#(oc) kestrel

[practically-an-x-man]

As many/few of these as you like, I just thought I'd offer you a bunch.

🔴 Something Angry/Spicy

For Merit and Rex (Angry, obviously... not Spicy... It said Platonic was ok)

For Lars and Jimmy?

🟡 Something Happy/Energetic

For Nikoletta and Abner, as a treat

🟢 Something Longing/Pining

for Kes and Warren?

🟣 Something Soothing/Domestic

For Quinn and Billy?

⚫ Something Dark/Ambiguous

For Eris and Rick?

And maybe for Gia and Kate?

Ooooh thank you!! Long post ahead, for obvious reasons lol

Content warnings for implied sexual content in one drabble, implied drug use in another

Moodlet Drabble Asks

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🔴 Something Angry/Spicy for Merit and Rex (428 words so not a drabble... but I couldn't fit this into 100 words the way I wanted it)

There were two different sides to Rex's protectiveness. There were the little check-ins and cups of tea, the way he cradled his son and laid his arm around his wife's shoulders... And there was this. "We were told at the hospital that the insurance would cover everything but the deductible," he said into the phone, the words a polite shield over the raging anger underneath, "So tell me why this bill says they're only covering half?" A long pause. Merit was only able to catch an indistinct squawking from the other side of the call. "Stagg Industries covers the insurance." Pause. "No, he's not an employee. I'm an employee. So is my wife. He's listed as a dependent under us- Merit, his name is Merit, all your paperwork should say that, his name change was six years ago so there's no reason any of your documents should-" Pause. Rex pulled the phone away from his ear long enough to shield his indignant huff from the receiver. "Yes, Mr. Stagg is aware." he huffed, "Yes. I have everything in writing. He should have all the same coverage as myself and my wife- yes, I know he's above the usual threshold for a dependent, but Mr. Stagg had a discussion with his insurance providers and-" An even longer pause. There was rage burning in Rex's eyes, and tension in his shoulders. "Well, I'm sure I could get in touch with him more effectively than you could." he snapped, "Why? Well, he came to visit his son-in-law in the hospital this weekend, and I got to talk to him then, how's that? That was right about the same time they told us it would all be covered but the deductible." A brief squawk from the other side of the call, and Rex barked out a low, humorless laugh. "That's what I thought. You can send the adjusted bill to the same address. Have a good one." He ended the call and slapped the phone down onto the table with one more indignant huff, then shot Merit an are-you-kidding sort of look. "Every time." "You're his son-in-law, you know. I'm not sure what I am. Technically." "I mean, I was there too, so he did visit his son-in-law." Rex replied, "Besides, fumbling over the terminology wouldn't exactly have helped my case. I hate having to play that card anyway. But those damn insurance people..." He turned his head and scoffed at his phone on the table, then pinched his temples and visibly shrugged off the last of his annoyance. "Whatever. It's figured out."

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🔴 Something Angry/Spicy for Lars and Jimmy

"You're allowed to touch me, you know." Lars muttered, "You're... hovering." "I'm a ghost. Ghosts... hover." he tried, with a pitiful attempt at a laugh. Lars wasn't always the best at picking up on these little signals, but this one he got. He drew back, a little. "Do you... not want to?" "No, I- I do, just-" Jimmy huffed, "I never even had a kiss during my life, what if I'm... not good?" "Heh. I got to uni before I first kissed a man," Lars said, "And if you're not good, we'll fix it. But you've got to quit hovering."

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🟡 Something Happy/Energetic for Nikoletta and Abner

"Y'know, Polkie, I had no idea you could bake," Harley said through a mouthful of cherry pie. She grinned a cherry-stained Halloween smile. "It's, um, just... following recipes." Abner mumbled, though he could feel his face heat up at the praise. Aside from Harley's rambunctious commentary - and when did that ever stop? - the room was quiet around him. At first he'd withered at the silence: was it really so bad that they all had to bite their tongues? But then he realized it wasn't their tongues they were biting. The room was quiet because they were all too busy eating.

