#Definitely not the worst part of the thing but...

[theoretically-questionable]

I've often found myself confused by people who use LLMs for tasks that involve communication, even in an office or other setting where a non-trivial portion of emails/messages are 'box-checking' rather than strictly interpersonally communicative.

Having thought it over, I think the difference in attitudes is probably akin to the split between people who value small talk and people who regard it, with extreme distaste, as "pointless and annoying": i.e., there is something the former is getting out of small talk that the latter group is not.

This is mostly just a rambling tangent, but oh well.

I like communicating and I do so with intent. I've heard the sentiment from some other autistic people that they'd love to have an 'autoresponder'-style module for their brain to automate away layers of necessary-but-draining/pointless conversation. Never been able to relate, in significant part because doing so would give people communicating with said autoresponder the entirely wrong impression about how I was feeling.

The purpose to communication is to transmit information from one person to another. There are so many layers to this information — something I have definitely struggled with, as an autistic person. Some of those layers were totally opaque to me for a long time. Hell, sometimes I didn't even know some layers existed.

In a collaborative environment, even rote/'pointless' communication rituals have a huge density of information. That is the point. It is important. If Joe Bloggs over in HR replies to my routine email confirming details for this week's parking garage allotments in a more abrupt way than usual, or slower than usual, that's contextual information.

Maybe I'll pick up that he's probably got a lot on his plate or feeling stressed. Maybe that's not relevant. Maybe I need someone from HR to do something later that day, and then I can either loop in someone else from the department or just know to approach Joe tactfully, rather than just passing the task along as I usually would.

When people start using LLMs to write emails, summarize meetings, and 'touch up' all of their work, all of that context turns to unparseable sludge. It's entirely random. You can't "get used to" how someone writes and learn to pick up context clues when everything longer than a single-sentence reply is being filtered through an LLM.

It genuinely ends up being a bit of a nightmare for me, having absolutely no access to any kind of context, just taking a ride down a river of vaguely polite- and professional-sounding drivel, all without even the barest grace of useful context. It just... makes things worse. It becomes a self-perpetuating loop with no eject button.

If it's really easy for everyone to maintain the 'professionalspeak' facade, nobody ever has times when they break the facade. And *breaking the facade* is important. Being able to shape the communication norms of your department/company over time is... I mean, I think it's essential? Willingly choosing "we all communicate via LLM" seems horrifying, like not just acquiescing to but actively reinforcing the worst parts of corporate expectations of overly sanitized communication standards handed down from your manager's manager.

And yeah, some of my feelings on the matter are definitely my own baggage, but it feels just as frustrating as having to work with someone who actively scorns 'small talk' and deliberately makes every single communication as stripped-down as possible — and ends up being less efficient overall, not more, because what they're actually doing is refusing to engage with their colleagues or make sure they're getting all the right information across.

The other thing is that LLMs don't actually, by default, have access to all the information you do. If you want to get specific information across in the output, you have to give it to the LLM first. I've never hit a scenario where I would have preferred an LLM-generated email instead of. like. just the bullet-point list of information that was used when prompting it.

If you're time-poor and easily frustrated by communication tedium, I would rather *know that*, and know for sure that none of the information you're giving me has been twiddled accidentally to be slightly wrong by a context-free LLM, than get 'professionally formatted' emails from you all the time.

the scariest thing about the generative AI thing is how quickly people have accepted it as an indefinite, irrevocable part of their reality. people have genuinely convinced themselves that ChatGPT is the only solution to most tasks - tasks they did with their own brain without any large effort two years ago. like you know damn well all of us used to write emails ourselves why are we pretending like this is an impossible task to do with your own two hands. what's with the fucking. AI revisionism. i feel like i am going insane.

[hedwig221b]

Kinda random but do you know any fics where Derek calls Stiles baby or sweetheart (or something similar) and Stiles gets all flustered?

Can I offer you, like, my entire collection lmao 😭💖 It's baby, sweetheart, angel, kitten, sunshine... I love pet names

tbh when you mention sterek and pet names, siand is the first who comes to mind. Like, truly, a sterek pet name connossieur, and the one who got me addicted to 'kitten' as a pet name for Stiles

Tax Evasion by standinginanicedress

Stiles chews on his thumb a bit harder, and for a second he thinks about saying no. He thinks about letting the whole thing go and just going back to his life, the safe and easy way out. He considers just settling for someone who’ll never really get him, some boring guy who touches him the wrong way and buys him flowers sometimes. He’s been doing it for years upon years, now, and really, what’s a little bit longer? And then, what’s the rest of his life? What’s the worst that could happen, he wonders? Trying something is better than not trying at all.

Stars and Their Meanings by standinginanicedress

"You’re older,” Stiles begins counting, on his index, “you’re bad news,” on his middle, “you were recently accused of murder,” ring, “and we have not a damn thing in common,” his pinky. “I mean, come on. You just want to mess around with me if you want me at all.” “Mess around with you?” Derek shakes his head, like that blows his mind. “What is that supposed to mean?” Stiles waves his hand. “Like, ohh, you’re a bad boy, and I’m the Sheriff’s son, so it’s all so hot. I get it.”

Helen of Troy by standinginanicedress

Stiles can fake laugh, fake smile. He can play coy and he can be demure and barely eat anything in front of them, and he can sit still and do his little song and dance of feigning interest. But this is a little out of his scope. They want him to fully become someone else. They want him to be who everyone wants him to be, and it scares the shit out of Stiles, because he doesn’t know if he can do it for hours and hours while cameras watch his every single move. It’s a lot. It’s more than he bargained for.

You're My Sanctuary by lilmissdaydreamer

The Argent Wolf Sanctuary. It’s been Stiles’ dream since he was five years old to work with the wolves, ever since his mother took him up there to see the magnificent creatures on one of their ‘full moon runs’ that the Sanctuary does once a month. The wolves are beautiful and much larger than Stiles would’ve thought, or at least, the newest wolf is. The owner had said he’s a special breed. Stiles just didn’t realize quite how special he is.

You Were Already My Baby by SterekLoverForEver

Stiles would like to preface that he is NOT dating Derek. Even if Stiles wishes with all his heart, he knows he never has a chance with Derek. Stiles has seen such a positive change in Derek in almost 2 years of knowing him, and he doesn’t want to get in the way of his progress. Stiles has seen the hard work and dedication Derek has put in, Derek has become the most kind and special alpha the pack loves and relies on. Stiles knows that Derek has worked on uniting the pack together as well as developing a bond with each member of the pack. Derek has been able to level with each member and have their own unique friendship because he wants to be someone each member can turn to. While Stiles and Derek’s friendship may look different from the others, it’s only a friendship. So despite what others may say, Stiles would definitely know if he was in a relationship with the most perfect specimen that is Derek Hale. Or 6 Times (I couldn't help myself) Stiles Didn't Know He and Derek Were Dating + 1 Time He Did

Stay by wulfarchival (wyrmwolf)

In which Stiles just wants to loose his virginity and goes to The Jungle to do just that. But instead gets himself a hot Dom and a werewolf boyfriend. Except, he just doesn’t know about the werewolf part. Yet.

Baby by Little Spoon (JaydenNara)

When Stiles was fifteen, he dubbed Derek Sourwolf, and unfortunately for Derek, the name stuck. In retrospect, Derek didn't really mind all that much, especially if it was a breathless whimper in his ear. Funny thing is, Derek didn't have a pet name for Stiles.

The Arrangement by Arver7

Through blackmail and lies, Stiles and Derek are forced into a marriage neither of them wanted. If they each want to survive each other, they must learn to coexist. But the more they get to know each other, the more they seem to care about each other. But will the lies stop them from falling in love?

