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notbecauseofvictories · 2 months

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It's interesting, because at my last job my boss was good---very good---about creating and fostering relationships. At the time I was horrified, because why are you texting our general counsel? Why are you calling someone up and asking them to opine on something that's just showed up on your radar?? This is business, we need to do business-y things in a business way!!!

It took me a long time to recognize what this approach bought him. He was terrible at data entry, yes. I don't think he once ever approved my vacation time, just said "sure, put your out of office message on." (He hated approving vacation time, so he just....didn't.) But he was looped in, hooked in, always consulted. Everyone picked up his calls, because if he was calling it wasn't going to be a haranguing, he wanted to work with you to achieve both your goals, and honestly? you could call him out of the blue too. It worked both ways. He was crystal clear when things were handed down from the top (usually because we'd get a beer and he'd complain about it) and when requests were coming from him/our team. And he was always, always very clear that we were his people, and it was Us against The Company; he was consistently, unequivocally and completely on our side.

(........this did not stop The Company from pulling its shenanigans, but it always felt like he was siding with Us when it did.)

I know this, because now I'm in an organization where my boss isn't on our side, where things aren't explained---even when explanations would make the boss' requests more reasonable. I'm aware of other situations too, where members of the team have been what seems like deliberately insulted or attacked by our boss, which is frankly unnecessary.

I don't have a conclusion to draw from all of this, and god knows that bad bosses are ten a penny, each terrible in their own way. Still, I do think about it more and more, particularly as I stare down 1 year with the company.

#the number of conversations I have had with my counterpart that involve me saying #''if boss would just explain WHY she wants this I would feel much more comfortable pursuing it'' are. uncountable.#once my mother said that my setup at previous job sounded ideal; and I even agreed with her because #well my first job out of law school was. monstrous. of course job 2 was better.#but actually? I didn't even really know how blessed I was.#old boss had many shortcomings but his ability to foster connection was enviable.#no wonder the company has to secretly manipulate you

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ms-rampage · 3 years

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Eden’s Gate: Aftermath Chapter 1 - After It All

Warnings: Light swearing, Paige has Dean Winchester energy in this one

Word count: 1.9k

This is a short follow up series to Kidnapped leading up to the nuclear holcaust, and the beginning of New Dawn.

Summary: After killing Jacob and John Seed, Paige and Kate Winchester still have Joseph left to get rid of, to save Hope County, and as well as Faith (Rachel) if she can keep her loyalty to the family, and not get on Paige’s bad side. Kate struggles to tell her family about her unsure pregnancy with John’s kid.

Guest OCs: Nate Massie (FC: Nick Jackson), Mark Massie (FC: Matt Jackson), Martin Quinn (FC: Marty Scurll), Cody Reynolds (FC: Cody Rhodes), Kenneth Smith (FC: Kenny Omega), Adrian Wray (FC: Hangman Adam Page)

Guest Characters: Mary May, Nick Rye, Pastor Jerome, Wheaty, Faith Seed, Joseph Seed (mentioned).

***********************************************

Paige, Kate, Mandy, their friends, and family are having some beers at the Spread Eagle bar celebrating the death of John Seed, and their freedom from his “marking”.

Pastor Jerome, Nick Rye, Grace Armstrong, Mary May and all of the residents in Holland Valley celebrating their freedom.

The Whitetails were setting off fireworks as a sign of freedom from Jacob.

“You did it!!” Mary May says to Paige.

Taking a sip from her beer, Paige shakes her head, “No. No that wasn’t me” she says.

“It was her” she says, padding Kate on the back.

Mary turns to Kate, “You killed John?”.

Kate nods her head “Yep, I had to, it was part of the job”, she chuckles.

“You Winchesters saved Holland Valley from John Seed, and his followers. We thank you for that” Pastor Jerome says to the family. Lifting his beer up as a cheer.

“So what are y’all gon’ do now?!” Nick Rye asks.

“Well first, I need to get my car fixed, blaming John for that, 2nd we’re gonna deal with Joseph. But until then we’re probably gonna take a breather before we wipe out the other 2 Seeds” Paige says.

“But Faith has a change of heart” Mandy says to Paige.

“Yeah, but I still don’t trust her” Paige says, taking another sip of her beer.

“We’re gonna have to eventually” she says.

“Paige, we could really use her” Kate says, trying to convince her.

