cosmictide

[cosmictide]

I'm having a terrible say and it's not even 11am. I fucked up and the intrusive thoughts won't go away. I took responsibility and ownership for it despite the issue not being black and white.

But I'm terrified of being fired.

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OH MY GOD IT IS HAPPENING

@loderlied - JEFF IS MAKING WEIRD OLLIE LEVEL SHIT AGAIN AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL

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Yet again, another person has mistaken Pasqal for a chill smol son due to how much of a wet cat he looks like and not quite getting his dialogs.

Excuse you. He is a fundamentalist. He is an engineer. This man is roiling with rage and sarcasm, brandishing a goddamn hit list if you're not careful. (art by eren_kivneyl on reddit and other locations)

He is the Implacable Man, and should be loved for his monstrous tendencies that makes the goddamn Drukhari look like an incompetent bozo.

However, it is okay if you want to hold one of his three hands.

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@dujour13 tagged me for Zophus! Consider yourselves tag if you read this and laugh at my idiot angel.

This is very silly and I'd like you all to do it with your OCs. Find the link here! Tagging...

@fantastic-mr-corvid, @cassynite, @desnas, @dmagedgoods, @dujour13, @tentiebear, @tenmillionbees, @jean-dieu, and if you wanna, please tag me back! As always, this is never expected, I'm tagging you because <3

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Kadira has hooves, though it's relatively known in some spaces! Kadira cannot wear shoes, so that's half the joke in the post prior. Picture posted for reference of goat hooves.

Anyway, the headcanon is Kadira expressed worry about the Drezen March and that her hooves might not tolerate the march (she doesn't know a lot of details about goats and their hoof durability - she's fine). Daeran mocked that she should wear horse shoes instead.

She stomped on his foot.

That was when he knew he had to have her.

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Kadira has never been so insulted in her whole life. Crocs??

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This is very silly and I'd like you all to do it with your OCs. Find the link here! Tagging...

@fantastic-mr-corvid, @cassynite, @desnas, @dmagedgoods, @dujour13, @tentiebear, @tenmillionbees, @jean-dieu, and if you wanna, please tag me back! As always, this is never expected, I'm tagging you because <3

[cosmictide]

Amelia would be too goody two shoes and not try to stab Edelthrad. But she wouldn't help him at all and might be a brown nose. I think she'd be admired for her beauty and dedication to the Imperium along with her intelligence.

Kathy would stay only because it's better than where she was, but doesn't have the same adoration that Idria had. I'd like to think she'd hide Nomos to protect them. Katherine is also far more stable than Edelthrad and likely beat him out when a warp jump gets to be too much. ... but she really would be hating Theodora the entire time until she gets the idea heresy is calling within the ship. Kathy doesn't like the Imperium but she doesn't like Chaos. No gods, no masters.

Hypothetical...

Let's say Theodora never died. Would your Rogue Trader eventually have become heir? Would they have beat out Edelthrad...or perhaps...disposed of him in someway?

[cosmictide]

So, on BlueSky, I wrote about Kadee's issues with her appearance and self esteem.

Kadira is big. She's 220lbs in the prologue and by the time she gets to Drezen, she's 180lbs and a good portion of that is muscle she gained on the march, though she never dips under that weight. She's never what the BMI calculator calls 'normal'.

Kadira spent her teenhood and young adulthood with succubi. Succubi couldn't touch her, but they decided to the next best thing, mock her and tear her down. She was fat. She was ugly. She was boring. A goodie-two shoes. A weak fiendling.

It's hard to shake that belief when you don't have the support. And this feeling she's ugly and unloveable chases her. The thing is? Succubi can lie. Being fat was the only thing they didn't lie about, but they turned that neutral descriptor into a knife.