Other fic recs: angsty fics + pt2 + pt3 | possessive Derek | historical AU | baby/mpreg | outsider POV | smut | mafia | hurt/comfort | magical!Stiles | Stiles gets kicked out of the pack | BAMF!Stiles + pt2 | omegaverse | witch!Stiles | creature!Stiles + pt2 | oblivious Stiles | oblivious sterek | bad friend Scott | pack mom!Stiles | unrequited love | werewolf!Stiles | dark sterek | single parent!Stiles | feral Derek | feral Stiles | arranged marriage | Stiles is underestimated | mpreg w/o abo | accidental knotting | jock!Derek | jock!Stiles | alive Hales | spanking | royal abo au | longfic | void!Stiles | sheriff dissaproves | Stiles doesn't know about werewolves | soft fics | hales love stiles | somnophiIia | secret relationship | childhood friends |

[crowlion]

They are deeply in love your honor

Part 2 of some of my Azutara headcanons below the cut

Part 1 here

• Katara's affection is so, so soft. Unbelievably, frustratingly so. Katara will braid Azula's hair and kiss her temples and play with her fingers like she's the most precious little meow meow in the world, and Azula doesn't really know what to do with all that tenderness. She doesn't reciprocate it much at first, if at all, because she's not really sure how to, but she eventually gets to a point where she stops pretending to hate it and starts to crave the smallest acts of affection very deeply.

• Azula has a hard time saying, so she often has to write stuff down when she feels a certain way about Katara that she can't readily express with words. And good gods is she Shakespearean levels of poetic without even meaning to be, especially when Katara is gone for long periods of time. We're talking, "It's so frustrating that when you're gone, the thought of you rattles around my chest like a storm, that I clutch onto my ribs and cling to the feeling as though I've never felt rain before. I miss you even when you're standing right here. I think even the worst parts of me would kneel just to wait for you."

• Azula finds respect in power, so she comes to develop a reverence for bloodbending. It makes Katara feel less guilty when she has to resort to it (which is rarely). There's this way Azula will look at her afterwards, too, like she's hungry, like she's going to devour her the second they get home. Azula considers bloodbending to be the waterbending equivalent of lightningbending.

• Azula is very muscular underneath all those sleeves. Katara will ask her to lift heavy things that she can definitely carry herself just to see her arms flex.

• Azula only cries in front of Zuko and Katara, though mostly the latter. She constantly wakes up from horrible nightmares and Katara is always there to comfort her through them. Most of the time Azula doesn't talk, because she hates being perceived when she's crying, even after years of dating her. Katara never pushes. She'll either sit there in silence with her and trace fingers through her hair, or tell Azula little stories about her life until she falls back asleep.

• Mentioned in part 1, but Katara has a fixation with Azula's hands. She knows they have the capability to be incredibly destructive, and yet when they're alone, Azula gets all touchy, and in the gentlest way too. Like, here are these hands that can produce lightning strong enough to kill dozens of men in a single blow, and yet the same fingers they belong to are absentmindedly drawing shapes along Katara's collarbones in soft exploration. Katara likes to study them. The way Azula's fingers flex, how precise she shapes them when she firebends, how they're so featherlight when they're touching her.

• Somewhat going off of that, Azula subconsciously thinks she might hurt her, so she's always incredibly delicate. This doesn't stop her from being very exploratory, though.

• Azula kind of likes losing to her, deep down, even though she'll never let Katara ultimately win a sparring match. She does find a thrill in the few moments Katara gains the upper hand, because it's only with Katara that she has ever felt safe in surrender.

• Katara finds an excuse to have her hands on Azula constantly. On her back, brushing strands of loose hair back into place, fixing the already perfect collar of Azula's uniform. It's such a normal thing for them that Azula feels out of place when Katara isn't touching her. She has that military walk where she marches around like she has places to be, but she makes it a point to slow down just so that Katara will put an arm around her waist and keep guiding her forward.

• Azula is pretty much exclusively physically affectionate with her when they're in private. Even so, she's quite excessive about it. She'll sit on Katara's lap when she really doesn't need to, lay on top of her chest to chest when she has an entire side of the bed available to her, lean in very close when Katara talks. Being next to her isn't enough, Azula wants to fuse Katara's very being with hers.

• Their rare sparring matches are mostly held to work out pent-up tension, which is especially common for Azula who still struggles with sorting through her emotions. But "sparring" devolves into panting, pinning, growling, accidental straddling, even more accidental kissing, more often than not.

• Katara says "I love you" often. Azula doesn't, but she does have her own way of showing Katara she loves her. She's kind of like a little magpie and will bring Katara things that either 1. remind her of Katara, 2. encompass something she thinks Katara might like, or 3. are as pretty as her. There's something to be said about Azula seeing the person she loves in everything around her.

• Going off of that, Katara's love is frustratingly stubborn. Katara will tell Azula she loves her in Azula's worst moments, like when she slips, or when she snaps at her, or when she gets cold, and distant, and horribly dry. Azula doesn't understand it until she just does, one day. It's unconditional love. Something she'd never really known until Katara showed it to her.

• Azula really likes being told she's doing a good job. She eats at Katara's praise like it's a meal.

• Azula usually starts out straddling her in bed but Katara almost always flips her around with zero warning and pins her down. Katara is quite... thorough, so she takes her sweet time undressing her and kissing every inch of her skin. Azula never outright admits to liking being the submissive one but her barely held back sounds say otherwise.

• Azula doesn't listen to anybody. In fact, she makes it a point to be as annoyingly defiant as possible. But... She does literally whatever Katara says without an ounce of hesitation. Even something as inconsequential as being handed a scroll? She has servants for that, unless Katara's the one asking. Then she just holds her hand out and takes it.

• Katara's darkness is quieter than Azula's, but no less brutal. Katara would never intentionally kill anybody, but she'd spill blood for Azula if she needed to.

• Too many people think their relationship is built on the fact that Katara "healed" Azula. That's not it at all, especially not for Katara. For her, she found someone who understood a part of her that no one else wanted to see, and what means even more to her is that Azula hadn't flinched when she saw it. She doesn't just feel loved, she feels seen.

[wtfisgoingonirl]

Why everything is as bad as JDs outfit

Horrible. Yes, JDs outfit definitely was. I can’t believe a stylist put this very unflattering combination together for him. The shoes, the shirt, the sweater, even the suit didn’t fit properly. At least with that you can prove not every gay man is a style icon. But that wasn’t the worst thing. N and JDs misfortunate red carpet appearance was not well received. Bad move. While it is probably necessary for whatever is going on behind the scenes, it is more than disappointing for the fans. Totally understandable, some unfollowed and others jumped ship. Got fame into Nics head? Sadly she made fans very angry. What abut JD? Appears to opportunistic. As they say, negative press is still press, but come on… Using a polaroid was the worst thing. This boy doesn’t learn from the backlash he already got. Of course it’s his choice to give a FU to us. I didn’t like him before and now I will definitely avoid any show or film he takes a part in. JD now shares the same popularity as A. Congratulations to that! At this point N should remind herself of the words she shared once: mindful and demure. That was only a meme and therefore has no true value. N has build her image as the super nice girls, gays and Lukes gal. Even if she wants to keep her private life private and L has still to fulfill some obligations, this is to much for the fans.

It has gotten ugly. But we’re at fault too. All of us fans, weather it’s us Lukolas, the Jakolas and Figatonis or the Btons. We are always judging every single thing they do. The trolls and haters are merciless. Celebrities are just ppl like you and me, so let’s cut them some slack. N will at least try to make it look beautiful with new photos from Cannes. But I doubt it will help, if L won’t be in the picture.