She finishes off her beer, and asks for another. “Look, even if Rachel does have a change of heart, and has finally seen Joseph’s monstrous ways. Who says she isn’t lying. I mean this chick is a known liar and manipulator”.

Paige takes another sip of her beer.

“Aren’t you pregnant?!” Kate says watching her older sister's excessive drinking.

“I’m at the early stages. I’ll stop at 5 weeks” she says.

Kenny takes the bottle from her hand, and gives her water as a replacement.

“You need to slow down” he tells her, walking off with her beer.

Rolling her eyes, “So anyway back to Rachel” she says, drinking her water.

“She’s staying with us” Mandy says, drinking her beer.

“Well I have no say so in that” she says.

“Paige. Faith can be helpful with us. If we ask her nicely” Kate says.

Paige intervenes “Okay. Her name is Rachel. She wasn’t the first “Faith” there were 3-4 of them before her”.

Kate rolls her eyes, "Fai-Rachel can be resourceful for us. She can help us track Joseph, and put an end to the Project”.

“Well, I'm gonna go check on my car” Paige says, getting up from her seat at the bar, “It’s at the auto shop next door, and I want to check on her. See how she’s doing”.

She puts some money on the counter to pay for her drinks.

“You coming?!” she asks, turning to Kate.

“Can’t. I have a date with Wheaty” she says.

“Alright. Don’t get pregnant” she jokes, then she leaves the bar to go next door to the auto shop.

“Yeah, I’ll try not to” she says, softly.

No one, except her and Wheaty know of her pregnancy, and it’s John’s kid.

She doesn’t know how she’s gonna tell the others. How is Paige gonna take it when her little sister is carrying the spawn of John fucking Seed.

Lost in her thoughts, Wheaty gently pats her shoulder. Her head shoots up instantly.

“Hey, you ready?” he asks, a smile on his face.

“Yeah” she says “I’m ready”, getting up from her seat.

“I’ll be back later” she says to her mother.

“Have fun. Don’t get pregnant” she jokes.

Kate stammers over her words “I wo- I won’t”.

They walk towards Kate’s car. Paige sees them, and yells out as a joke. “Have fun you two!!!. Don’t get pregnant Kate!!”

Kate looks back, and flips her sister the middle finger before getting into the car.

“So much longer is it gonna?” she asks the mechanic.

“Most likely until tomorrow between 11am, and 3pm.” he tells her, "It's not too bad, for the nasty crush it was in".

“Alright that sounds good” she says.

***************************************

Now at their date location, Kate and Wheaty are making out in a secluded part of the Whitetails not far from the Wolf Den.

Her back against a tree, his hands on either side of her waist. Her arms around his neck.

He breaks the kiss, resting his head against hers, holding her close.

“It’s so much more peaceful without Jacob” he says.

She nods her head, “Yeah, it's so much more quieter without John” she says, looking off in the distance.

He slowly moves his hands up, resting on the sides of her stomach.

He looks down at her stomach, “When are you gonna tell the others?” he asks.

She looks down, and sighs, “I don’t know. I know they’re gonna find out eventually, when my stomach gets bigger. Abortion is out of the picture. Because I’m Catholic” she rolls her eyes.

He pulls her into an embrace, one hand on the back of her head, and the other on her waist.

“I still need to take a test just to be sure” she says, her hands around him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“If it comes back, and you’re pregnant. Just know that I wouldn’t mind being a stepdad” he says, stroking her hair.

She pulls away and looks up at him. Her eyes widened, and in disbelief.

“Are you sure?!” she asks.

“I’m sure. I want to be there for the both of you” he says, with his hands on her stomach where the baby bump would be.

She smiles at him then looks down at her stomach.

“I would like that” she says, and kisses him on the lips.

Just thinking a day ago, her and John Seed had sex for the last time, and the fucker cummed inside her. Getting her pregnant, knocking her up, she might be carrying the Seed gene. The next generation of the Seed family. Abortion is on her mind, but she doesn’t want to kill the barely in development embryo. She wants to give it life, and maybe along the way, her and Wheaty can have kids of their own.

After their date, she drops off Wheaty at the Wolf Den, and drives back to Holland Valley

********************************************************

Pulling into the driveway of the Winchester-Smith compound.

Kate gets out of her car, and goes inside greeted by the brothers Mark, and Nate.

“So how was your date?” Mark asks, having a big brother tone in his voice.

“It went good. Thank you for asking” she says, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

“Where did you and Wheaty go?” Adrian asks, stepping out of the kitchen with a beer in hand.

