justassorted

[justassorted]

characters whose philosophy is “if i cannot be wanted, i will be needed and if i cannot be needed, let me be used until there’s nothing left of me.” thank you for everyone’s attention. falls off stage and dies

[justassorted]

they say you can't pour from an empty cup but i've been doing it my whole life and aside from all of these mysterious ailments it's working out great for me

[justassorted]

Out of a moment of aching sadness and fury and manic impulsivity, a wizard turns a killer whale trapped in a theme park aquarium into a human so she can smuggle it out of the park and back into the wild.

[justassorted]

♡ — Mirian & Fivemind? (And/or Pink separately, if the way Fivemind weights decisions based on unit makes enough of a difference for the answers to be different!)

Send ♡ to see what my muse thinks of yours

●●●○○ | ATTRACTION

●●○○○ | AFFECTION

●●●●○ | INTEREST

●●●○ | LOYALTY

●●○○○ | TRUST

"I suppose I cannot lie that this Mirian person intrigues me...it is not often that a human asks one of us out first..."

[justassorted]

when i say my gender changes to the tune of the bit i mean a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do and if he can’t then god forbid women do anything

[justassorted]

One guilty stretch of knowing procrastination, one disaster of a planet survey, one subsequent sleep-deprivation-triggered episode of torpor, and one disconcertingly firm ultimatum from the ship’s counselor later, Ithadel found himself once more contemplating the daunting task of writing a reply to his would-be pen pal. 

[Hello Fives,

I apologize for]

…Ithadel got back up and paced for a while. Surely it had been too long. He’d been unconscious for nearly a month of the time that had passed, and even to him it felt like too long. Still… Ithadel swallowed his discomfort and composed in short, agonizing snatches.

[I apologize for the long silence. My duties were indeed overwhelming for a time, and I was unwell for a period after that. I hope you’ve been safe in the interim?

Media for younger demographics can be very helpful for getting an initial grasp on a culture, particularly if you’re introducing yourself to the language as well. Though I’ve run into some trouble with perspective at times. I often find that there will be some things that seem ridiculous that are actually meant in all earnestness, and others that seem reasonable but which are apparently childhood fallacies.

I’m told that over-watering is indeed a common problem. I’m lucky; our astrobiologist was kind enough to care for my plant while I was indisposed. It may well have now survived longer because of that than it would have under my own care, had it gone uninterrupted.

What kind of tinkering do you do? Do you have any projects underway?

Take care,

- Dell.]

[ Hello Dell, ]

Oh, now they were just mirroring greetings too. It's a safe route at least for a being that barely ever got the chance to socialise just for the sake of socialising.

[ Do not worry, I have been travelling alone for quite some time. I do come into contact with other ships from time to time and I do stop by stations for supplies.

I hope you take care as well. Being a medic, and constantly being around people, sounds overwhelming ] Not that Fives knew anything about being a medic.

[ As for hobbies, I tinker in my free time. ] The ship that they were installed into did have wall-mounted appendages for quick repairs. That wasn't their only means of physical activity though.

[ I also enjoy watching television, mostly human media. Although most of it appears to be intended for a younger demographic.

I have attempted keeping a domestic plant myself before. It did not last long. I fear I may have overestimated how much water it actually required.

All the best with your plant friend.

-5 ]

[justassorted]

��Yes, I noticed. In future you might consider looking, or perhaps not stopping on the street in the first—” Ithadel began, before biting his tongue. He closed his eyes. Drew a shaky breath. Swallowed. 

Snapping at her wasn't going to do anyone any good just now.

Ithadel realized he was still clutching the poor girl’s arm and loosened his grip with a guilty start. He began to draw away entirely, then thought better of it and kept a steadying hand at her shoulder as he opened his eyes and assessed the situation. 

Gray smoke was billowing up from the car’s freshly crumpled hood. The driver and two passengers exited the vehicle without too much trouble, which was a good sign, except the two adults were already arguing, their voices rapidly escalating into shouts, and that was—he couldn’t—no. Not right now.

Coward.

He turned his attention back to the girl instead, and for the first time noticed the bloody cut on her cheek. Ithadel hissed softly and ducked his head to get a better look.

“I’m—I'm sorry, too,” he said, and bit down both the urge to curse and the urge to tilt her jaw to get the light onto her eyes. He'd manhandled her more than enough as it was. “Did you hit your head?”

