#monster alt au arc

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

Monster alt au doodles, featuring full angel Gabriel and siren jonah.

Also bird Dave cause he’s funny

[sharkkofficial]

'There's no way this could go badly" Luci into the adamverse (2/5)

+original image. P.s Were-adam belongs to @shmorp-mcdurgen

[blackbogmire]

I'm really excited to finally share an ongoing project I've been writing for a couple months now! Good Genes has always been my favorite arc in 2003, and I wanted to find a way to work it into 2012's canon through an AU! It takes place during the arc where Karai is infected with a brain worm, and focuses on the conflicts around Donatello's (failed) attempts at finding a cure.

This fic is basically the 2012 version of "Adventures in Turtle Sitting"

Donatello ref

Monster ref

ALT covers

[darkwingphoenix]

Some of My Ideas for @loominggaia peoples

So, after seeing @kid-az post a thing about a new class of people, I decided to invent my OWN class of people for my AU, although this will NOT be happening in a WHILE.

Essentially, after I do the alt endings for my fic, I have a list of fics to post:

Unnamed fic about Saraia killing the Evangeline siege dragons with Skylie, and introduces the leviathans.

Ascendance: Fic where monsters in my AU gain souls and form a kingdom for themselves

Unnamed fic to help set up Ascendance and a couple other fics. Basically, Saraia and Skylie are vibing in Zareen when Project Starlight fails spectacularly, turning Damijana into the world's biggest creeper crater and forcing the two and King to survive the storm of ejecta in Zareen. Casualties are basically Damijana and like half of Zareen from the ejecta. Swiped this idea from kid-az's thing.

New fics introducing the new classes of people (Yes, multiple: Three, to be exact). Each fic is for each of the new classes encountering the Great Kingdoms (Including the Slegelse Damijani), in small multi chapter arcs. I'm talking like 2-4 chapters per Kingdom arc. Ascendance gets arcs too.

An unnamed Cobalt Evangeline X Sirene (I decided to ship Cobalt with a sirene lmao) where Cobalt, inspired by his big titty sirene GF (Yes, his GF WILL be a busty sirene, prolly with some nice hips too), tries to make slavery less legal in Evangeline. It helps he has trauma from Saraia attacking the Capital and realizing Skylie and Cyana are still alive (His parents said they died some time after they dipped). Skylie shows up to help him while in a disguise

Oneshot with Saraia attacking Evangeline Capital once she makes a mask for Cobalt.

Fic about Cyana and Angeline adopting and caring for a baby sirene

New Royal Gala oneshot set about 25 years after CAIL, with the new High Rulers (Winnie Mogdir, Cobalt Evangeline, Rustafi Fanaka (Yes, he gets to be king), Jaq Yerim-Mor, and whoever's first in line for Etios). May be during the time of the Cobalt fic.

Here's a link to a Google Docs about the species I added.

To add to the disaster that turned Damijana into Slegelse, it basically goes like this (And it gets called The Starblast):

Project Starlight fails so spectacularly Serafeen gets a stupid prize for her stupid game: Big ole fireworks, in the way of Damijana, and Iron Tower to be more precise, being turned into the world's first nuke since the Ancients made Gaia go Titanomachy.

Damijana, obviously, is no more after that, with Serafeen and the Council being right at Ground Zero and thus instantly vaporized, and almost all of Damijana was killed of or turned into ejecta that blasted much of the surrounding area, taking out Driza and Viersen and killing a LOT of people in Slegelse and areas beyond just Driza and Viersen.

Outside of an area like 30 miles away from Driza or Viersen, it didn't really do much beyond that (Saraia and Skylie would be about 15 miles away from Driza, likely going to deliver an environmentalist speech) when it goes off.

As for how it sets up Ascendance, the event is so full of magical energy it gives all monsters souls as Gaia needs to burn off the magic by making new souls. But not enough babies can be born to burn it off fast enough, so she emergency gives all monsters souls for Christmas. And now all monsters get souls now.

The monster soul thingy becomes known as Ascendance.

The portals to summon the new peoples becomes known as the Aftershocks, as many, especially in the World Athenaeum, think it was a sort of recursive ripple after the Starblast happened.

