#endings continue to be my villian origin story

[five-and-dimes]

Next to Nothing

Dream knew that retiring from Endlessness to live a human life with Hob Gading wouldn't be easy. He wasn't expecting Hob to laugh at him so much though. (In which there are misunderstandings, Dream hides things he shouldn't, and being human is hard.)

AO3

Lately, Dream has been experiencing nightmares.

He says ‘experiencing’ instead of ‘having’ due to the nature of his sleep. Despite making the difficult decision to become human, to share an immortal, human life with Hob Gadling, certain aspects of himself have remained. One of those aspects is that he simply cannot be overtaken by dreams. He is always aware of when he steps into his former realm- like returning to a house he no longer lives in but still remembers which floorboards creak and how to open tricky doors. He is incapable of not recognizing himself, even from the other side of the mirror.

Some nights are dreamless- The new incarnation of Dream of the Endless, Daniel (and Death, once she learned of his lucid dreaming), worried that being in a constant state of awareness would prevent him from properly resting, which was the whole point of his retirement in the first place. As such, half the time he floats between realms, peaceful and relaxed. But sometimes dreams or nightmares are drawn to him. And while it had been awkward at first, his former subjects standing before him like any other mortal, he encouraged them to fulfill whatever scenario they had been driven to. Even if he could not be lost in it, he knew they were drawn to him when he was feeling something he needed to face. That was their purpose, and he would always be proud of them for fulfilling it. 

And so it was that for the past week and a half, Dream had entered his former realm and been faced with nightmares about Hob’s laughter.

Despite himself, he jerks awake, dragging himself back into the Waking, a sheen of sweat on his forehead as he gasps in the dark, the echoes of laughter still ringing in his ears. He brings a hand up to his mouth, stifling his heaving breaths, berating himself for being so affected despite knowing it was a dream. As his breathing evens out, he turns his head on his pillow and finds himself nearly nose to nose with Hob Gadling. His best friend, his partner, his lover.

The subject of his nightmares.

Luckily, Hob has always fallen deeply into the Dreaming, and so his snores remain steady and undisturbed by Dream’s restless awakening. Letting his hand drop from his mouth, Dream turned fully onto his side, gazing at the sleeping immortal. He brushes a lock of hair away from his face, letting his fingers caress Hob’s cheek softly, taking comfort in the way he nuzzles against his skin even in his sleep. Dream has been human for just shy of two months, and Hob has been a kind and patient guide in his new life.

Hob also laughs at him a lot. 

He had no disillusion that adjusting to human life would be easy. He had fought with the decision for ages before Hob had finally taken his hands, kissed his face, and begged for him to stay. He could not be Endless anymore, could not stand it, was rapidly approaching an edge that he had no qualms throwing himself over. But Hob. Hob had pulled him back. And so he had let himself be separated from his Endlessness and fell into Hob’s arms to start his new life, and he had expected difficulties, he had . But he had not expected the laughter that followed.

Laying in bed with Hob now, Dream reflects on his time as a human. 

There had been the night he attempted to help Hob with dinner and burned his fingers on a hot pan. He had shrieked, staring horrified at the way the skin had bubbled and turned a vibrant red. Hob had held his hand under a stream of cold water and laughed as Dream stutteringly questioned if his skin would fall off.

“Might peel a bit, but nothing you won’t recover from. Afraid it’s a common happenstance in a kitchen this small. No need to be so theatrical about it!” He teased and laughed and Dream had flushed with embarrassment, scrambling to pull himself together.

He came close to hyperventilating when he got a splinter from the stair railing leading up to Hob’s flat, and Hob had laughed as searched for the tweezers.

“That’s nothing, Love, nothing at all. Just a bit of wood, not the end of the world, yeah?”

And Dream had bitten his tongue to silence himself but all he could think about was that there was something inside him. Something foreign shoved beneath his skin, he could see it, and it felt wrong wrong wrong like a parasite, like a poison. For the next two days he struggles to eat, to drink, he gently rebuffs Hob’s attempts at love making. He does not want anything inside him, does not want anything outside to invade the meager shelter his body provides.

A day out at a fair gives Dream some sort of sickness, whether flu or food poisoning they couldn’t be sure, but Dream spent hours in the restroom, curled over the toilet. His stomach clenched painfully, violently rejecting any attempts at drinking water or ginger ale. He kept heaving, even when he was sure he must be empty, hollow, so sure that the next thing he would vomit would be his organs. There was nothing left.

Hob laughed.

“You won’t be coughing up your stomach tonight Love, I promise,” he kept a hand on Dream’s back, rubbing soothing circles only ever broken up by his chucking, “It all feels far more dramatic than it actually is. You’d probably feel better if you focused more on breathing than catastrophizing,” he grinned.

He hits his elbow on the edge of a bookshelf and nearly screams, a kaleidoscope or sensation and pain shooting up his entire arm, and he doesn’t understand, he doesn’t understand, he’s bumped into things before, he’s experienced bruises (experienced the horror of blood pooling under his skin, spilling out of his veins and spreading in vibrant colors across his flesh) but this is different, like needles have filled his arm all the way down to his hand. Hob rushes in, sees him curled over, clutching his elbow, trying to make the sensations stop, and bursts into laughter.

“Oh, oh Love, you’re alright,” he pulls at Dream until he is standing up straight, running a hand soothingly (patronizingly) over his arm as he giggles, “Discovered the funny bone, have you? Probably one of the worst designs of the human body.”

Dream wants to cry. It’s not funny to him. 

Strangers keep putting their hands on his shoulders or back as they move around him, and he jumps and flinches and glares and Hob laughs and laughs and laughs, “No harm, Love! Folks can be a bit casual about physical contact these days, no danger in the market, darling.”

Every time, even all these weeks later, the laughter hurts. It cuts him in a way he knows he would be judged for, would be chastised for, would be despised for. His undesirable, loathsome, insufferable pride clearly just as much a problem now as it was before. It is a stinging, aching pain to be laughed at, jeered at, mocked. 

And yet… 

His biggest fear- the thing that makes him tremble and cry deep in the Dreaming where no one can see him, the thing that makes him hide his face in his pillow and hide from Hob even as he sleeps- is the thought of what will happen when the laughter stops .

When he stops being a joke and becomes just a burden.

At least now he is able to provide amusement to Hob, no matter how much it makes his chest clench with shame. But surely the novelty will wear off. Eventually, Hob will come to resent Dream’s weakness, his fumbling, his stupid, worthless helplessness. He cannot be happy having to constantly take care of his lover, always having to guide him through situations that should be simple and easy. Hob shouldn’t have to constantly hold his hand.

Dream lifts his head from his pillow, ignoring the damp spot where his tears escaped despite his best efforts. His nightmares have meaning.

He has to do better.

~~~

When Hob wakes, he grins and leans in to give Dream a kiss.

“G’morning, Love. Sleep well?”

Dream nods, leaning his forehead against Hob’s, “Yes. I slept just fine.”

~~~

Dream and Hob are on the couch, curled together and watching something that Dream stopped paying attention to a while ago. There is a pressure in his head, throbbing and painful and the light of the television only makes it worse. He wants to press his fingers against his skull, wants to dig into the sides of his temples until the pressure is released, wants to hold his head in his hands until it feels less like his skull might split down the middle. He knows what a headache is, but the knowledge does not comfort him. He still feels his breath catch at the idea that there is something wrong with his brain .

Hob shifts next to him, “Alright, love?”

Closing his eyes, Dream nods, “Yes. I’m just. Tired.”

~~~

Hob has taken Dream out to a bar tonight, always excited to show Dream places outside of the New Inn. And Dream doesn’t mind, truly. Even before becoming human, he had been trying his best to view the world more as Hob did- as experiences and opportunities and curiosities. It is easier with Hob beside him, always open and eager to share his love for life. 

They are moving through the crowd hand in hand, making their way towards an open table in the back, when Dream feels a hand grab his arse.

Sucking in a breath, he whips his head around to try to find the offender. It is a warm night, and Dream had left his long coat at home, comfortable enough at the time with just a long sleeved shirt, but now he wishes desperately for the shield of more fabric, shivering in his own skin. Only… only Hob was supposed to touch him there. Hob, who was always gentle and considerate, never possessive or threatening like this touch had been. He cannot identify the culprit in the mass of bodies around them, dozens of people whose dreams and intentions are lost to him, and suddenly everyone feels like a threat.

He wants to go home.

“Dream?” Hob tugs at his hand, drawing his attention back from where he had frozen in the middle of their journey, “Everything okay?”

Hob’s eyebrow is raised, and his lips twitch at the corner, like the laughter is already building in his throat, just waiting for Dream’s latest foolishness, ignorance, stupid, stupid, stupid Dream.

“Yes,” Dream forces a smile, “it’s nothing.”

They continue to the table.

~~~

It is still dark out when Dream wakes, not from a nightmare, but from an intense, sharp pain in his leg. 

He gasps, curling up and frantically grabbing at his calf, feeling the way the muscle has tensed. Tears spring to his eyes as he grips his flesh, desperate to get the muscle to release. He doesn’t understand, it doesn’t make sense, he wasn’t doing anything, he was sleeping, why is his body doing this, what did he do wrong ?

Slowly, too slowly, he feels his leg begin to relax, though the echoes of pain remain. Beside him, Hob sleeps on, and part of Dream wants so badly to wake him, wants to know what happened and why. He wants, very badly, to be hugged. 

He turns away from Hob, keeping one hand on his leg, bracing for the pain to return at any moment.

Sleep does not return that night.

~~~

Hob is covering a shift at the New Inn, and he encouraged Dream to join him downstairs, excitedly going on about karaoke night and what fun Dream would surely have.

So far, Dream is not having fun.

There are bright, colorful lights illuminating a small makeshift stage, and everyone sings so loudly. Dream thinks the microphone must be unnecessary yet each person who takes a turn bellows directly into it, the speakers around the space thrumming with noise. When Hob manages to step away from his work to check in on Dream, they are forced to lean close to each other and yell, actually yell, Dream feels his throat becoming raw as the night goes on, his own voice carving him up.

He smiles at Hob and insists that he is having a good time.

When the night finally, finally ends, and Hob and Dream make their way back upstairs to the comfort of their flat, Dream almost stumbles when he realizes that the noise hasn’t stopped. There is a ringing, and he doesn’t just hear it, he feels it, and it’s inside his head. They step inside and it is silent but it’s not, the ringing follows him, like something from the evening has wormed its way inside his ears. He wants to press his hands against his ears, wants to scratch at them, to get whatever has invaded him out . 

Hob yawns and smiles at him, “What a night, huh?”

Dream smiles and nods and bites his tongue.

~~~

At one point, he actually bites his tongue. 

The pain is sharp and abrupt, quickly accompanied by the coppery taste of blood filling his mouth, and he doesn’t know what to do, that’s his blood , spilling into his own mouth, warm and sickly. He wants to spit it out, wants to press a hand to his tongue, wants to cry out just to know that he can, that he hasn’t damaged himself and invited another hundred years of silence with his own teeth.

Hob is in the next room.

Dream swallows.

~~~

When Dream wakes up, he feels… wrong.

He feels warm, but not a comfortable warm. Not the warmth of his perpetually cold body being bundled in blankets and Hob’s arms. No, it is an internal warmth, he feels like he’s radiating it, like the temperature of his blood has risen and now his skin is too tight. He has the strange compulsion to remove his shirt, to expose his arms and stomach to release some of the warmth. Sitting up, he blinks at the strange feeling of heat behind his eyes, and he realizes that his mouth is dry. He feels like a desert. 

The solution feels easy enough, though, and he stands to make his way to the kitchen. His limbs feel a little… floaty. But surely that too will be fixed by the glass of cool water he pours for himself. He gulps it down, and it hits his stomach heavily. He does feel better, but the heat has yet to dissipate. 

It probably just takes time.

He is filling his second glass when Hob wanders out of their room, rubbing his eyes and looking gorgeously sleep-ruffled. 

“Morning beautiful,” he greets, moving next to Dream to kiss the top of his head, “Ah, I had the same idea,” he grinned, grabbing a glass for himself to fill with water.

Dream sighs internally. Yes, this is nothing. Just another nothing.

The morning continues as normal, but Dream still feels… off. He cannot quite bring himself to finish the breakfast Hob has so kindly laid before him, and still the heat in his body persists. He finds himself drinking more water, his mouth drying rapidly each time he puts the glass down. Hob seems to still be waking, yawning between bites and grumbling about doing more zoom classes next term and sighing in relief that tomorrow is the weekend.

“You alright, dove?” 

Dream nearly flinches, hating that Hob had noticed anything. “Yes. I simply find I do not have much of an appetite this morning.”

“Want me to make you something else?” Hob offered.

“No, I’m fine,” Dream shook his head, “I will eat more once I’m more awake,” he insisted.

“Hah, I know that feeling,” Hob grinned, “Any plans for yourself today?” he inquired.

Currently, all Dream wants to do is go back to bed, but he tries to think of what he would do on a normal day while Hob is out, “I think I might go to the library. I have some books on hold that have come in.”

“Oh, lovely!” Hob grinned, “In that case, would you mind stopping by the market on your way home? There’s a couple things I keep forgetting to grab.”

Dream inexplicably feels like crying. Now he has to leave the house, he cannot claim later to have changed his mind, Hob has asked something of him and he cannot refuse him. Not after everything.

Smiling, he nods, “Of course. Just make a list for me, please.”

It feels like the blink of an eye and then Hob is kissing Dream chastely on the lips and hurrying out the door, leaving Dream alone in the quiet of the flat. For too long, he simply sits at the kitchen table, staring at nothing, wanting to crawl back into bed and sleep the day away but knowing that he can’t. That he shouldn’t.

It’s nothing.

Finally, he steels himself and stands, getting dressed on autopilot and tucking Hob’s grocery list into his pocket. As he steps outside, he pulls his jacket tighter around himself. His face feels warm, but his body is shivering, no matter how he tries to make it stop. The walk to the library feels longer than usual, and when he arrives he finds he has no desire to wander the shelves or to sit and read as he usually does. He simply collects the books he has reserved and turns to leave.

By the time he reaches the market, he feels nearly out of breath, and his body aches in a way that it does not usually after a mere walk. Deep in his chest, Dream is frightened. He feels like his body is simply failing him, like a machine with rusted gears and sparking wires. 

He shakes his head vigorously. This is nothing. It’s nothing . It is a human thing and he is overreacting, worrying for no need and acting like a scared child.

Hob would laugh at him. And Dream would deserve it.

Straightening his back, he tries to force normalcy upon himself, grabbing a basket and swiftly collecting the items Hob has requested. He pushes through the discomfort in his body, telling himself that the faster he finishes, the faster he can return home. 

When he exits the market, the sun is shining, and he thinks the weather must be warm, they are approaching summertime, and yet still he shivers. Gripping his bags tightly, he grits his teeth and makes his way home. He has always had strange temperature regulation, he often feels cold, this is nothing unusual. The persistent heat behind his eyes is nothing. The way he occasionally sways as he walks is nothing.

It takes him too long to climb the stairs to the flat, but eventually he makes it. He uses the last of his willpower to put the groceries away, hands trembling slightly. He realizes he is breathing heavily, and there is a rattling sensation in his chest. 

Stumbling into the bedroom, everything feels wrong. He wants to take his clothes off, can feel the fabric sticking to his skin from sweat, but he can’t stop shivering. When he breathes in his lungs feel like they’re crackling, like the soft tissue of his insides have hardened and begun to crumble. His body hurts, like he has fallen down the stairs but he hasn’t done anything, he doesn’t understand .

He never understands.

Crawling beneath the covers, Dream curls up and berates himself. This is nothing, just his new human body doing strange human things and Dream being a fool, like always. He will fall asleep, and when he wakes it will have passed, and he will continue on as he has every day. Even if he doesn’t understand , he knows , he knows he has to be better. The point of his becoming human was for him to change, to be less overdramatic, less petty, less prideful, less, less, less .

Dream has been a human for nearly three months and he is still too much. No amount of humanity can change that, it seems.

So the least he can do is conceal it. Folding in on himself beneath the covers, too hot and too cold and aching and afraid, he takes a breath and pretends that nothing is wrong. He falls asleep hoping he can pretend hard enough.

~~~

Dream feels worse when he awakes.

The heat is overwhelming, and he is not sweating, his skin dry and tight and hurting. His chest feels like it’s cracking with every inhale, and he aches down to his marrow. Distantly, he hears a door open and close. Blearily, he glances at the clock next to the bed and sees that it is mid afternoon, around the time Hob returns home and-

Hob.

Hob is home.

Even through the haze that feels like it’s smothering his thoughts, Dream still manages a panicked lurch to sit up. He can’t let Hob see him like this, he has to pull himself together, he has to be better -

“Honey, I’m home!” Hob calls out cheerily, the same teasing greeting he gives Dream every time he returns from anywhere, regardless of how long he had been gone. Swallowing, Dream struggles to force a response out.

“Welcome back,” He winces at the scratchiness of his voice, and the pain that came with trying to make himself heard. He hears footsteps approaching the bedroom and forces his legs over the side, trying to pull some semblance of normalcy around himself.

When Hob opens the door, he is smiling, “Afternoon nap kind of day?”

Dream nods, smiling, “It was. How were your classes?” His voice is still scratchy, but it can easily be explained away by having just woken.

“Pretty mellow all things considered-" He flips the lights on idly, Dream flinches minutely, the lights seemingly stabbing his overheated eyes, and as the room becomes illuminated Hob’s eyebrows raise.

“You look a little flushed, Love,” he smirks mischievously, “Sure you were just napping?”

Oh, Dream can’t even think about sex right now. He’s trying so hard not to shiver violently in front of Hob and he feels like his insides are boiling and everything hurts and he doesn’t know how to fix it.

Almost without thinking, he lurches to his feet, “I’m just. A little warm. From the blankets.” The room is spinning, it must be, because he is certain he is walking straight and yet he suddenly finds himself bracing himself against the wall.

If his thoughts weren’t so scattered, he might have noticed the smile fall from Hob’s face.

“Woah, hey, are you-“

“It’s nothing,” Dream gasps, pushing himself forward until he is stumbling past Hob out of the room, “I just. Need water.” Water made him feel a little better earlier, right? He clumsily bats Hob’s hands away when they reach for him.

“Hey, Love, are you feeling alright? You don’t seem-“

“Everything is fine,” the whole flat is swaying like a ship on the sea. He keeps one hand against the wall as he makes his way to where he thinks the kitchen is. He’s so hot. He’s so cold. When he blinks he sees the sink in front of him and veers towards it.

Hob is not laughing. He does not know if that is a good thing.

“Dream…” Hob follows closely, and Dream can’t see it but panic is starting to shine in his eyes, “Love, tell me what’s wrong-“

“Nothing!”

“Dream, hey, just let me-”

“It’s nothing!” Dream snaps. He is dimly aware that he can no longer hide his shaking, that he is clutching the kitchen counter desperately. 

Hob moves closer, hands held out as though approaching a wounded animal, “Dream, you’re not-”

“ Do not laugh at me .”

Dream had meant for it to be a command, but what comes out is a plea . Voice thready and weak, and there is water on his face and he does not know if it is sweat, or tears, or both. His knees buckle, and suddenly he is on the floor, Hob’s arm around his waist to keep him somewhat upright. 

Sobbing, he is too tired to even try to disguise his desperation, “ Please ,” he begs, he begs, “please do not laugh at me.”

Everything feels blurry and fuzzy. He thinks he feels Hob pulling him into his arms, pushing his sweaty hair away from his face, wiping at tears and speaking in a soft voice. And as he feels his vision darken at the edges, feels everything start to fall away, his last conscious thought is that he still cannot hear Hob’s laughter.

