#all my respect for people who work on tiny surfaces

[jeeaark]

in a timeline where the illithid invasion never happen, a world where the absolute never existed, what would greygold's life be like? or maybe even lae'zel's? a world where they stumble upon each other without all the destruction around them.

The funny thing is.

Without squids trying to ruin their life, Greygold would have never discovered the power of friendship

Worse even, they'd still be a dispassionate lone ranger with questionable bird ethics surviving the wilderness and living off raw eggs like a weirdo.

Meanwhile, Lae'zel is still a Vlaakith devotee and if they stumble upon each other without a plot to drive them to work together and get to know each other... Bad things would happen! Someone would probably die. Most likely Greygold. But! Lets say. A plot did happen.

Buckle up buckaroos. This train thought went off the rails enough that I had to draw pics. Faster than writing out a 13k+ fic (for me anyway).

Let's say Greygold got the 'steal the githyanki egg ' job from Esther. Let's say they succeeded in sneaking in and out without too much of a fuss (mostly involving cat familiar distractions). And something Unfortunate happens before Greygold could complete the quest, leaving Greygold with an egg that eventually hatches:

And the githyanki child is not your average run-of-the-mill space lad either (Who loves eating raw eggs now too. It's fine. Builds character. Probably) But uh yeah, that whoosh accidentally cosmos-signaled all the githyankis and Vlaakith to which she reacts with a 'Wtf? Did anybody just get Prince of the Comet vibes from that? With a "I love egg" aftertaste? No? Just me? Hrm.... I do currently have a lot of free time on my hands....Fetch me that child. I want to study him like a bug. I'm suddenly feeling... Creatively ambitious with a side case of nefarious today. Might bury an old big secret if that kid is replacement-viable.' Thus search patrols investigate-

And never return.

After the first surprise patrol disaster, Greygold has been putting their danger ranger skills to good use via setting up counter-ambushes for all the constant surprise attacks. Classic "who is hunting who?" ordeal.

Nonetheless, there is more of them than there is of Greygold, so they resort to hiding in the Underdark after realizing the githyankis don't have dark vision and it's more environmentally dangerous than the surface. It is also a fun learning experience for the kid. Search patrols continue to never return. Until-

Lae'zel can't help but notice her mission orders do not add up and her rationality has a mighty need to make sense of it before solving problems with immediate hostility. Meanwhile this has been Greygold's first super tiny dose of kindness involving people interactions in years. Instant crush. Chase Shenanigans Ensue. Until child makes their first hunting trap. Instead of catching food, Lae'zel is captured. It also turns out the over-the-top trap involves sinking sand and a nest of Ankhegs (giant burrowing man-eating bugs). Greygold tries to help Lae'zel. For Reasons.

Something akin to mutual respect is formed. Stuck working together. Get to know each other. Discuss contradictions with mission. Verdigris worms his way into Lae'zel's heart (as much as she loathes his name). Escape the Ankheg nest which had terribly escalated because a giant fire ant invasion decided to overrun the ankheg nest at the same time.

Everyone is covered in bug guts after this.

Something something bond over experience enough to trust and listen to each other's opinions. Short Rest. Negotiate. Discuss plans to investigate Da Truth together. Shenanigans Ensue. Then Bad Shenanigans Ensue. Argument Ensues, resulting in Lae'zel Splitting Off. Verdigris disagrees with this approach and chases Lae'zel in order to bring back. Unanticipated Ambush happens at most inopportune moment. Greygold is Captured.

But they escape. Not before confronting Vlaakith's projection and discovering her plans and secrets thanks to one extremely curious Verdigrisgold (Verdi for short omg so long) with ridiculous super psionic powers.

And then they coincidentally interwovenly meet/save/recruit their bg3 companions anyway because there are no mindflayer abduction to stall certain ill-fated situations from happening to certain Companions-to-be and I need for them to be OKAY. So. Greygold discovers the power of friendship again. But is also now co-parenting a fate-of-the-githyanki-freedom child with Ex-Vlaakith-devotee Lae'zel. How's that for an AU timeline?

[starwarsmum]

A new fic? Me? Must be Wednesday ���� this is based off a prompt for @apileofashandember about Marinette meeting the batfam through Penny ❤️

The rating on this is Mature because it gets a little spicy further down the line! You have been warned 😘

Chapter 1: A Liar Ruins a Website

Marinette sat alone in her room, hands scrunched in her hair as she muffled her screams into her bed. Her laptop sat innocently on her pillow, new comments popping up every few minutes on her now ruined website. 

“Make a website, Jagged said, it'll get your name out there, he said,” she complained to Tikki. The tiny god wisely said nothing, but settled itself into her hair. “How did that liar even find out about it? No, don't answer that,” she added when Tikki took a breath. “If I don't take my website down now, my name will be ruined, and I will never design professionally again.”

One short internet search later, and her heart broke as she changed the code to an out of service message. She would have to email the half a dozen clients that she had secured in the past month or so, and contact Jagged and Penny to let them know. It wasn't fair, she had worked so hard on making her website cute and fun. And now all of that hard work was ruined.

She sighed and opened up her group chat with Jagged and Penny, looking back at the good luck messages she had received from them about the website. It made her miss the early days of her commissions, when Jagged had asked her to make a pair of sunglasses and an album cover.

Nette: hey, just to let you know, I had to take the site down. someone said I stole their work and I got a bunch of hate

Auntie P: what?! who dares? I'm sorry Nette, that's awful

Uncle J: that's not rock n roll! is it that girl you told us about? Leela? Layla? 

Nette: probably, not that I can prove it

Marinette sighed, rubbing her eyes. She fired off the emails to her clients, hoping to get ahead for the night. She had finished her homework, but she still had an hour or two before she crashed for the night so she was hoping to get at least one of the designs finalised.

She got lost in the designing process, fresh pages becoming covered in sketches and annotations. She surfaced from her work after Tikki reminded her that she had school the next morning, so she readied herself for bed. When she checked her messages again before she went to sleep, she saw a new one flashing on the group chat.

Aunt P: if you need a hand rebranding, creating a new website, just let us know. we're proud of you for being so mature with this and we'll help you succeed

Nette: thanks both, I may take you up on that. I just need a couple of days to get over this setback and we'll sort it

It was after a fitful night's sleep that Marinette awoke, late as usual, and ran through her morning rituals. She shoved her hair into a bun, dragged on a semi-respectable outfit and grabbed a croissant on her way through the bakery. Now that she was in lycée, she had to travel further in the mornings. Fortunately, with the motorcycle she had finally passed the test to drive, she didn't need to rely on public transport to get there.

“Girl, are you okay?” Alya raced up to her as she pulled into the lycée car park, throwing her arms around Marinette. “Lila told us your website went down last night, right when she was about to submit a request! What happened?”

“Someone started a rumour that I stole my designs and it meant a bunch of people started trashing the site,” Marinette said, trying to keep her voice even. She couldn't help stressing the first word, as she knew who was likely behind it, but she regretted it when Alya sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Not again, Marinette! I know it's been hard for you since you and Adrien didn't work out, and now it looks like he and Lila are going to start dating, but you need to stop with the jealousy! I love you, girl, but you get so into your head about him.”

“Alya, I didn't even say anything!” Marinette protested, weariness settling back onto her like an old, heavy blanket. “Look, whatever, it's not important right now. We're going to be late to class if we don't hustle.”

“I know you, Mari, you always think it was Lila!” Alya sounded exasperated, and it wasn't like Marinette could refute it. They walked along the hallway to their lockers, nodding at their friends as they passed. “And I get it, really, you can't help how you feel, but like I've told you before, you have to look at things objectively to get to the truth!”

Marinette bit her tongue, not wanting to point out that Alya’s blind insistence that Lila would never do such a thing was just as subjective as her believing that she had. She deliberately changed the topic to something else, ignoring the disapproving look her best friend shot her.

When they entered their classroom, Marinette greeted her other friends, sliding easily into her seat. She had chosen to sit at the back of the class so that nobody could say she had to give up her seat to someone else, reducing the upset it caused when Lila started spinning tales. She was fortunate that Lila had been placed in a different class in the previous years, but in her last year of lycée, her luck had finally run out.

“Oh my gosh, Marinette, I heard about your website!” Came the liar's high pitched faux-concerned voice. It grated on her that she would have to play nice with Lila once again, as Lila got her jabs in at Marinette. “It's so scary that someone would start a rumour about your work ethic, with so little evidence! Adrien and I were talking about it last night, he's always saying how you're still such a good friend to him.”

“Yeah, well, actually there's no evidence of me stealing designs because it's one hundred percent untrue,” Marinette said blandly, staring Lila down. She ignored the distressed noises the other girl started to make and waved a hand. “It doesn't matter, I have a few commissions to get through, but then I should take a break from designing to focus on the BAC anyway…”

Everyone around her told her it was such a shame that she wouldn't be able to take on new commissions for a while and she nodded glumly. She had no intention of stopping designing, of course, but this would hopefully give her some breathing room whilst she got herself set up again - anonymously this time. 

Which sadly meant that Max was no longer an option for making a new website. As much as she loved her friends, they really didn't look too hard at Lila's fantastic stories, which meant they would blithely tell the witch when Marinette set up again. This way, she would make a name for herself separately, and claim the brand in a few years once it was fully legitimised.

The lessons that day felt like they dragged on forever, Marinette just wanting to go home and make some progress on her commissions. She had learned to keep her sketchbooks at home - she didn't want to lose her work to people like 14-year-old Chloe - so she focused on trying to get a headstart on her homework whenever she had a free minute.

“Marinette! We were just talking about our Christmas plans, girl, weren't you making a bunch of designs for the local nativity play?” Alya beckoned her over and Marinette hid the grimace that threatened to cross her face. “Wow, that's so cool! Did you volunteer or something?”

“Not really, they saw some of my work and offered me a reasonable price for their main costumes for the play,” Marinette answered, wary of where the conversation would go next. She had stopped doing freebies for her friends, which had upset them until she had explained that she wanted to go to university in America and needed to spend all of her time on paid commissions. 

“Oh, it's so nice for you that you're comfortable taking pay from such an underfunded space, Marinette!” Lila put in, sounding sweet as per usual, but with all of the underhandedness that Marinette was accustomed to. “I was just telling Rose that I'm planning on volunteering my time at a soup kitchen throughout the Christmas period. My friends, Damian and Tim, their family funds a few different charities both here and abroad. Do you think Adrien will be able to help out too?”

“You should probably check with his aunt,” she replied flatly, refusing to be baited into an argument about whether she should be doing the costumes for free. “I need to go and eat, excuse me.” She pushed away from the table, feeling drained again and resolutely ignoring the conversation that picked up about Lila's ‘friends’. Marinette was sure that whoever Lila was claiming to know this time had no clue who she was and she wasn't going to get stuck in that mess.