Overall, the whole disaster becomes known as the Ascendant Starblast

[cheemken]

Not prev but you and that other anon are talking about ygo so I thought ygo pokemon au?👀

Anon you're on to smth here👀👀

Omf wait no that's dope tho cjxmdm

Anyways here's what I think their ace monsters would be lmfao and like, what summoning method they'd specialize in bc why not lmfaooo

Lance - he would use Blue Eyes White Dragon let's be real, Blue Eyes Alt is his ace and he'd specialize in Fusion summoning, he probs has all the Blue Eyes Fusion monsters too; well, that or Felgrand bc Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand lowkey fits him

Steven - he has the vibes that he knows how to Link summon so let's give him G Golem Invalid Dolmen as his ace

Wallace - lowkey I think he'd have a similar deck to Ryoga and Rio, tho I'm leaning more on Rio's deck bc it fits his vibes so his ace would be Ice Princess Zereort or Number 94: Crystalzero

Cynthia - I want her ace to be Draco Berserker of Tenyi idk it fits the vibes bc it's like Garchomp, really strong but one Ice Beam would probs kill it lmfao

Iris - okay I know she'd have a full Dragon deck I just know it and her ace would be Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon. And ofc she's gonna be the main charac here and what yugioh mc hasn't gone through their bastardization arc amirite so she's also gonna have Number 62: Galaxy Eyes Prime Photon Dragon

Diantha - look w the pendant she has I want her to use Pendulum summoning okay she would, I want her to have both Abyss Actor and Solfachord decks, I picture her using Solfachord when out in public bc I see her as someone who'd be a dueltainer, and her ace in her Solfachord deck is ofc DoSolfachord Coolia. In her Abyss Actor deck she'd have Abyss Actor Superstar as her ace, and I picture her using this deck out of the public eye or maybe under a persona bc ofc, no one would expect the elegant shining actress of Kalos to use fiend type monsters, but she loves her Abyss Actors y'know, they're theatre kids like her lmfaooo

Hau - lowkey I see him having the Yosenju deck,, or like,, the Destiny Hero deck, but also the Elemental Hero deck fits him too. But I'm kinda leaning more on the Destiny Heroes one bc that deck plays heavily around the graveyard, and smth smth connection to Decidueye being a Ghost type and all that. Plus it'd be interesting ofc since like the Destiny Heroes deck are said to be based on vigilantes/anti heroes, and it'd be dope to see that while Hau is like, this really carefree guy, he has this side that's like, if you fuck around you're really gonna find out y'know what I'm saying hahah but yeah his ace is Destiny HERO Plasma and like, as a treat he'd also get Destiny HERO Dominance

Leon - okay this one I legit see him having the Odd Eyes deck, he'd also Pendulum summon, I want him and Dia to be dueltainers but Leon's really more on the entertaining side while Dia's there fucking everyone up w her Abyss Actors. It'd be dope too if he snaps he'd summon out Odd Eyes Raging Dragon, but yeah, his ace would be Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Tho, normal Odd Eyes and then Odd Eyes Advance also low-key fits his vibes

Geeta - okay Geeta I'd wanna give her the Six Samurai deck, mainly bc of Kingambit,,, and yeah hahah it'd be dope ig bc apparently there wasn't much?? Abt the Six Samurais until they added Legendary Six Samurai Shi En, so yeah that's gonna be Geeta's ace monster hahah I wanna say she's have that and Shadow of the Six Samurai Shien

[notthestarwar]

i'm Bee

this is a side blog but i like everything i reblog from my main to keep track

disclaimer that I am an adult and tbh I don't tend to police what i reblog. things may have mature themes and so i'd prefer minors not to follow me.

i'm a great believer in ship and let ship. if i don't vibe with something you like, i'm armed with both a filter list and a back button

i love to talk about tragedy and explore characters when i'm in a good mood. when i'm in a bad mood you can pretty much expect shitpost edits. i have a ridiculous sense of humour.

i suck at tagging. i pretty much fast reblog everything so any tags have to be added as an edit after the fact. posting is not even a little bit regular. i dont use my queue and do continuously reblog things whenever i'm feeling them.