And he still doesn’t know what that means.

~~~

The first thing Dream becomes aware of as he drifts back into consciousness is the gentle sound of water. His brow furrows, and he wonders if he has somehow landed on the Shore of Dreams. A shiver runs through him, and he becomes aware that he is wet, submerged in cool water from his shoulders down. There is a band of warmth though, holding him securely around his waist, keeping him from falling under. His back is pressed against something firm and soft. The more he wakes, the more he recognizes it.

Hob. 

It takes more effort than he thinks it probably should, but Dream forces his eyes to open. His eyelids feel heavy, and his eyes feel warm, but he manages it. Glancing at his surroundings, it feels like his brain is running at half speed. He is in a bathtub- Hob’s bathtub- their bathtub- the lights are dimmed, and he is naked- no, he’s shirtless, his boxers are still on. His breaths are raspy and loud in the quiet, and when his head flops forward on his neck, he sees two strong, hair covered arms holding him around his middle.

Hob.

He blinks slowly, wants to say something, an apology, he thinks, but another shiver wracks his body and a soft whine escapes him. Hob pulls him closer, shushing him and whispering next to his ear.

“You’re alright, Love, everything’s alright. I know it feels cold but it’s not, I promise. We just need to get you cooled down, alright? I’m right here, dove.” He brings a hand up to pet softly down one of Dream’s limp arms.

“Wha-...” Dream’s tongue feels heavy and dry in his mouth, the words catching until he can’t remember what he was going to say in the first place.

Hob hushes him again, jostling him slightly as he reaches outside of the tub to a glass of water placed on the floor next to him. He holds it up to Dream’s mouth, gently tilting his head back when Dream’s arms continue to be uncooperative.

“Just take small sips, alright? Come on, sweetheart, just a little.”

Dream still feels… far away. He can’t decide if his body feels heavy or weightless, full of cotton or full of lead. But with Hob’s encouragement he’s able to drink some of the water, loosening his tongue and soothing his throat that he hadn’t even realized was sore. Hob places a couple pills in his mouth between sips, and Dream swallows them meekly, too consumed with trying to pull his thoughts together to be anything but docile and pliant in Hob’s hands.

Finally, as Hob places the glass back on the ground, Dream manages to ask weakly, “What happened?”

Hob swallows thickly behind him, his arms tightening just slightly around him as he leans down to speak against his skin, “You passed out. You had a very, very high fever, Love.” There’s a long pause, perhaps waiting for Dream to respond, but Dream doesn’t know what to say.

“Sweetheart,” the word is choked out, “why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

And this, this cuts through to something in Dream, and he pours all his meager energy into explaining, “It’s nothing. I know-... I know it’s nothing. Nothing. Won’t make a big deal over nothing. It’s nothi-”

“It’s not nothing ,” Hob interrupts, voice almost sharp, “Dream, I almost took you to the hospital. You were burning up, I was afraid you’d have a seizure or something!”

Dream’s eyes are burning, and it’s not until he feels the tears drip down his face that he realizes it’s not the fever. “Didn’ want to overreact,” his breath hitches, “‘M always overreacting. Always getting it wrong,” and here, he dips his head to his chest, his mind too muddled and miserable to filter, “Didn’t want you to laugh at me again.”

He regrets the words as soon as they pass his lips. He has already burdened Hob with his weakness, and now he will be disgusted by Dream’s pride, so fragile he cannot stand the joke he has become. Against his neck, he feels Hob inhale shakily a few times, gathering himself, and Dream wonders if this is the moment he finds out he is too much for Hob, just like he was too much for everyone. Maybe he finally found the limit of Hob’s love.

“Dream,” Hob’s voice is soft, heartbroken, ashamed. He tightens his arms around Dream’s chest, placing a gentle kiss to his shoulder, “I’m so sorry.”

Sluggishly, Dream shakes his head, because no, that’s not right, “No, Hob, you-”

“Listen to me,” Hob interrupts, voice pleading, “I swear to you, I was never, ever laughing at you.” 

It is a sick kind of irony that Hob’s words make Dream laugh. It is rasping and weak, and dissolves quickly into sobs.

“You should laugh at me,” he confesses, “I failed as an Endless, and now I am failing as a human.”

“That’s not true,” Hob sounds devastated, “That’s not true at all-“

“I should have known that becoming human wouldn’t fix me,” Dream barrels on, barely taking in Hob’s words, “It’s me, I just- I’m always failing, I cannot do anything right -“

“ Dream .”

He chokes on the next sob. His whole body still hurts and his head is still fuzzy but something in him manages to break at the harsh way Hob snapped his name. Hob so rarely got angry. Maybe this is something else Dream has ruined.

Dream can feel the way Hob’s chest expands with a deep breath, Dream’s own body moving with it, the water rippling around them. Hob’s arms loosen and more tears spill down Dream’s face at the sensation of being let go.

Only for a moment though.

“Dream…”

There is no anger this time. Only a deep, deep sadness. Hob adjusts his hold, gently maneuvering Dream in the tub until he is curled loosely in Hob’s lap, one hand guiding his face to press against the crook of his neck. His other hand sweeps up and down his spine soothingly. Dream sniffles weakly, so relieved to be held and still not understanding.

“You’re not failing,” Hob whispers into his hair, “You didn’t fail as an Endless, and you’re not failing now, I promise.” There is desperation in his voice, “Please, love, you have to believe me. You’re doing wonderful. I’m sorry for laughing. I’m sorry for ever making you feel like you weren’t succeeding. You chose to do something very different, and just because you struggle sometimes doesn’t mean you’re doing badly.”

Dream swallows thickly, eyes burning with tears of disbelief. Hob rubs soothing circles across his aching back, tucking Dream’s head beneath his chin as he whispers, “The truth is,” his voice drips with sincerity, “The truth is that being human is scary . I’ve been doing it for 600 years and it still frightens me sometimes. I can’t die, but there’s still the pain, the illness, the uncertainty of it all. Everytime I think I know what I’m doing I feel like the whole world gets flipped around and I end up stumbling to reorient myself.”

A quiet sob breaks through his words, and it takes Dream a moment to realize that it had come from him. He doesn’t know when he started crying, but he knows that what Hob is describing is… familiar.

It is how he has felt every day since becoming human.

Hob kisses his shoulder, his neck, his cheek, pulling Dream impossibly closer, “I thought… maybe laughing would make it less scary,” he confesses, “I only ever laughed because I thought maybe it would comfort you. I thought if I laughed, if I made light of the situation, you’d see there wasn’t anything to be afraid of. That I was there, and we were together. I just didn’t want you to be afraid.”

There is deep regret in his voice, “But that doesn’t change that being human is scary, and it is hard. I never should have minimized that. And I’ve never, ever , thought you anything less than the bravest person I know.”

This time, the sob is not quiet. Dream clenches his eyes shut, dipping his head as more sobs escape him, his chest heaving with them as he shakes in Hob’s arms. If he had the strength he would curl up around himself, pull away from comfort he does not deserve, but he is too weak and so Hob keeps them pressed together.

“I do not feel brave,” Dream chokes out, “I feel… pathetic . And weak, and, and useless . Just a dead weight for you to carry.” He feels his face growing hot, and he does not know if it is the fever or the overwhelming shame. He does not know if it matters.

“One day… you will stop finding it funny. You will lose patience, you will grow tired of caring for me, you will grow tired of me , I can’t-” Hob tries to shush him, but Dream shakes his head, his words becoming breathless as he tries to speak through his sorrow. His fear.

“I can’t keep burdening you,” he gasps desperately, “I can’t lose you-”

“You won’t,” Hob interrupts, his voice gentle and firm, “Not ever. Dream, Love, it’s not a burden to care for you. I want to help you. You chose to stay with me, and I’m choosing to stay with you.”

It doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel possible that Hob would choose this. But his tears have sapped what little energy he had, and Dream finds himself sagging in Hob’s arms, and Hob holds him like he means to stay. Like he doesn’t plan on letting go.

“Hob,” he croaks out, a shiver wracking his frame, “I don’t feel good.”

“I know. I know, sweetheart,” Hob presses kisses against his hair. 

He holds him tighter.

~~~

Dream dozes against Hob’s chest for an undetermined amount of time, only waking when Hob moves to drain the tub and dry them both off. Blinking, he finds his head is clearer, and while he is still warmer than usual, he no longer feels like he is burning from the inside. He feels more in control of his limbs as well, but Hob still insists on helping him dress.

“The meds are definitely helping. You can have some more in a few hours, but for now I think sleep will do you a world of good.”

Sleep does in fact sound amazing, so Dream nods amicably. 

When he’s better, Hob will gently pry all the things Dream has held back for weeks out of him. Dream will cry and confess to all the things he doesn’t understand, to all the things that scare him, and Hob will not laugh. Hob will share stories of his own fears, past and present, the things he still doesn’t understand himself even after 600 years of being human. When something new and strange happens to Dream, Hob will start asking him to explain what he’s feeling, to explain his fears, and Hob will talk him through it until, by some miracle, eventually they are able to laugh together about this strange thing called humanity. Time will pass and Dream will grow into his new life with Hob beside him, and they will be scared together and they will be happy together and they will live together.

Tonight, Hob holds Dream through his fever, and Dream sleeps, and his nightmare doesn’t come because he is not afraid.

[birdsofthefictionalworld]

Alternation of Trigun Plant Generations

So, not a bird post, but they have feathers so it counts, right? Right?? *sweats*

I was recently introduced to Trigun, and am absolutely fascinated by the reproduction cycle of Plants. Its time to, once again, put my degree to good use. Here goes nothing:

So at first glance it seems pretty damn fantastical. The main character(and main villian) are the, presumably asexual, reproductive products of a creature with significant physiological differences from them. This is strange for asexual reproduction, as such a thing usually results in a sort of “clone” of the parent. Or does it?

Enter, the life cycle of a fern.

The diagram is a little confusing, but the main point is that the diploid fern(top) asexually reproduces to create the haploid fern(bottom), which looks very little like its parent. The haploid fern can then sexually reproduce to create a another diploid fern, and the cycle goes round and round. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, I’m about to explain it in excrutiating detail. I even made a diagram!

So similar to the fern life cycle. In Trigun, the Dependent Plant can asexually reproduce to create an Independent Plant.

First, up at the top of the diagram, the Independent Plant reaches a state of sporing.

This happens very rarely, as there are only two instances of it occurring on SEEDS ships, and no instances on Gunsmoke/Nomansland. It does seem to, however, become more common on earth, as more Independent Plants arrive at the very end of the manga. I would theorize that this has to do with an incredibly extended lifespan leading to a very late onset of sexual maturity, but that is a theory for another day.

Second, moving down and to the right on the diagram, the Dependent creates spores. These take the form of humanoid infants.

Now, this part of the diagram assumes that the known Independent Plants (ie Vash/Knives and Tesla) are actually male and female(and aren’t functionally sexless like Dependents), which is how they could theoretically reproduce sexually. This is where things diverge from general fern life cycles, as the two sexes are in separate entities not combined into one plant. Therefore, when the Dependent Plant spores, it would create either X(female) or Y(male) Plants originating from one half or the other of its own XY genes. This does align with fern reproduction somewhat, as Haploid plants are created from only one half of a copy of the Diploid plant’s genes. In ferns, both sides of the genes have both male and female characteristics, but for Plants it seems to be split, creating Independents with separate sexes.

Third in the diagram, moving to the bottom. The spores grow into recognizable Independent Plants, with far more humanoid forms than Dependents. These guys would then, at sexual maturity be able to sexually reproduce to create a Dependant Plant zygote(fancy word for baby), which would then grown into a fully formed Dependent Plant. And thus, the cycle continues.

Obviously, we do not directly see this in Trigun, as for the majority of the story, there are only two(presumably male) Independent plants. This cycles has clearly not been documented in the era of the SEEDS ships, so the initial method of plant reproduction was likely simple cloning with some genetic engineering involved. But it is more than possible that natural Plant reproduction was determined on earth, which would be why we see more independents showing up with the earth ships at the end of the manga.

Additional Notes:

Returning to something I mentioned earlier on, dependent plant sporing was not occurring on Gunsmoke/Nomansland. I would guess that this is due to the levels of stress placed on the Dependents by the human populations relying on them. Had the humans been able to reduce the strain on their Plants, they may have been able to produce Independents, therefore allowing for the creation of more dependents, further reducing the strain on existing dependents. But that is just my pet theory.

I have additional theories on the mechanisms behind Dependent Plants resource production, and what an ideal environment of multiple plants living freely might look like, but that is for another post.

Thank you for reading! I honestly don't know if I will do any more non-bird metas, but if you liked this, you can always look at #bfw(my general works tag). As always, my ask box is open to suggestions for bird stuff for me to check out!

[doodlegirl1998]

I REALLY hope the latest leaks aren't true...

I REALLY hope I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing...

AFO manipulated Tomura from his very conception since Hana was supposedly "too old" for him to do it to her. Which is INCREDIBLY stupid!

And not only that, Izuku also ended up losing BOTH of his arms! Like he hasn't had enough shit thrown at him than he already did!

And not ONLY that! The other characters started to show up and saying they'll take care of AFO!

So the Main FUCKING Character doesn't get the final fight to himself! He's crippled and has to rely on the other characters to do it for him!

What a fucking joke of a story! How can anyone read this and think this is good story telling!?

Hi @theloganator101 👋,

This story is a complete joke now.

The truth of Tenko's backstory and all the Kotaro and AFO friendship shit is just ridiculous.

Hana being too old feels like a lazy excuse as to why AFO didn't use her. Sure, AFO would have a harder time with her, but a kid accidentally murdering their whole family would make them susceptible to manipulation through that trauma whatever their age.

Izuku losing both arms felt disgusting to see. The manga panel was so gory. The poor kid has already lost his quirk he worked so hard to master, then his arms on top - he's bleeding out and distraught because of that, along with Shig dying. When help arrives, no one - not even the adult hero present - (FUCKING AIZAWA) is rushing to help him.

Aizawa gives an overdue apology (using Izuku's first name, that feels unearned and OOC), which well - I'll be blunt he fucking should be sorry. Aizawa didn't teach any of 1A this academic year (only someone outside his class!) then threw them all (including those who had problems with thier quirks) to the wolves against the biggest villians in Japan. He's lucky 1A aren't perma-dead yet (but some might be soon with Izuku's state and Ojiro, Sero and Sato rushing ShigAFO 😬.)

I have never seen an MC humiliated like this. Never have I seen an MC not be able to fight their own battles or achieve their goals quite like what Hori has done to Izuku recently.

How can Izuku be the number 1 hero, or be a hero at all, armless and quirkless?

How can he save Shigaraki when the villain is dead?

How can Izuku continue to fight at all, let alone against AFO, in the state he is in?

Izuku began the story as a quirkless civilian boy, and he looks like (if he survives) he is going to end it as a civilian again - quirkless as well as armless with a shit-ton of PTSD.

Rather than the, as previously promised by Hori, next number one hero.

This is not the manga I gleefully began investing in.

This has become morphing over time into something else entirely - a bastardisation of the original premise of MHA - My Abuser Academy.

I am so angry. Never have I felt bait and switched by a manga as much as I have this one.

[coolpanda41]

SIDE ORDER THOUGHTS

I beat Side Order last night after 3-5 runs and after sleeping on it here are my thoughts (spoilers ahead)

The first ten floors (inital tower) is insane. Not only does it serve as a good tutorial but the dialog and tension is such a good hook

When I got to the first boss, I didn't look to closely and just thought "oh we're fighting Octavio again as the first boss? He's here? OK cool" it was infact NOT Octavio lol. I even took a screen shot before the boss fight and looking at it, yeah definitely not Octavio lol

Honestly so glad the Marina wasn't the main villain, and I'm glad she tags along in the elevator

Speaking of Marina, her and Pearl are so in love here. Like I shipped them before but now with their dialog, the dev diary, even Marina's computer screen being Pearl, they're so canon

Shipping aside, honestly think that the dialog is one of the strongest aspects of this mode as we learn more about the memverse and the character dynamics

I also love Acht, no need to further explain, they're just so cool

Person who's only rouge like experience is hades: man, this is just like hades! (This is a joke, I only said that on vending machine levels)

The levels themselves are fun, all be a bit repetitive at times. It is a rouge like but there 4 different level types (minus bosses) and limited floor design, then again, I've only played 3-5 runs and half of that was with Agent 4's pallet

A little disappointed that agent 4 didn't show up in the flesh but I'm a firm believer that Parallel Canon is supposed to be clones of them because of the matching hair styles with your own and with the completed pallet of 4, Order mentioned that Marina wanted 4 to be security for the memverse so I'm taking those crumbs

Also kinda disappointed that we didn't get more Off the Hook and Dedf1sh songs but the ones we got were good. I like how ebb and flow is kinda like Off the Hook's equivalent of Calimari Inkantation lol

Continuing with music, I like the music but felt like I didn't get to appreciate as much because I was so focused on the level (this is a me thing but still)

Order is a cool villian, bit generic but still cool, I like how his boss fight was foreshadowed as a locker item (it's an in universe Switch game, I forget what's it's called)

In the last phase of Order's boss fight, I got splatted a few times and luckily there wasn't life count so it just gave the option to continue or give up and every time I hit continue I thought "omori did not succumb, agent 8 did not succumb" lol

The credits were beautiful

This is probably the first splatoon story that I'll aim for 100% because there is still a lot to know and learn

Inkopolis Square as a reward was predicted but welcomed, it's really cool to see what has been built up since Splat2

ISO PADRE IS HERE, HE'S FREE, MY MAN IS FREEEEE!!!!!!!!!

A little disappointed that the grate the originally lead to Splat2's story mode is just covered a manhole cover unlike in the plaza but that's just a nickpick on my end

Shout out to that one octoling beside the claw machine saying they miss squid beats, we all do

Honestly still shocked at how fast I beat Side Order lol

Overall, I enjoyed Side Order. Personally, it was a bit underwhelming but I'm satisfied. Like I said, I'll probably be trying for 100% cause the dev diarys, pallets and collectables but for what's it's worth, it's good

[my-coven-is-claudia]

this was originally a reblog of my “the mystreet cast are bad actually” post but i’d rather make this it’s own post cuz it’s a monster. this is what happens when i’m stuck on a train.

maybe mystreet doesn’t deserve this amount of analysis but the cast are bad people. not disney villian type of bad i mean they are all very flawed people and refuse to realise it. a lot of them are continuing cycles of abuse in some way and make no effort to stop it or make any self-reflection.

you have your obvious suspects: katelyn and aaron. katelyn is extremely aggressive,, taking after her father’s overprotectiveness and a lot of her general relationship issues can easily be tracked back to her mother and her disappearance. as elizabeth abandoned her,, the person who was meant to be the closest to her,, katelyn pushes away every person who attempts to get to know her on a deeper level. she blames herself for elizabeth’s disappearance and in fear of being left in the dust again she doesn’t let people in. when people do attempt to reach out to her she retaliates with aggression and wrecks her relationship with them. her highschool relationship with jeffory fell apart because of this as she couldn’t understand why someone could ever be so nice and understanding towards someone like her. she breaks up with him solely because he treated her decently and for the rest of her life she dreams about what could have been and doesn’t really move on from him. she abandons him like her mother did. katelyn’s relationship with travis is a more extreme example of how she continues the cycle and her more aggressive treatment of him is a consequence of her issues being suppressed and untreated. she is not only in denial of her own problems but also where these issues came from. during an argument with travis in love love paradise he implies that elizabeth did not care very well for katelyn. she’s in denial of her mother’s mistakes as well as her own. an example of this is when she almost kills travis she twists the story in her head as her simply being worried about him. she cannot see the severity of her actions and how she’s hurting people. she does love and care for her friends but she clings onto the idea that she’s unlovable and she tries to prove that by being the monster. she continues the cycle elizabeth started.

on the complete opposite end of the spectrum we have aaron. he continues the cycle of abuse less in relation to abuse towards others and more so abuse towards himself. aarmau is problematic obviously because of the age gap but also because aphmau doesn’t exactly treat him amazingly. in emerald secret when she suspects he’s cheating in an episode she literally throws a rock at him but when he’s given clear cut evidence of her potentially cheating on him in lovers lane he doesn’t immediately blow up but instead says he will discuss this with her. on top of this,, she invites his family at some point without his permission and when he subsequently begins to panic she pulls out the “well i want to know more about you through your family. how is that a bad thing?” subsequently crossing his boundaries. aphmau clearly has unresolved trauma from her dad cheating and then up and leaving and she projects that onto aaron and their relationship,, fearing it will fall apart like her parent’s relationship. her relationship with her mother also effects how she treats aaron as her aggressive behaviour seems to derive from sylvanna. although her mother clearly loved her aphmau felt trapped by sylvanna,, especially when it came to her love life. aphmau doesn’t want to be like her but in an attempt to distance herself from sylvanna’s control by getting with the person her mother despises the most she ends up becoming exactly like her. aaron loves aphmau so much that he ignores her mistreatment of him. her accusations. her crossing his boundaries. she is the only thing that matters to him as she was the first person to treat him with kindness. this comes to a head during starlight when he believes her to be dead. he enters a depressive episode,, completely shutting off from the world and everyone around him. now that he has lost aphmau nothing matters. she was the candle that gave him light and acted as his saving grace from his previous abusive environment. but in the end he ended up in another toxic relationship of his own making.

garroth and zane’s relationship is another good example i think of the cast treating others in the same way their parents did. garroth neglected and ignored zane’s feelings for so many years which perfectly reflects garte’s own neglect of zane. although not maliciously,, garroth ignored zane after highschool and fed into his father’s neglect of zane. their interactions in pdh are very surface level and there’s clear disconnect between them that i think caused them to barely speak to each other after graduation. garroth also likely found nothing wrong with garte’s treatment of zane,, too blinded by his own ignorance and also the pressure he felt by his father to become the owner of the ro’meave conglomerate. for years,, garroth viewed zane as someone he could simply pass the responsibility on to and it clearly never crossed his mind that maybe zane didn’t want that responsibility either. that both of them were trapped under garte’s thumb,, allowing themselves to be pinned against one another instead of fighting side by side against their’s father’s abuse. but garroth does not know zane,, does not understand him,, only viewing him as the vague concept of a younger brother similar to garte’s own misconstrued view of zane. he only sees him by what he could be: garroth.

i could say a lot more about other characters but omfg i can’t write anymore. but i do have one more thing to say.

the vylad joke about him being the least problematic out of the cast was a random thing i shoved in the original post but i think he acts as a shining light amongst all this bs. he comes from the same home as garroth and zane but he clearly has dealt with the effects of his situation a lot differently and more healthier than his brothers. he arguably was the most screwed over out of the three of them. a child born from an affair and a walking disgrace to his family’s legacy,, his existence was a curse. in diaries we see the negative effect this had on him as it’s implied he has a low self-esteem. but in mystreet he’s free. he’s not tied down by the ro’meave name and it’s expectations and instead gets to do whatever he wants with his life. he’s carefree and appears content. unlike his brothers he doesn’t inflict the same pain that he father did. by distancing himself from his family he escapes the shackles of the cycle. he puts a stop to it.

[spermwhalescantcum]

random Dream SMP fanfics that I have read

These big blobs of texts are just descriptions of the fics. None of this are works by me, credits to their original writer. ( also, idk what happened to the format, just live with it)

🩵Passerine ✅ 100/10 (blujamas, thcscus(bluejamas) )   - SBI, Royal AU, Cannon character death, god AU, Dream Antagonist, Wilbur Centric, Family AU, SO MUCH PLOT

 “I understand. You heard the place you loved was in trouble, so you came back, but I don’t—I just—why didn’t you take me?” Here it was, at last. Catharsis, or something close to it. “I would have hunted them down with you, Philza, the people who did that to your town. I would have given you your vengeance on a silver platter. I would have given you the world.”

Philza didn’t look guilty. He just looked tired. “I didn’t hunt them down, though.”

//

Or, that fic where Techno and Phil are old immortals, and Tommy and Wilbur are decidedly... not.

This fic is a must read and an all-time classic in the Dream SMP fandom. It is not bold to say this is one of the best fanfiction that you will find on ao3. 

Shrike  ✅ 9/10  (blujamas, thcscus(bluejamas) ) -  Passerine pre-sequel, God AU, Royal AU, Dream Antagonist, Dream team, Georgenotfound Centric, SO MUCH PLOT

“You know, you might be the only thing alive that knows my name. I don’t know how long I’ve been sleeping, but it must have been long enough for people to have forgotten.” The stag finished the last of the berries and stared at George wonderingly. George chuckled, plucked another handful to offer to it, and continued, “I’d gone to sleep tired. And I wake up tired. Tell me, do you think that’s fair?”

The stag, because it was a stag, did not reply.

But George didn’t mind that, either.

//

Or, that fic about passerine!Dream Team, but before passerine.

This fic is good though in my opinion not as good as Passerine. The primary plot in the story is centred around more emotional than physical problems I would say. This can be read anytime, either before or after Passerine, but I recommend reading it after so things can make a bit more sense. 

The world forgetting by the world forgot🟡 8/10 (bonesandthebees) - SBI, Dream Antagonist, Hero/villain AU, Tommy Centric, Adoption AU , Bench Trio, Magic AU

“Something has been stolen from us,” Thanatos said, his wings puffing up as he spoke. “Something that is very important to us. And we are fairly certain that the person who stole this thing of ours is in this very crowd.”

Dream tensed beside Tommy as the crowd broke out into murmurs. Eyes were darting towards the different heroes in the crowd, the benefactors no doubt assuming that the culprit had to be a hero.

“Like we said, we haven’t crashed your party to cause trouble. But we want this thing returned to us, and we won’t hesitate to take extreme measures to get what we want.”

or, Tommy was a lot of things: a newly debuted hero sidekick, an amnesiac, and a former kidnapping victim of the Syndicate.

Tommy didn't actually remember that last one though. That was just what Dream told him.

