#to replace the void that is my fave

[secretsandwriting]

Even the Destruction of the World Couldn't Keep Me From You

Xisumavoid x reader supervillain au

This is the longest thing I've written in years it feels like. A whole 4.2k words. Also I'm well aware some of their villain names are silly. I just didn't know what to do for them so this is what you got.

You weren’t sure why you of all people were kidnapped. You had of course ran into the Hermits. They were the most notorious group of villains in the area. That was as far as your relationship with any of them went. If you saw a Hermit, you ran, just like how you ran when you saw heroes. The damage from the fights was enough reason to run. 

Yet here you were, changed to a wall and locked in a room by so called heroes. To make matters worse, they weren’t even from your city. They were from the city 50 miles away that had the Villain group Empires and yet they kidnapped you to get answers about the Hermits. You didn’t know why they wanted the information or why they wanted it from you. If you had known anything you would have already reported it. But instead here you were chained to a wall and told to shut up when you asked any questions.

You were rethinking your stance on the heroes. This was ridiculous.

“Alright, let’s get started.” The heroes walked in, “What do you know about the Hermits?” He spun a knife around, a clear threat in the movements. “And don’t tell us ‘nothing’. We have proof you know the hermits.”

“But I don’t know the Hermits! I’ve seen them around, and I’ve run from the chaos they’ve caused but other then that all I know is what the heroes have told us!” The guy with the knife sneered. 

“You don’t know the Hermits? Then why do I have pictures of you making out with Void?”

What?

Apparently silence wasn’t an accepted thing because his knife sliced through part of your arm and stuck into the wall with a dull thud. 

“Do you think I’m stupid? I did my research! I have pictures of you kissing Void! I have videos of you bringing Ninja and Hotguy lunch, dragging G.O.A.T off the battlefield, guiding Zombie to the others and more! You know who they are, so tell me and I might just let you live!”

For what seemed like hours, you were asked questions he claimed you knew the answers to, and when you didn’t give them the right answer another cut was added. Finally something caused them to leave you and let the darkness finally take you. The darkness was kind to you this time and took your pain and replaced it with one of your favorite dreams.

“Come on!” You dragged the taller man behind you, “We have to hurry!” 

“I’m sure there will still be cats when we get there.” The male responded. You couldn’t see his fave and his voice was distorted but his hair was black and right across where his face would be was a scar in the shape of an X. You always figured the X met over his nose but there was no way to really know.

“I know, I just don’t want to risk you changing your mind again.” He scoffed. 

“I would never change my mind!”

“You’ve changed it 5 times about getting a cat already!” The rest of the way to the shelter was filled with teasing and laughter. The time at the shelter was pretty short however. A small black cat climbed into your lap purring and begging for scratches while a chunky orange cat started attacking the guy. You left the shelter with both.

“She’s waking up X.” A female voice ended your dream. “You can have a few minutes but then we need to check her out and make sure we didn’t miss anything.” Thankfully the room wasn’t too bright when you opened your eyes. Your left hand was gently picked  up and squeezed, what felt like a kiss was placed on your palm.

“I’ve missed you darling.” You turned to look at him. The first thing you noticed was the large X scar across his face, the next thing was the soft and gentle look of pure adoration, the third, was his armor. That was Void’s armor. Void the leader of the hermits. Jerking out of his grasp you tried to get away from him.

You can hear someone else trying to calm you down but all you could focus on was Void. The pain that crosses his face the more you try to get away confuses you but not enough to stop. Someone moves between you, blocking your view of him and replacing it with another Hermit. G.O.A.T. Glancing around the large room, you're met with the sight of every single hermit. You were screwed.

The youngest one, the one the new describes as the only non-powered Hermit who seems to be like their child, quickly moved up to you and attached some weird cuffs to your left wrist and his right.

“Anything that happens to you will happen to me while we have these cuffs on.” He then went on to demonstrate it by shocking his finger, when you felt the shock to your own finger you started calming down. Once deemed calm enough, Medic asked you a simple question. 

“Why did you panic when you saw X?” Today must be the day of stupid questions.

“Because He’s Void.” The entire room looked at you in confusion.

“He’s your fiance. You have your engagement ring around your neck.” You glanced down at the ring hanging from your necklace then back to the boy handcuffed to you. “Do you-Do you not remember?”

I woke up in the hospital 2 years ago with no memories. Thorn told me my name and where I worked and lived. At the mention of Thorn, X left the room, there was some murmuring from the other hermits before a few of them followed X out. G.O.A.T sent the rest of them out shortly after. 

“Even if you don’t remember us, we remember you. Therefore you have nothing to worry about. To us, you are a dear friend and out Brother’s fiance.” G.O.A.T Rested a hand on yours and squeezed softly. “No harm will come to you from us. My name is Doc, Stress and I will be taking care of your medical care. Mumbo is the one cuffed to you.”

You let Mumbo undo the cuffs shortly after and allowed them to treat anything that was left. When they were done, X came back in. Doc had told you his name was Xisuma but most people called him X or some rendition of Xisuma. He was quiet when he came back in, eyes red and cheeks wet from tears. You were perched on the edge of the bed, facing the chair he sat down in.

“Let me be selfish.” You looked up from the spot on the floor you were staring at to look at him. All you could see in his face was desperation and pain. “I know you don’t remember but please let me be selfish. Let me hold you at night and stay by your side through the day. I’ve been looking for you for 2 years and 4 months. Now that I have you back I want to keep you close. So please let me be selfish and allow me to stay with you.”

You weren’t really sure what to say. Void, one of the highest ranking villains in the world, was begging you for something. Not only was he begging, but he was sobbing. You really wanted to go home and forget this ever happened but that didn’t really seem like a choice. A part of you questioned if this was a trap. For what, you didn’t know. Another part of your brain reminds you of your dreams with the man and the X on his face. You weren’t really sure how this was going to go, but maybe saying yes would work out better for you.

“Ok.” You had never seen hope grow in a person so fast.

“Ok as in I can?” At your nod, you found yourself wrapped in strong arms and cradled to his chest. Unsure of what to do, you awkwardly wrapped your arms around him and softly rubbed his back through his armor, you weren’t even sure he could feel it. It seemed to be the right thing however because he held you tighter while he sobbed into your neck.

You weren’t sure how long you were there for, just that when he was done crying, he just stayed in your embrace. When he finally parted from you, he took ahold of your hand and guided you through the halls to a room.

“This is our room.” His voice was soft as he spoke. He guided you through it. Telling you were all of your things were and where his was too. You noticed a ring box on what he said was your side. Probably to hold the supposed engagement ring that was around your neck. After your toured the room, you were given a tour of the whole building. The kitchen, living rooms, dining rooms, bathrooms, otter Hermits rooms and so on. Once he was sure he showed you everything, you were guided back to the kitchen. 

Xisuma started cooking, as you watched him work you realized he was making your favorite dish. Not only was he making your favorite, but he was making it exactly how you liked it, with all the little changes and tweaks you preferred. 

Not much was said during dinner, but one of your hands was always intertwined with his. After dinner, you were given a tour of the gardens in the back. You made sure to ignore the wavering in his voice like you had earlier. Once that was finished, you went back to your room for the night. Xisuma handed you one of his shirts and some of your shorts before letting you go change in the bathroom. When the door was slightly open, 2 cats shot out and immediately wrapped around your ankles screaming for attention. One of them decided that wasn’t enough, and the orange one started trying to climb up your leg.

“Des and Ed calm down!” Xisuma scolded the cats before detaching the one that was climbing you and snatching the one still around your ankles before it could start climbing you too. “Sorry, they missed you too, and they won’t let me trim their claws.” They were the cats from your dreams. Xisuma clearly took your staring for something else. “You probably don’t remember their names,” He held out the orange cat. “This is Edgar Allen Paw,” next was the black cat. “This i-”

“Furious the Destroyer.” Xisuma lit up and nodded, “I don’t know how I remember that.” The cats were placed back on the floor and you were pulled into another hug. 

“Eventually you’ll remember everything, but for now, we’ll take it one day at a time.” He gave a small squeeze before letting you go change. The shorts fit perfectly, but Xisuma’s shirt was big on you. It ended shortly before your knees. The smell of it was familiar and comforting but you couldn’t place why exactly it felt like that. So you left the bathroom and found yourself tucked into bed with Xisuma curled up around you. 