“We just went to the Whitetails, and made out” she answers.

“That’s it?!” Nate asks, “No sex?. No drinking?. No smoking? No other childish shenanigans?!”.

She rolls her eyes, walking past them into the living room, “No we didn’t do any of that” she says, dropping herself onto the couch, and turning on the tv. “Who else is here?!” she asks.

“Just us, Faith is in her room. Mandy gave her one when we came back here after we left St. Francis” Mark tells her.

“Has she been in there all night?!” she asks.

“Yeah just about” Adrian says, sitting down next to Kate.

“Where’s Kenny, Paige and my mom?!” she asks.

“They went to raid John’s house” Martin says, stepping into the living room.

“For?” she questions.

“To steal his clothes probably. I told them to steal some of his shoes, shirts and watches for me. We’re about the same size in clothes” Martin says.

They laugh at Martin’s answer, “Of course you did” Nate says.

“Cody went with them as well. I didn’t know him, and John knew each other” Adrian says.

Kate’s jaw drops, “I didn’t know that either!!”.

“Yeah apparently they went to school together, and then John was homeschooled, and they met again in Law school in Georgia” Nate says.

Confused, “I thought Cody was a doctor?!?”.

“This was before he became a doctor. He wanted to be a lawyer but he changed his mind about his major”. Mark adds.

Kate raises her arms up, “Welp you learn something new everyday!!!!”.

She stands up, “I’m gonna go check on Faith” she says, and goes upstairs.

“3rd door to the left on the 3rd floor” Nate yells out.

She makes it to the 3rd floor, and goes to Faith’s room.

She knocks at the door, -knock knock knock-.

“Hey Faith?. It’s me Kate. How are you doing?”.

The door opens slowly, and Kate is greeted by the friendly face of Rachel Jessop.

“I’m doing okay” she replies, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“That’s good, I just wanted to check on you. See how you’re doing” she says.

Faith nods, she gives her a soft smile.

“If you’re hungry I can make you something” she says.

She shakes her, “I’m fine”.

Kate nods, “Okay, well my room is on the 2nd floor, 2nd door on the left. If you need anything”.

She nods, and gives her a soft “Okay”, and closes the door.

Kate goes back downstairs to the living room where Kenny, Paige, Mandy and Cody had entered the house.

“Hey!” she says to them.

“How Faith?” Nate asks.

“She’s doing good. Probably a little shaken up, but I'm sure she’ll come around” she says.

“Has she eaten?” Mandy asks.

“I asked if she was hungry. She said she’s fine, I told if she needed anything that my room is on the 2nd floor” Kate adds.

“You think she can be of some help with tracking Joseph?” Cody asks.

“I’m pretty sure. She spent half of her life living under his wing, I’m sure she’ll help out” she says.

“So how was your date with Wheaty?!” Paige asks, changing the subject.

Kate glares at her elder sister, and says “It went great thanks. Anyway back to Faith”

“Rachel!!” Paige interrupts.

“Back to her. She is of some help. I know she can help us track Joseph, we just need to let her adjust first” Kate says.

“Well we can’t wait on her forever” Paige says.

“We have to Paige!!’ Kate argues.

“Why!?. Joseph is still out there, wandering about and we have no way of finding him. Rachel is our only way, and we can put an end to this whole ordeal!”

Everyone exchanges looks, giving thought to the situation.

“We should let Rachel adjust first” Kenny says.

Paige gives him a look of disbelief, “Kenneth are fucking serious?!?”

“Yes, Paige I’m serious. We have to let her get used to her surroundings. All this is new to her” he adds.

“I agree we have to let her get used to this life” Mark says, Nate, Cody, Adrian and Martin agree with the decision.

“Whatever I’m gonna check on Cristina” Paige says, rolling her eyes and going upstairs to her room.

The others say downstairs, and figure out ways to have Rachel open up to them.

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detroit-become-magic · 6 years

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Leo Manfred: Green Witch

So continuing on with my magic headcanons in a sci-fi video games, a weird few headcanons came in the form of Leo Manfred. For purposes of this AU, he is not a complete wreck. Without much ado, let’s go!

Leo always had a green thumb. Magic has always had the tendency of presenting young. He’s found out he likes playing mud and gardening ever since he was introduced in the great outdoors.

Even if the great painter Carl Manfred is recognised as his dad, he feels like Carl doesn’t acknowledge as his dad. He retreats himself to his plats, talking to them like people.