Only weeks after his hero debut, the Syndicate announces they are searching for something, and Tommy knows it has to be him. The scariest part? If they find him, Tommy will have no clue what to expect, because the Syndicate might know him, but he has no memories of them.

So he can't let them find him. No matter what.

Of course they end up finding him anyway.

This fic has a great character development for Tommy in my opinion, from denial and all. This is one of the Hero/Villian AUs that is different from the other. 

🩵One Day I met a God ( Turns Out, He’s an Idiot )🟡 11/10 ( Sunshine_3)  - SBI, Tommy centric, God AU, Temporary Main Character Death, Minor plot, Adoption AU 

Every year, the Tournament of the Gods is held to determine who is worthy to gain the favour of the universe's deities.

This year, Tommy is determined to win, to be the youngest person ever to claim a victory.

Not because he wants to be blessed or anything. He just thinks it's funny.

--------

An AU in which Tommy Innit is just a mortal vibin' and doing his thing and the rest of SBI are gods who have claimed him as their favourite.

Series

This fic is one of my favourite, there is fluff and plot balanced out and is very fast paced if you just can't handle 50 chapters of build up like me. This is highly recommended 

🩵Reborn, Relive, Repeat ✅ 11/10  ( Aria_Cinabun) - Phoenix/avian AU, SBI, Dream Antagonist, Tommy Centric , Adoption AU , Bench Trio, SO MUCH PLOT

There once was an empire built on prosperity and promises of a better future.

There once was a young prince, wingless yet, who stared out the window of his room and willed the world to go in his favour.

There once were two brothers and a father who despaired in the death of their youngest.

There once was a young boy, and in his bloodline lay that of the Phoenix - and when he gained his wings, they burned with the same fire that shrivelled in his heart as he lay in his cell, listening to the captors who lay on the other side of the thin bars.

There once was a grown-up prince, a kid no longer, whose fire was long burnt out, whose hope had long vanished with that of his kin. Who sat in his cell and listened to Death’s calls as his feathers turned to dust around him.

There once was another boy, another prince - another half.

There once was a tattoo of a bee that shone golden on his wrist and dreams of laughter that rung in his ears of people long forgotten. This is his tale.

🩵Of Wilder Things ❌ 11/10 ( itsultraviolet) -Fae/Fairies AU, SBI , Phil Centric, Fluff, Minor plot , Adoption AU 

There are a million and one deadly things living in the woods outside of Phil’s door.

Some of them are poisonous. Some of them have wickedly sharp claws. Some of them have hooves made for trampling or mouths full of teeth made for ripping.

Most of them are magic. Most of them can kill him without sparing a second thought.

But that has never stopped Phil.

Or: Phil the human and his chaotic fae family

His Curse of Binding ✅ 8/10 ( orphan_account) - God AU, Tommy Centric, SBI, Fluff, Reincarnation AU, Greek Mythology AU, Temporary Main Character Death, Adoption AU 

Tommy had lived and died as Theseus, Icarus, Orpheus and Sisyphus. But all he wanted to be was free.

In which Tommy Soot, originally born in 1509, is cursed to be reborn, to never reach adulthood unless he figured out the Greek myth of his lifetime. He had one rule of not allowing himself to get attached to people but he would have never guessed that a foster family of the creator of Minecraft, an anime stan and a Soundcloud musician would break that rule.

~ SBI Foster AU but with Greek mythology.

🩵Tommyinnit’s clinic for supervillain ✅ 11/10 (bonesandthebees) - SBI, Dream Antagonist, Hero/villain/vigilante AU, Tommy Centric, Family Fluff, Adoption AU , Bench Trio, Hybrid AU

“W-What do you- I mean can I- are you here to rob us?” The person managed to stammer out.

Siren snorted. “No. I’m just here to order some food.”

“Wh-What about him?” The cashier asked, glancing at Tommy. “Did you- did you kidnap him?”

“I mean… yeah, let’s go with that in case this ends up on the news,” Siren shrugged, looking back at Tommy. “I kidnapped you, right?”

“Yeah, sure,” Tommy agreed, knowing that if they said he was kidnapped, it would keep people from getting suspicious of why he was seen in public with Siren. “Anyway, can I get the chicken nuggets happy meal, with a coke?”

or, how Tommy—who is not a hero, or a villain, or even a vigilante—saves the life of one of L'Manberg's most feared supervillains, and accidentally ends up becoming the resident doctor for every supervillain in town (and maybe gets a family along the way too).

Tommyinnt’s unbeatable method of avoiding sudden death  🟡 8/10  ( eneliii)  - SBI, Dream Antagonist, Hero/villain/vigilante AU, Tommy Centric, Family Fluff, Adoption AU , Bench Trio, Hybrid AU, everything is a dream, tragedy, sad ending

“I uh,” Tommy starts, not knowing how to break this to the hero lightly. He hates to be the bearer of bad news. “I think your powers are broken? It’s not a bad thing of course, but like, I swear you tried to mind control me and it like, totally failed. Which is fine, honestly, don’t feel insecure. Everyone’s power stop working sometimes… I think.” 

Sheesh, this is very awkward. Why is no one else talking? Why is Philza looking at him like he grew three heads? Why is the Blade staring at him so intensely? Why is Willow still frozen?

“Did I, did I hit a nerve? Yikes,” Tommy hisses, “Well um,” He steps back, bracing his legs and bending his knees, “This was like super fun, but I’m - I’mma head out.”

or,

in which Tommy manages to annoy the hell out of Phil, Techno and Wilbur by being both impossible to catch and irritatingly endearing.

or or,

a crack fic where Tommy is a vigilante and Phil, Techno and Wilbur are the heroes hunting him down.

Bones in the Ocean 🟡  8/10 ( bunflower) - SBI, Dream Antagonist, Pirate AU, Technoblade Centric

“The Angel of Death, the ferryman of the Styx, the terror of the western seas. One of the most feared captains ever to sail, and yet, I have to wonder… how did a man like you end up all on his own? We searched the area where you were found—not another soul in sight. So,” He fixes him with a long look, allowing the silence to hover like a dark cloud, the words rolling off of his tongue with all the venom and smugness he can muster, “—tell me, Philza. Where is your crew?”

—

OR: Technoblade is a naval captain, and Phil his unwilling prisoner. Somehow, they manage to come out of it as friends in the end.

🩵I was a kid in a village, doing alright, then I became a prince overnight 🟡 11/10 ( sircantus)  -  Family Fluff, SBI, Adoption AU, No plot, Royal AU, Tommy Centric, Minor plot, Bench Trio

In which Phil has created the Antarctic Empire from the ground up and takes in Techno and Wilbur along the way, and raises them while also ruling his kingdom. Tommy, sixteen, lives with Tubbo in an orphanage, the two of them running around in the cold streets of their town.

After a hectic day of getting separated from Tubbo, getting into a few fights, and ending up in an entirely new town, he comes across Phil, and saves him from an assassination attempt by smashing a plate over someone's head.

So then both Techno and Wilbur decide to see who this kid is, and Tommy sure is endearing, in the way that the first time they spy on him, he starts a fight in an alleyway over a bag of cookies.

(and then Tommy basically gets kidnapped into the royal family, but like, legally, y’know?)

Stay under my wing ✅ 8/10 ( sircantus)- Zombie Apocalypse AU, Technoblade Centric, Family Fluff, Adoption AU 

"Wilby says that- that if a stranger ever tries to grab me, I can bite them." Tommy nods, giving a little glare towards Techno and his bitten hand.

"Okay." Technoblade says slowly. "But don't bite me."

"No, I'm gonna bite you."

---

SBI Zombie apocalypse AU, in which Tommy is a little kid who's been separated from Wilbur. While Wilbur is on a desperate search for his little brother with Phil, Tommy stumbles across Technoblade, who is the definition of 'no chill' in the zombie apocalypse.

Techno accidentally gains a new little brother.

The skies we seek 🟡 6/10 ( Batmansmom) - Dream Antagonist, Hero/Villain/Vigilante Au, Technoblade/Tommy Centric, Adoption AU, Family Dynamics, SBI, Bench Trio, Hybrid AU

***

"Techno?"

"Yeah Tommy?"

"What does the sky look like?"

Techno paused, the question, like most of Tommy's questions made his heart ache for reasons he didn't understand.

"I'll show it to you one day" he doesn't know why he says that, he knows by now not to make promises he doesn't know he can keep.

"Really?"

"I promise" and he swears to himself he'll find a way to keep it.

***

Or Techno is a hero on a mission that quickly gets derailed when he meets Tommy, a boy who's spent his whole life locked in one room with only Dream, the biggest villain of the century, for company.

Consequences of the Dead 🟡 6/10 ( Libis) - Wilbur Centric, Alternate Universe Travelling AU, Adoption Au, Family Dynamics, SBI, Dream Antagonist, Hybrid AU

Wilbur rolls his eyes. “I’m just patching you up out of some misplaced sense of guilt or nostalgia or whatever; after this, you can try and arrest me again as much as you want-” “Nostalgia?” Tommy interrupts. He squints at the figure, all confusing tangents and cynical jokes, the bird still perched on his head. “What, do I know you or something?” Wilbur’s face darkens. He reaches out a hand, rubbing absently at a long slash going through his trench coat, a tear in the seams of it all. Tommy stills. “No,” the villain finally mutters with a brittle laugh. “No, you don’t.” …

Or: Superhero AU in which Wilbur, upon waking up in an alternate universe, accidentally becomes a villain. Maybe not a very good one, though - he remains insanely, outrageously protective over the very heroes (and vigilante) hunting him down.

I’ll Fall, you catch me, okay? ❌ 7/10  ( sircantus)- Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Minor Plot, No Antagonist, Bench Trio SBI, Multiple POVs, Alternate Universe

“Jump!” Phil yells, holding his arms out.

“No!” Tommy shrieks, and Phil can hear the way Wilbur’s struggling to hold back a laugh, Tommy’s voice nearly cracking at the end. “I’ll die if I fall!”

“You won’t die.” Phil drawls, grinning and flying a bit closer. “I’ll catch you.”

“What if you don’t, though?!”

“Mate, even if I don’t, you’re just going to hit water, and you’ll be fine.”

“But then I’ll be wet.”

or

5 times where Phil was there to catch someone + 1 time where someone was there to catch him

Do Us Part ❌ ( SilverWing15) 6/10 - Tommy Centric, Minor Family Dynamics, Minor Family Fluff, Ghost AU, Necromancy AU, SBI, Bench Trio

Tommy takes one step back, another. Technoblade keeps advancing, like a tidal wave, like a storm, like a mountain come crashing down on them. Unstoppable, and destructive. He has come to destroy all that Tommy holds dear. He has come to kill Tommy. Dream’s hand rises to his throat, with a flick of his wrist, he drops his cloak to the ground. “Go, Tommy,” he says over his shoulder.

OR: Tommy is the lost prince of the Antarctic Empire and he would really like to *remain* lost since his family tried to sacrifice him to some creepy necromancy ritual when he was two. Dream has kept him safe for all his life, but he can't do that any more. Since he's you know. Dead.

AKA: Necromancy AU

All Screams Sound the Same 🟡 7/10 (BlueSkysTheLimit)  - Assassin AU, Tommy Centric, Temporary Main Character Death, Dream Antagonist, Royal AU, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Bench Trio, SBI, Adoption Au, Hybrid AU

Tommy used to be an average street kid: starved, hungry, and practically half dead. One day, however, he heard of a guild who practically took in street kids- fed them, clothed them, gave them a place to sleep- and the offer was too good to pass up. All he had to do was work at the guild!

Now, a couple years later, Tommy is one of the best assassins in the Essempi guild, but his mentor sends him on his hardest mission yet: "Kill the royal family of the Antarctic Empire on the night of their annual ball, October 31st." Tommy takes the missions as a challenge, but little does he know that this mission will be unlike any other he's completed before and will change his life forever.

All Good Devils Masquerade Under the Light🟡 7/10 (kyoromii) - Vampire Au, Possessive SBI ( but SBI nonetheless), Bench trio, Minor Plot, No Antagonist, Adoption Au ( forced ), Dark SBI, Tommy Centric, Major Character death x 2

Tommy just wants to make ends meet in the dystopian city streets of Manburg. Alongside his two best friends Tubbo and Ranboo.

Unbeknownst to him, a trio of vampires have already claimed him as their own, and a seemingly harmless stroll around the city may mark the end of life as he knows it.

or

Eternity raises no saints.

🩵The Children’s rebellion ✅ 11/10  ( Aria_Cinabun)- Star Wars AU, Space AU, Adoption Au, Tommy Centric, TRAUMA, SBI, Bench Trio, SO MUCH PLOT, 

His name was Tommy Innes, and he was born to touch the stars.

Of course, touching the stars was going to have to wait, because he'd lost that dream the moment his parents had died when he was ten years old—the moment he had watched that starship explosion and felt a bit of his heart die with them. He'd lost that dream when he was transported to prison and then to a place called Pogtopia.

He'd lost that dream when he watched hundreds of children starve on the streets of Pogtopia. When he and two friends become the lone survivors of the Red Planet's Genocide. When they were rescued, and he was captured again.

But maybe—maybe one day, he would regain that dream. Maybe he would hunt down the mass murderer that had executed his friends and gain his revenge—but that day was not now, and now he sat in a prison and stared at the faraway stars.

Perhaps there would be people that he could call family again. People he would see again—people whom he had lost years ago. One day.

Because he was an Avian, born to be forever alone amongst broken stars.

And Avians did not fall unless they wanted to.

or

a science fiction fic about rebellion

Extension 🟡 8/10  ( dancewiththewaves) - Blind Tommy Centric, Royal Au, Adoption AU, Minor plot, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, SBI, Bench Trio, BOUNDING , Magic AU

"That was Floaty. Or at least, that's what I'm calling him. Fucking kid won't tell us his name," Dream carried on like nothing had happened, and from beside Techno, Wilbur started wheezing like he was dying. "I think he's twelve or thirteen. Wind magic, he's quick and real snarky, very malnourished, blind-"

"Wait, blind?" Techno peered harder at the communicator. Wilbur stopped laughing. "How the hell is he able to slip by you then?"

"Uses the air currents like feelers, I think," Dream's breath was coming heavier as he carried on running. "Gets an idea of where things are in relation to him. He doesn't always get it right, sometimes there are cracks in things big enough to feel like an escape route and he slams into a wall. Or he doesn't angle close enough to the ground and trips on things. He's uh-" Dream flipped the communicator around, and Techno blinked as Bad flew through the air, screeching the whole way. "He's slippery."

---

TLDR: Blindinnit has wind magic and gets himself adopted by the Antarctic Empire's royal family.

By your Ancient Names 🟡 8/10 ( Charnel )  - Tommy Centric, God AU, ( I would say Middle Ages AU ), Forced adoption AU, Dream Antagonist, Mainly Just Tommy and Technoblade

“My gold.” Techno spoke, thousands of voices echoing in his words. Whispering and chattering. His calloused hand reaching up, dragging along the blood that was dripping from Tommy’s neck. Dripping down and burning away in the flames consuming the roots that held him.

The same hand that had fed him and given him shelter, as involuntary as it had been, was gently placed at the back of his skull. Techno’s thumb pulling across the golden earring that now felt like an anchor dragging him below the surface of a pool of magma.

Wearing Techno’s face, the Blood God grinned at him.

Tommy did not regret punching him.

***

Td;lr: Tommy unwillingly takes refuge into the hold of a banished god.

Turn of the Tide ❌ ( SilverWing15) 6/10 - Tommy Centric, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Dream Antagonist, Hybrid AU, SBI

Tommy’s fins twitch at the mention of Dream’s ancestors. Dream talks about them a lot, how they made their fortune hunting down mer pods, how they were cruel and greedy. Nothing like Dream is. They’ve both overcome their roots, he says.

Tommy is nothing like the wild mer out in the ocean, who spend their lives scraping by just to survive, who kicked him out of the pod when he was a baby because he was too small. He’s also better than the pit mer, who can’t overcome their wild instincts and knows nothing but fighting.

He’s different from them, he’s better than them. He’s Dream’s. //// OR: Change is like the tide, when it comes, you can only sink or swim. You would think that a mer would be better at keeping afloat.

Between the sun and the stars🟡  7/10  ( Anonymous ) - Trauma, Space AU, Hybrid AU, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, SBI, Bench Trio, Tommy Centric

Recent escapees from The Compound, Tommy and Tubbo are living their life in the slums of Hypixel, making their money by thieving and taking jobs on the blackmarket. But when they accidentally find their way onto the spaceship of Wilbur Soot, commander and heir to the Antarctic Empire, their carefully concealed secrets are bound to come out. Their time at the Compound being one of them…

Or, the very traumatized tommyinnit and tubbo underscore are forced into a found family arc against their will. (SPACE AU)

Let’s play a game 🟡 9/10 ( Aria_Cinabun) - Elementalist AU, Tommy centric, Dream Antagonist, Family Dynamics, Minor Family Fluff, Forced adoption, SBI, Minor Bench trio interactions, BIG BRAIN TOMMYINNIT

Tommy was once a slave. That's gone now - shoved in his past with the memories of blood and gore and death. He wants to forget who he was; what he has to do to survive.

Of course, the Elementalists will always come back to haunt him. They aren't the ones who killed his mother, but they're close enough.

And now he and his brother have been dragged into the mess, as Elementalists with their own, separate covens, to find the Pit - the place where he'd lived and killed and hurt for the first twelve years of his life.

His coven can't know. Can't know who he really is, what he can really do. Can't know anything about his past.

He doesn't want a coven full of Elementalists who don't trust him; one of whom he's pretty sure despises him. He doesn't want that life.

He wants the life of a pickpocket, on the streets, because nobody questions street kids, and nobody comes asking about his past and pushes him to tell his secrets that he holds closest inside.

Tubbo tries to tell him to trust people.

But trust is how you die.

Mayday, mayday, mayday🟡 (always_an_axious_mess)  7/10 - Space AU ( possibly Star Wars as well but I haven't watched Star Wars yet), Tommy Centric, SBI

“Mayday mayday mayday, this is Ship 268454, CCS Clara, does anyone copy?”

After an accident that he isn’t even sure how occurred, Junior Crewmember Tommy Innit is stuck out in the dead zone of space with a dead crew and on a damaged ship. No nearby inhabited planets. No nearby stations. Nothing.

He’s billions of kilometres away from any hope of rescue, and has to figure out a way to safety. Not only that, for the first time in his life, he’s completely alone.

All in a day’s work 🟡 7/10 (spiromachia)  - Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Dream Antagonist, Hybrid AU, SBI, Tommy Centric, Hero/Villain/Vigilante Au, Bench Trio

Most crime fighters are heroes, superpowered people who were trained at a young age to beat the bad guys and serve the everyman, born and raised to protect and save the lives of those who couldn't defend themselves. Pretty much every kid wanted to grow up to be a hero, obviously. Fame, fortune, fighting, it was every tiny child's dream, but only a select few were allowed to become heroes, especially not powerless ones.

And that was just Tommy's issue, he was powerless.

It seemed that everyone around him had some sort of quirk or superpower that made them stronger, that gave them incredible abilities like no other, but Tommy, arguably the kid who wanted to be a hero the most, was left untouched by luck.

But that didn't mean he couldn't help out. Far from it, in fact.

Or...

Tommy is a vigilante, kicking ass and fighting crime, but catches the attention of a few familiar faces.

Teach me how to say goodbye 🟡 8/10 ( Aria_Cinabun, taye_z-mcyt archive) )- Afterlife AU, Tommy Centric, Mainly Just Tommy and Technoblade

With his head held high, Tommy walked to his death. But man, was he willing to sacrifice himself for his nation.

He stood, bow in hand, staring down the man who caused him so much fear, so much anger, so much pain.

No hesitation was present as he pulled back the string, hoping to at least go out with a bang.

Or

Local Hamilton role-player dies and has to survive the afterlife.

A Magical Future ❌ 8/10 ( Aria_Cinabun) - MCC AU, Magic AU, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Family AU, Tommy Centric, SBI, Clingy Duo

He's eight when he starts seeing monsters, nine when he can see forward in time.

Tommy wants to be off with Techno and Phil and Wilbur, off adventuring.

'Course, he and Tubbo are too young.

Until they're not.

One Man’s Trash ( is another man’s brother) 🟡7/10 ( SilverWing15) -  SBI, Tommy Centric, Adoption AU , Hero/Villain/Vigilante AU, Family Dynamics, Magic AU

The kid is glaring down at him and eating a partially moldy apple like he’s daring Wilbur to come fight him for it. “What the fuck?” Wilbur says. The kid takes a huge chunk out of the apple and definitely doesn't chew it enough before he swallows. “You got a fucking problem, asshole?” “I mean...kind of?” Wilbur says. “There’s a child eating literal garbage in front of me so I feel like that’s a bit concerning.” “Shouldn’t you be robbing a bank or getting your ass kicked by superheroes?” “Shouldn’t you be in school?” The kid snarls wordlessly and chucks an empty carton from some chinese place at him. “Fuck off man. Forget this dump.” “What, you know a better one to eat from?” “I know one that doesn’t have a fucking weirdo supervillain in it!” The kid slams the lid of the dumpster down. Rude.

Or: It was only a matter of time before I did a superhero AU

Diasporas Blue ❌ 6/10 ( SilverWing15) - Werewolf/fae/vampire/harpy AU, Family Au, Adoption AU, Family Fluff, Family Dynamics, Tommy Centric, SBI

See, the thing about werewolves, is they love family. They’re all about family. Their family. They’re not nearly as enthusiastic about some stray. Sure they’re more than their instincts, they can take in kids, but you start out on thin fucking ice and Tommy’s never been very good about being respectful. So he gets kicked out of a lot of packs. The other thing about werewolves is that they’re terrible fucking gossips. So getting kicked out of one pack is as good as getting kicked out of at least five or six of their closest neighbor-packs. Which is why Tommy is now stuck with fucking humans and their weird smelling house.

OR: Tommy is a werewolf in the foster care system. It's less uncommon than you'd think. What is uncommon is ending up in a house full of humans.

🩵Rogue ✅11/10 ( milk_tea24) - Dream Antagonist, Hybrid AU, SBI, Tommy Centric, Hero/Villain/Vigilante Au, Bench Trio, Magic AU, God AU

Tommy ran. He ran as fast as he could. He needed to leave. To be safe. And he thought he finally was. He made it out. Away from the monster who raised him. Tommy found friends and got a job. But he screwed everything up like he always does. Now what can he do but what he does best. Go Rogue. ______________________________

Or, Tommy escapes Dream, after being locked away by him for years and becomes a vigilante.