Stay sturdy! Peace✌🏻

[simdroid2000]

"Weird looking ship."

"The windows are all boarded up. Pretty ominous..."

*knock, knock*

"Anyone home?"

...

"...I don't think there's anyone in there...I'll check and see if I can get in around back."

"This better be worth it..."

"Not that I have any other choice, so...uh...h-hellooooooo? I...come in peace?"

"Great, just what I need. An actual, real life haunted house. Complete with mold, trash, and probably ghosts."

"It even comes with totally-not-scary notes scrawled all over the walls! I'm the luckiest alien in the galaxy, seriously..."

"This looks like some kind of older type of communication device...maybe it works? If there's trash, it could at least be useful trash..."

*click*

"...Hello?"

........tttzz.............tzztch....*click*...

"This place is so freakin' creepy."

"Like, look at this. All hidden away behind the table. Do you think they're the people who lived here? Or, like, the people the owner was secretly obsessed with, and took secret photos of? And then they killed them, and buried them out back!? Because that's what I'm thinking."

"I really don't want to die in the murder shack!!!!"

"...though, it's not like I have much other choice. I should at least stay here for the night, or until the ship stops burning..."

"Ugh...this is the worst. One day you wake up, and boom, next thing you know you're stuck sleeping in some old dusty bed in a haunted house."

"It definitely doesn't feel like anyone's been here in a long time. I guess if I'm staying here, I should clean it up a little..."

"...and maybe I can hike some of the spaceship equipment over here. I'm no good at repairs, but...I guess I can try to salvage some parts..."

"..."

"I hope the TV survived..."

..........

"..."

"Do you see anything?"

"....yeah. Actually, I do."

end part 3.................. back to part 2

[hollowed-theory-hall]

I feel like in the early books Ron was not dumb and then JR kind of made him dumb later like she got influenced by the movies.

I kinda feel like this, too. Again, I'm not a mind reader, and I don’t know what JKR was thinking or what her writing process was, but that is the vibe I got too. I mean, even in boom 5, Ron is smarter and more capable than he is portrayed in books 6 and 7. But this feeds in to a lot of other problems I have with the final two books.

Something I noted recently when reading through book 5 again is that Ron was already the Keeper of Gryffindor's Quidditch team in year 5. Throughout year 5, Ron has an arc of getting more confident as a Quidditch player, and he gets a win at the end of the book. At the end of the book, he also sorta accepts that it: "can't get any worse". So, apparently, JKR trudged the same arc with Ron twice, once in OotP and once (but worse) in HBP.

And Ron isn't the only one who is dumbed down in the final books. The romances in HBP make all of them look dumber (Hermiobe included). It's like all of Romione's emotional intelligence (a staple of both characters in earlier books. Ron was always good at understanding how to talk to people and balancing Harry and Hermione’s moods while Hermione used to be great at analyzing other people's emotions) was thrown out the window in HBP for the sake of teen romance drama. (I know the emotional range if a teaspoon line is in OotP, but Hermione is wrong and frustrated that Ron doesn't seem to realize she has a crush on him. Again, retrudging arcs)

But Ron in DH is at his worst. Now, I can find watsonian explanations for that (the war, worry for his family, etc.). But doylisticly, it seems JKR was influenced by the movie portrayal the most when writing the final book. Hermione is toned down compared to her past, Ron is stupider, Harry is more book Harry than movie Harry, but he still feels off. The entire Golden Trio dynamic feels off for sections of DH (and parts of HBP to a lesser extent). All their plans are also kinda shit in a way they don't need to be considering they had time to plan for a change.

And we know the movies influenced her writing. Hell, even the twins height was influenced by the movies. In PS, Ron at 11 is said to be "almost as tall as the twins". They are repeatedly described as built like Molly and Charlie - "short and stocky" and yet, they are described as taller than Harry in DH, even though, Harry is the same height as James who is described as "tall". So I think the movies were definitely a contributing factor.

DH is the only book in the series Ron feels useless while Hermione is portrayed as amazing (even if she's not as perfect as her movie counterpart). It's so much closer to their movie dynamic than the books. But its not consistent. Some scenes are more similar to their book characters, while others feel oddly detached and like these aren't the same people. (I think JKR edited in some scenes later that were more influenced by the movies, including the battle of the seven Potters and a good chunk of the camping trip, if i had to guess).

It's all part of why I'm not a fan of Romione in HBP and DH. Ron feels dumber than he had up to this point. In the earlier books, his and Hermione’s banter was so good because they were both incredibly intelligent and respected each other so much. In the last two books, their dynamic just doesn't feel the same to me in a bad way.

So, I definitely feel like Ron was dumbed down in the final 2 books and had his arcs from books 4 and 5 get retrudged in 7 and 6, respectively. Which adds to him feeling dumber, I think. The fact we see things we already saw from him adds to him feeling stupider since he didn't really learn from his arcs. I feel JKR wasn't sure what to do with his character by the end. I feel she had the same problem with Hermione, as she doesn't really get an arc at all in DH. (Which is a shame, since I think she could've had an interesting arc in realising what she was willing to do in war, rather than give Harry that arc that wasn't there beyond one line from Lupin, since she was kind of primed for it. And I wish Ron didn’t get arcs he already had. I think Romione getting together in year 5 would've helped both their arcs).

Again, I can find watsonian explanations for all of this, and I do like the final two books. But I'm more critical of them since I feel there is more to criticise there from a writing standpoint, a plot and worldbuilding standpoint, and a characterization standpoint. (Especially as they come after my favorite books in the series: GoF and OotP)

[joocomics]

DOUBLE TAKE

02 ⋮ off script

MASTERLIST || NEXT

pairing: rockstar!junhan x fem!reader x supermodel!jooyeon

genre: slice of life ( 18+ ) ── 1.2k words

your friend’s rock band books the coffee shop you work at for a day to shoot their new music video. at first glance, everything is going well until the line between story and reality begins to blur

✎… kissing for the cameras

( xdh masterlist )

It’s definitely something... suddenly turning from background noise to a main character.

... because Jooyeon saw something in you.

This is his idea - to kiss you instead of following the original script where he’s tangled up with the hired actress.

One moment you were just the girl behind the counter, and now, you’re the sweet waitress caught in the centre of the main events.

Jooyeon stands inches away with gaze locked onto you like he was meant to do this with you from the start.

You shift your weight against the counter, heart pounding as he steps closer.

“Just follow my lead,” He murmurs so low that only you can hear him.

You nod once, barely trusting yourself to even breathe. With so many lights and cameras around you, every small movement you make, has you feeling like it could be a wrong one.

The director’s voice rings throughout the room, pulling you out of your thoughts. Action!

Jooyeon doesn’t hesitate.

He erases the space between you and his hands find your waist - a confident, delibarate grasp. He cages you against the counter, barely giving you time to react before his lips crash against yours.

For a second, they remain pressed, soft and sweet, but then just as your breath catches, he tilts his head, deepening the kiss.

There’s no escaping it - the heat that floods through you. Especially as his grip tightens on your hips as it seems he’s getting effortlessly caught up into the moment.

Just like you are.

Everyone can see it in your hands that lift to his chest, clenching at his jacket like it’s the only thing that could keep you staying composed; like it’s the only thing reminding you this is just a scene.

And then, just when you’re about to forget about the line between what’s real and not... your feet leave the floor.

Suddenly, you’re perched on the counter while Jooyeon settles between your legs, pressing closer. The quiet gasp that escapes you has his lips twitching in a smug smile before he kisses you again.