That's why it's important for Kadira to have a genuine succubus be baffled at Kadee's self esteem issues. Arueshalae finds Kadira gorgeous both in personality and in body. Kadee has clear beautiful skin, big blue eyes, thick hair, and an hourglass shape, with symmetrical features. Arue knows that Kadira's fiendish heritage is diabolic, but she suspects that many humans think Kadira might have succubi heritage. Of course, Kadira wouldn't believe Arue right away, years and years of being told otherwise can't be solved so quickly.

But she starts to believe.

[cosmictide]

6 7 8 for the ask game, dealer’s choice!!

6 7 8 for the ask game, dealer’s choice!!

Enjoy Kadira, Zophus, Amelia, and Katherine, Romeo!

How do they react to the realization that they like the other character? Is it an “oh my god I’m never going to think about this again” thing, or are they pretty comfortable with it?

Kadee x Daeran - It's hard for Kadira to admit when she genuinely starts to like Daeran. It's something that grows during the first two chapters of the game - it goes from frustrated annoyance to slowly getting to know him and genuinely like him as a person. Romantic or sexual attraction is there, deep down, but Kadira is very quick to dismiss it as impossible due to her self esteem (she believes most folks see her as unattractive) and her duty (that lurking horror of her impending doom). The first time she admits to herself she loves Daeran is the end of Chapter 3, before they go to the Abyss, when he chooses to go with her. There's a fear that she carries because she's terrified she'll break his heart when she decides to deal with the Worldwound, but ultimately she's accepting of her love for him and that he's worth dealing with the trauma of survival for.

Zophus x Raphael - There's always a negativity towards his feelings for Raphael. Unlike most in the Tadfools, Zophus has an awareness of how powerful and how old Raphael is, and he attempts to build his walls to keep from developing anything more than sexual attraction. After all, sex is sex. The dawning horror he's in love is rough for Zophus, and he's never quite sure if this is real or desperation to finally belong to something.

Amelia x Marazhai - Amelia decides to grab Marazhai's description of their relationship and cling to it for dear life. It's obsession, he's teaching her how to be stronger, his dark beauty can be controlled by her. It's just obsession, it has nothing to do with love. She tells herself she doesn't care for the ambition that Marazhai has, the dark sense of humor, the ability to understand the cruelty and apply it to her own climb to the top and advance the needs of humanity. Ultimately, she is forever in denial about her feelings as much as Marazhai is in his feelings for her.

Katherine x Heinrix - It's such a slow burn between them over a matter of months to years. It begins with a genuine connection and fondness, though their origin couldn't be more different (Voidborn Gunnery Clan and Imperial Nobility), their teen and young adulthood is all but the same. She sees the signs of a good, man, and she ultimately isn't upset she realizes she's in love with him, she knows the chances of a happy ending are slim. Katherine is going to accept her feelings and try… until he rejects her during her Accession Ceremony. That's when she tries to avoid him for an entire year or more until Chapter 3…

Do they (or would they) pursue the other character’s affection, and if so, how? Do they tell the other character how they feel? Try to earn their admiration? Woo them with romantic gestures? Flirt with them, skillfully or otherwise?

Kadira x Daeran - She doesn't really pursue's Daeran's affection under the belief he finds her unattractive and dull. She giggles at his jokes, sneaks him some alcohol and hair oil she's made, but in her eyes that's friendship. It's Daeran who feels he has to earn Kadee's admiration because while he knows there's something a touch off, she's genuine in caring about others and her protective nature towards him. Kadee begins to do as many acts of service that she can for Daeran, since she's not sure how to woo with gifts. Her flirting skills are awful because they boil down to small talk, but Daeran likes the attempt, anyway.

Zophus x Raphael - Raphael begins wooing, easily reading that while Zophus is intelligent and perspective, he's a lonely man. Attention and admiration is enough for Zophus to slowly develop his devotion to the other man. He's far better at flirting than Kadee, but has a harder time with romantic gestures because most of Zophus' relationships are very, very short. Whatever Raphael asks, Zophus will get, though he'll always question his lover and master as a 'devil's advocate'.