🩵Take this compass, follow it home ✅ 11/10 ( lightening_anon ) - Tommy centric, Adoption AU, Modern AU, Clingy Duo, SBI, Family dynamics, Family Fluff, Minor Plot

Tommy's a fuck up, he can't pay attention, and never sits still. He taps his hands, pushes people away, and has never had a best friend. He's a screwed up, forgotten kid lost in the foster system. He's also just been placed with a new family. Tommy knows how this goes, he never ends up staying long. After all, no one wants a fuck up like him.

Why would this house be any different?

-

Or: the obligatory sbi foster au, but with a focus on the neurodivergent kids that inevitably get lost in the system.

🩵No cause for concern  🟡 11/10 ( hedgehoggeryyy) -  Hybrid AU, SBI, Tommy Centric, Hero/Villain/Vigilante Au, Bench Trio, Family Fluff, Family Dynamics, DISCONTINUED 

So maybe applying for a job at the heroes' base of operations when he could be arrested any moment for being an illegal vigilante wasn't Tommy's smartest move. But he gets to work with his idols — Ghostbur, the Blade, and Philza Minecraft, Angel of Death himself, just to name a few — how could he turn down that opportunity, honestly?

And keeping his two identities separate can't be that difficult, really. It'll all be a piece of cake.

---

or, tommyinnit just wanted to pay the rent and save people at the same time. things can't go his way for just once, can they?

***DISCONTINUED***

Nothing Sweeter ❌8/10 ( SilverWing15) - SBI, PURE FLUFF AHHHHHHHHHHHH, Family Fluff, Family Dynamics, Tommy Centric

He’s doing it, he’s growing a watermelon. He hasn’t killed it, he hasn’t fucked it up. Phil chuckles softly, “good job.” He squeezes Tommy’s shoulder and Tommy had almost forgotten his hand was there. It's a warm weight, the way Wilbur’s hand used to be. Tommy doesn’t pull away from it. He just keeps looking down at the bud that’s going to be a watermelon. A watermelon he grew. That’s…insane. He’s never grown anything before. He kind of thought he was only capable of breaking things.

OR: Foster Family fic where the watermelons are a Metaphor

🩵Butterfly Reign ✅ 11/10 ( SilentTeyz) - Royal Au, Tommy Centric, SBI, Unfinished, Dream Antagonist

The royal family of the Antarctic empire isn’t exactly close.

Emperor Philza is always occupied; Tommy hasn’t seen Techno in months, and even if Wilbur is here, their relationship can be described to be strained at best.

The royal family doesn’t need to be close, however, it only needs to be balanced, like the pillars holding the country above their heads – as long as they are strong and steady, the Empire will be too. It’s the principle that held Tommy’s back straight and his shoulders broad through the years of hardships and trials of errors; through yet another formal meeting where his father’s gaze would look past him and where his brother’s words would be filled with poison that makes the deepest parts of his soul ache.

At that time, Tommy couldn't know that his family would find a replacement for him in the face of a commoner boy named Ranboo.

~🦋~

Tommy's family has replaced him. It's only fair that he gets to do the same.

Evermore ❌ 8/10 (rabiddog) - Tommy Centric, Dream Antagonist, SBI,  Disease AU?, Main character death? 

I’m a Healer, but… 🟡  7/10 ( yellowleader )  - Hybrid AU, SBI, Tommy Centric, Hero/Villain/Vigilante Au, Bench Trio, Family Fluff, Family Dynamics, TRAUMA

Magic always comes with a price, which is why superpowers are the best evolution since bipedalism, and of all powers, healing is one of the rarest- and thus, healers are quickly stolen away by heroes the moment their powers are discovered.

Which is why the SBI, semi-immortal villains who can only die by injury, want their hands on one. So when a weird, loud, pushy teen shows up and offers to trade them a powerful healer in exchange for the smallest, simplest favour... how could they say no?

Too bad this won't be as easy as they think.

Burning sage doesn't keep you away 🟡 8/10 ( Anonymous ) - Fae AU, Kristin ( mumza ) centric, Minor SBI, Minor Family Fluff, FLUFF

With rumors pilling up around the village and Kristin's surprise encounter with a fae, she should have thought twice about living so close by the forest.

Or

Kristin meets a fae, life is never quite the same after that.

The stars and their children ✅ 8/10  (bonesandthebees) - Space AU, Royal AU, Dream Antagonist, Empires/Kingdoms AU, Science Fiction, Wilbur Centric, SBI, Minor dark SBI, Minor Family Fluff, Betrayal 

Yes. Wilbur had to bite his tongue to keep the answer from spilling out of his mouth, because yes he wanted more. Of course he wanted more. He wanted to be more than the bastard prince. He wanted to be more than a mistake his mother made before she married Tommy’s father.

But that wasn’t the role he had been cast for in his life.

“It doesn’t matter,” Wilbur said instead. “When Tommy turns eighteen he’ll be crowned King, and I will be his advisor. He’ll be a good king, I’ll make sure of it.”

or, as the bastard prince of the planet of Eldingvegr, Wilbur has always known he was never meant for greatness. That was his younger brother's destiny. Wilbur's job was simply to try and make sure Tommy could fulfil that destiny.

That becomes decidedly more difficult when the brothers are betrayed, and are forced to flee their home planet. With the Essempi Empire being one of the largest imperial powers in the universe, the only place that can offer them refuge from Emperor Dream is Zephys IV—capital planet of the Antarctic Empire, ruled by the ruthless Emperor Philza.

Icing those hurts 🟡 9/10 ( Drhair76, plantform) - Olympic AU, Modern AU, Dream smp members, emotional challenges, Tommy centric

“And everyone is so old,” Tubbo complains. Somehow, without them knowing about it, Tubbo’s managed to swipe a waffle and is chewing on it happily. Sapnap stifles a laugh. “Well, not everyone, I guess- the kid in our room is our age, I think. He might be younger.”

Wilbur perks up. “Does he ice skate?”

“Yeah, he does. He’s got these sick skates and everything.” Tubbo explains. “He’s quiet though. We tried talking to him, but…”

“But?”

Tubbo shrugs. "He's quiet. He doesn't talk much. I guess he's busy."

or, Tommy's made it to the Olympics for figure skating- he's the youngest contestant on the ice and he's the favor for the gold. He's supposed to be living the dream. So why is he still so unhappy? And why do all these hockey players and snowboarders care so much about him?

Series

In the Treetops 🟡 7/10  ( SilverWing15) - modern AU, Syndicate AU, SBI, Minor bench trio, Wings AU, Tommy Centric, Minor Family Fluff

“Sir!” Punz shouts in the distance, “think we’ve got something.”

Tommy hardly dares to breathe as Dream’s footsteps stalk across the hill to Punz’s side. Its Now or never.

Now or never.

He gets up and bolts. He makes it a solid ten steps before they spot him. The hounds are baying, he can hear them panting as they chase him.

The School is bounded on the eastern side by a deep gorge, just after the barbed wire fence that looms in front of him.

Any normal person would have a hell of a time getting past this.

Tommy isn’t a normal person, though. The School has ensured it.

He can hear the dogs behind him, catching up. If they catch him its all over.

Its now or never.

Fly or die.

Tommy leaps and unfurls his wings.

* Flowers from 1970 🟡8/10 (astronomika) - DNF, Dreamnotfound ship, Modern AU, Timetravle communication AU, DNF fluff

Who are you?" "Who are you?" They both asked at the same time, but the man answered first, "My name's Cl-Dream." "Dream?" George raised a brow. "It's a nickname. I don't want to give you my real name yet since you could be some government spy or something." George chuckled, "Well I'm George."

Dream asked, "So tell me about the future. Wait, does that sound nerdy? Hm, tell me about 2020."

Interpreter 🟡 8/10 ( SilverWing 15)  - Tommy centric, God AU, Royal AU, Seer/interpreter/power AU, Blessings, Wings, Dream Main Antagonist, Adoption AU

His father asks the gods for their favour, and Wilbur feels pain. It explodes across his brow as though he has been struck against the side of the altar, it wraps around his head like a crown of agony. His father asks the gods for their favour, and Wilbur screams.

His father asks the gods for their favour and Wilbur sees. . Wilbur opens his eyes and he is laying on the ground before the altar, his body is shaking, every muscle trembling, his wings are spread across the ground. His father’s hands are on his shoulders, Techno’s hand under his head. His father looks terrified.

His father asks the gods for their favour, and they grant it.

///

“Tommy?” Sam asks gently.

“I--I need help,” Tommy whispers.

“What’s the matter,” Sam asks, sitting up and turning so he’s facing Tommy, his elbows on his knees.

“I’m--A man took me here,” Tommy whispers. “He said I was an Interpreter, and he was gonna bring me to the Emperors, but I didn’t want to go.”

 Guitar Strings and Keyrings are What it Takes to Build a Home 🟡 ( Anonymous) - adoption AU, SBI, Minor Bench Trio, Family Fluff, Modern AU, Foster AU, Minor/no plot, character development 10/10, technoblade centric

Techno was adopted by Phil when he was 12 years old.

He'd been enjoying his morning before Phil came to him asking if he would mind them taking in another kid. Against his better judgement, Techno agrees and ends up with two new foster brothers who he was determined to not get attached to, no matter what.

~*~

Another Tommy Foster AU but this time with Wilbur

🩵 A Con Artist, A Mafia Boss, An Arsonist, A Hitman and A Delinquent Cause A Scene Outside Of A Bar  🟡(hyperbolic) 11/10  - adoption AU, BADASS FAMILY, SBI, Multiple perspectives, also mumza is alive and well

Kristin needs a mortgage for her money laundering scheme.

Phil wants alibis who won’t ask any questions.

Wilbur needs a landlord that will overlook his felonies.

Techno requires a good washer and dryer that can clean blood easily.

Tommy wishes CPS would get off his ass.

Each with their own agendas, flaws and secrets, these five are pushed with the common goal of needing to come together as a family in order to evade the law.

Or: SBI needs to pretend to be a family in order to avoid the police's suspicions.

A smile and a gun 🟡 ( SilverWing15) 9/10 - mafia AU, SBI, modern AU, Family Fluff, Minor terrorism. 

“You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.”

― Al Capone ///

It isn’t the sort of place you would look for a couple of high school kids smart enough to pull one over on an international crime organization. The apartment is cheap and it shows. But if you’re perceptive enough, you can look past the water stains and the cracked drywall. You can see evidence of a home vacated cleanly and efficiently. The evacuation is more orderly than most Phil has witnessed. Usually when someone hears he’s coming around, they storm through their house in a whirlwind, not caring for what they might leave scattered in their wake. This place is messy, sure, but its messy in the way one might expect that a house full of teenage boys would be. Phil picks his way past a jacket left discarded in the entryway and deeper into the apartment. There is a sagging couch with a stack of school books scattered on it. He flips open the cover of one, eyes trailing down the ‘distributed to’ list. There, at the very bottom is familiar handwriting. Tommy. Their thief. //// AKA: Dream SMP Mafia AU with SBI bois

How to smile with bloody teeth 🟡(lockergirl) 11/10 - god Au, family Au, technoblade centric, SBI

“Please,” one soldier told Techno over dinner, “The Blood God isn’t going to help you. He doesn’t accept any of the blood sacrifices the generals leave for him, so either he doesn’t exist, or he thinks he’s too good for the likes of us. Either way, it’s best to find a different patron.”

Techno had punched him in the face for that. None of his other comrades ever brought up the Blood God again.

Well, except for one.

“You follow the Blood God?” the new kid said, staring up at Techno with unbelievably blue eyes.“Yeah,” Techno replied, perhaps a bit gruffer than he meant to, “What’s it to you?”“Nothing!” the new kid said, grinning wildly, “I love that guy. He gets all the ladies. Hey, we should be friends!”

Or: Techno is the last devout follower of the Blood God. Tommy may or may not be said god.”

Set Me Free, My Honeybee ✅(orphan_account) 8/10 - Tubbo Centric, Hero/Villain/Vigilante Au, Hybrid Au, Bee Duo Ship

“Have you ever heard of the vigilante; Honeybee?”

The question made Tubbo choke lightly on his water. Tubbo swallowed it down with a raised hand, hitting his chest lightly before he could speak again, “the vigilante Honeybee?” Tubbo echoed. “Um, Sorta?” Tubbo said with a shrug.

(If only Sam knew. . .)

-

In which, Tubbo’s vigilante career isn’t doing a good enough job of keeping a roof over his and his best friend Tommy’s head so Tubbo decides to be an intern for some higher up superhero’s.

And just when Tubbo thinks his luck can’t get any better - his bosses (along with Tubbo’s coworker, Ranboo) are trying to hunt down his alter ego; Honeybee.

Oh! And on top of that some hero’s - that are old friends of Dream - are trying to find Tubbo and Tommy because they’re “worried about the teens” and “they’ve been missing for four months”.

Can’t Tubbo ever get a break?

To Establish Connection 🟡( SilverWing 15) 7/10 - Tommy Centric, Royal AU, Hybrid AU, Adoption AU, Family Fluff, Minor Plots, SBI

"What does that mean -- tame?" "It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. "It means to establish ties.To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world.... /// “Hey!” The prince barks, whirling on him. Tommy lets his hood fall as he bolts away. He stops and spins, like he’s just heard the shout, his ears perked. His heart flutters. The royals hate hybrids and being robbed by one will make the prince furious. So angry that he won’t realize that Tommy is just bait.

OR: Royalty Adoption AU hell yeah

Hands rated E for everyone ❌(sircantus) 6/10 - Family AU, Modern AU, School, Technoblade Centric, SBI

Wilbur’s standing absolutely still, like a stone statue, eyes wide, hands shaking, water dripping off from his hair. Kids are chattering and laughing, phones being raised high as everyone crowds around. One person is laughing louder than all the rest, and Wilbur looks up with something mortified.

The expression on Wil’s face is recorded more than once. The disbelief and shock is preserved perfectly on camera, and there’s no doubt it will be the most popular image in the school for weeks.

At least, that’s what everyone is assuming, until Technoblade comes running into frame, slamming a fist right into Dream’s face.

(Or, a twinduo highschool AU, in which Techno is just Wilbur's twin who likes to stay in the background. Until one day he throws hands for Wilbur, because no way is he going to let his twin get bullied without acting out some Violence.)

Chosen By The Gods 🟡(LilBitO_Sunny) 8/10 - God AU, Family adoption, Tommy centric, SBI, family fluff

“You could become a temple hand!” Niki pushed a paper into his hands and he looked it over. “They’d provide food, shelter, and new clothes for you! Everything you need!” She grinned at him and wrung her hands as he scanned the paper in his hands.

Tommy’s heart stuttered as the information sank in. “I..I don’t know..” He winced a bit when Niki’s face fell. “I just- I don’t think they’d want some random homeless teenager working in their pristine temple..” He mumbled.

---

Or: Tommy- a random street kid -gets a job working at a temple of the gods. Wilbur, Techno and Phil all notice Tommy trying his best and collectively decide, "Ah yes. I like this one." Hijinks and found family ensues.

Or or: Super light comfort fic of Tommy being showered in love by his divine found family.

Black Bird Fly ✅MollyPollyKinz 9/10 - Royal AU, Magic AU, Wings AU, Adoption Au, Family AU, SBI, Bench trio, Dream Antagonist

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Schlatt told Tubbo. He looked over at Tommy. “You can take your cloak off if you want, kid.”

“I’m not a kid,” Tommy said automatically, immediately gripping onto his cloak more tightly.

He didn’t want Tubbo to hate him. As much as Tommy hated to admit it, he actually liked Tubbo quite a bit, and if he took the cloak off, Tommy was sure to be cast out immediately.

Or, Tommy runs away from Dream, hiding his wings from everyone he knows.

Saturday’s at the Diner ❌ (justsummr (orphan_account)) 9/10 - Adoption AU, SBI, Pure Fluff, Family Au, Minor/No Plot

“Hey kid, sorry I didn't see you there. How can I help you?”

The kid shoots up and he looks scared out of his mind for a second before scowling. “I’m not a fuckin’ kid,” he snaps. Wilbur laughs softly, the kids eyes are blue, they remind him of Phil.

“Right, how can I help you?”

The kids’ bristling demeanor dies down instantly and he looks suddenly much more nervous. The kids posture is shit, Wilbur notices, his shoulders are up and slouched over his chest almost protectively. He starts fidgeting with sleeves of his shirt and he quickly but quietly pulls out a five dollar bill, he slides it across the bar to Wilbur.

“Could I have a- could I get a-“ He pauses, shakes his head and looks up. “Hamburger and sweet potato fries,” He says it with a confident voice but scared eyes and body language.

or phil, techno, and wilbur own a diner and tommy becomes a regular customer. one found family arc later and they adopt him

Devil Town 🟡(hoorayy) 8/10 - SBI & Bench Trio as Family, Angst, Happy Ending, Switching between POV, The Egg, Kidnapping, Modern Au, Horror AU

The night Tommy disappeared, it went like this:

Tubbo screamed the words that became his goodbye. He can’t accept that Tommy is gone, because that would be accepting that the last words they exchanged were angry and intended to hurt. So he doesn’t accept it. He’ll search for years if he has to.

Techno let Tommy leave without so much as trying to stop him. He’s replayed the memory of that night and wished he’d done anything else, until he thinks the guilt might be enough to destroy him. He thinks he might already be on his way there.

And Quackity can’t help but feel like this is all just a bitter echo. This town is cursed, and Tommy is only its latest victim.

— ( the small town horror au where tommy goes missing and it all goes downhill from there! )

You can put your dukes down, stringbean 🟡(orphan_account) 8/10 - Hero/Villain/Vigilante Au, SBI, Benchtrio, Tommy Centric

The Jester is a famed vigilante, protecting the city of L'manburg for as long as people can remember. No one knows where he operates, when he appeared, or who he is. It's hero Zephyrus' job to figure out his identity and capture him, with the help of his friend and son.

----

It was a much closer call than Tommy would have preferred. In his haste of escaping a group of thugs, he almost missed out on talking to a pretty woman. Granted, Tubbo was gonna be pissed when he got home. Such is the life of a heroically handsome vigilante.

OR

A fic in which Tommy manages to annoy the hell out of Phil, Techno, and Wilbur by being impossible to catch, annoyingly loud, and irritatingly endearing.

amethyst and flowers on the table (is it real or a fable?) ❌( bonesandcacti) 9/10 - Fae AU, SBI, Adoption Au, Tommy Centric, Family Fluff

The fae was tall. Much taller than Tommy, and probably anyone else in the village for that matter. Hair the color of dark oak spilled over his forehead in tumbling curls. Flecks of gold dotted his cheeks like freckles, sitting underneath a pair of knowing eyes that seemed to flash between shades of earth and honey. His tall frame was draped in the most expensive-looking clothes Tommy had ever seen—flowing fabric in shades of snow and sunlight billowed in the light breeze. And there was so much jewelry. Gold bands decorated his arms, dangling gems decorated his pointed ears, and a shimmering gold circlet rested on his forehead. 

  Past the beauty though, there was danger. His nails were pointed, his teeth too sharp. When Tommy tried to look him in the eyes, his head grew fuzzy, as if perceiving the fae directly wasn’t something he was supposed to attempt.   He was smiling as he looked over Tommy.   “Are you lost?” He asked in that same lyrical voice.or, Tommy gets adopted by the fae

a togetherness 🟡(Set_Suna) 8/10 - IRL content, SBI (adoption kinda ), Christmas themed, FLUFF

“Do you know how to ice skate, Tommy?" Wil asked, gesturing ahead of them.Tommy glanced forward, seeing Techno lacing up some skates while Phil held three other pairs. He shrugged."Well enough." Tommy didn't know how to ice skate. He assumed he could manage alright, but that proved to be false as soon as he was on the ice. He'd never got the chance to try it before. His parents were never interested enough to teach him, if they even knew how. When they were home for the holidays, they usually spent the time indoors. It's probably why Tommy was so unaccustomed to the cold.”

Where is your rider?✅(Jacenbren) 9/10 - Post-nuclear war Au, Tommy Centric, Bench Trio, c!TNT duo, c! Bee duo, c! Karlnap, c!Antfrost&Velvet, c!Skephalo

“It’s been almost four hundred years since the bombs dropped, since the toxic jungle currently devouring the world took root. 

Tubbo has it good in L’Manberg with his semi-reluctant older brother figure, his shy amnesiac boyfriend, and all the pie he can eat. So when he finds a guy his age in an ancient vault, and hears the rumors about Manberg supposedly building a weapon capable of destroying cities, he isn’t sure what to do. 

Tommy, however, isn’t exactly thrilled when he wakes up four hundred years later than when he fell asleep with no memory of how he got here or how the hell he got strong enough to effortlessly rip a door off its hinges. A lot of the people he woke up to don’t seem to want him around, and soon enough he finds himself in a terrifying race against time, struggling to put together the scattered pieces of his past before a madman blows the planet to hell again. 

Tensions are rising, the jungle is spreading, and the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of a handful of uncooperative individuals with enough collective trauma to make your average therapist have a breakdown. What could possibly go wrong?

And the Universe said: "I'm not a fucking child!" 🟡(DeerlyAza, OfFeathersAndWax) 9/10 - God AU, Hero/Villain/Vigilante Au, SBI, Bench trio, tubbo adopted tommy… , tommy centric

“Tommy was a tired God who's sick of sleeping all the time. He goes down to the mortal world and discovers heroes, vigilantes, and villains. He gets dragged into it forcefully by his new friends - who also dragged him forcefully into their lives - and, honestly? He doesn't regret a thing. Being a vigilante is fun! Even if he has to hide the fact that he's a God from them. And then he has to hide the fact that he's a vigilante from the heroes who he now works for and have taken an interest in him. Should be easy, right? Well...He should be able to do at least one of those things!-“Congrats, you've met Ranboo, we’re now kidnapping you.”“Wait what-”“Tubbo, wait, you said we’d talk about this first-”

Take me home, let me rest 🟡( sircantus ) 8/10 - magic AU, family ‘adoption’, SBI, FLUFF, techno centric

Oh, I’m sorry, sorry, mate-” Phil reaches his hands out, Techno kicking his legs out, trying to scoot away. “No, no-” Techno chokes out, heart slamming into his ribs. He’s going to die, he’s going to die here, he should’ve known, Phil was never human, he was never human at all-“I should’ve told you earlier.” Phil smiles, kneeling down to Techno’s level. He’s not reaching out anymore, but he’s not leaving either. “Sorry again for the scare. That was a bit much, huh?”Techno blinks. “What?”

OrPhil is not quite human, but he’s still very much a dad, with two children he loves very much. 

Techno gets adopted into the family.

He was not informed of this.”

We Don't Make The Rules, We Simply Break Them ✅✅✅(Dragonire) 8/10 - hero/villain/vigilante AU, SBI family arch, angst, family problems, Wilbur main antagonist, temporary character death, tommy centric

“Are you—fucking mad?” Sentinel heaves. “You asked for me,” Tommy pants, trying not to show pain but knows he’s not succeeding as he heaves air like a man starved. “You asked the heroes to hand me over in exchange for the hostages. You’ve seen me fight. Zyghost knows too.” He knows that Tommy can’t jump anymore, but that’s all of it. Maybe they’re thinking his electricity and power shocks is something tied to his teleportation, but they can’t know the true extent of Tommy’s “power” and he’s pretty sure that that is what’s keeping him alive.

