#seven station chronicles

[mk-writes-stuff]

Y’all. I’ve had such bad writer’s block the past few months. But I actually wrote today while I was waiting for my lunch to cook. It’s not much - just finished up a scene that’s been waiting forever - but it’s progress, and the next scene is one I’m super hyped about

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Rewrite tag

Thanks @mk-writes-stuff here and @somethingclevermahogony here!

MK's line: [+ provided picrew]

“Lord Narcissus,” she said with a curtsy as she got close to him. “You’re looking lovely tonight.”

It wasn’t even a lie. He did look lovely. He had an elaborate red flowery hairpiece made out of real flowers, and he was wearing a tight red cocktail dress that, while definitely scandalous, did admittedly draw attention to his figure. Narcissus was a good-looking man – it was a shame that was his only virtue.

My rewrite:

She curtsied as she got close to him, taking the time to think of something to say. "Lord Narcissus," she said, "you look lovely tonight."

What irritated her was that she wasn't lying: he did look lovely. His dark hair was a stark contrast to the red flowery headpiece--which she was certain was real--that accentuated his eyes. His wavy hair framed his face well, and the choker emphasized his long neck. The scandalously tight cocktail dress matched the headpiece, and the fact that it did well for his figure irritated her to no end. It was a shame his looks were his only good virtue--the loveliness of his appearance couldn't help but be tainted by his repulsive personality.

C's line:

The blood dripped into the awaiting bowl and painted its alabaster walls crimson. Narul watched it trickled down his arm, skirting past the hairs, rolling veins, and moles. Despite these twenty years of blood lettings, he could not shake a creeping feeling of unease as his eyes followed its creeping path down his arm. He gazed back at himself from the scarlet pool, he could not meet his own eye, could not stand to look that creature in the face. He turned away.

My rewrite:

Narul watched as the blood dripped into the alabaster bowl. With each drop, the sides became more and more stained with the sickening yet almost satisfyingly familiar crimson. The blood slowly fell down his arms like rain against glass, past his hairs, moles, veins. Twenty years of bloodlettings could not quench his repulsion, but still he could not look away from it. His eyes followed each drop's path, until he accidentally caught his reflection in the carmine pool growing in the bowl. He looked away as quickly as he could, more disgusted at the creature in his face than the blood.

My line: (shaking it up and doing it from SOTL!!!)

Jack scrutinized the castle before him. It stretched up, up, up into the sky--and as they were already in the clouds, Jack didn’t want to know how high the tallest tower was above the ground--how he wouldn’t like to be the poor bloke who was defenestrated from it. The castle was made of some sort of dark stone, giving it the unsettling feel of a haunted house. There was the cobblestone path, yes, but on either side of it, Jack realized that yes, they were still on clouds, though where the castle was, the clouds were dark and gray, and when Jack listened closely enough, he realized that there was a booming irregular pulse of thunder that shook the ground ever-so-slightly, enough to cause the stone beneath his shoes to rattle.

I'll tag @gracehosborn @illarian-rambling @finchwrites @little-peril-stories @i-can-even-burn-salad @televisionjester @thepeculiarbird @willtheweaver @the-stray-storyteller @space-writes @leahnardo-da-veggie @elsie-writes @sleepywriter00 @sleepy-night-child @writingsfromspace @badluck990 + anyone else!

[mk-writes-stuff]

Cassiopeia and Cassie vibes

people always talk about evil clones like oooh a dark mirror oohh what if you saw what a cruel person you were/are capable of becoming. and well yes but what if you were the evil clone. what if you looked in the mirror and what you saw was so bright it blinded you. what if you had to know exactly how good you could have been.

[mk-writes-stuff]

What's one area Rhys excels at above any other character?

Oh that’s a good question!

Most clones are decanted with the same set of skills, and Rhys hasn’t had much experience in things he could have any skill at (in addition to coming out of the pod noticeably disabled), so it wouldn’t be anything related to his job

I think Rhys is the best at listening. Nellie would compete with him for this, but I’d say Nellie is more of the type to try to comfort and fix things. Rhys is the best at just listening when you don’t need a solution - or when you just want to ramble about something. He’s quiet, curious, and very patient. If you use a lot of complicated words, he might have trouble following, but he’ll listen as best he can. If you want someone to comfort you and help you deal with the problem, you want Nellie. If you just want someone to listen, you want Rhys

Thanks for the ask!

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

OC interaction

Thanks to @somethingclevermahogony here and here, @illarian-rambling here, and @mk-writes-stuff here!

Rules: describe an OC, then describe how they would interact with the OC of the person who tagged you!

Under the cut, it got long:

C's OC #1

Narul is a 23 year-old slave at the Palace of Labisa, the Great City by the Lake. He is a forestfolk, a person or group of people who have been mutated or altered by the effects of wild or ambient magic. His birth mother was a priestess, his father is a mystery. He was adopted by an enslaved woman as an infant, thus how he ended up in the servitude of King Hutbari. He is a giant of a man, literally, at just a hair under nine feet tall. He is additionally quite bulky, much much larger than even the biggest human. He is so massive that the door into the slave quarters had to be reconstructed just to fit him as he grew up. Aside from his size he is also just a bit rough in appearance, hairy and broad, picture a DnD Dwarf, just sized way up. He is inhumanly strong, a fact that causes him a great deal of distress. Because of his size and strength, Narul has the potential to be quite dangerous to normal humans, as he has been repeatedly reminded of since his childhood. Narul has a great deal of anxiety around his body and his potential to accidently hurt others, as such he is quite timid and careful. He has a tendency to mumble when he talks, which unfortunately due to his low voice, often makes it sound like he is growling. He is a gentle person, he likes flowers and abhors violence. He cries relatively easily and gets easily anxious or overwhelmed.Despite all of this he is fiercely loyal and kind. He doesn’t talk much but loves to listen to others.  His fatal flaw is a healthy dose of self-doubt and self-loathing. Narul hates his body, it scares him, and he believes that it scares others. He is often self-deprecating, though not in a joking way. He feels an intense jealousy towards those around him that are able to live normal lives and pursue normal relationships.

C's OC #2

Mikrab is a spiritblood, half-human and half-spirit, a demigod. Mikrab is just over 1450 years old, his body is functionally immortal, though his mind is not. Time and loss has made him apathetic, and his memory has faded with the ages. He does not remember where he comes from, nor his family, he doesn't even remember his birth name, Mikrab is the Knoshic version of his original name (Like Juan vs. John), and his culture and language of origin have since gone extinct. While he does not relish in violence or destruction, he simply does not care if he causes it. He will kill and destroy for the sake of convenience. He wanders the world, not seeking death but also not avoiding it. He is lethargic and cold, save for moments of frustration, often with his predicament. As with all spiritbloods he is massive, though among spiritbloods he is on the short side, only about 7'8, and is a bit more lean in his build compared to the likes of Narul or Batricca. His supernatural strength and durability are what have allowed him to survive so long. Surprisingly, he is quite a skilled linguist and can speak in Kishite, Knoshic, Apunian, Korithian, Arkodian, Ikopeshi, and Namuti.