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🟢 Something Longing/Pining for Kes and Warren

Autumn had spread across the forest, and every tree reminded them of Warren. Green into yellow, those little brown freckles from the rare leaves that had already turned... with every flap of their wings, Kestrel swam through a sea of his eyes. Just a fling. But they'd woken to the sound of his heartbeat. But he'd kissed them good morning, and risen to bring them a cup of coffee like they were a real couple. Just a fling. But for the first time in their life, it felt like they'd come home. There was nothing more comforting. Or more terrifying.

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🟣 Something Soothing/Domestic for Quinn and Billy

He and Quinn had both been a little pissy about the road trip at first. One had a whole fleet of planes, why the hell should they have to cram into the back of some hippie Minibus and trundle their way across the country that way? But he had to admit... it was growing on him. "Almost there," One said. Billy had thought it was impossible for the man to be in a good mood, but... new miracles every day. "Wake your girl up." Billy nudged Quinn from where her head rested on his shoulder. "Hey, Aces, look. Grand Canyon."

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⚫ Something Dark/Ambiguous for Eris and Rick

Eris wished he could find love for more of humanity. She'd tried, of course. The closest she'd ever really managed was a perverse sort of justice, a sewn-together amalgamation of a moral code. But no love. Humanity, as a whole, was bleak and cruel and idiotic, and it couldn't seem to stop making the same mistakes. They loved Rick. They could even say they loved Tyla, and had a... passable respect for the other members of Rick's Squad. But that was all. Eris was well aware of how callous the years had made him. He wished it could be different.

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⚫ Something Dark/Ambiguous for Gia and Kate

"How'd you know what to do?" Kate asked, "I thought you said you'd never..." The night before, Kate had come stumbling up to her door in an obvious haze. She'd stepped too close to the criminal underbelly of the city again, and this time it ended in a very bad trip. At the time, Gia had thought nothing of the things she'd done to care for her girlfriend. She'd thought Kate wouldn't even remember. Now she winced. "There was a time... after HYDRA... that I-" she started, ducking Kate's eyes, "But I don't touch the stuff anymore. Any of it."

[naberiie]

#You’d think the one whos ALMOST BLIND would be the one avoiding trouble  #but shes starting shit  #noori is cheering her on  #kes is crying bc his girlfriends are not fighters why do they FIGHT EVERY THING (via @kaminoanbat on this post)

@silversong79 your poor boy needs a NAP his gfs are EXHAUSTING 

[practically-an-x-man]

Ok ever since I sent out that "what your characters would say is their favorite thing about their partners vs. their actual favorite" ask to a few friends I've been wanting to do it for my own OCs/ships so here goes:

(long and somewhat sappy-romantic post ahead, you've been warned)

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Rae Would Say: Warren's eyes Her Actual Favorite: The moments when he shows his gentleness and kindness in subtle ways, like offering to help carry a stranger's groceries out to their car for them if he sees them struggling. He doesn't always believe he's a good person after what he's been through, but she loves to see how kindness still seems automatic to him despite that doubt.

Warren W. Would Say: The way Rae puts her hand on his back, right between his wings, when she comes up behind him His Actual Favorite: How unbelievably dedicated she is to protecting the things she loves - it can border on dangerous and that scares him, but he's also included in that list and it makes him feel valued and wanted.

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Robin Would Say: How Peter can turn anything into a good time Her Actual Favorite: How much focus and attention he gives to her, especially when it comes to things like learning ASL or helping her through her TBI recovery. She knows slowing down isn't easy for him, but it means a lot that he's willing to take the time to learn and support her.

Peter M. Would Say: Robin's singing voice His Actual Favorite: Genuinely her singing voice, though really it runs deeper than just liking the way it sounds - it's tied to how they first met, he finds it calming and just hearing her sing can make him happy after a bad day, and it's even more special since it took a while for her to start singing again after her TBI

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Madison Would Say: The way he always has her back Her Actual Favorite: The way he makes her feel at ease - it takes a lot for her to genuinely trust someone enough to let her guard down all the way, and she loves that she can relax around him.