This of course concerns his mother who tries her best. She pushes him to get friends. They’re pretty cool and all to Leo but he likes plants more.

Leo meets a woman at the local gardening store for his seventh birthday to pick up a new plant. It’s the first time he feels connected to someone. He can smell rich pine and the clean air of the forest around her.

The woman leaves her card for him to contact. Blaire, botanist, environmentalist, and, apparently, green witch.

Blaire and Leo’s mom become fast friends and eventually girlfriends. It works out in the end because Leo now has a green witch in the house that can guide him.

Because Leo has stable parental figures in his life, Carl’s absence doesn’t affect him as much as it does in canon. So he’s more emotionally mature. (Still an idiot sometimes, but everybody is an idiot sometimes)

Leo, because he’s a green witch, cares very much for the environment. Which is why he doesn’t appreciate the progressions of technology harming the environment and recycles appropriately.

Leo’s ten when he loses his sight. It’s a mishap at a swimming pool on a school excursion. Only a few were harmed but Leo was blinded. He’s had some surgery (paid generously by daddy dearest who is never there) so he can perceive some light but his optical nerves were seriously damaged.

Learning how to cope with being blind is fun (unless you can’t tell, I’m being sarcastic here). Leo’s hooked up with a braille tutor, has to change his entire lifestyle and has to be that extra touch careful.

But strangely he can talk to plants in a way. The green witch in him can use plants as a sort of radar to help him walk around. Leo retreats even further into gardening.

It’s not a good idea to bother the blind kid who happens to be a witch. His classmates didn’t know about the witch part though. Attitudes to the supernatural range from fearful to downright snide by the mundane. A few kids thought it’d be funny to steal his lunch and play piggy in the middle with it.

Unlucky for them, Leo was resting against an old oak tree, slowly dying because the polluted soil it was planted on. The tree roots lurch, rising up as if it was starting to move and the branch slither around. It’s only meant to scare and it does, leaving the kids running for the hills.

Leo goes back to reading his book, (printed in braille)

It’s around when he’s sixteen that he enters his ‘punk’ faze. It’s not really a punk faze. He just starts listening to a lot of angry music, gets taken to underground concerts by friends that are both human and magical.

When Leo enters college, that’s when Leo starts making bad decisions. Namely, drugs.

College is the phase where you start experimenting and, hey, since everybody was getting doped up, why couldn’t Leo? He could do everything they could do.

Cocaine, red ice, meth, cannabis, he does it all. But thanks to his weird witch biology, he always detoxes and the high never lasts. But being good at gardening, he starts growing a few illicit plants.

In his second year, he creates a prototype of a new drug that’s like red ice. It affects supernatural creatures more than humans. A few of his ‘friends’ want to refine the substance and promise to give Leo a cut of the profits if he gives them the formula.

And hey, it’s money, why not? (Leo, you stupid idiot.)

Leo is a common sight at environment sort of protests and has at some point used his powers to attack development projects. The police never find out it’s him doing that, since there are so many other people and Leo can get lost in a crowd. Also Leo is not above pulling the blind card.

Meetings with his father are always stilted and awkward. It’s enough for Leo to get an impression that his dad is disappointed in him. Carl knows about the whole witch thing but he’s never taken magic seriously since it’s not common anymore and more of a fairy tale these days.

Kamski on the other hand is very interested in the witch thing. It’s not his first brush with the supernatural. In fact, he has a half-brother that’s a werewolf (*cough, cough* Gavin *cough, cough*). But Leo is not a big fan of what Kamski represents which is further destruction of the environment with the development of androids and harvesting of thirium so half the time he crosses Kamski, he’s either picking a fight or ignoring him.

Remember the stupid drug deal Leo made a few points back? It comes back to haunt him.

His friends want a new formula with a little ‘added insurance’.

Carl doesn’t enjoy the same protection given to Leo’s mother from the supernautral and is basically a sitting duck. So a few guys break into his mansion, hold him hostage and wait for Leo to come back.

During this time, Carl is severely roughed up to the point his spine is damaged.

When Leo comes back, he is pissed. You see, Carl has plants in every room and they tend to react to Leo’s mood. So when he’s pissed, the plants are influence by his rogue power breaking free of their constraints and growing monstrous in form, wrapping around the intruders in vines.