“I’m always comfortable when I’m laying with you!” the faceless man with the scar exclaimed, you laughed and dodged a lazy hand swung at you, the force behind it was so weak his arm fell shortly after. 

“You say that, but if we stay like this you’ll be complaining your back hurts tomorrow and I’ll have to listen to it all day!” He sighed before burying his head in your neck and placing feather light kisses on any skin he could reach.

“Let's just stay for a little longer.” The request was murmured against your skin. “We’ll go to bed in a minute but for now I just want to stay here with you.” You sighed but let one of your hands wander to his dark hair. 

“If you fall asleep, I don’t want to hear a single word about your back hurting.” He hummed in agreement, and nuzzled his head closer to your neck. He fell asleep in seconds and you felt yourself shaking your head before joining him in sleep.

When you woke up, it was still dark and Xisuma was still curled into your side, sound asleep. You checked the clock on the nightstand, 12:46 am. Lovely. Xisuma must have noticed your sigh in his sleep and moved closer. 

The thought that Hypno’s dream manipulation powers was the cause for your dreams crossed your mind again. The dreams seemed so personal and intimate that the thought that they weren’t actually yours felt so wrong. 

You turned your gaze towards Xisuma. You couldn’t see much in the dark and his head was tucked into your neck, but the rest of him was somehow curled around you too. Everytime you twitched or moved, he immediately moved closer. 

Clingy.

The thought flew through your head and you had to fight the urge to laugh. It didn’t work. You found yourself giggling in the dark desperately trying to stop so you didn’t wake Xisuma. It was too late for that.

“Whats so funny?” Xisuma’s voice was groggy and he was clearly trying not to move from his spot. You weren’t sure you wanted to tell him but you were probably going to have to. If you could ever catch your breath between giggles. 

“The big bad Void who’s known for his ruthlessness and path of destruction is clingy.” You started giggling harder as he groaned. 

“You said that when you found out the first time. But you went with a clingy simp then.” The giggling got worse at the addition of simp. Something you could see with how the day had been. Xisuma just groaned again. “Is this going to last for an hour again?” 

As the days went on, you got used to the hermits and Xisuma’s constant need to touch you. No one ever told you anything that could explain how or why you lost your memory. Well, that was until you were kidnapped again. This time by someone who looked identical to Xisuma but with red armor and white hair. You found yourself seated in a comfortable chair with a mug of your favorite tea in your hands. 

“So, what did Xisuma do to make you leave for 2 years?” He asked as he settled into his chair and sipped his tea. Something about him seemed familiar, and not just his similar looks to Xisuma. He felt almost comfortable to be around.

“I lost my memory 2 years ago and they found me about a week ago when a hero kidnapped me and tortured me for information. He just stared at you for a second before putting his drink down.

“So you don’t remember anything from before 2 years ago?” You nodded. “Explains why you went radio silent for 2 years… Well in that case, I’m Xavier, Xisuma’s clone… Whats the first thing you remember?”

“Waking up in the hospital and Thorn explaining I had been caught in a hero villain fight. When I said I couldn’t remember anything he found where I lived and worked.”

“Of course it was Thorn.” He seemed to notice your interest. “They didn’t tell you about Thorn did they?” He sighed and picked up his drink, taking a sip while he gathered his thoughts. “Of course they didn’t.”

“Thorn didn’t start as a hero, he was originally a vigilante. Well, he caught the hermits' attention. Thorn was hoping they would ask him to join them, but they weren’t interested in him joining. They wanted him gone, not because he was trying to stop them or too heroic or something like that. They wanted him gone because he had gone off the deep end and while the hermits are villains, they have morals. Thorn does not.” He sipped his tea.

“When he realized they were after him for reasons he didn’t want. He told them he would make them regret it, especially Xisuma. He thought the same thing most people think, because Xisuma is called the leader. Most people think he makes all the decisions when in reality, it's a group vote. While it’s not confirmed, it is theorized that Thorns powers are memory related due to some past things.”

“So that’s why Xisuma left the room when I mentioned him.” Xavier nodded. Taking a sip of your own drink, you mulled over the information. “How do I get my memories back then?”

“No idea. No one’s said anything about it before. Have you gotten any back?” Your dreams popped into your head. 

“I’ve been having dreams… But I don’t know if they’re actually memories. I can’t see anyone specific, just a form with a recognizable feature I guess.” Xavier nodded. 

“If it’s dreams, maybe Hypno could help unlock more. I don’t really know how it works but it's worth a shot.” After that, the conversation just flowed through other much lighter topics until Xavier decided it was time to return you back to Xisuma. 

You didn’t bring it up to Hypno until a week later. You requested that Xisuma not know about it yet and while reluctant Hypno understood your reasoning. Better not to get his hopes up when no one knew if it would work. One night a week, Hypno would try to make your dreams become clearer without messing them up. It didn’t make a difference, but you both decided to continue trying. 

As the weeks dragged on, you found yourself becoming attached to the hermits, not minding it when Xisuma came to you and wrapped you into some sort of physical touch and anxiety and nervousness of being around them went away. 

Weeks turned into months and nothing new had come back in the terms of memories. You could tell it was bothering Xisuma and the other hermits as much as it did you. Hypno continued trying to help you in your dreams, but it wasn’t doing anything. 

So you did the only thing you could think of. Think back on that hospital visit with Thorn to see if you could remember anything that he might have given away. You spent hours every day trying to think of something but it wasn’t until XB invited you to go swimming in the pool like you used to that something popped into your mind. 

“Make sure to avoid ocean water. We found you there and I would hate for you to have a PTSD episode.”

That’s how you found yourself at the beach, starting at the ocean waves in front of you. You were far enough away that the water didn’t even touch you. Just taking a moment to prepare yourself for the cold water. Thankfully, due to the late hour, no one else was there. Which also meant if anything happened, no one would be there to help.

Taking a deep breath, you walked forwards. Not stopping until your head was underwater.

“Your usual?” You asked Xisuma.

“Of course, are you going to spell my name completely wrong again?” You smiled.

“Of course!” He laughed and shook his head before moving down the line to wait at the counter that the finished drinks went too. 

While you were writing a horrible rendition of his name that was so far off it didn’t even sound similar, one of your coworkers gave you a wink and a look, clearly trying to convince you to go through with writing your number on his cup. Sighing, you finally committed to it, writing the digits down while your coworkers silently celebrated behind you. 

Two hours later, you got a text from him.

—

“I really want to kiss you right now.” Xisuma stared at you from his spot on the bench next to you. 

“What’s stopping you?” Xisuma hesitated for a second before taking it as the invitation it was. He was so gentle and careful and he pulled you closer, one of his hands resting against your waist the other at the back of your neck. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for months.”

—

“Why do you want me to let you into Xisuma’s room?” You asked Grian and Scar who stood in the doorway. Xisuma had left for some sort of meeting and you were getting ready to go to work when Grian and Scar knocked on the door.

“We want to dye some of his clothes pink.” 

“Just make sure he still has one white button up and a pair of nice black pants when your done, we have a date Friday and if it gets postponed because you messed all his clothes up I will personally arrange your torture and death.” They both shivered and nodded. You made sure to ignore them while you finished getting ready.

—

“I have something I need to tell you.” Xisuma pulled you away from your project and to a nearby couch in your room. “I’m the villain Void.” You blinked at him.

“Did you really have to pull me from my project for a joke?” You sighed.

“No, I’m serious, I’m Void.” He opened a small rift next to you, hoping that this wouldn’t be the end of the relationship. He struggled to read anything off of you as you stared at the rift. 

“But you're just a clingy simp who can barely remember where you leave things.” Xisuma snorted. Of course you would say that. “Is that why you always have so many bruises, why your gone so late sometimes and why you always give such bad excuses for not being able to do things?” Xisuma nodded, holding his breath.

“I understand it's a lot to process but I need you to know this doesn’t change anything. I love you and always have loved you and will always continue to love you.” 

“I just need some time to think about this.”

Later that night, you woke him up with your giggling. 

—

“They’re so lucky I like all of them.” You sighed as you tried calling Xisuma again. He didn’t answer. Neither did Tango, Etho, Impulse or Doc. There was one other person you could call who could find them easily. 

