may i ask what flusters the fae boys? shooting for the stars here but i want to get the winter king to blush ;;
long post incoming!
Dream - Tell him he's doing a good job. As the King he has high expectations from himself and those around him, but not often does he get real praise for the work he does. If he meets or exceeds expectations that's just... what a King is meant to do. Being at the top of the hierarchy comes with power but it's equally lonely and Dream desperately craves positive affection. Someone taking the time to acknowledge how hard he works or the time he's dedicating is a quick way to fluster him. Hard mode would be complimenting his hobbies; he has so little time for them that they're not often acknowledged, and someone being aware of his musical skill or artistry would surprise him.
Blue - Take him seriously! An engaging conversation with him where you're actively listening, asking questions, contributing with your own comments/ideas/opinions/etc will get him flustered pretty quick. He's used to people brushing him off or not paying him mind since he's often overshadowed by Dream or Ink in Court events. He's often taken for granted and showing him that you care about his thoughts and opinions too is all that's needed to get him blushing.
Ink - Be patient with him and meet him at his level. He's a chaotic, mischievous fellow with ever-changing interests and stories. Offering to engage with his latest craft project or always being open to listen to his latest escapade will make him very happy! Having the flexibility to work with his memory issues, his fickle interests, and energetic nature will cement you in his mind as a safe and comforting person. While he's not someone that gets flustered, just offering to create with him will make him so happy he'll blow up.
Error - Error, like many of the other difficult fae to deal with in the realms, has many particularities. If you can get past him being a hermit, past his habit of turning unfortunate souls into puppets, and past his ego, you'll find that he's quite a fun character to engage with (and tease). The easiest way to fluster him, once you're not at risk of being cursed by being in his presence, is to be affectionate with him while respecting his boundaries around touch. Kissing a doll of him on the head, holding onto a string instead of his hand, or cuddling up near him with a blanket barrier are all good examples.
Nightmare - As grand of a position as King is, it's the little things that get to Nightmare the most. Large gestures will be seen as attention-grabbing or a publicity stunt and will be swiftly rebuffed. He's a hopeless romantic but it's buried deep under layers of guilt, suspicion, and fear of opening up to others. You need to get his attention first, get to know him second, and then you can start to build your affectionate rapport with him. Letters, poetry, sketches of him or things that remind you of him, musical compositions, pressed flowers. Anything that's clearly personal, but particularly things you've made/found yourself, will have him blushing and at a loss for words.
Killer - Killer has a lot problems with depersonalisation and often doesn't accept things like compliments or flirting. He can play along with ease and it often comes across as confidence, nonchalance, and experience, but in reality he's deeply disconnected to himself as a person. He often falls into playing the part of a mirror in a conversation; playing the part of what the other person wants but without any thought or real opinions of his own. He'll play off or into flirting without batting an eye, and even genuine compliments aren't something that'll really get to him. Trying to work around this with targeted compliments directed at something very personal to him would just scare him off or worse. For Killer to get flustered he'd need to be very comfortable with another person and at least vaguely willing to sit with his feelings. A soft, quiet, safe moment where he acknowledges the simple comforting intimacy of just... sitting with someone he cares about. He won't be stuttering and blushing hard or anything like that, but just... quietly in awe of what he's getting to experience and shyly enjoying the moment.
Dust - There's not much that can affect Dust. He's in his own head a lot and struggles to take to heart the opinions of others. The best way to fluster him is the long game; if you can get close to him just... be there. Be consistent and clear. Eventually he'll start internalising your presence and opinions-- once he's done that he'll find that comments/actions of yours that he didn't even question before are suddenly on his mind. Your face, your voice, your laugh. Just thinking about it and the warmth it sparks in his chest will get him flustered. He might start avoiding you for a short while after that realisation, but he'll be back.
Horror - Be direct and genuine with Horror and you'll have him stumbling over his words with ease. He's liable to brush off most flirting/compliments as jokes or deflect your attentions to someone he sees more deserving of you. If you can make it clear you like him and explain why, well. He'll just have no choice but to believe you (and blush about it. a lot).
Cross - Cross is easy but hard to fluster at the same time. It's hard if you don't know him, as most compliments or tokens of affections are stiffly and stoicly accepted. But once you know the real Cross underneath the stern, guard exterior, you'll find the buttons that get him flustered with little difficulty. Engage with his interests-- his real interests-- with a genuine and kind curiosity. He trains a lot and loves it, yes, but it's the other aspects of himself that he hides from the public that will affect him. The books and music he likes, the things he collects, the over-the-top human media he's obsessed with. Show that you care and that you're interested in those and you'll have him struggling to explain them to you over his blush and inability to maintain eye contact.
