#askscatter

🙄 What is a minor pet peeve of theirs? — Delta, Omicron

Delta — You know, I think Delta gets pretty annoyed when people talk over each other in meetings. Especially if someone shy or reserved is trying to speak up, only to get drowned out by the obnoxious folks who always have an opinion. In those situations, he’ll use his authority to command the floor, then pass it off to the person who was trying to speak.

Omicron — Hahaha, I adore this ask for Omicron because there are so many options 😂 He’s such a fussy person. If you can think of a common pet peeve, he probably is peeved by it lol. A specific one of his: Omicron hates bare feet. His own, and everybody else's 💀 He wears socks around others at all times, and will wear water shoes to the beach or pool (on the rare chance he’d go at all lmao 😅).

🔎 Tell us one thing about them that you know but we don't.

Delta — He served in the naval branch of the military! Delta got commissioned as an officer through university and worked in naval intelligence for a few years before he was recruited into the Field Intelligence sector of the private “agency” he works for now. He participated in sea tours on both ships and submarines 🌊⛵

📞 How do they speak/communicate? (cadence, voice, word choice, mannerisms, etc.) — Anita, Delta, Omicron

Anita — She’s a quippy speaker! I think Anita will respond with wit in most situations, and she likes bantering. Unfortunately she’s a chronic “yeah, uh huh, cool cool” conversationalist when she’s working. Like, she’s responding but it’s all going in one ear and out the other lol. She gets distracted easily, and sometimes will go off on tangents unrelated to the original conversation before somebody gets her back on track. Anita tends to be overly familiar with people too. Probably overshares at times 😅 

Delta — He’s animated when he talks! His voice is musical and dramatic when he’s in a good mood or joking around, in that he uses intonational emphasis to convey emotion. Delta talks with his hands a lot, and I also think he’ll touch people if they’re comfortable around him. Pats to the arm, squeezing someone’s shoulder, things like that. He’s a determined listener too; when you talk to him, it feels as though he’s got nothing else in the world he’d rather be doing ☺️

Omicron — He’s very proper and succinct! If he can say less, he will. He prefers formality over casualness, and dislikes small talk. He’s not above interrupting somebody to excuse himself from a conversation if he’s got somewhere to be. And it’s pretty easy to knock him out of his “professional” voice if you irritate him lol. I think his enunciation gets sharper and his pitch gets higher when he’s frustrated. His voice is more likely to crack too. When discussions start getting emotional, he finds it hard to make eye contact.

🦊 If your character were an animal, what would they be (and why)? — Anita, Delta, Omicron

Anita — She feels like a bird to me! Social, loud, maybe a little annoying at times, but still a wonder to behold when she’s in her element. I did some research and chose a sun conure for their playful, silly, and vocal personalities. These birds love people, and can be cuddly. They’re also flashy and striking, just like Anita with her pretty red hair 🥰

Delta — What could he be other than a dog? 😄 He’s got that loyal, good-boy energy. I researched breeds and discovered the Leonberger! They are described as “friendly but nobody's fool.” Excellent family pets, with calm, gentle temperaments. Protective, but not aggressive. A dignified and composed breed, they’re in the working class category and often used as therapy dogs. They’re great swimmers too, with water-resistent coats and webbed feet, which felt perfect for Delta’s navy background ⚓

Omicron — I see him as a weasel 😂 They’re teeny, fierce little animals! Solitary, stealthy, super cute too. They’ll square up to prey larger than them without fear. It’s a fun bonus that weasels often symbolize trickery or deception, which is Omicron’s whole schtick haha

✍ If they're featured in any WIPs, will you give us a peek?

I am fighting for MY LIFE with an in progress Delta fic lol. I wish there was literally anything I liked about it enough to share, but alas. However, I do have an Omicron snippet to offer if you’d like to see!! It’s from a WIP where he meets someone new and makes a total ass of himself in the process LMAO 😂 Mild mess warning but nothing is described in detail!