“Hey Iskall, sorry to bother you. Do you know where Xisuma, Etho, Tango, Impulse and Doc are? They didn’t eat breakfast or take lunch so I’m trying to bring them some but no one will answer their phone.” Within seconds, Iskall had hacked their phones and gave you a location. Thankfully it wasn’t too far away. 

When you showed up. All five were huddled over some contraption they were making, not paying much attention to their surroundings. 

“It’s a good thing I’m not a hero or you all would have been captured in seconds.” The entire group turned to look at you like deer in the headlights. “I brought you lunch since none of you have eaten today, but considering how none of you answered my texts or calls I’m not sure you really want it.”

Immediately there were apologies and protests. You just laughed at them as they tried to defend themselves. Eventually you decided to accept whatever they were saying as good enough and handed out the lunches to the five. Xisuma was kind enough to give you a kiss before he dug in like the rest of the group. 

“More of the hermits need to get into relationships if this is the treatment we get from it!” You laughed at Etho’s statement before saying goodbye and heading to work. 

—

“This way!” Xisuma tugged you over to the Gazebo in the middle of the gardens you were visiting. “It has the best view of all the flowers.”

Xisuma wasn’t lying when he claimed it was the best view. Fields of flowers of all types were laid out in front of you. The sunlight made the bright colors pop out of the green, the smell of the flowers was strong and sweet, making it so you never wanted to leave.

You turned to Xisuma to see his reaction, only to find him down on one knee with a ring in his hand. You didn’t even let him give the little speech he had clearly practiced before saying yes and letting yourself drop into his arms. There in his arms, he whispered something in your ear.

“Even the destruction of the earth couldn’t keep me away from you.”

The ring was slid onto your fingers and when you got back to the main building, the other hermits swarmed the two of you.

You were pulled out of the water, gasping for breath. You hadn’t realized you had been under for that long. Glancing up, you were met with Xisuma’s terrified face. Xisuma, your fiance, the love of your life. You didn’t even know how you could have forgotten. 

Xisuma clearly wasn’t expecting to be pulled into a kiss after pulling you up from the bottom of the ocean but he melted into it either way. His arms tightened around your waist and one of your hands found it’s way to the back of Xisuma’s head. 

“Even the destruction of the earth couldn’t keep me away from you.” Xisuma teared up, desperately searching your eyes. “I remember Xisuma. I remember everything!” You found yourself being pulled back down into another kiss. 

“We should head back to shore.” Xisuma’s voice was thick and shaking against your lips, you wiped his tears from his face before stealing another kiss.

“Let's go home Xisuma.”

[returntosunder]

You know what? I'm just gonna share what I can/want on all of my AUs, one at a time. I spoke about UnderRough last time, so this time I'll share some little bits of...

(Just some of it, not ALL of it. Even then, prepare for a long rant.)

Inspiration: when I was first getting into the Undertale community, I was noticing a severe lack of AUs where Sans swaps with Asriel. Slowly, I came up with swaps for mostly the main characters (Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Napstablook, etc). After aging and getting back into the fandom, I realized quite a few flaws (seeing how young I was when first making it) and decided to redo a few things. Now let's get into the actual AU.

Basics: as previously stated, UnderTear is a swap AU with unique differences. However, before we get into those differences, let's go over the basics.

The swaps are fully roleswap, yet only 25% personality swap.

Sans swaps with Asriel, Papyrus swaps with Undyne, Napstablook swaps with Alphys who swaps with Grillby, Muffet swaps with Mettaton, and Monster Kid swaps with the Scarf Mouse. (That's not every swap, just the main characters.)

Toriel and Asgore actually keep their roles stay the same, but swap personalities. Frisk and Chara aren't swapped at all. (Neither are plenty of the "NPCs")

Okay, now for some of the unique stuff~ (again, prepare for a huge bit of ranting.)

The Skelebros: Sans and Papyrus actually had parents before the war broke out. One of which, the father, was the brother of Aster. A few weeks after the war, neither of their parents made it underground. Aster, being the royal scientist, asked the Dreemurr's if they could care for Sans and Papyrus for him. (One, because Papyrus was still an infant, and two, because a dangerous is no place to raise children.) They humbly accepted seeing how Asriel would soon be born as well.

The Spiders and the Machine: seeing how Muffet replaces Mettaton, she would become the young star of the Underground. However, hidden behind the entertainer's life was her older cousin, Lizzie. She would be the one who helped raise Muffet and provide aid in her rise to stardom. Meanwhile, Mettaton would be a robot built and discarded by Aster years ago. Napstablook's cousin would eventually find the robot body, fix it up a bit, and use as the driving force behind a heavy metal rebellion against Muffet. (Said rebellion started because of Muffet and Napstablook continuously fighting for Papyrus. I have a post on my blog that explains where that started.)

The first Amalgamate: you may remember months ago I requested art of a character named Trajan. Well, here's some more info on him. In UnderTear, Mystery Man and Gaster are two entirely different characters. Trajan is the Mystery Man and WD G Aster is the Gaster. Trajan first applied for the soul experiment when he managed to defeat a human who attacked one of his other monster friends. Once he was injected with DT however, he quickly found out how horrible of an idea it was. Somehow, he would wake up in a void like area known only as the Darkness. (That's all I got on him right now, but I do have an ask blog around him. @asktrajan)

I'm just now realizing I'm reiterating things I've already talked about on my blog. And I don't wanna have to delete all that. So here's a quick detail that I haven't discussed before now: in UnderTear, the WD in Aster's name doesn't stand for Wingdings. At least not originally. At first, the WD stood for Wadeline. After Gaster fell into his creation though, he became distorted. Thus his font would switch to Wingdings. (Not sure what the G stood for though.)

PHEW. Ok. I think that's all I can handle typing. There's still plenty of stuff I haven't shared, but I'm saving that for my blog. Hope you're intrigued! X3

Ooo role swap au! I had to make a bunch of notes to visually see who is placed in what role cause my brain needs a visualizer lol. (Side not, im absolutely LOVING Muffet taking Mettatons place in this. They are both my faves and this is a fun mix ^^)

Sans and Papyrus being raised by the Dreemers is so flippin cute omg I love that ^^ and ya I remember trajan (ive looked into your blog too, but im gonna have to look through it again so I can have a refresher on his info ^^') ooo WD becoming Wingdings is after the incident is actually interesting, him having a different name before is really neat change to his story i love that!

Thanks for sharing what you have! I understand that saving info for your blog so im glad you can still share stuff here ^^

[zomi-bea]

After seeing @designing-witch-forms-4-ur-faves interpretation of father's and @kahunoyo analysis I decided to finish my version of father's witch form that has been sitting for a while. Cain

The patriarch witch. His nature is frustration. An unstable witch who continues to clench the rotting body he once was. He desires complete obedience of all children like the man who beguiled him. He's ruthless and uses all he can do to spread his labyrinth and adult tyranny. Deep in his delusion he believes his delightfulization is protecting children, especially timid and weak children like he once was. He feels anguish every time he fails to achieve his goals and his flames grow more powerful for each and every failure and rage.

I also designed a magical boy form of him!

Some notes: * His weapon is a shepherd's cane * He's a void type and a coordinator * Despite being void type, he can solo defeating witches easily * He witched out during his mid 20s * Like all coordinators he's based off a magician but his has a Victorian twist *His ability is called delightfulization, what it does is it access the soul of someone (with or without a soulgem) and removes the "meanness" and replaces it with "docility" and "niceness" *His witch form is his a shadow of his magical boy from and the holes represent his lost status as a magical boy *He controls his corpse through his pipe/grief seed * The size of his flames indicate health and power

Hope you enjoy!