i write sometimes. ao3: nottheoneyouwant

i'm still pretty new to writing and consider everything on there to be drafts pending rewrite if i'm honest. but theres no time frame for that, its largely just cause i'm a perfectionist lol.

i also make webweaves exploring various star wars characters

stuff i've made-

character webs:

Fox

Cody Cody 2

Boba

Kix

Obi Wan

Anakin (1 2 3 4 5)

Jango (1 2 3 4 5 6)

Is Jango a father to the clones

Clones

Some extra Jango quotes that didnt make it in to an actual web

Sources and text are in alt but pls let me know if there's any mistakes

Writing-

Shorter works

Prince of a thousand enemies (Fox after order 66 series)

You could make this place beautiful (cody mod. au character study)

Part of me died here so another could go on (Cody finds his brother)

Part of me died here so another could go on (Cody finds his brother)

Multichaps

When is a monster not a monster, oh when you love it (ghost jaster)

Dead from the beginning (anakin & obi wan timeloop)

What the living do (Ghost Jango haunts the negotigator) v1 v2

The last days of Jango Fett (police au. heavy on the corruption)

People rarely get what they deserve (jango & cody canon divergence)

Mand'alor the lost (myles & obi wan & satine look for jango)

[mand'alor the lost is only going here cause ppl have been asking about it lol. its finished and the arc is final, but i have full intentions of rewriting.]

[randomfoggytiger]

X-Files Collector’s Edition: Ghostly Hauntings and Experiences-- AUs

Mulder and Scully always find themselves in ghastly, ghostly situations-- but it’s even more fun to twist canon or at least stretch its limits a little bit. These fics feature AU Mulders and Scullys dealing with ghosts, as wells as other timelines where they become ghosts themselves. Let’s go!  

Loose chronological order below~ 

Dealing With Various Ghosts 

theramblinrose’s The Holinshed Ghost

Chapter 2  

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

““...So, the story has it that he got tired of her mouth and he killed her with an axe. It’s something of a joke, in the area, to remind all new brides of what happened to Marguerite Holinshed.”

“A word to wise women,” Mulder said with a laugh.

“Charming,” Scully responded.

“Beg your pardon, Ma’am,” Bernie said. “It’s just a local legend.”

“No, it’s fine,” Scully said. “Sometimes those legends hold keys that help us in understanding the people we’re dealing with and the possible background of the crimes that have been committed.””

Post Irresistible Scully has recovered enough to join her husband Mulder on a new ghost case in a small semi-superstitious town. The couple discuss her recovery, new levels of openness and intimacy, and their excitement over parenthood of their developing “alien” while solving the case in a Scooby Doo-esque “haunted” hotel with secret hallways.

The Holinshed Ghost is a part of theramblinrose’s unnamed series, where Mulder and Scully’s marriage and pregnancy replaces the abduction arc. LOVE these fics (especially when she paralleled it to the Aubrey storyline and carried that developing narrative through to End Game.) It’s riveting how she depicts the duo’s advanced bond while acknowledging the changes and slight growing pains their new relationship would bring; but tenderness and trust smooth most road bumps and pave the way for a better path ahead. Unfortunately, this series was never finished; BUT I can fill in the blanks by myself, thank you very much!

(*Note: As an aside, this story reminded me of Analise’s Haunted House and @dreamingofscully​​‘s Surely, to the sea -- soon to be on their own lists.*) 

prufrockslove/plenilune’s (Ao3, Alt. Gossamer, Geocities, Colonization HQ)

Finding Rokovoko (Ao3) 

“If a cure existed, Mulder would make the deal - leave the X-files, abandon his search for the truth. Do whatever Cancerman demanded in exchange for Scully’s life.

If a cure existed.

In the dark doorway of a ruined little building far across the courtyard, Mulder spotted three small, pale children, squatting, arms around their knees, and watching him. Or an optical illusion. Or some beige rocks. He didn’t know or care anymore.”