The shift in the energy inside the room doesn’t go unnoticed - a collective murmuring spreads behind the cameras, but you can’t process any of it.

This is better, they say. This is good.

One of Jooyeon’s hands slides up your back, his fingers go into your hair to tilt your head just right so he can catch his breath by tracing lips against the side of your neck.

At this point, your mind turns completely blank when it comes to everything except the feel of his touch; his warm breathing, and the scent of his cologne.

The crew, the cameras, the flashing lights focused upon you - all of it fades.

Unrehersed, you grasp his hand, the one resting on your thigh, and guide it up your heated body. The skin beneath your clothes gets electrified as his fingers crawl up your stomach, briefly ghost over your chest only to stop around your neck - teasing and waiting for his mouth to detach so he can tug your bottom lip, creating space for his tongue.

Right on cue - the bathroom door slams open.

The entire set freezes in anticipation as Junhan steps into the frame. His shoulders are tense just like his lips.

Jooyeon doesn’t pull away immediately nor completely. His hands are still on your body; you can still feel his warm pants on your face even after he turns in his friend’s direction.

You realise you’re still holding onto his arm. Without looking away, you let go, peering into the bright flame in Junhan’s eyes.

He’s playing his part - the role of the lover witnessing his worst nightmare; his worst betrayal.

Maintaining the cold expression, he cuts the distance between you with few measured steps. Once he reaches the counter and Jooyeon jerks backwards, the camera man shouts excitedly, putting an end to the scene.

The crew congratulates the three of you; one of them teases Junhan, saying that for a moment they really thought he’s about to punch Jooyeon in the face.

As they chatter, you use the opportunity to pull back and collect yourself; to let your heart normalise its speed.

Only to feel it jump as a familiar teasing voise spreads behind you.

“Not bad,” Jooyeon murmurs discreetly as he walks past you.

You find the small bathroom near the back of the coffee shop and quietly shut the door behind you.

You glance at yourself in the mirror. Your lipstick is a little smudged, not enough to ruin the look, just enough to hint at the intensity of Jooyeon’s kiss. Your cheeks still carry the flush of adrenaline when you bring your hands up to touch them.

But that’s not what keeps you staring. It’s something very subtle in your expression that makes you feel... new.

And that’s when you realise it - you finally did it.

You stepped out of your life for a moment and slipped into something unknown, something unpredictable. And even though you’re back, something inside you hasn’t fully returned. Or maybe something from that new world has stuck with you, making it seem like you’re missing something, but it’s actually the opposite - you gained something.

You can feel it, it’s still fluttering in your chest. You just have to get more familiar with it.

You don’t know what exactly cracked open inside you yet. But you kind of like it.

When you return, the crew is adjusting lights in the middle of the chaos. Junhan is sat on top of the counter, aimlessly plucking at the strings of his guitar with Jooyeon standing nearby. Both of them have changed into new outfits for the next scene.

Jooyeon’s eyes shift, tracking your presence - only for a second before they flick back to the drummer of Junhan’s band.

“You guys should throw a wrap party.”

“We’re not even done shooting yet.” Junhan glances at him as you step closer. “And you’re already talking about drinking.”

“Exactly,” Jooyeon responds, keeping his hands busy with a bottle of water, “give people something to motivate them.”

“Just say you want a party.”

“That’s a good idea!” Another band member joins after he spots you in the circle. “What if we throw the party here?”

Junhan eyes the guy.

“Seriously? She already let us take over her entire shift, we’re not doing that.”

“I don’t mind it,” you shrug, speaking up before he puts an end to the whole idea. “I’ll talk to my boss if we can have the place on Sunday.”

Jooyeon flashes you a quick grin.

“I fly to Paris next week so Sunday works perfectly for me.”

The group breaks into laughter and excited chatter. They already start passing ideas on who’s bringing what, who’s going to have control over the playlist… It’s decided.

You find yourself smiling too - until a small, unsettling knot forms in your stomach as Junhan slides off the counter without saying a word.

He didn’t say anything while you were speaking. He also didn’t say anything when the guys began cheering.

You catch him nod at something one of the crew members says before silently disappearing into the chaos behind you.

It’s like you weren’t even there in the first place.

! please do not repost, copy or translate my works

! please keep in mind that english is not my first language. i apologise for any mistakes i’ve might missed

♡ taglist: @sweet-dreaming-girl @zelinkcrossing @bahng-chrizz @candlelitvamp

[didyoulookforme]

nothing's wrong

you call matty way too late after a night with your actual boyfriend.

warning: 18+. very short. mentions of sex. some angst. grammatical errors, typos.

part of the (young) bf matty au. masterlist here.

—

unfortunately, the buzzing matty assumed was just part of his dream startles him awake. because someone is actually calling him at god knows what time in the bloody morning.

he paws around the sheets to find his phone, answering without checking the screen.

“’lo?”

“please tell me you’re not already asleep.”

it’s you. and even if he doesn’t care for having a call in the middle of the night, it’s at least your voice on the other end.

“pretty sure any normal human being is in bed,” matty forces one eye open to peek at the time, “yeah, it’s 1:27 at night.” a realization that makes him yawn immediately.

“you’re usually the one who doesn’t fall asleep until four on weekends, though.”

fair. but tonight george wrung nine straight hours of rehearsal out of him so bed wasn’t the worst of ideas.

“my bad for being exhausted. didn’t think that was an issue.”

“you’re so dramatic sometimes, matthew.”

“coming from you.” heavy sarcasm dripping from his voice as he yawns once again. “so what, you ring just to bully me or—”

“matty, i had sex.”

the tiny phone slips through his fingers, landing on his chest. fuck.

“so—sorry. dropped this thing. what did you say?” he’d definitely heard but hopefully he’d misunderstood.

“i slept with will. just earlier today,” you repeat, “well, technically last night, i guess.”

and all of the sudden it feels like morning because every bit of tiredness leaves his eyes, blinking and looking up at the ceiling as a million questions run through his mind. what should i say? why is she telling me this? did she enjoy it?

“um. are you okay?”

yes. that’s probably a better thing to ask. yet his heart skips a couple of beats when not a single word from you echoes through the line.

“still there?”

he can now hear you breathing so that answers that question.

“so… how was it?” was that even okay to ask in a situation like this?

“fine, i guess?”

“okay…”

“it was good but i don’t really have anything to compare it to. it hurt a lot—“

“wait…” matty props himself up on his elbow, already counting the ways he can get back to this guy. “he didn’t fucking hurt you, did he?”

“what? no, he didn’t. not on purpose anyway.” yes, matty regrets having answered this call by now. “he was… is just big.”

the curly haired boy groans so loudly he doesn’t care if he wakes up the entire neighbourhood. “jesus fucking christ, i don’t need to know that.”

“oh, stop it. pretty sure the lot of you talk about the sizes of your own.”

matty doesn’t necessarily lie in return. “that was ross and george, ‘kay?”

“sure.” he can just picture the way your eyes are currently rolling to the back of your head “anyway, i think…the size just made it uncomfortable. but it was also my first time so it was probably that, too.”

“yeah...probably.” but what did matty know?

“i feel guilty, though.”

“you regret it, then?” perhaps that sounded too optimistic coming from him.

“no. not that. sorry. um, just that…i pretended like i finished. when i didn’t.”

at this point matty wonders if perhaps he’s still dreaming and this conversation is only happening within his subconscious because there’s no way in hell someone could unknowingly torture him this bad in real life. but he cannot exactly hang up on you.

“did he use a condom?” he immediately cringes when those words leave his lips. out of the billion things his brain could’ve conjured, that’s the one it went with.

