. LIGHT / CHAOS .

First off, we need to look at the different kind of polyamory there is.

closed triads

I think the one the rp community talks about a lot is the closed triads. While some closed triads can be beautiful, and make sense in a rp sense, please know that irl it's not always like that.

Closed triads can be considered unethical, more often than not. This is not to say that there aren't people who enjoy them and have their closed triads happily but I genuinely need you all to know that this is rare.

Closed triads often start out in unequal ground. Typically, it is a couple who is unicorn hunting.

Unicorn hunting is HIGHLY unethical.

Unicorn hunting is when an already established couple seeks out a third. More often than not, the couple makes the rules, and the third is not allowed to see anyone else. It isolates the third and makes them incredibly lonely.

I know you guys have fun with your closed triads and as you should! but I also need you to be aware this is not the norm.

dating separately

This is one of the most common forms of polyamory. This is where people date seperately than their partners. Everyone is aware of each other and NO ONE is cheating, as long as communication is had.

There can absolutely be cheating. I was in a relationship once where a man cheated on his wife and me by not telling us about the person he slept with. Cheating is still possible but I need y'all to know that polyamory itself ISN'T cheating.

One of the key things that makes a polyamorous relationship healthy and work is communication. You need to be able to tell your partners when you want to see someone else and yes, even get their permission. Your partners deserve a say as much as you do.

Which brings me to kitchen table polyamory.

Kitchen table polyamory is my preferred way of doing polyamory. This is polyamory where everyone knows of and talks to each other, even if they aren't dating everyone in the relationship, even when dating separately from each other. This is one of the most healthiest ways to do it, as getting everyone together and getting along with all partners is incredibly healthy and you SHOULD be able to talk to your partners about your other partners and get to know each other. Not doing so just makes things messy, awkward, and complicated.

Which brings me to parallel polyamory

Perhaps this is something that is okay with other people, but I personally find it absolutely appalling. This is polyamory where someone prefers not to know or talk about their partners' partners. I think that is simply a disaster in the making. Why wouldn't you want to share the joy of polyamory with each other?

This is not something I would be comfortable writing at all.

Mono-Poly

This is where one person is monogamous, and the other is polyamorous. There are ethical questions that arise about this one but more often than not, the monogamous partner is well aware their partner is polyamorous and agrees to their partner seeing other people.

In all of these, communication is most important.

Also do not write polyamory where it is two women and a guy and have the guy be jealous if the women want to see other men. Men often have a huge ego issue with this and this is not true polyamory; this is also fetishizing.

Jealousy in polyamory is completely normal but if you let it, it will break the whole dynamic. Please write this very carefully. If you write jealousy in your poly ships, please don't make it unhealthy unless that is the dynamic you are aiming for. If you are writing jealousy, have them talk about it, come up with some boundaries and rules, and resolve the issue.

Writing polyamory as simply sexual is, in my opinion, awful. We are not some kind of fetish. We are not just threesomes or group sex, we are people who love multiple people and sometimes, sex isn't even involved at all! i beg you all to stop fetishizing this way of loving.

And again, we are NOT cheating when we ask to see someone else, as long as there is communication and if you are told no for whatever reason, you respect it. Everyone deserves an equal say. Do not go behind your partner's back and see them anyway.

Polyamory can be beautiful loving relationships, often on equal ground without a power imbalance if you do it right, and I really need y'all to stop treating it like smut is the only way of writing it. Have your characters go on dates! with everyone and seperately! have them truly enjoy each other that isn't just sexual. when you make it strictly sexual, it is not polyamory, it is just threesomes or group sex.

sincerely, a polyamorous roleplayer that is tired of having his way of loving being portrayed incorrectly and fetishizing it.

A major part of the tumblr rp experience is refreshing the dash and see your mutual roleplaying with someone else. Or maybe they're answering asks, reblogging musing posts, making an OOC post here and there. However, there will be times where you are waiting on a plot, an ask, or a roleplay to be responded to and you see your partner interacting or engaging more with other people.

Again, the mind is a cruel thing. Inadequacy, jealousy, general anxieties stem up sometimes, it's part of being human. But what's important is how you act on these emotions. Please remind yourself that sometimes, things take time. Not all plots go somewhere. Sometimes, someone may not be feeling their muse for that rp. Maybe they just got really busy. Thousands of reasons, but none of them have anything to do with how much they like you as a person.

I'm sorry to have to do this, but one of our cats, Boo, aka Teenie, has a rectal prolapse. We currently have $29 until the 1st, which means taking him to the vet isn't an option on our own.

Teenie is the sweetest little cat. He's loveable, asks for uppies by stretching up along you and reaching his little paws up. He loves to ride up in laundry baskets. He loves everyone and everything. He's only six years old, at this point.