Post Never Again AU-- Mulder’s frustrations at Scully’s distance (after she had made moves on him and shut down immediately after) is halted by both her cancer revelation and by being stranded in the woods while squallies-- children with black eyes-- surround their car and confuse their directions. Scully’s health quickly deteriorates; and their only shelter leads them further into possible destruction and death... but also into the heart of the mystery of the Litchfield projects. There are only two teams, and both are monsters. 

Keleka’s Gray Ghosts 

“I can't help but wonder why I'm the one seeing ghosts on this trip.  Maybe I wouldn't be seeing them if I hadn't become more open to extreme possibilities in recent months.  Mulder would give up his accumulated leave to see this, but he's back in the hospital sleeping off a narcotic cocktail.” 

Post Theef-- Mulder and Scully bring TLG with them to investigate the violent deaths of the 47th Brigade. As Mulder plunges headlong into the alternate dimension of a vengeful demon- undeterred by his earlier proposal and recent injury at the hands of a possessed soldier- Scully grapples with her faith in religion, her father, and her military when she witnesses General Patton and his soldier ghosts praying in the cathedral. 

MD1016′s (FFN) Journal 2000 3/3

“For eight days he shadowed her every move, leaving her only for the handful of minutes he spent in the bathroom.  Dag brought in all the supplies they needed, but never stayed for more than a minute or two.  Her mother visited nearly every day, but never broached more than light conversation, and even that felt forced. Scully wasn't sure what Mulder had said to them, but it was clear by the way they looked at her as if she might foam at the mouth at any moment that he said something.

It was strange, suddenly seeing the world through the lens Mulder had worn for so many years, especially now that he was looking at her through the other side.  And, of course, that was the most difficult part.  That Mulder, for the first time, was on the outside peering in.”

Colonization Scully and Mulder are settling into a new location, waiting for their child’s arrival with the support of Maggie, TLG, and new friends. When Scully begins to question her own sanity-- taunted by her brother Charlie’s ghost and losing some of Mulder’s trust in the process-- she becomes increasingly afraid at the warnings only she can hear: that she, alone, will be have to face re-abduction to save Mulder and the planet. 

This is an incredibly strange follow up to the Colonization drama of Journal 2000 Parts 1 and 2-- I’m conflicted between liking parts (when Scully is proven correct) and parts where I believe my own criticisms are valid. Personally, though, when I’m in the mood to reread this mini-series I read Part 2 more: barely escaping their settlement, crashing in a lift in the woods, navigating the snow and temperature and tiredness, and waiting with baited breath as the mountains crack through the night airs with possible avalanche groans... those were my favorite moments (But that’s not this list, SO NEVER MIND.) 

Dealing With Their Own Ghostly Existence

Hestia01‘s (Ao3) The Next Great Mysery 1/ 2/

““Now we just have one question left. Where do we haunt?”

A wicked grin crosses Scully’s face, immediately mirrored by her partner. As usually, they’re thinking the same thing.

“Could be a federal offense.”

“Come and get me.”

In the blink of an eye, they stand together in the basement office they’d spent so much of their lives in. They both look around at it and have to smile, they’re home.”

Circa Post Paper Clip Scully rejects Heaven after death to keep Mulder company. She returns in time to witness his “death by grief”; and the two start kicking it, giggling at Skinner taking their poster and getting to box Bill in the nose. Everyone wises up to their antics and celebrates by marrying them. Then they all get bored of catering to ghosts, and Skinner “fires them to death.”

I laugh every time I think about the ending. 

Philiater’s Night House  

““Why do I get the feeling that this is more about satisfying your curiosity than my safety?" I said, trying to deflect his concern. 

"I'm always thinking of the paranormal possibilities, but I'm more worried about you. It's not like you to run off and buy houses on a whim." 

"No it's not," I admitted reluctantly, "but, I'll be fine. I have to go. Goodbye, Mulder."

I hung the phone up before he could say more. No one it seemed could fathom why I'd bought this dream house. I wasn't entirely sure I understood it either.”

Scully buys a haunted house, only to realize it is she who is haunting it.