“yes dad, we were safe and all of that. he’s not an idiot, y’know?”

“well, he didn’t make you co—finish.” truth be told, matty’s never been your boyfriend’s biggest fan, not because he doesn’t like will as a human. it’s just that it’s him that gets to hold and kiss you and keep you warm while he has to watch from the sidelines. and now add him being lousy at pleasing you a girl. “so, um, yeah, he’s a proper idiot in my books.”

“and you care because…?”

because he so badly wishes it could’ve been him instead.

“‘cause it was his fucking job, alright?” every bloke knows he’s supposed to make his girl co—,” he bites his tongue again to stop himself, “…orgasm.” well, that didn’t really sound any better, to be honest.

“plus,” he finally catches his breath. “it was, you know, your first time and it’s meant to be, i dunno,” he exhales with slight disappointment in his tone, “at least halfway decent.”

the giggle coming through is not necessarily what he expects but it makes him relax a little easier.

“was yours halfway decent?” of course. it would’ve been way too good for him if you didn’t ask questions of your own.

“well, not actually sure to be honest. but um...” he gestures with his hand as if you were sitting right in front of him. “i did make her, y’know…”

“come?”

“yes,” matty confirms, “that.” a couple of times even but that’s a detail that can be left out right about now.

“well, aren’t you an expert then?”

matty can practically hear the grin growing on your face. “oh, shove it. not like you do not interrogate me about every aspect of my sex life.”

“i’m your best friend so i have the right to know.”

“there’s so much wrong with that but i’m not even going to bother right now.”

then he can only laugh quietly because he knows there’s no possible way you’ll ever stop. not necessarily the worst thing, but he sometimes gets scared at how easy it’s for him to share everything with you. well, almost everything.

“because you love me,” he hears you sing-song.

matty bites his tongue for the third time since he answered your call. “nope. but nice try.”

there’s a few seconds of silent static filling the space, forcing him to talk before you can hear his heart trying to beat out of his ribs.

“but you’re okay, right?” even if you lost your virginity to someone else, he cannot help but care for you more than he’ll ever admit.

“yeah, i think so.”

those words offer some sort of bittersweet relief. “that’s good… really good.” and silence fills the space for almost a minute this time.

“anyway, thanks matty. for listening to my near meltdown.”

“always.” he finally falls back down to rest on his pillow. “want me to come over tomorrow?”

“mmhmm.”

“okay,” he looks at the time again, “i’ll just need a solid ten hours of sleep before i have to endure every single detail of your night.” his eyes close to imagine your face as you laugh, knowing the way your lips curl and your eyebrows scrunch.

“just text me when you’re on your way, matty.”

“will do,” he can’t help but smile because yet you choose him over your boyfriend. “g’night.”

[kookiekatz]

Here's a Genderbend idea what if the cookies meet a male Y/n cookie who is a giant buff intimidating looking cookie???? however, he's actually a complete pacifist who's timid, kind, and blushes easily the literal definition of gentle gaint and has a habit of treating his girlfriend/wife like glass and hovers behind her because he can get worried about her🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

He's just a big teddy bear who cares so much🥰

Meet the Gentle Giant M/n Cookie he's made of suger, spice and everything nice🫣🥰

(SMC)(or Pnumbra Milk cookie) Ohhhhhhhhh you are the cutest thing she's ever seen, you have quite the jello heart and low-key Pnumbra is all for it. She would love to mess with you by flirting and tricking you into doing silly things for her, and goes out of her way to make you blush once a day. She also kinda shocked when your able to see though her lies unlike most cookies, but don't rebuke her for trying to deceive you infact you can guess what she really wants alot of the time and grant her that desire. Pnumbra Milk also enjoys cuddling with you as your a much larger body, as she feels safe and secured against it. Overall your became the apple of Pnumbra Milk's mismatch eyes, and she hopes to keep you for a little bit longer......................or forever😉

(BSC)(or Scorching Spice cookie) God damn it you both couldn't be more different from each other, like seriously how can somebody this gigantic and scary on the outside be this much of a big piss baby. Scorching Spice couldn't stand it, and what's worse, you are endlessly kind, caring, and patient to all, especially her. She had vowed to destroy you to your face, and all you took it as her expressing herself, but that's not even the worst part. You follow her everywhere to battle and bring things like snacks and first aid kits for her and her army.....it's amazing how she hasn't snapped yet. However you never judge her for her actions and lifestyle, and even though your soft as all hell you have her back no matter what. Scorching Spice was already attached to you, and she didn't even know it.

(PVC)(or French vanilla cookie) Oh, yes, at first, she was very weary of you at first, being the biggest male cookie in the kingdom. However, once she finds out how sweet you actually are, then she lets her guard down around you, and it wasn't a mistake at all. You both spent time together in her library reading books, or drinking tea, or even having a fun little chat catching up with each other. You were always so kind as to help her around her own kingdom, you were just such an angel to have around her darkened world and she will never take you for granted.

(DCC)(Or Milk Chocolate cookie) Your behavior is very suspicious to her, like seriously nobody can be that nice...nobody because if they were she would have to ask some very uncomfortable questions about herself. However you continue to go grant her endless kindness and help her with any errand or task without hesitation, and well it was admittedly nice. You displayed nothing but respect and care to the Milk Chocolate cookie, and as much as she trys to control her composure a blush would appear right on her dough face. She really had judge a book by it's cover because this extra large cookie was never a bully.

(SSC)(or Quiet Salt cookie) Being around you for some reason makes her so incredibly tired, like seriously stop following her around already! Now I imagine that Quiet salt likes her privacy and alone time because hello it's nice and quiet, however ever since she met you it's not that her quiet was disrupted but it's the fact that you just stand there menacingly. On a brighter note, not even an hour later you proven to be no threat to Quiet salt as you would quietly bring her things like snacks, tea or even books to read. She no clue what your aim was...like were you trying to please her somehow, or submit until she pays attention to you?? Either way she's not getting rid of you anytime soon.........or anytime at all😐

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG🫣

[theesteppenwolf]

Just one big emotional blurt, nothing heavy just some stuff that has been going through my head that I wanted to put on the main blog too.

So im sure this is because i never engaged in fandom growing up and so much of it is very foreign and the way people behave and interact can be very… distancing. The way “discourse” is conducted, the shipping fixations, the fics, the oc stuff, I realized i am not a fit for most of it.

I love discussing media, but I’ve realized the way I go about it isn’t something fandom tolerates or wants to see. It started as just moving off into another side blog to post my opinions maybe do some oc stuff and now I’m sort of thinking of abandoning it too.

It is an incredibly difficult thing for me to engage with others, I thought finding people who like the same thing would be nice but I have mostly found myself on the outs, seeing that I’m doing things wrong again in the general function of things.

And listen tumblr is THE fandom site, I am not sitting here on a high horse trying to dictate the way people act on here. I entered a space with a defined code of conduct that has some kind of general consensus and have found that I do not fit. I am just blurting out my experience, nothing here is personal (though I am sure many will take it that way anyway).

All this to say; I am most definitely not a fandom participant, I just like making fanart which I will continue to share. All of this has been a part of the reason as to my giant depression spills too; finding a place that focuses on all these things I loved and getting at worst harassed and at best just feeling isolated when I actually state what I mean.

I have met some wonderful people absolutely but I know it’s also because i keep a lot of my opinions unsaid because I’m afraid of a vitriolic reaction.

So yeah, I don’t know. I think I liked it a lot better when I enjoyed things on my own.