Alex Would Say: The little fascination she has with his hands (she'll just reach for his hands and start kind of...fidgeting with them? He finds it wildly endearing) His Actual Favorite: The way she unconsciously leans into him even when she's asleep - like she knows it's him and trusts him even when she's not even awake

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Ophelia Would Say: The way she can joke with him Her Actual Favorite: The way he really understands and empathizes with what she's been through, even the dark patches of her life

Peter P. Would Say: Her intellect and quick wit His Actual Favorite: Similar to Ophelia's actual answer, the way she understands the dark parts of his life and helps him move past them

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Gia Would Say: Kate's laugh Her Actual Favorite: The way Kate doesn't judge her for her anxiety issues or illness flares, and the way she'll try to rearrange the plans to accommodate them so they don't have to cancel things entirely

Kate Would Say: When Gia gets a little flustered- it's just adorable! Her Actual Favorite: The way Gia's willing to expand her comfort zone for her... that's not easy for her and Kate knows it, and even more once she has the context for everything Gia went through before, so it means a lot that she's willing to expand those boundaries.

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Jasper Would Say: How he's always there for them - even when they've had fights, he always shows up when they need them Their Actual Favorite: Same as above, but with the context that their dad got into an accident just a few days after Jasper and Kyle got into a big fight, and Kyle still showed up and drove them across three states so they could be there for their dad- he really does show up when it counts

Kyle Would Say: How they don't flinch at the bad times, they just take it all in stride His Actual Favorite: How unafraid they are to be themself - it takes a lot of guts to be openly alt and openly queer in Louisiana, especially while still being a part of female-dominated spaces like nursing and roller derby, and he respects the hell out of them for it

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Kestrel Would Say: His eyes, they're that gorgeous hazel color that reminds them of autumn leaves Their Actual Favorite: His confidence, both out in the field and in their relationship. He's steady when Kestrel falters, and that's what they need sometimes.

Warren B. Would Say: Their adaptability and problem-solving His Actual Favorite: The place they've found amid his family - his family is everything to him, and so is Kestrel, and he's grateful to see them find a home with him.

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Katherine Would Say: His chivalry, he's always such a gentleman Her Actual Favorite: She really does love his chivalry, he treats her with so much respect and she always feels incredibly loved and valued

Ahk Would Say: Her creativity His Actual Favorite: How open-minded she is - and not even about the magic itself, she's just always willing to learn more about the people around her, and she never has judgements about their experiences

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Quinn Would Say: How he notices all the little details Their Actual Favorite: All the little things he does to support her, and how he genuinely enjoys doing those things for her - it's never a burden to him, he just wants her to be happy and will do anything he can to make that happen

Billy Would Say: The way she looks, he just thinks she's stunning His Actual Favorite: How they've always got each other's backs, he can always count on her to watch out for him, to have a backup plan ready if things go wrong, and to trust her when he's not sure who else to trust.

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Eris Would Say: His body - they'd insist it's a purely physical, carnal attraction His Actual Favorite: How Rick seems to see her as more than just a weapon or an embodiment of chaos, he seems to genuinely value them as a person and see the depth that others - even Eris themself - tend to miss

Rick Would Say: Those quiet late-night moments where Eris allows himself to be soft His Actual Favorite: The little moments when Eris proves they care about him - tossing his favorite snacks into the grocery cart, stashing an extra mag in their armor pouch so he doesn't run out of ammo, the rare moment they openly show that affection in larger ways, etc.

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Nikoletta Would Say: Abner's gentleness Her Actual Favorite: The way he always seems to notice when she needs attention or support, even when she's bad at noticing that for herself. He's good at pulling her away from her self-destructive and isolating spirals

Abner Would Say: *wouldn't actually be able to articulate any verbal thoughts, it's too on-the-spot and too personal His Actual Favorite: The way he never feels like a burden when it comes to her - he's able to speak his mind, he's able to express his wants and needs and have those things actually met instead of ignored, she remembers his routines, etc.

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Jimmy Would Say: Lars' intelligence His Actual Favorite: The fact that no matter how much of a workhorse Lars can be, and no matter how much he might put up a show of being annoyed when Jimmy tries to coax him to take a break, he always does put a bookmark in his work if Jimmy asks. The theatrics are just for fun - he knows where Lars' priorities really lie.

Lars Would Say: Jimmy's genuine kindness and generosity His Actual Favorite: His intrinsic love for humanity and the people around him, no matter their background - not only surprising for a man of his background, but refreshing against a world of cynics.