Amelia x Marazhai - The officer had no idea she began a courtship when her 5'4 couldn't grab anything but Marazhai's throat to tell him to fuck off. Then she saw the flicker in his eyes and while she wasn't sure - he's a Xenos of all things - she decided to push at the boundaries of this game he devised. Physical affection and praise becomes her mainstays with Marazhai, who takes a little while to appreciate it in private.

Katherine x Heinrix - Kathy begins pursuing after Heinrix's affection in a slow, subtle manner. She isn't really trying to woo him between games of regicide, but between their conversations, their fierce protectiveness for one another during battle, she basically woos Heinrix because she genuinely cares for him, and that middle aged is emotionally touched starved. A little before her Acension, Katherine begins to subtly flirt to watch him lose his cool and to gage if he likes her too. Even their first kiss felt perfect… but that was ultimately ruined with Calazar raining on her parade, making Kathy realize that Heinrix might not see everything like she does and that she made a mistake.

What do they think about romantic love? Do they have baggage surrounding it? Do they idealize it? Is it an object of longing and wanting, or were they really not thinking about it until they started falling for the other character? What are their expectations like?

Kadira - Kadira thinks romantic love is real, wonderful, and should be celebrated. She just never thought it would happen to her due to the Crusade and she forever thinking she's not attractive physically or in personality. It makes her panic because Kadee really doesn't think she'll live long enough for someone to fall in love with her and if that small miracle occurs, she'll die on them anyway. Her expectations are incredibly low, but Daeran simply sails over them as they both stumble and figure out about falling in love.

Zophus - He doesn't believe in romantic love, he believes in duty. Once Raphael ensnares him, everything Zophus does for the cambion is shaped by the concept of 'duty'. It's his duty to make sure to protect Raphael and his ambitions for order within the universe, it's his duty to let Raphael know that Raphael is worthy, desirable, and far more than anyone believes. It's not love. Never love. It's duty. And much to his confusion, Raphael begins to share this duty with Zophus.

Amelia - As a noble in an Imperial World, Amelia very much wanted to fall in a courtship and get married. Eventually, she will have to be married to a human lord to ensure there isn't a crisis of finding a heir for the dynasty. However, if you told her she'd develop a long distance relationship with a Drukhari that goes beyond most humans extended lifetime, she'd laugh at you. During her relationship and the horror that spirals from that to her crew, Amelia never uses the word 'love' in her relationship with the Archon. Even when the Archon figures out ways how to extend her life that are a little beyond causal Heresy, both she and he call it their mutual 'addiction'.

Katherine - Love? For a psyker? That could never happen. Any sort of relationship with another human could never happen. She was a mutant in their eyes and she … she saw most serving under the Astra Militarum as poor people trying to survive and ultimately brainwashed. Katherine's intentions with Heinrix were always friendship, because finding a psyker in a setting that wasn't surrounded by war was a rarity and a damn treasure and no one seemed to hate psykers more than was Heinrix, notably towards himself. Katherine never expected her love for him to save him or change him because the Imperium refuses to change with the misunderstanding the necessity of change. Kathy by the end of the game finds that's the one thing neither Gods nor Masters can handle: love.

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useful/fun character development questions for couples

there are a lot of “otp questions” lists out there but I just wanted to make a list that was specifically helpful for writers, especially for working out the technical stuff of conveying Romantic Love. so, here ya go, stuff to answer for each character

What, specifically, was the catalyst for their physical attraction (if applicable) to the other character? In other words, what in particular had them like “Oh, they’re…hot…”

Does this change over time? What things do they find “hot” about their partner after they’ve been together for some time, and have had more time to, well, notice and appreciate?

By contrast, what was the moment that first made their ~heart~ Soft for the other person? Not necessarily a conscious realization of “I love this person,” but a moment that had them like “Oh…I adore them…”

Does this change over time? What will always reliably make them melt with how much they adore the other character?

How do they consciously realize that they like the other character? Does it take them a while?

How do they react to the realization that they like the other character? Is it an “oh my god I’m never going to think about this again” thing, or are they pretty comfortable with it?

