#and it’s not like they’re necessary changes as in ‚it doesn’t work otherwise‘

[stage-ninja]

We‘re once again getting a bunch of last minute changes and additions for the crew. Tech rehearsals are over, the first dress rehearsal is tomorrow. We just had a lengthy talk last production about how much that sucks for crew. At this point it’s just disrespect and willful ignorance.

[makingspiritualityreal]

Saturn works well in Libra, Capricorn and Aquarius because in these signs it fights for injustice in ways that are objectively right.

Saturn debilitates in Aries and doesn’t perform well in Mars signs, because Mars is a sign of subjectively fighting for personal conviction and defending one’s boundaries from others. Ironically enough, even Mars exalts in Capricorn, so even personal conviction when it comes to self protection should be tempered with objectivity.

The person with Saturn in Mars signs is gonna fight for injustice based on lack of proportion coming from biased personal motivations and may be completely off the mark and lack bigger perspective in understanding their own troubles. They are unnecessarily defensive and stressful to their environment. They may not understand what is generally right, they operate based on what they personally believe is right and they think their personal feelings represent the bigger truth of the universe, while in fact it’s their very biased conviction.

People with Saturn in productive signs have a better place fighting for necessary changes because they have a good, well measured cause and so their efforts will always benefit the humanity collective, because everyone on the planet benefits from even one person doing the objectively right thing, even if it’s linked to someone’s personal life. Meanwhile, if weak Saturn does the right thing just for oneself, one is not very useful to the world in general and thus their long term contributions are weaker and they will even hurt people unfairly stumbling on the way.

In truth, people with Saturn tainted by Mars have an internalized sense of shame regarding the defense of their personal conviction and their right to it, which, just like with Sun afflicting Saturn, can come from an authority figure in their youth. So they yell at everyone around them louder than necessary, even if no one around them actually cares to attack them, simply because they feel attacked internally due to past traumas and they completely lack the objective perspective to be able to see that.

Saturn is friends with Venus and exalts in Venus’ sign, because a working Saturn is a good psychologist, able to accurately discern other people’s motivations. As a result, a good Saturn takes things less personally because it realizes that people actually don’t care that much about other people, as everyone is preoccupied with their own survival. A strong Saturn simply puts up an impenetrable wall based on what they know to be objectively right, a boundary people can’t cross and acts accordingly if someone tries to breach that wall, but is unbothered otherwise.

Saturn tainted by Mars is instead convinced everyone is out to get them, because they internally believe that everyone wants to attack them for their personal beliefs. As a result they lash out easily and antagonize people when triggered, because they’re unable to keep their cool. They also lack social grace, because they can’t solve conflict productively and they add extra tension to any problematic situation due to their temper. That makes them unpleasant to be around, because in an already tense situation tension should be diffused so that people feel less burdened emotionally and can look for easiest, most productive solutions. Anger in a Mars-Saturn person obscures their clarity and makes their environment more inflamed, like pouring gasoline on an already existing fire instead of putting it out.

The only path for a person with Saturn afflicted by Mars is to become aware of their complexes and defensiveness. They need to internally validate their personal beliefs and learn to put up a wall when it comes to them, not to try to convince anyone but simply to give themselves the right to live the life they want to live. They should become aware of these beliefs and simply live by them independently regardless of anyone’s opinion. They need to realize it’s objectively correct for them to be able to have these beliefs, because after all their life is theirs and not anybody else’s, so they should live it the way they want to.

As a result, their general productivity to the world will always be decreased because this person’s individual karma is about getting into balance with themselves so that they don’t end up constantly upsetting their environment. There are no valid objective external causes they can contribute to, because their karma in this life is about healing deeply individualistic wounds of personal bias. At best, they can be good at motivating people to stand up for themselves, but they will only give that advice coming from a very personal place that relates to their own experience. Of course, one can argue that their own personality and experience is a result of a long lasting line of their own ancestry as well so their very existence is fixing some latent karmas, but the physical productivity imprint will still be decreased as their emotional complexities take such a toll.

The karma of a strong Saturn instead has the power to right wrongs down to their ancestral line and manifest to have physical, societal impact during their own time on Earth, because they have the power to correct long lasting wrongs in the environment around them, which often originate from a long time before the Saturn native even arrived into this world.

[annie-creates]

Beautiful I know

Pairing: Lady Lesso x reader

Genre: angst to fluff

Words: 1100

Note: Another spring fic is here, I hope you enjoy this one. We have had a tough couple of weeks but I hope we can get back on track.

The air got fresher, early flowers started blooming and the days were sunnier and warmer. Everything around you implied the spring was here. Even the ever students got overly excited for the longer and warmer days, and nevers were willing to spend more time outside than absolutely necessary. It made teaching both of them the slightest bit more pleasant.

What didn’t make your classes easier however was the upcoming Spring ball. A tradition your school kept from before the merging, now both faculties equally accepted and invited. The buzz of your students chippering about the dress and shoes they’re going to wear and the date they’re going to invite was louder than the bees in the gardens.

You couldn’t blame them, you’d too get excited for the opportunity to dress up and dance. But your girlfriend wasn’t a big fan of such festivities, preferring the dark and coldness of her chambers and loneliness of her own company. You knew bothering her with it would not bring much more success, yet you were hopeful for her to change her mind about not going.

“Hey babe?” You question once you enter the office you so often shared.

“Yea?” Leonora reacts, not raising her head from the papers she’s currently grading.

“I know you said you aren’t really a ball type of person, but Dovey got the fancy chocolate fountain out…” You try to bribe her.

“I thought I already told you clear enough I’m not going.” She turns to you with a heavy sign, her arms folded over her chest and brows scrunched.

“Well… yes… but I thought you’d like to come with me…” You specify as if your presence should be her reward.

“I wouldn’t go with you even if you were the queen of Sheba.” She levels you annoyed.

“Oh… I’m sorry.” That stung a lot, pinching your heart in a twist. “I thought you would have done it for me.”

Lesso watched your hunched form leave her office, happy to finally have a bit of peace. Yet even after she did all her work, she couldn’t stop thinking about what you said. Did she not do enough for you? Why were you so needy all the time? It’s not her job to entertain you every hour of each day. If she doesn’t want to go to some stupid dance, she won’t go.

But the pointed look Dovey was giving her all throughout dinner seemed to say otherwise. You didn’t join them tonight, leaving many of the teachers wondering why the bubbly and talkative you didn’t show up. Even when she never wanted to admit it, it made her feel the slightest bit worse. Maybe she was really unnecessarily tough with you.

“Do you mind telling what your fuckin problem is?” Dovey cornered her right after dinner.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lesso retorted, dissatisfied with her tone.

“Oh please! Every time something’s bothering Y/n, it’s got to do with you.” Clarissa accused her.

“Oh god, why is she so needy?! I just don’t want to go to your stupid dance. Can’t she grow up and let it go?” Leonora argued.

“When was the last time you took her to any dance?” Dovey opposed.

“I… what?” In the heat of the argument Lesso got derailed.

“Actually, when was the last time you took her anywhere?” Clarissa stands her ground, waiting patiently for her answer.

“I… I did… I mean, we went to that place… like a couple months ago..?” Leonora backs down, confused herself.

“Lesso, you need to stop expecting her to invest all into the relationship where you put in nothing. Would it hurt you to give her some of your time every now and then?” Dovey lectures her.

“But I… why does it have to be that stupid dance?! Can’t we just go catch some frogs or something?” Lesso objects.

“Do you think she likes hanging by the stinky pond? Or that she enjoys tormenting the evening fireflies?” Clarissa raises an eyebrow.

“Uh, yes?” Leonora states matter of factly. “Why else would she do it?”

“No, she doesn’t!” sometimes Dovey contemplated if your girlfriend even knew anything about you. “She does it because you like it. She does whatever you enjoy to spend time with you. I’d say it’s only polite to do the same for her.”

Giving Leonora enough to think about Dovey leaves her to her own thoughts. Maybe she really wasn’t good enough girlfriend, spending the time she had left with you after the work hours doing only what she wanted and never asking what you would enjoy. She despised school dances, hated all the balls and fancy parties, but maybe she could bite herself and go just for you.

During the next week you don’t bring the ball up again, and it seems you finally came to terms with the fact you’ll be attending alone. But your excited chatter is shorter and less happy than usually, you don’t mention all the preparations to anyone anymore and you spend most of your free time alone in your room. That’s why you’re so confused when at the afternoon of the ball, a flower corsage finds itself on your bed.

You didn’t know who sent it, the only person you’d accept one from was adamant about not going to the ball. But it somehow complemented all the colors of your flowery dress, so you decided to try it on, just to see how you’d look. Just as you’re about to take it off and leave, a knock is heard from your door, which confuses you even more. As you open it, you find your girlfriend in a fitting white suit with her hair pulled back.

„Wow, you look…“ You whisper in awe.

„Beautiful, I know. Can we go now?“ Lesso cuts you off in faked annoyance.

“But… I though you aren’t going..?” You question her confused.

“Well I changed my mind.” She almost bites but then continues much more nicely. “I realized you deserve to be taken out to where you want.”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to…” You didn’t want to pressure her into doing things she didn’t want to.

“No, I want to go! We weren’t doing much of that lately.” She admits offering you her arm.

You link your arms together passing to the ball room. Your arrival turns heads but neither of you really cares. As you’re beaming with a smile, she realizes she loves the neediness and wonderment you have for her. She wouldn’t want to live in a world where you didn’t need her.

[eloquent-edits]

Hello!!!!

I'm writing a rivals to lovers office AU and am in need of some inspiration. Can you please do a list of office AU prompts? I don't mind if they get suggestive.