Joyce’s

Revenant

“Here, shrouded beneath the greenwood, the stars are dimmer.  They do not dance like living flames to the music of the spheres.  The ocean of heaven does not shine with their fire.  I raise my vacant eyes to heaven, remembering the warmth of my dream, but see only pale crystals of ice glittering in the somber sky.  I reach up to touch my late companions in the dance, to grasp the hem of their robes in supplication, beseeching them to take me back.  My hand, more earth than flesh now, cannot reach the sky.  

I cry aloud my desolation, the horror of existence within this rotting shell.”  

Circa The End Mulder is raised from his heartwrenching death by Scully’s cry for help. He shambles- rotting- into the night to prevent her demise and to avenge his own. She releases his “debt” after he gruesomely stops her enemies.

Ghost in Her Life 1/  2/

““I wasn't supposed to die, Scully.  Get banged up, spend a week in the hospital with a broken shoulder, but dying wasn't on the agenda.  Somebody fouled up somewhere and to everyone's surprise out there, I showed up.  By the time the mistake was caught, there wasn't much use in sending me back.  Believe me, Scully, you really don't ever want to see what the inside of a brain looks like after it's been smushed into pate.  Yuck.””

A separate AU-- Mulder is killed by a baseball hit to the head, and Scully is horrified at his sudden death. That horror, however, turns to confusion, disbelief, and wavering acceptance when his ghost returns to explain that, because he wasn’t supposed to die YET, he’s stuck on earth until things are sorted out. Both find tentative happiness as they use his new enhancements to their advantage in investigations (despite the challenges of him having to manage his new corporeality and leech-like existence.) 

The Ghost at her Side 1/  2/  3/

“Mulder leaned carefully over the side of the desk, his arms folded behind his back, trying to avoid brushing against Skinner as he attempted to read the open file.  Two men murdered, both prominent citizens, and a police chief who asked for him by name, that was almost an X-File by itself.  Mulder tried to remember where he might have met Chief Anson Talbert.  The name was vaguely familiar, but the precise memory was elusive.  As Mulder craned over to read the opening paragraphs of the report, Skinner leaned forward to close the file and his head brushed against Mulder's face.  Skinner jerked with shock, shivering as the chill of Mulder's aura set his teeth aching.  Mulder shuddered violently and fled to the far corner of the room, trying to shake the horror of feeling a living body pass through him.” 

It still isn’t easy being a ghost-- Mulder and Scully are still solving crimes; but the greatest challenges are still adjustments for Mulder and vulnerabilities for Scully. Both help the other with their struggles and find new allies in like-minded Chief Talbert and slow-learning new partner Agent Ambercrombie.

The Ghost in the Dark

“With her new-found sensitivity to Mulder's moods, helped by the fact that he turned odd shades of gray according to the prevailing emotion, Scully decided that she could finish her quarterly expense report at home.  Death really hadn't changed Mulder all that much.  As long as there was a case to keep him occupied, he seemed to accept being a ghostly appendage to her life.  He had been on his best behavior despite the boredom of no new case in nearly three weeks, but she was well aware of his growing restlessness.  She had been bracing for an outbreak of mischief in the upper levels of the FBI building for nearly a week now; it was like waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Mulder was going to get into mischief.  The only question was how much chaos was he going to leave in his wake.” 

While Ghost Mulder is wandering around on Halloween, he is abruptly summoned by an unapologetic woman who needs help dealing with the local bullies. The poorer kids haven’t been able to trick-or-treat like those in safer areas, and her righteous indignation ignites Mulder’s protective anger to permanently quell the chaos.  Old and new wounds are healed with the balm of acceptance and love that no one else but Scully had given him in life or death.

I cannot state ENOUGH how BEAUTIFUL these are. Ahhh, the perfect sting-- that tightrope between pain in life and pleasure in death; transformed purpose; and the existential question of life, meaning, and joy through suffering. ALL of these fics are so, so, SO good. (Confession time: I’ve only thoroughly read Revenant and The Ghost in the Dark, but the others are just as good-- though I don’t know if they’re just as GOOD good. HIGHLY recommend you at LEAST read those two. ...Wow, look at all these words that capitalized-- you could say that I’m passionate about these fics, y’know, hypothetically~.) 

threeguesses’s (Live Journal, DreamWidth) 

And if I make my bed in Sheol (DreamWidth)

“When she wakes up, he is still there, watching her from a chair.  “You don't exist,” she says, but goes into to the bathroom to change anyways.