[skybristle]

BENDING HORIZONS IS DONE!

my local group is done!!! short descriptions r below cut!!!! im so so excited guys omg. please ask abt them [also pls rb this took ages and im rlly proud of them!] toyhouse link here that also has full individual images!!! point out ur faves! im so excited to present them to you all [please like them please like them please l- /lh]

without further ado, here we go! in seniority [and image] order

Plunging Flows of Ash [PFA] - he/him [woman!!] He’s definitely winning his senior of the cycle award! He’s been pretty depressed and poorly functioning from the jump, but would often rely on his partner, Sparks, for help and support. When she’s in her darkest hour, and his privileges as senior are needed, he consistently fails to deliver despite her constant aid in return… and after the mass ascension, he just falls off the face of the earth, sleeping through his own depression even as his dysfunctional group desperately needs him. The catalyst for everything- as he fractured his group in two with his actions and fails to rise to their needs, and he has a chronic inability to accept his own wrongdoings and the fact things have changed. Associated Slugcat: The Colorburst Countless Swirling Sparks [CSS] - she/any Well known among iterators for her many, many methods of iteration and other inventions, Sparks was built with an unusually large [and haphazard] structure that she uses to its full advantage. Always with countless screens pulled up around her, always on some project, eating up her own escapism. She was failed by her creators long ago, but is so desperate to see her fellow iterators happy she keeps pushing on. In lieu of Ash, she has risen to a faux senior status - though lacking any powers to enforce her position. Only about half of the group [Ochre, Chimes, and Aurora] answer to her with any respect of authority- she has not been able to reach the others. Her resentment for her situation with her former lover is festering, and may explode violently once things go awry… Associated Slugcat: The Brainiac

Erupting Maw [EM] - she/her She’s fucking crazy!!! Worshiped as a god by her colony, she has not coped with their loss well. Originally seeking to replace the void left by their departure, she created purposed organisms to inhabit her city and later her can… but watching them rip eachother apart was simply so much more cathartic. She has full control! Her ego and disdain for other iterators as lowly in comparison only grows. Over the cycles, her can has become notorious for having some of the most deadly creatures. She’s an expert of bioengineering… but is the danger in seeking her aid worth it? Associated Slugcat: The Gladiator

Budding Ochre Opportunities [BOO] - she/flor Based on solarpunk aesthetics, flors city and can truly is a delight! With a colony full of roof gardens and brilliant colors, she herself has taken to turning her puppet chamber into a garden. Kind and compassionate, though cutting and assertive, she has made peace with her situation as an iterator and is just trying to live a good life. As flor adds to flors collection, she doesn’t consider any of it may posit a danger to her structure. But she would be at peace with that, too, if it were to occur. The only question is if those who care about her, such as her dearest Chimes, would be. Associated Slugcat: The Recon

Resonant Chimes [RC] - he/him He’s really just chilling, hanging out. No secret problems here, no deep-seated depression over the loss of his colony that he hangs onto, no karma flowers being poured into his puppet coolant just to feel something, none of that! Collecting music, friends with slugcats and scavs alike, having a good time. He’s surprisingly intelligent and has his morals more sorted than just about anyone here, but he’s held back by general apathy and his losses. Maybe, so many cycles detached from their creators, he won’t have to worry about losing anyone again. As long as he drinks the tea, he doesn’t have to think about it, and can pull himself closer to those below who left him. Associated Slugcat: The Gardener

Reaching for Caged Starlight [RCS] - she/it/ast Frustrated endlessly, as most iterators are, by being locked in a box, she’s determined to put an end to this. Not by ascension, though. She’s determined to free them from their cans- allow an escape from this maze. Ast wants to remove the puppet from the umbilical, in a manner where they don’t lose themself completely. Much easier said than done! Its undoing, however, is its cautious and methodical nature. She is too light on her feet to simply dare and cut the wire, let alone having the experience to snap the mechanical arm entrapping her. But, she has all the time in the world, and she will one day see the stars they made her mocking name after. They’ll all see. Ast will get there, by any cost necessary, even if her fellow iterators are disposable to this goal. Associated Slugcat: The Seamstress

A Glittering Aurora [AGA] - she/he Need some gossip? He’s your guy, all right! She burns her endless time away on global chats, basking in the amusement and the knowledge. A bit of a nuisance to her own local group, as she simply can not keep a secret, but… what happens when technology degrades, the message board is silent, he no longer can block out his circumstances,,, and the drama reaches a bit too close to home? Associated Slugcat: The Copycat Wandering Whispers [WW] - they/them A very quiet, lonely iterator, Whispers strays to themself. Only allowed to speak to their fellow iterators for shipments, or, occasionally, their senior for guidance, there were few connections for them besides to the one who vanished off the face of the earth. With their personality thoroughly destroyed by the iron fist of their colony, they simply… quietly observe. But they may hear something they’re not supposed to, and, desperate for a replacement for their mentor, lead themself astray. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and they will glimpse the void in the end and take the plunge. Associated Slugcat: The Mercy

[beifong-brainrot]

how do you find aang's writing as the last survivor of his species and in the post-canon?

Personally, I think the writing of Aang as the last man alive is really well done in the Avatar: The Last Airbender series. However, in the post-canon comics, I feel like the creators are trying to replace everything, pushing Aang to forget everything. This is sometimes done without any real foundation or depth to his story, which is disappointing, especially when you remember that he is the protagonist.

In the comics, it seems like the creators only want to focus on the present world, which I can understand, since he is the Avatar and his main role is to maintain balance. But in my opinion, they should also give the audience the opportunity to explore his past and his traumas more. Aang is a very interesting character, and it would be enriching if the creators could further develop him as the last man alive of his people.

Take for example the moment when Aang has trouble sleeping. Although it is treated in a humorous tone in the series, it remains a glaring problem for his age: not sleeping for three days and starting to hallucinate is not insignificant. And what about the scene where he discovers the skeleton of his master Gyatso? Seeing that is terrifying and horrible. I would never want to see one of my loved ones in such a state, and yet, Aang had to face this horrific vision, alone.

These moments deeply mark his journey, but it seems that the creators are hesitant to go further in exploring his psychological wounds in later works. This choice leaves a void, because Aang's past is essential to understanding who he is today and how he manages to remain strong despite everything.

I agree with you on one side, but on the other, I can understand why. The comics seem to focus more on the world changing around the characters, which isn't bad, perse. It's natural that after the end of atla, the world would undergo a lot of change due to Ozai's fall.

It's also not as if the comics are completely void of storylines concerning Aang's role as the last airbender. Particularly the storyline of him creating the Air Acolytes and trying to revive Air Nomad traditions with them is one of the more prominent ones.

I can also understand the hesitance in leaning into Aang's trauma. A lot of the charm of his character relies on him being fun and bubbly and while the show allowed Aang to have his deeper moments every now and then, if a comic focused on Aang's trauma, it might feel like too much of a heel turn.

It also does feel more in line with Aang's own personal way of dealing with emotional distress. Aang is highly avoidant when faced with an issue, and will try to ignore/avoid it. It's honestly very in line with him being an airbender lol. For example him messing around so much in Kyoshi instead of dealing with the trauma of finding Gyatso's corpse the previous episode. Or refusing to accept Katara's emotional support when Appa went missing.

We do occasionally get mentions of Aan's issues and traumas mentioned in different comics and even alluded to in tlok, but it is sad we never focus on it. I really liked the allusions to Aang being overwhelmed and looking for comfort in an old Air Nomad site on Wangmo's Island. I also liked the way Bumi spoke about him in that comic.

But I do wish we did get to explore more of post canon Aang's ways of dealing with being the last Airbender, especially as an adult. I think the best way to do that would be in the form of a short comic. Something like a rehash/sequel to "Relics", which is one of my fave comics surrounding Aang's role as a genocide survivor.

A short comic surrounding adult Aang reconnecting with his heritage and memories would probably be the best way to explore this side of Aang for the time being.

[itssoinevitable]

acgas season 5 rant

well I must say it’s been some time since I wrote a tumblr essay but I think this one has been building all season. in fact, it will likely be part one of (?) because there are many feelings that need to screamed into the void. let me preface by saying that I am not a “hater” by any means, because I absolutely and unabashedly love this show and it pains me so much to criticise it, instead of celebrate on cloud nine like I usually would be after the finale. I ranked it higher than downton abbey the early seasons, which is a massive compliment for anyone that knows me. and I repeatedly told others not to worry bc it’s the show that keeps on giving and that I trusted these writers implicitly with our beloved characters.

so yes, it royally sucks that I have to eat my words, and that acgas season 5 did not bring what it should have brought. and it also sucks that this is only part one of my rant (for you and me both). if you loved s5, then I am really happy you did, and please don’t read on bc I don’t want to taint your experience. if you hated it but don’t know why, or bc misery loves company, pls read on. spoilers ahead, obv. 