Distant sounds of various monsters echoed through the abandoned mansion. Their growls and occasional skirmishes were commonplace. However, there were reports of screams coming from within the mansion, as well. Yet no one had dared to confirm if such sounds were coming from the monsters, who were known to reside there, or if there was a ghost in their midst. In some ways, the answer was both. For beyond the luxurious cloisters and buried deep the make-shift dungeon, a young man dressed in crimson lay tormented within his casket. Alone in the dark, with only his demons seeking dominance of his mind, not a single night had passed without enduring a restless sleep. Such was his punishment, and he had willed this to be his tomb. But fate had other plans.

Shrouded in a deep lust for violence, a wanderer had made his way into the mansion. Not a soul had witnessed this stranger enter the gates. And even if they had, there wasn't a single Nibelheimer who would have gone after him for fear of the monsters. Not only that-- anyone who may have attempted to stop the stranger would have likely met their untimely end. That is, if they were foolish enough to ignore the burning rage behind his eyes. As the figure began to descend the mansion, the corrupt energy grew stronger-- a feeling keenly distinguished by the one who was a self-proclaimed guardian of the Mansion. The man in the coffin. And yet, he continued to lay still within the coffin; unflinching and resolute in his choice to remain a silenced memory.

He dressed while Vincent searched for a uniform that would come close to fitting. Jack wondered briefly whether the man might have better luck with a suit like the civilian employees - but then remembered that wouldn't fly for long, with those unique eyes of Vincent's. Anyone from Shinra would know they hadn't seen him before, or would know who he really was.

Still, he had to bite back a snicker and glance away when he saw how poorly even the best-fitting infantry uniform sat on Vincent.

Jack made sure his own helmet sat secure, then looked around at the changing room to check his visibility range. Huh; actually better than he expected. A glance over after Vincent's question about bandages, then down to the other's hands, then back to the shelves and racks without remark. His main thought was that any gloves they might have here likely wouldn't look right, and Vincent didn't need any more ill-fit clothes to deal with.

"You needn't fret about vision with these helmets." Taking up one of the helmets, the lights glowed red with some special metal that was snug around the head. "Shinra technology allows one to see well beyond what the human eye is capable of detecting, such as heat, frequencies, and of course long distance. It's considered old tech, now."

Okay, low profile he could do. His short temper was usually reserved for pontificators and troublesome monsters - though, he wasn't exactly looking forward to playing the part of subservient soldier. Vincent's advice chafed, enough to have Jack's upper lip curling for a moment, but at the company at large rather than the man himself. Maybe it wasn't that weird how similar Shinra was to Lufenia.

It'd be a tough mouthful, but Jack was pretty sure he could manage biting down on his pride long enough for them to get through this. He'd have to be.

At least speaking 'as little as possible' would help, as would the helmet covering half his face.

Approaching the window carefully after Vincent nodded toward it, Jack took stock of where the guards were placed. A silent, focusing breath through his nose, and he nodded. "Works for me."

Distant sounds of various monsters echoed through the abandoned mansion. Their growls and occasional skirmishes were commonplace. However, there were reports of screams coming from within the mansion, as well. Yet no one had dared to confirm if such sounds were coming from the monsters, who were known to reside there, or if there was a ghost in their midst. In some ways, the answer was both. For beyond the luxurious cloisters and buried deep the make-shift dungeon, a young man dressed in crimson lay tormented within his casket. Alone in the dark, with only his demons seeking dominance of his mind, not a single night had passed without enduring a restless sleep. Such was his punishment, and he had willed this to be his tomb. But fate had other plans.

Shrouded in a deep lust for violence, a wanderer had made his way into the mansion. Not a soul had witnessed this stranger enter the gates. And even if they had, there wasn't a single Nibelheimer who would have gone after him for fear of the monsters. Not only that-- anyone who may have attempted to stop the stranger would have likely met their untimely end. That is, if they were foolish enough to ignore the burning rage behind his eyes. As the figure began to descend the mansion, the corrupt energy grew stronger-- a feeling keenly distinguished by the one who was a self-proclaimed guardian of the Mansion. The man in the coffin. And yet, he continued to lay still within the coffin; unflinching and resolute in his choice to remain a silenced memory.

He dressed while Vincent searched for a uniform that would come close to fitting. Jack wondered briefly whether the man might have better luck with a suit like the civilian employees - but then remembered that wouldn't fly for long, with those unique eyes of Vincent's. Anyone from Shinra would know they hadn't seen him before, or would know who he really was.

Still, he had to bite back a snicker and glance away when he saw how poorly even the best-fitting infantry uniform sat on Vincent.