He is still there when she eats breakfast.  And when she unloads the dishwasher.  And when she leaves for work.  And when she comes home.

A week later, and he is still there.  Scully has stopped telling him that he isn’t real.  Talking to one’s delusions is probably not the best route to mental wellness.”

Mulder dies when Scully is not there to back him up. His ghost finally breaks her denial at acknowledging his presence; but his victory is short-lived when she begins to give up living life to stay in her apartment with his trapped soul. 

Jenna Tooms/misslucyjane’s (Ao3, mulderscreek)

Ghost- A Love Story (Ao3, Goss) 

“Her hair is silver and her face is lined, but her eyes are still bright and her mouth still a cupid’s bow. Her voice has a slight quaver but it still reminds me of syrup over pancakes, husky and warm and soothing. Her hands aren’t as steady as they once where, but she hasn’t wielded a scalpel in years. Nowadays her hands mostly cook and caress her grand-nephews and -nieces, tend her roses and linger over old photographs.

I watch her and she doesn’t know it. I watch her read or garden or watch her beloved old movies. I watch her slowly brush her hair, her eyes far away and dreamy. I watch her eat and sleep and talk, and I marvel at how little she’s changed.”

Mulder is killed... but, stubborn ghost that he is, he’s not ready to cross into the beyond. He follows Scully around and happily observes her griefs, joys, and full life until one day she is able to join him. 

WELP, what a way to cap off this list. Love all these fics in their own, unique ways (of course) and hope you all-- 

Enjoy!

[doomed-era]

AU/Sideblog Masterpost

Alternate Triforce/ALT — main AU, essentially a Zelda and Ganon Triforce swap with sentient monsters, body horror, and a 30 page worldbuilding document I have on my PC. I've been working on it since 2017 and I don't know if I'll ever stop. I usually refer to Link, Ganon, and Zelda from this AU as Jo, Blue Lug, and Diosia.

Golden Blood on His Hands/GBoH — secondary AU mostly based in Breath of the Wild, though I've developed some other characters outside of it. It was originally inspired by a comic, and is basically a BotW Link corruption arc (he, um, tries to stab Zelda.) I usually refer to Link, Zelda, and Hylia as Gaffen, Widget, and Her Birdliness respectively.

Other AUs I have — I post about other Zelda FCs I have on here from time to time! Most of them are less developed than my main ones, the exception being probably Leylines, which is a collaboration. I don't have a tag for this but I will probably make one!

my art — zelda art I post on here!

glider rambles — Exactly What It Says On the Tin. zelda meta analysis, random babbling, stuff about my aus, etc

@alternate-triforce — Alternate Triforce comic

@waterglider0 — this is technically my main blog but yeah

@glidersdoodles — the actual art account

Instagram DeviantArt Twitter Archive of Our Own

Breath of the Wild Sheikah font found here

[romanticslimecreature]

20 Questions for Writers

Thanks to @organchordsandlightning for the tag! I'm going to use both of my accounts, tinytardismilkshake and LoyalMonsterFan, for this.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

62! 49 on tinytardismilkshake and 13 on LoyalMonsterFan.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

36,951 (tinytardismilkshake) + 23,242 on LoyalMonsterFan, so 60,193 total!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Lately it's mostly been Malevolent! These characters have eaten my brain for the last two years. I am open to branching out - just waiting for something to grab me.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

I'll just list the top five for both accounts.