She toyed with her phone before deciding that she absolutely needed a new website and that Penny's friend was likely her best bet. So she crafted her message, begging Penny to put her in touch with her computer whiz before slogging through her homework and lunch.

_ _ _

Marinette sat nervously at her desk later that evening, waiting for the video call Penny had promised her. They had decided a three-way call was the best way to introduce them both, but as the other two were in America, it was later than Marinette would have liked for a video call.

Tikki was sitting quietly on her shoulder as she sketched anxiously. She knew that whoever Penny was introducing her to would be nice enough, but she was always unsure of meeting new people. She added a few details to her work, and jumped when the laptop began ringing. She hastily accepted the call, twisting in her chair and tapping her fingers.

“Hi, Nette,” came Penny's bright voice. “And hey Babs, thanks for coming on the call to help. Marinette, this is Barbara, an old student of sorts. I worked with her back when I was an aide at Gotham U, she was studying library science with a minor in computer sciences. Babs, this is Marinette, Jagged's personal designer. She's done a ton of his more recent album artwork and designed all of his stage outfits for the last 2 years. She's also our honorary niece.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Marinette!” The woman was leaning towards her screen, scrutinising the teenager. Marinette eyed her as well, seeing a whole mane of red hair and glasses above a broad smile. “Penny mentioned you needed some help with a website, though she didn't mention you were so accomplished already.”

“Ah, yes, I had some recent trouble with my own website and I don't have enough technical know-how to create something secure. I'm planning to go anonymous, to prevent the same thing happening again, but I have no idea where to start,” Marinette explained, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. 

“And how do you plan to get clients if you have no base to start from?” Babs was beginning to type furiously, a gleam in her eyes. “Don't get me wrong, I'm sure your work is wonderful, but if you don't have any endorsements, isn't it really hard to break onto the fashion scene?”

“Oh, well I thought I'd have Jagged do the introduction, if that's okay, Pen? Because I'm under 18, I didn't tell anyone except my maman that I was working with Jagged and she promised to keep it to herself. I figured that way I can sort commissions and won't have a problem with getting new clients.”

“Wicked idea, M!” Came Jagged's voice from off screen, making her giggle. “Babs, let us know when you have her site up and running and I'll rep it on my socials. Rock n roll, girls!”

So they worked out the logistics moving forward, Marinette trading contact info with Barbara and promising one evening a week to go over the website details. It was everything Marinette had hoped for when Penny had offered to connect her with a friend. When the call finally ended, it was closer to midnight in Paris and she was relieved that it was a weekend the following day.

“That went well, Marinette,” Tikki squeaked at her, floating around head height as the girl got herself ready for bed. Marinette agreed before collapsing into bed with a groan. It didn't take long for her to pass out, a slight smile on her face.

[astranite]

1 Hypocrites and Vulnerabilities: To Run From

John and Scott fight. Neither of them wanted to fight. Words are said and wounds are torn open.

Angst and hurt/comfort. AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56880745/chapters/144629212

This piece started off from two prompts by @smallfrysblog on tumblr then spiralled wonderfully from there. https://www.tumblr.com/astranite/754669532615983104. its the last two if you are curious.

I started writing this a while ago, adding to it and editing bit by bit so it was interesting to go back and see where my writing skills have grown over time!

---

Scott crept through the house, sneakers in hand, socked feet near silent on the wooden floors. He edged past his brothers’ rooms, wary in spite of the heavy sound proofing built into the walls. At Virgil’s door, he paused for a moment to listen to the soft snores from within. His Virgil, fast asleep, at home and okay. Not the set of blank brown eyes staring at him in his dreams.

(John never slept well these days, always to ready flinch awake at the first tones of a call incoming on the International Rescue frequency, fully alert in seconds because there were people counting on his expertise and they needed him switched on. His body never adjusted to the full night of sleep available on Island time, leaving him permanently jetlagged and awake at strange times of night.)

Entering the comms area, Scott tensed at the silhouetted figures lined up against the wall. They loomed in stiff formation. He stumbled back, exhausted mind racing with threats, searching for cover. 

Seconds stretched out, oozing and thick as tar. His heart raced. Then logic caught up, snapping into place. 

Their portraits. Hanging along the wall where they had always been. His siblings rendered in Virgil’s neat brushstrokes, all in their IR uniforms. Scott gritted his teeth, he needed to get a grip. He couldn’t be jumping at shadows, not when bigger threats were out there. His siblings needed a Commander, not whatever Scott was right now. Not Scott who’d nearly thrown himself to the floor at the faintest flicker of a threat, who couldn’t let go of things that were better off left to his nightmares.

The bright colours of their baldrics were meant to be visible in the worst of rescue conditions, in choking smoke, through turbid water and icy white out. They all blended into nondescript greys. Scott deliberately glanced away.

(He was exhausted and wired, barely down from Five. He’d peeled his space suit off like a second skin in favour of pyjamas he picked up off the floor where they’d landed last time he’d worn them. He hadn’t even showered before he’d clocked out. 

(That lasted for 45 minutes until a surge of adrenaline had John flailing, falling out of bed in a panic. The pokey bone of his ankle smacked a hard edge as he went down. Of all the fucking times, gravity! He was so useless here. Half-aware and automatically, he clawed himself off the floor, fingers curling around the comms watch they hit as he grabbed his bedside table to get up, going for the exit.

(He was listening out for call tones but he was awake because of near silent footsteps slipping past his door. They were Scott’s, of course he could recognise Scott’s footsteps, he could recognise the way his brother breathed over the staticky radio with every hundred thousand kilometres of distance between them if he needed to. The fear gutted him, and Scott was leaving —)

A blanket strewn over the back of a couch and a mug left on the coffee table were evidence of earlier activity in the now empty lounge. Scott took in a deep breath. A tiny, blinking blue light showed the On button of the holo projector. 

Dad’s desk was clear. Only Scott’s work tablet and a single reference book sat on the surface, stacked so the corners aligned with the ninety degree edge of the desk. Video game controllers, stray paint brushes and seashells were promptly retrieved by their respective owners on pain of being shoved in the one junk drawer Scott allowed. It overflowed into the others anyway. That was mostly Scott’s fault though.

The paperwork stored as digital files would cover the room if printed in hard copy. Forms for mission reports he was supposed to write. Blueprints he hadn’t yet looked over to approve. TI briefings marked as urgent he needed to read, flashing up red in his inbox but dated for weeks ago.

Scott shoved the thoughts out of his mind. He’d get to them. He wasn’t sure when but he had to, so he would. Likely it would mean another night of missed sleep but that didn't matter. He was handling it.

Right now, he needed to run. 

(Right now, he needed to find Scott.)

He needed to feel his heart race from exertion instead of fear.

(Where was he going? John wouldn't be able to find him—down here on Earth he was slowed, severed from all his data, screens and sensors, his lightning fast connection to the whole world—but none of that mattered anyway when Scott wouldn’t wear his damn watch. John’s heart raced from standing too fast. And fear, he wouldn’t admit it, but it was fear .)

He needed to pull himself together because everyone else was counting on him.

(Scott was counting on him, they were all counting on him. Get it together, John. ) 

Beyond floor to ceiling windows, the sky was the deep, purple-black of true night. It was hours before even Scott’s usual early rising time, but there was no way in hell he was getting back to sleep, not with what he’d seen, not with how the raw terror clung to him. He didn’t want to try.

The outside beckoned him, his running tracks all over the island. They promised as much freedom as he could claw out of the world. 

He’d get in One and just fly , but the others preferred to have someone at base to be air traffic control when he did that, even when he hadn’t blown his flight limits out of the water already. Running was the closest he’d could get to looping, soaring aerobatic manoeuvres through the pre-dawn skies.

When Scott pushed himself hard enough, adrenaline and exhaustion blurring together, he’d finally find something like peace. It took getting too tired to see straight, much less think, to make his mind shut up.

(John hoped he wasn’t too late. 

((He’d been too late before.))

(He hoped he was right about the gamble of which exit, following on faith he didn’t have when he couldn't see and didn't know where he was going, looping through the house so he might, might just make it, hoping that Scott wasn't gone already. 

(John shivered and wrapped his arms around himself as he stumbled to a stop, suddenly hit by dizziness and bone-deep, soul-deep tired .)

Scott bypassed the main door to the balcony in favour of a smaller side door which would be less conspicuous to open so late at night. He’d put on his shoes on the concrete outside away from hearing range of his brothers and the possibility of rubber soles squeaking on floor boards.

He eased the door open carefully, barely crack at a time. Maybe he was overcautious, wary in case the well-oiled hinges creaked, paranoid . He had to get beyond the balconies where no one could see him, then he could run and run and just be .

(There was Scott. John’s breath caught in his throat. So he held it, then slowly let it out to try to stop himself from shaking. He shoved down the urge to anxiously stim with his hands when it would give him away, until he was perfectly, unnaturally still. 

(His fingers dug into each opposite arm, hugged tightly around him. If he couldn’t do calm, he could at least fake keeping it together.)

“And where do you think you’re going?” A voice rang out behind him and Scott flinched. 

He let go of the door. It slammed shut. He pressed his back to it, flattening himself and hunching his shoulders before he had a second to breathe.

[a-dumb-sarcastic-bisexual]

Nimona headcanons that I've been too tired to write cause work is kicking my ass

I feel like Nimona and Bal are very used to Ambrosius being a very honest and kind person 

Until someone has something his family wants then he’s a cutthroat son of a bitch that will use every tool in his arsenal 

Sometimes he’ll turn up the charm and act like a total prince and sweep unsuspecting people off their feet 

Sometimes he’ll lean into the ditzy role that a lot of insecure men tend to put him in 

And sometimes he amps up the “I’m one of the most important people in this damn kingdom you will listen to me” vibes 

He’s also able to accurately guess which role he has to play at any given moment and it’s almost unnerving to see him quickly put on that mask 

One time Ambrosius bailed Bal and Nimona out of jail (when they shouldn’t have been there in the first place) with nothing but kind words and a pretty smile

Haggled down the price of supplies Bal needed and the sword Nimona was planning on stealing (after the owner tried to sell it to them for outrageous prices)

And schedule multiple interviews where Nimona was able to tell the whole ugly undiluted truth about their “savior” on national television 

All in one week

It was as impressive as it was terrifying but in a good way

The reason why Ambrosius does this is simple 

He’s sick and fucking tired of the people he cares about having to fight tooth and goddamn nail for a scrap of respect 

Like sure a lot of society doesn’t treat the duo like the dirt under their fingernails anymore but their respect and their praise are mostly surface level

It’s why their friend group is so goddamn tiny it’s why they moved basically to the middle of fucking nowhere and it’s why he’s spent every single day since the wall fell trying to fight for both their stories to be heard 

So he uses the stupid tools that his parents forcibly sharpened from a very young age because in his mind if he doesn’t use them then all that training was for nothing 

He also has a very mixed relationship with his teeth and his smile

Ambrosius has always had some crooked teeth

His parents forced him to get braces but he never wore his retainer after they were taken off

After the second set of braces failed his parents gave up and just told him to never smile with teeth during interviews or in public (photoshoots can be edited after all)

And this was always fine by him because if he heard one more person tell him to “open his eyes wider” he was going to fucking snap

He was also told from a very young age that his natural tooth smile was very awkward and took up too much of his face 

He also views smiling with his teeth to be a very personal and private thing 

He doesn’t know where this sentiment came from but he has a sneaking suspicion it’s because for the longest time Bal was the only one who could get him to smile with his teeth

The other two also have some pretty messed up munchers 

Bal has a lot of cavities because he was terrified of the dentist when he was younger

He also has two chipped teeth one was from a fight and the other was from walking into a door while reading a book (in his defense it was glass)

Nimona will mess with their teeth all the time 

Sometimes they’ll give themselves random gaps in their teeth

Sometimes they’ll forget how many teeth humans have and will forget molars and they won’t remember until they try to eat 

Sometimes they lose a tooth in a fight and don’t bother to grow it back until the next day cause they like the look of it 

Nimona never bothered to pretend to be perfect why start with their teeth

For some reason after everything was said and done Bal was super conscious of his right hand while holding things

If he was holding something he viewed as delicate like eggs or flowers or Ambrosius’ hand he would always switch it over to his left side

He just didn’t want to break those things so he was careful while training his fine motor control

But he forgot that he’s in love with one of the most stubborn people on the damn planet 

And if Ambrosius wants to hold Bal’s right hand then he’s holding his right hand 

Every time Bal would switch hands Ambrosius would just switch them right back without batting an eye

It took two weeks for Bal to finally give up and just hold his hand like a normal person

And Ambrosius considers that a personal victory

[marvelmusing]

The makeshift bundle of flowers, tied up with a delicate scrap of ribbon, sits comfortably on the smooth marble steps of the altar. Daisies and buttercups, a bright cheerful reminder of the hours you had spent exploring the fields of your childhood, hand in hand with Aleksander.

Those fields were now desolate, stained by the black sand of the Unsea, made uninhabitable by the mysterious blight that continues to tear the country apart, and Aleksander had burnt on the pyre several months ago.

A tiny frown pulls at your brows as an ornate bunch of black roses are placed beside your flowers.

“I miss him too, you know.” She seems surprised by the confusion in your eyes as you turn to look at her. Someone must have tailored her hair, as the saintly white has been replaced with a soft brown. She glances down at the altar as she says a single word that makes your blood boil. “Aleksander.”

Your expression hardens.

“Careful with your pity, Alina Starkov.” You warn her. Whether she flinches at your tone, or the sound of her name - a name now buried by myth, legend, and religion - you’re not sure. “Speak his name again, and I will cut out your tongue.”

Her jaw tenses and Alina has the audacity to appear upset. Anger blazes in your eyes, and some sense must return to her, because she takes a step away from you as your face twists into something dark.

“You don't deserve to mourn him.” You all but snarl at her.

She swallows hard, her throat bobbing, as if her loss could ever compare to yours. You had been by Aleksander’s side since the beginning - as his friend, his lover, his partner. In return, he was your everything.

“I loved him too.”

“Did you?” Her lips part in shock at your words, but you continue, fuelled by the gaping hole in your heart. “Or did you just love how he made you feel? Special, important, extraordinary? You aren’t any of those things now.”

“I’m happy. Happier than I ever was with him.”

At the sound of her words, your heart twists. How dare she? What right does she have to be happy? Aleksander had been fighting for Grisha for centuries. Alina struggles through a few years. How is it fair that she is the one to earn happiness, when Aleksander is gone and you are left alone?

“Then why are you here? Why trek all this way, up into the mountains, to pay your respects to a man you weren’t happy with?”

Her expression falters, and you know she had been hoping you wouldn’t ask her that question.

“Grisha are in charge of running the country now. They could use your help.”

You almost laugh at it all. More people in power who wanted to use you to do their dirty work. It wouldn’t be the first time you had put your heart and soul into improving the lives of your people - only to be turned on once the job had been done.

Instead you keep your eyes on the altar, created in Aleksander’s memory by worshippers of the Starless Saint.

“For centuries, I have done nothing but offer my help. All I have received in return is grief.”

Your fingers trail along the thin chain around your neck, running your fingertips over the loops of metal until you find the charm at the centre of the necklace. A thick coin that shimmers despite the dark grey of its dull surface. Aleksander’s symbol had been pressed onto it during its creation.

David had fashioned the charm for you, after you had appeared at his workshop one night with tears in your eyes and a small pouch of ash clutched tightly in your hands.

It was tradition for a Grisha’s ashes to be fashioned into a brick, that would become a part of the Little Palace, as a way of honouring the life of each and every Grisha lost to the war.

Despite what everyone believes of Aleksander, you will always know that he deserves to be honoured. David had believed that too, which was why he had gifted you the necklace made from Aleksander’s ashes.

What David didn’t know was that you planned to use the remainder of the ashes, along with merzost, to bring Aleksander back.

Thunder rolls over the sky above you, and you know that Alina will have a hard time travelling down the mountain in this weather. Luckily for you, your cabin isn’t far from the temple.

Without a word, you tuck your necklace back under your shirt, nestled safe against your beating heart.

It won’t be long now Sasha, I promise. I’ll bring you back, and once I do I’ll never let you go.

Tugging the hood of your cloak over your head, you turn away from the altar, and breeze past the former Saint.

“Goodbye, Miss Starkov.”

You step out into the rain.

-

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity

[lollytea]

any huntlow miraculous au ideas ??

Disclaimer: I have not watched miraculous in nearly four years. I do not know what is going on in that show anymore and at this point I'm too afraid to ask.

However the reason I did start watching it for a time was because I was intrigued by the concept. I liked this idea of different facets of your personality only on display depending on the identity you're presenting and how mixed up that can get when it's a romance between two people who know each other with and without the mask and how the relationships shift depending on that. It's very basic superhero trope stuff but idk it scratches the little part of my brain that's obsessed with psychology and messy convoluted character dynamics. So the idea of doing something like that with huntlow DOES sound cool. But I have no concrete ideas.

Me personally I don't like doing AUs with huntlow unless it keeps them in the Boiling Isles setting and it keeps their respective backgrounds as GG and half-a-witch Willow. So I'm not big on Human AUs. So I wouldn't think too much about a typical miraculous AU myself. I'll leave that to other people to have their fun with. I love the miraculous AU art they do 💕

But WHAT IF. WHAT IF WHAT IF

Okay okay okay. So what if we start off with the idea of Willow having a celebrity crush on the Golden Guard. Remember that AU? So lets say its pre-season 1. So Willow is still in the abomination track and is kinda a shrinking violet. So the Golden Guard happened to rescue her once and now she's all smitten over how cool and confident he is.

Anyway, Willow is forbidden from doing plant magic. However Willow loves to do plant magic. So her solution to this is to do plant magic in secret. One thing leads to another and now she sneaks out of the house every night and uses her magic to assist civilians in need. She's never really had a chance to let loose with her powers before. It makes her feel so cool and strong. Plus she really does empathize with how it feels to be vulnerable so she likes to help when she can. So she's developed a little bit of a superhero-ish alter ego.

The aesthetic of this is just making me go insane. Like the plant based superhero costume Willow would fashion for herself. It'd be so dorky and over-the-top. Im seeing shit like a poofy little dress, a skirt made out of giant flower petals, boots made of leaves, vines snaking all over her limbs. Fairycore vibes. I also really like the idea of using her magic to spread a cluster of tiny flowers around her eyes in the shape of a domino mask.

She calls herself "Force of Nature" (or "Force" for short.) And honestly, the name suits the person she becomes. When she's taking on this identity, Willow's full chaotic side comes out. She's got a big personality. She's ruthless, she's talkative, she's mischievous, she's everything that's always been bubbling under her surface. I wanna say she even takes a little inspiration from the trademark Golden Guard dazzle.

Now Hunter is the Golden Guard and he believes it's his duty to help and protect people of the Boiling Isles. However, he begins to notice that Belos is constantly preventing him from doing so. Hunter keeps getting sent on tedious tasks to collect ingredients for his uncle's experiments or deal with business matters or WHATEVER. There is a distinct lack of helping going on here. And everytime he tries to respectfully point it out, Belos insists that the work Hunter does is important. Admittedly, Hunter is beginning to get a little frustrated. He certainly doesn't want to believe that his uncle is wrong (His uncle is never wrong.) Buuuuut maybe his uncle just isn't seeing the big picture correctly. Maybe he just needs a little convincing.

So this is when Hunter commits himself to sneaking out of the castle at night and helping all the people that the Golden Guard was too busy to help. If he used his GG persona, word would get around and he'd be in trouble for disobeying. So Hunter opts to carry out these deeds unmasked. He might have a special outfit for the occasion but his full face is on display. Doing these things has nothing to do with building Hunter's confidence, it's just to do what's right.

He keeps a journal where he documents all the good he's done while carrying out this secret job and intends to hand it over to Belos once it's full so his uncle will finally understand. The mental gymnastics are insane here. Deep down, Hunter knows Belos would kill him if he ever found out and he's taking this secret to his grave. But the journal helps him feel less disobedient so we'll let him have this.

Anyway of course Willow and Hunter eventually cross paths and decide to work together for the greater good. A friendship is formed and it does not take long before Hunter falls head over heels for Force of Nature. And because he's so transparently himself with none of his Golden Guard swag, he's a shy blushy mess around her. It doesn't help that she's one of the only people besides Belos to call him by name.

(He didn't tell her his name at first. It only slipped out after he developed a crush and he found that he had a really hard time saying no to her.)

Meanwhile Willow is very fond of Hunter. However, I feel like she's kinda blocked herself off from entertaining the idea that she might have feelings for him because of her crush on the Golden Guard. It's a very idealized crush and she's built it up so much in her head that it subconsciously prevents her from even thinking about anyone else in a romantic light. But I think some feelings for Hunter might be sneaking up on her without her noticing.

Anyway Willow has hung around Bonesborough often enough that she knows the exact times the Golden Guard shows up for patrol. She slinks around the areas where he's known to meet with people and discuss business. She'll wander around town on weekends just for the off chance of spotting him. However, though she's brave enough to march right up and say hello, she really hasn't a clue how to talk to him like a normal person so all that comes out is word vomit. (Again, this is pre-season 1 Willow. A bit of a nervous wreck.) Anyway she's stopped to "talk" with him enough times that he remembers who she is now. So that's a start!

On Hunter's end, there's this one schoolgirl who he usually meets in town and she's a massive stroke to his ego. She's clearly starstruck with him and he's eating it up. He's constantly playing up the GG persona for her to the point that it's almost flirtatious. He doesn't really notice that he's doing this and doesn't understand that she might take that the wrong way. Hunter doesn't have any strong opinions about Willow Park. She's sweet, she's a little awkward and he humors her whenever they meet. But he doesn't really form a deep friendship with her for quite a while because it can be very difficult to make connections when you're playing a character.

Anyway. There's a basic premise for your consideration. Hijinks ensue and whatnot.

[honeysucklebuttons]

Any Gonta hc's involving bugs? I'd love to hear them if you'll share! I'm curious what you got c:

Hello! Thank you for your patience, I've finally had some time to think about this wonderful question!! <3

_ In general, Gonta is especially protective of the bugs that have bad reputations. He loves and respects all of the amazing life forms out there, but there's something about them that he relates to, whether he realizes it or not. These misconceptions and fear of "gross" or "scary-looking" creatures that could be aggressive if provoked, with maybe a bite or sting or a disease inside them... well, he knows what that feels like to be seen on such a surface level. He's extremely wary of letting other people handle his own bugs in this category for this reason, until he's really truly sure that they'll be handled safely.

_ Some days it feels like he has an exoskeleton, because of the way the rain falls off of his shape, how kind words can bounce off and he feels like he has to show the side of him that won't waver. Some days he wishes he had one, because skin is easy to tear and bruise and blush, and oh, how it gives him away. But having bones on the inside is good, too.

_ I've mentioned before that Gonta sings a lullaby to his bugs every night, some tune he made up or learned while he was lost. (Maybe he managed to learn how to make certain bug sounds!!) This is true for both his bugs at work and at home! He might add words if there are people around that he doesn't mind singing in front of.......

_ Not really a hc, but please, if you will, imagine Gonta talking to baby bugs in a baby-talking voice, like most people do with pets. He doesn't use it with the adults, though - they deserve to be talked to like adults, after all!

_ Gonta building fun enclosures!! (I'm thinking about people with pet jumping spiders, specifically this one person who made their spider a miniature cat tree to explore for enrichment.) He knows what they need, and he can communicate with them to make their short life spans much more exciting! (Setting up tea parties with things they can eat; having an indoor garden area for the pollinators; etc)

_ There are many reasons that Gonta tears up or cries when his bugs are concerned. Celebrating an unexpectedly long life span, happy birthday!! A fight breaking out that he couldn't stop, between bugs that should have been just fine together... A new clutch of babies are hatching!! Oh, none of them made it... Having a staring contest with someone who follows his every movement!! A funeral for someone he's had a long time... Matchmaking a compatible match, they seem very happy!! An accident happened with the enclosure, or the food, or a person mishandled one of them... At the end of the day, sometimes just thinking about bugs is enough to do it!!!! And sometimes, "IT'S JUST SO TINY" is as valid a reason as any :D

_ Gonta is That Guy at bug conventions- people whisper excitedly about him as he passes by, ask for photos, and more than once, he's had someone come up to him and ask anything from, "Would you like to hold my [species name]?! I'd be so honored if you did!!" to "Would you like to be featured in our publication? Your work proceeds you!" He's getting used to it, slowly.

_ Gonta talks to himself. Gonta also talks to bugs and other creatures. It's hard to tell who he's talking to if he's the only person around, sometimes...

_ He loves bug art and tattoos and, while he might not have any tattoos himself, he ogles politely when people show him theirs! At least a few people have asked to get his scientific drawings done as tattoos and he's always initially like "why tho????" until he sees it and then it's "!!!!!!!!!!!" hehe

Okay I think I'll stop here for now.......... thank you for the wonderful Gonta daydreams, I hope these are what you were looking for! (Hopefully you didn't want specific ones like... how does Gonta feel about ladybugs or something lol) (he loves them, next question) <3 <3 <3

[xprojectrpg]

Moment of Awesome - David Haller/Legion: Following his "healing" at the hands of Radha Dastoor, Haller meets with Quentin concerning his newfound ally's methods.

"Quentin. Thanks for meeting me."

Though the double-barreled shotgun Quentin held was only a psychic construct, as evidenced by the fact it was bright pink and glowed, Sydney's gun safety lessons were ingrained, so Quentin lowered it and set it aside before turning to face his visitor. "Jimothy. You seem . . . different. Did you do something with your hair?"

"No. I went to see Radha a couple days ago." The older man paused, as if struggling to find the right word. Then, seeming to find nothing more accurate, he said, "She cured me."

"Of your crippling need to sacrifice your own wellbeing for the sake of helping other people who barely appreciate it?"

"No." Haller looked at the target so recently decimated by Quentin's shotgun and raised a hand.

It happened slowly enough that the process was clear to the naked eye. The noise came first: a tortured snapping, like someone slowly bending a two by four. The wooden posts began to splinter as if unseen hands were rending the wood apart from every angle, shredding them into dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of pieces barely bigger than matchsticks. They hung in the air, a latticework of drifting wood, and the X-Man twisted his hand. The particles began to smolder, then swirl. A column of tiny flames swirled into the air like a swarm of fireflies. With a final snap of Haller's fingers the column exploded outward into a shining cloud.

The tattered paper target fluttered to the grass, untouched.

Ash raining around them, Haller turned back to Quentin.

"My other problem."

It was an impressive display, kind of showboaty considering Quentin's own telekinesis was limited to carrying groceries or packing a bowl, though he could appreciate the drama of it all, particularly the final snap.

"Looks like she just replaced mental illness with compulsory destruction of property," he sighed as he dismissed his psychic shotgun in a puff of pink mist. He would have to take to the Danger Room now to practice, and he really did not care to have any X-Man watching over his shoulder. "Not her best work. But a cure's a cure, I guess."

"I didn't ask for one. She didn't even warn me. She just did it." The words were uncharacteristically sharp. Even as he heard it he tried to rein himself in, but it was difficult. His emotions seemed to be closer to the surface, messier, especially the aspects that had previously been delegated to Cyndi and Jack. Haller took a deep breath and tried to choose his next words with care.

"Look," he said, "Radha saw something she thought was ugly, and instead of asking she just changed it. She went into my mind and made me conform to her expectations of what a real person should look like. Like I was just a piece of broken furniture she found on the side of the road that she could refurbish and sell off again." The counselor shook his head. "I know you respect her, and that she seems to have done a lot of good for a lot of people, but if this is how she thinks -- what are the implications for the world she's trying to build?"

Quentin crossed his arms and defiantly glared at Haller. (Just David now? He wondered. This meant Cyndi was gone. Pity.) "Seems to me she healed a lifetime of trauma and intense psychological impairment, which you've spent how many decades trying to treat? And no one else has ever even come close to it, while she did it in the blink of an eye. Painlessly. She found your problem and fixed you, and I bet she didn't even ask for a 'thank you' in return."

"That's the thing. She didn't fix anything. She just got rid of how I dealt with it. DID is a survival mechanism, not a party trick. If Radha had bothered to ask, I'd have told her the others were created to hold experiences and memories so traumatic I almost lost my mind, and that all she did by removing my ability to dissociate was ungate them for me all at once. Now I remember everything. Feel everything. Unfiltered." Haller took a swift step forward that brought him immediately into Quentin's space, staring the younger man dead in the eyes. A small blotch of brown in his left eye was the only remaining trace of his natural heterochromia, but the ice in his tone could have been Jack's.

"Tell me I'm lucky to remember the sound of fat popping while I burned six people alive," Haller whispered. "Tell me I should thank her for the memory of being trapped in every single one of their disintegrating minds as I tore the tendons from their bones. That I owe her for a memory I didn't even know I had: being trapped in the rubble under my guardian's corpse, smelling charred human meat while the flies crawled over us."

He was breathing hard now, and he could feel the telekinesis shivering just beneath his skin -- close. Too close. This wasn't Quentin's fault. Haller turned away and pressed his hands to his face, steadying himself. He took another deep breath. "Sorry," he said, "but those decades of worthless treatment are the only reason I'm still standing here."

[shutkimaachmarka]

about Ludwig and JS each:

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about this character?

23. Favorite picture of this character?

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Hi ! thank you for the question, i'll try answering it sticking to the characters but with minor references to the actual people cause we don't have enough material sighhh 5. I associate them both with a TON of songs but primarily "what was i made for" for ludwig, and "surface pressure" for johann ludwig: i could go on forever about him mainly because one depicts his internal turmoil and pain of coming to terms with his disability as well as his relationship with his passion for art and music in the process (for "what was i made for"). kind of reminiscing what he used to be like once when he wasn't... disabled? a mix of hurt, burned out numbness but there's always that light at the end of the tunnel yknow? like just a bit of hope, something that might make things a tiny bit more worthwhile, more bearable. johann: johann isn't just the leader of the group but he has always, and most often been in a role as the person with the biggest responsibilities, but he doesn't want it to SHOW, he doesn't want to allow anyone to think they can't rely on him, so while his fun-loving side comes out sometimes, with his persona and his work environment he often takes too much of the pressure until at one point he just... CAN'T function anymore, and kinda like luisa his ability to stand strong wanes. honorable mentions to "my love mine all mine" and "abbey" by mitski for ludwig and johann respectively 23. not entirely sure if you're referring to tsv canon beethann or irl beethann but i'll attach pictures below heh

25. my first impression of ludwig has remained largely unchanged, except i didn't know about him being deaf, sure he's pissed and harsh a lot of the times but being disabled is exhausting especially when you have added trauma pertaining to other stuff and you're in a place where you're expected to keep up constantly with able-bodied standards and even then it's never enough and it's a really isolating world, so I kind of get where his anger stems from, but it's nice that with the others he kind of is calmer and more free to express himself around people who won't hurt him or judge him and he reciprocates that love greatly my first impression of johann wasn't much other than serious, stern, possibly the only not traumatized person but HOOOO BOY WAS I WRONG apparently according to historical sources this man was an orphan raised by his two big brothers, has had a pretty wink wink nudge nudge homoerotic relationship with a prince, wrote gay cantatas about apollo and hyacinthus, knew swordfighting, died of the most agonizing surgical practice. we don't get to see him talk much as an active character in tsv canon either but he's a smart, bold pretty outspoken guy which makes him both a good leader and also an interesting character so i think we need more of johann's very kdrama-esque characterization in fics

[k4tisblog]

08 MEDIA DIARY: Dan & Phil & Privacy

HELLO INTERNET!!!!!!!! If you didn't know me in 2012-2017, you might not know about my little fixation on these two British men on YouTube. Meet Dan Howell and Phil Lester. They started out as teenagers making silly videos in their bedrooms. Dan inspired by and a fan of Phil, made his own content and - come 2009, ended up meeting Phil.

(Moral of the story: Parasocial relationships work! Sometimes!)

Chaos ensues, they bond for life.

Now you can never really think of one without the other.

Without getting too much into it, yes. You know the internet. There was HEAVY speculation on their relationship and sexuality. I never got into it myself, but it was a huge part of the "phan"dom in the early days. Inescapable. Them openly denying that they were gay while their fanbase wrote insane erotic fanfiction (think: hamsters, peeling of skin), made "evidence" edits, and leaked footage from their private lives - It was a wild ride, and dare I say invasive at times. They did come out as queer at the end of June 2019! In Dan's 45-minute-long video titled "Basically I'm Gay", we get to know a lot of his personal battle with his sexuality, yet while still barely scratching the surface of it all.

"Obviously we were more than friends, but it was more than just romantic. This is someone that genuinely liked me. I trusted them. And for the first time since I was a tiny child, I actually felt safe. And the relationship we formed at that point was something that I needed in my life. We are real best friends, companions through life, like actual soulmates." is what Dan says about Phil, choosing not to elaborate further. He sets a boundary with his audience, stating that he wants to keep his personal life private (and so does Phil).

I respect that dearly, and I am glad that the fanbase has matured a bit more over the years to abide by that boundary (at least from what I've gathered. I hope... Looking up their names seems to say otherwise). Learning what to keep private and what to turn into content is a fascinating practice. Especially when you're a celebrity whose entire brand revolves around your person, stories, and hijinks. There will always be people who you can't control - those who view you as a commodity, a story to unpack and watch unfold. I feel like none of us are built to be seen by this many people at once. On a personal account, everytime I've encountered a brush of virality I go a bit cuckoo and I find myself withdrawing into a shell. It really does take a certain strength/dissociation to be perceived by so many.

Anyways, they uploaded a video on their shared gaming channel recently! "A Fan Perfectly Recreated Our House in Roblox". Self-explanatory, and also not clickbait! It was fun seeing their old apartment perfectly recreated as they occasionally showed clips of videos, reminiscing about their old content.

...Pretty jarring to see their real street views outside their windows, though! (O_o) ( 8:38 ) A bit funny, but also not funny at all. I giggled, had a bit of a haha hehe, but I also worried. There are definitely people out there who stalk creators by going to places they frequent, or even their own homes just from clues online.

Everyone is a content creator to some extent, so we need to be mindful! Digital footprint, guys! Moral of the story is shut your blinds and throw away your phones and delete yourself off the face of the internet and change your name and live off the grid and. I'm kidding... I also wrote this at 1.25am and am unsure how to end it. GOODNIGHT INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Goodnight Chris.

[demonwebs]

soooooo !!  been working on building some kind of lore around the concept of ghost spiders because they sounded very interesting to me from the brief pieces of information i could scavenge from the web. I wanted to try and incorporate this in my portrayal in a way that feels more mm, interesting, and delve a little into how their powers might work, how they're seen within drow society, what’s their connection with lolth, etc. if you enjoy rambling 👍 if not run away and save yourself bye

So, Szarkai are rarely born, but what happens when they are? How do people view them in the Underdark? If they happen to be born in a common family, for whatever reason, they will be taken from their families and begin their training to be top spies from as early as possible. They are treated like royalty, even if they’re not, which Vhaal already had the advantage of being, and envied by almost every other drow, which means they respect you…? Mm, well to your face, maybe, but it mostly means they want to kill you. So, Szarkai often receive the “princess in a tower” treatment from their families. Meaning: they are confined to their homes, can’t leave unless their matrons order them to, and if they absolutely must, they do so under disguise, due to how cutthroat drow society can be, especially murder capital Menzoberranzan. 

What does this mean for Vhaal? Well, it means like all other Szarkai before him, he grew up fairly sheltered, and I’m using this term loosely here because “sheltered” within drow society means very different things than on the surface. He was still beaten and abused, whipped, tortured, threatened if he didn’t do as told, and essentially made to believe he only lives to obey the commands of his Lolth, his Matron, and his sisters, but he also didn’t experience the harshness of society as a whole outside of his noble house (ex; he never had to resort to cannibalism, or was used as target practice by the Priestesses of Lolth. Yay?) His life revolved around studying, training, and training some more. He was to do nothing else, not hobbies, nor indulging in pleasures, not until he’d graduated (he was trained privately) and his training was finished, at which point he could be sent to the surface to act as Lolth’s spy and do her bidding.

And why are they viewed as precious, exactly? Note this is not canon to dnd, because I don't care. I’m allowing myself creative freedom, and dnd lore hurts my head, so I'm making the Szarkai a little more than a genetic mutation working with the base they gave me. Now, from what I could find online, there is some precedence for this (but drow who worship Lolth are part of a cult, so it might as well just be blind belief), but we know is that the birth of a Szarkai is incredibly rare, very few are mentioned throughout their whole 6000 years of existence, and many believe it to be a blessing from Lolth on the House where they are born to basically reward them for being such good little pets for mommy (I mean, my words but… essentially Lolth’s words also I’m sure). Vhaal’krin comes from the House Symryvvin, which is frequently referred to as “the eyes of Lolth in the city”, not the highest ranked of the noble houses, but said to be one of the most devout to the Spider Queen still. His Matron is one of the most powerful Priestesses of Lolth in the city, and working under the umbrella that this is in fact a ‘blessing’ bestowed by the Spider Queen, Vhaal’krin being born a Szarkai would make perfect sense. We all know drow live in constant shame, because they can never fully live up to Lolth's demands, and they can't look like her, and in truth, the Spider Queen can never truly be pleased, and if nothing else, because Szarkai are so arachnid like in their genetics while not being full on driders, yeah she probably does like them like a tiny bit more, which essentially just means she gets off on testing you and bullying you more than anyone else because you're her favorite pet, and don't you dare complain about it.

They are described as having “have pale, bone-white, or even alabaster-white skin and red eyes.” which meant they could easily pass for elves on the surface, and not be suspected as drow, it made them invaluable as spies, and it gave Lolth reach in places she otherwise wouldn’t have (and she does want to be worshiped by more than drow and extend her reach, she just also… has a difficult time not loathing everyone lmao). They also note “Many drow thought of Szarkai as a separate race,” and that some of them “had minor deformities, such as a lack of hair, small fangs, or gnarled and claw-like hands, suggesting the popular view had a slight basis in fact.” so the idea there might be in fact something more than just albinism going on isn’t that far fetched. Now, for my personal portrayal, I'm gonna go ahead and say albinism while very rare, can and does happen within the drow community, so when a Szarkai is born, most assume they are just that: a rare albino drow, except the two are separate entities, albeit they appear very similar on the surface. Szarkai have deformities (claws, fangs, etc), plus a few… peculiarities and powers that make them very arachid-like, and an intense connection to Lolth, albino drows do not. They look similar, and are rare enough no two have existed at the same time, not even decades apart, so most people can’t tell the difference, and they’re put in the same basket. They are not. What they are is the result of direct godly meddling by Lolth. You could say she “weaves her web in the wound of their mothers to create an extension of her will into the world.” and from the moment they are born they can hear and feel a connection to the Spider Queen unlike any other because, well, they are part of her, in a sense, born out of divine favor, seen as the direct offspring or chosen vessels of Lolth herself (her flesh, her eyes and ears, her hands), created to do her bidding, and serve her purpose which they don't get to know until she wants them to know, if she wants them to. They are to be trained to carry out special missions on her behalf and cause absolute chaos.

Their birth is always shrouded in myth and mystery, always to be kept secret, with only the most trusted family members and allies aware of their existence until they are ready to fulfill their divine roles. Szarkai are hidden away and guarded until they reach maturity, trained in secret by elite tutors and protected by powerful wards, and ensuring they remain alive is as much a test of a House’s loyalty and strength as anything else. In the rare event a Szarkai child is born, the house is expected to prove its worthiness by raising and protecting the child without faltering until they reach adulthood. This absolutely does not exempt them from suffering mindless abuse, in fact, she demands more of them than any other, and failing to make them "strong" in the eyes of Lolth would be seen as much of a failure as killing them in the process of doing so. And if you fail? Well, as it often does, it will bring Lolth’s wrath and disfavor (and you know what happens when she's unhappy? Probably death). Despite being called “favored” and “blessed”, there’s no actual records or tales of a Szarkai living any longer than any normal normal drow, in fact, they tend to live shorter, more isolated lives, and go insane prior to “vanishing”. Most likely, once they outlive their usefulness or fail to keep her favor, the Queen calls them back to the abyss to consume them.

They are born with innate magical abilities tied directly to the Abyss and to Lolth, their dna isn't pure drow, and that's why there's always a little something about their appearances that give people pause. I’ll go into further detail in a bit, but the tldr is: they share a few arachnid-like traits and abilities, enhanced combat prowess, and an affinity for arachnids (shocker ik). They can also receive (be tormented by, really) visions of Lolth, no matter how far they have strayed from the reaches of the Demonweb Pits, and as you can imagine, Lolth’s whisperings will leave anyone mad in time, so they’re usually not the most stable of people.

They are always Lolth’s spies, whether they would like to be or not; their eyes and ears are hers to see through unless they can find a way to sever the connection (maybe pleading another God for help like Eilistraee could do the trick, but who knows). As they move through the Underdark and beyond to gather intelligence, infiltrate enemy ranks, and manipulate events in favor of drow interests, she is always watching, and if she is unhappy, she’s going to make sure they know that. Their very abilities seem to be crafted to make them able to blend in and remain undetected, the perfect pawns for espionage.

To the fun bit, what powers does he have, exactly? Have I thought about this an unnecessary amount of time? Maybe so. Keep in mind, I’ll be adding collateral effects to a lot of these because Lolth is an asshole lmao ain’t no way she’d just give you things without some cruel or dangerous side effect.

Shadow Manipulation

Ability to Control Shadows: The ability to control and manipulate shadows, allowing him to move unseen, create tangible constructs from darkness, or even use shadows as weapons in combat.

Shadow Meld: He can blend into shadows, becoming invisible in dim light or darkness, making him almost impossible to detect when in the dark.

Shadow Step: A teleportation ability that allows him to step through shadows, moving instantaneously from one darkened area to another within a certain range.

Possible side effects:

Shadow Corruption: Overuse of shadow manipulation will cause the body to gradually merge with the shadows, making it less corporeal. This might lead to a loss of physical sensation, light sensitivity, difficulty interacting with the material world, or/and an uncontrollable urge to remain in darkness.

Haunted by Shadows: If his concentration is broken as he commands the shadows to act on his behalf, they might become sentient or develop a will of their own, acting against his desires or even turning on him.

Lolth’s Touch

Lolth's Blessing: If he is currently under her favor, he is able to summon swarms of spiders. If he has lost her favor, there’s a good chance the spiders will turn on him and his allies if he attempts to summon them during combat.

Prophetic Visions: During his meditative state, he can receive visions or premonitions from Lolth, guiding him or warning him of future events. The visions are usually cryptic, never for his benefit, and require interpretation. There’s also a 50% chance she just thought it’d be funny to fuck with you because she can.

Spiderstep: The ability to climb difficult surfaces and crawl on walls and ceilings. Immune to being enwebbed. His movement speed is not affected by web surfaces.

Even more terrible side effects:

Divine Burnout: Lolth’s blessing can cause extreme fatigue and/or a temporary loss of other abilities. This might be especially severe if he channels too much power at once, requiring long recovery periods afterward.

Insidious Whispers: After receiving visions, he might be plagued by Lolth’s whispers, inducing paranoia, hallucinations, or even compulsions that drive them to commit acts of cruelty or betrayal against their will.

Enhanced Darkvision

Nocturnal Predator: Allows him to sense any creature through vibrations and movement in darkness within 40m of him and know their approximate location. If a creature is within this range, he can’t be surprised, and they don’t have advantage unless he is unconscious. 

Nocturnal: Has advantage in darkness, disadvantage when fighting in broad daylight, as well as any spells involving light. Also he’ll fucking whine about it relentlessly.

Aura of Seduction

Seductive Ensnarement: Allows him to project an irresistible aura of charm, luring the prey towards him. If in close proximity, Vhaal'krin can focus his charm on a single target, overwhelming their senses and causing a temporary paralysis. The target becomes entranced, unable to move or think clearly, giving him opportunity to attack.

Venomous Touch

Claws: He attacks with his claws if not yielding a weapon, and deals piercing + necrotic damage .

Poisonous Bite: The ability to secrete poison through their fangs as he bites, dealing necrotic damage, paralysis, intense pain, or even hallucinations.

Spider Affinity

Spider Communication: Can communicate with spiders and other arachnids.

Web Weaver: The ability to create webs of various sizes and strengths, which can be used to enweb enemies, create barriers and difficult terrain.

Resilience and Immunities

Resistance to Poison: Naturally resistant to poisoning damage, fully immune to some poisons. The man's not only a cryptid, but he's also been building his immunity since he was a kid.

[sol-consort]

There was a 2d video game that's a slow race between a cat and a tortoise. The cat was wearing tiny professor clothes and walking on two legs while jumping from one wood log to another during the race. Meanwhile the tortoise didn't have any clothes but its shell, and it walked and moved on all 4 of its legs instead of two like the cat.

The game was a spin on the rabbit and turtle, except this time it was a race in duration rather than distance. The more you progressed during the race, the more visibly aged the two characters became. The cat grew a cute beard and had to use a walking stick as it neared the end of its life. The tortoise grew more wrinkly but was in a much better shape than the cat.

The cat never dies, even when their race surpasses current known year of history. The dev taking it upon themselves to show you how the future would look like through the various phases and different body modifications these two cartoonish animals get. Typical cyberpunk sci-fi stuff until you reach the final stage of the game.

What used to be two cute artoon animals have distorted so much to an unrecognisable degree. They're perfectly identical at the last stage of the race, turned into what look like big lanterns floating through the air. You wouldn't be able to tell who was who wasn't it for the cat's preference for red and the tortoise fondness for blue, which coloured each of their lanterns, respectively.

I was told at the end that this final stage was a reference to the cult the developer was a part of, the "shining" era of humanity where darkness looms and everyone has to carry a lantern everywhere. There was a group of 3 people talking about it around me as I stared at the floating lanterns on the screen, endlessly moving through the void and softlocking me from reaching a satisfying finish line because the shining era had no end. It was a doomsday cult.

For some reason the three people's knowledge about the cult started and ended around what the game showed despite how they subtly implied to be experts in this field of knowledge by their condcending demeanour while explaining it to me.

I remembered a 4chan post I've read months ago that I thought was just a shitpost attempt at creating a new meme. It was a fully detailed experiment on how to convert a human into a being of full light. It has mentioned the templars and talked about preparing for the darkness era, but it only left instructions on how to slowly expose your body "safely" to different radioactive elements until you too develop your own "natural" glow. If all fails, then you should set yourself on fire as a last measure of protection from whatever looms in the darkness since it'd be less painful.

Taking the chance to show off, I started telling them about this post I saw and describing the experiment. Their full attention was on me, they were eerily quiet but I was too focused on the chance to gloat about my knowledge to notice the way their eyes bulged out of their sockets.

My mouth wouldn't open. It was like I was talking through cotton, and I didn't know why. I clearly didn't have anything on my face, but my lips refused to part. It felt surreal to suddenly lose command of a part of your body without warning, no pain or anything.

And the three people wanted me to keep talking, they were getting closer, still silent and expression getting more angry the more I couldn't speak. I got irritated and attempted to rip an invisible mask from covering my mouth even tho I knew there was nothing, but it actually worked and I could talk again. In my hand laid a very large maggot like thing, invisible except for the way light reflected off of its wet surface. It was big enough to cover my entire mouth.

I didn't comprehend any of this, and oh, this is a dream, isn't it? That's when I woke up. Fully weirded out and not even remembering I fell asleep.

Like dude that dream was so weird, It even felt more like reality because I was playing that videogame that doesn't exist on a laptop. Someone else even showed me an article on their phone.

Like any normal person who was more than delighted at the chance of being a horror movie protagonist, I immediately googled the cult name, but when I actually got to typing it fucking slipped from my brain and I couldn't remember it.

I wrote this after waking up immediately because I didn't want to forget any of this, even now as I'm writing this the memories are getting foggy and I'm unsure of which part of this was even in my dream. There was a last part I wanted to urgently add but I genuinely can't remember anything about it except the urgency to reach it so I could write it down.

Googling templars with the word shining showed me nothing but articles about the movie the shining. Some cool roman chanting asmr rain videos that I listened to.

I don't remember their faces, just the eyes.

Some details I didn't mention above:

The race was set in the woods but eventually they burn down and are turned to rubble and ash, you get a glimpse of settlements on the horizon before the shining era arrives and you lose vision of everything except the two lanterns

The race wasn't a running one. They were jumping on wooden logs rolling from the ground. It was tricky to balance on them, and staying near the edge would make you slip and fall, then get crushed by the logs

I was controlling the cat

To keep up with the tortoise you had to let it get ahead of you then pick up the speed when it runs out of stamina

The cane the cat used to help it walk wasn't a good cane but a full empty shell of another tortoise with some extensions added to help the cat hold it, there was something rattling inside.

All of this happened at the end of the dream. Meanwhile, all the beginning and middle were me hanging out with these three people and how much of a good friend group we are.

I don't think the 4chan post exists. I think my brain made it up. It wasn't a screenshot of a post I saw but the post itself on the actual site.

I thought someone was touching me when I first woke up because I rubbed my stomach, which made a unique noise because of the satin shirt, but the noise kept going for 6 seconds when my hand stopped moving. I was scared to open my eyes. Then I thought "man fuck you demons aren't real" and opened them and the noise stopped immediately.

It was probably one of the fucking birds sqauting on my window squeaking for 6 seconds in a way that sounded to my sleepy brain like satin being rubbed. Because I felt no touch except my own, I only heard the noise and assumed it was me since it was so close by.

[remisummerglow]

Shrink Toys Reviews

Sex toys > Fetishes > Macrophilia > Shrinking and Growing Tools > Marcus and Johnson’s FAST Shrinking Powder, 500 mg

Reviews

Carl M.

A must-try for macrophiles

177 of 181 users found this useful

Thanks to this I was able to make my dream come true. I tried it with my girlfriend and the next thing I knew I ended up half a cm tall in her hand. I was able to explore her body all night. A few tips: 1) Make sure you get the antidote as well when you buy this. It’s sold separately so unless you want to stay tiny… plan accordingly. A lot of people complain about this. First they shrink and then they have to stay tiny for the next couple of days until they can get a taste of the antidote. Well, that doesn’t sound that bad to me at all! But whatever you wish to do, if you are reading this, you have been warned.

2) Make sure you can really trust the person you’re going to use this with. Horror stories are surfacing about people shrinking and then terrible things happening to them. DON’T use this with someone you just met, no matter how hot that may sound. DON’T use this with prostitutes. DON’T use this without telling your girlfriend/wife/whatever.

3) It’s called FAST because it’s meant to be used fast. Its effect wears off a few seconds after it’s opened. It’s made that way for a reason, otherwise it could be used to shrink unwilling peeps by adding it to their food and drinks. So don’t hesitate and just swallow it as soon as you can once you take it out of the blister. It’s not cheap so you’ll want to make sure you don’t waste it.

4) There are currently four sizes available: M (turns you ten times smaller, so about 17/18 centimeters if you’re average), S (turns you twenty times smaller, so about 8/9 centimeters), XS (about three hundred times smaller, more or less half a centimeter) and XXS (almost two thousand times smaller, more or less a millimeter). Make sure you get the version you would enjoy best. Essentially S means human dildo, XXS microscopic fun. Personally I made sure to try them all and can’t wait for new sizes to be added.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Jack D.

Works as intended, tastes awful

74 of 92 users found this useful

I have no qualms about the functionality of this product. It works just as advertised. I only wish it didn’t taste so bitter. It left a horrible taste in my mouth which almost ruined my playtime with my wife and I was too small to do anything about it. Because of the peculiar way it has to be used, there is no way it can be added to some orange juice or soda. They could make some strawberry or chocolate flavored versions to fix this problem and I really hope they do.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Jenna M. Should be outlawed

44 of 74 users found this useful

I haven’t used this product and I don’t intend to. However, since it was made available to the public, all kinds of freaks and perverts have started using it to sneak into my house and spy on me. Just so you know, everyone I’ve caught has ended up underfoot. I have no reservations about stepping into perverts who have no respect for the privacy of women, and no one should!

Rating: 1 out of 10

Karen E.

Beware of compatibility!

61 of 65 users found this useful

I wish I never agreed to let my (now ex) husband use this thing. Apparently the growth formula in the antidote does not react with his body, so he stayed small. He’s here with me as I write this, sitting on the desk. Five millimeters tall. I’ve spoken with doctors all around the state and no one was able to ultimately find a cure for him. Just do not use this. It’s not worth the risk.

Rating: 1 out of 10

Olga S.

Not just for sexy purposes!

79 of 86 users found this useful

I’ve gotten a bottle of this and I’ve started using it to carry my boyfriend around. I can sneak him into a concert then hide in the bathroom and get him back to normal there. Of course, because of its high price, it doesn’t make sense to use it for a $10 movie ticket. Just do your math and make sure the money you’re saving is worth the effort. EDIT: Beware because it can backfire as businesses are starting to wisen up to its use. Airports are a no-go. They have updated their metal detectors so they can sense hidden tiny people. It made the news once when they found a woman who was carrying someone in her panties. Imagine her embarrassment! Trains and buses are still fair game as far as I know.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Sophia T.

SO much fun

110 of 142 users found this helpful

Rating: 10 out of 10

Ivan M.

“Cured” me of size-related fantasies

28 of 30 users found this helpful

I guess this is personal, as many people enjoyed it just fine. For me shrinking down wasn’t a very good experience. My girlfriend at the time was very careless and rough and ended up bruising me and leaving me in pain. When she finally returned me to normal, I ended up with a broken leg. We broke up soon after. I don’t fantasize anymore about that kind of thing. I guess it’s some kind of PTSD, but whenever I check some size related materialnow, I sorta panic. I guess my advice would be: use it if you really want but make sure you really know who you’re getting in bed with.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Laura D.

Me and my husband divorced over this

75 of 100 users found this helpful

Honestly I found this kind of annoying. My husband would come to me and ask me to be his giantess. OK, I said at first, why not. But then he started wanting to do it every night. Regular sex wasn’t on the menu anymore. Instead he would climb up my feet as I sat down on the bed or on the armchair. All he wanted was to be at my feet and sometimes other parts of me while shrunken. Naturally this was boring to me, so I began to object to it. Eventually I told him I didn’t want to do it anymore. It was about that time that he started seeing another woman, I think. Eventually he left with his new mistress. Our daughter is mad at him and says I should have crushed him back when I had the chance. She’s probably right…

Rating: 1 out of 10

Jill F.

Writing this review in place of my boyfriend

80 of 134 users found this helpful I’m writing this because he can’t. He is currently 1 mm tall and licking (I guess? I can barely see or feel him) my feet. Since he shrunk a week ago he hasn’t wanted to return to normal (I’ve given him the antidote a few times, but he refuses to take it). So for him, this thing would be a 10 out of 10. For me, it’s more of a 0 out of 10… I’m getting real bored of having a speck-sized boyfriend hanging out on my toes. To other girls who might be reading this: learn from my mistake and if your boyfriend is that much of a pervert, dump him on the spot and go look for a normal one instead. Rating: 5 out of 10

Katy S.

Ooops! I lost her

20 of 25 users found this useful

My girlfriend had always wanted to be tiny so I let her have her way. Problem is… I can’t find her anymore! I’m not sure where the hell she might be. I’ve searched anywhere, from my clothes to our bedroom. Be really careful what you do once you shrink someone down. I’m leaving a good rating anyway since this thing clearly works.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Susy R.

I squished my brother 99 of 127 users found this helpful

this is maybe too personal to share, but i wanted to warn other people of the dangers of using this “shrinking powder”. one day we couldn’t find my brother anymore. me and my mom thought he had run away from home and wanted tocall the police. that’s when we found the bottle of shrinking powder in his room. we started panicking and searched the whole house. we were very careful of where we were stepping and completely clueless as to why he would use such a thing. i only found out a few hours later, when i was about to do my laundry. he had climbed on the crotch of my dirty panties and was frolicking in there. it grossed me out at first, then i got so mad. he had shrunk himself so he could go into my bedroom and perv on me, his own sister. i could not think straight anymore and squished him on the spot. to this day i don’t really regret it but i never told mom the truth. she thinks he’s just missing and hopes maybe someday we’ll find him on the floor of the living room…

Rating: 3 out of 10

Jim D. Voyeur paradise

55 of 110 users found this helpful

I prepared for this in advance. I started searching for a house with a hot female roommate. I found the perfect apartment and signed a one-year deal. I’m really sorry about this, Sarah (not your real name, of course), but I’ve been spying on you for months now. I make myself small enough that I can sneak under a closed door, then make my way under your desk. That’s the perfect place to look at you undressing. Sometimes when you’re studying at your desk I stare at your beautiful feet and legs for hours. The shape of your toes, every wrinkle in your sole is forever burned into my mind now. You don’t know how many loads I’ve blown under your desk, Sarah… To you, I’m the rommate who’s always outside. I heard you talking on the phone, you’ve said it so many times. You love having me as a roommate since it means having the house for yourself most of the time. Ah, if only you knew the truth…

Rating: 10 out of 10

Mary N.

Great for busy moms

78 of 104 users found this helpful

I realize many people don’t endorse this use of the powder, but who cares. I think it works great for busy moms like me. I just make my kids small, then bring them to the office so I can keep an eye on them all of the time. My co-workers actually find them cute. It’s way cheaper than a nanny when you consider the money you save on food. And if needed, punishing them requires no effort. Just a tiny fickle with your finger and boom! They straighten out. They fear me like I’m some kind of god, which I appreciate. I don’t even need to raise my voice to make them afraid of me. Some people in my family have criticized me for the way I’m raising them. I told them I’m sure my kids will grow up (no pun intended) as better people than most of their peers, we’ll see who gets the last laugh.

Rating: 10 out of 10

[vt-scribbles]

lets do 3 and 7 for the most recent writer asks 👀

3: on a scale of 1-10 how much to enjoy incorporating romance into the average story?

Oh man, so like... it very much depends on two things. Our definition of 'romance,' and what story world I'm working on. I have two main worlds: The Harvester, and Olmia. [Olmia is my catch-all fantasy world where most of my characters live, full of elves, giants, anthro people big and small, dragons, etc.] Firstly, my definition of 'romance' in this case is: Characters openly being drawn to each other in a 'i want to be your life partner' sort of way, sometimes tinged with a bit of sexual tension. [In the case of TH, there IS no sex content so that doesn't apply. In Olmia, anything goes.]

If I'm working on TH... I only like Light-Shipping aspects. Characters being cute, chaste kisses, bonding through different life events, and then MAYBE now and then there's some flirting or a tiny little 'date'. But as for Romance being a driving force? Absolutely not. The plot is not moved forward by someone's romantic desires, usually. It happens maybe about 10% of the time. I'm not super interested in plots driven purely out of 'I want to get together with this person romantically.' I like it being mixed in with other man vs self or man vs nature sorta plots.

If I'm working in Olmia... I still prefer fantasy-driven plots and man vs nature sorta stuff, BUT I am much more loose with characters pursuing each other romantically, and that driving their actions. It helps that Olmia is full of different species that are not all asexual/null creatures like Gems.

---

7. tell us about one of your characters who’s an absolute joy to write

Okay so I think I've already talked about Topaz and Hema, so I'll bring up another favorite.

Meta.

She's big, stoic, tough, scary. She's the biggest gem in existence at a staggering max 280 ft tall. She's got massive neck-crushing bear fangs and a hammer that can level a skyscraper. And yet... She worries about holding people too roughly. She likes telling stories, and sharing quiet evenings stargazing. You find out she likes puns, and that she's got a big-sister soft spot for most of her other batchmates. Meta is so quiet, but when she /does/ speak, she shows so much introspection and intelligence, and I love subverting the expectation that this 'brute' is violent and dumb. She's also strangely romantic, once you peel back all the hard surface. She's easily moved by pretty words, which I find really cute. If you call her 'pretty, beautiful, cute' etc, she gets really flustered but like. in the most stoic way possible. And just shoves her hand on your face. And SPEAKING of beautiful. One of my favorite parts about writing Meta is like. The times where I get to subtly show off just how fucking beautiful she is. Not in an objectifying sort of way, but like... there's /something/ about her that's effortlessly pretty. Not in the way a rose is, or a sunrise, or a rainbow is pretty. No, Meta is beautiful in the way a misty mountain is. She's beautiful in the way a waterfall is. The ocean. It doesn't have to /do/ anything to prove it's beautiful. It's there, and big, and powerful, and you hold this sorta respect for it - and I'm just rambling about what I like abt Meta, WOOPS. Something else I like abt writing her is that she has this very deep level of respect for the Diamonds, which gives her a lot of tact. She's very careful abt how she speaks to them, and tries to be as respectful as possible... without being a doormat. She's this HULKING gem who I LOVE writing as a badass and an unstoppable force, and yet she's quiet, thoughtful, likes small things and poetry, loves standing in the rain and listening to it fall...

Anyways uhhhh yeah I rly like Meta and I can't say much more without HUGE spoilers for the future so HERE TAKE THIS LOVE-RANT

[bandhyukoh]

[NME] A match made in indie heaven: Hyukoh and Sunset Rollercoaster on the warmth and friendship of their collaborative album ‘AAA’

This interview belongs to NME. September 3, 2024. By JX Soo.

“It’s been crazy,” Tseng Kuo-Hung says with a laugh. The Taiwanese musician and frontman of soft rock band Sunset Rollercoaster immediately sets a tone for NME’s interview: serious yet full of smiles. He’s sat alongside Oh Hyuk, the frontman of South Korean indie band Hyukoh, and the producer JNKYRD, having just wrapped up intensive group rehearsals in Seoul for the two bands’ upcoming world tour. It’s mania for a momentous occasion: ‘AAA’, the surprise collaborative album by Hyukoh and Sunset Rollercoaster, two bands at the forefront of Korean and Taiwan’s respective indie rock scenes.

This weekend, they kick off their tour with two sold-out nights at Seoul’s Olympic Hall; the two shows the following week in Taipei are fully subscribed, too. After more dates in Asia, they’ll head to Australia, where they’ll play the John Cain Arena in Melbourne. So it’s no surprise that it’s all hands on deck for both bands right now. “We haven’t really stopped meeting each other,” JNKYRD says, referring to the international rehearsal schedule they’ve shared for the past few months. But the energy feels fitting: ‘AAA’ – the acronym for ‘access all areas’ – has the hustle and bustle of touring in its DNA.

They first met during Hyukoh’s first Asian tour in 2017, when the Korean four-piece checked out a Sunset Rollercoaster show in Taipei at the recommendation from their compatriots The Black Skirts. The Taiwanese outfit, who’d just released their breakout record, 2016 EP ‘Jinji Kikko’, were starstruck. “When they first came to our show, I thought, ‘Wow, now this is really a superstar!” Kuo recalls.

Over subsequent visits, the two warmed to one another, as Kuo began casually showing Oh around Taipei. “I was just a tour guide,” Kuo admits, recalling how he would bring them around on the capital’s ubiquitous motorcycles. There, their positive impressions of each other grew. “I already knew he’s really a smart guy. My impression was that the music is super good – and I was super good too,” Oh shares. On his part, Kuo says: “I just realised he’s actually always a shy guy and really easygoing.”

Photo: Zhong Lin

Their blossoming friendship turned naturally into collaboration. That relationship began on Hyukoh’s 2020 EP ‘Through Love’, where Sunset Rollercoaster delivered a lush remix of the track ‘Help’. Oh returned the favour by contributing a bridge to ‘Candlelight’, the centerpiece on the Taiwanese groovemasters’ 2020 album, ‘Soft Storm’. Eventually, the stars aligned for a proper project and both groups convened last year at a retreat in Gapyeong Music Village.

There, their shared chemistry created an organic, productive atmosphere – and strong momentum. “I remember the first week, we only got four days to do the recording. And our goal was to make one song per day,” Kuo says. With no expectations, the bands simply began jamming together, a dynamic which quickly gave rise to opener ‘Kite War’.

Soon, both bandleaders began contributing their own demos to the process. “We thought maybe we would start with an EP. But in the end, things were going too smoothly, so an EP became an album,” Kuo says. JNKYRD, who co-produced the album, describes the process as “all in one room”, noting how half the record was created with all ten members of both bands in a tiny, crammed recording space.

Developing those demos together, the two bands seemed naturally attuned to each other – a dynamic that surfaced as they worked on the synthy ‘Y’, which began as an Oh Hyuk draft. “Once he played the demo to everybody, I think all ten people got the vision,” Kuo recalls. “So the whole process was kind of like: enjoy the journey and naturally the music [will show] up.”

‘AAA’ glows with this chemistry – as well as the bands’ shared affinity for analogue warmth and equipment, which the record’s highlights feature prominently. ‘Antenna’, for example, came from exploring presets on a recently purchased Eventide H90 pedal, while ‘Young Man’ bounces on a ARP 2600 synth bassline. “Sounds like I’m bragging about how much equipment I bought for the whole session,” Kuo quips.

Having grown up in China, Oh’s Mandarin-speaking background also helped build a cultural bridge between the two acts. (“He’s a little bit weird, as well,” Kuo jokes, “but this kind of weirdness connects these people.”) Representation wasn’t necessarily their goal with ‘AAA’, but Oh does acknowledge the unconscious role it played: “We are not trying to represent Asians, but working on something with Asians was one of the main ideas of this project.” Both bands have toured North America and Europe; Hyukoh played Coachella in 2019 and Sunset Rollercoaster in 2023. They found common ground with each other as Asian bands touring the West, which was not common in the circuit at the time. “We can kind of feel the same emotion, the same aspects and same experience.”

And when it came to picking visual collaborators, two threads emerged: chemistry and top-class Asian talent. Japanese star director and former Sunset Rollercoaster collaborator Pennacky helmed the video for ‘Young Man’, which captures the two bands joyfully jamming in a subterranean studio with a retrofuturistic sound machine. The clip for ‘Antenna’, by Korean director rafhoo, features watery dreamscapes and major star power in the form of Hong Kong indie darling Leah Dou and Taiwanese actor Greg Hsu. And at Gapyeong, both Oh and Kuo lent their creative powers to another leading figure: BTS leader RM, who was recording his second solo album ‘Right Place, Wrong Person’.

Photo: Zhong Lin

‘AAA’ is a fitting title for Hyukoh and Sunset Rollercoaster’s collective standing in Asian indie music. For Hyukoh, the record is even more notable, given they last put out a full-length album – their breakout release ‘23’ – way back in 2017. But Oh and Kuo are quick to stress how their collaborative creative process helped ego and pressure fall away.

“We are all, like, super nerdy music lovers. When we get into the studio, we are all kind of mentally, ‘ego-ly’ naked,” Kuo notes. “Because you have to show your songs to other people, so we don’t have these ego burdens… If we just love the music, then we don’t have these weird superstar problems. We just concentrated on music and tried to make the best of it.”

The “most impressive” thing about the ‘AAA’ collaboration, Kuo says, was reaching a state of “full trust” that’s already difficult to achieve in one band. “I see the tour list, we’ve got 45 people all together… [With] the music, we can unite these 45 people.

“[Having] this kind of trust in each other, this kind of friendship, I think is a really amazing thing.”

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

50k-100k Masterlist

Blue Masquerade (ao3) - CalumSmiles (dreamforlife) michael/luke E, 85k

Summary: Michael is in love with Luke. That much is clear. Well, to Calum, Ashton and the rest of the world anyway. Luke is blissfully oblivious to the blatant signs. He gets a girlfriend. Michael tries to move on.

Spoiler: he fails.

Cards Are Dealt - @ashtcnirwin (elivigar) luke/ashton E, 100k

Summary: “You wanna… date me?” he asks eventually, when the silence is starting to feel loaded. “I don’t date and even if I did, I definitely wouldn’t be interested in dating you. I’d say no offense, but… full fucking offense.”

Ashton snorts. “Don’t flatter yourself, pumpkin, I have no interest in dating you either. Actually, the thought alone is exhausting and a little nauseating.”

Clenching his jaw, Luke grinds his teeth and shakes his head. “Then what do you want from me?”

“Sex. I already said that.”

A story about wants and expectations branching out and evolving without the knowledge or consent of those they belong to.

Comment, Like, Subscribe My Heart (ao3) - thesoulsailor michael/luke N/R, 54k

Summary: Youtube!AU in which Luke is a non-binary beauty guru, Michael is the lead singer of Ashton’s cover band and Calum thinks gender roles are overrated anyways.

Feels like Coming Home (ao3) - ismaki calum/ashton, michael/luke T, 56k

Summary: All Calum wants is to finish school and get away from his small town. He works hard to seem happy, to be respected and popular at school, to be diffrent, something more. To be someone. All Ashton wants is to get noticed by the boy with the easy smile but guarded eyes. All Michael wants is to escape, to take another hit, another drink, use another body. To feel something. And Luke? Luke just wants everyone to be happy.

Fine Print - @daydadahlias​ (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) luke/ashton M, 61k

Summary: If Michael says Ashton Irwin will be a good bodyguard then sure, Luke will put his money on Ashton being a good bodyguard. Besides, all Luke needs is a shadow. So what if he doesn’t like him?

Who ever cared about liking their shadow anyway?

or the one where Luke is a heartbroken solo artist who can’t sleep and Ashton is his less-than-enthusiastic bodyguard

home is wherever you are tonight (ao3) - lifewasradical luke/ashton M, 72k

Summary: Life has become so mundane in the past few years that there’s very little that sends a thrill up Luke’s spine anymore. It’s that idea that had him saying yes to the idea of moving out here for a few weeks anyways: the knowledge that this was a completely new place where no one knew his name. He could be anyone he wanted to be here, within reason. He wouldn’t be seeing any of these people again after May, so what’s the harm in becoming a new person for a bit? Someone not so bogged down by the shit in their head that they can’t get out of bed some mornings. Maybe this is a step in the direction of the person Luke wants to be in the future anyways.

Or, Luke inherits a beach house on a tiny coastal island that needs some work. He didn’t plan on falling in love with the guy at the hardware store.

Le Chatelier’s Principle (ao3) - LyricalPary (hoseoky) luke/ashton, michael/calum E, 54k

Summary: Ever since being promoted to head waiter, Luke had had one problem that came in the form of a six foot, curly-headed, hazel eyed demon. And by demon, he meant his frustratingly stubborn, unfairly attractive co-worker, Ashton Irwin.

Like the Ocean Finds the Shore (ao3) - Clifordiste (cliffordiste) michael/luke G, 71k

Summary: Luke is content living his normal life, sharing his little world with his best friend Calum. Nothing even remotely curious or interesting ever happens to him. Then he discovers an under-the-surface secret about a kid from his class named Michael and a whole hidden world is revealed to him. He is catapulted into a friendship and has to put up with Michael and his stupid blue hair, slowly discovering that not everything is as it seems.

Love is not a Victory March (ao3) - tigerlily_sunshine luke/calum, michael/ashton M, 55k

Summary: In which Calum falls in love with Luke, and things should be simple, but they aren’t.

No Chance (ao3) - iCheeseYou (EHook) michael/luke, calum/ashton T, 72k

Summary: So Ashton’s going on a road trip with his friend, Calum, and he invited me to tag along. Being the adventurous shit I am, I said yes, but I wouldn’t have if I knew that Luke Hemmings was going as well. God, I hate that guy, and the feeling’s mutual. Why does that annoying brat have to come along? And Ashton and Calum expect us to be friends? Yeah, right. There’s no chance that Luke Hemmings and I, Michael Clifford, are ever going to get along.

Perplexity (ao3) - mattymerlotte (orphan_account) michael/luke M, 53k

Summary: I, Michael Clifford, only have twenty days or so left of my freshman year in college. My experience so far is the definition of mediocre. Until one Friday night when Calum decided to go out partying that I chose to do laundry and while patiently waiting for my clothes in walked a tall blonde boy with shimmering blue eyes. Immediately caught off guard I somehow speak fluent English and talk to him. Mumbling and muttering every word I’m stumbling with each sentence I let out. He tells me his name is Luke.

Stand Again (ao3) - crash-queen aka stelleshine (stelleshine) luke/calum, michael/luke, jack/luke, michael/ashton E, 69k

Summary: The promise of a good pie brings Calum into Luke’s bakery one day, and Luke finds more than just a new customer.

Take Notes - @daydadahlias​​ (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) luke/calum E, 78k

Summary: Or, the one where Calum wants someone to teach him about sex and Luke happens to be an education major.

Tell Me I’m Pretty (ao3) - felixandtae luke/ashton, michael/calum E, 84k

Summary: “Wearing skirts and putting make up on doesn’t make me a girl. I have a dick and I can very well show you it. Just tell me I’m pretty, Luke.”

Ashton likes to wear make up and Luke likes when Ashton wears make up. But, Luke doesn’t like Ashton and Ashton doesn’t like Luke. So how did they end up fucking in the auditorium every Friday night?

The Best Thing (the way it’s supposed to be) (ao3) - gravityinglass michael/calum M, 87k

Summary: Or, the story of how 5 Seconds of Summer became a band (starting from the beginning) and how Michael Clifford realized he’d always been in love with Calum Hood (not starting from the beginning, not even close), and how taking on the world turned out to be less daunting than it seemed.

The Waves Are Ours (ao3) - JetBlackSunshine michael/luke T, 62k

Summary: Alone, friendless and washed up on shore, Michael is a merman in a whole world of trouble. He soon discovers living on land can be tough especially when he falls for a cute land boy who’s petrified of the ocean.

Tongue-Tied And White Lie Addicted (ao3) - fourdrunksluts michael/ashton, luke/calum E, 50k

Summary: Michael’s just finished his undergrad and is ready to stop messing around with strangers and get more serious about his studies as he prepares for his dream job. No relationships, no sex. Which is harder than it sounds when Ashton Irwin comes into his life.

What Ifs (ao3) - itcrystal luke/calum, michael/luke, calum/ashton E, 51k

Summary: Luke is a good boy making very bad decisions.

Where the Heart Is (ao3) - LyricalPary (hoseoky) luke/ashton, michael/calum E, 86k

Summary: By the time that Ashton Irwin is twenty-seven years old, he’s already a widower and a father of three. After his third nanny quits on him, he comes to the conclusion that life in general doesn’t seem to like him very much—that is, until his luck turns around when he discovers a particular nanny by the name of Luke H.

The question now is, can a twenty-two year old man with mile-long legs and a smile made of gold really be the super nanny that Ashton needs?

Perhaps so.

Your Eyes Are Cooler Than My Beating Heart (ao3) - CliffordAffliction michael/luke E, 64k