Absolutely! (Also thank you for being the first person to request prompts :3)

Character A and character B have issues with their work computers at the same time, and the poor IT guy has to deal with their bickering while fixing the computers

The printer is constantly breaking and A can’t help but snidely remark on B’s struggle every time it happens

B critiques A’s work whenever they get the chance, claiming A needs to do better if they want to get up to B’s level (the criticism is actually kind of helpful, just poorly worded)

B’s desk is across from A’s, leading to stare-downs when the other seems to be slacking on work and eyebrow raises when personal calls are taken

A leaves anonymous sticky notes on B’s desk about office drama, rumors, and random news stories to see what sort of conversations B likes (B usually looks at these with confusion, throwing them away buT THEY KEEP SHOWING UP WHY)

In the company project group chat, A and B don’t acknowledge each other outside of emoji reactions unless it is necessary

They are forced to work together on a major project with much longer hours than they expected, leading to sleep deprived A actually being nice to B in the mornings (they share a quiet moment at the coffee machine)

B’s ex comes into the office as another company’s assistant, and A can’t help but be concerned at the grimace and pain in B’s eyes

A starts using the printer incidents to ask about B’s history and get to know them better

A celebration at work includes a happy hour, so B dresses up just a little more than usual and A cannot stop staring

B notices A is lingering around their desk more and teases them about wanting to take their spot (A definitely wants to take them in a fight right?)

A’s car won’t start in the parking lot, so B offers to jump it… it’s the first time seeing B less professional (let’s get those sleeves rolled up and a couple buttons loosened from the button-down)

The AC breaks while only a couple people are in office, meaning it’s up to A and B to try and fix it while waiting on maintenance, leading to B on a ladder and A most definitely trying to not stare at their butt

C, an older friend at the office, retires and throws a massive party where A and B get a little too drunk, and B accidentally compliments A instead of criticizing them (A doesn’t know how to process it and B refuses to acknowledge this ever happened)

After A openly disagrees with one of B’s ideas, B confronts them privately, getting a little too close as A is stubborn and standing firm (give me that tension you can cut with a knife, give me that turn away because otherwise one of them will do something they regret)

B finds A asleep at their desk one morning and can’t decide whether to wake them up for the meeting or to let them sleep longer because this is definitely not normal for A

Turns out A worked their ass off to get a major promotion, one that B was eyeing for a while, which makes B jealous and get a little snappy

A is shifted to another area of the office and an annoying coworker, C, takes over the old spot. B finds the change welcoming and unsettling (“They’re not here to bother me anymore…” “That’s a good thing!” “… Yes. I suppose you’re right.”)

B is called into A’s office to discuss another coworkers’ weird behavior, which gives A the opportunity to call B out on their behavior around A

“It’s like on day one of me working here, you put a note in your calendar that said to torment me whenever you could.”

“You’ve gone from criticizing everything I do to actually being somewhat nice and helpful and then right back to being an absolute prick! I don’t understand it at all. What changed? You still seem to hate me, so why be so kind? Why?”

B doesn’t respond with words, just by slowly reaching out to touch A’s hand and swiftly pulling them into a kiss (ideally B would explain more later but that’s up to you hehe)

[somestorythoughts]

Eldritch Echo

So. I haven't seen the Bad Batch and don't really intend to, but I have read some fics (please do not take that as me saying that's the same as understanding the story) and between that and my thoughts of eldritch stuff in Star Wars and a cool art piece I came across that I think was referencing something I don't have the context for, I started wondering what it'd look like if of the Bad Batch, Echo was the only eldritch/cryptid/vampire/otherwise not human one. NOT because of the Techno Union, but because of something that happened sooner OR he'd always been like that. And I might put a bit of that in my vampire clones thing but I was thinking eldritch and I ended up writing a thing. So. Enjoy:

***********

Crosshair’s willing to admit he doesn’t dislike Echo. He respects the guy’s resilience and his willingness to go with the flow, which is necessary for someone working with their team, even as he rolls his eyes at Echo’s tendency to twitch at the state of their ship and his reluctance to drop the “sir” when talking to Hunter. More than that Echo has zero qualms about sassing him if Crosshair picks a fight and it’s a lot of fun to rile him up.

That said. Echo is also really freaking weird.

Crosshair is very observant, between his eyesight, his role on the team, and his training he had to be and either something’s very off about Echo or he’s started hallucinating because he keeps seeing things that don’t make sense. Not for a reg and not for a cyborg.

He explains this the Hunter once, trying to see if he’s noticed anything, and Hunter frowns. “Can you give me an example?”

“His eyes for one.”

Hunter blinked. “What?”

“We all know what most trooper’s eyes look like. And we’ve seen some variations. But they don’t change color. I’ve seen his eyes go golden or violet, and it wasn’t the lighting.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes I’m sure what do you take me for?” Crosshair snapped. “Look. Next time we’re on a sunny planet. Take a look at his shadow. It doesn’t match him at all. I’ve seen it prowling around him like a tooka without him or a light source moving. It doesn’t look like him either. And remember that time we were sparring and he panicked and bit me? I asked Tech, the Techno Union didn’t do anything to his teeth, but I know what bitemarks look like and that was not it.”

Hunter sighed. “I’ll pay attention but-” He paused. “Huh.”

“What?”

“It might not be anything.” He replies and only knowing that he’s getting to the point keeps Crosshair from interrupting. “But remember how I told you guys that people smell like animals? They’re distinct from each other, and you know I can’t describe it cause I tried to describe you guys, but it’s not like they smell like flowers or old books or whatever people like to think they’d smell like unless they’re wearing a scent. Echo, he doesn’t smell like a trooper. I just never thought about it for some reason.”

“And what does he smell like?”

Hunter frowned as he tried to find the words. “Well. He does smell a bit like a trooper and a bit metallic. But he also smells like, what’s was the spice in that cake you liked so much? The one we found on that mission with the weird vultures?”

Crosshair hummed. That had been a really freaking good cake. “The lady said it was a cardamon cream cake. So he smells like cardamon?”

“Cardamon and lilies and wet dirt is the best way I can describe it and I know it’s not his soap cause he uses the same stuff as the rest of us. So yeah. I guess I’ll pay attention.”

Two days later Crosshair gets confirmation that something’s up in a way he did not expect.

Because walking around in the dark in the middle of the night is his job so it’s already odd to find Echo leaning against the cabinet in their ship’s tiny kitchen in the pitch dark. “You’re going to trip reg.” Crosshair says and leans over to get the lights when Echo looks up.

And twelve pairs of golden violet eyes meet Crosshair’s.

He staggers back, trips over something, falls. “Crosshair!” Echo grabs his hand, pulling him up, then scrambles for the lights as if he forgot they might be necessary and Crosshair yelps as the light hits his eyes.

He blames that and the shock for blurting out; “What the hell are you Echo?”

Echo blinks, looking hurt. “I’m a trooper. Like you all.”

“Troopers don’t have twenty-four freaking eyes.” Crosshair hissed. They aren’t there now, he’s got 2 brown eyes in the exact same shade of brown nearly every trooper has, but Crosshair knows what he saw. He knows what he’s been seeing.

Echo tilts his head. And he grins. It’s a smile Crosshair’s seen before, whenever Echo’s about to respond to his taunts with something cutting and clever, part “take that” and part inviting him to share the joke. There’s nothing off about that smile save for that it’s mirrored in Echo’s shadow, splayed against the cabinets behind him too dark for their lights.

“The Bad Batch.” Echo muses, like there’s a joke Crosshair hasn’t caught yet, and he’s never had a reason to call Echo dangerous even when he didn’t trust him, but he’s starting to feel cornered even though Echo hasn’t moved. “You think you’re the only strange ones. ‘Don’t worry Rex, we know how to handle a reg.’ Never mind that Torrent was always a little crazy, or it used to be. Never mind that I was an ARC and a damn good one, and we’re all more than competent. And I appreciate what you all did, in welcoming me into the squad, I appreciate it more than I can say, and I do really like you guys, but you are so freaking cocky. So certain you can handle anything. And to be fair you’re damn good at your job, but sometimes it’s annoying. So.” He grins that taunting grin again. “You want to know what the reg’s deal is? Figure it out.”

He leaves. His grinning shadow lingers a moment before following. Crosshair stares.

And then decides that a glass of water isn’t gonna cut it and goes for the stash of moonshine.

[popatochisssp]

OMG all the new boys are fascinating but ummm Swapfell Fruition especially?? Sounds so good?? I would love a full lore dump on this concept, I love the idea of Vi playing the long con to get rid of Gaster and it all sounds so good. Incidentally I need to read Dirty Laundry again lol, everything you make with regards to any version of Swapfell is just *chef's kiss*

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Swapfell Fruition

A young Sans’ attempt to kill his creator, the Royal Scientist is a failure.

Gaster survives the scuffle that would’ve toppled him off of the CORE’s scaffolding and gains the upper hand, subduing his traitorous creation and forcing him—and the younger one he’d been trying to escape with—back to his labs.

Sans was reckless, tipped his hand too soon and without the luck to have succeeded on the first attempt, Gaster learns that he is a sneaky little backstabber, capable of appearing obedient but hiding ruthless intentions.

He's almost proud… but of course he can't have that.

It becomes clear to the Royal Scientist that obviously, he needs his creations to have some kind of failsafe. The little one hasn't shown any signs of disobedience yet, but his primary caretaker is a crafty little snake, no telling what he could influence him to do, if given the time or the chance—so it’s back to the drawing board, to the operating table with them both.

Papyrus, at his age, doesn't really know what happens to him, only that whatever was done to him hurt, a lot. He wakes up after in the room he’d shared with his brother, scared and hurting and alone, and when Sans finally reappears, he goes to him for a hug.

Except…

Sans doesn’t hug him back.

He doesn’t hug back, and he doesn’t say anything, no matter how much Papyrus begs him to…

And the next time Gaster summons them to the lab, it’s Sans who picks him up and keeps him from squirming away, holding his arm out for Gaster’s needles.

Papyrus doesn’t understand the betrayal, at the time or in the years that follow.