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Vivienne Would Say: How strong and competent he looks when he's working on the ship Its Actual Favorite: His pet names for her - she finds them endearing, for one, but it's also reassuring to have those little reminders of how he cares about her since she didn't get that affection or respect from her first husband

Wojchek Would Say: Her stories His Actual Favorite: How transparent it is - it wants something and it tells him without waiting for him to guess, she tells him she loves him all the time, she might enjoy playing with language but she's very clear about what she feels

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Indigo Would Say: How well-spoken he is Her Actual Favorite: Just how much he cares about her - maybe that feels cheap, but for someone who's been on her own effectively from the beginning, there's something incredibly valuable about everything he's willing to do for her in both the big gestures and the little moments

Hux Would Say: How she's so unafraid to be herself His Actual Favorite: How she's always seen him as more than his past or his reputation; he can't change the past, but he's trying to be better, and her faith in him helps him fight for that.

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Prometheus Would Say: His voice Their Actual Favorite: The way he always reaches for them. He's always got an arm around their shoulders, a hand on their knee when they're sitting down, an excuse to hold them when they take a break for the night... it's like he always wants to keep them close.

Corinthian Would Say: Their dedication to what they do His Actual Favorite: The fact that he's not exempt from their protectiveness if he were to harm the dreamers they defend - it seems a little backwards, but to him it helps keep things grounded, and it reminds him that they really see him for what he is and not just some romanticized image of him.

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Might add Spider and Terra later on, but I don't have a firm grasp on their relationship dynamics just yet.

[practically-an-x-man]

Since I was just talking about this with a friend... here's the symbolism for my various OCs' names!

At least... here are the main OCs, though I usually apply symbolism to the antagonists, secondary characters, etc. as well (I can talk about them too, but that would make this post ridiculously long)

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Rachel "Rae" Ayla McKinney: the name Rae is used as a shortened nickname from Rachel, but on its own means "protector" - fitting, with her protective personality and ability to create impenetrable energy shields! Middle name was chosen from her grandmother's first name; the same grandmother that she inherited her mutation from. Surname was not chosen with intentional deeper meaning, just chosen for a Scottish surname. Hero name, Aegis, is a reference to Athena's mythological shield.

Robin Eleanor Cassidy: first name is both a traditionally Irish name and links back to the music- and sound-based themes within her story. Middle name is also Irish in origin, and can be seen as a variation on the name Leonore, as in the opera Fidelio. Surname wasn't chosen with deeper symbolic meaning, just to connect her to the X-Men's Cassidy family as a whole. Hero name, Aria, is a reference to her sound-based mutation and operatic background.

Madison Sarah Douglas: first name has multiple derived forms, one of which means "strength in battle", and was also chosen with nicknames in mind to symbolize the stages of her life: she goes by Maddie until she's 15, then leaves that behind once she runs to the wilderness and begins going only by her full name, then begins to adopt the nickname "Mads" as she grows comfortable with Alex. Middle name was chosen from a list of popular names for the time, intended to be simple and unassuming like Madison's parents (her mother especially) expected her to be. Surname is can be translated from Gaidhlig to mean "black stream", a symbol towards her aquatic-based mutation. Hero name, Lionfish, is a reference to the physical traits her mutation grants her, and in the earlier stages of her story can be seen as foreshadowing towards the venomous fins and more lionfish-like traits she will later develop.

Ophelia Jo Octavius: first name stems from the Shakespearean Ophelia, intended both to connect her to her literary-focused mother and to foreshadow the tragedy she will experience throughout her life (and at one point, foreshadows her multiversal variant that genuinely goes mad and later dies to her own actions). Middle name is also literary, stemming from Little Women; however, her middle name is only Jo, not the full Josephine, meant to symbolism Ophelia standing apart from expectations. Surname is not chosen with deeper meaning, just to tie her into the canon Octavius family, but the alliteration of her first and last name is meant to be "superhero-like" and further connect her to her father. Hero name, Argonaut, represents both Jason's mythological Argo and a species of pelagic octopus.