[nightshadefairy]

PSA: u can enjoy things without agreeing with the ppl that created them.

i love harry potter but i dislike jk rowling as a person & the things she has said about trans ppl. my sibling is trans and they are literally my best friend in the world & we grew up watching hp & still watch the movies together all the time.

i love disney movies even tho walt disney was literally a nazi. i am clearly not a nazi lol i don't have a racist bone in my body. and if i did that would be wildly stupid considering i'm only half white and so is my son & most of my family isn't white either🤣

i love the movie coraline still even tho sexual assault allegations have surfaced against neil gaiman. i am definitely against sexual assault like any sane human being should be. i am a victim of it myself and i know how much it ruins lives.

i love a lot of music by hole even though courtney love is one of the worst ppl to ever walk this planet and to say i dislike her would be an understatement.

these are just a few examples off the top of my head but i'm so tired of this coming up every time i share about harry potter stuff. i could find a problematic instance about almost every interest ppl have. because sadly the majority of famous/rich ppl who create our media are not good ppl and have done shitty things.

you can like someone's art without liking THEM. just because i enjoy a film, book, tv show, or whatever does not mean my views align with the creator of that content.

if ur going to cancel anyone who likes harry potter then make sure u apply that same mindset to everything else too. and this is not me defending jk rowling, because like i said, i genuinely do not like her as a human being whatsoever. i'm defending myself against all the anons i get every time i share about the hp films or when i post about playing hogwarts legacy.

hp was a hugeee part of my childhood. and it means a lot to me still as an adult. its heartbreaking to know that the author is such a POS. but it doesn't mean that my favorite series has to be ruined for me.

when i watch harry potter i don't think about a miserable transphobic woman, i think about my sister and i making wands out of sticks and stealing my dad's ties to use for our "hogwarts robes".

my son fell in love with harry potter too long before i had any idea about the offensive kind of shit jk rowling says nowadays. and im not going to take it away from him just because of her moronic behavior.

i'm sure i'll still probably get some hate mail for even posting this, but i'm just irritated by the anons i get every time i post something hp related. this is my stance on the matter. there's plenty of art i love without liking the artist.

jk rowling is already rich. i'm not actively changing her life. am i going to go to a harry potter book signing if given the chance? hell no. will i continue to watch movies in my home that me and my kids enjoy? yes.

[zraiusxo]

hiii💝

could you write about hange being dragged dress shopping with their girlfriend, because of some wedding or nice event she has to go too. They definitely would be more then happy to watch their girlfriend try on a bunch of different dresses. Only thing is that they would be horrible at telling you what dress to get because they think all of them look so pretty on their girlfriend.

love ur stuff!

♡ i saw this. such a cute idea. i kept my eye on your request but oh i've just been so busy with my summer job! this took a while but here it is. hope you like it as much as i do, thanks for requesting anon! i'll try to get to the other requests and hold a game of composure for a while to focus on the other requests. :3 ♡ reply if you'd like a tag on all my hange posts! since i keep seeing the same people comment and like. i appreciate you sweethearts, thank you!

"Dress to Impress (and to Fluster Hange Zoë) ,, Hange Zoë x Fem!Reader Oneshot

Hange really wasn't the type you typically dragged into a boutique lined with crystal chandeliers and velvet armchairs. They were more at work in a dirty lab coat, safety goggles pushed up into their messy brown hair, sleeves rolled up with something smudged somewhere on their tan skin. But when you tugged them by the hand into the sparkling store, looking up at them with that look, there was exactly zero chance they were going to say no.

“We’re just looking,” you said sweetly, already making a beeline for a rack of elegant gowns that shimmered under the soft lighting.

Hange followed, wide-eyed, their hands shoved into their jacket pockets like they had no idea what to do with them. They looked around as if someone might stop them at any moment and say, Excuse me, sir, you're too chaotic for this establishment.

But instead, a smiling attendant greeted you both, offering you a glass of champagne and complimenting your taste.

"Oooh, fancy," Hange muttered under their breath, grinning as they accepted a flute glass half-filled with champagne with one hand and sneaked their other into yours, their thumb brushing over your knuckles. "Are you sure I’m allowed in here? I feel like I’m gonna spill something just by breathing."

You rolled your eyes affectionately and dragged them deeper into the store. "Behave, and you might even get to pick a dress for me to try on."

At that, Hange lit up like a kid being offered a tray of cookies.

The next hour quickly turned into chaos — but the best kind.

You tried on dress after dress while Hange lounged dramatically in a gold-trimmed chair outside the dressing room, looking like the least serious royal guard ever. They kept nearly dropping their champagne glass every time you stepped out.

First, you tried a sleek, floor-length black dress with a slit up the side. Hange’s mouth literally dropped open. They didn’t even say anything for a second — just stared.

“So?” you prompted, turning slowly so they could see the back.

"Uhhh," Hange blinked rapidly. "Holy shit. You look like you're about to assassinate someone important at a gala. In the best way."

You laughed. "Assassinate or impress?"

"Both," they said reverently, hand pressed over their heart.

But when you went back in and emerged wearing a blush pink gown that made you look like you'd floated out of a fairytale, Hange gave the exact same reaction — minus the assassination comment.

"Okay, wait, this one," they said, leaning forward eagerly, "you look like a... like a princess who also secretly knows how to swordfight. God, you're beautiful."

A small sigh slipped past your red-stained lips, placing your hands on your hips. "You can't say that about every dress."

"But I can," Hange said, utterly unrepentant. "Because it's true!"

The attendant giggled nearby and whispered that it was adorable how smitten they were. You agreed — internally, anyway.

The worst (best) part was that every time you tried on something new, Hange had some over-the-top compliment ready. A deep emerald satin number? "You’re the goddess of the forests and nature, obviously." A silver sequined one? "If the stars fell out of the sky, they’d land right on you." A simple, elegant navy blue dress? "You just invented the color blue. Before you wore that dress, it didn’t even exist properly."

"You're no help at all," you complained, laughing so hard you almost tripped over the hem of the next dress.

Hange clutched their chest, looking wounded. "I am so much help! I'm boosting morale!"

Eventually, after trying on at least a dozen gowns — and gathering a small audience of amused staff and customers who were definitely eavesdropping on Hange’s commentary — you stood in front of the mirror in a deep red satin dress that hugged you perfectly, pooling elegantly around your feet. The color made your skin glow, your eyes bright, your smile radiant.

You turned, facing Hange, prepared for another ridiculous metaphor.

But this time, Hange was quiet.

Really quiet.

They sat forward in the chair, elbows on knees, mouth slightly open, glasses sliding down their nose, eyes absolutely devouring the sight of you.

"Well?" you teased, twirling a little, sending the fabric swirling around you like liquid fire.

"I- I..." Hange pushed their glasses up hastily, cheeks turning red under the bright store lights. "You're gonna kill me."

You laughed heartily, heart hammering, cheeks warming too. "Is that your official review?"

"That’s my official plea for mercy," Hange said, standing up and walking slowly toward you. They brushed their fingers lightly over your hand where it rested at your side. "Wear this one. Please."

You grinned and leaned in just a little. "So... out of all the ones I tried on, this one?"

They nodded fervently. "This one. 100% scientifically verified by yours truly."

You kissed the corner of their mouth lightly — just enough to leave them a little dazed— before disappearing back into the dressing room, hiding your grin.

Behind you, you heard them mutter:

"Best. Field trip. Ever."