༄ @justassorted // continued from ✧

Her journal was gone. Daughter couldn’t explain why her hand had drifted into her bag in the middle of the road — perhaps a subconscious sense of wrongness given the satchel’s lightness — but what mattered was the absence she felt within the bag. No journal.

Icy panic spiked through her. She stopped walking altogether, focus fixed on rummaging through the satchel, clinging to a shred of hope that she’d simply missed the book somehow. Desperation muffled her hearing and quieted the world around her. Dimly, she heard honking, someone shouting, but her mind discarded the sounds as unimportant compared to the consequences of losing her notes. She removed a compass to see beneath it. No, no, no—

Then someone grabbed her elbow.

Her breath snagged in her throat. She tripped at first — the icy road knocked the air from her lungs and sliced her cheek — before the stranger dragged her upright again. The compass slipped from her hands as he yanked her across the icy road. She reached for it uselessly despite it being well out of reach, only to watch it be crushed into countless splinters beneath screeching car tires that passed much too close.

The car slammed into a streetlight. The streetlight smashed to the ground. Glass skidded everywhere.

Daughter stared, trembling, as realization set in at last. The car would have hit her. The man had saved her. Distantly, she felt his grip on her arm tighten. Her own grasp on her bag, clutched to her chest, had turned white-knuckled. Ringing filled her ears. Hot blood trickled down her face. “I’m sorry,” she heard herself whisper, shaky and instinctive, gaze still fixed on the car. “I- I didn’t— I didn’t hear it. I’m sorry.”

[justassorted]

Mirian beamed. "You got it! Looking forward to it."

Her sharp, eager expression softened into something warmer as her slip of paper was exchanged for a battered flip phone. Oh, that was a charming sight.

(Even charmed, the back of Mirian's mind began ticking away: so many possible reasons the android might choose to use an external device like that, and so many implications from there...)

"Naw, that should work, thanks. Just have the mobile. Ain't gonna go paying for two phone bills on a professor's budget, that's for damned sure."

@justassorted || cont. from here

"It would be -- just like hanging out -- right?" Pink Four asked. That, the android could do.

She accepted the slip of paper and the AI stashed the number on it away in its database. Then Pink Four slipped the paper itself into a gap between her plating.

"Of course--oh!" Pink Four produced a shabby little flipphone from a compartment on her torso. "How about I -- text you so- you can have my number too?"

"Unless -- this is not your- mobile number?"

[justassorted]

“O-oh! Right away?” Oscar had expected outright rejection, and even if he’d allowed himself to be truly hopeful, he might have hoped for some vague ‘maybe we can get together some time?’

Still, this was encouraging! He wanted to get to know Kelvin better, and until this holiday he’d been at a loss for how to even begin to propose meeting up again.

“That, uhm, that’d be good! I mean! I want to get to know you, yes!”

Except that also sounds, just. Painfully awkward. Oh dear. “I, ah, I do live alone, if you’d rather come to my place…?” Oh, but what if Kelvin didn’t want to go out at all? “But! I mean! I wouldn’t mind meeting your family, either. It’s… what’s he like?”

A paper is handed to Kelvin. Oscar is blushed all the way to his ear tips, and not making eye contact. He seems braced for a bad reaction.

Name: Oscar Age: 25 Do you like to cuddle?: Yes Can we make-out?: If you want to... then please! A night in or dinner out?: Something quiet where we can focus on each other. A night in, or perhaps dinner 'out' as just a nice picnic? Ice cream or chocolate covered strawberries?: Chocolate covered strawberries <3 Or just the strawberries themselves! What makes you a good Valentine?: Oh, this seems... I mean that'd be for you to decide, wouldn't it? Hm. I do like remembering the small things, and holidays -- like this one! And I truly love quality time, so if we're spending time together, you know you have my full attention. Would you cook for me?: I would! Though... I don't know if I know how to make anything you'd like. What do you like? Would you let me cook for you?: Yes

valentine's day application

"Oh. It's you," Kelvin takes the paper. Now what's this about? He hadn't run into the other man since ...well, last and first time they'd met was while he was looking for a missing person.

He doesn't notice Oscar avoiding eye contact. Mostly because Kelvin doesn't normally make eye contact with people unless he's trying to beef with them. He has no beef with Oscar (for now?)

