithful entirely which is not how people act even when they have feelings for others

You can fuck other people while having feelings for someone because for some people sex is just something that’s done for pleasure or quick comfort, especially if the object of your affections can’t and won’t be with you for whatever reason

Also, hey, Quene 🫀

One thing I’ve found interesting about the “Blaine cheating” discourse and I what I had observed is that some seem to approach romance options from a place of implied ownership. There is usually an expectation that the RO should already behave as though they’re entirely emotionally and sexually unavailable to everyone else, and that’s understandable! We naturally project ourselves into stories and become invested in outcomes we want, but it can also flatten characters into objects of desire instead of allowing them to remain autonomous people with their own values, flaws, and contradictions. That’s not how people work (even if they are fictional). Feelings and commitment are not the same. Someone can genuinely care for another person while still seeking intimacy, distraction, comfort, or pleasure elsewhere, especially when no relationship has been established. As you had said, to many people, sex does not always carry the same emotional meaning to one another. It can be an expression of love, but it also be companionship, escapism, affirmation, curiosity, or commonly… physical desire. None of those possibilities automatically negate sincere feelings for someone else. Fidelity only exists where there is an agreement to be faithful, but sometimes we often project ideals onto another person rather than engaging with who they actually are. I think interactive fiction can unintentionally amplify this since players/readers have the power to make choices and influence the story, it’s easy for ROs to stop feeling like independent people and start feeling like rewards, extensions of the player’s agency, or even possessions.

We have our own desires (even I, and I love a character who only has eyes on my character), like we want a character to be more possessive, less possessive, more experienced, less experienced, or perfectly loyal from the moment if we chose them to romance, or to fit whatever personal ideal we have, but we have to understand that the characters would stop feeling authentic if they only exist to validate the player’s expectations.

Not just Blaine but to all ROs and characters alike (not just in Dormant Stars) are not written to be an accessory to MC’s vessel for a single ideal of romance or to cater their needs. Just like MC, they’re their own person with their own history with flaws, needs, contradictions, and capacity to make choices that don’t revolve around the MC. Whether players/readers like those choices is completely fair, but that’s part of engaging with fiction but disliking a choice is different from it being a betrayal of the narrative. As I had said before; Blaine (in the S AGAB route) didn’t cheat. Cheating requires the existence of trust, boundaries, and an agreed commitment that has been broken. If those things don’t exist, then applying the talk of infidelity says more about the expectations being projected onto the character than about the character’s actions themselves.

Characters become compelling (at least to me), when they retain their autonomy even when that autonomy makes them imperfect or undesirable. If every romance option exists only to validate the MC’s desires from the moment romance begins, they stop feeling like people and start feeling like a goal to win. I would rather write or read characters who can surprise, frustrate, and challenge expectations, because that’s much closer to how real people exist.

Also, hey, Jude 🫶🫀✨

[dormantstar-if]

Who hurt you to kill off Blaine?

INFOLD. They took my hot smart glasses-wearing CEO werewolf family man. if I can’t have Valko then you can’t have Blaine.

RIP VALKO

[dormantstar-if]

I'm imagining this with afab mcs considering Aster got ctrl+c & ctrl+v from Blaine

No literally. This really is canon. CTRL + C & CTRL + V = Blaine 2.0. But Blaine would like to differ.

Blaine: They look like you.

MC: ???

Blaine: They have your eyes, nose, lips, facial structure, and facial expression (blah blah the list goes on)

MC: … I think your eyes needs to get checked on. Okay, you need to hold your clone, skin to skin contact is important for newborns.

[dormantstar-if]

...Just gotta say that I (personally) find the current view of your IF to be a bit uncomfortable. It's just a "me" problem really, but do I wonder, will there ever be an option to shift the view of the story from horizontal to vertical??? 🫤

I understand completely, I tried that in my phone (I found it uncomfy too), I tried playing it in my tab and laptop; I can use portrait mode in those. Unsure how I can fix it to make it mobile user friendly considering this template isn’t made by me (but I will try), if not I would have to transfer it to a new mobile user friendly template or make a new template from scratch.