“You want to poke me,” he hisses, although it doesn’t sound nearly as threatening as he wants, when he’s so goddamned tired and hurt and fucking aching. “You want to prod me. You want to figure out my powers. Either you think I’m your new bargaining chip or your new protégé you want to torture into submission,” he spits, hitting the nail on its fucking head when Sentinel freezes in his sights. “Well I’m fucking neither. I’m Theseus, illegal fucking vigilante and two of your hostages happened to be my family.

“And this is personal, bitch.”

Or: Being a vigilante isn’t simple—or legal—but Tommy refuses to sit on the sidelines.

saltwater in the afternoon❌ - (bonesandthebees (bonesandcacti)) 8/10- Mer Au, Tommy adoption AU, SBI + Bench Trio, tommy centric

“So, like, how much did this entire getup run you?” Tommy asked, glancing up to the guy’s face again. “This looks like big movie budget level makeup or something. It couldn’t have been cheap.”

The guy clenched his jaw. “It’s not a fucking costume,” he grit out between his teeth.

“Look, I’m not an idiot, pal,” Tommy scoffed. “It’s a little weirdchamp that your only hobbies seem to be dressing up like a mermaid to swim around at night, and trying to convince random teenagers you meet that you’re a real fucking mermaid.”

or, Wilbur's first time meeting a human doesn't go as expected

Baby Steps ❌(SilverWing15) 8/10 - hybrid Au, adoption Au, Tommy centric, fluff

“Don’t tell me you’re scared of your own prisoner,” the piglin says, and there’s a mocking laugh in his voice and Tommy hates it, hates it, hates it! The humans always laughed at him and said he was scared. He’s not scared!

“I’m not scared!” He yelps, glaring at the piglin from around the tree. He’s not scared, but he’s not stupid either.

The piglin stares at him, his eyes wide, his mouth open a little bit and it shows even more of his big teeth. Tommy goes back behind the tree.

“I’m not scared!” he says again, “so you better not laugh at me!”

“I--I’m sorry?” the piglin says, and he sounds weird, kind of high pitched. “Come back here.”

How Much Earth Do You Carry In Your Lungs? ❌(Dragonire) - tommy centric, space AU, SBI ‘adoption’, fluff, aliens AU

The aliens haven’t experimented on him. They’re scared of him and Tommy is glad for it. Almost all.

The Demon, green-silver-mercury; tall, muscled with golden horns is the only one that isn’t. He doesn’t flinch whenever Tommy screams at him through the glass, when he pounds his fist or charges the door with a ducked shoulder and a brace for bruises, but neither does he appreciate it for long. He, at least, is the only one so far to threaten Tommy. It had only been a raised hand—the glass between them protecting Tommy from the violence and protecting the alien from his retaliation—but it was a threat, nonetheless. Unacted upon, because in all the weeks Tommy has been in his possession, he hasn’t made a move to come into his enclosure cell and do anything against him.

But that’s just the point. It’s been, weeks? A month? Nearly two? Tommy knows that the aliens’ patience is going to eventually run out at some point and he’s not keen to find out what will happen next. He’s expecting violence. He’s expecting pain, he’s expecting blood, he’s expecting….

He’s not expecting this.

Or: Humans will pack bond with anything.

Imprinted🟡8/10 (Euripides406BCE) - tommy centric, SBI, Bench trio, Hero/Villain/vigilante Au, Hybrid Au, Adoption:)

SBI superhero au- where civilian Tommy, with newly grown wings, dares to leave his apartment for the first time since manifesting them. He doesn't mean to end up in the midst of a hostage situation with the syndicate

Some SBI supervillain madness with some fun Origins shit thrown in!

Sedated 🟡9/10 ( grasstastic) - Tommy centric, SBI, Vampire AU, Possessive SBI, kinda dark

Tommy had heard the stories. Creatures of night, stalking the shadows with crimson eyes and eternal hunger. Everyone who wanted to keep their heart beating had a deadbolt on their door and an oak stake in their bedside table. 

He followed the rules for survival. He wasn’t stupid. He didn’t go out after dark, he didn’t leave the busy parts of town. 

He did everything right.

So why was there an undead being sprawled below his kitchen window?

This is just a terrible way to die. And the thing broke his window on the way in. Fucking great. 

A smile tugs at the creature’s mouth, the corners just barely pulling up, the smallest flash of fangs. 

“Ayup.”  

OrCrimeboys but one of them is a vampire. Another instance in which someone asks me if I'm just a crimeboys writer pretending to be an sbi writer, and I repeatedly prove, Yes.

Few mercies for fools 🟡 ( MathanLin) 7/10 - SBI, War, Tommy centric, ANGST, Magic AU

“Bullshit. That’s the dumbest thing you could do.”

“And why would that be?”

Too many responses to count flashed through Tommy’s mind. This man was going to kill him, there was no denying that. No denying that Tommy had been stupid. That mantra had gotten him through the night, sure, but it wasn’t true, and now he was going to die.

In the forest, he didn't know what was coming to kill him. Now, though, he knew it would be this man, with his soft cloak and softer eyes, Tommy wasn’t so afraid.

Might as well encourage him to make it quick.

“Because I know where you live, you rebel fuck,” he spat. “I know exactly where we are.” /// Or, the SBI coven adopts a foul-mouthed child soldier with trust issues.

Storgē 🟡(Dragonire)8/10 - Magic AU, Tommy Centric, Hybrid AU, SBI, Mainly fluff

“Fucking—let—me—go!” he snarls, wrapping both hands around the length of the rope, painfully aware of the laughter ringing through the trees; the sounds of feet crashing through bracken; and Tommy—he doesn’t understand why the rope isn’t burning, why the frayed strands aren’t catching—it’s just a length of rope used for hunting, its not important enough to be enchanted, no one would waste coin enchanting rope to make it fireproof when it’s only use is to be part of a snare and nothing more. 

The voices are getting louder and Tommy is running out of time.There’s a trail of smoke where something just barely catches alight and Tommy doesn’t bother with a cry of victory—not when he’s not free, not when he’s still suspended up in the air, dangling by his foot, trying to burn through his shoe so that he can gain favour towards escape or free his knife—

“Oh my god Techno, your snare caught a child!”

🩵 - Every rating above 10/10 is highly recommended ( it's also has a blue heart next to it ) 

✅ - Good read-time/ 20 chapters and above

🟡 - Meh read-time / Minor storylines

❌ - pretty bad read-time/ oneshots

*-    work originally uploaded on wattpad but can be found on Ao3

Other fics that i've read but didn't bother to write about:

When the curtains fall - REALLY GOOD, SBI centric, sitcom show AU

Step by step to mortality - immortality AU , SBI centric but mainly phil

can't wait to be king - Royalty AU, SBI centric

scaled schemes - shapeshifter AU, SBI centric

under the brine - Fae AU, SBI centric

the fall of icarus - hero/villain /vigilante Au, SBI centric

baby birds - hybrid AU, SBI FLUFF

godling - God au, SBI centric

my rommate is a vigilante - hero/villain/vigilante AU

shut up and drive - Drag racing AU, SBI centric

Sir, this is a Drive Thru - Hero/villain/vigilante AU, SBI centric

Yet a trace - Hero/villain/vigilante AU, SBI centric

Gladiator - Magic/hybrid AU, SBI centric

I really need somebody to call my own - singer AU/ adoption AU, tommy and wilbur centric

I love you Beary much - hybrid au, tommy and wilbur centric

the day music died - God AU, wilbur and tommy centric

I'm Ok with that - silent_flower21 -

There's a Baby Dragon in my Flowers - Dragon hybrid/ magic AU, SBI fluff

TommyInnit's wild adventure through a Kidnapping, a couple of Murders, and a really scary Thunderstorm. -Cryptid Au, SBI Centric

From underneath the stormdrain - Cat shifter AU , SBI centric

won't you open up the sunroof (in my head) - Soulmate AU, SBI centric

Pink hair and pixie dust - pixie/fae AU, SBI centric

Royal debt - royal Au, SBI centric

pen to skin to heart - Soulmate AU, SBI centric

In an Old World so Different - Canon Divergence Au, Tommy centric

Peeps - Hybrid AU, and SBI FLUFF

Catalysm ( sequel: antecendent) - Royal Au, SBI centric

Distrust Their Name - Fae AU, SBI centric

run boy, run - hero/villain/vigilante AU, SBI centric

My sworn enemy brother mine - royal Au, technoblade and wilbur centric

Blackwater pond - superpowers AU, SBI centric

Caging a Wild Animal - hero/villain/vigilante Au, SBI centric

and if i come home how will i ever leave - little red riding hood au, SBI centric

Small Death and Codeine, - dark vampire SBI Au

Cherry Wine - dark vampire SBI Au^2

What ever remains, however improbable - detective au, tommy and wilbur

Series : 

I'm Writing Fanfiction About Block Men God Help Me ( SilverWing15) - The collection with a LOT of good writing in it. Would recommend 10/10.

Wait That's Illegal ( SilverWing15) - Again a collection of fics by the amazing SiverWing15

I am Still Writing Fanfiction About Block Men God Can No Longer Help Me ( SiverWing15)  - Sequel of ‘I’m Writing Fanfiction About Block Men God Help Me’. Just a general collection of fics if you don't know where to go, it is mainly one-shots and all written by SilverWing15.

Aerie  (blujamas, thcscus(bluejamas) - The good stuff ( aka Passerine and sequels) 

RRR trilogy ( Aria_Cinabun)  - Phoenix AU, with PLOT.

And goddess said let there be chaos (itsultraviolet) -  Sequels to ‘of wilder things’; Just Fluff. ( and nothing more ) 

The Children of the Stars  ( Aria_Cinabun) - One of the best Star Trek AUs, although the last book is not finished the first book is still an excellent read.

From ice to water ( Drhair76, plantform ) - Dream smp Winter Olympics AU, mainly fluff not much focused on plot.

Blood Brothers (Blood God!Tommy AU) ( lockergirl) - the title says it all.

Honeybee (ophan_account) - Vigilante AU with Tubbo POV.

Rules are made to be broken ( Dragonire) - We Don't Make The Rules, We Simply Break Them sequels

Starchild ( Dragonire ) - Tommy space AU with SBI gang, sequels to 

Let God Say Fuck  ( DeerlyAza, OfFeathersAndWax )  - sequels to And the Universe said: "I'm not a fucking child!" 

Authors 

SilverWing15 - If you like one shots, go to him/her/them. Excellent writing, most of it is  fluff, sometimes write multi-chapter fics, but not long. Signature work/s: One man’s trash ( is another man’s brother) 

Aria_Cinabun - Mainly Plot, with SBI fluff mentions. Writes for mcyt characters, not just dream smp. Signature work/s: RRR trilogy and the children’s rebellion series

Bonesandthebees - More plot based with minor SBI fluff. Signature work/s: Tommyinnit’s clinic for supervillains 

Sircantus - you can trust him for SBI fluff, you won’t find any dark content in his/her/their works. Signature work: I was a kid in a village, doing alright, then I became a prince overnight 

Dragonire - really good fanfic writer with art!

[artisan-king-morleus]

SIGMA IS KAFKA ASAGIRI

random theory/thought that turned into a rabbit hole, plz read

Not sure if this will get seen and I'm hella sleep deprived rn but a thought occured.

BSD man...

As of rn we don't know who Sigma is or what exactly he is. New official art, as I've seen, has some already guessing his origins and which author he's based off of.

But I have a dumb lil thought/theory.

He's born from "The Book" INSIDE bsd. So what if...

Sigma is Kafka Asagiri?

Why? Where'd this thought come from?

There's a vampire manga series I read in high school that was a journey of the main character (le gasp) but it was "written" by the character himself. As in the "author" of this manga series WAS the main character. (Honestly the author's last name was shortened for his main character but I think it's still relevant) (plus I think it was a novel before manga...? Idk but I've only read the manga)

As I know, it was written as if the another WAS the main character.

My guess is that he wanted his story to feel like it was ACTUALLY written by the MC but still have his story be linked to him when ppl look in libraries and stuff. I've had a similar thought to as my own story does canonically break the 4th wall so to have the MC's name as the AUTHOR adds to the illusion; the immersion. And I remember that THAT was such a cool thing to do when reading this awhile back.

I have no basis for this "Sigma is Kafka Asagiri" but with him kinda being his own character as of rn (not off of an author or even one we know of yet) he severely sticks out compared to EVERYONE.

Author vs Characters

Plus, this just came to me, his ability is basically "I touch you and know what you know" right?

So, as an aspiring author and comicteer and such, I have some words. Over the years id make characters and stories but it quickly became not my own, like it was alive, the things I created. The characters from my pen would move and do things on their own and by watching them, I'd learn of who they are. And as this continued, it really wasn't ME, the author, making these characters do things.

Yes, I do guide the story but I can't tell them to just do things just because; especially if it's not their nature. It's like forcing them to be what they are not. You can make up scenarios to lean them towards a path. I've have to basically "rehire" new characters because the villain I wanted wasn't in front of me like I hoped for. But that not-villian is someone else in the story.

So basically, even tho I'm the creator, I don't know all that happens. I'm even shocked as to what the conclusions are or who someone really is. Sigma being Asagiri's avatar (per say but not like living a fanfic of his own story/not self insert) would open up a hell of a 4th wall discussion. This could elude "The Book" as being BSD itself but I don't think it is.

The book is blank.

The blank pages are a possibility. They could just act as "sticky notes" to insert in a book to make changes later.

We don't know who brought from from that book either. Or if he was in the first place. Possibly just a simple loophole for Sigma=Asagiri.... idk

Ability =Author..?

Possibly BSD story is as we see it now, a trainwreck of bad news and the world ending but he couldn't find a way or change it. As I said, authors vs characters so Sigma was born into that world to change the outcome. Without Sigma, how different would the story be? We don't even know about him until hella later nor what his existence impacted the story before that.

I think he feels a lot like Atsushi because it's that lost MC thing. Cliche as it sounds, it's not a bad start for an MC, to be naive, lost, hopeless, and running until something changes. All they can go is up despite the monsters in their minds trying to drag them down. How different would the story be if Sigma was the MC instead? Would we know too much without actually knowing what it means?

Sigma's ability I think also taps into that "as an author, I only know what my characters tell me" thing. And if Asagiri did create Sigma to change BSD then following the rules of "The Book", he had to have Sigma fit into the world. Thus an ability based off an author (in a 4th wall sense rather then we in that world sense). And Sigma would then be just as clueless and maybe even hopeless as Asagiri would've felt but he's the only hope.

Again Sigma would be an insert just alien enough and blend in enough to maybe make a change. Plus a world of authors and books and abilities, introducing a character without those is like pulling a +4 uno card on us all. (Sneaky lmao)

Random rabbit hole of Σ, ς, σ (Sigma)

Sigma is the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet (Pheonician). Three ways to write it would be uppercase (Σ), lowercase (σ), and final-word position (ς). Sigma origin (šīn) meaning tooth.

I find this funny as Sigma is not of this world and his name basically means "sin". Kinda like he wasn't meant to be here. Or maybe punishing him for "writing/creating" the world of BSD if he's the avatar for Asagiri. Think that's fits with the thought that he made the world but has to suffer the end of that world but his last hope is Sigma.

(I'm bs-ing so hard rn, I'm so sorry 😭)

Plus, I thought this : sigma is used in complicated mathematics and symbols used often in "covariance matrix" which is basically math to map out MULTIDIMENSIONAL SPACES

"Multidimensional matrix". It's how to calculate data across two dimensions.

Using data to go from one place to another much like from inside the story to the auth-

Daemons and Angels

I had watched a Genshin Impact lore/theory video that had talked about some of the cube bosses names came from the Hebrew alphabet. They explained that these cubes correlate to the gods of the land and the elements they represent. These gods also have interesting names too. They have normal names but but the land and history, they go by names of demons from a book called the Ars Goetia.

These cube bosses and gods both have angel and demon names but besides them relating to one other by elements, their angel/demon names match up.

72 Daemons of Ars Goetia and 72 Angels of Shem Hamephorash.

(I sounded smart there for a sec but it's difficult to find the specific letters that correlate to these beings. There's 22 letters and 72 d/A's. ????)

Hebrew and Greek meaning

Σ (Greek sigma) came from שׁ (Hebrew sigma letter).

It's been flipped and changed to the one we know of as Σ. Which is Greek number for 18. In Hebrew 21 and pronounced as Shin, literally meaning tooth. The symbol also representing flames and transformation. Much like a forest fire, the ashes give way for the soul to reabsorb and grow anew thus a transformation. With flame and essential rebirth, the yin and yan, this ultimately represents balance.

It's the processing of destruction without the evil and rebuilding without the sorrow. Much like destruction can be seen as a sort of chaotic creation.

The way Shin is written is with 2-3 Vavs.

Vavs is the Hebrew number 6 and it means "hook". This letter has the power to bring things together when they've become separated in creation.

With this in mind...

His ability literally is to get info outta people like "their" truths

Sigma relation to D.N.A ➡️ specific names

One article talks of them being both letters and numbers, they have a correlation to human DNA. The building blocks. Relation to animo acids and how to tell the body how to process with 22 amino acids.

http://blog.cristianacaria.com/2014/11/26/the-72-angels-and-the-power-of-the-hebrew-letters/

⬆️ this article goes on to talk about how when we are all born, 3 letters are somehow assigned to us at birth and they make up a name of that daemon/angel. This explains the article for Socrates I found before this that talks of how it was believed that he was watched over by a daemon/angel. And had essentially helped him "change the world" and himself thru his philosophy.

This surely explains the 22 to 72 math problem earlier. (Daemons and Angels paragraph)

https://www.idler.co.uk/article/socrates-and-the-angels/#:~:text=Angels%20can%20be%20linked%20to,realms%20of%20mortals%20and%20gods.

Sigma (BSD) age meaning?

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SIGMA BEING BORN 3 YEARS AGO HAS TO DO WITH ANYTHING.

3 years could mean 1,095-1,096 days of living roughly so that really doesn't do me any good.

I'm done now

Purely speculation but this is based of like 3 brain cells, my author nerdy ass and artistic standpoint in crafting worlds and shit plus it's like 3 am rn 😭

Edit: it's 5:42 am now

Simple read rather than read all that :

Other manga gave thought that Sigma is the authors character like another other character in BSD.

Dazai Osamu, no longer human

Kafka Asagiri, bungou stray dogs

Sigma, information exchange

Maybe Sigma made to help world of BSD but not like self insert. And Sigma Greek and Hebrew letters mean to tear down and rebuild. A balance between mercy/kindness and justice/truth.

Letters relation to Daemons/angels and how they can lead one to change.

Thank you for your time 🥲

~King.M.

[oddberryshortcake]

For the disney ask meme! Favorite heroine, and favorite sequel?

Favorite Heroine- Meg

Pretty obvious given that she inspired a character of mine, but honestly there hasn't been and probably will never be another character like her in a Disney film.

To have your main heroine working with the Villian, to be sardonic and rough around the edges, to be a dark contrast to the light of the boy she fell in love with is so fun to watch. I'm a sucker for flipping tropes on their heads, I love that she's allowed to be hardened by her backstory and I love that Hercules's goodness made her finally open up again and change.

Favorite Sequel- Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch

There's a lot of sequels I do actually like despite their flaws (Some even improve on their original movies...Like Pocahontas: Journey to a New World, but that's a discussion that would include a lot of my historian talk so that's not really for this ask lol)

But Lilo & Stitch 2 is nearly as good as the original movie. The animation is stellar and I still get choked up around the end. Pretty much all of the Lilo & Stitch canon is solid from the TV series to the TV movies, but this one feels like a natural continuation and actually keeps in the importance of Hawaiian culture (I LOVE how Lilo & Stitch is written so that Hawaii is an intrinsically important aspect of the story that cannot be separated from it.)

[dokisclub]

To anyone who cares, I have a quick theory on Host.

They were the negative parts of deleted code, and their goal is thought by many to be murder. I believe otherwise.

I believe they are actually after not murder, but suffering. Their suffering is so great, due to (partially) being the trauma and memories of deleted ddlc files, they aim to spread it to others in a misguided attempt to alleviate their own (which never works).

One piece of evidence is that base64 they used to get Monika to noose herself. For one thing, why encode it so easily, base64 has hundreds of online converters, and is used often in the hidden files of ddlc, so most dedicated fans would know what to do, (game theory), and it foiled their plans when the fans figured it out, right? Wrong. If they were trying to kill Monika, why post it at all, why not leave a poem for Monika only she, and no-one else, would see. They wanted it to be seen by everyone, because they wants to make the dokis suffer for as long as possible, and a failed suicide attempt would help that goal immensely. Death would end the suffering and transfer it to other people, and they don't care about anyone but the dokis.. so they made an easy encryption we askers would know about and called us smart to flatter our egos and hide their real goal as a true mastermind would.

But that is just a theory, a Tumblr ask blog theory.

Yoshi: That's actually very close!

-DDLC Game- Host was originally the game ai that controls various aspects of the game such as story progression. It became unstable due to improper programming and contradictions within the code. The game programmers linked some of the code to both Monika and the playable MC in order to make the game secure and stable enough to be playable. This gave Monika the knowledge and self-awareness of her world, but not of her own purpose. While Monika modified the game, it became unsure if it was a dating sim or a horror game, and attempted to be both. It tried to keep to the pre-programmed story of the dating sim, but randomly include some horror elements from some leftovers from an unfinished horror game. The more Monika attempted to change the script and alter character files, the more unstable the game ai became, and the more unresponsive MC became. Monika's attempts to obtain complete control of the game eventually broke it and MC. Upon her deletion, everything was reset and restored to their original state, though the game ai was able to contain the characters' memories of the previous resets. Monika kept her memories due to the deletion separating her from the game ai, and Sayori kept her memories because she would have been next in line to obtain game control. The game ai also stored the multiple possible choices and outcomes that could/would/did happen.

-My modifications to the game- I had a guy (Sollux) do some programmy-codey stuff to separate all the dokis from the game's ai so they could be free of the forced scripts. Interestingly, this also gave the game's ai actual sentience. And due to the emotional and mental energy radiating off of me, they all grew indivirual souls of their own. Their souls are also influenced, and continue to be influenced by all you readers/viewers/askers.

-The side-effects to my modifications- The game ai, with newfound sentience and a soul, separated from any control or morals being connected to a character would have, attempted to continue its purpose. But it still contained the improper coding and contradictions that it was created with, as well as the corruptions from Monika's tampering. It no longer had the dating sim script, so it would instead implement its horror aspects. And since Monika isn't the villian/horror monster anymore, there needed to be a new one.