1. episode structure

yes so — structure wise, it was a hot mess. I can definitely see what they were going for, in that they gave the limelight to a pair of characters every episode, and thought it would be fine like modern family style episodes. except, another spoiler alert: it was not fine at all, unless your faves are the featured couple for said episode. I would do an episode by episode breakdown but @owlsiehoot already did that. suffice to say, it is not the kind of show where you can enjoy 40 odd minutes when it’s not “your” characters’ turn to shine. they have nearly an ensemble cast, but chose not to treat it like an ensemble show. and while I can see what they were trying to avoid, the chosen execution method was far far worse imo. (we may never know the real reason for this change, but I hate whoever greenlit this decision).

even if they wanted to keep the longer scene structure, fine, maybe it could have worked. but if I could have recommended one change in the writing room, it would have been to split the main cast into threes every episode, instead of pairs. that would resemble the formula a bit more like the prev seasons, and would’ve given much more interesting and diverse back and forths to play off of and keep more general balance. some ways the dynamics could have been done:

Tris & Carmody were fine in ep 4, but keep it in skeldale more and add Mrs Hall into the mix to mother them, even better. (reminding the audience she has a biological son too, and not just these surrogate dumbasses whom she loves would have been a bonus.)

Helen & James are always lovely together, but add Tris in there for some mischief or more Jenny and Heston Grange for some sisterly bonding. 

Tris & Siegfried were cute too, but again they were away from the house, and usually Audrey was right in there with them and added something to all their interactions. 

Alternatively, give the ladies something to do and put Audrey, Helen and Mrs Pumphrey together again. (I will say though, at least Mrs P had more to do this season). 

Where the show suffered most was giving Carmody two stand-out episodes tbh, when in reality, they only had time for one.

2. tone

not only did the previous seasons have an amazing balance of all characters, they also managed to balance the darker story threads with lighthearted humour in an inimitable way. usually three concurrent storylines, two being more serious, and one more lighthearted to break it up. some episodes of course, were more lighthearted than others. but season 5 seems to have turned that on its head because almost all storylines were quite silly?? I respect there has always been a certain amount of physical humour, but it seems now that the gags have now replaced actual plots and meaningful character development. this is not a sitcom after all, unless they’re trying to change genre at the nth hour. notable exceptions include Bingo’s storyline ofc, and Candy & Joan (both which were early in the season btw) and James’ war and brucellosis experience right at the end. the middle was mostly twaddle if you ask me.

which reminds me: overall, the animal storylines seem to have become something of a joke too. the animals used to mean a lot more to their clients before, and the vets used to show them a great deal more love and respect. contrast to this season, many vetting scenes feel almost cavalier. the poor dog with the phantom pregnancy was played for laughs, which I don’t think it would have been in prev seasons. the horse that fell down after the injection, had no greater mystery to solve. Siegfried and Tristan barely seemed to care, and chalked it up to shock. it is quite unforgivable to me, as their great reverence for the animals was one of the things I love(d) about this show. 

imo a few subtle changes could have elevated many of the stories to their usual form. I gave an example on discord, but I’ll repeat it here. it’s episode 5, and picture Bosworth coming into Skeldale the same was as he did in canon, asking Audrey to come out to investigate a potential bomb. everything could have remained the same except that Audrey could have told the others where she was off to, and Siegfried or Tristan maybe asked her not to go. the whole family would have gathered together for a moment, expressed their fear for her and she would have said it’s her duty to go and check anyway. in this version, we would have felt the tension and the stakes, and it would be a looming threat of the war finally touching Darrowby. the end would also be the same, a false alarm and nothing more but the emotional impact of the episode would have increased tenfold.

and to me, the worst part of it all is that the season actually started off so promising. the first two/ three episodes, combined with the interviews by the cast, it honestly felt like they were exploring some very interesting things. but they dangled the carrot, only not to deliver imho. 

it seemed that Tristan was hiding something painful under his playful exterior, eventually to be teased out, but apparently he really came back from war completely trauma-free.

I was under the impression that Siegfried was supposed to have an identity crisis, where he was feeling left behind, but it didn’t seem to pan out properly either.

Audrey was supposed to be overworked, right? but we didn’t see her actually buckle under the strain of her many, many duties because she’s basically superwoman I guess?

James had this beautiful connection with Banerjee, only for him to be alive but never show up again I guess? really thought James would bring him to Mrs P’s convalescent home but guess not.

3. characters

and here is the crux of it, the beating heart of the show which is now bleeding out. because a truly good show is character-driven, and unfortunately I cannot say that was true for season 5. a glaring deus ex machina comes to mind, when the doorknob fell off in episode 4, trapping Tris and Carmody in a room. never thought the show would stoop to these cliched tropes tbh and it truly disappointed me.

not only did the episode structures do the characters a great disservice, but it seems to have foiled the overall season story arc too for each character throughline. to me, it looked as if the only two people with clear defined story arcs were James with his war trauma, and Carmody (my beloved). was it Sam West who said the characters seemed “busy” this season? bc yes, it’s accurate. but not in a good way. mostly they all had only things to do on the surface, but there was very little going on underneath. which is a crying shame because basically, characters have to suffer a little to grow and be interesting. they need to face challenges and grow and change. let’s do some compare & contrast:

Tristan changed and grew in every season, from 1 to 3 and faced many internal (and external) obstacles to becoming his best self, whether it was by being more studious or responsible and mature in his work and personal life. Now he’s back and we’re supposed to think… what? That he’s already his best self, I suppose.

season 4 Siegfried was holding his found family together, trying to cope with the workload and missing Tristan, worrying about James, terrified that Audrey was going to leave. contrast to s5, and Siegfried is… being adorable with baby Jimmy, and attracted to a goat heiress? if there was something deeper here, please let me know bc I must have missed it.

while last season, Helen was looking forward to starting a family, and then working on keeping her baby healthy and her family (James) intact despite the war. s5 Helen started off strong, struggling with balancing being a mother and big sister to Jenny, but now… she’s what? planting too many strawberries in the victory garden? being a supportive wife to James is important, but it cannot be her only feature. 

and last but definitely not least, Audrey in s4 was learning what a life outside her marriage to Robert could truly mean for her, and figuring out for herself where she belongs. conversely, s5has her making jam, and finding non-explosive tinned potatoes. yes she’s a warden, but what is she feeling on the inside?

4. conclusion — an empty vessel

to summarise this not-epic epic is that my true grouse with this season is its utter emptiness. it is truly a season where nothing happened and nobody really changed. okay, some things were different — e.g. Siegfried being better with handling his “boys”, and being more open and less grumbly in general. or Tristan being more responsible with his work, and standing his ground more firmly. but imo those were the results of previous season’s changes. within the course of s5, they did not do much growing or changing.

Tristan’s homecoming episode comes to mind the most. so many missed opportunities for deeper to surface — James being torn between treating a patient and possibly missing his son’s christening would have added some true to character dissonance. Helen leaning on Audrey for support when she had issues with her mother-in-law, could have worked beautifully and explored the character foils in an interesting way. James and Helen asking Siegfried and Audrey to be Jimmy’s godparents would have been truly touching and a testament to how deep their familial bonds are.

anyway, TL;DR I guess? maybe it’s because they’re saving most of the juicy stuff for season 6, but it mostly felt like a filler season, and if you looked forward to it all year just to get that then it’s truly anti-climactic. with all that said now, onwards and outwards. we shall see was the CS brings.

[hyperfixated-homo]

ngl I feel like Ghost got shafted a bit. Like yeah she didn't die after two seconds like Taskmaster (kinda funny how one of the best MCU refonceptualized characters killed one of the worst ones), but of the main team, she got the least focus. For a lot of it she was just there, and she really didn't get enough of a chance to shine on her own, what with the constant use of sonic weaponry against her. She also was the only one in the basement who didn't get a flashback. Hell, could've done something with Bill Foster (Lawrence Fishburne), her adoptive dad. He's not been seen since 2018, and this movie is 2027. Did he die? Was he snapped? Did Ghost? Both? Neither?

Also, there's certain other characters that could've been good in this movie, thiugh they'd risk clogging it.

originally, I thought of Netflix heroes (Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Cloak and Dagger, etc), but they might show up in the (hopefully much more interesting and connected-to-MCU) second season of Daredevil

Karl Mordo hasn't been seen since 2016. We know he's had run-ins with Strange, but that's it. He could've fit very well, maybe even explain that his own magic has gotten weaker from abusing it to steal magic from those he saw as abusing magic

Hercules was tasked by Zeus to attack Earth, but that was 2025. Where is he? Valentina could've made great use of a big strong kinda dumb guy who lives for the fight.