His hurt turns to bitterness and resentment as his once gentle and protective big brother starts to actively help their creator change him, gradually shaping him into a stronger, more efficient killer.

But even with all the modification and training he’s subjected to, Papyrus isn’t quite the solider or war machine Gaster had planned he would be—he spooks when caught by surprise, he’s easily distracted by irrelevant things, his loyalties twist and sway far too easily for Gaster’s liking…

Well, the Royal Scientist is nothing if not resourceful, certainly able to work with…limited materials and still produce something of use.

With the right mental conditioning, and the right handler to make use of it, Papyrus will still be a valuable asset for the Empress.

After all, there’s always political enemies to the crown that her highness would surely prefer to have…removed, discreetly, and other such dirty work best done in the shadows.

Fast and stealthy, like an assassin, seems more suited to Papyrus’ abilities anyway.

And as for a handler, who better than Sans to fill the role?

Gaster’s prototype was largely a failure, but certainly intelligent and organized, presumably capable of researching and observing targets, briefing the asset on situations and targets and memorizing the trigger words and phrases necessary to keep him operating at peak efficiency.

Sans doesn’t protest.

He doesn’t protest much of anything anymore, not since…

………

Well, it’s not like he’s ever spoken about what happened when everything changed, not even to Papyrus, so when he goes along with this too, neither Gaster nor Papyrus expects otherwise.

So, that’s how it is.

Papyrus becomes the perfect assassin and Sans doles out his marching orders, occasionally following behind on missions to jerk his leash and keep him on track.

Between them, it’s…complicated.

Sans is still Papyrus’ brother, the closest thing to an ally that Papyrus has, both of them stuck in service to a power-hungry, unethical prick.

There are moments where they’re okay, times where a joke will slip out and one of them will laugh, injuries tended to, backs watched under fire, and dozens more little things that just wouldn’t happen if they were nothing to each other.

But the moments never last long.

Reality always comes back in sooner or later—usually in the form of Gaster, demanding an update or issuing new orders or calling them back from the field, to which Sans always, always complies.

Papyrus takes it as a reminder of where Sans’ real loyalties must lie.

He’s some kind of brother, not always awful, and maybe he does care about Papyrus, a little bit, but he answers to Gaster above anything or anyone else, apparently by choice.

He can’t be trusted, not really.

And Sans…

Sans stays quiet and does his job.

Quickly, efficiently, and to the letter—exemplary service, always.

Irreproachable.

He’s almost completely beneath suspicion by the time the last human falls into the Underground.

Gaster couldn’t be more thrilled.

This is a golden opportunity, the perfect chance to prove his worth to the Empress and earn clout and accolades innumerable—to be the one responsible for capturing the seventh soul and freeing all of monsterkind from their centuries of imprisonment and allowing the war against humanity to finally begin!

Well, technically, it would be his creations doing it, but it’s his name that history will remember, him who would rise into legend as the most brilliant and ruthless monster to ever live, the catalyst in humanity’s downfall.

He doesn’t waste so much as a minute before summoning Sans and ordering him to handle it, immediately.

Meet with the Empress, alert her that there’s a human loose in the Underground, and offer her the services of the asset in ending their free roam.

Sans agrees, as he always has, and goes to fetch his brother for the job.

Papyrus is admittedly a little blindsided when not two seconds out of the labs, Sans pulls him aside, out of range of known cameras and recording devices and hisses at him to listen.

He doesn’t know what to make of what Sans says after, either—that he hasn’t earned it and he knows that, but he needs Papyrus to trust him right now, because he is going to lie and everything depends on Papyrus going along with it.

In spite of their messy history and every uncharitable thing Papyrus has ever thought about Sans…right here and now, something in his gut tells him this is no trick.

He agrees to ‘go along with it’…whatever ‘it’ is.

Sans waits until a certain amount of time has elapsed, and then he makes a call to Gaster with Papyrus present to listen.

Gaster is informed that there’s a problem with the latest target. The asset’s programming isn’t taking and he’s refusing to track down the human.

This is, of course, news to Papyrus, who hasn’t been assigned his target yet.

But…Sans said ‘trust me’ and ‘play along,’ so that’s what he does, complaining that he doesn’t want to kill a child, just put him back in his cage and do your own dirty work, old man…

Helpfully—always helpful, always intelligent, always reliable—Sans postulates a conflict of orders might be causing the programming to bug like this. Gaster’s overarching orders are for the asset to kill targets assigned to him, but the Empress has unfortunately countermanded that the human must be brought to her alive.

And again, Papyrus knows differently because the Empress hasn’t given him any orders, they never made it to her for orders to be given and Toriel likely doesn’t even know yet that a human has fallen.

But he said he’d go along with the lie so he keeps his mouth shut, even as he hears Gaster curse on the other end of the line.

Gaster finds Sans’ assessment of the situation as reasonable as it is frustrating, but minds are complicated machines and often behave strangely when conflicts arise. Just look at the Empress, who knows that humans must be killed to free her people, but feels she must perform the act herself instead of the far more convenient option being presented to her!

The asset’s orders being in conflict is a far more annoying stopping block, though, yet another barrier in the way of all the glory that Gaster has so painstakingly earned.

Time is short, stakes are high, he refuses to recall his creation just to debug it and resolve the glitch, not now.

Instead he makes his fatal mistake.

He overrides the asset’s failsafes.

All of them.

Impatiently rattling off a code that nearly makes Papyrus stagger from a feeling like weight being lifted, Gaster disconnects the call with a sharp command to Sans to ‘handle it,’ now that there were no restrictions on his targets or what he could be ordered to do.

Sans is only quiet for a moment before handing a picture to Papyrus, locking him on and beginning the usual debrief.

Papyrus can’t fully grasp what he’s looking at, not at first.

“………confirm target?”

“WINDINGS GASTER, THE CURRENT ROYAL SCIENTIST TO THE CROWN.”

As with any briefing, Papyrus must be informed of his target’s connections, abilities and assets.

Gaster has strong ties with the crown, and between that and his own paranoia, security around him will be tight. He’s intelligent, strong, and merciless, and he won’t hesitate to make use of anything at his disposal in a life-or-death situation.

As an example, he had implanted a condition into his private assassin’s mental programming that would prevent him from acting against or outright attacking him—so it’s fortunate they’ve already cleared that concern.

Now, the top priorities are to ensure that Sans is physically far away from Gaster when the mission is executed, and that Papyrus is at no point seen by Gaster before he’s dead. The entire operation could be sunk if both of these conditions aren’t met.

“why?”

“THERE’S AN ADDITIONAL FAILSAFE, IMPLANTED IN YOUR SOUL. IF GASTER REALIZES YOU’VE BEEN TURNED ON HIM BEFORE YOU’VE SUCCEEDED, HE CAN INSTANTLY DROP YOUR HP TO 1.”

“………and why am i doing this without my handler?”

“BECAUSE I’M COMPROMISED TOO. IF HE SEES ME OUT OF PLACE OR SUSPECTS I’VE BETRAYED HIM AGAIN, HE’LL USE THE FAILSAFE IN MY SOUL TO REMOTELY CONTROL MY BODY AND MOBILIZE ME AGAINST YOU—AND OF COURSE, AT THAT POINT, HE WOULD KNOW THAT YOU’RE TARGETING HIM AS WELL AND BE PREPARED TO KILL YOU.”

And that…

Well.

That sure is a hell of a lot of new information that Papyrus will have to process later, when there’s not a strong compulsion in the back of his skull that there is someone he needs to kill.

He’s a professional, when he’s working.

He will focus on the mission.

To keep up appearances, Sans departs to find the fallen human and trail them on their journey through the Underground. He very much wants to ensure they reach the Empress safely, but there’s an added bonus of being exactly where he’s supposed to be and doing exactly what he’s supposed to do should Gaster check in on him—no need to arouse any suspicion, not before it’s far too late.

In the end, when Chara has befriended monsterkind against all odds, winning over the Empress herself and freeing them all to a life of peace with humankind on the surface, the death of the Royal Scientist is an incidental discovery.

Sans takes responsibility for it, pleading for the Empress’s mercy.

Gaster had wanted the human—kind young Chara, to whom Toriel has taken such a liking—killed immediately as soon as they emerged from the Ruins, and he hadn’t thought that the Empress would condone such an order in light of what she’s always held to regarding fallen humans.

Gaster had been adamant, though, and Sans… Well, he only wanted to serve the will of her highness and to do so, he turned the asset against their master. He hopes only for some leniency for what he’s done, Gaster may have been their father but—

Strangely enough, it seems Toriel had no idea that the asset and his handler were the Royal Scientist’s children. He’d always told her they were employees, volunteers for the things that were done to them and the missions they were told to undertake.

Learning that they had actually been created, intentionally molded and pressed into these roles without a choice in the matter…

Toriel, an Empress first but a mother a very close second, can certainly afford leniency.

The brothers are let loose in spite of their crime, with a bit of funding from the Empress to get on their feet after everything. The money is partially back-pay for their joint service as the crown’s black ops division (for which they were never actually compensated before), and partially amends for how long their…circumstance…went unnoticed.

Sans offers to split the money and part ways with Papyrus, if he’d prefer.

But Papyrus has learned a lot in the past few days to…completely and utterly recontextualize everything he ever thought was true about his handl—…his brother, and…maybe he should stick around a bit. See what’s what.