Jack made sure his own helmet sat secure, then looked around at the changing room to check his visibility range. Huh; actually better than he expected. A glance over after Vincent's question about bandages, then down to the other's hands, then back to the shelves and racks without remark. His main thought was that any gloves they might have here likely wouldn't look right, and Vincent didn't need any more ill-fit clothes to deal with.

i said i'd make them! i hope you enjoy these, and as always: DO NOT ADD, EDIT OR CLAIM THIS LIST AS YOUR OWN!

[ WAKEN ]: the sender touches the receiver's shoulder to waken them from a nap or sleep.

[ STILL ]: the sender places their hands on the visibly angry/upset receiver to try and restrain them.

[ STAY ]: the sender, noticing the receiver attempting to escape a meeting or a conversation, quietly rests a hand on their shoulder and pulls them back into their seat.

[ REST ]: the sender places a gentle but firm hand on a weakened/sick/injured receiver's shoulder to push them back into their bed to rest more.

[ PUNCH ]: the sender places a hand on the receiver to draw their attention away from another focus, and once they've turned around, the sender swings a punch at them in the moment of confusion.

[ PRIDE ]: the sender, having heard or seen the receiver successfully achieve a remarkable feat, places a hand on their shoulder to express their wordless pride in them.

[ HUG ]: the sender places their hands on the receiver's shoulders to yank them into a hug.

[ COMFORT ]: the sender, noticing a visibly upset receiver, solemnly moves to their side, and places a hand on their shoulder in an effort to comfort them.

[ SURPRISE ]: the sender, noticing an otherwise occupied receiver, moves forward silently and suddenly grabs their shoulder to startle them.

[ STUN ]: the sender, having been apart from the receiver for some time, makes an unexpected return and greets the unaware receiver with a hand on their shoulder.

[ TIDY ]: the sender reaches forward and lightly sweeps something from the receiver's shoulder.

[ WORRY ]: the sender grabs the receiver by the shoulders to take a good look at them for any sign of harm or injury.

[ ARM ]: the sender rests a hand on the receiver's shoulder, their arm draped around them in order to do so.

[ FOCUS ]: the sender, noticing the receiver has become distracted during a conversation, places a hand on their shoulder to redirect and focus their attention.

[ GOTCHA ]: the sender, noticing the receiver has unknowingly walked into the path of a source of danger, grabs them by the shoulder and hoists them back to safety.

[ PRAISE ]: the sender, having heard that the receiver has achieved great success in a task or accomplishment, gives them a proud pat and squeeze of the shoulder to convey their congratulations.

[ STEADY ]: the sender rests a hand on the shaken and panicked receiver's shoulder to steady and ground them.

[ CAUGHT ]: the sender plants a hand on the receiver's shoulder to stop them from fleeing a potential arrest or accusation.

[ DELIVER ]: the sender, about to deliver some bad news to the receiver, gently places a hand on the receiver's shoulder to stop them from running away from the bad news.

[ SHIELD ]: the sender catches hold of the receiver's shoulder and draws them back and away from a threat, pulling them behind them for their safety.

[ SOOTHE ]: the sender places their hands on the receiver's shoulders and begins to give them a massage.

[ LEVER ]: the sender, wanting to sit next to the receiver, places a hand on their shoulder to ease themselves to the space beside them.

So as he entered the nearest pub, he half-expected the sidelong glances and longer stares. He wore his shield and serrated sword openly at his back and hip, keeping his coinpurse - heavy after his latest job near the Dominion's northern border - hidden under the drape of his dark coat. The stares rippled cautious tension through Jack's neck and shoulders. His right hand curled a little with the subtlest creak of his leather gauntlets, as he asked Ash's memory to help keep his calm.

As a result, Vander's own gaze flicked away towards the rest of the room, giving the rest of the patrons -- all of whom seemed to be waiting in their staring for a sign -- a subtle nod. Though not quite immediate, the rest of the bar began to settle back into his usual state of conversations and laughter, and a few gambling card games too.

When his question was answered with a question, Jack straightened a bit where he sat, blinking a few times. He had to put his readied response from his mind, and hope he wasn't seen as floundering while he settled on a new one. That latter offer helped give him a starting point, since it was some kind of answer to what he'd asked.

"...Alright. Thanks." Jack let his hand drop from his neck, forearms loosely crossing atop the bar counter instead. His focus settled on the other man - Vander, apparently - in full. "Name's Jack." How to explain the rest of it, without pouring out too much or completely lying? "Guess you could say I'm not from here; that place is long gone." It'd be easier to add on 'good riddance' in his mind, if Lufenia's downfall hadn't taken his friends with it.