"...mmh..mh? ...This is-"

Somehow, it didn't surprise him that someone who barely knew him was asking him out. Anyone who knew him beyond first impressions probably would think twice. He's been told he's not easy to get along with.

"You sure..? We barely know each other." This would practically be a blind date. And from the few times Kelvin had given that a go, it had never ended well. But hey, maybe things will be different now.

"I mean. I don't have plans for the day...and a night in sounds good... wait, I don't live alone. My grandpa will be there." Meeting the grandparent??? On a first date???

[justassorted]

Mirian’s grin only widens at the confused, almost flustered, but — to her delight — positive response.

“Awesome! Like you say — a blind date, get to know each other. And yes, I’m sure. If we don’t click, no harm, no foul, yeah?”

She pulls out a second piece of paper, this one with a phone number, and hands it to the android. “Didn’t wanna be pushy off the bat, but since you’re game: that’s my number. I get you’re probably busy right now, protecting the town and shit, but… give me a call later! We can sort out a place to meet.”

A paper is handed to Pink with a flourish and an eager, almost challenging grin.

Name: Mirian Age: 40 Do you like to cuddle?: It's not a huge focus for me but if you'd like to, I'm sure we could work something out ;) Can we make-out?: Of course! A night in or dinner out?: Oh, dinners out are most fun, but if you have something in mind for something to do on a night in... Ice cream or chocolate covered strawberries?: Absolutely ice cream; far more variety! What makes you a good Valentine?: I am passionate, adventurous, and all in all just very fun. I don't expect things to take any specific direction: I'd much rather experiment, and find what works for us. Would you cook for me?: Ooh. Do you eat? I would absolutely bake something! Would you let me cook for you?: Of course! Just, y'know, maybe let's do a decontam first? PPE my dude, and, uh. Shrapnel removal. Don't want any of that falling in -- to you or the food!

valentine's day application

"Oh? --What's this-?" Pink Four takes the application and looks through it. A brief moment later, one could literally hear the soft whirr of her processor ...well, processing what she'd just recieved.

"Eh?!" She looks up and points to herself. "Me????"

"Are you- are you sure?" First off, this wasn't the type of attention any of Fivemind's units typically recieved.

Second off, she'd never even met this person before. And she lets that known.

"We don't even - know each other?-- ah- that's not a 'no' though. -- I suppose this is -- more like a blind date then?"

"I mean-" Oh wow, was she bad at this! "--sure - this could be interesting..."

[justassorted]

Way less to say about this one. Jim's just chilling.

(Shipping Bingo | Accepting!)

Lucky arrangement for the bingos, goodness! Fills the same number of squares as Jules overall though, haha.

As before, Christianity is a disproportionately large barrier, but it’d depend on how devout Jim is + when Mirian meets her. Since it’d likely be when Mirian’s also in her forties, she’s both much less of an asshole about it (and so less likely to offend Jim, even if Jim’s hard to offend xD), and also more internally tolerant.

I think at first glance Mirian might find Jim a bit too chill to be interesting… but if they managed to get on the topic of Jim’s passions or skills, or if they met in some way connected to outdoor hobbies… definitely possibilities there!

I also have less to say — complications tend to invite more comment, hahaha — but again, thank you for sending in!

.

[Image description: The linked bingo card for “Are you Mirian’s type?” has been filled out for Jim from @writedisaster. Jim fills: passionate about something, purposeful beliefs, tall, not (only) a man, likes the outdoors, likes bugs, hard to offend, doesn’t mind info-dumping, weird & proud, skilled at something, looks out for others, likes kissing, rational, body hair, and self-sufficient. There are three bingos. End ID.]

[justassorted]

A couple of these are up for debate - Jules considers herself to be mostly human even as a ghoul, but her perspective is a bit skewed by spending so much time with people so much less human than she is. Also, a lot of people would consider all the vampire cult ritual shit to be Not Technically Christian, but that's quibbling. I could have marked "looks out for others," but the circle of others that Jules will look out for is small and subject to change without notice. If you happen to be in that circle, she's a hell of a mama bear, but if you're not, she wouldn't lift a finger to stop you getting murdered. And I did mark "self-sufficient" because she's really quite capable on her own, but the whole blood bond thing does raise some complications around true independence. There's probably some more red flags somewhere I'm forgetting. But have I mentioned she cooks?

(Shipping Bingo | Accepting!)

Ooh. Thank you for sending! :D

The cult ritual / Christian-adjacent thing would definitely be a barrier.