♡ hi you've reached the end! this was not proofread so please forgive me for any spelling or grammar mistakes i may or may not have made. don't have much to say, super rushed but i still hope it turned out satisfactory! thank u. :3

[steddieunderdogfics]

(not your average) Seven Minutes by hitlikehammers

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

4,541 words, 1/1 chapters

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Tags: Season/Series 02, That One Halloween Party; You Know—That ONE PARTY, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Steve Meets Eddie Immediately After Nancy Does Her Drunken Bullshit Thing, Seven Minutes In Heaven Game, But Like: By Accident?, Truth or Dare, Eddie and Steve Get Locked In A Room in Various States of Vulnerability, Eddie Being Tipsy; Steve Being Newly-Dumped-As-Bullshit, Weirdly This Is Not The Worst Combination, (Like: AT ALL), Does It Count As A Heist If The Only Thing They Steal Is Each Other?, Of Course It Does: ‘Escape’ is a Boring Word, And While The Kiss Wasn’t Stolen Per Se It Was SOMETHING’D, First Kiss, Pre-Relationship, Fluff, Steve Is Definitely Not Oblivious To His Reactions Towards Men, He Might Not Be Ready To Call Them Out But He’s Definitely Not Opposed To Them

Summary:

Steve just wants to get the fuck out of this place, this party, this fucking…bullshit life he’s found himself in. He’s not at his best, under-fucking-standadably, so when the drunk-ass Halloween masses push and shove and giggle as they lock him in an upstairs bedroom for—oh god, Seven Minutes In Heaven, what are they, goddamn twelve—he’s going to fucking scream, he— “Not quite what you were expecting behind Door Number One?” Steve spins, a little jump in it when he looks for the source of the voice which sounds familiar and then also, not, because Steve thinks he should know a voice like that, because it’s a good voice, a really good voice, it’s not too deep but it’s smooth and it’s— It’s a good voice, basically. And when he finds its owner, shadowed by the curtains in the corner, well. The leather jacket would’ve given him away if the mess of frizzy curls weren’t kind of an automatic tell: Eddie the Freak. Half-hidden as he flips a clear antique of a lighter too fucking close to the gauzy drapes and it…it does something. To Steve. It does something to Steve.

This is a MOD rec as a part of our Fic Fridays.

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[hana-bobo-finch]

BUG FABLES HEADCANONS AAAAAAAAA🦅🦅🦅💥💥💥 (a LOT of Team Mothiva because if it wasn’t so painfully obvious by now I think they are very awesome)

• Leif’s always been rather inexpressive, but especially so after the whole. Dying thing. His shell was essentially frozen (so to speak) in place, so expressions are hard now if not downright painful to make

• Kabbu looks so incredibly goofy underneath his helmet. It was a common practice in the North to wear armor and such to make yourself look more Intimidating™️

• ascends from the clouds with the headcanon I can never and will never shut up about zzasp…….is trans. cue the round of applause. cue the screaming fans. People are marveling. People in the stands are pissing and shitting and passing out they’re cheering so hard. Because they know. They know that I’m right and—look alright I talk about this SO often but it’s the perfect storm of a headcanon. character I like? Character I like who is my favorite species of bug? character has the physical characteristics of a woman despite being referred to as a man? tailor made for a transmasc wasp lover

• Mothiva has been in many controversies. Zasp and his 70 alternative mothiva stan accounts on the termanet were always there to back her up

• Speaking of those two’s relationship: Zasp is the definition of “I can fix her” except he actually probably could fix her if he just was a bit more assertive with her. there’s a kind moth in there somewhere. deep down. very deep down.

• Elizant I wasn’t as perfect as everyone remembers!! She wasn’t BAD by any means but she’s definitely looked at with rose tinted glasses. She had no malicious intent but she would be rather careless with her search for the everlasting sapling (oh someone died when looking for it? that’s too bad. anyway)

• Leif was wayyy more weak after waking up in snakemouth than he’d let on. His body was pretty atrophied after being trapped in a web for so long and it took him a long time to regain his strength, even with his magic

• Zasp is either the worst singer imaginable or the best. There will never be an in between. I like both ideas, either he’s outperforming mothiva at her own shows or making a fool of himself

• a lot of our phrases carry over to bugnish that, to them, don’t really make logical sense. “like moths to a flame” “why would we run into a flame kabbu” “I. I actually don’t know, I heard someone say it one time. I don’t actually know what it means”

• Vi is SUCH a bad influence on Tod don’t let her around him. Leif tries to limit their direct interactions because how dare you promote violence to The Child.

• Even with Leif’s attempts to be a good influence, Tod is still absolutely determined to become an explorer and has taken up the not so great habit of throwing his toy ball at people as his own little weapon

• Tod also DESPERATELY wants his own beemerang. ADBP. whatever. He calls it a beemerang. Hawk promised he’d get one for him when he was older and more able to handle one, but who knows if that’s true or not?

• Leif’s family (more specifically grandpa) are aware that Leif isn’t telling the full story but they just go along with it to not cause trouble. Like yeah there’s no way in hell you’re my brother but whatever man go ahead you’re a part of the family now I won’t ask questions

• And even if they did ask questions he would NOT answer because that is a one way ticket to getting quarantined for the rest of his life. At least he thinks that’s what happens. Treatments for cordyceps have been developed while he was in snakemouth, but he doesn’t know that and just assumes the fate is the same as when he was young (aka being shunned from the rest of society forever and ever)

• Zasp was from the north near the deadlands, but escaped to the wasp kingdom pretty early on for a better life. Turns out the wasp kingdom was just as bad, he can’t catch a break

• Queen Vanessa II was not at all respected before the whole wasp king debacle. It was the opposite case of Elizant II, instead of being more aggressive than the previous queen she was much more of a pacifist, which didn’t sit well with the people considering they were in the midst of a ton of wars that she was doing a terrible job at fixing. “Our queen your people are killing the other wasps, you need to do something, this is a full on genocide” “idk what to to do, I told them to stop but they didn’t listen :( “

• Many queens of different species share the same hives. How they decided on the official queen of the greater kingdom? Confidential information, but rumors have gone around saying it was via a game of rock paper scissors. There are also rumors that all of the queens are all secretly dating each other so who knows what’s true and what’s not

• speakin of gay queens. Elizant II is, alas, a lesbian. I say alas because it’s sorta her job as Queen to get knocked up and keep the population going so she doesn’t have much choice in the matter. Not all bad though because she gets to have a Secret Love Affair with Zaryant. The sole reason I have this headcanon is that a few weeks ago I snapped awake with the thought “they might be gay-ants” in my head and if I did not plan a plot around that immediately I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep

• domestic silk moths are rare to the point of near extinction. Turns out that being a species reliant on and bred by the giants to the point of losing all survival instincts isn’t great when the giants disappear. Most of them died out even after the day of awakening due to that lingering lack of survival skills, but a few managed to survive with great difficulty

• Mothiva is one of the few domestic silk moths left, something which sounds depressing (and is) but she’s awfully good at spinning it into something enthralling. Oooh look at me look I’m one of the last of my kind, I’m a limited edition moth, come and get me while I’m still here teehee

• ^ SHE IS SERIOUSLY SO MESSED UP BECAUSE OF IT THOUGH. Since most bugs lost their flight after the day of awakening it no longer really matters that her kind can’t fly, but Oh Boy does centuries of domestication do something to you. She had a lot of trouble walking at first, and even once she managed to get that down it hurt like hell. How does she manage to twirl around on stage? with great difficulty. she would greatly benefit from Any sort of mobility aid but “nooo i can’t be seen as weak nooooo” (MOTHIVA STOOOOP PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF)

• that is also a point of contention when it comes to her and Zasp’s relationship. You’re one of the only ones of your kind left and you’re just gonna run off with some random wasp? Unsurprisingly the public is Extremely parasocial when it comes to her, especially her relationships. and Zasp is just a neat little bundle of everything that the media thinks she should Not Be Dating. You’re dating your bodyguard? Who’s not even your own species? Who’s a wasp of all things? A dangerous creature with a dagger attached to his ass that can stab you at any moment? You sure about that?