Vi (Swapfell Fruition Sans)

Extremely restrained and closed off from so many years of being unable to talk to or trust anyone, not even his brother. An accomplished liar but socially unpracticed, tending to read as cold and unfriendly to those who approach him. He’s more awkward than genuinely hostile, though

Issues with being watched, spent most of his life simultaneously going unnoticed and being intensely over-monitored so his feelings about being observed—regardless of context—are complicated, runs hot and cold on it

Complicated feelings for his brother, too: he loves him, of course, and he failed him in many ways, but he was also stuck between him and Gaster for a long time and caught his fair share of hell from both sides and there’s some resentment there for that. He wants to fix things, but he’s not really sure how and just…awkwardly trying his best

Well-organized and skilled at research and thinking analytically, tends to approach most things with a problem-solving attitude and an eye-socket for detail. Extremely talented at finding loopholes and ways around or through the rules—though his respect for said rules is very low to begin with

Likes high and secluded places, mostly rooftops but anywhere it could be difficult for other people to get to. Whether or not those places are restricted by fencing or padlocks or lack of ladders is immaterial, if he finds a high spot he would like to be, he will get to it one way or another and perch as long as he pleases

Hunter (Swapfell Fruition Papyrus)

Impulsive and driven by self-interest, the years of mental conditioning have broken down his fears and inhibitions to nearly nothing. He does what he wants, when he wants, with little concern for anything else—a dog off its leash who’ll only heel when it’s good and ready to. Unfortunately charming enough to mostly get away with it

Problems with authority, for obvious reasons. Likely to try to bend or break any rule presented to him, just to see if he can, and a severe lack of respect for anyone trying to enforce those rules upon him (especially the arbitrary ones)

Conflicting and highly jumbled feelings for his brother, making them a matched set: he disliked him, maybe even hated him a little for a long time, for helping Gaster turn him into what he is and for being the one to yank his leash and pull his strings…but that was before he knew that he had a kill-switch in his soul and that his brother was up on strings on his own, being pulled by the jackass they both apparently hated… It doesn’t erase everything that happened, knowing that, but it does…change things. (He wants to fix things too, but he’s not sure how either, so they’re both just awkwardly trying)

Needs ‘tune-ups’ every so often to reinforce his mental conditioning and make sure all his programming is intact, even now that Gaster’s gone and he’s retired as an assassin. Going too long without re-upping it causes deterioration, compulsions ‘leaking’ without being triggered and causing headaches and erratic, sometimes violent behavior so…best for everyone to keep his head maintained regularly

Absolutely loves nature and wilderness, hiking, camping, and climbing trees is his idea of an excellent time. Could absolutely go off on a run and disappear into the trees and not be seen or heard from for a week, likely to get some forest-cryptid lore started about him—possibly on purpose

[extasiswings]

I said this to others already, but to me this finale had a lot of 4x14 vibes tbh. Season 4 was severely hindered in it’s production due to COVID and i am, to this day, convinced that that’s also what made them tie it up with such a neat little bow before (at least in Bucktaylors case) undoing a lot of it immediately as season 5 rolled around. Essentially giving everyone the happiest ending they feasibly could.

And there’s something to be said about how mainstream tv seems to think that “happy ending” always equals “in a romantic relationship” whether or not the relationship itself is developed or healthy at all, but for two characters with character arcs so intertwined with their love life, it does make sense.

The thing is, to me this makes sense. Am I thrilled? No. But I’m excited to see what they do because I understand how this fits with the rest of the season and I’m not worried about it.

There were three big themes circling around Buck and Eddie all season. 1) missing the things that are right in front of you; 2) fantasy vs reality; and 3) Fear holding you back/preventing you from living your life. All three of these themes are tied together and need to be worked through to get to a place of Buddie canon and Buck’s “I’m already Christopher’s father” realization. But the last one is arguably the most important in order to get to the heart of the others and that’s where I feel like Marisol and Natalia come in.

Buck and Eddie both started the season single. But not because they necessarily wanted to be, because they were afraid not to be. Afraid to put themselves out there, afraid of being rejected, afraid of making mistakes. But being single out of fear is not the same thing as wanting to be alone or being comfortable with your life as it is, it’s just letting fear control your life. So the way I see it, if they had ended the season still single, that would have changed nothing from where they started.

For Eddie especially, this is a baby step but a necessary one. Whatever happens with Marisol, Eddie’s going to wind up on the other side with some confidence in himself and his ability to be a romantic partner and that’s what he needs to ultimately be secure enough to put himself on the line and really be honest with Buck. It’s low-stakes, it’s fluff, but I think it’s good for him.

For Buck, I disagree with the idea that he is inherently repeating the same mistakes. Yes, it’s not an auspicious start, but we as the audience see things that Buck doesn’t, and also there are some pretty key differences between Natalia and Taylor. With Taylor, they had a preexisting relationship. Buck knew going in all of the things about her that were dealbreakers for him, and instead of being true to himself, he told himself that he could “learn to live with it” and stayed with her for a year. With Taylor, he knew she was fundamentally a person whose values conflicted with his going all the way back to Dosed. He never should have dated her to begin with.

By contrast, he’s been on exactly three dates with Natalia. He barely knows her, and by all accounts she seems like a perfectly nice person even if someone who isn’t ultimately going to work for him (which is something that has been projected to the audience, but not for Buck). She hasn’t done anything wrong (it was pretty reasonable for her to feel overwhelmed and leave when Kameron crashed their date) and there’s nothing about her so far (in her personality or otherwise) that shows Buck is compromising himself and settling. Right now he’s clinging to a woman he wanted to date and get to know better anyway because she wants to be with him too and he’s feeling vulnerable—okay? He wanted to be with her though, I didn’t get the impression this was just about him being afraid to be alone (the way I felt about BT all through S4-S5). If they’re still together after the hiatus when they’ve known each other for more than five minutes and been on more than three dates, and we have actual evidence of him compromising himself where he shouldn’t? Then I’ll be agree that he’s repeating the same mistakes. But if anything right now I’m assuming this is his chance to prove his growth when he is ultimately put in a position to do better—that when something significant comes up he will be comfortable enough with himself to break things off instead of settling for what he doesn’t want. In the meantime, idk about y’all, but it takes me more than three dates to figure out if someone I’m interested in is going to be a good fit for me in the long run. And in a similar vein to Eddie needing to gain some confidence in his ability to be a romantic partner, I think Buck needs to be able to prove to himself that if he’s put in a situation where he’s settling, he’s capable of walking away. And for both of them I think those are important steps for them to take before they’re ready to be together.

[rowanthestrange]

I like both options, but on balance the thing that makes me think great-grandaughter could work, is that we know the Doctor cried when he saw Ruby’s Mother. The memory has changed, but he knew, and it damaged him, be he repressing it or not. So either it’s Ruby herself or it’s incredibly meaningful to the point of damage for him. He is our Dissociative Identity Doctor after all.

…But I’m lying and my real reason is the Disney resources. We could technically pull off a reveal seeing her young face as the caped woman, with a few more well-practiced tricks than the usual usage of body doubles. Carole-Ann Ford is alive to give permission so that’s no problem, they might even be able to do clever things with audio modification if you wanted her to have lines. I thought Susan was too old, but this here is an actual option.

She was left in Dalek Infested times. Maybe it’s safer here for her daughter. Or just necessary to save the Doctor/universe.

Cus while I do think Susan is a harbinger for the Doctor, that doesn’t mean any ‘powers’ for lack of a better word wouldn’t pass down, which I wasn’t working with despite the obvious reasons to. We’ve got more than enough examples that godhood stuff is highly hereditary. *Gestures at Rose Noble* There you go, not just they’re pseudo-related but then they’d be mirrors. Got god-powers? Give em up.

Thing I’ve not been saying cus even by my standards it’s fringe…in one (1) Brief Encounters magazine story from 1994, (and a bbc churn “Brief History Of Time Lords” (2017) fact-collation book)… Which says Susan’s original name, not her chosen one, was Arkytior. Which is Gallifreyan for Rose. Which is the reason Russell named the first New Who companion that. And there’s a good chance he said that in The Writer’s Tale cus I can’t think how else I’dve known it otherwise before looking up the name and dates of publication.

And I was thinking…that would also be the meta reason why everyone in Ruby’s family is named some version of Red. Cherry, presumably Scarlet, Ruby. And there you’d have a Rose.

[metalljellyphish]

Werewolf Stan chimera!!!!

He'll be one big werewolf in the dunmeshi au!

Sorry this took some time to process but I’ve been cooking some THOUGHTS:

So, in this SoT mixed AU it’s a time of peace; Kyle is heir to the elven kingdom’s throne, too old by human standards but much too young to the elves he’s meant to lead, when he’s not studying magic and politics he travels on adventuring guild quests with Stan, a ranger from the north who had pledged his service and life to the future king. One trip the two join up with a group they’ve hunted with before to search the nearby woods for a dark, massive wolf-like creature who at first was just hunting the village livestock but now it had moved on to people. Since it’s only been spotted at night they have to camp out for it, but unluckily it sneak attacks them, the group just barely able to defend themselves. In an act to defend Kyle, Stan jumps to protect him, getting himself captured in the creature’s jaws and dragged off, in desperation Kyle gives chase on his own. Hours later he tracks the beast and slaughter it with a powerful spell, finding what remained of his friend. Devastated, Kyle decided to use forbidden magic to resurrect him, using pieces of the beast to transmute into what’s missing of Stan’s body. The spell works, though Kyle passes out from it before he can see if his work really paid off, but thankfully they’re not left for too long, the company they traveled with (aka Craig’s gang) finding the pair, an extremely bloody but otherwise unharmed and still human Stan and a disheveled Kyle, hands and feet covered in blood as well. There’s the suspicion, but for now it seemed the two were ok, both waking up in the castle after being escorted back. Stan seemed fine, though he had little memory of what had happened, Kyle thinking it for the better.

Until three nights later under a new moon; Kyle awakes to find that Stan is missing. He tracks him down to the woods just outside the castle, but something’s very very wrong. Kyle’s calling out to him but Stan isn’t responding, at least he thinks it Stan. He’s already started changing into something not human and by the time he does turn to face the elf prince he’s already more beast than man. And Kyle just stands there, speechless but whatever is happening he knows it’s his fault. He did this to the one person he cared the most for. Also he’s defenseless since he didn’t take his staff or spellbook, but in the moment he thinks he’s about to be attacked he thinks maybe he deserved this…

Luckily for him he’s rescued by one Lady McCormick and her retainer Leopold, the two able to subdue the beast without harming him more than necessary. Of course Kyle doesn’t even know how the two arrived so soon considering he didn’t even send his letter to her until the day before. Kenny vague explains she had a certain bad feeling about something and followed her intuition, leaving the very night the incident had taken place to travel to the elven kingdom, and boy howdy does she have words to say. For the time being though the three take the unconscious beast Stan and hide him in the castle dungeon for the time being.