Leo is this close to killing them when his father calls out for help. Leo does what he can to stabilise the damage done to his father, using what little healing magic he knows to reduce the swelling and directing his father’s cells on where they need to go, all the while rapidly muttering sorry’s, please forgive me’s over and over again.

Leo’s case is taken up by the Pa.In Bureau (short for Paranormal Investigation Bureau, because the guys who founded it thought it’d be funny to call the overarching law enforcement agency for the paranormal ‘pain’.)

Leo’s facing 7 years in Drakennoff for environmental terrorism, gross misuse of supernatural powers and creating and distributing unregulated magical substances. Leo manages to get a reduced sentence in a deal where he gave names and information and handed over his illegally acquired funds.

His parents, all 3 of them, are not happy. Leo knows this. He knows he did a stupid thing that ended up seriously hurting a lot of people including his father. So Leo does the grown up thing and face the consequences.

Leo does go to jail for 2 years before released out.

Carl has been through the motions, coming to terms with his paraplegia, depression and anger at his son. He and Leo don’t talk anymore.

Leo’s moms are mad. They understand that yes Leo has screwed up and wants to make up for it but goddammit they taught him the difference between right and wrong and he did something massively wrong! But they do try and make it work.

The supernatural community is usually cool with ex-cons and criminals. They’re a pretty underground society with most of them having done something wrong in their lives. Meaning, it’s not hard for blind guy Leo with a prior for drugs to get a job.

Leo actually changes his name after he gets out of prison. This is more for security so nothing is traced back to his family. He changes it to Leon Adair, not much of an extreme change but it’s there.

He manages to get a job at an apothecary/cafe that caters to the supernatural and human. (The humans that end up are hipsters and health nuts). Leo is an unofficial doctors, specialising in blends, tisanes, poisons and, of course, plants.

Some people do ask how he’s able to do what he does being blind. Leo says it’s years of practice and plants.

Leo lives on the other side of Detroit, far, far, far from Carl Manfred and he figures he’ll never see him again like this. Well, hear him, since Leo can’t really do the seeing part well.

He meets Markus by total accident. Leo is on the way to work and since the Bellini Paint Markus usually goes to is out of commission for remodelling, he had to go to the other branch store which is near why Leo works.

Long story short, Markus is stopped by some anti-android protesters and is getting roughed by. He is that close to deviating when Leo steps in. Leo has no idea about Markus, All he knows is somebody is beating up an android and they’re in the way, he needs to get to work and get started working on the blends or otherwise he’ll be so overworked, he’ll cause an accident.

So he pretends to be the struggling blind person who’s lost and they can’t find their helper android who he pretends is Markus. And these protesters, they’re not that much of an asshole (at least some of them) and let them through with apologies for causing trouble.

“Thank you,” Markus says.

“Shut the fuck up. You reek of thirium. It’s sickening.”

“You’re Leo Manfred, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not.” Leo walks away, slams the door to his apothecary. He knows the no androids sign is there, keeping the plastic outside.

Unfortunately, the android now collects paints from the Bellini near where Leo works. Meaning Leo has to suffer weekly crossing with Markus who keeps talking to him for some reason.

It’s not long until Carl shows up. It’s been a few years with no contact whatsoever. Carl’s in a different place now. He’s chill, he’s sorted through his stuff and he wants to reconnect with his son.

So he shows up where Leo works. At first, Leo doesn’t know (being blind). Carl’s just watching him, not saying anything. It isn’t until Leo’s co-worker points out that an old man has been coming in with an android (that’s definitely not allowed) that he knows his dad’s there.

And Leo just straight up acts like he can’t see him. Because he can’t. He pretends his dad isn’t there and keeps on working as he usually does.

It’s until Carl’s had enough and punches Leo in the gut just as he’s closing up that Leo even acknowledges the man.

“What was that for?!” Leo spits out. “Wait, no, don’t answer that. I already know.”

“Well, then you should apologise.”

Carl is scarily forgiving of Leo (as I said before, he’s had years to deal with his anger) but Leo is still a little hesitant because he knows what it’s like for be seriously physically damaged and caused that to another person.

Markus is actually fascinated with Leo, well, his magic to be more precise. It’s just really cool. This is a thing with androids where they just really like magic. It’s a contrast to what they are and it can’t be explained.

Imma just end it here. If you have requests for magic in Detroit or anything else, feel free to leave an ask in my box!

#detroit become human #leo manfred #markus #carl manfred #dbh #headcannons #green witch leo au #tw: drugs

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