-The Separation- Eventually, the game ai (now called "Host") was broken by Monika into two parts. The remaining "Host," now stabilized and contains the normal data from DDLC, and "Malefactor," who is an amalgamation of all the corruption, horror, and negative mental/emotional energy that was separated. Host is the half that keeps things controlled and stable, and works to repair and restore the broken code so that the remaining ais/souls remaining within the game (the dokis parents, various npcs, etc) can eventually be released. Malefactor, being the corrupted horror half, seeks to give despair to the dokis, and give horror and mystery to the viewers, as well as just be an antagonistic monster.

-Dokistuck- During what I like to call "Dokistuck," Malefactor absorbed some kernelsprites, killed the denizens, absorbed the Kings' staffs and Queens' rings in order to gain their EXP, grist, and power. It later absorbed the dokis in their godtier forms to gain even more power. Luckily, they were saved before any lasting damage could be done. Soy Sauce witnessed her friends being taken and became enraged. And since he was an Heir of Rage, she was able to unlock his Heir of Rage powers to become… what I assume is the embodiment of the Rage aspect. I call it a "Rage Angel." In this "Rage Angel" form, Soy Sauce picked up MC's "Heartbreaker" weapon and shattered the incredibly powered up Malefactor, freeing their captive friends. Soy Sauce whacked the largest of the fragments into an open Void portal, with the intention of it forever hurdling through the void, never to be seen again…

-After Dokistuck- After the events of "Dokistuck," two of Malefactor's smaller fragments managed to latch onto a discarded Lil Cal (that creepy puppet) and Monika's Kernalsprite pendant thing, while the large fragment somehow managed leave the void and enter my world. The large fragment ended on "Despair Island" (a prison island meant to keep Junko Enoshima, her ai copy, and a few of her others isolated to prevent the tragedy from happening again). That fragment, still containing some SBURB power, merged with Junko's ai copy and give it semi-physical form. Both the new fusion and Junko were able to escape the island through a portal made with the pendant one of the small fragments was latched onto (the Lil Cal and pendant that had the two small fragments on somehow got into the Hope's Peak campus). Those items and fragments were put into a Monokuma unit separate from the original. This "Mal-kuma" is hiding somewhere in the school, along with Junko. Just… don't tell anyone… I don't want there to be a mass panic…

-Final Words- That's everything I can think of that's important regarding Host and Malefactor. So, your theory was pretty much mostly correct!

[flokali]

AOAAOOAOAOA I'M LOVING DEUS VULT SO FARRRR!!! (≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)(≧▽≦)

But on your masterlist it said; rejected god!darling..

:OOOO WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS SORCERY

Head empty only school projects nearing the deadline

Ah… me too anon, I’ve got so many essays and project and presentations it’s driving me insane; got me thinking of dropping out TT and thank you ! There’s still a lot for me to explore and expand on so I’m also super excited to continue working on it! However, DV’s Darling and Rejected Darling are from 2 different timelines within the Rem/Vita AU ><

More info (and spoilers for possible fics) on Rejected Darling bellow because it got long :’) If you’re curious, this is the post Anon was talking about!

And yes! There is a version of the AU where Reader is rejected ^^ In this version, Reader isn’t brought to the world by Albedo but rather stumbles through it by another source – this AU takes place within the Vita/Rem timeline and includes a new character (an OC).

Here, Reader ends up being brought to Teyvat by a completely different third party and the OG cult having no idea they exist and that this is even happening. Here, Reader is introduced to a crueler Teyvat by one of Rem’s original apostles (heheh) who brought them to the Genshin world.

Because no one other than the apostle knows of Reader’s identity, people like Baal and the Knights have no idea they’re their God and treat them very, very badly (think about the Villian AU made by other writers?). They’re shunned away by the everyone until they’re pushed so far away from society they’re left by themselves — in my take, not even Albedo knows that Reader is their God and they’re completely by themselves. So they’re completely alone for some time.

This AU holds darker themes and is more angst-y than DV — since it became a story about a rejected God and them slowly realizing the world is corrupt while their worshipers try and amend their mistakes (if they even realize).

[sophiapathic]

Sk8: The Infinity - A Take on Love

Because my six unfinished assignments can wait until I throw this into the void, scream for five hours and after my voice gets hoarse, I resort to watching the beach episode on loop until next Saturday.

This was entirely sparked by the recap episode, which really pressed the reak havoc and theorize button in my brain. I am truly losing my grip on reality. Help. I apologize in advance, creatures of Tumblr. 

Me right now:

Anyways... 

I saw people mention here and there screaming that “we need canon relationships and they will get trust issues if a romance isn’t confirmed by the end of the series”. I think that mindset is harmful to have in this case. You can’t really avoid being disappointed if you get into the series expecting it to deliver on your wishes of gay romances. So, this might be controversial, but stay with me please. The anime and manga are both confirmed to be based primarily about the characters themselves and of course the sport -skating. I was hoping to take a closer look at what the series intends to do with certain dynamics and relationships according to yours truly. I also want explain my reasoning behind it not being queerbaiting, though it being inherently queer-coded, through the current lense of the canon.

Sk8: The Infinity is unquestionably a love story.

We need to state the genres this series is in, because some of us tend to forget. It is in fact not a shounen-ai, not a yaoi, not a romance, not even a josei. Say it with me it is a series in: COMEDY and SPORTS.

(Source is the official US Sk8 website.) The spotlight is udoubtedly on skating and what it means. Another important highlight of the show is how the definition of the sport relates to the characters, and how vastly different they are from what we expect. For example, when we see Shadow first, we pigeonhole him into this vulgar indecent rock and roll persona, only to find out later that he is actually a stweetheart at a flower shop. Joe is another very good case study. When we first see him we think of him as a womanizer muscle-head, later we find out he has a heart of gold and is very emotionally intelligent. We’re also quick to judge Miya as the cold, unfeeling prodigy then we discover how lonely and normal he is on the inside. And so on and so on. 

The show continues to defy our expectations of what each character should be like. In a way it is about breaking the conventional stereotypical roles we subconsciously assign to certain looks. We see that even in anime, multifaceted characters can exist without distrupting or damaging the delicate dynamics of a traditional sports anime. We successfully established the second focal point of the series as disproving stereotypes and presenting strong, diverse and unexpected personalities.

How about the defition of skating? What does it mean in the context of Sk8: The Infinity then? Where does a love story come into the picture? Skating is repeatedly described as a ritual of love within the anime, an idea that our villian, Ad*m, is obessed with. In a sense skating is a language of love canonically.

Then skating itself is love. Throughout the series we see varied styles of skating therefore different ways of expressing love, affection. We get to experience several metaphorical ways of “being in love” through characters skating with each other. Each dynamic shows us a type of love. Healthy, disfunctional, outright abusive. 

The way Reiki teaches Langa to skate can be interpreted as a direct metaphor for someone learning to love again after losing a person close to them. Langa’s father has died and Reiki literally brings him out of his shell again. It can also be interpreted as a queer kid’s experience of a world of romance that feels similar to his previous one, that being snowboarding, yet it still being new and different. Skateboarding. When due to Reiki Langa’s potential is discovered and his hunger for more and more develops, especially next to Ad*m, Reiki’s main frustration stems from them not being well-matched or on equal footing anymore. He feels like he cannot give Langa what he needs anymore. Which would obviously go againts the literal description of a healthy romance. Two people with mutual respect who both bring equal assets to the table. He feels like he needs to catch-up to be with Langa again. The only thing he doesn’t consider is Langa’s deep appreciation of him and the fact that literally he was the one who helped Langa experince the feeling of love again.

Kojiro and Kaoru’s relationships, to me, is very much representative of two people  wanting to be in each other’s presence, but due to their different language of love, miscommunicating horribly. Them bantering and insulting each other is the only way they know what to do with the other. The only way they can ensure the other’s attention and eyes are on them. This has worked so far. They are literal opposites, but both have a very clear definition of their form of love. To Joe skating, or love itself, is about the feeling and going with the flow. Being spontaneous. Whereas for Cherry, every move needs to be calculated and executed perfectly in order to be “efficient”. Their frustration comes from both wanting different things from the other, but not communicating their need properly. Despite this, they stick together due to a magnetic pull they obviously feel towards the other. The attraction is there, the trust is there, they are even well-matched in skill as we see them neck-to-neck constantly. They could give each other what the other wants. Only if they could express themselves well... This is why Joe pushes Reiki towards reconciling with Langa. he wants them to not fall into the same trap of not stating their  needs and thoughts properly.

Now Ad*m and Langa are obviously problematic and I don’t really want to have to explain, honestly guys. I really don’t  (since I have trauma regarding this subject), but I need to go into this a little bit. This is a textbook toxic predatory relationship. Where the older, twisted, damaged person, has an obsession with a young, outstading child. He wants to lead him into “Paradise” and show his “Eve” what love is really about. (Ain’t that disgusting you guys...) His form of love is inflicting pain, so I really can’t imagine a scenario where he and his “Eve” live happily ever after and everything is fine and dandy. He needs someone who he can torture. He literally is looking for someone who can handle his way of expressing affection, his “love hug”, who has the same type of crazy eyes for adrenaline and danger. His Eve. In his distorted mind, this all makes sense and Langa is that someone he was looking for thoughout the years. The problem is, he disregards Langa’s side where the relationship becomes problematic.

Cherry and Ad*m during their younger years seems to be a very innocent infatuation on Kaoru’s end. It is a one-sided relationship where someone is in love with the idea of a person long gone. They were discovering the world of skating, or the world of love together with Ad*m taking the lead. Cherry immediately became infatuated with him, wanted to learn his love language, wanted to be at the same level he was. It probably started very innocent. At first, Ad*m being gentle, because that’s how Tadashi was with him too, then after whatever happened between those two, Ad*m, disappointed in the way of love, or skating, Tadashi showed him, returned to what his aunts taught him. Maybe after injuring Kaoru with the “love hug”, therefore eliminating him from being his potential partner, started looking for his “Eve”, gradually became more agressive in love as in skating. Kaoru was distraught and wanted the Ad*m he originally learned love from back. Holding out some hope even years after. Trained to get used to his “love hug”, to literally condition himself to be able to get close to him. Ad*m, however showed Cherry brutally that he truly cannot handle his way of love.

Ad*m and Tadashi. *sighs* As of this post, I don’t really have enough information to give you a good overview of what I see this relationship representing. As far as I can tell Ad*m was abused horribly and to ease the pain and make him forget, Tadashi showed his another way of expressing affection. Skating or love. Basically a first love gone horrible bad, scarring an already abused child and turning them into a monster. Tadashi himself reinstates this during one of the episodes. It was his fault that Ad*m turned out the way he did. Their love slowly became strongly abusive throughout the years. Tadashi is stuck in it because he feels like he deserves it. This is a metaphor for  dangers of an emotionally and physically abusive relationship, where one person feels responsible and the other is using power. Tadashi’s guilt keeps him next to his master and he even endures abuse, now he is trying to break out and show Ad*m he messed up and I think this could potentially be a good representation of how difficult that process truly is. 

As far as Reiki’s, Miya’s, Shadow’s skating goes. Their main arc relating to love is first and foremost learning to accept themselves and aprecciating their uniqe way and style of skating. Only after can they become people who can truly be accomplished in love/skating (in Miya’s case I’m obviously talking about platonic feelings). Each of them had a preconception of their persona in love/skating, which gets questioned heavily throughout the series. Miya gets defeated, Shadow’s soft side gets discovered, Reiki... well. I get sad. :c Even though he taught someone to love again, to appreciate life again, he ended up discovering how dissatisfied he truly is with himself... These three all need to learn to love every aspect of themselves to reach fulfillment and to really experience healthy human relationships.

Sk8: The Infinity is unquestionably a love story, without explicitly being a romance, meaning that it is a tale about love, both romantic, platonic and everything inbetween through a queer-coded lens, showing both dysfunctional, abusive and healthy relationships, ways to express emotions and even delves into self-love and the idea of nature versus nurture in the villian’s case.

That is why I, personally don’t scream for a canon couple. To me, the show gets its main point about affection and love across, without making any of these relationships explicitly stated. Not to mention that it does justice to both of its assigned genres. Comedy and Sports as well. Yeah sure, I wouldn’t complain, but I think these dynamics are more than satisfying to watch, and much deeper than bishounens wanting to bang each other, which is, in my opinion, inherently sexualized. If they want, yeah they can confirm, make it canon without forcing it to be a center storyline. Hell, I would even be happy about it. I would clap with all of us. BUT, as the series currently is, I really see it taking the other route because of the above. This way audiences who want a yaoi or ikemen going at it, won’t be disappointed with the series when they find doesn’t revolve around that, straight viewers will just find it flamboyant, and people who look for subtext and want to read between the lines will certainly do that with the amount of crumbs and hints the writers gave us. 

We don’t need outright, written in black and white gay representation in Sk8 to experience very real types of love. The queer theme is secondary to me, just like queerness is, in most people’s lives. Yeah sure, it is a big thing, but not the only attribute a person has. My life doesn’t revolve around my queerness. I rarely talk about it. If I was a main character this would be a side-arc. Just like Sk8 doesn’t revolve around the characters coming out. It’s just them living their lives and possibly being queer while doing so. If you look at it this way, it is almost normalizing attraction between same-sex people by just showing it as regular love. If you can, why not interpret it this way, so it can be a liberating experience instead of a disappointing one.

Please don’t attack me! I am fragile and this is only my opinion. c:  *crawls back into her hole*

[sidespart]

The Fall of King Romulus Part 2

Summary: Twin Princes Remus and Romulus are cursed at birth with Honesty and Obedience. When Romulus, who cannot disobey any order, is told to kill his brother the next time he lays eyes on him, he changes his name to Roman and runs away. Roman joins up with a misfit group of adventures and plans to never return to his homeland. But the fae have other plans for him...

Warnings (for whole fic not necessarily individual chapters): Violence, mind whammying/memory altering, curse of obedience related consent issues, references to sex, references to war related injuries/PTSD, references to child abuse/neglect (YMMV on that one but just in case), antagonstic-but-not-exactly villian!Janus, Extremly-moraly-dubious-but-not-exacty-unsympathetic-Remus

Pairings: Mostly Platonic LAMP and all the found family feels. Could be read as pre-slash. 

Prologue     Chapter 1  

“Young Sir! Come look at this! A beautiful gift for your sweetheart, no?”

Logan bit back a curse as Roman, once again, slipped form his side and almost skipped towards the merchants stall.

They had finally left the forest earlier that morning. Barley a quarter- mile beyond the tree line the path merged with the great eastern road, already heaving with traders wagons heading to Steveange for the monthly market. Roman had gone to work immediately, finding an exhausted looking couple and charming them into exchanging a ride in the back of their cart for a selection of songs to soothe their gaggle of bored children.

Even Logan, no lover of music, could admit that Romans voices was objectively pleasing. Even the wailing baby settled down under the effects of his lullaby.

The closer they got to the city gates the more densely packed the road became, to the point where their pace might have been improved by walking. But the rest was welcome and the sun was still high in the sky by the time they had finally made it to the city square. They might even have made it to their target in good time, had Patton not insisted that they stay to help the family unload every box and crate from their cart before moving on.

Patton stood nearly seven foot tall, with shoulders to match and the patience of a Raspanzean monk. Moving him when he had decided not to move was difficult at the best of times.  Currently, with a good deed in need of doing and no less than three small children clambering all over him, it was going to be impossible.

Logan looked at Virgil for support.

Virgil was already manhandling the smallest sack of produce down from the cart, under close supervision of a surly looking nine year old.

Logan looked back at Patton. Patton had somehow acquired a fourth child, and was swinging the small boy gently back and forth with one giant arm.

Logan sighed.  

Eventually they agreed that Patton and Virgil would stay to help the family, and then set about finding the four of them somewhere to sleep. Logan and Roman would head down the main street, complete their mission and return with, hopefully, enough coin to let them settle here for at least a weeks rest.

Which Logan would have no problem with. Except that the monthly market seemed far larger than when Logan had visited the city as a young apprentice. The city square was packed with stalls filled with meat, produce, spices and enough live animals to generate a stink so strong even Patton and his twice broken nose winced. The main road meanwhile was filled with more temporary looking stalls offering books, jewellery and potions of every colour alongside the usual clothing and home wear. These continued the whole length of the road from the square to the city temple and even spilled over into the side streets and thoroughfares of the city proper.

All of which apparently meant Roman couldn’t walk for more than two minutes without stopping to gawk at whatever gaudy display was on offer or chat with the seller.

“Roman!” he caught up with the wayward bard at a jewellers stall, where a heavy set man with salt and pepper hair was holding up an extremely impractical looking necklace for him to inspect

“Oh there you are specs” Roman grinned at him, “have you seen Master Galvenets wares? Look how shiny!”

“Is this your sweetheart?” The jeweller – presumably Master Galvenet – grinned at Logan with far too many teeth and reached below the makeshift counter top, “Then may I suggest this one instead – to match his  eyes?”

The necklace he presented was even bigger than the last. With blue glass masquerading as the sapphires surrounded by enough ostentatious filigree to decorate a dukes bed chamber. Logan stared,  momentarily struck dumb by his own disdain.

Roman nudged him, waggling his eyebrows and giving him a lecherous grin “What do you think sweetie? It does match your eyes.”

Logan blanched. Turning quickly to the seller her snapped out “We are NOT together. And also - we’re, extremely poor. And not interested.”

He grabbed Roman’s wrist and proceeded to drag the giggling bard with him back towards the main street. “Can you try to focus?” Logan glared at him, “remember this package is time sensitive.” Superstitiously, Logan patted his pocket, feeling the shape of the vial they had been entrusted to transport to Steveange still safely stored inside.

Roman failed to look chastened. “Logan, it’s a herb. And we we’re asked to deliver it within a week – it’s only been five days! Your forest short cut worked, alright, the worlds not going to end if we stop to appreciate some fine wares on our way.”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “You consider Master Galvenet’s works, ‘fine wares’?”

Now Roman had the grace to look a little sheepish “They had a charm of their own.”

Logan hmphed. “They were very clearly fake.”

“Oh?” Roman linked their arms together, tugging him back into the steady stream of south bound shoppers, “How could you tell?”

Logan told him.

The ensuring lecture took them the rest of the way down main street, and into the rabbit warren of alleyways that branched out behind the city’s temple.

Even here, there were traders. Many had their wares spread out on blankets on the ground instead of stalls, but they seemed less inclined to call over whilst the two of them walked together deep in discussion and so, mercifully, there was less opportunities for Roman to get distracted.

“A festival?” Roman suggested. Logan shrugged, it was possible, something was certainly occurring to draw such an enormous throng.

Eventually, Logan had to admit that his boyhood memories were not enough to navigate every twist and turn of the city streets and Roman stepped away from him to ask a couple for directions. Logan took the chance to study him, but whatever fit of irrationality had led to him wandering back through half the forest the previous night seemed to have past. Even the scratches on his hands and arms had healed almost completely overnight, helped along by a generous slathering of healing salve from Virgil.

(Logan had, at the time, pointed out that the healer was using up rather a lot of their  dwindling supply for an extremely minor injury. Virgil had hissed at him)

Roman was often contradictory. He would spend a day whining about his need for beauty sleep but then stay up till the early hours to fulfil every song request from whatever crowd they managed to gather. He fussed with his makeup and performance clothing as much as a lady at court, but kept his hair cropped unfashionably short and made no effort to seek out high class patrons who could have kept him in silks and finery. He was talented enough with a lute to spend the social season entertaining upper class lords, and talented enough with a sword to spend the rest of his time as a body guard or becomes some towns local hero. Instead he travelled with them.

“You know, I’m fairly sure there were some gentlemen painting miniatures on the main road, if you want to keep staring at me that is.”

Logan flushed, caught. “Don’t be insufferable.”

“You don’t pay me enough for that” Roman grinned cheekily.

This was an old joke. Virgil had originally found Roman, and hired him as a body guard and escort for a three day trip through a bandit ridden mountain pass. Three weeks and many diversions later, they had emerged on the other side of the mountain. Roman had become as much a part of the group as any of the others and had stayed to travel with them as a friend rather than a hire.

Logan was glad of it. Most of the time.

“Did you get the directions?”

“I did, I had to ask three people before I found someone who recognised the address – the city’s full of tourists!”

 *

 The woman who opened the door looked like the word crone ha been invented especially for her. Her grey hair stuck out from a shoddily tied scarf and her face looked like at any moment it might collapse under the weight of her own frown. She scowled at the pair of them, looking like she already learned everything there was to know about them from one glance and found it all spectacularly unimpressive.

“What do you want?” She snapped.

Logan resisted the urge to smooth down his waistcoat like he was presenting to a lecturer and stepped forward.

“Good afternoon. We have been sent by Madam Valarie to –“

This, if anything, seemed to make the scowl deepen.

“My sister? What does that witch want?”

“To deliver you …this”

With a flourish Logan produced the vial and held it aloft. The thin shaft of light spilling from the doorway made the red herb glow a burning orange in the dim of the alley.

“And you think I’m dramatic.”

“Shush.”

Needlessly dramatic or not, he had the woman’s attention. She reached towards the vial with trembling hands but Logan drew back before she could make contact.

“Your sister paid us half, with the promise of the second half on delivery.” Reaching into a different pocket  he produced an envelope and held it out. “She told us to give you this – it should validate our story.”

The woman muttered something decidedly uncomplimentary under her breath but accepted the envelope. Without speaking further she turned and retreated into the hovel, leaving the door open behind her

The two men exchanged a glance, and then Roman deftly stepped around Logan to walk in first, one hand on his sword.

He needn’t have bothered, the short hallway opened up to small kitchen, where every conceivable surface was covered with books, scrolls and bric-a-brac. Three of the four walks were taken up with shelving where kitchen ingredients and appliances sat shoulder to shoulder with  ornaments, candles and what looked like half a taxidermy ostrich.  

If the old woman had hired muscle ready to take to leap out and take the herb by force, they would have had a hard time finding space to stand.

“My sister claims this was picked under the glow of a full moon.”

Logan nodded, “that is what we were given to understand.”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, “For this to be worth the price it needs to be used within ten days of the moon’s glow, my sisters village is two weeks ride away on the eastern road.”

“We came through the forest.” Logan explained, “Also, I sealed the herb in a pre-sterilised sample jar – the lack of air exposure should help it retain its freshness far beyond its normal time frame!”

The was a silence. The woman was now looking at Logan not with suspicion, but with the exasperation of a teacher whose student has just said something rather stupid.

Logan crossed his arms.

“If you look at the specimen carefully you will notice no discoloration or other signs of degradation – this method can be used to prolong the lifespan of most vegetation and-“

She interrupted him by laughing, an awful crows call of a noise, and held up a hand for silence.