Giovanna "Gia" Isabelle Pantazis: First name, in both its full and shortened forms, translates to "God is gracious", symbolizing Gia's faith and feeling that her surviving HYDRA was an act of God's will. Middle name also holds faith-based translations to further this symbolism. Surname is derived from the Greek blessing "live forever!", representing how having her life force bound to her clover makes her effectively immortal (at least in certain ways).

Jasper Nightingale Wilson: First name was chosen from a list of modern gender-neutral names, mainly meant to be a fitting, likely choice for a name a genderfluid teen would choose for themself in the 2010s. Middle name was chosen to honor Florence Nightingale, Jasper's personal hero and the person that inspired them to go into nursing. Surname can be derived in some ways from "desire", but was also chosen for an ongoing joke with their partner about having "two first names". Derby name, Gemstone, is meant as a connection to the name Jasper. [note: I will not be analyzing the symbolism of their deadname, and I didn't choose extensive symbolism for their deadname even if there's some to potentially be found. The only thing I chose to line up is that they chose their former derby name to be derivative of their first name, the same way Gemstone is derived from Jasper]

Indigo: Uses no surname until marriage - first because she didn't know her family, later as an act of rebellion for how "loaded" her family surnames would be. She chose her first name herself, for the deep blue color of her eyes, because being a foundling on the dog-eat-dog world of Corellia meant nobody bothered to choose a proper name for her (prior to choosing her name, her guardians would just summon her with "girl!" or "hey, you!"). Name was also chosen with a nickname in mind, both to provide variety and as a symbol of familiarity as she moves through the story.

Prometheus: Name as a nightmare was Nyx (from the Greek god of night), or the Fear of the Dark, for them being a primal nightmare of the dark. Name as a dream keeps the Greek mythological roots, but represents them claiming fire for the sake of the human dreamers they choose to protect, as well as representing the day-by-day injury they undergo in order to protect those same dreamers. The transition from Nyx to Prometheus also represents them becoming closer to their human dreamers - beginning as a primordial god, ending as a human hero.

Eris: Given name from Themyscira was Adamantia, meaning "untameable" or "unbreakable". After their bloodlust and sense for conflict became clear to the people around them, those on Themyscira began referring to them as Eris - believing they were an embodiment of conflict itself, a reincarnation of the Greek god Eris (similar to the Ares story in Wonder Woman)

Nikoletta Bordeaux: First name means "victorious" and is drawn from the Greek Nike. Surname is a region in France, but has no other translated or derived meaning (especially considering that Nikoletta's family stem from Louisiana Cajun French, not traditional French, and the further linguistic separation there). Altogether, her name symbolizes "a victory that means nothing", indicating the various façades she implements while in Belle Reve - holding a position that only grants her power while within the prison, and her abilities themselves being used as a symbol for death while actually having no tangible danger.

Azalea Jordan "AJ" Campbell: First name is a flower, connecting her to her mother Violet as well as representing her career as an assassin in disguise: azaleas are beautiful flowers, but are toxic to humans and animals. Middle name, as well as her nickname, are intentionally gender-neutral, meant to symbolize her ongoing disguises and anonymity as an assassin (since the names apply to any gender, there are fewer visual assumptions that can be made about her). Surname translates to "crooked mouth", representing and foreshadowing the reveal of her facial scars.

Quinn: Any surname or former name for her have not been revealed or even decided, and I don't intend to choose any - that stage of her life has been left long in the past, and she's intentionally placed a distinction between that life and her current identity. The name Quinn has various meanings: it can be derived from "wise", "beautiful", or "chief", but was also chosen in-universe as a reference to Harley Quinn. Her rooftop name, Aces, furthers the association with Harley Quinn, decks/suits of cards, and luck/gambling.

Kestrel: Name and character design as a whole are pulled from an American kestrel - solitary animals save for their lifelong mating bonds, known to be adaptable to a variety of habitats and nesting conditions, and extremely effective hunters despite their small size. Former name, Deborah "Debbie" Browning, was merely meant as a mundane and human identity for them to have held before they revealed themself as a changeling.

Katherine Alessia Johnson: Name is largely derived from the NASA astronomer Katherine Johnson, known for contributing valuable research and computations to the moon landing (the moon symbolism also being tied back to the moonlight-powered Tablet of Khonsu). Middle name Alessia means "defender" or "truthful", notable elements of Katherine's character as well as her connection to Bastet, the Egyptian god of domestic protectiveness.