I honestly thought Sharon Carter would have some connection to the Sentry Serum, especially since she was the Power Broker who distributed the Super Soldier Serum to highest bidders.

G'iah could've been sent by Britain to ascertain whether Valentina was making America a threat to other countries. I know everyone besides me hated Secret Imvasion for whatever reason, but I like it.

Even Peter Quill could've fit. Maybe he'll be an Avenger (part of the real Avengers team), but he's also an outlaw. Either way, he's not just gonna sit still with his grandpa in Minnesota.

I do feel that Ghost got less attention than she deserved. She's one of my faves- especially for her abilities, and her actor is. So pretty. So lovely. Oh my god.

I would have loved to see more of an insight into her own mind, especially since (like you said) she was one of the four in the vault!! It would have been pretty easy to slip something in during their escape, but I suppose they didn't want to make the movie repetitive or give audiences too good of an understanding of what exactly was going on with Bob. It would have been fun to see a moment explaining her position on the team a bit better than just "shes a merc with nowhere else to go". Seriously, where is Bill Foster?

Either way, I'm filling that void (ha) with fanfics in the meantime. I try not to get too bogged down with what ifs- anything could have been different in this movie, but we got what we god, and I had fun with it! Questions about certain characters and their motivations and parts to play are always a part of marvel movies, especially ones focusing on multiple "main characters" rather than one specific hero. Half of the fun is coming up with our own justifications and filling in any parts of the story with what we, as the viewers, headcanon. And maybe replacing some parts of canon too. For funsies :3

Tangent aside, I do think it's fun to speculate on who could have shown up! I think it's very possible that these characters could work alongside or join the Thunderbolts in the future, especially if we're considering them to actually be filling some sort of role as the "New Avengers" (or like,,, second Avengers. Maybe. This whole thing with two Avengers is Interesting). You raise a lot of good points about people who could be included and why. Good for theorising, at the very least,,,

I'm just sort of imagining how each of them would interact with the Thunderbolts and it's. Interesting. Very fun. Might mess around with that later.

[osarina]

HELLLOOO AGAIN MISS RINA! I seriously need to do some yapping about your characters because the brainrot is real. It's like a prison ⛓️😔. First off, have you watched the Marvel film Thunderbolts? Because the villain in it (The Void) reminds me A LOT of what I think Itou's ability would look like visually (because the actual properties of Void's ability are much different from how you have depicted Itou's). IT'S THE SILHOUETTE THOO 😩

DO YOU FEEL ME?

I would also like to yap about The Three Deaths because that being the title of an organisation run by Tolstoy, Chekhov and Gorky is GENIUS. (This favouritism may stem from the fact that Tolstoy is one of my fave irl authors, but I digress). SO!

Obviously the org's name originates from Tolstoy's short story: Three Deaths. BUTTT I CAN TOTALLY SEE HOW EACH OF THEM REPRESENTS A DIFFERENT VARIATION OF DEATH AND HOW IT MIGHT CORRELATE TO THEIR ROLE IN THE ORG. Tolstoy- death of the mind , Chekhov- death of the mind and Gorky- death of the soul. NOW, STAY WITH ME BECAUSE THIS IS JUST MY TAKE (also we know basically jack shit about these guys)

Leo Tolstoy:

Leo Tolstoy explored a wide range of themes in his writing, including human condition, morality, spirituality, the impact of war, and the complexities of society. Also focusing on the search for meaning, individual responsibility, and the search for a deeper purpose in life. Tolstoy's characters often grapple with moral struggles, questioning their own actions and the consequences of their choices. 

Therefore, making his symbolic death being 'the mind'. Consequently, (and since he is very tight with reader, who is the main face for the Port Mafia's politics) I believe he will be in charge of handling the political front and negotiations of the TD. It also leads me to believe that his ability is phycology baised. JUST AN IDEA: maybe he can remove a person's guiding principle- their hope, faith or dream and replace it with a false one of his choosing???

Anton Chekhov:

Chekhov's short story: The Death of the Soul explores themes of boredom with life, the impact of societal changes, and the nature of death. 

However his overall writing explores the complexities of human nature, love, loss, and the realities of life in Russia, particularly in the context of provincial life and the changing social landscape. Making his representation even more fitting, perhaps his role will be something to do with torture maybe?? His actual novella ends with the magistrate's apathy and the overall sense of emptiness, meaning perhaps his ability will be emotionally based like reader's? Maybe he can cut emotional ties between people? THAT WOULD BE COOL.

Maxim Gorky:

Maxim Gorky's writing focused on the lives of the poor, oppressed, and marginalized in Russia, including factory workers, peasants, and social outcasts. He also explored themes of societal decay, the struggles of women, and the hypocrisy and cruelty of Tsarist Russia (a time of great death due to famines, epidemics and political violence). This is fitting to the physical form of death. (Perhaps in your AU, he handles the military faction/ arms dealers/ weapon distribution and trade). Now, I suspect he will be the brawn of the organisation, with a physical ability. Idea; He can impose perfect stillness on any living body- halting motion, breath, heartbeat, even thought.

AHHHH, YOU’RE LITERALLY SOOO CLEVERRR. I LOVE ITTT. ❤️

ALSO, I never realised that murasaki shikibu was CANON In your verse!?! LIKE YOU’RE GIVING US MORE AUTHOR/ CHARACTER VERIATY THAN SLEEPY ASAGIRI HIMSELF!!

I HAVE INDEED SEEN THUNDERBOLTS AND I DO INDEEEEEEEED SEE THE VISION OMG. we are definitely going to see more of itou's ability soon because </3 his death fic is one of the next few up for me to write </3 but also he shows up in an age 16 dragon's head conflict fic where he also uses his ability, so depending on how i feel we will either be "YAY ITOU'S ABILITY" or "NOOOO ITOU'S ABILITY" kaijdfioahsfiuashdfsa

OMGGGGGGG STOP OK. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE THREE DEATHS i actually did quite a bit of research into them when deciding who exactly i wanted to make the three pillars of the organization. obviously tolstoy was a given considering the name of the organization is based on his short story, and eventually i decided on gorky & chekhov because 1) the three of them were heavily associated with each other from my research and 2) i thought i could go interesting routes with the three of them together. I AM ALSO OBSESSED WITH HOW YOU SEE THEM EACH AS A DIFFERENT VARIATION OF DEATH HELLO THAT IS SO SICK.

i'm not going to say anything on tolstoy because we see a LOT more of him in civzai2, including an explanation of his ability & how he ended up pmreader's biggest ally. BUT i actually went a different route with chekhov because (get this) my original idea for reader before i started the wykyk universe and built our girl, was a reader that was inspired by chekhov and was going to be one of the three deaths with tolstoy & gorky. i still MIGHT do it depending on if i have free time, i was going to be a three-part fic so i dont want to say much else. but i will say that the ability is based on one of his short story collections (in the twilight, "the witch") and it's called "by the daragan forest" because that was the forest that inspired the shrot story according to chekhov's brother. BUT take from that as you will, i'm not going to give any details on the ability in case i do decide to read it. BUT OMG. GORKY ????? YOU ARE SPOT ON ACTUALLY LIKE MY JAW DROPPED LIKE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I HAD HIM HANDLING WITHIN THE THREE DEATHS AND IT'S MENTIONED IN ONE OF THE CIVZAI2 CHAPTERS OMG

BUT WAHHHHHHHHH I LOVE YOUUUUUUU I LITERALLY LIVE FOR THIS ILYILYILY

[stardustedseas]

listen i love thunderbolts as much as the next guy and its one of my fave movies and id defend it to my dying breath BUT

i really, really hate that bucky is in it the way he is. i love that he has a family with the TB but he also had that in Louisiana, and so much more (my two cents about bucky and TB under cut, it gets kinds long)

he was happy there, he was still healing and battling his past but he was happy

sam could never replace steve, but he was still buckys best friend and the closest hes had since steve, whether you see them as brothers or romantically. he also had sarah, i am a huge bucky x sarah shipper but even if they didnt become a thing, she was still a good friend to him. he had a community, he had a place to belong with people who didn't just see him as a ticking time bomb or for the crimes he did as the winter soldier, they saw him as the man he is and works to become. they welcomed him and he finally had a home again.