Tinytardismilkshake:

- How Dare You Love Me Lile You've Never Known Fear

- Steal Me Softly From The Darkness

- My Heart Is Big Enough For You

- Heart to Heart, Hand in Hand

- In My Dreams I See Your Face

LoyalMonsterFan:

- A Game To Pass The Time

- You're Half of the Flesh and Blood That Makes Me Whole

- Recrown the Creation

- As Fast As Your Heart

- Now That It's You, Now That There's Us

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, always! Even if all I can think of is a generic "Thank you!" XD

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Pitcher Plant! I wrote it for a horror exchange and it shows.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is a tricky one! I write a lot of hurt/comfort, and a lot of cute snippets that can hardly be said to have an "ending." I'm going to go with Holding Onto You! A kiss and an animal companion are great elements of a happy ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope! If I were in a bigger fandom I might, LOL. Small fandoms are fun.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, and only on LoyalMonsterFan! I don't care who in the fandom sphere of the internet knows both are me anymore, but still - I feel like I can let loose a bit more on an alt account.

As for what kind, mostly body-sharing zex with some monster/human sex in there too. Fun stuff!

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I've only ever written one crossover, Malevolent and Monstrous Agonies. I had to put the Malevolent side into a modern AU for my idea, but I wouldn't call the crossover particularly crazy.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Someone translated These Are Lonely Times, a Deltarune fic I wrote.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not exactly. One time a friend if mine and I decided to each write our own fic based on the same idea, and that's how we ended up with A Game To Pass The Time (mine) and we're all just killing time (theirs).

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I'm contractually obligated to say John/Arthur for the sheer impact they've had on my mind. I wrote my first smut for them!

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have one called "Alive in Full Bloom" that's been in draft purgatory for over a year. It's about Arthur exploring gender nonconformity with John and John being a good friend to navigate this with since he isn't bogged down by human societal rules. By now, it's been long enough that I'm not sure mine will ever see the light of day. Luckily, some other writers have written great takes on the same premise!

16. What are your writing strengths?

My favorite complimemt I've ever gotten on my writing style is that my fics seem "lived in." (Thanks, Croik!) I write short fics, and I'm told I can pack a lot of feelings into a small bite.

At the risk of bragging, I also like my character voices and how I describe eldritch things. It's really tricky describing the undescribable, but I've worked at it and I'm proud of the ideas I've conveyed.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot! The fics I write are so short they're usually just one scene. Any time I try to write something with plot and an arc I'm practically tearing my hair out and I still end up with something under 5k. I like my short fic! And I am really proud of the ones I've managed to get over 4k with some semblance of an arc. I just wish I also had the power to give some of my ideas the 10k+ length they deserve.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'm not nearly fluent in any other languages, so I'd worry about it sounding wrong. I'd have to ask a native speaker if I ever wanted to use another language for dialogue.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Doctor Who! Unless you count the Phineas and Ferb "episodes" I wrote as a young kid that are not published anywhere on the internet.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Cambiare! My beautiful longfic (4,840 words) full of introspection and character development and monstrous philosophy. Even though it didn't turn out as long as I plannd/hoped, I'm really proud of the end result.

I'll tag: @croik @kahtiihma @digitalis-obscura and anyone else who wants to participate!

[unknownarmageddon]

Sondertale:

In this au, Horror, Dust, Cross, Killer, Error, and Nightmare are entities simply called Monsters that live in a vast secluded forest. here they hunt humans, other animals, and just do general cryptid things y’know how it is. this one and that majority of the stuff tied to it is like. one or two years old by now so bear with me wailing

Forest Map

Tumblr Tag

Tryst (Killer)’s ref

Alpas (Cross)’s ref

Death’s Doorstep

in this au, Killer is the lead vocalist and guitar for an indie alt/rock/punk band called Death’s Doorstep. His fellow bandmates include: Horror (drums), Cross (guitar), and Dust (bass and backing vocals).

WILL BE REBOOTED (links currently unavailable)

Apocalyptic Kross AU

This AU is owned by me and psycho-chair. This is, as the name suggests, an apocalyptic AU mostly centered around its versions of Cross and Killer as they traverse the dying, destroyed, and dangerous world they find themselves in after humans set off bombs on the cities more welcoming to monsters in an attempt to eradicate monsterkind. It is (currently) separated into four arcs: Proximity Arc, Distance Arc, Sunrise arc, and Lovelorn arc. Sunrise and Lovelorn act as two separate “endings”.