• speaking of giving bugs chronic pain! Leif is Constantly in pain because fungi are weak against ice and. well. he is a fungus with ice powers so that goes about as well as one could expect. It does more than just make him in pain all the time but I won’t go into it all here because that is what my evil ao3 account is for

• Muse was a singer alongside being an explorer. Not pop idol singer like Mothiva, just doin it for fun. Although many of her songs became incredibly bleak after the whole. husband killed by spider thing.

• to his absolute horror, Leif is somewhat reminded of himself and Muse in Zasp and Mothiva. Awkward dude infatuated with a feisty moth who kicks things? been there done that. Not that he would ever admit to thinking that because he…maybe doesn’t hate, but certainly does not like Mothiva and is always praying for their breakup (not gonna happen Leif I’m sorry 😞)

• Vi’s repressed Fr*nch accent occasionally slips out. She is mocked relentlessly by Leif every time it happens

• Kina’s adopted. She is the only one unaware of this. I have no reason for this headcanon other than that I like the thought of her being like “ugh I can’t believe my bro took in some stray from the street 😒😒😒😒” girl you Are the stray from the street

that’s all I can remember off the top of my head but there are probably many more i am sooo normal about the bugs

NOPE NOPE NOPE I JUST REMEMBERED ONE MORE. there haven’t been many instances of bees doing the fabled Bee Ball (swarming an intruder and baking them alive) because they aren’t the specific species who do it, but wasp children are often told horror stories of the Bee Ball. it’s colloquially known as Bee Fever because of the whole baking alive thing and has become a bit of a folktale. Most wasps/hornets know they aren’t at much of a risk but many have nightmares of being the victim of a Bee Ball

[mogruith]

Since I know you feel pretty positively about it as a plot point, I wanted to ask. IIRC, given he romanced her, does the child thing ever come up with Coranzan and Minthara? Does he have any larger thoughts on it?

No pressure to answer, ofc. I just wanna see if it's something you've considered within their back and forth.

Hiya Red! Thank you so much for the ask!! 💖 Sorry it took me so long to get around to answering this, things got a bit busy/weird this week.

But oh boy. Have I considered it?? Only the most normal of amounts of consideration. It's TRULY a struggle for me to stay on topic in this reply, but I cut so much to be as concise as possible.

Thing is, I've actually been thinking about this since I "datamined" the SWD lines myself back last December, never expecting them to become canon. I've always seen it as an interesting topic, given how often she reflects on her mother and her upbringing. It always feels like she's on the brink of some realization about herself. I suspect that might've been the original intent of some of those lines.

Anyway, on to the actual question-answering under the cut.

Does it come up for Coranzan and Minthara? Yes. It absolutely does.

The worst part of this update's execution is she would definitely mention it at least towards the end. So I guess it's up to us to headcanon it!

I imagine it's revealed shortly after Orin's demise - relatively late in the campaign. This is also on the heels of the alurlssrin conversation; the first time they express long-term commitment to one another. If she wasn't sure that he was going to be there for the long term, why should she say anything prior to that?

After Orin's death, she's really shaken up and comparing herself to Orin in terms of generational trauma.

"[Orin] was cruel, maniacal, sadistic. You could have been sisters." Minthara: "Given what we learned of Orin's mother, that is painfully accurate. We were both born of trauma, both raised by parents who protected us with one hand and tormented us with the other."

To me, this is a crucial moment where the gears are turning - there's some self-awareness of the kind of life she's been born into and realizing that it could have been something else. This is a natural segue to considering her role with her own child - and that maybe she needs to adjust its direction from what she learned.

And I think she'd bring this up in a reflective manner - not really sure what she can or should do about it just yet. Just that maybe things should be Different.

Coranzan's Thoughts

You are a better judge on this than I, my friend, but I don't think it's odd for drow to just decide they want to have a child and they make it happen through whatever means available to them. Especially in the noble world. So, I don't think her revealing this to him would be particularly shocking by itself. Her choosing to reveal it after keeping it so closely guarded might be the only thing he's somewhat surprised by. But the circumstances or whose it is? Largely irrelevant unless something about it threatens them - which I'm sure she'd mention if that were the case.

She's Minthara's daughter. Finding a home for her and raising her is important to Minthara. End of. Coranzan needs no other details.

The fact that she tells him about her daughter at all demonstrates some level of inclusion into something that would not be his business under ... traditional? circumstances. Revealing this is exposing a deep vulnerability and a willingness to be transparent. Initially, he's not exactly sure what she expects of him, if anything, but he understands that this is a Big Deal to her and it's extremely important that she's including him.

In the longer term, assuming Coranzan gets the chance to be part of Minthara's daughter's life, I think he'd like to be as involved in her life as much as possible and I think Minthara would encourage it to some degree.

Not for any ideas like father figures or something weird (to drow) like that. But like I mentioned, I think she's realizing that things could be different from her "traumatic" experience. Coranzan's a good example of that difference. Especially after witnessing how incredibly different his relationship is with his sister, Z'ress. Their sibling relationship, with seemingly unshakable trust, is something entirely unimaginable to her with her own family. And for Coranzan and Z'ress it's not a weakness. It's a strength. Something that's been demonstrated over and over while she's been fighting alongside them.

There's... a million other things I can rant about when it comes to this topic. From Coran's parents and his past dealing with kids, more thoughts on Minthara's mindset regarding this, and some other data-mined stuff that has implications for this plot, but it's way too much for now. I will never finish this post if I get into that.

For now, I'm gonna throw a few tags here for folks who have expressed interest in their relationship but I keep getting intimidated out of writing about it (and then I go posting about the most controversial topic she's had in a while - go figure).

@nemo-of-house-hamartia @moriarfer @pavusprince - no interaction expected, just keeping those who have asked about them in the loop.

[jywllkr]

RIGHT.

I really hope this is a setup for something more. intentional.

cuz this whole time we've been seeing from the ninja's perspective and NONE from Jay. sure he explained the ground details about how he has literally 0% memories ever since he woke up,,, but he barely explained more about that further on

the only thing we got was this little sad pouts that he did a couple times which implies that he's completely sheltering himself by not overexplaining the details. WHICH IS A GOOD MOVE FOR HIM- to hide things from the people he doesn't even know who/pretend that they know him

I'm guessing the whole stake between their relationship (the ninja x jay) is definitely communication. every time jay explained a thing or two about himself, like you said, they just completely see the worst in him and never compliment on his ways of things

"but this is not the ninja way" "we told you your past life before the merge" "you are a ninja" AGRHHGH HE HAS AMNESIA LIL BRO, SHUUT UPPPP DSLKJDS

they gotta stop forcing jay into being one of them and start accepting who he is first, so he can open up more. lloyd even said that he trust jay earlier on, which turns out to be a lie the second jay does things differently

even that part when jay started to like hanging out with nya, and she straight up brought the ninja stuff again to him sighhh. that's just majorly suspicious if we're seeing from jay's pov 😭 fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me

jay current sass could be interpreted as how he was with laughter too I'm thinking. its either a masking or a coping mechanism for,,,he pushes people away first so nobody gets close enough to hurt him

or something like, "If you’re going to reject me, you’ll reject the mask—not the real me" yk. idk. aaaaaaaaaaa

one more thing ill say about s3p2: im a jay defender till i die. he is not in the wrong