“Sorry I don’t got any tissues, best I can do.” The stranger brandished a worn-out rag to Omicron. “Here ya go!”

Omicron held up a hand to politely decline. “No, thank you.”

The man’s brows pinched together, and when Omicron turned to go, he asked, “Are ya sure?”

Omicron glanced back, gritted his teeth, and replied in a perfectly cordial voice: “Yes, very.”

Still, the man looked unconvinced. It was fortunate, Omicron thought, that he himself could keep his composure in any situation. Even now, when he was annoyed and trying very hard not to be ungracious, he knew with certainty that his impassive expression gave nothing away.

Unlike this man, who looked lost and said in a blithe timbre, “Well, I just thought ya might want it on account of your nose runnin’.”

.. What? 

Omicron whipped a hand up to his face and with burning mortification felt how wet his nostrils were. And his upper lip. And his suit, when he looked down to see the damp streaks painted there. He’d sneezed on himself and then gotten so distracted by the conversation he didn’t notice he had yet to clean up the evidence.

🍁 Do they have a favorite season? — Omicron, Delta, Anita

Omicron — Winter! ❄️☃️🧊 I think Omicron grew up in a bustling northern city with white, snowy winters. Something about how muted and soft things get under snow, and how crisp and dark the days become — he really enjoys it. I can picture him sitting alone in the corner of a cozy, quiet pub with a book, watching sleet streak against the glow of streetlights through the windows. I don’t think the cold bothers him very much. Heat makes him ill-tempered because he gets sweaty 😂

Delta — Spring! 🌷🦋🌱 Ahh, a cheerful time for Delta! I imagine he loves the turn of the season. Renewal, new life, fresh starts, the world waking up, etc. He’s a huge fan of the mentality behind the season as well as exclusive springtime activities. He doesn’t suffer from seasonal allergies and is an outdoorsy person, so he enjoys flower-viewing, picnicking, hiking, camping, etc. I think he’s got a little garden at home, and he gets excited to plant new things when spring begins.

Anita — Summertime! ☀️😎⛱️ Anita adores the longer days because it’s still sunny when she leaves work late. She likes the heat and is a big beach person when she has the opportunity to indulge. Not to mention all the cutie-patooties in their sundresses and bikinis 😏 (Anita is looking respectfully 👀🙏). Also I think she catches a winter cold every year; burning the midnight oil catches up with her when the annual virus is making its rounds at work. Probably all the more reason she likes the summer more 😂

🏠 What is their home like?

This is SUCH an interesting question, thank you for asking!! 🤩 It inspired me to do some thinking about their place of employment — the “agency.” 

I’m reluctant to place it in any single real-world location because I like it being up to imagination, but I think the agency is a collection of buildings on a small campus that requires special access to enter. Around ~500 people work for the organization, and less than 100 of them are required to live on campus for their jobs. I picture the campus being located outside of a fairly large city, tucked away in some low mountains with lots of trees. I think it would be very pretty here in autumn 🍁✨

Omicron — Field Intelligence Agents like Omicron live on the agency campus in an apartment! He has a modest 1-bedroom place. He keeps it pretty sterile, with almost no decoration. Probably the most personalized part of his home is his closet, filled to the brim with outfits he’s collected. And he’s got two kitties, so you’ll find a lot of cat items around 😸 — toys, a cat tower, wall shelves for them to jump on, water and food dispensers, meticulously managed litter box. I think Omicron frequently visits the city nearby to dine out, shop, or quietly people-watch; it’s a familiar atmosphere to him, since he grew up in a city like this.