back to the sarah thing, he could have had such a good thing and a family with her. they had such cute chemistry and i do think bucky would have wanted a family, maybe not bio kids of his own because 1. he may not even be able to have them and 2. he just isnt in the right head space to raise a baby. But since sarahs boys were young enough he could still kinda help raise them and get that father experience but also young enough they wouldnt fully depend on him when he is still learning to take care of himself. it was literally perfect. god Louisiana was so perfect and good for him, he was finally happy and healing and getting his personality back, he will never be the same ofc, i wouldnt want him to be becuase that would erase his trauma and past, but you could see the true him shine through the closed off shell he was forced to become in the way he was silly and flirty and sassy and playful. i think about the deleted scene where he play fought with the kids so much, thats bucky!!! that is james barnes!!!

but then thunderbolts happened and its like they almost completely erased all of that. they made him grow his hair out, (which as much as i love his long hair, his short is so so important and i see it as a connection to his state of mind, short=happy and healing and himself, long= its getting bad again), they broke up his friendship with sam over the stupidest shit, they took him out of LA and away from the family and life he was creating, only to throw him back into loneliness and make him congressman for some fucking reason???????? like where the hell did that even come from 😭

yeah the whole point of TB* is you arent alone, but bucky wasnt, he wasnt like bob or yelena or alexi or ava, he had people, he had friends and family already, he wasnt just aimlessly wandering life all alone anymore, he didnt need to be apart of that lession. i am happy to see him again and i love the whole him becoming the mentor of TB, but it just

wasnt necessary and even bad for his character

there were other ways he could have still joined without changing the plot line too much either. he could have still kept his life in LA and went after the others and joined. maybe he could have just been called in to hunt them down as an assignment and he still easily got caught up in their little rag tag family. arguably him still having his life in LA would have been even better imo, not only would he be the only one who actually went to therapy and had the tools to be able to work so so hard to better himself, but also he would have the experience and knowladge of family and closeness and be able to help bring the team together via that. sure, he wouldn't have the same loneliness they do, but he still very acute knows the aching void of it, that is something that never goes away. but he could have been an amazing example of even if you have done the most horrid things for most of your life and had irreversible trauma, you can still heal and cope and find people who love you for you, flaws and all. i do really think it would have been a better set up for him to be like the mentor of the team

[batataaurdoodh]

A,E,L,P Bunal <3

oh boy i get to yap to a void HEHEHE /j

A- Ships that you currently like a lot

ohhhughhhhh canon wise... atsutaku... bokutaku... rokayuzu.... eats....

OC, im always a sucker for polyoka <33

E- Have you added anything cracky / hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

These in the discord server

L- Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn't one of your faves

Shoutout to Musha. Thank you for carrying my dumbass all the way through the starting era of mine before you got replaced by my one and only. Ily.

P- Invent a Random AU

I literally just want an AU where the library is instead a shelter and the librarian has to take care of like 85 cats instead. It's silly maybe.

Does that even count.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

Top 5 melodeath albums?

(I'd also love to hear about what you find is the difference in good death metal and good melodic death metal 👉👈😳)

So, to answer the second part of your ask first: generally I think that the term"melodic death metal", due to pure happenstance, ended up referring to two completely different genres that just happened to covergently evolve around the same time:

Traditional death metal but with a bit more emphasis on lead guitar melodic hooks, e.g. At The Gates, Bloodshot Dawn, Carcass starting with their Necroticism/Heartwork era

Basically just power (or sometimes prog) metal but with blast beats and death metal growls, e.g. Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth

And the later style is by far much more common than the former, at least in my experience. So a lot of melodic death metal inherits most of its musical elements less from traditional death metal and more from power metal.

This is not a BAD thing, but it does mean that the vast majority of melodic death metal is written less like a subgenre of death metal and more like a completely different genre that has very little in common with traditional death metal aside from the vocal style. Which means that a lot of things that work in trad death metal (abrupt stops and rythm changes, chromatic solos, loose song structures with no defined verse/chorus structure) don't work that well with the style that most melodeath bands play.

That being said, a couple of the albums I'm gonna include here DO play that first style that is closer to trad death metal, i just don't think it's really representative of what most of the melodeath scene sounds like.

So anyway here's my list of fave melodeath albums.

Do have in mind that compared to other genres, I haven't listened to melodeath that frequently since my late teens, so my taste might be a little underdeveloped compared to my taste in other genres

Carcass - Heartwork

Eyes in the Void - Self-titled EP

(Kind of an unknown band, and kinda rough around the edges especially when it comes to the vocals, but this was the album that got me into the genre)

At the Gates - With Fear I Kiss The Burning Darkness

Brymir - Slayer of Gods

Aether - Tale of Fire

(Hopefully the contrast between Carcass, At The Gates and everything else on this list illustrates what I said about "melodeath" referring to two almost completely different genres. Carcass and At The Gates are melodic but they're still very distinctly rooted in traditional death metal, while everything else on this list could perfectly pass for power metal if you replaced the growls with clean vocals)

[if-one-of-us-falls]

Morning View XXXII first impressions

or: one of my fave albums got re-recorded after 23 years and I'm here to shout about it into the void

My overall impression is that they did a decent job! It's still an enjoyable listen. I've read they added in some of the changes they do while performing live, and it did give an almost live-like experience, but with studio quality. Brandon Boyd's voice became annoyingly nasally, I think due to some kind of surgery, and I miss the original's beautiful and clear vocals. He still sounds great in the high notes though, and he can definitely still rock. Kudos to the drummer for consistently kicking ass throughout the album. A lot of the fun was from getting excited every time I realized which song was coming on. I still really want to see them live.

Nice To Know You The new intro is so ethereal! I'm not sure what to make of the choir-like backing vocals along the entire song. They don't hurt.

Circles The riffs in the beginning feel a little stiff and disconnected, but once the verse kicks in it feels better. I love the energy in the bridge. The ending is also pretty cool.

Wish You Were Here This one was a miss for me :( it lacks the flowing, almost liquidy sound of the original that made it one of my favorite songs. I don't know what kind of magic sauce they put in the original, but it's missing here, and the vocals don't make it any better.

Just a Phase Again, something is missing. It's like the guitar is slightly stiffer, more blunt than the original. The vocals at the final chorus don't rise high enough above the instrumentals, which spoils the awesome cathartic feeling that moment had in the original song. The feminine backing vocals caught me by surprise, but they sound good! And they make sense, with this song likely being from a woman's perspective ("call it women's intuition..."). The sneaky metallic sound at "they'll be throwing quarters at you on stage" was also a nice touch.

11 am The little "please" added before the last verse has my entire heart. The high notes don't quite hold up in this one :( I was sorry to see the moody, kind of muddy instrumentals replaced. Overall it feels like the same song with slightly less pleasing vocals.

Blood on the Ground I enjoyed this one! It has great energy, and the high notes are actually great. Brandon's rhythmic almost rap verses hold up way better than the rest of his vocals, it really just feels like a live performance. And the lyrics are so fun hehe

Mexico Beautiful song, and I would have been perfectly content with it if I hadn't heard the even more beautiful vocals of the original.

Warning nope. That nasally voice is taking over. no thank you.

Echo I'm torn about this one because it's one of my most listened to songs. I just love the original so much, mostly because of those lovely smooth vocals. The new version feel rougher, less floaty. The feminine back up vocals are back to soften it, which is nice. I do really like the new outro, and the drums are wonderful. It’s probably the best adaptation on the album, because it simply makes the song into something new.

Have You Ever Don't record me on that, but I think I might actually like this version better than the original 😮 It has such great energy! I love their heavy sound, it gets me completely in the zone.

Are You In The intro is nice, the instrumentals are smooth and flowing... I don't like the vocals in the beginning. It's sad because Brandon's technique and delivery are just as good as the original, but the voice itself is not as nice. Not his fault. After that, though, when we're back to the higher register, he sounds great.

Under My Umbrella This one I definitely like better than the original. Nice rhythm, nice energy, and the effect on the vocals in the beginning is a lot more subtle and less sterile. It just works better for me. I also liked the oriental bit before the final chorus.