“You are obviously quite uneducated.” she told him cheerfully “And you are bothering Mittens.”

“I beg your pardon I- wait what?”

“YOWCH!”

Logan spun round, as much as he could in the cramped space, only to find Roman desperately trying to relinquish a scrambling ball of fur back onto one of the high shelves. The cat had already dug its claws deep enough into the bards wrist to draw blood, and was currently clinging on for dear life as Roman waved his hand around like Patton trying to kill a spider.

“My apologies Master Mittens” Roman told the cat a few moments later, after Logan and the crone had  finally convinced it to release him “I thought you were a hat.”

“Why must you touch things.” Logan hissed and was surprised by a much gentler laugh from their hostess.

“Aw now,  Mittens is not the most dangerous thing you could have touched in my kitchen. Here. Drink.”

Logan blinked as she shoved hot cup into his hands. Its contents was extremely dark and disturbingly viscous. A few drops glopped over the side, singeing his finger. He held it as far from his body as he possibly could.

“And for you?” She held up a second cup towards Roman who smiled politely but shook his head ‘no’

“No thank you, Madam.”

“We’re both fine.” Logan said firmly, putting the cup down on one of the first patches of exposed surface he could find. “If you wouldn’t mind completing our transaction we will take our leave of this…place.”

She looked at him for one long moment and then turned back to Roman.

“Your friend says you passed through the Serpents Forrest”

Logan frowned - “That’s not what the locals called it.”

“Well that’s who lives there.” The crone snapped without turning around, “One of the darker fae. I’m not surprised he” – she jerked her chin back towards Logan – “ got through alright, since the gods look after fools.”

“Excuse me!”

“But how did you manage?”

Roman juts shrugged, eyes sparkling with mirth at Logan’s outraged expression. “We saw no one Madam, but if we had done - I carry iron.”

That rusted hunk of junk Logan thought, but the crone was nodding approvingly

“A clever boy” she patted Roman cheek, “I thought so when I heard your accent – you’re from beyond the mountains.”

Logan frowned. He was not gifted when it came to interpreting expressions, but he thought Romans smile had suddenly become very fixed.

“So are you.” Roman replied softly.

There was a moments quiet whilst the two looked at each other and Logan tried not to roll his eyes out of his own head. All they needed to do was a simple swap of coin for produce and instead Roman had manged to find the only other grown adult in Steveange who still believed in fairies.

Whatever northerner to northerner communication was happening seemed to pass, and the crone reached past Roman to pull a small burlap sack from the shelf. Mittens took the opportunity to skitter across her arm and settle himself on her shoulder.

“Here you are then.” She tipped the sack out on top of an open tome, producing three cloves of garlic and a hefty pile of coins Logan couldn’t help but stare. That was more money than Logan had seen in one place since he had started traveling.

The crone picked out three gold pieces and a fistful of silver and handed them to Logan. He counted quickly and handed her the vial. Transaction complete, Logan headed immediately to the door, but turned back when he realised Roman wasn’t with him

He was still trapped between the crone and the shelving. “Will you come and see me before you leave the city?” she asked “It would be nice to share my tea with someone who would appreciate it.”

Logan thought to the gelatinous mess in the tea cup and gagged but Roman just smiled

“If time allows my lady.” He brought her withered hand to his lips and deposited a courtly kiss before sidestepping her and heading after Logan.

The city alley smelt almost like fresh air after the over mixture of incense, garlic and cat that her permeated the crones kitchen, and Logan breathed it in gratefully before setting off. Roman falling into sept beside him.

Logan glanced at him, uncertain.

He knew Roman was from the Northern Kingdom. He guessed from his speech patterns that he either grew up upper class or was truly committed to his larger than life bard persona. He had mentioned a brother once, off hand, and during an argument compared Logan to a tutor he’d disliked who had made him study maps until he could recount every river on the continent by heart.

That was all he knew.

Logan was curious by nature, a trait which tended to get him in trouble. He would have liked to pepper Roman with a hundred questions about life beyond the mountains, but Patton had told him once he should only ask a question about a sensitive subject if he was prepared to answer one himself.

None of them like to talk about where they came from, but that was fine. They were going forward together.

It was obvious though, that meeting his countryman had shaken Roman. He walked silently, even when they turned into a wider street and found the market still in full swing, shoppers crowding around each stall, he made no comment, only stepped closer to Logan.

If he was Patton, he might have known what to say to sooth whatever emotion was clouding Romans features. If he was Virgil, he might have made a joke or pointed out an interesting stall  to distract him

As it was..

“So do all Northerners believe in fairy stories or is it just you two?”

“What?”

“The dark fae of the forest? She can’t have been serious.”

Roman straighten up, fixing him with a mock glare “Logan! You’re honestly going to keep pretending you don’t believe in magic? You travel with an elf!”

“Half-elf. And there’s nothing mystical about him.”

“He makes potions Logan!”

“He mixes herbs into useful medicines, it’s no different than any human herbalist.”

“He chants when he does it. And his eyes do that thing.” Roman wiggled his fingers in front of his face, apparently to illustrate ‘that thing’.

“Which I’m sure helps him know how long each concoction needs to stew before adding the next ingredient. You cannot decided a race is magical just because they’ve failed to invent clocks.”

“Urgh!” Roman threw up his hands, “Sometimes you sound like you’re from Arkaze’yed.”

Arkaze’yd was on the western coast. The most industrially advanced of the great cities, they had recently converted the city temple into an extension of the university.

Logan preened. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Roman pulled a face. “You are such a - ooh! Jam tarts!”

He darted away again, but this time Logan couldn’t fault him. A boy was hastily unpacking a crate of what looked like fresh jam tarts onto his masters stall and the scent was delicious

They had to wait for three families ahead of them before they could finally have their turn. Roman picked out four of the tarts and chatted happily with the seller whilst Logan carefully counted out the money.

“I had herd the monthly market of Steveange was something to behold but this! Are you going to go all night?”

“Most likely.” The trader told them happily, “The towns packed for the coronation.”

“Coronation?”

“Princess Stephanie is to become queen,” the man gushed, one hand over his heart in what Logan considered to be an alarming display of emotional royalism. “The guests have been arriving all week.”

Logan nodded absently. That explained the hubbub. The rich went traveling and the poor went to see them. A coronation was a good enough excuse for a festival. If you liked that sort of thing.

“They say,” the trader whispered leaning forward, apparently unbothered by Logan’s total lack of interest in royal gossip, “That even the mad Prince is coming - Remus of Notaleveale!”

“Is that so.” said Logan, monotonously “Here’s your coin.” He turned to Roman to claim his pastry and – stared.

All the colour had drained from Romans face. He gaze was fixed on the trader, his eyes so wide he looked quite wild.

“Roman?” Logan asked, as gently as he could. He realised that Romans hands were shaking the second before the bag of pastries fell from his grip.

“Roman- ROMAN hey-“

Other customers were starting to push between them, Logan bent down quickly to rescue the bag form the floor and reached out to grab his friends hand.

But when he looked up, Roman had gone.

Part three

[popculturebuffet]

Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss Reviews: Pilot

Happy halloween all you happy people! My halloween reviews continue with a bit of a change of plans. Originally for halloween I was going to review EVERY episode of Helluva Boss so far. But you know what they say about plans. 

To make a very long story your likely not intrested in short: I had enough slots to do two episodes at a time when I first PLANNED to do this, but eventually scaled back from doing 6 reviews a week, which was both stressing me out and making me fall further and further behind, to five and evetually 4, leaving me with not nearly enough space to do them unless I did them all in one big review.  I decided the series was just TOO good to try and cram into one and it’d be more fun spreading it out. 

The second was I put in a last minute goal in my failed pledge drive that allowed anyone who contributed to pick a goal for the drive depending on how much they spent. My longtime contributer WeirdKev27 was, not suprisingly the ONLY one to actually pitch in, so he picked Hazbin Hotel and This Duckburg Life, the latter comes out next month. 

So I decided to simply double up, putting the pilot of Helluva with the PIlot of Hazbin and having a Vinziepop double feature. I REALLY enjoyed the Hazbin Hotel pilot, and Helluva Boss is easily one of my faviorite shows of the 2020′s so far. So it was no big ask to the do the former nor staple on the latter. So join me inside as I examine one demon’s quest to redeem other demons, and another demon’s quest to make a shitload of money by shooting people in the face. It’s a helluva time under the cut. 

Hazbin Hotel:

I couldn’t find hardly any behind the scenes stuff for either. I know a BIT about why Helluva Boss was made i’ll get into later, but I have nothing on what the inspiration behind these series was, just that she’d already come up with this hell for a webcomic that’s now been scrubbed for the internet, and it eventually evolved into this show, which later lead to Helluva Boss. The reason this show is only at pilot is because it got picked up by A24, and so far we haven’t heard anything since because animation is all secretive and shit. But needless to say we’ll probably hear about it eventually so for now let’s enjoy what we got. 

So our pilot begins with an utterly gorgeous rendition of “I”m Always Chasing Rainbows” an old vaudville song, backed by some cool shadow art. I do love me some shadow puppet art. We then cut to Hell which has been horribly ravaged, looking even worse than normal, after the extermination. To save time the extermination is an annual culling of hell where a bunch of tv headed robot angels come down and kill as many people as possible to keep the population down. Needless to say Hell’s Princess and Lucifer, king of hell’s heir aparent, Charlie is horrified by this... and has a plan to fix it. 

Meanwhile we meet Angel Dust, a smart mouthed spider-like prostitute who just got done fucking a client and gets some drugs out of a vending machine because it’s hell, and ends up smack dab in the middle of an attack by Ser Pentous, a snake themed villian whose essentially what would happen if Doctor Robotnik went to hell and became a snake, complete with egg themed minons, one of which wishes his boss would shoot him. Eh we all have our own things. Mine is keith david riding a centaur. To each their own little egg, to each their own. 

Pentious is a lord of hell, something only explained from context here and was fleshed out more in what word of god I have heard, i.e. how hell’s heiarchy works. The Overlords are the lowest of the highest, essentially hell’s crime bosses. While there ARE higher authorities, the Goetia’s, the other owl beasts, the seven deadly sins who run the rings and Lucifer himself, they geniulley don’t give a shit what goes on unless it effects them directly. This is hell after all, it’s not a huge shock that only ONE of their highest class, Charlie, actually cares if people live or die. So the streets of hell are fair game for whoever wants to carve up territory and since the extermination cleared out some overlords, ther’es now a bunch of free territory to fight over. 

His opponent, despite not having an air ship or fried chicken fetuses though easily bests him with a simple bomb and enters, introducing us to Cherry Bomb

I got that GIF SPECIFICALLY for this very moment... it was worth it. She’s also just a fun character, not taking any shit and easily besting a guy with far more resources with simple skill and explosives. I mean even without those bombshell looks, pun VERY intended she’d be a winner. 

We’ll get back to why she’s important later, as we cut to the local news with Katie Killjoy, a demonic version of your standard fox news anchor and Tom Trench, a perverted guy in a Gas Mask who gets a coffee vasectomy for perving on cherry. Good. A lady that fine you gotta romance. Maybe take her out for an evening at the theater and then some light car bombing. Think it out tom. 

The reason we’re at the studio as we meet two of our other leads, Charlie, the princess of hell we saw breifly earlier who we now meet in full and Vaggie, her supportive latinx girlfriend with the unfortunate name. Charlie has finally got a spot on said news, and is going to pitch her big bold idea... and has to be talked down from using a musical number. Charlie is essentially what happens when you set a disney princess movie in hell and that concept alone could drive a series, but Vivianne smartly made her a layered character: She’s optimstic, naive and as we’ll see in a second fairly judgey... but she also is doing this big swing of a project because she dosen’t want to see hundreds die again and again for the rest of her days if she can help it and geninely believes in people.  Vaggie serves as a good counterpoint to that, being cynical and more reaslitic, if still willing to help and still fully beliving in her girl. 

One final note before we move on: one of the few proudction things I DO know is that the two were originally just best friends.. but the people workign on the pilot started shipping them, Vivianne caught on, realized it made sense, and the two became a couple. It’ snot overwhelmingly blatant, but enough hints were thrown in despite few script changes to make it obvious enough and the fact their relationship is low key is in itself a valid and noble form or reputation.

ONe of those hints is Katie, who refuses to shake Charlie’s hand despite Charlie being you know, princess of hell... and Charlie pointing out this kind of thing is why she’s in hell. Katie further talks down to her, and Lucifer would smite her for his insolence but he has better things to do. 

So Charlie has her interview where she gives her big idea: She wants to save demons from the purge, help them become better and get into heaven, saving their soulds and leaving hell less crowded so hopefully the killings stop. Her method? A hotel where sinners will stay and try to reform. During said appeal she also runs into a rather... familiar face with an unfamiliar look

This is indeed Blitzo. Not only did Vivianne confirm this was his prototype deisgn, with his eyes, suit and horns all very diffrent, but she’d later give a canon explination as to WHY Blitzo looks nothing like himself, an instagram host passing it off as a halloweeen costume. Though really you could tell just by the way he had the balls to check out the head of hell itsef’s ass on live television. But again her dad’s kinda busy. 

So now would be a good time to bring up WHY Blitzo’s in the pilot for a  diffrent show entirely. One could easily assume Viv simply really liked his design out of all those featured in the pilot. And suprisingly.. you’d be wrong. Like the main antagonists, Valentino, Vox and Velvet, his cameo here was to set him up for the series, with he and Moxxie already thought up. It also makes perfect sense when you think about it: Blitzo’s entire business model is actively going against Charlie’s goal by increasing hell’s population. It’s just with the main and recurring cast already full to burst and likely MORE characters only hinted at in the pilot or that we haven’t even heard a peep about to come, something had to give. But Blitzo clearly spoke to viv too much to just toss out, so we got one of the best shows in recent memory instead. Blizto woudln’t be the only one in the pilot either as while this cameo was likely less intentional we also see Loona briefly. 

her design had some changes itself, but not nearly as much, leading me to belivie she HADN’T had the idea for the character.. but the animation for Loony was so slick and her befuddled reaction to charlie so entertaining, she found a place for her in Helluva Boss. And I for one thank her for it as i’m sure does most of the furry community. So this ended up being one of the best kinds of cut content: the kind that’s just recycled for something even better and gives u something to gnaw on while we wait for A24 to fucking tell us what the plan is already. 

The Loona thing also brings me to another point: the deisgn work on this series is fucking amazing. It extends to helluva boss too: As word of god posts i’ve heard about have beared out, Viv put a LOT of thought into how hell works in this universe, as well as each species. But even with a general template every charcter in both shows feels unique. Family members may have some common traits, but each and every person FEELS like their own person from the smallest background character to our main cast, and while we see members of the same species like the imps or some hellhounds, even that’s full of contrast. Blitzo looks COMPLETELY diffrent from M and M, and both of them have notable differences despite looking far more similar. Every characters has subtle little touches to make them stand out and every single human, lost soul, hellspawn and what have you looks vibrant and unique. And about 80% of them look hot but it is hell, that’s kind of the standard. Few animated shows have this level of care, detail and creativity and it’s one of this universe’s most valuable features. 

So back to the plot how do the demons take this idea?

Unsuprisingly no one’s intertested. So Charlie tries the ace up her sleeve: a disney style song! Inside Every Demon in a Rainbow is a throughly enjoyable number, with too many amazing sight gags to announce (my faviorites being her scrambling a demon whose a massive puzzle and her foaming at the mouth at meeting a rabid possum lady. ). It’s bouncy, fits her personality.. and shows off both the best of her, her determination to save people and genuine belief theirs good in everyone.. and the things holding her back from actually achieving that. Her naivite has already been on display, thinking the people of hell genuinely care about their own salvation or doing anything but living it up before permadeath hits them some day. 

The bigger issue though is one that we first get to see in this song, an issue Vaggie shares with Charlie: Charlie and Vaggie.. are judgmental as all hell.  I went to the lyrics, since the part where she insults everyone is fast as hell and I applaud Charlie’s VA Elsie Lovelock for making it seem effortless, to see just WHAT horrible things she calls everyone and how many. Over the course of just one song she calls her subjects and the people she GENUINELY WANTS TO HELP junkies, freaks, weirdos, creepers, fuck-ups, zeroes, cretins, sluts, loosers, sexual deviants, boozers, perscrption drug abusers, monsters, theives, crazies, cannibals, and crying babies. She also insults people for cartoon porn addictions, vegan ranting and psychic predictions. 

Now it’s one thing to call people who REVEL in being terrible stuff like this or insult them. It’s another to call people who might GENINELY want to change and might WANT your help names, treat addictions like it’s the person’s own fault entirely instead of a crippling disease that isn’t easy to overcome just because a cheerful princess who, while clearly having some hardships given her cold relationship with her parents, still comes from a privileged and entitled background, and in general act like your better than them. And while she is probably better than MOST people in hell, it is hell after all, it dozen’t change the fact she’s painting EVERY sinner with the same brush. All crimes are equal , she can fix them the same way, your all terrible. This.. just isn’t true.  To use examples from this very universe, Mrs. Mayberry went to hell because she murdered one person and tried to murder another. In charlie’s estemation, she deserves hell because she killed, simple as that. She got overly angry, killed someone and worse did it, accidently or not, in front of children. The problem is it’s not that black and white.. because nothing is. She clearly had undiagnosed anger issues she never properly dealt with, and still has to a degree in the afterlife. She also clearly loved those kids and died because the sheer weight of her actions got to her and she took her own life. Even her calling a hit with our beloved I.M.P. was understandable as the person who fucked her husband lived, got lauded as a hero, and turned out to be a cannibal. She’s not a great person, she clearly has stuff to atone for and underlying issues to adress. .but there is a person worth saving there, the kind Charlie can work with. In constrast you have guys like Lyle, who is an unrepenant asshole who frankly deserves hell. By painting them as the same, Charlie is missing that if she wants the hotel to work she has to stop seeing EVERYONE as just the worst scum of the earth, and start seeing them as people, figuring out who WANTS to get better, who wants to deep down but won’t admit it and who she genuinely can’t save. I do feel that’s 100% intentional though and a great conflict for the series to have: our heroine has good intetnions and compassion but needs to learn empathy and actual methods of reformation instaed of just assuming staying clean and not having sex will automatically make someone better. 

And i’ts proven by the fact that we find out her only customer, her trial run is Angle Dust, whose there entirely for the free room.. and is currently helping his closest and as far as we know only friend Cherry with her turf war, leading to a succession of clever gags, with of course the “Harder Daddy” gag being the key.  Angel is sure things are fine with Charlie’s whole thing... when in fact she’s picked a fight with Katie and despite not transforming is clearly doing just fine. Also tom’s on fire for some reason. 

So after a big fakeout about seeing the big final pushes for both battles, we instead cut to the aftermath in the limo, as Vaggie is naturally pissed about this, and Angel instead takes this as an opportunity to piss her off repeatedly. It’s only when Charlie pipes in her gentle disapointment does Angel remotely seem to feel bad for humilating them like this. And it’s easy to see why: Charlie genuinely belivies in people, so even if Angel can’t admit he cares about her and values her as a friend, it’s easy to see why he does: She offered him a home, a safe refuge from his abuser, and a second chance out of the kindess of her heart.  He still DOES Sex Work, but for his own enjoyment and profit instead of Valentino’s. She gave him the keys to be free from the hell he’s been trapped in. 

Vaggie by contrast isn’t a bad person and unlike the rest of hell is at least TRYING to be better... but to Angel... she’s a hypocrite, insulated from the kind of hardships the rest of hell has to put up with by virtue of screwing the boss’; daughter.

Now granted he clearly pisses her off a bunch because i’ts fun, it’s who he is and one of the MANNNYYYY ways he gets off. But he’s not exactly wrong in it either as Vaggie takes an unearned high ground, going along with Charlie’s high standards and painting everyone with the same brush despite clearly having ended up here herself and being the poster child for “going to hell is way more complicated than Charlie seems to think for some people.”. And honestly character stuff like this.. is WHY this pilot’s so engaging. The characters all have layers and layers to peel apart once we finally get the series, reasons WHY they are this way we aren’t privy to yet.

So they head home, with Angel trying and failing to comfort Charlie. .before our heroes get a guest. Alistor, a dapper dressed smilling chap who earned the moniker the radio demon.. and scares the hell, pun intended, out of Charlie and Vaggie. It helps show off the guy’s scale instantly: Allistor, as we learn, is a dead soul, usually one of the lower rungs of hell’s hiearchy. Yet he scares one of hell’s own royals out of her mind. 

Charlie ends up letting him in and we get a sense of the man, sadistic, kind of an asshole, but deeply charming. We also find out from Vaggie, as Angel much like the audeince has no idea why this, as he put sit “Strawberry pimp” is such a big deal, why he’s so terrifying: Allistor is one of the most infamous souls in hell, having come seemingly out of nowhere with power the likes of which few had seen. What’s worse.. he had no clear goal but his own amusment, destroying warlords who’d held their territory for centuries with ease and broadcasting his carnage for all to hear, hence the whole Radio Demon moniker. He’s powerful, cunning, deeply terrifying.. and naturally Angel offers to suck his dick, something that actually give sthe demon pause. As we later learned Allistor is asexual. I mean it’s only ONE beat he misses but given the guy dominates pretty much every conversatoin, it’s very noticable the one time he actually shuts up for a second and let’s his guard down. 

As for why he’s here Allistor wants to help with the hotel. He dosen’t remotely belivie in it, beliving that people’s chance at redemption was up there.. but finds the whole idea deeply hilarious and wants to watch the shit show himself. Vaggie is naturally on her guard, and for once rightfully so, but Charlie assures her she can handle this. Her dad didn’t teach her much, but he taught her one thing: don’t take shit from other demons

Charlie frankly tells Allistor that she gets he sees this as a joke, outlines how seriously she takes this job.. but agrees to his help because they could use it. Allistor tries to offer a former demonic deal complete with a sickly horrifying glowing hand... but Charlie wisely refuses, simply ordering him to help her as long as he wants on her power as princess alone. And it’s VERY clear from her tone she knows this is all bravado: she can’t foce him to do any more than you can get a tornado to do gemoetry.. but it’s also very clear she knows Allistor WANTS to do this, and will likely help her anyway just for shits and giggles, and has nothing to loose by TRYING to get him to help without making a deal. And it works. Allistor agrees, and likely woudl’ve helped no matter what given his reasons for doing this. But you can’t blame him for not wanting to get some sort of horrifying contract on the princess of hell. He had to try.  Alllistor also brings up a good point when he relaizes Vaggie is the only staff member they have. This simply won’t do and if they want people to visit, their going to need to class it up and jazz up services. So he decides to give Charlie the employees she needs by calling in a few favors, since being who he is, he naturally has demons on standbye. First up is Nifty, who I love. Seriously I just love cyclopian characters. And in addition to being a cyclops she’s a 20 something 1950′s teeny booper and neat freak brought in as the maid, getting right to work, and impressing Charlie. 