Kyle shared the full story of what happened, and Kenny gets it, she probably would have done the same in that situation, but regrettably she explains that whatever that creature was that they hunted was cursed and now that curse was passed to Stan when he was resurrected. (How does she know these things? Oh that’s a can of worms for another night :3)

Though he might have turned into this werewolf chimera creature Stan’s still very much there, though currently beast instincts have taken over, but out of everything he still recognizes Kyle, so it breaks his heart seeing the elf so afraid of him at first, but then it all turns to sadness.

Uh that’s all I got for now…

I’ll definitely have to draw or write something about this, it’s been in my head for awhile now oops, I can’t call it a full dunmeshi au but it’s got elements, we’re changing the recipe you might say lol

[mothfables]

Modern Chain at a Christmas Market Pt. 2

we’re coming up on the end of the season at the market where i work, so i figured i’d share some more ideas!

-Legend has a hateful (one-sided) rivalry with the register. he could work it if absolutely necessary but otherwise he’s sworn off even touching the thing

-Twilight likes to claim he’s too ‘country bumpkin’ to understand tech like the register. Wars knows he knows how to work it. he’s very mad about it. Twilight likes to do this when he doesn’t want to do register duty

-those working the floor are continuously baffled by people assuming they carry around an entire register/spare cash in their pockets. you can see the register when you enter the store. why does this happen

-Legend has found he needs a cane after working there for so long (as well as other general life things); he redecorates it weekly and sometimes he lets one of the others help; Four + Wild add (in their words) ‘sick ass spikes’

-there’s a running tally of how many times the same questions get asked; the ‘winner’ changes every week. once Wild claimed first place- no one’s sure how since he only leaves the back to take orders to the register

-Legend responds to Miss and Ma’am as well as Sir; he likes how they feel, also it’s funny to watch people’s reactions; sometimes he drops or raises his voice on purpose to mess with them. Wind finds it hilarious. sometimes the others do it too when they want a laugh

-Time has never cared what people use for him but he does enjoy a good joke, so he has a habit of joining in on this particular shenanigan the most out of everyone

-Malon likes to show up in the last week to cheer them on. she brings celebratory treats! sometimes she + Ravio have a ‘friendly competition’ to bring in the best food. the rest of them both look forward to and fear when this happens because they’re expected to judge (Time and Legend are exempt by claiming bias for their respective partners. everyone else is envious)

-everyone brings something in for the official end of the season for an After-Takedown Party; Wild was lovingly banned from catering the whole event himself. Hyrule is actually banned from bringing in food. that’s okay though because he makes good drinks (alcohol is also banned, Twilight, Warriors)

[mimzalot]

Ambition (Edelgard and Claude FE3H)

copied over from twitter  •  24 Mar 2020 

my current brainworm's name is "Edelgard And Claude's Ambitions And How They Accomplish Them" and it's just a long and spieling metaphor about how to thrive as a predator vs. how to thrive as prey, the Eagle vs the Deer, the hacking force of an axe vs the precise aim of the arrow

Edelgard's plans hurtle forward with a startling momentum. it's said constantly: she carves her own path. part of the effectiveness of Edelgard's style is that it is a constant barrage of power, both political and *holds up axe* literal. add a Hubert and she's nigh unstoppable.

while she lays her path covertly, once it's out there it's a straight line, and marching that line is about being so strong and mighty that those who don't move out of the way have no choice but to join the march or be mown down. she's an axe toppling trees to navigate the woods.

compare this to Claude. a deer doesn't knock down trees, it works out the best way to navigate them. it knows all the ways to escape. it winds trails through familiar territory, confuses its predators, lies in wait. it doesn't have the power nor intention to hunt - only survive.

except of course this deer's survival is attached to an ambition. Claude makes his territory familiar through research, and by asking questions. he observes, understands and ultimately uses people to navigate a terrain that he knows he can't face alone - tactically speaking.

Edelgard's plans are intricate and rigid. they rely on her being a powerful, constant, active force at the helm. Claude's plans depend on him staying alive, carefully playing his cards. patience. waiting for the bullseye to reveal itself before letting loose an arrow.

the thing about a straightforward plan is that it has a straightforward end. Edelgard's path relies on power and once you start to overwhelm that power (see: by having Byleth) it falls apart when she falls. her carved path becomes the straight line you follow to her demise.

and the thing about an adapting, evolving plan like Claude's is that it always has an out because it's not set in stone - his contingencies have contingencies. Claude can survive all the routes because this is how he plans, it's in the best interest of his end goal to stay alive.

fun fact (spoilers ahead) in my playthrough of Crimson Flower, I didn't know you could spare Claude. I got overwhelmed by Lysithea so I sent the Black Eagle Strike Force around the other side of the map, charged through the defences, and sent Ferdinand ahead to kill Claude.

... thus illustrating that the only way to stop the unstoppable tactician with his multiple outs was to hurl a javelin at him before he could fly away, while Hilda and Judith all hurried in vain to stop me. the most achingly appropriate way I could have played Crimson Flower.

but otherwise, if Claude survives, he still hasn't failed his grand plan. he still has his purpose. undoubtedly one of his paths has been drenched in blood and quashed by Edelgard but is he trapped? is it the end of his road? nope. he just jumps ship to a new one.

Claude being a more passive presence in his own plans is deliberate - likewise, Edelgard is a more active presence. and the success and failure of each plan hangs on the edge of a knife (Claude just set himself up with a LOT of knives whereas Edelgard gave herself a GIANT knife)

the two of them are similarly driven by their ambitions, and see themselves as catalysts for necessary change. the major difference: bloodshed. so it makes sense that Edelgard's focus is on military power overhaul, while Claude's focus depends more on sociopolitical juggling.

it's reflected in their skills. Edelgard is a dignified and inspiring leader. in lieu of religious motivation, her transparency of intent gives the people a purpose - they're willing to fight for her cause. as an Emperor with a clear voice and mission, she is a call to action.

how do you motivate someone to fight for you? how do you inspire the masses? Edelgard does it by being Emperor (tapping into an established power), stripping power from those who may oppose her (also murder, thanks Hubert), and giving purpose to the rest (spiritual motivation).

meanwhile, I'm towards the end of Verdant Wind and people are STILL questioning Claude. he deferred that spiritual leadership role to Byleth so he could keep moving freely. he's managing people and expectations through careful manipulation so as to avoid doing so with violence.

and remaining under the radar in such a way gives him the invisibility he requires to do what he needs - to keep his secrets (which permit him to navigate terrain freely as well as being his tactical wildcards) and to manage the mayhem of war without spilling (as much) blood.

one can't operate like the other or the whole MO goes out the window. Claude can't be transparent about his intent and Edelgard can't be secretive about hers. Claude needs his evasive manoeuvres and tactics the way Edelgard needs her ability to strike and kill in one fell swoop.

y'know... like a Deer and an Eagle. 😎👉👉

[shiftingdiariesofophelia]

things *not* to put in your script (from what i’ve learned so far)

A/n - do whatever you want lmao, just don’t say i didn’t warn you. also remember that scripts aren’t necessary to shift, your subconsciousness knows what you want <3

-

• don’t script that everyone likes you! there’s no rivalry, everyone will feel obligated to give you whatever you want, etc. it’s much more interesting to let people form their own opinions and see what happens. a better option would be to script that you’re a likable person, just not that EVERYONE likes you.

•don’t script that everyone is madly in love with you! these are real people. unless everyone is suddenly really chill with polyamory, you’re probably going to be absolutely crushing hearts and that’s not fun for anyone.

•don’t script that you “don’t have trauma” when you come back to your cr. you can’t script for your original reality, that’s not how this works. you will have trauma regardless of what you put in your script. a better option is to script that you don’t experience traumatic things in your dr!

•don’t script that everyone hates you! “but i’ll change them-“ unless you script/truly intend otherwise, hate is a very strong emotion. people will be nasty towards you and that’s not an environment you should want to be in at any moment. even if you do change them, you might end up hating THEM by the time you get them there.

•this should be obvious but don’t script that ppl die just because you don’t like them. they’re real, i don’t care how much you hate them. if anything, change their personality to be more likable.

•don’t take away aspects of your own humanity! so don’t script that you don’t feel emotions, or pain, or morality or stuff like that. while technically you can, it makes for a sad existence while you’re in that reality and once you come back you’re probably never gonna want to go back there.

•do NOT make your backstory too traumatic. for example, i saw someone script that they saw their parents die. you will have some of your past memories of your dr even though your consciousness wasn’t present for those events. you will REMEMBER WATCHING YOUR PARENTS DIE. i don’t care how much you want to be y/n, it can and will mess up your mental state. both in your dr, and when/if you come back.

•don’t script that anyone is OBSESSED with you. obsession is terrifying and an actual mental issue. you think it’s cute and then you’re not getting any sleep because someone’s watching you through the window, or constantly calling you, or whatever.

•don’t change your skin color. just. don’t. (unless you’re like an alien or na’vi or something like that. i mean don’t script that you’re korean when you’re white in your cr. that is fetishization.)

•don’t script yourself younger just to date minors. i am younger in my dr, but the purpose isn’t “so that it isn’t weird.” i didn’t even script a s/o. i want the childlike sense of wonder that the world brings. for example, if you’re 20-something in this cr shifting to MHA specifically for one of the kids, that’s pretty weird.