James "Jimmy" Aaron Luciano: As a whole, name was just chosen on a whim based on what sounded right, and wasn't intended with particular deeper meaning aside from being a period-accurate name for an Italian-American New Yorker in the 1910s. However, there is symbolism to be found in that both his former partner Robert and current love interest Lars choose to refer to him as James rather than his nickname.

Vivienne Siversdatter Andenæs: First name means "life", representing her being saved from death by her transformation into a siren - the name was also chosen to be a classically beautiful and feminine name, both for a siren's ethereal beauty and as a subversion towards Vivienne being nonbinary (at least, that it would be nonbinary by modern standards). Middle name is a family surname from Norwegian naming conventions, preserving her father's name. Surname has no listed translation or meaning, but is also Norwegian in origin.

Souriya "Spider" Prakash-Cooper: First name is Lao in origin and means "sun" to symbolize his explosive energy and social "brightness", and was chosen by his parents to honor his maternal grandfather. Surname is his parents hyphenated last names - his mother Adhira Prakash and his father Darius Cooper. Prakash also means "sunlight" to double that earlier symbolism; and while the surname Cooper originally derives from barrel-making, the name was chosen more for the juxtaposition between his father's family in America and his mother's family across India and Laos. His nickname Spider comes from friends at his speed-climbing gym, who gave him the nickname for his long limbs and fast, eclectic climbing strategy.

[practically-an-x-man]

New chapter of Taking Flight is up!! Took me a while to find the motivation to write it, but I had a lot of fun with this one! It's loosely inspired by the Flash game William and Sly, which I loved to death as a kid :D

[practically-an-x-man]

TST! Apologies if I've asked this, I don't really remember a lot of what I said or did... last year. O.o

It's getting closer to Halloween so I'm in the mood for *announcer voice* Themed Questions!

What are your OCs annual Halloween shows/movies to watch?

Alternate Question: if your OCs all had to spend a night in a haunted house together that definitely had activity, who would last the longest, who would bail first?

Thank you!!

I'm going to answer the alternate question, I think, because I'm pretty sure I've answered the first one before (don't know if it was asked by you or someone else) and I generally can come up with more interesting answers to the "situational" questions like that second one.

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Who Lasts the Longest:

First of all, anyone with experience with genuine magic or paranormal happenings is for sure lasting longer than people who haven't. And I do mean real magic and paranormal events, not just other fictional traits like having superpowers. Jimmy, Katherine, Kestrel, Vivienne, and maybe even Jasper are the top runners here.

Jimmy's effectively immune to the actual hauntings, since he's a ghost himself. If he has to stay, he's got no problem there. However, if his human companions get freaked out or endangered, or if the other ghosts present a level of conflict that makes Jimmy uncomfortable, he's more likely to leave if he doesn't feel like he has to stay -- basically, if there's a prize or some reason to complete the night, he's got that covered, but he's not the type to stay in there past the point of discomfort just for bragging rights.

Kestrel and Vivienne are both in a similar position, being both magical creatures and having spent significant time around other magic. I think Kestrel does have the edge on Vivienne though, since Kestrel's made a career out of magical study while Vivienne just experiences it through happenstance. Kestrel is much more likely to stick it out, since this isn't the first time they've dealt with an uncomfortable magical situation.

Jasper and Katherine are also both in the same point: experienced enough with magic as a whole not to get terribly freaked-out, but not so experienced that they're immune to it. The presence of ghosts won't be the thing to drive them out, but if things start to get violent or dangerous, they're definitely not making it through the night.

Though overall, I think the most likely to make it through the night easily is Quinn! It's the classic "skeptics are immune" sort of deal - not that she doesn't experience the activity, but that she's so skeptical of magic that she writes it all off as her hallucinations flaring up, and basically ignores it. Sure, she'll still get freaked-out at certain things, but in her mind this is just a bout of paranoia and leaving the house won't change that - she's just got to ride it out.