Katie's OC

Djek Kagura is a young man (19 in the first book, 23 in the second two) with a shifty appearance, red eyes, and a constant squint due to poor vision. He grew up on the streets after his parents tossed him out to cut down on mouths to feed, only to later join the brutal Tunnel Wasp smuggling gang, which he later split from due to his aversion to violence and need to do what's right. As a person, he's always quick with a joke or snide comment, loves sarcasm, and lies like a fish breathes water. His bad habit is that he loves to annoy people on purpose. At his core is a deep sense of self-loathing and abandonment issues, but he covers these with humor. He tends to try to find peaceful solutions to situations and has a bit of a bleeding heart, even if he pretends to be tough. His friends mean the world to him and he's loyal to the point getting himself hurt in fights he can't win. Also, he's surprisingly in touch with people's emotions and always trys to make them feel better, even he does it with a bad joke or by irritating them to action. He has a weak form of sorcery, specializes in shadow magic, and has incorrigibly sticky fingers.

MK's OC

My OC (created by my lovely gf): Nellie is a clone in her mid-twenties, although she’s only been out of the vat for about six months. She’s reasonably tall and pretty skinny, with pale skin, short black hair, and narrow red-and-gold eyes, which she usually hides behind sunglasses. Nellie is a sweet, kind, and empathetic woman who cares very deeply for others and wants to help, to the point where she sometimes struggles to put herself first. She also has a deeply traumatic history of abuse by her genetic donor that still troubles her deeply and gives her struggles with intimacy, as well as an addiction to mindsplit that she’s trying to shake. She longs for a simple, happy life - a good job, a nice place to live, good food, and the chance to live as her true self (Nellie is a trans woman) is all she’s really looking for (and maybe a partner one day if the opportunity arises - she’s met a friend who’s cute but he’s also a clone of Belladonna’s dad so she’s a bit uncertain). Nellie also has empathic magic, although she hasn’t trained it much, which she mostly uses to see how others are feeling and help them where she can.

My OC

Ash Hathaway is a thirteen year old (at the start of Pt1) girl with telepathic powers. She's ambitious to the point of self-destruction, where she wants to try new things just to see where her limits are. Part of it has to do with wanting to prove herself - that she can do it. If someone says she can't do something, she's likely going to go out of her way to do it. She lives in the moment with only some hindsight and no forward thinking. She seeks pleasure and thrill and risk, with no regard to how this could hurt herself or others. Not that she doesn't care about people, but more of she just doesn't recognize danger. She wants nothing more than to expand her powers just to see how far she can go. Despite being able to read minds and feel the emotions of others, she struggles to empathize or understand exactly what she's feeling, usually misinterpreting what others are thinking. Overstimulation and frustration can lead to her seeking ways to avoid her problems and more dangerous behavior. Ash needs to be kept busy - have her do something productive and hands-on, and she will be fine.

Ash and Narul

I think Ash would feel a little conflicted about approaching Narul, considering his size, and she doesn't like feeling physically helpless. However, I think she would, because she also likes risk and after a bit of debate would decide she could use her telepathy to her advantage. Being able to read his thoughts, I think Ash would figure out that he's not a threat, even if she doesn't understand being timid of himself just because he might hurt someone. She does get the fear on some level, since she has done so before herself, but she's always just reassessed how to go about testing her powers. Why limit herself? She may try to teach Narul that. You can't learn if you don't try. Narul I think would be scared that he might hurt her, a child, in the process, so probably wouldn't give in. I think Ash would get his frustration in his own skin, since she's felt that way many times. However, she will never understand not wanting to see what he's capable of. But I think that Narul will ultimately remind Ash of her best friend, Lexi. Jealous easily, cries easily, easily overwhelmed, hates violence...just a million times more reserved than she is. Narul may be jealous that Ash even has a friend group, even if Ash manages to admit most of her friend group was constructed by Lexi. I think they'd be able to connect on some level, but ultimately not understand each other quite well.

Ash and Mikrab

I think Ash and Mikrab could help each other. Ash is always eager to learn more, and through telepathy, could help Mikrab potentially regain some memories. She would love to absorb the knowledge he has, maybe experience what the long life was. However, if he's lost the ability to care, Ash may do this without consent, even if she believes it would ultimately help him. I'm sure she'd sit on it for a while, but in an intense situation, in an attempt to stop him, she'd easily rip into his mind to try and access what he once lost. She wouldn't do anything that deep without consent on impulse, I don't think. Unless we're talking about Ash toward the end of TSP, then I think she would, and in a way she becomes more and more apathetic like Mikrab. So depending on the circumstances, Ash could help Mikrab connect with memory and emotion again as she learns new things and tests her abilities, or Ash's drive to do that will get her severely hurt, killed, or just in a generally bad situation.

Ash and Djek

Djek may intrigue Ash a bit too much. She may be able to sense he's lying, sense him covering pain with humor, etc wonder why, and peak into his mind. May get a bit overwhelmed by the self-loathing thing. She has used humor before to defuse situations, so they have that in common, but she does not exactly covering up her own pain with it. She will try to understand Djek, but her curiosity may get the best of her, and I'm not sure he'll like her experiencing his own self-loathing and calling out every lie he makes. I think they would clash, at least at first. Djek being in touch with emotions naturally would be an interesting comparison. I feel like they'd call each other's feelings out, read each other and make the other one irritated as a result. However, I do think that if they were in A Situation in which they were forced to work together or bond, they could do it. Ash definitely would be interested in Djek's magic, weak or not, and may even encourage him to test his limits.

Ash and Nellie

Ash would probably accidentally sense Nellie is a clone, but she'd also sense she shouldn't reveal that to anyone. Her kind empathetic nature who puts herself last would remind Ash a lot of her friend Gwen. Hearing Nellie has empathetic magic would definitely cause Ash to be curious, and she'd ask her many questions about it. First, she may ask how she could learn to interpret emotions, but also may see if she can help Nellie expand her powers a bit more. Ash also has a bit of a developing addiction to telepathic probes that expand her mind and give her visions but start to take a toll on her - mentally, emotionally, physically. If Nellie is shaking off an addiction, I would hope she manages to convince Ash to stop using the probes. Cannot confirm if it would work or not - it may make Ash get irritated and want to use them more to prove she can do it. That last bit may cause a divide, but I think they'd mostly be interested in the other.

Well that was long.