•i might get hate for this but don’t script that you’re a death eater/villain/etc. without setting careful parameters. like if you’re a death eater in a harry potter dr, then you’re a blood supremacist and basically the dr version of a cr white supremacist. or if you’re a villain, you’ve done morally reprehensible and unforgivable things. you can be a “villain” who doesn’t hurt people. you can be a “death eater,” but change the policies they advocate for and things that they’ve done.

•don’t push/pull people together or apart just to stir up drama or for fun. they’re not your little barbie dolls. they’re real people with thoughts and feelings and making them miserable is a horrible thing to do.

•don’t script that you can do like a million things perfectly. you’re going to bauxbatons? cool, speak french. you’re going to korea in your dr, cool, speak korean. or you’re going into the maze runner, script you’re healthy/a good runner. but don’t needlessly script you’re perfect at every little thing. if you’re good at everything immediately then things will probably get pretty boring tbh. you ever watch one punch man? saitama literally got bored with fighting because no matter what he could win with a single punch.

•don’t script for a dr where you get with your parents??? i saw someone shifting for their cr father and i’ve never been so horrified. or like if you’re shifting to hp and sirius is your dad, don’t have a second script where you’re trying to get with him during the marauders era. that’s weird imo.

[stoprobbersfic]

in every possible way

in every possible way (or: five things nancy wheeler learned about family by having her own)

for @jancyweek2022​ day 5: family 

this is set in my future perfect ‘verse, so that would be some good/necessary context for this, for what it’s worth. (and yes, i said they had 2 kids. this is just part of the first one.) 

read it on ao3

oh my life is changing every day in every possible way and oh my dreams are never quite as they seem never quite as they seem

1. some big decisions feel very small

They toss it around for years, the idea of it. In fact, for a long time an idea is all it is.

She’s the lowest reporter on the newspaper totem pole, working the shittiest stories in the shittiest neighborhoods at the shittiest times of day. He’s trying to fully establish himself as a photographer and picking up bartending shifts on every night he doesn’t have a shoot booked.

And of course there’s the weekends they “go away” for some private time investigating thin spots in the world that may or may not be gates. Their friends think they have an extremely healthy marriage, putting each other first above all else.

Nancy thinks they have an extremely healthy marriage, because after you’ve fought monsters and saved the world together everything else seems like a piece of cake.

Well. Most everything else. That one thing her mother always brings up when she calls, that’s more daunting to her than any Demogorgon or gate ever was.

They’re in no rush, really. And the timing never seems right.

Do you think we should have a baby? She asks him after she says goodbye to her mother and he studies the stack of bills on the coffee table. He smirks at her.

I think we should make sure we can pay the light bill first.

Do you want to have a baby? He asks her as they tuck themselves into the corner of her office baby shower, her manager glowing in the center of a circle of otherwise hardboiled reporters and editors who are – slightly drunkenly, to be sure – oohing and aahing over a hand-knitted set of baby clothes.

I’m about to do her work and mine – when exactly do you think I have time to be pregnant? She shoots back, and he chortles into his glass.

It goes like that for a while, over months and months, until one night Nancy finds herself at their kitchen table, contemplating the brown paper pharmacy bag with the familiar egg-shaped plastic compact inside. That’s where Jonathan finds her, the light around her dimming as the sun sets outside their windows.

“Is everything OK or are you just enjoying sitting in the dark?” he asks, flipping on the light and taking the seat next to her.

She’s quiet a moment, considering approaches, and then just blurts it out.

“I think I wanna have a baby.”

She keeps her eyes squarely on the table, not daring to look at him. Every past conversation they’ve had – short or long – feels ephemeral to her, like they were just playing with hypotheticals. She means it this time. It’s been nagging in the back of her mind for weeks, for probably longer, manifesting in lingering looks at women with strollers on the street and on the L, with watching the toddlers at the playground in the park up the street when she’s taking a walk. In daydreams on her commute – still watercolor blurred and amorphous in their own way – involving Jonathan’s wide palms on her swollen belly, or tiny hands tugging on his shoulder length hair, a little body cradled between them as they sing pop songs to lull it to sleep that have gone from occasional to daily to more.

She had refilled her prescription without thinking, gotten home, and realized she didn’t want to wake up the next morning and take a pill.

His hand, warm and rough, on hers snaps her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah, me too.”

Her head snaps up so fast she nearly gives herself whiplash.

“Really?”

His face is open, his eyes warm brown and dancing. There is no hesitation to be seen. “Yep.”

A weight she hadn’t even realized she was feeling lifts off her all at once, and she lets the smile break over her face. The one she gets in return is just as wide.

His hand is squeezing hers hard enough to hurt but they’re both giggling and she is giddy, practically vibrating with it.

Then a thought strikes her. It stops the giddiness in its tracks. It must show on her face because suddenly Jonathan looks very, very worried.

“Nance? What?”

“Oh god. Does that mean I have to get pregnant?”

She can barely register his laugh before she’s being pulled out of her chair, tossed over his shoulder and is suddenly enjoying a very nice, close up view of his rear end as he sets off down the hall to their room.

“I’m trying not to take that as an insult.”

2. impending fatherhood is sexy

They’re not going to be the first parents among their friends, and Nancy is immensely grateful for that as she climbs the steps to the home Ben and Michelle bought six months ago, halfway through their own pregnancy.

Nancy wonders if they need to start thinking about things like a house or a yard. There are no cul-de-sacs in the city, thank fucking god, but there are dead end streets. If they do have to move, they sure as hell aren’t moving to one of those. That’s too damn close.

She rings the bell without thinking and immediately regrets it when she hears a piercing wail from inside. Stupid, stupid.

The cry gets louder as footstep approach the door and she’s all set and ready to apologize to Michelle but instead finds Jonathan behind the slab of oak, a tiny bundle of blankets cradled in one arm.

“The bell, Nance? Really??”

She doesn’t reply; she can’t. He’s in a t-shirt, his hair’s disheveled, he’s holding a baby, and suddenly every hormone in her body – and man, there are an awful lot of them right now – is rushing to straight between her legs.

He steps aside and she enters on autopilot, trying to figure out the best way to tell him he should give the baby back to Michelle and leave with her, right now, because she wants to climb him like a tree.

“Michelle went to take a shower,” he says, briefly snapping her out of her reverie. “I told her I’d keep an eye on Emma and to take her time. I think Ben’s on his way home but I had just gotten her to fall asleep.”

“Sorry,” she sidles up to his bicep, trying hard to ignore how good he smells, especially mixed with the soft scent of baby powder and freshly laundered blankets. “Hello, Emma.”

“Hello Nancy, thanks for waking me up from my nap so I can scream bloody murder in Uncle Jonathan’s ear again!” He bounces the bundle in time with his high-pitched response.

“Mmm,” she nuzzles his shoulder. “’Uncle Jonathan’ has a nice ring to it but I think ‘dad’ is a lot sexier.”

He raises his eyebrows at her, still bouncing the baby as she starts to calm. “Well we’re not quite there yet but I’m sure you’ll get to fulfill those fantasies someday. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”

“How about today?” She reaches into her purse, fishes around until she finds the little Ziploc baggie and pulls it out. Holds it up so Jonathan can see the pink and white stick with two parallel pink lines on it.

It is both immensely gratifying and incredibly attractive to watch his eyes widen so much she thinks they’re about to pop out of his head.

“Really?” he whispers, almost like speaking too loud would make it not true. “Nance, are you serious?”

“The lines don’t lie,” she looks up at him through her eyelashes. “How long until Michelle is done with her shower, do you think? Because I want to take your pants off with my teeth.”

    3. unconditional love really means unconditional

The look on his face confirms to her she’s horrifying but to be totally honest she couldn’t give two shits.

“Did you get the salsa?” she asks as Jonathan closes their apartment door behind him. Eyes the paper bag he’s carrying like she suddenly has x-ray vision.

“I did.”

“And those Mexican candy spoon things? With the sour-sweet?”

“Tamarind,” he corrects absently, clutching the bag to his chest like it can protect him from something. “I did.”

She beams a him. “Thank you. I love you.”

“…Yeah.”

“Oh come on,” she rolls her eyes as he edges into the room. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Um,” he tries, stops, and then just gestures in her direction with his free hand.

She looks down at herself. It’s pretty standard for her lately, 32 weeks into this bullshit ordeal: a pair of Jonathan’s clean boxer shorts, her most comfortable bra, one of his rattier button downs that has long be moved from his work wardrobe to “painting the house” duty, and which is big enough to accommodate her suddenly quite large belly. She swears up and down she blew up like a balloon; after weeks of morning sickness where the smell of just about any food that wasn’t white bread or oranges turned her stomach, she finally got her appetite back. But even then her belly had resolutely refused to show until about two weeks ago; now she suddenly had a little shelf to rest things on whenever she sat down.

Honestly, it was kind of convenient, even if sometimes their son’s kicking knocks over her plate or her cup.

Right now that belly shelf is home to a half-eaten Sara Lee cheesecake she had picked up in the freezer section of the corner store.

“What?” she asks.

He gestures again, this time more clearly toward her left hand. She looks at it, considers, then pops one finger into her mouth so she can eat the pitted black olive off the tip.

“What?” she asks again, a little muffled as she chews. Swallows, then follows it with a bite of cheesecake.

“That is disgusting.”

“It’s good!” she protests as he hightails it out of the room. She hears the rustling as he unpacks her latest cravings and eats another olive. “It’s like, a little salty and a lot creamy and a little sweet. Opposites attracting, like us!”

“Which one of us is the olive and which one of us is the cheesecake?” She can practically hear his shudder. “Nevermind, I don’t want to know.”

That gives her an idea and she swipes another olive, this one on her middle finger, through the cake, scooping up some. Pops it into her mouth and chews thoughtfully. Meh. It’s OK. Not as good as she was hoping for.

When she looks toward the kitchen again he’s standing in the doorway, looking as disgusted as ever.

“Oh come on,” she rolls her eyes, sliding the cake off her stomach and onto the coffee table. Stands carefully, one hand still half-occupied with olives, the other going to the half-done buttons of his ratty old shirt. “I’m not that gross, am I? I mean, you didn’t seem to think I was this morning before I left for work. Or when I came to see you on your dinner break. I believe you thanked me for wearing a skirt, and god for fixing the lock on the women’s bathroom door.”

“You weren’t eating olives off your fingers with cheesecake this morning. Or at the bar.”

“Well,” she pops the last two remaining olives into her mouth and the last two remaining buttons free with her other hand. “I’m not now, either.”

His keeps his arms crossed, his shoulders stiff, as she slowly starts to walk toward him, hoping she can still pull off seductive when her belly’s this big. His eyes are full trained on her (now much more ample, thanks pregnancy) cleavage, though, so she’s pretty sure she’s doing just fine.

“That’s true,” he allows and finally reaches out to her, slides his hands up her side and over her breasts before drawing her close and brushing his lips over hers once, twice, three times. She feels her knees go a little weak. “And I love you no matter what. But would you mind brushing your teeth?”

    4. what’s in a name?

Nancy wakes slowly, blearily rubbing at her face as she blinks back the afternoon light. Something feels strange, feels different, feels off—

The baby.

She bolts upright with a gasp, scrambling out from under the covers and skidding into the living room in a panic only to be confronted by the sight of Will sitting in the old rocking chair Jonathan had rescued from his mom’s house years ago and that is definitely coming in handy now.

Will’s got her beautiful baby boy held snugly in his arms, his head bent toward him and long still-bowl-cut hair hanging down like a soft curtain. She thinks it’s funny, all these years and he still gets his hair cut the way his mom used to do it.

She thinks Will maybe have been saying something to her son, or maybe humming, but he looks up when she arrives, a smirk already on his face.

“Forgot you have a kid now?”

“Honestly,” she says, hand on her chest as she tries to calm her racing heart, catch her breath, “I’m not used to getting so much sleep.” Approaches them. “Thanks for letting me nap, by the way.”

“No problem,” Will looks back down at his nephew. “Joe and I were having a great time together. Doing some rocking, singing some songs.”

“And what kind of taste in music are you trying to impose on my firstborn child, eh?” She reaches out and brushes her fingertips over the fine brown hair dusting his crown. She swears up and down every day that he looks just like Jonathan while he swears the opposite, but she does have to admit Joe got her coloring. His chestnut hair and bright blue eyes could come straight out of her own baby photos.

Will grins at her. “Oh, please, like I could ever displace his father’s influence.”

“And what am I chopped liver?” She hears the door open and close behind them, the thunk of Jonathan dropping his photo bag under the coat tree. Lifts her face to accept his brief kiss when he crosses the room. Doesn’t hide her grin when he does the same to the crown of Joe’s head.

“Want me to take him?” he asks his brother.

“You stink like chemicals,” she interrupts before Will can agree. “Go change, and then we’ll give Uncle Will’s arms a break. He let me take a nap, he’s earned it.”

“Excellent, I’ll be right back.”

“No you’re not chopped liver,” Will says like they weren’t even interrupted. “But, come on. You let Jonathan name him Joe.”

Huh? she thinks.

“Huh?” she says.

“It was my brother’s idea right?”

“Well yeah but, like, Joe’s a normal name,” she frowns at him.

“What were your other choices?”

“I liked Adam, but Jonathan didn’t, not for a first name. He also suggested Ian, which was nice, but I liked Joe more.”

Will’s smirk is bigger now, and it makes her suspicions rise.

“Joe?” he repeats. “And Ian?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with Joe and Ian?”

“You really don’t get it?”

“Get what?” Suspicion is quickly turning to irritation and she suspects Will can read it on her face because he stops smirking quite so hard.

“Joe Strummer? Ian Curtis? The—“

“--Lead singers of The Clash and Joy Division,” she finishes for him, eyes wide.  Wheels around to find Jonathan standing in the doorway between living room and hallway, mid-frantic arm wave, as if he’d been trying to get his brother to stop spilling the beans. He freezes, then grins sheepishly at her.

“You like the name Joe, and anyway we already filled out the birth certificate weeks ago…”

“Jonathan!!”

Will cracks up as she huffs her frustrations at him, half-joking and half-not. Oh, she should have guessed. He was far too confident and clear about his name suggestions. Oh, she should have known.

Joe starts whimpering and whining as his own sleep is disturbed and as she chases Jonathan playfully around the room she hears Will still in the chair, singing through his laughter, “Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble, if I stay it will be double…”

“So you got to let me know,” Jonathan joins in, cowering behind the rocking chair and his son and his brother. “Should I stay or should I go?”

When he stands up she makes sure the burp cloth hits him square in the face.

    5. it is possible to be this happy

Nancy gives the pot of sauce one last stir, lifts the wooden spoon to her lips and carefully blows before giving it a taste. Mmm. Perfect.

Jonathan may be the better cook overall but she’s learned a trick or two over the years.

“Hey Jonathan,” she calls, turning off the burner and putting the lid back on before walking back toward the living room, already starting to unbutton her shirt, “dinner’s ready, do you wanna hand him over to me so I can feed him while you’re setting the—“

She trails off in the doorway, taking in the sight before her. Jonathan is sprawled on the sofa, the light of the television airing Wheel of Fortune flickering across his face. He’s got Joe on his chest, his hand securely at his back. They are both fast asleep.

She does the two buttons of her shirt back up, considering whether she wants to wake them up. After a moment, decides against it. Dinner can probably wait.

It’s a little complicated but she manages to ease the pillow out from under Jonathan’s head and then maneuver herself so that he’s in her lap. Combs her fingers slowly through his hair, soft dark blonde strands she’s been playing with for well over a decade now.

She’s not sure how she got here. She imagined so many lives for herself, from dreams of women’s college with Barb to dreams of being a front page Pulitzer winning reporter. She’s saved the world and had her heart broken, almost lost everything and gotten it back again.

Her chest, her heart, her soul feels so full, like she’s about to burst from all the love in there, for this man and this tiny creature they made together, this tiny little human she would do anything for; walk over hot coals, throw herself in front of a train. From the moment his blue eyes looked into hers her world has felt like it is so full of love that it’s overflowing into a waterfall of feeling and all she can do is be swept along with the current, content to drown.

She thinks maybe that’s what people mean when they say they’re so happy they could die.

She shakes herself out of her thoughts only to find two pairs of eyes staring up at her, one brown and one blue. She smiles down at them both, reaching out to cup Joe’s head, stroke her thumb over the soft crown. Jonathan switches the hand holding his son to his chest and raises the other to cup her cheek.

Yes, she thinks, dinner can wait.  

[themoonking]

no one is saying that if you write fanfiction you are, inherently, a worse writer than anyone who’s ever been professionally published. we all know that being a skilled writer isn’t necessarily a requirement to be published, and we all know that fanfiction writers can be incredibilty talented. when people say that a lot of booktok books popular, recently published genre fiction is “written like fanfiction” in order to criticize it, we don’t mean that fanfiction is bad; we mean that the way one writes fanfiction doesn’t translate well to original fiction. therefore, when an author started writing in fandom, but didn’t really alter the way they write when they made the jump to original fiction, it really fucking shows in their work.

more below. warning: LONG.

in fanfiction, you don’t have to give a lot of introduction (or really, any introduction) to the characters, the setting, the lore, et cetera. it can be assumed that anyone reading your fic is reading it because they not only already know everything about the world, but they also already care. the author doesn’t really need to do any legwork in this area. in the event that you make changes from canon that need to be explained, in the world of fanfiction you can simply give an exposition dump in the summary or the author’s note, and no one will bat an eye.

you obviously can’t do this in original fiction. the reader does not already know and care about your characters / setting. you need to weave the information necessary for understanding the book into the book itself, and you need to give reason to care about the characters in the book itself, otherwise the reader will walk away from your book confused and dissatisfied. and unlike in fanfiction, you cannot simply give an exposition dump and tell the reader exactly how things work in a little aside before the book begins.

you can’t simply hop from fanfiction to original fiction without changing anything about your approach to writing and expect things to go well. if you want to make that leap, you have to actively work to refine your craft into something publishable.

but aside from those fundamentals about fanfic vs original fic, i also feel pretty confident in saying that the majority of fanfiction is just pretty mid. not to say that fanfiction writers never produce genuinely good writing, but in general a lot of fanfiction is just mediocre. and that’s okay! 

fanfiction doesn’t have to have the most beautiful prose you’ve ever read for you to find value in it, and it shows a deep level of insecurity when people feel that fanfiction has to be revolutionary and life changing and so on and so forth to justify their enjoyment of it. i’m a pretentious asshole with an all-encompassing need to be seen as cultured and intellectual, and there are many things that i like that are just okay. you don't see me out here trying to convice people that sherlock gnomes is a cinematic masterpiece (although it is /j).

unlike original fiction, fanfiction is not and never can be a job. everyone who writes fanfiction writes fanfiction as a hobby. so it isn’t really a big deal if they’re just okay. i paint as a hobby, and (for me) painting will never be a career, so it doesn’t matter if i only ever paint the same small collection of subjects or if my skill level stays the same, because i do it for fucking fun. similarly, it doesn’t really matter if a fanfiction author only ever writes permutations of the same basic plot or if their writing doesn’t improve over the years, because it’s just a sillyhappy little activity they do in their spare time.

but that isn’t really okay in original fiction? i mean, like i already said, publication is not an inherent marker of quality and there are plenty of authors who just churn out what is essentially the same book over and over again and gain insane amounts of clout and money from them, but in general, in original fiction, you need to be able to write different stories in order for readers to remain interested in your work. for all the popularity that authors like colleen hoover, sarah j. maas, ali hazelwood, and their ilk have, the fact that most of their body of work is the same story in different skins doesn’t exactly scream creativity and skill. people who actually engage with what they're reading are going to notice when an author really only writes one thing.

and an author who writes for a living is going to want to improve their craft, even in small ways. obviously perfectionism is unhealthy, but there’s a certain joy in being able to pull off something in your art that you weren’t able to pull off before, and to keep writing engaging and unique stories you need to keep improving and expanding your horizons.

just overall, obviously you don’t really have to be talented to get published haha, but if you want to actually be good at writing original fiction, the way you approach writing it needs to be different than the way you approach writing fanfiction. that’s why it’s so obvious when an author started with fanfiction but didn’t change anything about their approach when they began to write original fiction (or if they straight up used their fanfiction itself). that’s why “it’s written like fanfiction” is an insult to a published work; it’s because what makes good fanfiction isn’t necessarily what makes good original fiction.

and fanfiction can 100% be used as a tool to improve your writing, but when you’re looking to write original works, fanfiction can only take you so far. you eventually have to hone your craft writing actual original pieces instead of fanfiction.