Who's in the Middle:

Spider's staying for about as long as the sounds of the haunted house intrigue him. He's in the middle about how much he actually believes in ghosts, so higher activity would spook him, but while things are calm he's mostly using the opportunity to collect a few more sounds

Pretty much all of my superhero OCs land here. They've been through too much hardship and frightening things to let the fear get to them too much, but might still get frightened by the ghosts in the end.

Indigo's probably here too, for similar reasons as the superhero OCs. She's hardy, but not completely immune to being frightened by the house

Who Bails First:

Terra and Pluto might stick it out if they've got absolutely nowhere else to go, but otherwise they're out of there pretty quick. They're both a little squirrelly by nature, and I'd imagine being on Shimmer is only going to make them more jumpy. Terra's terrified of being attacked again, and Pluto's freaked-out because he can't get a read on the house (too many strange noises, and he swears things keep moving from where they were before)

Gia's also out of there pretty fast. In a similar vein, I'm sure she could stick it out if she absolutely had to, but she'd need a damn good reason for it. Otherwise, she's terrified from the beginning, and is only really able to stay as long as she can convince herself it's not actually a ghost - as soon as she's got concrete proof, she's out so fast.

Though I think, out of everyone, the person most likely to bail out first is Merit! He's very big on routines for the sake of his health, and sleep in particular is extremely important to him. A missed night of sleep, like trying to rest in a haunted house, isn't just uncomfortable or unpleasant like it is for most people - for him it could prompt seizures, more frequent and more severe when he's sleep-deprived, and that's just plain dangerous. There's no way staying in that haunted house is worth it to him- and that's not even considering if he gets spooked by the spirits in the first place!

[practically-an-x-man]

TST: what’s your favorite “accidental genius” moment in one of your fanfics? (ex: foreshadowing you didn’t intend that paid off later, an unintentional parallel to an earlier moment, etc. Basically anything you did by accident that surprised you in a good way!)

Ooooh, great question!!

I'm sure there are a lot more examples, and a lot larger examples, than the ones I'm about to mention here, but honestly it gets hard to remember what started as an "accidental genius" moment versus what I had planned from the beginning. When a little detail really strikes me, I tend to start incorporating it as soon as I can from that point on, so it feels fully assimilated into the story and I can use it for a bigger payoff in the future.

For that reason, most of the ones I remember are the little details, rather than the ongoing symbolism that began from those "accidental genius" moments. That being said:

Rae's name meaning "protector" was a stroke of luck! I had her name locked in as Rae, and her shielding abilities already chosen as well, when I looked into the meaning of the name and discovered it was even more fitting than I thought! Since she was one of my first OCs, I didn't put as much thought into her name as I do with many of my OCs now

Terra and Pluto's names were also one of those "happy coincidence" moments. Terra's name I picked on a whim, because she started with a "plot bunny" ask game and I didn't expect to make her a full OC. Pluto was designed more thoughtfully from the beginning, and I chose his name based on the song "We're Screwed" by Unlike Pluto since his story was meant to be a tragedy from the beginning. The idea of "Terra's grounded while Pluto's in orbit" and how that reflects their stories is one I've since latched onto, but it was a happy surprise to me when I noticed it!

Jimmy's connection to birds and the idea of him being a "bird in a cage" was planned, but specifically his link to the African Grey parrot in his aviary ended up building out into much larger symbolism than I thought, and having a lot more meaning too! In particular, I chose to name the parrot "Patroclus", which led to some GENIUS double-meaning in the most recent chapter that I only partially planned for!

The patterns in Kestrel's transformations also began as semi-accidental, with more thought put to them later! I had a few rules in place from the beginning, namely to keep Kestrel's powers grounded enough to be realistic, but in the individual scenes I mainly just picked their transformations based on... feel, I guess? But some part of the way through, I realized I was choosing the animals based on the environment they were in (for example, I ended up picking all animals from the American Southwest for a scene where they're moving through an arid, sandy vault), and that fit the character really well!

In addition, Kestrel's transformations are intentionally meant to keep certain elements of their appearance (petite figure, large eyes, hawk nose, color schemes that involve ginger and black, to name a few; their human appearance itself is also meant to model an American kestrel, it all links back around in that way), and there was a scene in which I had them transform into a horse-- an Arabian, to be specific, which I picked because visually their proportions and coloration fit most closely to the image of Kestrel in my head. But I had a commenter who was much more well-versed in equestrian things point out that Arabian's are adept at endurance running, which fit perfectly because Kestrel was running a long distance with a rider at the time!