Do they (or would they) pursue the other character’s affection, and if so, how? Do they tell the other character how they feel? Try to earn their admiration? Woo them with romantic gestures? Flirt with them, skillfully or otherwise?

What do they think about romantic love? Do they have baggage surrounding it? Do they idealize it? Is it an object of longing and wanting, or were they really not thinking about it until they started falling for the other character? What are their expectations like?

What do they think about commitment? Is a long-term partnership the goal? Are they thinking about building a life with their partner, or are they focused on the present?

What scares them about entering a relationship?

What fears, past traumas, etc. would be hardest for them to talk about with their partner?

How much independence do they prefer in a relationship—do they want to share their lives as much as possible with their partner, or do they prefer to mostly do their own thing and let their partner do their own thing?

What is their go-to for making a partner feel loved?

What makes them feel loved? Would they build up the courage to ask for it?

What, for them, constitutes a level of intimacy that they would only rarely share with someone? This can be physical, emotional, etc.

If they had the ability to just spend free time with their partner, what would they do? Would they go out or stay inside?

Under what circumstances would they want to be left alone by their partner?

They’re going through something incredibly difficult—perhaps they’re very sick, have lost a loved one, or have gone through a traumatic event. Do they ask for or accept support and care from their partner, or try to isolate themselves?

Are they okay with public displays of affection? Do they like them?

When would they say “I love you?” Do they say it first? Do they say it often, or is it reserved for special moments?

If sex is something that would be part of a relationship for them, do both or either of them have prior experiences? If not, how do they feel about it?

What does sex mean for them? Socially, religiously, what attitudes are they bringing with them? Is “virginity” something they care about? Do they want sexual experiences to occur within a certain “level” of relationship, or does that not really matter so much to them?

How comfortable are they talking about, and openly communicating during, sex?

What would their partner do that would really turn them on, perhaps unintentionally?

They accidentally hurt or upset their partner. What happened? How do they respond? What do they do to make their partner feel better?

They have an argument with their partner—what is it about? Do things stay respectful, or is there some shouting and accusing going on?

They have to apologize to their partner. Is this difficult for them? How do they approach it?

How do they feel about the prospect of parenthood? Do they plan on it? How would they react if they suddenly found out they were going to be a parent?

What compromises are they making in their relationship?

What completely petty topic (music taste, favorite food) do they find themselves completely at odds with their partner about?

What little thing do they find incredibly (though harmlessly) annoying about their partner?

How do their friends react to finding out they’re a couple? Do they have lots of mutual friends? Did their friends know, perhaps before they themselves did?

Under what circumstances would they feel jealous?

Under what circumstances would they feel protective?

Would they get a pet? What kind? Who brings up the idea, and who takes a little longer to convince?

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[cosmictide]

You have an excellent point.

Concerned Interigator in the RT quarters washing soot off the RT.

Okay, but Katherine refusing to us ea flame staff over a good malta or flame weapon because it's just more fun.

Heinrix gets concerned every time she attempts. Every time. At the least she's not setting herself on fire.

For now.

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Closing my inbox from anonymous asks. I'm not being harassed but I really don't like trying to figure out if the Gaza refugees are actually refugees or not from anonymous asks.

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did u see them btw...

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Sometimes during the Crusade, Kadira believes her only positive quality is that she doesn't ask much for herself. So much of this is due to living with a literal witch who wants to use her to bring her dead child back to life.

Which, of course, frustrates Daeran and Lann so damn much. Daeran's love language is giving and he hates taking stabs in the dark while Lann very much wants to take care of her.

Though, to be absolutely fair to Kadee, Lann is very much the same way of 'if I don't ask anything and if I be helpful, they might keep me'.

Daeran has his work cut out for him.

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Okay, but Katherine refusing to us ea flame staff over a good malta or flame weapon because it's just more fun.

Heinrix gets concerned every time she attempts. Every time. At the least she's not setting herself on fire.

For now.