[alyjojo]

Family Ties 🤍 - July 2023 - Taurus

Overall energy: 6 Wands

Two stories in this one area. First off, regardless of how many siblings you have, I only see one, and they’re trapped in the same dynamic as your parents. Because something has always worked out, no one has spoken up, forced a change, told the more toxic person to get their crap together, setting boundaries…it’s always been perceived as normal. Accepted. “That’s just how they are.” And worked around.

I see you overcoming this. It will be passed down, but not to you, to your sibling…unfortunately in some ways 😓 Despite that, I see your experience with your family as mostly positive, regardless of the issues they may have, they’re very supportive of you, generous to you and you to them in return. They may be pretty conservative or religious in nature, you’ve gained a lot in wisdom & maturity, possibly education and a good living or career as well, by having had them as your family ❤️ They may have some level of status, privilege or entitlement that comes with their name or reputation. Are they perfect, nope not at all. Are they good for you, yes.

Father: The Devil & Temperance

Yours is the only reading where Dad comes first, but it’s necessary to explain his side first, or Mom’s side won’t be clearly understood. He’s the problem. He is extremely selfish and self interested, always thinking of his way is the right way and there is no other. This may fall in line with The Hierophant in your section, your family is very conservative, because of him. Father is the head of the household, the one that controls the money, the goings on, the reputation and status of the home on an authoritative and/or “morally righteous” way. But it’s toxic, and everyone seems to know it but him. His father may have been the same, and his grandfather before him. Traditions are extremely important to him as the family unit, but more often than not he’s out to please himself, and is extremely defensive should anyone “call him out” for that. I honestly get a “speak when spoken to” sort of vibe with him, but only about the problems - especially his problems. He expects everyone else to get in line because he’s not changing. There could be addictive substances involved with him, something about how he “pleases himself” is actually toxic, but he celebrates it, and comes off as quite controlling…but not over everything, that’s the confusing part. Niche things that only apply to him. Like if HE believes that a certain school is the best then every child will go to this school, even if it’s on the other side of the world, he will die on that hill, there is no argument. Just as an example. Especially when these things reflect him or “the family”, or are financially related. He has high expectations. But for other things, he doesn’t care so much and is generally peaceful. You never really can know what to expect, except that his perspectives & desires are the only ones that matter, and he will always get his way. People may walk on eggshells around him, especially Mom, regarding certain topics.

Mother: 4 Cups, 9 Swords rev, The Fool

She is a complacent sort of person, an enabler of sorts when it comes to your father. She isn’t one to take risks or step too far outside of the lines that he has drawn for her, nor is she one to confront his personal demons and take a stand against them. She expects him to heal, change, “quit” if substances or addictions, or to otherwise learn with time. He’ll see “eventually”. She may make excuses for him, his father did xyz so he does too. She may have very little choice in the matter and for the sake of her own sanity, is pretty hands off where he is concerned. That doesn’t mean she likes it, but more like she pretends it isn’t a problem, or personally believes that moving away from whatever he does would be foolish, like that’s how things are supposed to be. She drinks the same Kool-Aid, and though she misses out on excitement or opportunities for joy, she doesn’t seem to mind letting them pass her by. The very definition of submission, she could also be quite religious. She could be fearful of you or your sibling/s breaking traditions that would set you apart from the family, she only wants to keep everyone together. “The family” as a unit is very important to them both. Am I reading for the Mafia? If so, good on ya mate, we cool 😎

Siblings: 6 Cups, The Magician rev, 10 Pentacles, The World

You’re very nostalgic about your sibling, your childhood, and how things were. 6 Wands on your side is about recognition, I get that a particular person, or more than one even, are very important or prestigious in some way. You have recognized the manipulations, lies, the clever maneuvers, how your childhood, parents, or situations were actually toxic. Because it is what it is. But they also drink the Kool-Aid, and this is what has separated you from them, even if you two still interact and love each other, under the surface you’re very different. Your siblings feel that all of these things you did/said were toxic (but you’re being justified here that you’re right & trust yourself), they see this family as identity, generational inheritances, the foundation upon which you’re all built. It’s something to honor, they’re lovingly nostalgic about the same things you find to be wrong. You’re like night and day. They are entirely unconscious to what the problems are, so healing them is not an option, they will continue the same traditions as set forth by their parents, grandparents, etc. With any single one of these people, if you spoke up, you’d be the one that’s wrong, not them. I’m sure you already know this.

Grandparents: Ace of Swords rev & 9 Pentacles rev

I only get a grandmother, she doesn’t talk about either parent’s issues, she’s probably not much of a talker at all. Others also may not be fully honest with her about what’s really going on in this family unit, she feels like an outsider. If there is some level of codependency, either with her or Mom, she doesn’t see that as an issue. She doesn’t really see anything as an issue, but no one is particularly close with her either, maybe just Mom if anyone. She expects people to deal with their issues and get over them, it’s that simple. She is an Empress, the matriarch of the family, someone who may have several children, and she sees no issue with how they or you were raised, this is simply how things are and everyone will grow and mature like they should. Or has, in her opinion. She’s actually very positive, and cares for everyone equally, she’s just blissfully unaware, or something like that.

Spiritual Ancestors: 5 Cups, 3 Pentacles, Justice

Your ancestors are disappointed with your family, with 3 Pentacles I’m getting three people, maybe more, and they’re all united against you. You’re the one with the problem, you’re the one that stands out or isn’t like them. I don’t get a big confrontation having occurred, but you may have spoken your mind about some of these things before, and it’s set you apart from the rest of the family. It’s their way of the highway. Ace of Swords shows the truth being connected to you, your ideas and words have shown the truth of these matters, probably on several occasions. I do see that you love your family very much. Your Spirit wishes your family would see these truths for themselves and recognize your ideas & thoughts as a positive thing, because you’re not coming off as negative or wanting to “attack” anyone…you’re just right. Toxic is toxic. Manipulation is manipulation, there’s no room for interpretation when things simply are what they are. Unless they can see it for themselves though, it will remain you vs. them. They may say what they say or act how they act, your Spirit just wants you to be kind, love them while you’ve got them, and lead by example however you can. Everyone generally has something positive to offer and people aren’t being appreciated for those things, that could also be them telling you that, if you’re in some kind of ego over them being this way. You can’t change people that don’t want to change, but sometimes love does that over time, naturally, without us having to force it.

Oracle:

Secrets

Conceal plans and actions from those not ready to accept you as you are.

Precision

The desire to do things precisely is useful as long as it goes not devolve into rigidity.

[galaxyseclipse]

more Splatoon oc lore dump because I am yet again bored

Tsunami’s turn this time:

-21 years old as of Splat3

-was promoted to captain about a year before RotM, so when she was 20. She didn’t exactly want it, but also felt bad about saying no, so she accepted it. She’s a bit more comfortable with it now.

-as previously said, she’s Four’s cousin. They’re the only member of her family she talks to anymore.

-refuses to talk to/about her bio family; made Four(and eventually Eight) promise to keep their mouths shut about it. She considers the NSS her only family.

-used to be pretty good at skateboarding, but stopped when she got a car

-her design is based on the purpleback flying squid, so she’s got big ears, thinner tentacles, and a lankier build than the others. Still pretty average height though.

-ran track throughout school, so she’s a fast runner and a high jumper

-is in absolutely no way a morning person

-no major side effects of the sanitization, just discoloration and partial loss of feeling in that side of her face, and it goops a bit when she’s stressed or having flashbacks(I guess that probably counts as major, I need to reevaluate my personal definition of major I think lmao)

-does dj and producer work under the name Sango

-herself, Four, and Ivory are a band(?), occasionally Ika joins too

-she covers up her scars during performances, but the makeup will irritate her sanitization scar if left on for too long

-otherwise she doesn’t really care too much about her appearance

-Callie and Marie treat her like their sister, general sibling lighthearted harassment included

-acts almost completely different depending on whether she's being a captain, a dj, or a regular person. She's either stoic and commanding, charismatic, or a complete nerd/cringefail squid. Also depends on who she’s with

-has a slight aggression/threatening problem

-shocked/scared Cuttlefish and the Squid Sisters with her combat skills("are we sure this child is as unexperienced as she says she is?")

-mains shooters, but can use just about anything. a very quick and precise fighter who just wants to end the fight however necessary(unless she's sparring, then she'll drag it out for fun)

-has to pretend she has a bunch of special-related gear abilities to hide her ability to use them whenever, otherwise she doesn't mind or notice it most of the time

-she enjoys cooking quite a bit. she even learned a few Octarian dishes to impress Ivory before they started dating

-she can sing, but won’t unless she’s alone or with Ivory; rarely puts her own vocals into songs

-absolutely positively does not have issues trusting/opening up to people /s

-has a horrendous sleep schedule

-in general pretty emotionally distant

-changed her name when she moved to Inkopolis(only Four and Eight know what her real one is)

I do have a bit more, but I kinda wanna keep it a secret for now >;3c

and there's probably other stuff that fell out of my head while writing all this that I'll remember later lmao