Aqueous Transmission I was worried about this one, but it worked out. It's not as relaxing as the original, it's almost overwhelming at times, but it's still beautifully done. I'm glad they kept the frogs.

[inkperch]

What I would change: El

starting off strong with my all around faves (and buying more time for me to actually finish BLs but shh), the Black Eagles.

And swinging right for the fences: Edelgard.

No notes, perfection.

Jokes aside, first thing that comes to mind is getting rid of the stupid joke options in her rat support. Like, god I hated that- I didn't pick either, on my playthrough, and remember that support as one of her more interesting ones, only to see most people remember it for El's scream being cute. Which. Sigh.

Other than that, absolutely give her supports outside of her own house+ Lysithea. Even more than the other Lords, she's the one who needed that, and it baffles me she didn't get it, they would not only allow her to get some juicy conflicting stances on her whole plan, but they would give the game a chance to justify why the other characters are willing to fight and die against their own country. As for the neat character stuff of her only supporting with those in her own house (The whole 'she doesn't let anyone get closer than the mask she wears' thing Edge of Dawn is all about-), just keep all of her other supports locked to post timeskip- hammering home that your actions have allowed her to let down her walls, just a little, and believe that people will follow her even when they know the real her-

Probably for the specifics I'd say the feargus four would need it most on their end of it (to explain why those three would follow her against their actual, genuine, friend in CF) (I'll go into that more when I finish BL when I do the Lions) , Leonie could get a pretty neat one about the fact El is. Kinda sorta absolutely complicit in Jeralts death, and shes going to honour her promise to Jeralt to look out for Byleth, but she's not best pleased with where that path has lead her. And just to even it out between BL and GD, Lorenz would have a fascinating tension with El, given that he'd be aligned with her whether he wanted to be or not, placing him on significantly more shaky ground on whether or not she trusts him-

(Mercedes would also be a good shout for a support, especially seeing as there's a certain someone to motivate you to recruit her on CF, but I feel that would, execution wise, likely end up too similar to Manuela's supports)

Which yeah, just a general aside, I'm absolutely giving all four (yeah four, I'm doing Ashen Wolves too) Lords more supports all around. Lord Supports are like, the place to explore the different routes differing character motives- (not applicable to AW, but doesn't need to be all four of them are getting more supports)

And, one that may be more of a hot take than above: downplay the fuck out of the romantic implications, replace them with Byleth filling the parental void in El's life. This is, to be completely honest, my read of canon anyway, the 'oh look, El's got a crush' moments all read a lot more of a general 'oh look, El's embarrassed to admit she's got a softer side,', and it really enhances the foil status between her and Rhea/Serios to read her relationship with Byleth as her seeing them as a parent and mentor- for. Somewhat self explanatory reasons. Rhea is commiting atrocities to get her mother back, El softens enough to commit far less atrocities because she has someone who can fill that role in her life (and also. She just really needs good parental figures yall-) (I have no doubt I'm gonna feel the same about Dmitri when I'm done with BL, these kids just need parents who aren't dead-)

Also: give her a way to get her hands on Seiros' stuff. Hell, give her only the shield (odds you're using SwordEl are low anyway), tweak Rhea's stats to accommodate and have her always discard it as a sign of just how much she's slipping on a CF route- she's so thoroughly stopped giving a damn about her own safety it's sword only time, get ready to be stabbed-

Let El find it on some routes as like a side quest or a map specific thing (The overall lack of late game optional quests does annoy me a bit overall)

Also on gameplay: pleeeeease let me use El's cool armour look as Wyvern Knight. I wanna see her cool badass armour but I can't because I like being able to move--

One last story note: give us more about El's siblings. Tell us about them, make us feel their absence in the narrative. Probably easier to do through Hubie than through El herself, given her absolute point blank refusal to dwell on the past, but if handled right could work as a show of her character development- she's no longer charging blindly into the future, shes willing to confront the pain of her past. (especially could work if you actually got to fight the Slithers, preferably pre-final-boss, and so get too actually see the part where she finally gets out of her abusers thumb which oh yeah that's a whole chunk of her character I would handle differently that I'm saving for when I get to talking about the Slithers-)

I think that's about it? And yes I did go back to doing these as one per character, it was getting long shh, gonna go through the BE in whatever the hell that order they default too in menus is meant to be, then the Golden Deer, Blue Lions, Ashen Wolves, the church, and then the Slithers (and then probably one or two 'oops I forgot to mention this' posts lol) gonna try and do at least one a day.

[sulietsexual]

I remember T70s Show being your fave sitcom for you, and now it’s been sullied for you due to Danny Masterson. Have you replaced T70s Show with another sitcom? If so, which one?

While I can't stomach watching the show these days, I think I'll always count it as my favourite sitcom, if nothing else for nostalgia reasons. The series still has a myriad of jokes I quote all the time and I can still enjoy characters like Eric and Donna and their relationship.

Honestly, I had hopes that maybe That '90s Show could fill the void, and while I did very much enjoy the series, it wasn't given a fair chance. and so we never got to see it realise its' full potential.

These days if I'm looking for comedy my go-tos are Brooklyn 99, Scrubs and F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

[mellointheory]

Happy BHM! Hi! I'm Mello and I write fics mostly focused on the ppcrew members of the dsmp (Punz, Ant, occasional Foolish and Velvet as well). I tend to write a lot of religious themes and aus, and if I ever write a fic that does not involve blood or smoking in some capacity you will know that I have been killed and replaced. Here are some of my fave/best ones, with some snippets from them as well!

Hallowed Devourer, a gods and angels au where Punz is an angel of DreamXD wandering the mortal realm.

“I’ve cleansed you.” XD says in satisfaction. “Not a trace of rot remains. You’re pure now, and so I send you to those who are not.”

Punz reaches up and stretches his arms over his head, opens his wings wide until the feathers seem to reach from end to end of the island they stand upon. The hunger gnaws at his belly like a living thing.

“What do you want me to do?”

XD grins with the void of his face.

“Make them fear me.”

Broken Mirrors, Bleeding Hands, a himbros-focused au where Punz is a demon summoner and Foolish is his guardian angel

“Maybe it was compassion that I lost,” Foolish says finally. “But I don’t really know.”

“If you were really compassionate you would have just killed me by now.” Punz isn’t sure if they’re even being fair, but nor do they care.

“I will,” Foolish says gently. It sounds like a promise, and it’s more soothing than it ever really should be. 

“I’ll kill you when you fall too far,” the angel promises. It’s the kindest Foolish has ever really sounded.

God's Favorite Angel, a canon compliant fic exploring the concept of Punz and Foolish as the favored entertainment of DreamXD

Punz forces one last breath into their fragile lungs and XD pulls them under.

It’s like being on fire, being submerged in that pool of bled gold, dragged in by the hand around their throat. Then an arm slides under their shoulders and lifts them from depths. Molten gold streams from his skin as XD bends over him. The god’s arms are wrapped around him, keeping him from sinking back under the surface of the pool. He’s whole again, fractured body healed by the liquid they float in.

“I can fix you,” XD says tenderly, setting Punz down. It holds out a hand to them, taking a step back. The surface of the pool ripples around its robes.

“And I feed you, that’s the way it goes.” Punz reaches up and takes his hand.

Rafflesia Hearts, a velvetfrost focused superhero au following villain Velvet and hero Ant as they get way too mixed up in both the Crimson and each other.

“You saw the video. I can’t fucking do that again. That’s not hard to understand, right, cutie?”

“Don’t call me–”

“I’m not trying to manipulate you. I’m being dead fucking honest here.” Rafflesia takes a deep breath and lowers his hands. His fingers wind around each other and for a moment he’s almost entirely motionless, just standing there and staring Ant in the eyes. “I need your help, Grimalkin. I need you to save me.”

Ant growls.

There’s no way he’s this weak, right? There’s no way he’ll just give in and agree again, help the desperate, shaking man who stands in front of him. 

Right?

These are just a few examples of my more popular ones; I hope you enjoy!

[ortustheninth]

Remember that scene where Harrow points out the dick joke potential in the noniad to anyone willing to see them and Ortus goes ‘and I wouldn’t want anyone so crude and unclassy to be reading the noniad to begin with’ harrow might’ve not known it but they were talking about gideon. #gonebutnotforgotten

anyway the saddest part of the locked tomb is that we'll never get to see gideon and ortus interact :'(