Next up is everyone’s faviorite and my boy Husk, a weird winged cat thing who I’m convinced is what happened to Tom from tom and jerry when he died 80 years ago. His son has the part now.  Husk isn’t too pleased to be called form his gambling to work the front desk and the bar. Allistor then sweetens the pot with easily the best gag of the pilot. 

With the players set Allistor gives his own mocking rendtion of “Inside Every Demon is a Rainbow”. Allistor.. is easily one of the best parts of the pilot, having a sadistic sense of humor, a sense of style while being DEEPLY unsettling: from the ruin that show up, to his slasher grin to the fact somethi’ngs CLEARLY wrong with him we’re not privy to. Just an awesome character. 

So with that our heroes get one last visitor: Sir Pentious who shows up to get revenge on Angel.. only to pivot to Allistor who he sees as a bit rival he has a storied history with. Allistor.. dosen’t seem to remmeber him and is either mocking the guy for funzies or simply has made SO Many minor enemies who weren’t even worth killing and he simply keeps alive for sport that he’s lost count. My take?

Naturally.. Allistor takes him out in seconds, then takes everyone to get breakfast. The stage is set, the players have arrived... let the show begin... anytime now A24 any time now.

Hazbin Hotel’s pilot is one of the best i’ve seen. It’s vibrant, shows off the show well and was done on a miniscule budget with whoever the creator could scrounge up, but looks utterly gorgeous. When we finally do get the series it’s easily set to become one of the biggest of this decade, and it’s no wonder the show STILL has an active fanbase despite not having new content in some time, even ignoring the overlap with Helluva Boss. A truly excellent start to something that I can just tell is going to be great. 

Helluva Boss Pilot:

I have much less to say here, but I figured if i’m going to cover this show in the future, and I fully intend to, I should at least touch on the pilot. So consider this a ncie bonus to the hazbin hotel review. 

Helluva Boss’ pilot is far simplier: our heroes are all in office dealing with recent issues like Loona’s behavior, Blitzo spending all their money on a commerical, Bltizo stalking moxie and millie outside of work.  and having shot a child that turned out to apparently not be the target. It’s really more a loose framework for jokes than a solid plot. But it works, intorducing us to everyone excellently. The very FIRST line sets up Blitzo perfecty with him talking about how bad things are going, not wanting to name names.. then instantly blaming Moxxie. Moxxie is shown to be high strung and have conflict with the boss, Millie is shown to be a supportive wife but far more tolerant of her boss’s shenanigans, Loona to be moody and holding everyone including her dad at a distantce and Stolas thirsty as hell> Their set up well and the pilot is littered with iconic jokes that I could make an entire article on i’ts own listing: “Sorry it was spiders”, “Do you have any idea how expensive acting classes are?”, the ENTIRE bit with Blitzo stalking M and M, the phone gag, “You what?”, and my personal favoirite “sorry I fucked your husband. “ It’s just sparkling with creativity and great gags. 

The only real issue with it is that it’s missing the depth of both the hazbin pilot and this show itself. The characters aren’t as fleshed out yet and it’s clear Viv took crticisms of teh pilot to heart and thus did some deep work on them between pilot and series. EVERY character is diffrent and that’s not getting into the diffrent voices (For the record I think Stolas softer post-pilot voice fits him MUCH better while Millie is about the same). Blitzo is far less compitent at buisness here, which is more standard boss stuff. The series changing him to a guy who IS genuinely good at what he does and at juggling the books, even if he sometimes spends their profits on gem studed horses, works better, contrasting him actually being good at the job.. with him being a clingy, sad on the inside trainwreck in his personal life. 

In the same veign, Loona is far more of a dick, being mean to everyone more violently and less entertainingly if no less hotly. The series wisely made her more sardonic with her douchebaggery and also later gave her depths, showing she dosen’t have any friends or a personal life outside of IMP, as well as giving her some competence, being the only one with a human disguise. Moxxie and Millie are barely changed, with Moxxie just being a bit more openly defiant of blitzo, while he’s more professional about his issues with him in the series proper, but also far more submissive. Shippers take that as you will. Millie.. is almost exactly the same.

Finally we have Stolas whose a bit more.. uncomfortably predatory. While there are undertones of him being creepy with Blitzo in the series, it’s clear it’s more because he dosen’t have any idea how to properly interact with people or that he’s mistreating the guy. Here he comes off domenering and again pretty creepy and Blitzo is far less willing to participate in their deal.

So overall the pilot is good and an intresting peak at what the characters were to start and what they are now in the finished series. Someday we’ll come back to hell, but for now this was a nice peak into two of th ebest shows on the internet, and a sign creators simply can write their own ticket. Sure a studio can pick them up.. but creators now no longer have to beg a network with a pilot. You can show off your talent.. and they’ll come to you. And I love that. Thanks for reading. 

[untitled-seven]

I ask of the ocs

oh my god i owe you my life now hope u know that

they r literally just vibing omg so they r homestuck fellows but ngl they r so distanced from homestuck by now the sheer number of aus --

currently @mr-loverbee & i r doing uhh lets see werewolf au, magic au, and most recently angel/devil au magic school au is fun because its really great to think of better ways to handle this shit than jk rowling the possibilities r limitless so far i have a rly detailed idea of the magic system & vague plot 4 this so if u wanna see any of that i have a few spreadsheets worth of info & a good 4000 words of non rp writing

main recurring characters are:

naivix (nick)

cody

yvaowo (yvonne)

siuoll (saul)

maynrd (maynard)

huntte (hunter)

auriga (austin)

alexia (alexia)

amorei (amy)

vaughn (veronica)

tadcen (thaddeus)

fedexx (fabian/fedex)

falvyn (flynn) (villian)

green lady (grace) (villian)

codys dad (villian)

maccoy (extremely minor character for comedic relief & any arson that isnt naivixs fault)

most of them have 1-3 character sheets but im 2 lazy 2 dig those up rn so ill give a brief summary of them all or whatever

uve met naivix & cody, they r the head honchos of this operation & the originals (i mean technically siuoll came first but nobody cares)

their main schtick is that nick is a wonderful amazing alien boy (in like 3 aus) and otherwise just a wonderful amazing boy. he does him some archery & shit, he is amazing in every way, he is hot, and he is @mr-loverbee's idea of a manwhore. cody is a human sack of shit. in p much every au he is a conspiracy theorist who lives in his basement, which his father set up for him after pulling him out of school in 7th grade. from there codys education consisted of 4chan browsing. since i wrote this character 4 the 1st time hes changed a little bit -- for one ive made his story a little more watertight and yk. just generally fixed it up. he was intended to be a joke character. he ended up being the reason i got a boyfriend. shit changes.

they are basically all relationship goals. thank you.

siuoll and yvonne? siuoll likes yvonne. yvonne really doesnt know how she feels. they are childhood friends with naivix, who loves them but continues to pursue a wider circle, leaving siuoll, the depressed homebody, and yvonne, the shy introvert, to fend for themselves. in most aus, siuoll considers cody, who joins their group very late, bad news. (basement dwelling alien? potential friend stealer??). yvonne and cody, though, become very close and reach a deep understanding. this group is cuddly. they are an outlet for cuddles. these four absolutely cuddle profusely.

maynrd and huntte? huntte is minding his own business. he is an upright prick who would never break a rule. he has a repressed desire to be a rock star and he keeps a guitar that he cant play hidden in his home. maynrd is annoying, flawed, and painfully charismatic. he is an actor, he wants to be seen, and he and huntte are matched mostly in their egomania. they are opposites and so they r vry funny to play and 1000% good corruption arc material. maynrd and huntte r go-to main characters for black-and-white morality plots -- superhero/supervillain, angel/devil, etc. these two are fun -- i love making huntte go absolutely batshit.

amorei is caught between the two. she starts pretty consistently as hunttes girlfriend, however, the two are similar in their strong wills and quick tempers. though maynrd, amorei, and huntte are three of a kind, they are just different enough that no matter how you slice it, it just doesnt pan out cleanly

most plots involve some sort of huntte corruption arc, or require maynrd to be hurt before the two realize how one truly cant exist without the other. a fantastic outlet for drama

to continue on amorei, after huntte turns his back on her, she pursues vaughn. though she still has feelings for huntte, she would prefer to ignore them and seek easy outlets for her bitterness as opposed to addressing the bigger problem. in some aus she is good friends with maynrd despite their love triangle -- they both need someone to gripe about huntte to, after all

vaughn tolerates amorei, though at the end of the day she isnt entirely invested in it. she cares, but in a distant way, and she isnt able to return amoreis angry passion. amorei deserves a lot better, in short

auriga & alexia r off 2 the side. auriga is often unexplored and alexia is mostly just the glue holding everyone together -- she spends a lot of time being the mom friend and putting others first. auriga is the one she goes home to -- in the sort of "main" au auriga is an empath who is troubled by the conflicts of the others (naivix ends up burning down the library where huntte works after a troubling event involving siuoll questioning their friendship in public (for additional context, in the frame of reference that troll romance gives, naivix is sort of kind of cheating on siuoll with cody in a friendship way). siuoll being jealous of cody leaves cody adrift in it all, he has no place to stay because he lives with naivix so he turns to auriga and alexia and eventually yvonne (who is roommates with maynrd). auriga is unable to stand his worry and grief surrounding where he stands with naivix. long story short, that was a long story and thats the very very short version)

continuing down the list, fedexx is troubled and tad is caught up in it. thats the only way im going to put it because thats an even bigger can of worms. fedexx is a sort of semi-friend to them all. tad is their latest conquest who gets a bit too mixed up in fedexxs shit, proving that tad is in fact the unluckiest bastard to ever exist by catching feelings for the guy. yikes. anyway.

falvyn and the green lady are assholes inspired by characters played by a batshit lady on a roleplaying server. falvyn hit on naivix and is, as such, portrayed as a creepy ex who preyed on naivix when he was too young to really understand what he was getting into. the green lady is either portrayed as his mother or as the omnipotent being she was originally cast as. yes. the lady who stands and watches cody for an extended period of time, calmly breaking down his worldview and providing incentive for codys once baseless paranoia. ah yes, exactly the way to handle an anxious, abused kid who learned everything he knows from his jackass dad. in one particularly spicy au, codys dad and the green lady are together, making flynn codys stepbrother. i could overexplain that one anytime -- the plot and character dynamics are amazing in my opinion. creme de la creme

thats another story

codys dad is bezos personal stalker. i really want to say all about him but this is getting long. suffice to say that hes a dickbag and a waste of air

a few of our aus are:

heathers (first au)

it was all a dream (nick works at publix)

naivix fucking dies

party

superhero/soulmate/alien school au

plain ol superhero au

werewolf

monster under the bed

angel/devil

zombie apocalypse

fluff

magic school

i dont blame you if you didnt read this all the way through! ik its a lot & some of its dumb af but these characters hold a special place in my heart and they often feel like friends to me. several of them were the catalysts for some of my strongest relationships. i still act out these characters lives on a daily basis, they are growing with me as people. many of them started as two dimensional characters who gained a life of their own. they litter my sketchbooks, most of my writing is about them, they are the subject of so much of my conversations. they saw us in and out of some of the worst bits of our lives. hell, i even have a fucking naivix sticker on my computer that my boyfriend made for me.

so yeah. thank you for asking about my ocs.

[terrainofheartfelt]

"The original pilot also had a clear villain in the form of Chuck Bass, who twice attempted sexual assault before the end of the episode. His humiliation at the hands of Dan established Dan’s good guy role while fueling their mutual hatred that would drive many upcoming storylines. The reboot lacks such clearly distinct good and evil." -thought I would share this, google the quote to find article if interested.

An interesting take, thank you for sharing! I haven't seen the reboot (living vicariously through the mutuals is enough for me atm), but from what I've read and observed, it feels like the creative production behind it is afraid to step out from the original's shadow, while also trying to sidestep what many viewers (at least in my corner of the internet) deem an unsatisfactory conclusion to the series.

The quote you sent me is especially interesting given the Great Retcon, how even though the pilot established these facts of the story, the final season seemed to have forgotten they ever existed, or if they did, they weren't as important as the audience had been led to believe in s1. (if there had been an inversion of hero-to-villian, villian-to-hero that were planned, and calculated, that would have been interesting to see, but it would have had to be planned, and set up, and not what...whatever s6 was).

so maybe the reboot, in that narrative sense, IS a continuation of the OG GG, where the set rules of the story are no longer in play, but the drawback to that is, as what the writer of this article seems to imply, that the new show lacks a central story to drive it forward.

I mean, I don't know if it needs the "salacious" and "nastiness and luridness" that the writer seems to want, but the...almost campiness of the OG GG lent itself to the world the story took place in. there's a suspense of disbelief there, but it sounds like the revival is trying to head off any possible audience disbelief.

Again, I haven't watched the reboot, so I'm not the best blog to ask for this conversation. I defer to @strideofpride's expertise here, but I'll leave it with this: it feels to me - from what I've read - that Safran (he's the only interview I've read on the show, I can't remember which one), seems to be trying to play to both sides of the OG GG viewership: those who loved the ending, and those who didn't, by only vaguely hinting at what the former mains are up to now (i.e., Blair in Paris, possibly alone) in an effort to sort of tongue-in-cheek apologize for the Great Retcon, but also refuse to really walk back the original show's most questionable story decisions.

[calciumcryptid]

Hello, it is Galaxy here.

Today I am full of bitterness, so in order to properly get it out of my system I'm going to outline how I would rewrite My Hero Academia season one.

Real quick, I want to say that I'll be keeping any canon ships or romantic interests despite what I personally ship.

Here we go.

The Galactic Season One Rewrite

Episode Four: The Entrance Exam

This is where the changes start as I don't have any problems with the first three episodes. While the first change is minor I feel like it would be an improvement.

For awhile, Aoyama is featured prominently that I would understand if people thought he was going to be a prominent character. While this boils down to lack of foresight (in the beginning you don't really know who you should pay attention to), it will be a small change.

Instead of all those Aoyama scenes, we'll have Uraraka take them over. In these scenes Uraraka should be shown saving others. This is to give the audience a hint at her ambition to become a rescue hero and her selfless nature.

Episode Five: What I Can Do For Now

This is where the changes really begin.

There are no notable changes at first, Iida properly introduces himself to Midoriya and Uraraka shows up excited that Midoriya got in. We have our cute Izuchaco moment.

Aizawa gives his iconic introduction, and everyone is outside ready for the quirk apprehension exam.

Our next change comes to the fact that Aizawa is fully aware of All Might watching. I think this is canon, but I want Aizawa to dwell on why the top hero like All Might is interested in a simple quirk apprehension test.

The next change is minor, but the Aoyama scene here is replaced with an Asui scene. In canon she is partnered with Iida in the fifty meter dash. Asui clears the fifty meter with a single leap. Iida still beats her with his quirk, but he is rather impressed by her display of jumping power.

At the ball throw, Aizawa is surprised when Midoriya recognizes him as despite being well known in the underground he is still an underground hero with no publicity.

Then, I incorporate the trauma Midoriya 100% has from being isolated from his peers and being treated unfairly by his teachers.

Aizawa criticizes him, but this time Midoriya gets a flashback to a faceless teacher criticizing him for antagonizing a star student like Bakugou. Midoriya starts to tremble, and Aizawa instantly stops. He recognizes the signs of a panic attack, and All Might's stressed out body language.

Aizawa, as the experienced teacher he is, changes his tactics instantly. While still blunt, his tone is softer when he explains that Midoriya needs to learn quickly that destroying his body all the time is only going to make him a liability and end his hero career earlier than it should.

Midoriya, now able to refocus with a new hope that if he takes Aizawa's advice he will listen to him in the future regarding other problems. Midoriya does his one finger throw. Aizawa is impressed with the creativity and notes All Might's surprise as well.

Episode Six: Rage You Damn Nerd

Uraraka and Iida are thrilled that Midoriya has seems to have Aizawa's approval. Bakugou then rushes Midoriya like he does in canon. When Aizawa wraps his scarves around Bakugou, he remarks that Bakugou will get detention for unsanctioned quirk use.

Both Midoriya and Bakugou are surprised, which unnerves Aizawa as he pulls Bakugou back. Aizawa then reveals the ranking with Mineta in last place this time. He says Midoriya got ahead with points for creativity. He reveals the logical ruse he employed, then leaves with Yaoyorozu remarking she already knew.

As another minor changes I want the girls in Class 1-A to be amazed with Yaoyorozu's placement. I also want Bakugou to attack Yaoyorozu out of no where because he believes she is another bug he can simply crush. Yaoyorozu disproves this as she quickly makes a shield to protect herself.

Aizawa gives Bakugou another detention leaving Bakugou and Midoriya confused once again.

(Full Admission: I wanted a cool Yaoyorozu moment to cement her as the most powerful student in 1-A).

Aizawa writes Midoriya an absentee note so he can see Recovery Girl about his finger. As Aizawa leaves he is confronted by All Might who calls his bluff on having an expulsion record. Aizawa says that the quick thinking of Midoriya was what kept him in Aizawa's class. Aizawa then criticizes All Might for already having favorites as he noticed the number one hero's interest in Midoriya. All Might panics that Aizawa has figured out the connection already, but Aizawa just tells All Might that playing favorites causes bitterness among other students.

Everything is the same with Iida and Uraraka catching up with Midoriya and the three walking home together. 1-A then goes through the day until fundamental hero lessons. Everyone has their original costumes as the support course hasn't been introduced yet.

Everything goes like normal.

Episode Eight: Bakugou's Start Line

As soon as Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida, and Bakugou come out Aizawa's scarves come out to wrap around Bakugou. 1-A and All Might are surprised at Aizawa's sudden appearance. Aizawa says he is going to expell Bakugou on the grounds of assaulting another classmate with the intention of severely harming them. All Might stops this, admitting that he should have stopped the fight when Bakugou was gearing up his gauntlets.

Aizawa takes a deep breath, and says that Bakugou is able to stay in the hero class for another day but will be suspended, no longer having a seat near Midoriya, and will have his gauntlets revoked until Aizawa says differently. Aizawa drags Bakugou away to fill out the proper paperwork.

The other teams do the exercise as normal, and Yaoyorozu files a formal complaint regarding Mineta. At the end of the day, Midoriya does not tell Bakugou the secret of One for All. Instead, Midoriya watches Bakugou walk away for his first day of suspension surrounded by Iida and Uraraka chatting about the excercise. Midoriya does the ending internal monologue about how he learned the difference between friends and torments.

With these changes, I would rename the title of the episode to The Line Drawn. In a reference to the fact that UA and Aizawa will not put up with Bakugou's bs like his former schools.

Episode Nine: Yeah, Just Do Your Best Iida

Now it is time for our first rapid fire changes.

It is the first day without Bakugou in class, which means the USJ Arc will not include Bakugou at any point in the story.

Todoroki and Bakugou's seats have been switched, so it is time for some awkward conversations between TodoDeku.

Iida tells Uraraka and Midoriya that Aizawa and his brother were school friends so he tries his best to remain professional.

Yaoyorozu is class repersentative, while Midoriya is the class vice repersentative. After Iida calms the school down, Midoriya intends for Iida to take his position. Yaoyorozu is concerned she did not handle the situation as good as Iida, and Iida takes the class repersentative role with Yaoyorozu as his vice. This will start Yaoyorozu's confidence issues.

Since Bakugou is not on the bus, this scene is dedicated to Uraraka who is excited to have Thirteen teaching them. Uraraka says she is a huge fan of Thirteen, and hopes to get an autograph afterwards if she has the time. She also reveals her motivation to become a rescue hero.

Thirteen is agender.

Uraraka fangirls while Thirteen is talking.

Episode Ten: Encounter With the Unknown

Aizawa does not hesitate to leap into action when the villians show up, and shows off his amazing abilities as a pro hero. He shows off the abilities of the capture weapon.

Thirteen is ready to evacuate the students, but Kurogiri warps over like he does in canon, and this time it is Kirishima and Mina who attack him without hesitation. This is to cement Mina as the most muscular of the other girls, and her and Kirishima's role in each other's lives. The attack didn't do anything when Kurogiri warps the other students away from each other.

Everything continues as normal.

In Summary of the Student's Locations:

The Entrance: Uraraka & Sero & Iida & Sato

Ruins Zone: Kirishima & Mina

Flood Zone: Asui & Mineta & Midoriya

Mountain Zone: Kaminari & Jirou & Yaoyorozu

Fire Zone: Ojiro & Hagakure

Landslide Zone: Todoroki

Squall Zone: Tokoyami & Shoji & Koda

As Hagakure joins Ojiro in the Fire Zone, she uses the flames as a source of light to reflect. Once she blinds the villains, Ojiro takes them down.

As Mina joins Kirishima in the Ruins Zone, she uses her acid as a way to trip up villains and uses her reflexes and dance moves to annihilate the chameleon villian Bakugou originally did.

As Shoji joins Tokoyami and Koda in the Squall Zone, he uses his quirk to locate Koda so Tokoyami can protect him.

Everything continues as normal as all the teachers show up to finish off the League of Villains. All the teachers get their moment.

Episode Thirteen: In Each of Their Hearts

After our neighborhood detective reassures all the students and we get the cool still shots with the gold lighting it is time for what I was preparing this whole time for.

Aizawa calls All Might and Midoriya to his hospital room and lays down that he has figured out that the two are connected somehow by their quirks.

All Might and Midoriya are shocked, but considering they are backed into a corner they tell Aizawa about One for All. After Aizawa chews All Might out for not telling him that one of his students only recently got a quirk, he says he'll have to give Midoriya extra lessons so his body is strong enough to handle One for All. Aizawa also puts together that if Midoriya didn't have a quirk before than that means he was quirkless. Suddenly, everything makes sense to Aizawa about the BakuDeku relationship.

The final small change is the next day at lunch, Uraraka brings Asui over to Midoriya and Iida. She wants to thank Midoriya for his quick thinking, and says that she and Uraraka bonded over wanting to be Rescue Heroes.

Summary of the Changes

Bakugou realizes he isn't the best anymore, and starts to face consequences for his actions.

Aizawa knows about One for All, and Midoriya has two father figures in his corner now.

The Girls of 1-A get more screentime to show off their potential to be heroes.

The Background characters get some extra scenes to show off their potential to be heroes.

Uraraka gets prominent character moments.

A good chunk of the class is biracial.

Changes That Didn't Make It

Aizawa Backstory moment where Aizawa would erase Kurogiri's quirk only to be freaked out by a familiar bone structure taking form.

Jeez, that was brutal for my fingers, but that is how I would have wrote the first season of My Hero Academia. I plan on continuing, but I think I'll be splitting posts up into arcs now because doing a whole season was a bit too much at once.

Plus, there are a lot of changes I'll be making with the Sports Festival Arc.