And possibly the biggest one I can think of right now... Katherine wasn't originally planned to be bonded to Bastet specifically! The "cat/Kat" pun is completely unintentional, too - she's in-universe named after the NASA scientist Katherine Johnson, which out-of-universe was meant to hint at her connection to the tablet through the moon. I always had her tied to the tablet and its magic, but her having a bond with Bastet specifically began after I wrote a spur-of-the-moment chapter opener, not even sure if I'd keep it at the time, but that I ended up loving so much it altered the whole course of Katherine's character! I didn't even remember that she'd dressed as Bastet in the very first chapter (that itself was originally just meant to make her familiar and intriguing to Ahk, it could really have been any Egyptian deity) until I got back into working on the fic recently and realized that detail will bring things full-circle in the end!

Honestly, there's probably oodles more of these if I dig through my longfics, I'm always taking these little ideas and running with them until something pays off, but these are the big ones I've got off the top of my head! Thanks so much for the ask, this is fun! As much as I'm a planner when it comes to the plots of my fics, I'm a "yes, and"-er when it comes to those subtler themes and symbols!

[practically-an-x-man]

🌷🔥🎵👕☕️ for dealer's choice of OCs?

Ooooooh thank you!!

OC Symbolism/Metaphor Ask Game

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🌷 - flower symbolism

I've been wanting to work forget-me-nots into Jimmy's fics or artwork for a while now! I already associate him with that Ghostbusters ghost-blue, even though he himself isn't a blue ghost, and the deeper symbolism to forget-me-nots (even the name) just works brilliantly for Jimmy's story

I also associate Kestrel with dandelions a lot, because that's not only how I see them but also how they see themself in a lot of ways: seen as a weed by most people, seen as useful and beautiful by others, hardy and fairly ubiquitous, and a symbol for transformation in how they spread their seeds.

🔥 - elemental symbolism(fire vs water, sun vs moon, etc)

Vivienne and Madison are both associated heavily with water as an element, but in slightly different ways.

Vivienne is more saltwater, meant to reflect the ocean itself: sometimes calm and enchanting, sometimes dangerous and stormy, wild and unpredictable and only able to be channeled (though still not ever tamed) by a master sailor.

Madison, on the other hand, is more freshwater. She's meant to be reflective of lakes and rivers more than she is the ocean: sometimes murky and sometimes clear, but still more predictable and less chaotic than the ocean. She begins in a state of flow, constantly on the move from something in her past (like a river), but later settles and finds her "reservoir".

🎵 - music symbolism

Hm... I've got specific songs that definitely hold symbolism for certain characters, but I'm kinda drawing a blank on wider music symbolism for most of them!

👕 - character design symbolism/inspirations

I tried to drop a few different hints towards Indigo's heritage in the early chapters of Bolts and Blasters, but one of the big ones (that I'm not sure anyone picked up on its own) was meant to be her hair turning white! The idea that Obi-Wan aged too quickly is a very common detail in the Star Wars space, and Indigo's hair being a coppery brown (like Ewan McGregor's) but whitening prematurely was meant to be a reference/hint towards that.

☕️ - what are your character's go to comforts, and why?

Ophelia and Pluto are both very similar people in how they find comfort in tinkering and solving problems, but I think it takes a slightly different form between the two of them.

Ophelia enjoys tinkering because she likes putting the pieces together, inventing new things, and usually finds inspiration by having those things solve a problem. She finds comfort in it much in the way that someone might enjoy a jigsaw or crossword puzzle: she likes uncovering the answers and fitting them together, and watching the solutions come together.

Pluto, on the other hand, is comforted less by the act of solving problems and more by the solutions themselves. It's not so much that Pluto enjoys solving problems, but more that he trusts his own handiwork more than anyone else's, and being surrounded by handiwork he can trust is what calms him.

Basically, Ophelia's comfort is directly related to putting solutions together, while Pluto's comes from the relief of having the problem solved in a way that he can trust.