Delta — Similar to Omicron, he also lives on campus. Because he’s a senior agent, his accommodations are bigger and more lavish. He’s in the same building as Omicron, but probably on an upper floor. He has a balcony where he keeps his little garden, and an ensuite bathroom with a tub and separate shower. I think he enjoys decorating his home with kitschy items from his travels, even though he never has the opportunity to invite people over to see them. Which is a shame, because I think it would feel very warm and welcoming 🥹💛

💭 What inspired you to make them? Any specific influences you were drawing from? — Omicron, Delta

Omicron — This is lame, but honestly he was born from horn ♨️ LOL. The idea “spy has to charm a sneeze fetishist” sprung into my mind and I was compelled by a character that would treat it professionally while being forced to overcome complications. Conflict is interesting to me and I wanted to write from a POV limited to the person sneezing (for 🔥 purposes), so I leaned into someone who would have an inner monologue at odds with his situation. I’ve written grumpy OCs in the past and I always enjoy it 😊 Ultimately I wanted to create someone I would enjoy writing, and Omicron certainly did that for me. What started as a one-off spiraled into something much bigger than I anticipated! 🥹

Delta — He walked onto the page without much prior thought on my part 😅 My motivation was to introduce a foil to Omicron, as well as a humorous obstacle for him as he navigated through the events of Best Laid Plans. In that story, Delta became an infallible and wise figure to wrangle Omicron’s chaos. Seen through Omicron’s eyes, I’m sure that’s how he appears and what he projects. I saw him as a tool for Omicron’s drama and he was a little one-dimensional in my mind. But I’m learning more and more about him — his depth, his flaws, his insecurities — as I explore writing a Delta-centric story! For inspiration, I’m asking a lot of “why?” or “how?” questions to understand what makes him who he is, if that makes sense 🔎

🎸 What kind of music would they enjoy? (Alt: Is there a genre of music that you associate with them?) — Omicron, Delta

Oh this one is really fun!! I had to think hard about it, and it also gave me the opportunity to sample music I don’t normally listen to! For anybody who likes to find music inspo for their OCs and hasn’t used this before, this website really helped me. 

Omicron — I think he’s pretty ambivalent to most music and will listen to whatever’s on, with a slight preference to rock and metal. Pop is probably the only genre he’ll skip. When he’s doing something physical, like exercise or sparring practice, he likes power metal specifically! Heavy on the drums, shredding guitars, dramatic and operatic chanting vocals (Equilibrium, Kamelot, Powerwolf). It really gets him fired up. Unrelated to Omicron, I may now also be a power metal fan LMAO.

Delta — Oh sweet Delta. He’s an old soul ❤️ If given the choice, he’ll choose folk / acoustic music every time. Crooning vocals, light guitar or banjo, slow tempo (Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver, Linda Ronstadt). He admires artists not just for their music, but also for who they were and are as people, so he’s a bit choosy about who he listens to depending on what he knows about them. For some reason, I feel like John Denver specifically makes him wistful and he’ll often cry when he listens to those songs.

🌩️ What is a trait they dislike about themselves? — Omicron, Delta

Omicron — He’s bad at comforting people lol. Particularly sensitive people who express their emotions openly. If somebody’s crying in front of him, he’s completely out of his depth. I think in these moments he gets frustrated with himself because he wants to help but sometimes just ends up making it worse. Or if he manages to do a passable job, his perfectionism still makes him feel as though he’s fallen short.

🥀 Who would they turn to if they hit rock bottom and needed to talk to someone?

Omicron — Ahhh jeez. He’s terrible at opening up to people 🥹 I think he’s convinced himself that he deserves to sit at rock bottom alone until he can crawl out himself. He has to be forced to rely on other people, and I’m not sure he’s ever confided in someone intentionally. Usually he stuffs his feelings down until they explode at inopportune moments in ways that don’t help anybody. My son needs therapy lol. BUT, I have good news!! There is someone I want him to meet that I think will help him open up more; that person would be my choice of who he’d turn to at rock bottom. Character development here we come! 💪

Anita — Out of the three of them, she’s the most likely to seek help when she needs it! While Anita prefers jokes and sarcasm to touchy-feely talks, she’s capable of voicing her emotions. She’ll talk to her friends, her coworkers, would talk to her girlfriend if she had one, but I think the person she turns to at rock bottom would be her big sister, Aurora. Anita trusts her to listen thoughtfully and be completely honest about her opinion. She really values Aurora’s advice.