Tagging @elsie-writes @winterandwords @sleepywriter00 @cherrybombfangirlwrites @duckingwriting @ceph-the-ghost-writer + anyone else who wants to play!

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

[mk-writes-stuff]

Y’all I wrote the scene. I really did, I swear

iCloud fucking overwrote it. It’s gone. I’m trying to recover it but I don’t know if I can. I’m so angry right now, this was the hardest part of the novel for me

[mk-writes-stuff]

Stellaris is all of these except the first one (probably)

top five most important things you can give a character. 1. bisexuality. 2. autism. 3. so much negative rizz it loops around into irresistibility. 4. so many bad events. 5. a coping mechanism that’s cute and silly provided you don’t think about it too hard

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Rewrite line

Thanks to @mk-writes-stuff here and @splashinkling here, and @somethingclevermahogony here.

Rules: rewrite your given line and post the new one!

Optional variant: it's your last line

MK's line:

For once, she wasn’t even thinking about them. She had a plan. She was going to make this work, and everything was going to go perfectly. She was going to get her magic back with Cassiopeia’s help, her parents would name her the heir, and everything would be absolutely fine.

The tense feeling in her chest would just have to be quiet.

My rewrite:

For what seemed like the first time in her life, she wasn't thinking about them. Instead, that newly-free space in her mind was formulating a plan.

She was going to make this work. Everything was going to work out perfectly.

She was going to get her magic back. She would get Cassiopeia's help to do so. Her parents will name her heir.

Everything would be fine. Perfect. The tense feeling in her chest would go away.

Ink's line:

Rylise rushed out of the castle. At ground-level, everyone scattered in fear, shouting, shoving, and attempting to carry as many of their belongings with them as they could. Some even scrounged up things that were left behind by others. Above, he finally saw what had been attacking them—a mix of physical cannonballs and magical fire-rain that set ablaze anything not made of stone or gem.

My rewrite:

As fast as he could, Rylise burst out of the castle, pausing when he reached the ground level, unexpectedly being greeted by a chaotic scene. Scattering all over his field of vision, everyone attempted to carry their belongings--shouting at others to move, shoving when they didn't, scrounging up things left behind in the mayhem.

Rylise looked up, and his eyes landed on their attacker. The sky was littered in magical fire-rain and physical cannonballs. And everything not made of stone or gem was in flames.

C's line:

Akard smiled to himself as he watched the seer descend into the earth, “Not at all, I don’t think I’ll be going back to Apuna, for quite some time.” Bazus chuckled, “That’s good, you’ll get to enjoy all the hospitality of my father’s city, come let's go talk to your seer!” 

As Hutbari’s eldest strolled confidently onward Akard muttered under his breath. “I assure you I will be enjoying far more than just father’s hospitality.”

My rewrite:

As the seer descended to earth, Akard found himself smiling. "Not at all," he said. "In fact, I don't believe I'll be going back to Apuna for...oh, quite some time, actually."

Bazus chuckled as he copied Akard's smile. "In that case, you may enjoy my father's city."

"I thank his hospitality," said Akard.

"Come," Bazus said, gesturing forward, "let's go talk to that seer of yours."

Akard felt his smile fade as Bazus strutted onward. As he followed, Akard muttered to himself, "I bet your father's city and hospitality won't be the only thing I enjoy."

Honestly don't remember the last line I edited, so here's the last line from TSP Part Two:

“How’re you and Niri? I accidentally found out you texted him.” “We’re fine.” Hannah smiled a bit. “Is that a hint of red on your cheeks?” I asked. “Now, don’t you start,” Hannah said, pointing harshly. “I had to deal with Charlie and Amanda grilling me about the boy I was texting in your absence.” I smiled. “I’ll come save you.” “Thank you.” Hannah swung the door open and we went back into the crowded family room. I tried to ignore the devices pulling me back.

The devices are telepathic probes if y'all want to be more specific. Hannah and Ash are also sisters.

Okay tagging @elsie-writes @theprissythumbelina @writeouswriter @sarahlizziewrites @winterandwords @sarandipitywrites @dyrewrites @i-can-even-burn-salad @cwritesfiction @drchenquill + ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

[mk-writes-stuff]

Y’all… I think I might rewrite Seven Stations with Cassie as the protagonist

Hear me out

Like I love Belladonna. She’s not going anywhere. She’s still going to be the deuteragonist of the book and have her enemies-to-lovers thing with Cassie and all her problems going on

But Belladonna had two problems going on

1) She has no real connection to the major plot of the book, which is about clone liberation. Belladonna is worried about her inheritance and her magic, which is an interesting plot but is detached from what everyone else is worrying about in a way that makes focusing on it so intently kind of hard to build a plot out of

2) She… doesn’t really have that much to do. She’s trying to get her magic back and win over her parents. There’s like… two things she can try for that and other than that she’s just waiting for the plot to hit her. She has very little agency (which is part of the point) and focusing on her plot gives the other characters very little agency, since there’s nothing they can do about any of that either

So here’s my thought:

Make Cassie the central protagonist and modify her story to make her more actively trying to smuggle clones out of danger instead of just passively doing that when the opportunity arises. Focus on her struggles and interactions a bit more and make Belladonna’s stuff more something that Cassie has to deal with and react to than the main plot of the book

Belladonna’s arcs will still be there. All the plot I’ve shared with y’all and all the characters you love aren’t going to go away or even change that much. There’ll just be more focus on Cassie, the bodyguards, and the other clones, like Nellie, Rhys, and Bee

I think this would give the story a lot more momentum and a lot more plot than it currently has and fix its slow pacing and feel of being unfocused

If y’all have any thoughts or questions I’m happy to hear them! Lmk what you think :)

[mk-writes-stuff]

Pingponging your own ask game back at you, can I get a ⚙️? >:3

How dare you encourage me to talk about my WIPs :)

⚙️ - What is your world’s technology level/tech like?

I debated which WIP would be the best to answer this for and then I realized there’s a lot I haven’t explained about the tech of Seven Stations, so that’s what I’m going to go with

Seven Stations takes place on an alternate, (relatively) near-future Earth, so the technology is approximately what Earth could probably do eventually. Think about the time we could have orbiting space stations people can actually live on

Probably the most fantastical things that Seven Stations has sorted out are:

Fusion generators - the stations are all powered by fusion generators that can run off their own fuel for probably a few hundred years with minimal waste

Artificial gravity - each station has approximately earth gravity (realistically it’s probably like 90% earth gravity) that is powered by the fusion generator and also likely partially due to the fact that the fusion generator is really heavy. The shuttles also have artificial gravity

Reliable human cloning - clones of humans or human organs (and lots of other animals) can be created with minimally invasive samples. The clones are also stable enough to in turn be cloned; while they don’t do that with human clones, it’s the underpinning of how they grow meat

Holograms - they can create holograms that, while incorporeal, can be interacted with and will generally move realistically to how they were interacted with. They’re mostly used by nobles for communication, though, since they’re expensive and pretty big (they need to be installed on a table or something)

Other than that, most of their tech is probably pretty familiar if a bit more advanced. They use smartphones and smart watches. They have voice activated things, text-to-speech and vice versa, and automated doors. They do not have FTL or a universal translator or anything like that (they communicate with the elves via a unique elf magic that allows them to understand and be understood regardless of language barriers)

Thanks for the ask! This was fun :)

[mk-writes-stuff]

OC Deep Dive

Rules: answer the questions for an OC

Thanks @illarian-rambling and @kaylinalexanderbooks for the tags! I think they were the same question lists so I’m going to go with this one. And you know what, I think we’re going to spotlight Cassiopeia today.

Do they have any pet peeves?

People not taking her advice. It drives her up a wall when someone won’t do what she tells them to recommends.

What uncommon fears/ phobias do they have?

Cassiopeia isn’t afraid of much. I think her biggest fear is somehow losing control of her intricate plan.

What are three items you can find in their bedroom?

There’s a lot in Cassiopeia’s bedroom. I’ll go with her collection of nice dresses, a tall mirror, and a lot of skincare products.

What do they notice first in people?

From the minute she meets someone, she’s trying to tell what use she can get out of them or what she has to do to keep them from becoming a problem.

What is their pain tolerance on a scale from 1 to 10?

Honestly, not very high - probably like a 3. She prefers it when the pain happens to other people.

Do they go into fight or flight mode under pressure?

Fight. Usually verbal fight rather than physical though.

What animal represents them best?

Probably a dolphin, because people think she’s wonderful and awesome and she has a great image but she’s actually doing a lot of fucked up shit behind closed doors.

What is a smell they dislike and like?

Cassiopeia loves floral perfume. Ironically, despite her tendencies towards violence, she doesn’t care for the smell of blood.

Have they broken any bones?

No, absolutely not.

How would a stranger describe them?

“There’s an elegance to her, a beauty and grace… she seems to fill the role of a quintessential noblewoman perfectly. She’s witty, elegant, and gorgeous without seeming threatening. She dresses to accent her features - especially those oddly enchanting eyes - and pulls it off flawlessly.”

- From the POV of a random minor noble

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

She has a pretty low spice tolerance. I think her favourite flavour is probably raspberry.

Do they have any favorite hobbies?

Hyper complicated strategy games are her jam.

Boom! Surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

She’d pretend to be delighted and happily socialize with her guests, but inside she’d be seething that her plans were interrupted.

Do they like to wear Jewelry?

Yes. Cassiopeia loves jewelry, especially gold jewelry.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Most communication is digital now but she has gorgeous handwriting anyway.

What are two emotions they feel the most?

Triumph (from her plans working out) and disdain (for other people).

Do they have any Favorite Fabric?

She loves silk.

What kind of accent do they have?

She has a noticeable transatlantic accent.

This was very fun! @somethingclevermahogony @rkmoon @writingsfromspace want to play? Blanks are below the cut

Do they have any pet peeves:What uncommon fears/ phobias do they have:What are three items you can find in their bedroom:What do they notice first in people:What is their pain tolerance on a scale from 1 to 10:Do they go into fight or flight mode under pressure:What animal represents them best:What is a smell they dislike and like:Have they broken any bones:How would a stranger describe them:What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love:Do they have any favorite hobbies:Boom! Surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises:Do they like to wear Jewelry:Do they have neat or messy handwriting:What are two emotions they feel the most:Do they have any Favorite Fabric:What kind of accent do they have:

[mk-writes-stuff]

OC Deep Dive

Rules: answer the questions about an OC

Thanks @illarian-rambling for the tag! I’m going to do this one for my favourite autism boy Stellaris :)

CW for minor ableism (the question with it is marked)

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

Stellaris’s biggest fear (which I think most people will find relatable) is fucking up. He keeps doing it and he doesn’t know what he’s doing wrong.

Do they have any pet peeves?

He hates being interrupted (both when saying or doing something) and being talked down to.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Uh… an absurd number of Old World dioramas, his reading tablet (unless he’s lost it again), and probably a bed somewhere in there but good luck finding it.

What do they notice first in a person?

Just their basic physical appearance. He’s not good at reading people.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

I’d say he’s about a 4. He can handle some pain, but he gets overwhelmed pretty quickly.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Stellaris is a mixture of freeze and fawn, actually, depending on the circumstances.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

He has one sister, Cassiopeia, which is a pretty average family size for nobles. He wants kids one day. (Minor spoiler: he will eventually have two children he adores with his fiancée/eventually wife Ambition).

What animal represents them best?

Stellaris reminds me of a rabbit. Skittish, sits completely still and focused until startled.

What is a smell that they dislike?

He dislikes the smell of blood. Also perfume.

Have they broken any bones?

You know, I’m not certain. I suspect he has not, since he doesn’t lead a very active life, but it’s possible.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

CW: ableism

“That man is so… weird. Why is he standing like that, and why does he keep waving his hands in the air? Not to mention that jacket he’s wearing is a full two years out of fashion. I’m not sure why he’s even allowed at social functions. Try not to stand too near him, or he’ll make you listen to his inane ramblings about Old World grass for two hours.”

- From the POV of a random minor noble

Are they a night owl or a morning bird?

A night owl, although that’s partly because he loses track of time and stays up way too late.

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

Stellaris’s all-time least favourite flavour is cucumber. His favourite… hmm, I feel like he’s a chicken nuggets kind of guy.

Do they have any hobbies?

He loves making intricate, elaborate dioramas of Old World environments.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

Stellaris hates surprises. He likes to have his day strictly planned out and would probably have a meltdown if you surprised him with a large unscheduled activity, especially one that required social interaction.

Do they like to wear jewelry?

Not particularly. He doesn’t like how it feels.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Honestly, I don’t know if Stellaris can handwrite at all. A lot of people on the stations can’t because they type everything. It’s viewed a lot like writing in cursive. I think he tried to learn when he was younger but isn’t very good at it.

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Anxiety and confusion. Usually from the same source.

Do they have a favorite fabric?

I’m no good with fabrics, but I think it might be suede if I have the right fabric in mind.

What kind of accent do they have?

I’m really not sure. Hints of transatlantic I suppose because that’s what his family has. But he also has the very stereotypical flat affect “autism accent.”

This was fun! I love talking about Stellaris :)

@ashirisu @dssystemwriting @kaylinalexanderbooks want to play? Blanks are below the cut

What uncommon/common fear do they have? Do they have any pet peeves? What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom? What do they notice first in a person? On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?What animal represents them best? What is a smell that they dislike? Have they broken any bones? How would a stranger likely describe them? Are they a night owl or a morning bird? What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love? Do they have any hobbies? Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises? Do they like to wear jewelry?Do they have neat or messy handwriting? What are the two emotions they feel the most? Do they have a favorite fabric?What kind of accent do they have?

[mk-writes-stuff]

LMAO yes

[mk-writes-stuff]

Help I’m getting prequel ideas and I haven’t even finished drafting book 1

[usafphantom2]

Marine Air’s Dark Day at Midway

Marine Aircraft Group 22’s experience at the Battle of Midway serves as a hard lesson in trying to do too much with too little.

The 4th of June 1942 was a very bad day for Marine Corps aviation. At the Battle of Midway, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 22 suffered terrible losses and contributed little to the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s spectacular victory that day. The group’s fighting squadron, VMF-221, lost far more aircraft than its pilots shot down. Its dive-bomber squadron, VMSB-241, suffered staggering losses without hitting a single Japanese ship.

Midway historians have thoroughly chronicled the actions of these two squadrons and touched on some reasons for their performance. The most cited causes are the obsolescence of Marine aircraft and the inexperience of Marine aviators.1 A closer examination of archival material reveals additional factors that impaired the group’s performance at Midway and new insights into why MAG-22 sent such green pilots into battle.

The heart of MAG-22’s troubles lay in its two competing missions: While forward deployed to defend an advanced base, the group also served as a de facto training command for new aviators. This alone would have undermined its combat readiness. But additional factors worked against MAG-22. In the weeks before the battle, the flight hours the group devoted to training were limited by its responsibilities to defend Midway Atoll and by logistical shortfalls. During the battle, Naval Air Station Midway and MAG-22 were unable to coordinate aircraft from three services based at the atoll. Finally, imprecise direction from Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Chester W. Nimitz led to misunderstandings of how MAG-22 would employ its fighting squadron.

Present-day naval commanders are acutely familiar with the challenge of balancing combat readiness and forward presence. As naval leaders look for ways to maintain Navy and Marine Corps forces in the western Pacific and prepare for possible conflict there, the experience of MAG-22 at Midway provides a sobering reminder of the risks of attempting to do too much with too little.

At Midway, First Lieutenant Daniel Iverson stands on a wing of his shot-up SBD-2 Dauntless, one of MAG-22’s 46 aircraft losses in the Battle of Midway. Later repaired in the United States, the restored SBD is now an exhibit at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

At Midway, First Lieutenant Daniel Iverson stands on a wing of his shot-up SBD-2 Dauntless, one of MAG-22’s 46 aircraft losses in the Battle of Midway. Later repaired in the United States, the restored SBD is now an exhibit at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. National Naval Aviation Museum

MAG-22’s Very Bad Day

At 0555 on 4 June 1942, Midway’s radar detected a large formation of aircraft 93 miles northwest of the atoll. MAG-22’s siren wailed. In accordance with orders issued the previous evening by Lieutenant Colonel Ira L. Kimes, the commander of MAG-22, VMF-221 launched its aircraft immediately. A detachment of six Navy TBF Avengers took off next, followed by four Army Air Forces B-26 Marauders armed with torpedoes. The TBFs and B-26s proceeded independently to attack the Japanese carriers. The 16 SBD-2 Dauntlesses and 12 SB2U-3 Vindicators of VMSB-241 took off last and rendezvoused about 20 miles east of Midway’s Eastern Island.2

VMF-221’s commanding officer, Major Floyd B. Parks, had organized his 21 F2A-3 Buffalos and seven F4F-3 Wildcats into four divisions of Buffalos and one of Wildcats. All but one F2A-3 and one F4F-3 were mission ready and got airborne, though the divisions became slightly disorganized during the hasty scramble. The Japanese strike consisted of 108 aircraft—36 Aichi D3A “Val” dive bombers, 36 Nakajima B5N2 “Kate” carrier attack aircraft, and 36 Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zeke,” or Zero, fighters. In accordance with Kimes’ plan, MAG-22’s fighter direction center funneled all five of VMF-221’s divisions to intercept the incoming strike. The Marines had the altitude advantage, and the separate divisions launched a series of overhead gunnery passes against the Japanese bomber formations. As the slower Marine aircraft recovered for additional passes, the nimbler Zeros overtook them and sent one after another tumbling downward.3

There is little doubt VMF-221 got the worst of the fight. The Japanese shot down 15 Marine fighters and severely damaged another nine, leaving just one F2A-3 and one F4F-3 ready to fly. Though Kimes afterward estimated Japanese losses at 43 aircraft, his surviving pilots definitively claimed just nine victories. Kimes’ estimate included “probable victories by missing fighter pilots” as well as claims by rear-seat gunners of VMSB-241.4 The actual total was far lower. VMF-221 probably shot down just three aircraft outright. Another 16 Japanese aircraft survived the raid but either ditched or were so irreparably damaged they could not fly again.5

A PBY Catalina flying boat had spotted the Japanese carriers, and MAG-22 passed their location to VMSB-241.6 Major Lofton R. Henderson, the squadron commander, led the SBDs. Major Benjamin W. Norris, the executive officer, led the SB2Us. While Henderson took his unit to 9,000 feet, Norris climbed to 13,000 feet.7 On paper, the SB2U-3s were nearly as fast as the SBD-2s, but the two flights proceeded independently.8

Because the Marine dive bombers were slower than the TBFs and B-26s, had taken off last, and had flown east before heading northwest, VMSB-241 did not attack until a half hour after the TBF and B-26 attacks had ended. The Japanese combat air patrol had shot down five of the six Avengers and two of the four Marauders; none had scored a hit. When Henderson and his SBDs spotted the carrier Hiryū at about 0755, the Japanese combat air patrol still had 13 fighters aloft.9

Henderson conducted a glide-bombing attack. A dive-bombing attack would have facilitated bombing accuracy and complicated fighter gunnery and antiaircraft solutions. But more than half of Henderson’s pilots were too inexperienced to attempt the technique, and the cloud cover would have made dive bombing particularly difficult.10

The combat air patrol’s Zeros attacked Henderson first. On their second pass, they sent him down in flames. The remaining SBDs continued the gliding attack. One by one, the Marines released their bombs—and missed. Some came petrifyingly close for the Hiryū’s crew, and many Marines mistakenly believed they had scored hits.11

Norris and his Vindicators arrived at about 0820, less than ten minutes after the surviving SBD-2s had departed and amid an attack by Army Air Forces B-17 Flying Fortresses. The combat air patrol had doubled to 26 fighters. Norris descended through the clouds toward the carrier Akagi. The Zeros could not find the dive bombers as long as they were in the safety of the cloud bank, but neither could the Marines see the ships below. When they emerged at 2,000 feet, they saw only the battleship Haruna. Norris also attempted a gliding attack. The Haruna maneuvered evasively, neatly avoiding every one of the Marines’ bombs. The SB2Us hugged the surface and flew back to Midway.12 Only 8 of VMSB-241’s 16 SBD-2s and 8 of its 12 SB2U-3s returned.13

VMSB-241 conducted two more strikes during the battle. That evening Norris led five SB2U-3s and six SBD-2s in a vain search for burning carriers. They found nothing, and Norris did not return, lost in the inky, moonless squalls. On 5 June, VMSB-241 attacked the cruisers Mogami and Mikuma. The squadron lost another Vindicator to antiaircraft fire and again scored no hits.14

What Was Done Well

MAG-22 did some things remarkably well in its first action. Due to superb intelligence and early warning, no airworthy planes were caught on the ground. The fighter direction center placed the fighters in an optimum intercept position. The dive bombers located the Japanese carriers. Most impressively, every fighter and dive-bomber pilot attacked without hesitation into the teeth of a formidable defense.

MAG-22’s efforts indirectly contributed to the destruction of the Akagi and two other carriers, the Kaga and Sōryū, later that morning. As historians Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully demonstrated, the cumulative effect of the series of failed attacks by bombers from Midway and U.S. carriers created conditions that delayed Admiral Chūichi Nagumo’s counterattack and placed his carriers at greater vulnerability to the dive bombers from the USS Enterprise (CV-6) and Yorktown (CV-5). Dodging the attacks required the carriers to maneuver violently. Defending against them required the carriers to launch and recover fighters. Perhaps just as important, Nagumo faced a series of menacing dilemmas, complicating his decision-making. When the dive bombers from the Enterprise and Yorktown appeared overhead at 1020, Kates and Vals were still below on the hangar decks, where their fuel and ordnance amplified the destructive power of the American bombs.15

VMF-221 also helped reduce the strength of Nagumo’s counterpunch when it did come. The only carrier that survived the Enterprise and Yorktown dive-bomber attacks was the Hiryū. It was her air group that VMF-221 had attacked. Though the Marine fighters shot down just two Kates outright, another seven Kates were shot down by Marine antiaircraft guns, ditched, or were too damaged to participate in the strikes against the U.S. carriers.16 In other words, the Marines did not bring down many aircraft, but the ones they did bring down were the right ones—aircraft from the Hiryū’s air group.

Nonetheless, 4 June had been an awful day for MAG-22. It had lost many aircraft, shot down only a handful of the enemy, and hit no ships. Forty-two MAG-22 Marines had died; 36 pilots and gunners were missing; and six Marines had been killed in the bombing of Eastern Island.17

‘Not a Combat Airplane’

On 17 April, Major (soon to be Lieutenant Colonel) Ira L. Kimes (below) landed at Midway Atoll to replace Lieutenant Colonel William Wallace as MAG-22 commander. Accompanying Kimes were six second lieutenants, green aviators who replaced six captains, seasoned fliers, who left the atoll with Wallace three days later. Public Domain

Every surviving Marine fighter pilot from VMF-221 attested to the superiority of the Zero over the Marine fighters. Captain

The F2A-3 is not a combat airplane. It is inferior to the planes we were fighting in every respect.

It is my belief that any commander that orders pilots out for combat in a F2A-3 should consider the pilot as lost before leaving the ground.18

Kimes agreed. In his endorsement to his aviator’s statements, Kimes recommended that the fleet relegate the F2A-3 Buffalo, the F4F-3 Wildcat, and the SB2U-3 Vindicator to training commands.19

The Vindicator was indeed past its usefulness. However, there is evidence that neither fighter was to blame for VMF-221’s poor performance. With improved tactics, Marine and Navy pilots would achieve far better results with the F4F in the Solomons. Captain Marion Carl, the only Marine to shoot down a Zero over Midway, believed the F2A-3 was as maneuverable and fast as the F4F-3, and its only drawbacks were that it could not absorb punishment and was less stable as a gunnery platform than the Wildcat.20

Some British and Dutch Buffalo aces, whose squadrons suffered grievously against Imperial Japanese Navy Zeros, attributed their lopsided outcome to Japanese proficiency and numbers rather than the Buffalo’s inferiority. Finnish Buffalo pilots enjoyed great success flying the planes against the Soviets.21 The Buffalo’s mixed performance in other theaters suggests that other factors contributed to VMF-221’s poor performance.

‘Half-Baked Flyers’

When VMF-221 and VMSB-241 had landed on Eastern Island in December 1941, both squadrons were top heavy with experience. VMF-221’s most junior pilot had been flying for at least a year since flight school.22 But the 57 aviators who flew on 4 June included 35 second lieutenants, none of whom had been with their squadron more than four months, and 17 of whom had arrived on 27 May directly from flight school.23

SB2U-3 Vindicator dive bombers take off from Midway’s Eastern Island in early June, possibly to attack Japanese carriers the morning of 4 June. While inferior aircraft—including Vindicators—were factors in MAG-22’s poor performance at Midway, tactics and training played key roles.

SB2U-3 Vindicator dive bombers take off from Midway’s Eastern Island in early June, possibly to attack Japanese carriers the morning of 4 June. While inferior aircraft—including Vindicators—were factors in MAG-22’s poor performance at Midway, tactics and training played key roles. U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive

In the first half of 1942, Marine aviation had two conflicting missions: defending the fleet’s advanced bases and training new aviators. Newly winged aviators reported to the fleet with just 200 hours of flight time, and none in the aircraft they would fly in combat.24 The new aviators needed operational training, but the aircraft they needed to train in were defending advanced bases in the Pacific.

On 8 January 1942, Brigadier General Ross E. Rowell, the commander of 2d Marine Air Wing, described the dilemma in a letter to Vice Admiral William F. Halsey Jr., the commander of Aircraft, Battle Force, Pacific Fleet: “I have now accumulated 35 second lieutenants in various stages of advanced training. . . . If ComAirBatFor approves and you want some half-baked flyers, send me a dispatch to that effect.” Halsey approved; he directed Rowell to order the green fliers to squadrons like VMF-221 and VMSB-241.25 This decision set in motion a sequence of personnel transfers that diluted the combat readiness of forward-deployed squadrons. As inexperienced aviators joined squadrons at advanced bases, experienced aviators left to form new squadrons in Hawaii and California.

Marine aviation was still following its prewar training pipeline. Once students were designated naval aviators, they reported to squadrons in the Fleet Marine Force for about a year of operational flight training in combat aircraft.26

Not only did MAG-22 not have a year to train its new aviators, but the group’s commitment to the defense of Midway also required it to devote most of its operational flights to patrols and radar calibration vice gunnery and tactics. Less than 30 percent of VMF-221’s missions from December 1941 to May 1942 were dedicated to improving the lethality of its fighter pilots.27

Logistics shortfalls further impinged on the group’s training. A shortage of .50-caliber machine-gun ammunition often limited gunnery practice to dummy runs.28 In the final week before combat, PBY Catalinas and B-17 Flying Fortresses drew thirstily from Midway’s fuel stocks, which were already limited due to an incredible blunder. On 22 May, demolition charges placed at an underground fuel storage facility detonated when one of the defense battalion batteries fired its 11-inch guns. The station lost 375,000 gallons of precious aviation fuel and its pipeline to Eastern Island.29 The resulting shortage prevented the group from providing the 17 Marines fresh out of flight school with anything more than familiarization flights. VMSB-241 could not even check out its new pilots in their SBDs.30

Without question, MAG-22 fought the Battle of Midway with inferior aircraft and many “half-baked” pilots. Though the odds were stacked against the group’s aviators, command decisions may have stacked the odds higher than they needed to be.

‘No Organized Plan Whatsoever’

In a 1966 interview, MAG-22’s former executive officer stated there had been “no organized plan whatsoever” to coordinate Midway’s Army Air Forces, Navy, and Marine aircraft.31 Though not strictly true, his characterization betrays how Naval Air Station Midway and MAG-22 struggled to coordinate air operations.

In anticipation of the coming fight, Nimitz had abundantly reinforced Midway. In addition to MAG-22, Midway’s air force included 31 PBYs, 17 B-17s, the 4 B-26s, and the 6 TBFs. Nimitz assigned tactical control of all these to the naval air station commander, Navy Captain Cyril T. Simard, and sent an experienced aviator and a naval base air defense detachment to coordinate air operations.32

While the naval air station directed scouting operations superbly, integrating the bombers in a coordinated strike proved beyond its reach. Each aircraft type attacked without regard to the next, permitting the Japanese the opportunity to fend off each in turn. As Kimes observed in perfect hindsight, “It would have been better had they arrived simultaneously.”33

Coordination was exacerbated by the physical separation of the naval air station and MAG-22 command posts. Simard and his air operations officer were on Sand Island; Kimes and his command post were on Eastern Island. According to Kimes’ executive officer, the “Marines ran their own show” but did not command the other services’ bombers on Eastern Island, including the six Navy TBFs.34

Kimes’ air group struggled to coordinate its own aircraft. VMSB-241 does not seem to have attempted to integrate its SBD and SB2U attacks. Most puzzlingly, MAG-22 allocated no fighter protection to VMSB-241 for its strike against the Japanese carriers.

‘Go All Out for the Carriers’

Kimes employed his fighting squadron in what Marine Corps doctrine termed “general support.” As then–Major William J. Wallace lectured Marine officers at Quantico in 1941, general support was an offensive mission that allowed fighters the freedom to be “on the prowl.” In contrast, missions that tied fighters to protection missions, such as escorting bombers, were termed “special support.” As a fighter pilot, Wallace clearly favored the freedom to go find trouble and emphasized, “The rule, then, for the employment of fighter units should be-—general support wherever and whenever possible.”35

In January 1942, now–Lieutenant Colonel Wallace took command of Marine aviation on Midway, which he retained until relieved by Kimes in April. It was Wallace who had developed the fighter direction system MAG-22 employed for defense of the atoll. As Wallace’s views on fighter employment reflected Marine Corps doctrine, and Wallace commanded MAG-22 until two months before the battle, this bias likely influenced Kimes’ decision to place all of VMF-221 in general support on 4 June.

MAG-22’s fighter employment stands in stark contrast to how Japanese and U.S. carrier task forces operated on 4 June. Carriers were far more vulnerable to air attack than an island base. Nonetheless, every Japanese and American task force commander allocated fighter escorts to increase their bombers’ chances of getting through the enemy’s fighters.

Hitting the Japanese fleet was exactly what Nimitz had in mind when he reinforced Midway with so many aircraft. On 20 May, Nimitz provided the Chief of Naval Operations and Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet, Admiral Ernest J. King, with some views on the role of land-based aircraft he had drawn from the recent Battle of the Coral Sea:

The shore commander should assign attack missions designed to render the greatest possible assistance to the Fleet Task Force when it is engaged and should particularly be ready to provide fighter protection when it is practicable.36

Nimitz incorporated these views in his planning guidance for Midway. In a 23 May memorandum to his chief of staff, Captain Milo F. Draemel, Nimitz explicitly directed that “Midway planes must thus make the CV’s [aircraft carriers] their objective, rather than attempting any local defense of the atoll.”37 In an undated memorandum likely written about the same time, Nimitz reiterated his intent to Captain Arthur C. Davis, his air officer:

Balsa’s [Midway’s] air force must be employed to inflict prompt and early damage to Jap carrier flight decks if recurring attacks are to be stopped. Our objectives will be first—their flight decks rather than attempting to fight off the initial attacks on Balsa. . . . If this is correct, Balsa air force . . . should go all out for the carriers . . . leaving to Balsa’s guns the first defense of the field.38

But in his operations order for Midway, Nimitz was less clear in the tasks he assigned to Simard at Midway:

(1) Hold MIDWAY.

(2) Aircraft obtain and report early information of enemy advance by searches to maximum practicable radius from MIDWAY covering daily the greatest arc possible with the number of planes available between true bearings from MIDWAY clockwise two hundred degrees dash twenty degrees. Inflict maximum damage on enemy, particularly carriers, battleships, and transports.

(3) Take every precaution against being destroyed on the ground or water. Long range aircraft retire to OAHU when necessary to avoid such destruction. Patrol planes fuel from AVD [seaplane tender] at French Frigate Shoals if necessary.

(4) Patrol craft patrol approaches; exploit favorable opportunities to attack carriers, battleships, transports, and auxiliaries. Observe KURE and PEARL and HERMES REEF. Give prompt warning of approaching enemy forces.

(5) Keep Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Commander Hawaiian Sea Frontier fully informed of air searches and other air operations; also the weather encountered by search planes.39

The very explicit language Nimitz used in his planning guidance—that Midway’s aircraft “should go all out for the carriers”—is not reflected in his order. Absent such direction, Simard left it to Kimes to command the Marine squadrons as he saw fit. In accordance with Marine Corps doctrine, Kimes placed his fighting squadron in general support over Midway—and sent his dive bombers against the Japanese fleet without fighter escorts. Had he allocated one or two divisions from VMF-221 to escort VMSB-241, more Marine dive bombers may have survived to drop bombs on the Hiryū, and their accuracy may have improved had they attacked with less interference from the Japanese combat air patrol.

Trying to Do More with Less

MAG-22 had not gone all out for the carriers but had massed its fighters in defense of Midway. Naval Air Station Midway had struck the Japanese carriers with every bomber available but had been unable to coordinate their attacks to increase their chances for success and survival. Most tragically, many of the Marines lost in the battle were just not ready to fight the Imperial Japanese Navy, despite their willingness and eagerness to try.

MAG-22’s very bad day is a cautionary tale. Trying to do more with less—in MAG-22’s case, trying to defend Midway while training novice aviators—carries risks that may be hidden until they are exposed through combat. In his report of the battle, Kimes included a page and a half of candid comments and recommendations.40 After Midway, Marine aviators applied the lessons MAG-22 had learned at enormous cost and achieved spectacular results against the same foe in the Solomons, often under the leadership of aviators who had survived Midway.

Those same lessons are noteworthy today. Naval experts have cautioned the naval services against maintaining too much forward presence with too little fleet.41 An enduring lesson of MAG-22 may be that very bad days result from very bad choices, and that choosing to do more with less is often a very bad choice.

[cinderswife]

in honor of pride month, i now present to you my favorite ouatis oc: cimorene, general white's gay... something. they've got something a lil lesbian going on. who knows what though. certainly not them. she's essential to the plot of my ouatis au for the sheer fact of being the reason general white didn't die of a stress-induced heart attack

this ref sheet is her towards the end of the war btw

info under the cut !!

cimorene is general white's secretary, though over three decades of war her role shifted from admin assistant to more personal assistant. she functions as the smaller dragon guarding the entrance to the big dragon's lair: you don't get to talk to general white without going through her first. she's a sweet talking jack of all trades who is very happy in her support role thank you very much. if you dig into her history, you'll find out she's the youngest daughter of a planet owning count.

she is based on cimorene from patricia c. wrede's enchanted forest chronicles. i initially wanted to name her after a proper fairy tale dragon, but those... don't really exist??? especially with names and stuff. so cimorene it is!

cimorene was always the black sheep of the family. while all seven of her older sisters were golden haired ponyfolk who could (seemingly) do no wrong, cimorene was the dark haired serpentfolk who kept getting in trouble for trying and excelling at things outside her designated gender role. granted, she also had a bit of a 'not like other girls' thing going on, but she was definitely a victim to regressive gender nonsense.

want to try out sports, like say hunting or rowing? sorry, that's a boy thing. okay, what about practical things like accounting or admin work? nope, both a man's job and below your station. fine! what about cooking? well... still below your station. cimorene spent plenty of time learning these things before she got caught and forced to stop, but it was a real shame.

her parents found her out of control, so at the advice of her godmother they arranged for her to be married to some lame noble boy. closeted nb lesbian cimorene, at age 19 almost 20, wasn't having that. this combined with her burgeoning politics of "hey actually i think this empire stuff is garbage actually" meant that the new rebellion sounded like a fantastic place to go. so off she went!

despite recent victories on hamlin, the year-old rebellion was hurting for hands and desperately needed someone willing to do the admin work. lieutenant dunwich had better things to do with his time, but he was also the only person decent enough, so he was who general white trusted most. in comes cimorene, who aces boot camp and proves herself brilliant at being a secretary. general white offers her the job, which cimorene gladly accepts.

unfortunately, this does not entirely shake off her infuriating family. believing cimorene to have been kidnapped by the rebellion, their family offers a substantial reward and their hand in marriage to whatever knight can rescue them. this is deeply infuriating, but luckily cimorene has many ways to either convince them to fuck off (and keep them from discovering rebellion bases) or to join the rebellion and leave her tf alone thank you very much.

although half her job is admin work, cimorene very quickly realized that the other half was joining dr. lorenzo (and to a minor extend cinders) on the "general white care squad." general mercymourn white may be brilliant and capable, but due to a variety of reasons such as disability (her injuries from the wedding and the anderson left her with half a face among other things, intense ptsd, and undiagnosed autism that flew under the radar as rich noble politician snow), the amount of other plates she was spinning, and sheer grief/self loathing from the events of the wedding day slaughter, she doesn't take care of her body as well as she needs to. luckily, cimorene soon discovered that she was very good at and happy with the caretaker role.

she was offered promotions many a time, but cimorene always turned it down to stick with mercy. she did, however, demand raises. out of everyone in the universe, cimorene can accurately boast that she knows mercy the best. she may not know general white's biggest secret, but she's there for the myriad of minuscule mask slips and the stress-induced meltdowns and the shitty puns and anything and everything you might imagine. it's to the point that cimorene can identify what exactly general white is feeling and/or needs by the microexpression even before general white figures out why she's feeling like shit.

that's not to say that cimorene is unappreciated - far from it. alongside a stupid high paycheck and a significant amount of leeway, cimorene is granted what everyone else covets: the paranoid general white's unending and complete trust. cimorene will never, ever betray that trust. she joined the revolution for freedom from her parents and liberation for the oppressed, but she's stuck around and gotten in deep for general white. that's what you do for a badass woman a decade older than you who could lift you off the ground.

this has some downsides though: when cimorene attempts to have a very limited personal life, she runs into the fact that people associate her with general white and she doesn't have the chance to like. bond. it's very frustrating. she's made a few friends here and there, but it's a lot harder to go out and socialize.

and dating? don't get her started. despite the fact that she's willing and able to put herself out there and a real catch (seriously, she cooks so damn well. try her cherries jubilee sometime!), no one wants to date her! why? well, unbeknownst to her everyone else can pick up on the intense homoerotic tension between her and the general and have gone "whelp that's general white's girl nobody get involved with her." rip to her dreams of a lovelife

also this is what her and general white's relationship looks like, with cimorene as the moon and mercy as the earth:

anyways, they don't properly get together romantically because there's a war to win and who has time for distractions like that? in the canon timeline this never gets resolved even after three decades because uh. general white dies. but since this is dogstar!ouatis and i made general white live (see: my fic eclosion) they get to be properly gay together in the end. yay!

in her spare time, cimorene likes to hang out at bars, cheat at cards, spread gossip (both false and true), cross stitch, and generally be a cunning little bastard. she Will kick your ass at a baking competition. she can do things with chocolate mousse that will make your girlfriend leave you.

her personal quarters are mostly decorated with weird shit she finds on the ground and her cross stitch projects. she has a lot of them. she finds them... relaxing, especially when people are getting On Her Nerves. *angry wolf portrait embroidery intensifies*

she is fluent in kingstongue & revolution sign language and has bits and pieces of a variety of languages from across the galaxy. she'd be a polyglot in her ideal world, but quite frankly she doesn't have the time nor the energy to do that.

anyways. gay people real. i hope you enjoyed reading about cimorene !!!! she Will show up in revolution era fics