And as far as self-sufficiency goes, what Mirian is most interested in is emotional and lifestyle self-sufficiency: not that someone doesn’t ever need any kind of support, but that they’re mature about the problems they face, capable of rising to deal with unexpected upsets, and that they have their own life to live outside of any given personal connection. I don’t know much about the blood bond thing, but oddly enough, if it’s about literally needing a connection to or sustenance from someone, that wouldn’t ping as the kind of “dependance” that tends to bother Mirian!

Otherwise… between physical attraction, general life attitude, and speaking of cooking, I think that Mirian would probably be interested in at least attempting to date Jules if the connection came up!

It just might not last super long and/or ever get very deep, unless something came up that really helped break down barriers (and also averted red-flag-related disasters sdlfkdhsg).

Honestly I could also see them working out much better as friends though. Cooking + philosophical debates and a mix of ribbing one another + commiserating about life, perhaps! (Also. Also. Mirian would ADORE Jules’s ties. I can absolutely see them pointing one another in the direction of fun prints for ties and shirts and such. >:D)

.

[Image description: The linked bingo card for “Are you Mirian’s type?” has been filled out for Jules from @writedisaster. Jules fills: Passionate about something, likes trying new things, purposeful beliefs, not (only) a man, fat, doesn’t mind info dumping, nonhuman, weird and proud, distinctive style, skilled at something, likes kissing, curvy, rational, body hair, and self-sufficient. There is one full bingo on the bottom row. End ID.]

[justassorted]

Another bingo card! Feel free to fill out and send in, or snag the blank and make your own. :)

[justassorted]

A card for Oscar! Feel free to send in or to steal the blank and make your own. :)

[justassorted]

Mila Concept Scribble | 9-17-22

[Image description: A middle aged Latina woman with a strong jaw, long graying hair pulled back in a braid, makeup, and a purple shirt. End ID.]

.

Quick concept for Mila! She’s an impatient, sharp-witted mage. Other than that I’m still hammering out details, hah.

I might roleplay her when she’s younger, too, once I get her history sorted out a bit better? But for now, this is her age when she’s interacting with Ithadel.

[justassorted]

SAFEGUARD :  for one muse to save the other from being hit by a vehicle or from some other life-threatening event. + reverse or DEFEND :  for one muse to save the other from one or multiple assailants. + reverse (daughter and ithadel maybe??)

Ithadel had not survived for over 700 years by being needlessly reckless or self-sacrificial. Would he overwork himself? Yes. Was he willing to push right up to the edge of his physical limits? Yes.

But was he in the habit of throwing himself under busses or rushing into collapsing buildings on the off-chance that he might save someone? No. No matter how much that pragmatism shamed him.

Still, his self control was sorely tested when the situation unfolding in front of him was going to wind up a tragedy not due to inevitability but by sheer two-fold stupidity. A car was traveling far too quickly downhill for the ice coating the road. A young woman stood in the road, and she should have had plenty of time to move aside, but it seemed she was too busy digging through her satchel with the kind of desperation that spoke of something very important having gone missing.

"Ma'am!" Ithadel called, sharp. His voice was drowned out by the car's frantic honk as the reckless driver finally realized their mistake. The girl noticed neither.

Ithadel cursed, hesitated—and jerked into a run.

Out of the corner of his eye, he tracked the car's progress; saw it try to swerve but find no traction even for that. Instead it began to execute a graceless pirouette, still sliding straight downhill even as the nose of the car did a full 180.

"Ma'am I'm sorry but you need to move!" Ithadel snapped as he reached the young woman, seized her elbow, and yanked her forward, heedless of the way the rough grip jostled the items in her hand. The slick road was almost as unhelpful for them as for the car. Ithadel slipped and staggered as he hauled them both out of harm's way and onto the median. His breath hitched as he felt the wind from the car's passage.

Far too close. Far too close. Ithadel winced, his hand tightening convulsively around the girl's arm, as the car slid across the intersection—thankfully empty of cross-traffic—and slammed into a streetlight, which slowly toppled down with a groan of stressed metal and the pop-crash of breaking glass.

[justassorted]

valentine's day application

Name: Age: Do you like to cuddle?: Can we make-out?: A night in or dinner out?: Ice cream or chocolate covered strawberries?: What makes you a good Valentine?: Would you cook for me?: Would you let me cook for you?: