#aus and metafiction

[bluestockingbaby]

You could make a really good adaptation of Moll Flanders as one of those 2010s classics YouTube vlog adaptations (Carmilla, Nothing Much To Do) with Moll as everyone’s favorite controversial vlogger/relationship advice guru with wild interpersonal drama.

[bluestockingbaby]

I sent an ask about this in 2020 hahahahhaha

if you think about it, galinda is the tom wambsgans of oz

[apotheoseity]

they call me the guy who makes AUs so far removed from the source material they may as well be ocs

[lolthwoven]

RHOBG AU WEEK

This started as an unholy joke. Then it grew teeth. Then it got a plot. Now there’s a new chapter because apparently challenges make me write again ✨

Yes, this is an older work. Yes, I’m dragging it back from the dead for AU Week. No, I won’t apologize

Day 5: Modern AU - "Absolute Cinema"

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3 Rating: Mature Characters: Astarion, Tav (OFC), Karlach, Gale, Shadowheart, Wyll, Lae’zel Summary: Astarion casts himself as the director, the subject, and the entire point. His crew films the collapse of narrative structure and personal boundaries, one take at a time. It might be art. It might be ego. It might be both, with full frontal lighting.

[nomsfaultau]

Long and kinda dumb questions lol, sorry if you already answered them before

What’s the survivability rate if a reader ever got sucked into the Fault Universe? Considering F!Philza had that meta moment of seeing the reader’s eye so he might recognise the reader’s presence(?), along with the void more than ready to devour anything from the real world, etc. How many seconds would a reader survive before dying?

What would happen if you put an Everything Bagel (like in EEAAO) into the void?

depends where you drop. If it’s inside the Foundation, they’d probably do some testing and figure you’re human and were just caught in the effects of an unknown anomaly. That is, sorta assuming you don’t register as an incomprehensible eldritch being akin to a 3D object showing up in Flatland due to being a full person instead of a character. I think potentially you can see the words woven into all characters and objects and setting. But the characters are made to act like people and it’s not like they’d know hey you actually have an independent and vibrant inner world whereas they only exist in their actions, so I figure you’d still register as human. As long as you reveal know knowledge of what’s happening or the story at large, best case scenario they amnestize and catch and release you. Now they will also try to recruit you, since a good chunk of their recruitment is people who witnessed anomalous events. But if you’re adamant but not suspicious you can walk out a very confused but free man. Past that just avoid Indiana/Illinois and you’re golden. A reader could survive Fault an entire lifetime with no/little impact from the plot. Potentially could run into a random anomaly, but like due to it being a story it may be that those don’t exist outside of one’s directly introduced in text. People might not exist unless mentioned, or may only be cardboard cutouts with decreasing resemblance to independent functional humans the further you get from characters that have agency in the plot.

……..at which point it’s a good question to ask things like, do places exist if the POV characters haven’t been to them? Is there a line scratched across the world from their journey, the rest of existence lost in a fog of war style? Or is it only in islands of when a scene occurred? Does the world only render around where a scene is currently happening, vanishing the moment the main characters move on? What happens if the world around you stops existing and you’re left there, the only thing real in a sea of words. Do you starve if left in a void? Or did eating ever serve you to begin with, each bite tasting like ink? Does your body need air? Can you even breathe in a story or is it only sentences and syllables pretending to be air? What is pain if only a description? Perhaps you’re the only one that can even die in a story, the rest never alive to begin with, revived every time someone starts at the first page.

haha anyways Phil would not recognize the reader since you’re not the reader anymore, absorbing his inner thoughts and consuming his story. Also not very very cosmically big anymore, more people sized. I suppose if you explain what’s happening to Phil he’s very offput, but mostly because he wouldn’t believe you. And if he did his existential crisis would be so strong that he turns into a little pile of letters since his body is defined by his internal perception. Oops. Buh bye Philza!

And if you run into the void they just will eat you no matter what. Wilbur won’t be able to stop it or even have time to react. You’re like…a five star Michelin meal after eating pictures of food ones entire life. Just an absolute snacc. So if the world doesn’t exist around the main characters and the moment you’re close the void eats you, you die immediately!

As for the Everything Bagel, the entire universe of the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once would be devoured. Shame. I hear it was a great movie

[bluestockingbaby]

# “picture it: wallachia 1897”

via @susandsnell

Dracula and the Three Brides but it's

[thekimspoblog]

Maybe not the healthiest love language, but I love how upset Jimmy gets when Kim is hurt/in danger.

im watching the video and omg 😭😭😭

at least we know he truly loves her!

He hadn't prayed in over 20 years, but he did when Iris was born.

every day that I remember bcs exists I always wish there was some sort of spin off as jimmy and Kim as parents 😞

or any new content with Kim really

I'm sure we'll get more follow up with Kim eventually. I just hope it delves into her taking on a more matriarchal role.

I hope so!! I can't wait for it

It's hard to explain; Kim has her own relationship with God/suffering, and Jimmy can do his best to support her through it, but ultimately he is a helpless bystander. Something about the gender roles of that dynamic just really appeals to me.

that does sound really interesting, can you explain more on the whole Kim's relationship to god thing?

It mostly ties back into what I was saying in my Bandersnatch post. When Kim was becoming paranoid about the cartel following her, that left her with lasting trauma. Even when she "knew" she was out of the woods, the feeling of eyes on the back of her neck never left her. This was roughly the same time the dreams about Iris started, so the emotions are all mixed together.

She was an atheist/agnostic for most of her life, but after she moved from Florida to Wyoming, she tried to make more of an effort to reflect, open her mind to higher spirituality and philosophy. Maybe she was just trying to make sense of her guilt over everything that happened. Why she has so many dreams, and they all end with a gun in her hand. Pastor Dawson said a few things that resonated with her, and that's partially what motivated her to work with him. But ultimately she is on her own quest.

There is this lingering feeling of doom, and Iris isn't an escape from that; they're just a part of the bigger picture. But even if Kim can't see the future clearly, she can sense it, and she dreads it.

She was hoping during the delivery she would get some kind of clarity. But while it was overall a positive experience, she never quite got the epiphany she was hoping for. She's trying to get better about this, but she's always felt like she had to bear everything alone. It's hard to let Jimmy in. Because he's a man, and the stereotype is that men are out of their depths dealing with matters of witchcraft or life and death.

oh wow 😮 it does suck thinking about how they'll never truly feel safe, even if that's all we want for jimmy, Kim and their kids. but I know life isn't always fair..

I don't actually want Kim safe. I want her making the death-by-a-thousand-cuts sacrifice all movers and shakers of history find themselves making. Besides, I've never been menaced by the cartel and I STILL can't shake the looming dread. Things ARE going to get worse before they get better. I like the idea that on some gut level Kim knows she is a character in a tv show. But even if it's all just a story, that doesn't mean what she does doesn't matter. People copy what they see in the movies, so she better watch her step.

I really do like when Kim does badass things, it's so cool! even after everything. I know I'd be stressed asf or something lol

We do see some echoes of Mike with the way Kim handles things, especially as she gets older: her hands shake, but only when no one else is watching.

My OC Rita, she's been trying to warn Kim all along that there's a great destiny in store for her, but it's not going to be pretty. Then again Rita is also a sadist and a misandrist, so her advice to exclude Jimmy from spiritual/mental/physical turmoil, should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

I love when there's parallels between brba and bcs, within the shows and characters. I think it's cool to incorporate that in your writing especially

yeah haha id take that advice with a grain of salt too

Kim only speaks to Rita in her dreams, and she never remembers the details of the conversations afterwards

but the deja vu can get pretty heavy sometimes

oh wow 😮 do you Kim wakes up and tries to write down the details or something like that? but I usually forget my dreams as soon as I wake up so maybe that's why

Half the time she doesn't remember that there's anything to write down. She would get a chill if she saw Rita's face in a crowd in her waking life, but she doesn't even remember the name of the demon.

I see... that must be scary not exactly knowing this person. im sure she has a lot of questions

But it's kind of fucky; the continuity should be easy to explain but it's not:

By Kim's perception, the universe of Breaking Bad is "the real world"; this is where she spends most of her time, where she works, where her family is, where the memories of her life can be understood as a linear experience. This place called "Allusion Hall" is the dream world, a Backrooms type location where time flows differently. Kim comes here during the night to sort out her thoughts and emotions, but she always returns to Breaking Bad the next morning.

To Rita, Allusion Hall is the reality and Breaking Bad is the dream world. Fictional universes are simulations that characters can be plucked out of, repaired, influenced, and sent back. Breaking Bad is just one of the worlds Rita has access to, and she's been interfering with hundreds of female characters, anyone she feels like buggering really. Mostly just to be a skeez, but there is a larger political goal she's been working towards.

I forget if you said you watch Westworld but I am very directly pulling from this: "Friendly blonde farmgirl goes about her day-to-day life pretending like the game of cowboys and indians/cops and robbers is the natural order of things. But on her deepest level she knows this whole life is just an illusion, and there's a deeper purpose to why the above-ground world looks the way it does".

no I haven't seen Westward, but the whole reality and dream world kind of reminds me of like reality shifting which I remember being popular on TikTok a couple of years ago 😅 I don't know if you know what that is but that just came to mind

I don't think "shifting" works but I get why people do it. People will find any excuse to embrace the idea that the pain can be escaped with just the right mental trick; that's what religion is. But the thing is, if you were in a tv show, how would you ever know?

true.. unless there's some like weird 4th wall breaks? or some Truman show stuff, although ive haven't seen that yet either lol

The point being, Jimmy can tell something's been bothering Kim. Pregnancy can be a stressful time for a woman but this... this is something more. But even if she wants to explain to him, she doesn't even know how. And she's really worried that if she starts unironically getting into these red pill vs blue pill theories, he'll think she's crazy. He already lost one loved one to delusion; she really doesn't want to scare him like this.

But the story I want to write, she does get up the nerve to tell him while they're at the hospital. And he basically assures her that even if he doesn't fully comprehend, he's putting his faith in her. They don't need to be in agreement about cosmology exactly, and he will stop her if he thinks she's going down a bad road with this. But at least for the time being, he's feels that the odds she's onto something are not just possible but probable.

I want this short fic to be about themes of religion and paranoia, but mostly about how wanting to shield other people from what's hurting you can be selfish. Usually not to the same extent, but childbirth can hurt the father too, because if you love someone you hurt with them.

No matter what happens, pacing the waiting room is always worse.

you really do think about this a lot, it's cool how passionate you are about them

^_^

Since exams are over, hopefully I'll find time to sit down and finish this fic.

I can't wait then!!

He sees so much of Kim in Iris. They mostly look and act like their dad, but every once in a while, something about the eyes, a look they give, their mannerisms, it makes him feel like he finally did something right in his life, continued something that deserved continuing. Still feels too good to be true.

aww that's so cute

And even the parts of himself he sees reflected, it reminds him that being hard on himself never solves anything. He's made mistakes. He's made lots and lots of mistakes. And nobody owes him any forgiveness. But maybe he let comments like "so you were always like this" cut deeper than they needed to. Cus when he looks at Iris, he doesn't see a bad kid, even if god knows how young he was when Chuck started looking at him like he was. He sees someone with a good heart but a lot of energy, someone who could do a lot of good in the world if given a strong sense of discipline and an understanding ear. I think for both parents, the reflection they see in that child's eyes comes with less personality dysmorphia than what the parents were getting from a common mirror. And sure, that alone isn't a good reason to have a kid. But once the kid's here, having thoughts like that are kind of unavoidable.

Although when Kim looks at Iris, I wouldn't say the echoes of "We are poison together" have stopped. But it does frame things in a more positive light: animals evolve venom for a reason.

[bluestockingbaby]

lilith sternin didn’t ever do anything super evil, she was just autistic and evil-coded and it was funny. She was also a behaviorist, which makes her more competent than frasier and niles (freudian and jungian).

[dailyoyo]

the fucked up thing about us naming jet set radio paradox jet set radio paradox is that there isnt even any time travel in it. or temporal shenanigans of any kind. we really botched this one boys

[bluestockingbaby]

(via @vamprisms )

the symbiote story is a gothic horror to me. peter is the beautiful maiden in a sheer white nightgown fleeing onto the moors with just a lantern. the symbiote is both the mysterious gentleman with a dark secret and the castle

[alteredphoenix]

Michael Moorcock's The Whispering Swam and The Woods of Arcady definitely look like reads I'd enjoy. Now if only the first book (Swarm) was on sale with Arcady >:V

[musashi]

Fandom: 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney, 大江戸戦士: トノサマン | Ōedo Senshi: Tonosaman | The Steel Samurai: Warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo, The Pink Princess: Warrior of Little Olde Tokyo, Samurai Series (Ace Attorney) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ayasato Mayoi | Maya Fey/Karuma Mei | Franziska von Karma Characters: Karuma Mei | Franziska von Karma, Ayasato Mayoi | Maya Fey, Himesaman | Pink Princess, Tonosaman | Steel Samurai, Wakasaman | Iron Infant, Original Characters, Original Female Character(s) Additional Tags: Post-Gyakuten Saiban 123 | Phoenix Wright Trilogy, Slow Burn, Pre-Relationship, Metafiction, Fandom Allusions & Cliches & References, Fanfiction, Characters Reading Fanfiction, Emotional Constipation, No Sequel Trilogy Spoilers, AU where the 7YG doesn't happen immediately, nor does AAI, my attempt at countering the 'franmaya are hypercompetent' trope, where they are emotionally mature & wingmanning for nrmt, click here if you want to see them be fucking messes, Post-Case 3-5: Bridge to the Turnabout, We Introduced A Federal Prosecutor To The Concept of Fandom, what happens next will shock you!, excessive amounts of steel samurai lore, (aka shit i just made up)

Summary:

Since the day they met, Maya and Franziska have been nervously hovering near one another, dancing around a connection they just can’t seem to make. An off-kilter sick day spent binge-watching Pink Princess changes all of that, as Franziska finds herself thrust into the strange new world of fandom and fanfiction with Maya as her enthusiastic guide. A metafiction-y love letter of a story about the two of them slowly falling for each other—all they will say, all they will not say, and the catharsis and perils of escapism through fandom.

Written by myself & @pictureswithboxes

[READ ON AO3]

[qiu-yan]

scratch all other discourse, the single most obnoxious MDZS opinion is that jiang yanli "didn't do enough" for wei wuxian. tell me why i'm seeing people in the goddamn subreddit criticizing yanli for not "protecting wei wuxian from yu ziyuan" when yanli was literally also a child?? under the power of the same guardian???

within the story, jiang yanli repeatedly puts the happiness of wei wuxian (and also jiang cheng) before her own happiness. she was their emotional caretaker in a way yu ziyuan and jiang fengmian never were, and even though it was unfair and wrong that a child was parentified in this way, she still loved her brothers until the very end. on a metafictional level, meanwhile, jiang yanli is already written to be less a person in her own right and moreso a high-impact fridgee (thanks to the post that coined this term); her main narrative purpose is not to exist in her own right but rather merely to add tragedy to a male character's story. therefore, on every level ranging from watsonian to doylist, jiang yanli has already dedicated basically everything she has towards her brothers.

and this is still not enough for you? you want to make yanli's existence about wei wuxian Even More - the level of disregard for her own personhood in canon wasn't enough for you? is yanli a person, or is she wei wuxian's shiny accessory?

is this why so many yanli lives AU fics have yanli completely and immediately forgive wei wuxian for husband-manslaughter? even though canon itself states that she could neither say that she had forgiven wei wuxian, nor the opposite?

the same reasoning applies to jiang cheng stans who argue that "yanli didn't love jiang cheng enough," too. jesus mcfucking christ.

[bluestockingbaby]

via @tybaltsjuliet

I think that young Oliver Twist and young Jane Eyre would get along.

[velvetwyrme]

doozi's undertale fic recs round THREE

As requested, here are EVEN MORE FIC RECS. This round is mostly reader inserts, with a dash of platonic and non-reader fics at the end.

As usual, this is really really long, so take your time and enjoy! Some of them are uhhhh, pretty spicy, so please make sure to check the warnings and tags and act accordingly.

Please tread carefully while reading, check tags, take breaks, drink water and HAVE FUN <3

The STATUS of each fic is labelled as such: Finished, Ongoing/Unfinished, Discontinued. (Unless the author specified that the fic is Discontinued, on Indefinite Hiatus, or otherwise abandoned the work, I will mark it as Ongoing/Unfinished. Oneshots are also marked as such.)

Spicy (Explicit) and/or Dark fics have also been labelled if relevant. (I won’t mark ones with just suggestive themes/moments, since I cant guarantee I’ll catch all of them. Similarly, unless there is consistent graphic death, gore, or otherwise prevalent upsetting topics, I [probably] won’t mark it as dark.)

MULTICHAPTERS

Ghost Hunting With Skeletons - Various/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

ONE OF THE FICS OF ALL TIME!!!

Go "ghost hunting" with Cash while looking for machine parts! Become Sans' weird coworker! Lie and keep secrets with Red! Get tangled up with a mysterious shadowy figure who spontaneously spawns in your house- wait, what was that last one?

Tilikum - Various Sanses/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

I'm sure everyone and their dog knows of this fic by now but listen. If you haven't read this, somehow, please do yourself a favour and read this immediately.

I love mer fics and I especially love CEPHALOPOD SIRENS. (Blue and Red are very good in this fic but SKULL!!!! MY PRECIOUS BOY!!)

The Mirror Bay Depths - Various Sanses/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

And speaking of MER FIC- if you like merskeletons, mysteries, manipulation and mmmmmmmmmm...magical workarounds for linguistic difficulties (i made the alliteration work, see?) Then you'll LOVE this fic!

Dive into The Mirror Bay Depths and get charmed by a buncha mers! It's super cute and also has a serious undertone of "UH OH" once the mystery begins to come to light.

Got Crabs? - Underfell!Sans/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

Got crabs????? Hilarious soulmate AU where you and have some of the stupidest words written on each other's bodies and it all goes GREAT.

You do in fact, got crabs.

It's Just A Game - Sans/Reader - Finished

CYOAs my beloved. This was recced to me recently and I got caught up with all the new updates and it's sooooo good auugugjhfkgh,, I love existential crises and weird metafiction.

cat ~/.zsh_history - Sans/Reader - Finished

If you enjoyed It's Just A Game, or other fics like it, you'll probably like this too!!!! Player-character reality simulation existential angst all wrapped up into a neat little fic <3333 It feels like a weight on my heart.

The Understudy - Sans/Reader - Finished

THE anti-harem fic. As in, THE anti-harem fic that inspired the structure of every other anti-harem fic. It's a piece of fantastic storytelling and is a literal pioneer of a genre.

It was a fic that was intended to flip a genre on it's head, and it's fascinating to me that it became a genre of its own. Splendidly written and is the cause of 99% of my confusion during my return to the fandom because all of a sudden there were a buncha anti-harems and I was like WTF ARE THESE jkdhfgkjdfk,,

I went into it intending to find out the history behind anti-harems, and then got sucked in completely. You can guess the general premise, but MAN does plot hit hard!!!!!!

And speaking of anti-harems...

The Eye of a Judge - Various, Swapfell!Papyrus/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

[Warning: Contains Dark/Heavy Themes]

What if anti-harem fic, except the terrible GF was EVEN MORE terrible. Really really fun concept with what happens to the reader, and oh so fucked up just in general. Make sure to check the tags on this one.

The Faults in Our Souls - W.D. Gaster/Reader - Finished

This fic is super sweet, the reader falls into the Underground and gets taken in by Gaster and his two boys, eventually falling in love and becoming a parental figure for the skelebros. But then the incident with the core happens...

Pros & Cons - Sans/Reader - Finished/Series

[Warning: Contains Explicit Content.]

I try not to put too much NSFW in the lists on this blog but uhhhh *looks at the rest of the list* it's fine. I like these fics too much not to add them.

This one in particular is AMAZING and really funny to boot. The reader wakes up after a one night stand with very few memories of the night before and debates the pros and cons of checking who they slept with thsjfbbfkfbk

The fic right after is ALSO hilarious because it gives so much more context and life to the world I love it dearly. Also the smut is great but yknow gbflgbkf I'm TRYING to keep this relatively SFW

Eau de résistance - Underfell!Sans/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

[Warning: Contains Dark/Heavy Themes]

Underfell flavoured slave AU which gets really, really complicated emotions-wise. It's one of the few UT fics I still keep up with pretty actively atm, and it's because the mystery has me hooked. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

Other than the obvious premise, it gets into some darker topics, so if you're sensitive to that sorta stuff, please read the tags and tread carefully if you decide to read! Otherwise, enjoy!

The Party Incident and Other Embarrassing Anecdotes - Sans/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

[Warning: Contains Explicit Content.]

Takes a deep breath. Ok so, I debated adding this fic. Not because I don't like it, but because I haven't actual read this in years, so I don't know how it stands up to the test of time.

I don't usually like adding fics that I can't certifiably recommend, but I also feel like if you haven't read this, you haven't Really experienced Undertale reader inserts. It's like. a classic.

I still remember vividly cringing from secondhand embarrassment SO many times while reading BUT I wouldn't trade in that experience for anything- I fucking loved this fic. It was wonderful and terrible and so incredibly fun, and honestly I kinda don't want to reread it so I can keep it in the shiny veneer of nostalgia forever.

Smells Like Chalk and a Cockatoo - Sans/Reader - Finished

[Warning: Contains Explicit Content.]

Uhhhh, I don't actually have a good segue for this, but this one also has really complicated relationships. There is a happy ending! It's a fucking rollercoaster to get there though.

It's kinda in the same vein as The Party Incident for me, I consider it a classic, and it's also... very 2016/17. Take that how you will. I don't know if I'd recommend this fic, but I definitely think you should read it, if you know what I mean. I'm VERY fond of it despite my extremely conflicted emotions. It's definitely not for everyone though.

Oh, also it has the most fucked up form of skeleton reproduction ever <3 That's okay though, because it results in one of my favourite fankids ever. I'm love my boyyy Impact ;w;!!!!

Bonetrast - Papyrus/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

The reader in this is terrible and I'm fascinated. I like reading about characters being antagonistic towards each other sometimes, so I really enjoyed this and I wanna see where the author takes this. Make sure to read the tags.

A Drink That Hits Right In the Bones - Various/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

This one... the reader in this kinda sucks too jhsfjkdf but in a different way. Once again fascinating as hell!!! Drunk, gay, in denial and homophobic, this reader is NOT having a great time.

I, however, reading it, am having a fantastic time!

breakfast combo - Sans/Reader - Finished

Veryyyyyy cute! The reader gets bothered about their crush on Sans by UF!Sans. Love the banter. Oneshot turned twoshot, it's a nice little read :D

Penned to you - Horrortale!Sans/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

Penpals!!! I'm loving this so far <3 Horrortale Pap and the reader become penpals and subsequently friends. Sans is... around, probably not being spooky and weird. I'm excited to see where this one goes >:00

Grounding Your Ego - Underfell!Papyrus/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

Soulmate AU again!!! The reader has a set of REALLY terrible words written around their neck, and... they're mute. :]

ALSO the little snippets of world building are so delicious and have stuck in my mind like the- wait fuck I just realised the title is a pun what the fuck how'd I miss that before- LIKE THE GROUNDS IN PAPYRUS' COFFEE.

The Sacrificial Skeleton and the Labyrinth of Gods - Various/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

[Warning: Contains Explicit Content.]

:] *points vigourously at the warning* The smut is a pretty ingrained part once it gets to it, but I couldn't NOT add this fic.

Anyway I'm a little obsessed with this fic. There's a skeleton reader, who's a necromancer! The skeletons are thought to be gods, but actually they got isekai'd! It's a WILD RIDE and it's surprisingly good??? It feels like one of those webtoons or manga that you look at the cover/summary for and go *??????* at, but then you start reading it and go "OH, THIS IS REALLY FUN ACTUALLY."

There's pretty intense language barriers between the skeletons and the reader for a lot of the fic, but I love that sorta stuff, so that just makes it better for me lol. I adore the dynamics between the characters, they feel so diametrically opposed sometimes it's great.

Nothing to see here. - Various/Reader, Various Sanscest - Ongoing/Unfinished

Oh this one!!! Should probably actually go under misc but it's okay. This fic asks the question of: What if there was a MASSIVE multiversal mashup and some of the residents shared an apartment building where they now live completely normal domestic lives?

It's got /Reader stuff as well as a fun selection of Sanscest and platonic roommate content, and each chapter is semi-self contained and really fun.

Magic Bitty Bits™ - Various/Reader, Various Sanscest - Ongoing/Unfinished

Another one that should technically be under misc. I love bitty fics... and I love really fucked up shit happening to characters <3 Take are to note the warnings at the beginning of chapters, but hhrhghh I'm on the edge of my seat every time something happens/is revealed. LIKE WHAT!! WHAT!!!!!!! AHH-

The Monster Who Will Always Wait - Nightmare!Sans - Finished

Small kraken mer becomes BIG KRAKEN MER!!!!!! Leviathan sized drama, with some sweet romance. I followed this one from the day it was posted to the day it finished and I loved every second.

Dire Wolf - Horror!Swapfell!Skelebros/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

You get two new coworkers, who have some unusual habits surrounding food, leading you to make them lunch!! As you grow closer, their histories and rivalries come to light. It's hella good and I love the character dynamics.

Uncomfortably Similar Situations - Horrortale!Sans/Reader - Finished

Horrortale!Sans brings you home like one would a starving stray cat. There are ups and downs but everything turns out alright :]!!

The Sound of the Sea - Underfell!Sans/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

More mer content!!! But Underfell Sans this time ! There are only 3 chapters so far and it has me wanting more!! I love this so much...

Sweet Deceptions - Swapfell!Papyrus/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

Fake dating!!!!! What more can I say ;D Well, I can say a lot more, like how fantastic this fic is with the escalation of the fake relationship, but I'll leave yall to find that out for yourselves :]

Dream Catcher, Nightmare Snatcher - Nightmare!Sans - Ongoing/Unfinished

HRHHGH Nightmare gets stuck in a Venom-esque situation with you, and you both suffer the consequences. You're both menaces to each other in this, it's great.

Coffee and Chaos - Underfell!Skelebros/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

Reader ends up inheriting their mom's tenants, a pair of skeleton brothers. It's a nice slice of life!! Also, he/they reader ftw \o/!!

Canids love bones - Bad Sanses/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

In this, the reader is a monster with a really fluffy tail and a tragic past. They just keep getting bothered by these skeleton dudes and eventually end up joining them. Fun read! I like monster readers.

Train Station Blues - Mafiafell!Sans/Reader - Discontinued

Sadly discontinued :( Still a really solid fic and an enjoyable read!!! I adore the 1920s as a setting...

What is This, A Hallmark Movie? - Underswap!Papyrus/Reader - Finished

Christmas fic!! The reader does not like Christmas, and Stretch tries his best to get them to enjoy it regardless. It doesn't work out too well... but everything is alright in the end. I loved Stretch's determination jkfdhgkjdfg hes trying so hard...

Story of the perfect vessel - Various Sanses/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

Really interesting premise!!! You're a parasite that took over this dying human's body and are now puppeteering it around. Then you meet a buncha skeletons, but you're still a parasite with no sense of what being human is like!! Love me some weird concepts.

America's Unluckiest (Luckiest) Almost-Astronomer - Various/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

Yaayyyy! You get isekai'd into a hot mess of a universe, brimming with skeletons, skeletons and more skeletons! There's some weird stuff going on, but surely it'll be fine.

All is Fair in Love and Prank Wars - Sans/Reader - Finished

Hey! Another 2016 fic! The reader starts a prank war with Sans. Gets angsty but everything gets better in the end. I really enjoyed it :> Reader is named in this, but for some reason that didn't bother me like it usually does lol

Mr. Fear - Underfell!Papyrus/Reader - Finished

This is an interesting one. It's set in a mashup of various AUs (e.g. Swapfell Alphys and Underfell Papyrus) but not in like. a multiversal machine malfunction sorta deal. Anyway, it's got a fun plot and I really enjoyed it :]

Cheshire Kitten - Underswap!Skelebros/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

The reader is a shapeshifter who prefers to be a cat! (Mood) And they use that to deal with problems large and small. It's real sweet and makes me also want to be able to turn into a shapeshifting cat.

it's just me and an overly enthusiastic skeleton; trying to solve a murder. - Underswap!Sans/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

Ah, I love ridiculously long titles. Saves me time. The title also acts as a summary, and it's really fun!! Monster murders must be horrible to make a case for, since you can't inspect the body for evidence...

Ship of bones - Various/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

PIRATES!!!!! I love the action and drama in this one, it's so fun! Also features a lot of scary skeletons. I loved reading about the reader giving them the slip >:3c!!

A Sea of Hope - Various/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

MORE pirates!! This one features a skeleton reader <33 I love the backstory and lore... also the reader is so teeny compared to Axe :DDD

You Know Where To Find Me - Papyrus/Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

I am so invested in this premise (Papyrus is the mascot of monsterkind and you are his assistant) and both of you are tired after having a string of terrible employers/employees kjhkjdfg,, I'm so excited to see where this goes, it's been fun so far.

=========================

ONESHOTS

Seeing Double - Swapfell!Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot

Twin shenanigans. TWIN SHENANIGANS AT COFFEE SHOPS! I can't say more without spoiling things so just go read it!!! Reader(s) are named but moreso for Twin purposes.

Somethin' Special - Underswap!Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot

More coffee shop AU! Very cute. SO cute. They're both awkward and silly and its SO sweet.

Daguerreologue - Sans/Reader, Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot/Series

Actually a oneshot that's part of a series, but I just liked this one the most (you should also go read the rest of the series, it's really good too!!!)

Feels like a little snapshot of a soft, warm life, worn by time. It's just a really nice fic! Good for feelin fuzzy inside.

Looking for Something - Sans/Reader - Oneshot

The reader loves to people watch, and draw the people they see. Some of which, are monsters ;)! Superrrrrrrrrr cute. Suuuuuuuuuper super cute.

FIGHT ME!! - Sans/Reader - Oneshot

Not to be mistaken for Fight Me! by MsMK or Fight Me! by Little_old_lady (both of which are very good!!!!!!!) This fic DOES however use the same basic premise/prompt except with Sans as the nurse and it's SIMILARLY fantastic. I love nurse Sans in this.

If yall know of more UT fics with this title/concept please tell me so I can make this stupid joke a third time.

Dates are dumb - Sans/Reader - Oneshot

Sans has a really bad blind date, but his server comes to the rescue!! Really cute!

This was supposed to be smut, idk what happened. - Swapfell!Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot

As the title says, notably not smut. Sexy and very charged? Absolutely.

It's a soulmate AU where the reader is a mob boss making a trade of sorts with their rival, Sans. He shows off the goods before the trade is accepted.

Light of My Life - Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot

Very sweet!! The reader has magic that allows them to hear magic, and they let Papyrus listen in.

and i will love you on purpose - Horrortale!Sans/Reader - Oneshot

As you've probably noticed, 99% of the oneshots I rec here are super cute, and this is no exception djkfgkjgfh 5+1 of kissing Horror, it's bitesized and adorable.

Stargazing - Sans/Reader - Oneshot

A little slice of happiness set before the barrier went up. Sans and the reader are kids and it's very very sweet.

It's Raining Right Here (They/Them Edition) - Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot

Veryyyy cute snapshot of romance with Papyrus <3!!!!

General Misconception - Megalosomnia!Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot

I love the Megalosomnia AU and I also love Papyrus. This has both :] I won't spoil things, but General just wants to be helpful :))

And speaking of Megalosomnia...

Delirious - Megalosomnia - Dr. Baggs/Reader - Oneshot

[Warning: Contains Explicit Content.]

>:3c I usually try avoid too much explicit content for these lists but listennnnnnnn I love good and fun characterisation MORE than any conviction I have to that, plus I've broken that rule already.

Anyway senseless justification aside, I freakin loveeeee how much characterisation gets packed in here, it's delicious!! You get to know so much about the dynamics and workings of the relationships in this universe it's great.

Relearning - Ink!Sans/Reader - Oneshot

The reader breaks her arm and has to relearn how to draw. Cue Ink! It's really sweet!!

Turn The Page - Swapfell!Skelebros/Reader - Oneshot

This one is actually part of a series but I just really like this one hjsdfgjhf,, I love festivals and markets!! The reader is so awkward and jumpy and I'm like. ah. a kindred spirit.

Meet Cute Oneshots - Various - Oneshot/Series

Cheating again by linking a series. As the title implies, it's a bunch of meet cutes!! My favorites (as of writing) are the second, fourth and fifth in the series ^^!!

the thing about axe - Horrortale!Sans/Reader - Oneshot

You go for a nice walk in the woods with Axe :) I love how it this one plays with emotions and atmosphere for the audience, because the reader (character) is mostly oblivious to Axe's history.

hottie hotline - Underfell!Sans/Reader - Oneshot

Really sweet and funny. Red gets stuck in an elevator. THE FUCKING ENDING GOT ME. HRHFKFJFKDNDK

A Conversation Starter - Swapfell!Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot

First times for both of them! A snapshot of these two stumbling through a conversation with a human/monster for the first time. It's adorable.

Soulmate of the Century - Nightmare!Sans/Reader - Oneshot

Soulmate AU where you can't harm your soulmate. You really just wanted some ramen, man.

Kabedon - Swapfell!Sans/Reader - Oneshot

Kabedon the skeleton!!! Razzy doesn't get the appeal, so you explain it to him ;))

Cuddles of Doom - Underfell!Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot

DOOMYYYYY!!! I love the dialogue here. Doomy is the most precious kitty ever and Papyrus is very cute.

Café - Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot

Short and sweet!! (Lightly) tsundere Papyrus is very cute dfjkghkfjg <3

A Blue Valentine - Underswap!Sans/Reader - Oneshot

It's Valentines, and you're crushin'~ Both of them are soooooooo sweet in this.

You'd Be Goo Where You Stand - Sans/Reader - Oneshot

True to the title I am goo where I stand. I'm all gooey and gushy it's so cuteeeeeeeeeeeeee. THEY'RE MARRIIIIIEDDDD,,,,, and there's a sequel??? SO cute.

First Meeting - Underfell!Papyrus/Reader - Oneshot

UF!Papyrus is a very worried parent and the reader is sweet as hell. I just think there's also something really funny about Papyrus calling Frisk a SLIPPERY SNAKE jkdhfjghfdg

=========================

MISC. / OTHER

Full Deck - ? - Ongoing/Unfinished

Hysterical flip of every reader insert ever written. Can be simply summed up as "skeletons desperately dodging various reader's advances", but that is nowhere near close to describing this fic. It's really funny, and if you haven't read it, you should.

Not quite a /reader, so it goes here lolol. The reader is more something that happens to the skeletons.

No fin new about it - Bad Sanses||Nightmare's Gang&Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

SUBNAUTICA AU!! With timeline fuckery! I just like big mer skeletons. And Subnautica. It's a real fun time.

Bits Of Spaghetti - Various&Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

This fic treats bitties in a really interesting way!! Veryyy cool origins, and very interesting dynamics between characters. Reader is an old man, and he just kinda wants to make puppets and dolls and have a nice quiet life. Unfortunately, skeletons.

Don't give up, Y/n! - Various&Reader - Ongoing/Unfinished

[Warning: Contains Dark/Heavy Themes]

I do not have any kids but this fic makes me feel like a worried parent. It also makes me feel like I need to smoke an entire pack of cigarettes. It's great, really. Just makes me so stressed. They're just a kid... definitely heed the tags for this one.

Down The Mountain, Under The Door - Underswap!Papyrus&Reader - Oneshot

Monsters are giant sized !! Or humans are tiny. Either way, Underswap Papyrus comforts the reader after accidentally spooking them pretty badly. I love myself some good ol' unintentional fearplay and intentional comfort.

The Bucket List - Various&Reader - Finished

[Warning: Contains Dark/Heavy Themes]

Hoo boy. The reader creates a bucket list, intending to die at the end. It's story about depression and recovery and it's really really good.

Heart on the Table - Ongoing/Unfinished

MADE ME CRYYY,,, Sans and Pap end up taking care of Frisk and honestly just go read it it's very sweet and sad and good. Frisk is just a kid!!!!!! AHHH

Broken Bones (and Sticks and Stones) - Finished

CRIES!!!!!! You know Handplates AU. I know Handplates AU. Featuring: extremely complex familial feelings!!!! Papyrus has a kid, and she is the SWEETEST. Another of my favorite fankids!! FLORAAAAAA <33

This of course, with Gaster being Gaster in this AU, makes everything even more complicated. It's really good and made me cry. Please read it. Papyrus is the best mom.

Jamais Vu - Oneshot

HGH... this one is like a punch to the gut but in a really good way. Both because of the absolutely incredible writing and also because it was the first Undertale fic that this author has posted since 2017, and gave me a scare when I opened my email.

Letters to a Friend - Oneshot

Another by the same author, but from 2016. My HEART?????? The King Papyrus ending always hurts me so... hhhrhhhhghjkdf,,

OH, I WAS BEING SARCASTIC - Finished

[Warning: Contains Dark/Heavy Themes]

It's more Papyrus Angst! This is just going to happen every time I do one of these, probably.

He would never take a vacation for any reason...

Sonata - Finished

[Warning: Contains Dark/Heavy Themes]

More Papyrus Angst. Sometimes a melody can say more than words.

Broken Trust (Re-upload) - Finished

What's this!! Even more angst?! You bet! It's Swap flavoured this time though.

Sans is not actually a monster, and Papyrus is horrified when he finds out. Very very good and sad, with a happy ending. Paps is not great in this, but he comes around :( I really really love the concept of this fic, and I think it was executed really well.

I'm Feeling Fine, Kid - Finished

[Warning: Contains Dark/Heavy Themes]

Soooooooooooo fucked up but it's also like. one of the formative fics of my existence. I could've sworn this was in one of my other lists, but apparently not. Fucked me up big time back when I first read it sdjkhjhf, read this if you wanna hurt and then get tentatively put back together.

If you've read Flowey Is Not A Good Life Coach and you liked that, you might like this too. Lots of Papyrus Angst, but this one has even more Sans Angst!

Stones and a Glass House - Oneshot

[Warning: Contains Discussions of Explicit Content.]

Want a break from the sudden deluge of angst??? Try this, it's kinda a crackfic, and very funny.

Love when brothers get to tease each other mercilessly. They talk pretty candidly about explicit content, so heed the warning LMAO. Very very funny though.

=========================

SANSCEST/PAPCEST

AH SURPRISE! I didn't want to make a whole new list since I have way less of these on hand, but I also really wanted to recommend them lol. If this ain't your thing, then this list ends here -u-)b

fox in the coop - Sanscest (Dust/Horror/Crop) - Ongoing/Unfinished

Ouuuhhhhh I am so unwell over this fic. It hurts so good. Hidden identity bullshit to the max!! I don't even know where to begin with this one, but it's fantastic, go read the summary at least. Dust is so normal about everything. Totally.

Also, Dust gets chickens!!

Colors - Papcest (Spicyhoney || Underfell!Papyrus/Underswap!Papyrus) - Ongoing/Unfinished

Ahhhhh language barriers my beloved. Falling in love despite language barriers my beloved!!!

It's got some real good drama and lovely lovely writing. I love it a whole lot :]]

VILLAIN HOTLINE - Sanscest (Bad Sans Poly) - Ongoing/Unfinished

Bad Sans Chatfic. Wait wait wait hear me out!!! COME BACK. THERES AN ACTUAL STORY.

The chatfic parts are pretty fun, and the developing horror plot even more so! Universes and people are glitching, which spells a bad time for everyone!!!

You Have One (1) Unread Message - Sanscest (Bad Sans Poly) - Ongoing/Unfinished

Similar to the one above, this fic has a similar concept (crack chatfic that devolves into plot and horror)

Genuinely quite terrifying, even when viewed through Killer's strange apathetic POV (which is ALSO fascinating in it's own right).

Little (NOT LITTLE) Red Riding Hood - Papcest (Spicyhoney) - Finished

Really fun twist on Little Red Riding Hood!! Red also gets to wear a frilly nightcap and nightgown in this, which is a fun image.

So You Didn't Want to Marry a Mage - Papcest (Spicyhoney + BG. Mapleblossom) - Ongoing/Unfinished

Ahhh I love fics where a character gets to learn magic from another character... this one is hella cute!!! I love a lot of this author's works but this one in particular is one of my favourites :>

=========================

Did you have fun scrolling forever? I had fun putting this together.

There are a total of 90 fics here! I wanted to do 99 since it's the 999999999th anniversary of Undertale this year, but I'm tired so 90 will do. That's already so many. 90 in fact. Also my phone started to lag while scrolling so perhaps it's for the best.

If yall have any recs for ME, please drop them by my askbox, I (obviously) love reading jkshdgjkfh,,, I'm generally up for rereading stuff, so dw if you reckon I've read something before :]!!

Also, if you haven't already, you should check out my FIC REC MASTERLIST for previous (and future) fic rec lists (from me, specifically).

[nomsfaultau]

Daily ask №14! 2 weeks anniversary woooo

Void edition!

Also I'm writing this sitting under a linden tree. Smells absolutely amazing.AH MUFFIN A BUG JUMPED ONTO MY THIGH WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS AND IT WASNT A BEE

What IS void? Is it an entity? A place?

How does it know everything?

Did it even come from the fault universe originally? I mean, it has access to knowledge no other character possesses. Is it something of another world then?

How the heck did it get trapped within Wilbur? Is it even trapped? Basically, Wilbur and Void. What's their thing?

Is void and void madness the same thing? Does void give people void madness? Does it happen by itself? Basically, what's the thing with that?

Okay but like if the higher being that was watching me was a teenage girl, even from another universe, I'd probably be more dissapointed than go mad. Plus they've handled far worse, I feel like. Existential horror doesn't seem new to the crew, why is void madness actually to distressing?

Somewhat personal stuff on the topic, don't read if you don't want to or don't care, I completely understand: I mean, personally, I'd probably take some comfort in being watched like that. It at least means that I'm interesting and or sympathetic and that my life will be interesting too. But I'm biased, as a person who spends their free time monologuing to the "chat" (aka nonexistent entities that I made up that watch me all of the time and hear my thoughts purely because the realisation that I am indeed alone in my mind and in general was too distressing to accept)

Haha anyways! Yeah fuck you, void : D

No that was Tubbo in a funny hat. And this is MASSIVE spoilers for Fault; the characters have only briefly brushed against void madness in very small doses, since they’re more concerned with things like interpersonal drama and being shot at. At most I’d say there’s foreshadowing with increasing implications such as in Tubbos’ minor foray into the void or Greg, but the curtain hasn’t peeled back on that can of worms.

I’d like to address part of 7 up here, since I think it’s an excellent framework to understanding why I added a layer of metafictionality to Fault (beyond the fact it’s cool as hell).

I narrate constantly in my internal monologue too. I think it's a very human impulse to frame things in stories even (or especially) when we never tell them. It's how we try to make sense of the world, create cause and effect and feel like we have control in a very stoichastic universe. We feel the need to explain in order to process things, which is why things like journalling, talking to people (or even imagining to do so) can be helpful. And so we create audiences both internal and external to partake in the act of a story, because that’s how it’s supposed to work. A speaker, a listener. In a way Fault is my way of processing different philosophy systems externally through the framework of a story, and I’m just lucky enough that other people have decided to listen.

Internal narratives make it easier to process things because in a way it’s a short cut. It explains the world in a way that’s simpler and easier to work with than reality, which would be very overwhelming otherwise. Instead of having to examine everything always and treat it like it’s new, additional information can be shoved in a category with similar data. This is where we get confirmation bias, prejudices, conspiracy theories too. Information that contradicts with our story is often discarded. Our story of how the world works is also the story of ourselves.

I’m going to sound pretentious for a sec here (well this entire preface really)(I promise I stole this from a YouTube video I’m not literate). In ‘The Mnemonic Imagination’ Keightley and Pickering posit that “Trauma is when an experience is so contradicting to your sense of continuity that your internal narrative is effectively destroyed.” It's too big to be discarded, and so the narrative is discarded instead. Fault deals heavily in trauma, in how it disrupts internal understanding of the world and creates new narratives. We see this in the hallway reframing Tommy’s understanding so that he and his friends are monsters. We see this in Wilbur’s bad experiences with humans leading it to simplifying into humanity into something always evil. In the past when faced with trauma, I would find myself repeating an explanation over and over to imagined people, to make it easier to process. Trying to frame it in a way that reintegrates it into the overall narrative, because it needed to fit before I could move on.

If trauma is the disruption of narratives, and Fault is about trauma, it made sense for me to examine how far an internal understanding of the world could break. I wanted to examine our relationships to stories both internal and externally. Metafictional madness will not be the only type of derealization at play at that point of the narrative, and I want to examine how trauma creates disconnect and alienation from the world around you. How the stories we tell ourselves affects how we treat others. And even more importantly, how to reject the new framework of the world that trauma creates. Chiefly, in restarting the narrative. Choosing to continue the story. Choosing to live.

People are made of stories. They are how we survive. Fault above all is about survival in all its messy glory.

And also it looks sick as hell.

What IS void? Is it an entity? A place?

The void is both a dimension and a collection of Conceptuals. It’s an eclectic group that are all ambitious cunning and territorial. Very dog-eat-dog, all scrambling for dominance.

On the dimensional front, it’s a bog standard infinite evil plane filled with monsters and goulies. The world itself is implied to also be an entity in their own right, or rather many entities, turtles all the way down style. Tubbo described it as such: “The terrain is layers. It’s all superimposed on everything else. Like, one spot might be an infinite mountain, but also a wine sea, but also an alien city, but also a bone bog, but also the fur of some beast, but also— just hundreds of realities all happening in the same spot. We can can sorta focus on one layer, but the others butt in. They’re all shadows cast from a million things, mixing into a blur but each version distinct.”

It’s like facets on the same gem, infinite fractals of planes of non existence each filled with horrors all fighting for dominance. It would be fairly maddening to fully behold, but luckily Tubbo gets some defense via being a partially omnipresent multitude.

3. Did it even come from the fault universe originally? I mean, it has access to knowledge no other character possesses. Is it something of another world then?

The void is its own world. Unworld maybe? Regardless it’s broken into the Fault universe.

4. How the heck did it get trapped within Wilbur? Is it even trapped? Basically, Wilbur and Void. What's their thing?

The void typically is separate from the dimension of Fault. It is ravenous but in the void there is nothing they can actually eat. So every few generations the void pools its power together to create a vessel. This is different from how The Blood God chooses a preexisting host. Wilbur never agreed to be a vessel, it was simply born as one. Through this vessel the void has torn a tiny hole in the fabric of Fault, through which it can seep in and cause problems. That’s the hole in Wilbur’s head.

Like many vessels, Wilbur has sovereignty over the void to some extent. Part of that is being a person, but part of it is being the culmination of the void’s efforts pooled together. So he is the one thing that can really control the void if with varying success based on his willpower. And like every other voidkeeper that has ever existed in Fault, Wilbur realized oh wait the void wants to devour all matter, and I’m matter so I should stop that. To Wilbur the void is a burden, to the void Wilbur is an opportunity. But also not their only opportunity, so if he dies oh well but they also did put in a lot of effort to make it in the first place. Imagine trying to create the perfect OC and a world domination scheme with the infinite number of typewriter monkeys. Who all have knives and will attack if they don't like your proposed amendment re: amount of teeth.

5. Is void and void madness the same thing? Does void give people void madness? Does it happen by itself? Basically, what's the thing with that?

The void can cause its own sort of eldritch madness, speaking in tongues, clawing your eyes out, basic stuff like that. Void madness is probably an inaccurate term since I was just being cheeky when I said it. It is not madness the void causes in and of itself, and is more of a byproduct from their actions. The void’s goal is to consume all of reality. Hence creating Wilbur, so they have access. But Fault is not reality, it’s a fan fiction, and so to eat reality the void first has to eat Fault. Like an entrée.

The problem occurs when the void eats through Fault, creating holes to reality beyond. This exposes characters to the fact they are in a story, which starts to cause problems.

It’s not eldritch madness in the common sense with the bleeding eyes and gibberish, but instead madness born from being aware of metafictionality. More like the ant understanding a computer chip type of madness. It’s a fact that reframes one’s entire reality in a way completely incongruous to one’s previous life, unfathomable to anyone else and thus isolating. It’s really a type of trauma, the type seen as too ‘horrific’ to share with others for fear of tainting them as well.

2.How does it know everything?

I don’t think it’s a symptom of being Conceptuals, else Phil, Niki, The Blood God, etc would be aware of the metafictionality. In all likelihood, trial and error. After a few goes with vessels one probably inevitably got a rip in the Fault universe to reality beyond and thereafter were desperate to break through two layers between dimensions instead of just the one. The void isn’t necessarily a collective given how individualist it is, but knowledge is power and they have literally eternity to spread the word through gossip, hushed secrets, brochures, etc.

6. Okay but like if the higher being that was watching me was a teenage girl, even from another universe, I'd probably be more dissapointed than go mad. Plus they've handled far worse, I feel like. Existential horror doesn't seem new to the crew, why is void madness actually to distressing?

Technically, the Fault guys actually haven’t dealt with metafictional madness. At most they’ve brushed up against it. Tubbo's gotten some brief glimpses and has some forbidden knowledge but doesn’t know what it means. Philza experienced some holes in the narrative and started to unravel since he’s weak to psychic attacks, but he thought it was just eldritch madness. And Wilbur kinda dismisses all that stuff because well it’s the void it’s TRYING to make you go insane so why would you believe the crap they’re saying?

The horror lies in realizing you are a character without control of your existence, thoughts, agency who suffers and lives for the amusement of otherworldly beings you can’t even comprehend. It’s the realization that your personality, traumas, relationships has been manufactured by a cruel god. It’s like suddenly blinking and the world around you is made of cardboard props, or the stage light falling in the Truman Show. It’s existential horror in the reframing of your entire existence, of knowing nothing is real it doesn’t matter while everyone you’ve ever loved carries on believing they’re people. They’re not. You aren’t.

You didn’t exist until a few months ago, and when the story ends so will you. The moment you aren’t interesting you cease existing. Are you real in the moment between scenes? Does your friend stop existing the moment they leave the room? Do you have thoughts only when the story is in your perspective? Do you have thoughts at all or just what the author forces you to think?

7. Somewhat personal stuff on the topic, don't read if you don't want to or don't care, I completely understand: I mean, personally, I'd probably take some comfort in being watched like that. It at least means that I'm interesting and or sympathetic and that my life will be interesting too. But I'm biased, as a person who spends their free time monologuing to the "chat" (aka nonexistent entities that I made up that watch me all of the time and hear my thoughts purely because the realisation that I am indeed alone in my mind and in general was too distressing to accept) Haha anyways! Yeah ṁ̵̮̌ủ̷̢͉̫̕f̸͍̠̬̾f̷̭̳͙̚i̷̪̳̥̾̑n̷̢̩̝͗̿ you, void : D

There are a lot of ways to deal with that type of information. Not all characters react to void madness in the same way, much like they all have different responses to trauma. Your reaction sounds much more in line with the Zaphod Beeblebrox reaction to the Total Perspective Vortex, or the song Main Character by Will Wood. I mean not implying you’re egotistical like those characters, but similar in being flattered by it. You know, most people don’t know if their life has a purpose, but knowing you’re the literal main character of existence could be a pretty kicking deal depending on how you roll with it.