Main Tumblr tag

Other Tumblr tag (currently unused, but good for information)

Cross’s ref

Killer’s ref

Sirius

This au is sci-fi based and generally dystopian, set around thirty plus years after the end of normal life on several planets. In this au Cross is a bounty hunter and Killer is a rogue assassin both on the run together from Killer’s past employer after Cross’s failed attempt at turning in Killer’s bounty.

Fanfic

tumblr tag

Cross and Killer’s ref

Rental Suits

In this more modern Kross AU (owned by both me and psycho-chair), Cross works at a gas station and Killer frequently loiters around said gas station. They first met when Killer came in and stole a pack of energy drinks. (There is a lot more to it, but it’s a Lot, and i have not figured out how to summarize it all. mess around in the tag if you wanna know more i guess WEEPING)

Tumblr tag

Chair’s initial tags

Fear The Forest

This is a kross au owned by both my and psycho-chair in which cross and killer are massive, tree-like eldritch beings that inhabit and roam a dense forest fairly far away from civilization

tumblr tag

cross and killer’s ref

Forces of Nature AU

this is an au owned by me and psycho-chair, formed from the concept by justanidiotartist, in which cross and killer are two forces of nature, killer being lightning, cross being tornado. they frequently fight, generating large scale storms and causing destruction

tumblr tag

killer’s ref

cross’s ref

Deja Vu AU

kross au (in a more modern setting) in which cross is caught in a timeloop. he and killer make a promise to each other to get out of this town they’re stuck in. but, they get caught up in trouble and crime after killer kills the owner of a house they were robbing for money. cross is forced to live these conflicts over and over as the loop resets each time, with nothing to stop it, seemingly as if cross’s turmoil is the trigger

initial post; elaborates on the concept more

cross and killer’s ref

tumblr tag

Horns and Wings

classic demons and angels style kross-focused au, in which cross is a fallen angel cast out from heaven, and killer is a demon still tied to hell. they had met long prior on the battlefield between angels and demons. right now, it doesn’t have much of a set story yet, and is mostly character focused

cross and killer’s ref

tumblr tag

[wlwdwtys]

!!!!!!!!!!autism won indeed. Wow this is very fucking tragic I wanna shake them by their shoulders or something until they realise that experiencing emotions, even negative is human and normal and doesn't make them or anyone else less of a person. Isn't it ironic how Phil and Tubbo seem to be doing a similar thing? Holding onto their humanity desperately by putting themselves in various constraints which also bring them pain but also a sense of content due to self-righteousness for Tubbo and attachment or love, I assume, for Phil. Now I'm thinking about how Fault!Tubbo would potentially react to meeting Tommy from my Turn the lights off au. Rant incoming.

Basically, TTLO!Tommy is a very angry individual. He deserves to be. It is indeed righteous, burning anger, sometimes literally cause fire powers. But at the same time he *is* a good person. Even if he might think that he isn't because he hurts people sometimes due to attachment issues and stuff, he obviously is. What was done to him was indeed unfair as fuck and he has a right to be angry about it. His arc about dealing with the past does end eventually though, with him accepting the fact that this anger won't leave. That he can't exactly just throw it away or pretend it never happened. It is a part of him. And he has to learn to accept it.

So, considering that fact.. Fault!Tubbo meeting TTLO!Tommy. (Ignoring void madness) Who looks like their best friend but isn't. Who is angry, who doesn't seem to blame himself for what happened, at least on the surface. Who was hurt and hurt or almost hurt others. But who, well, is a good person despite that. Like, would they value the morals that they have above this and deem Ttlo!Tommy as a monster, (the same as everyone else. He's been dehumanised plenty. And assuming that they have a talk about it, probably he'd admit it too), or would they actually start to suspect that anger may actually be a good thing occasionally. May be a thing to accept and not try to push away or feel guilty about. Also Ttlo has a character who I've pushed some narcissistic and or sociopathic traits into (specifically the need for attention, struggling with empathy, dehumanising others, impulsivity, the grandiose and self-hatred mixed together). Who is also trying his best to heal from his past and be a better person overall. So.. exposure to people who struggle with empathy and just traits that you'd typically imagine for a bad guy to have. And despite that are good people. Curious.

I'd be honoured if someone actually read that fully, lol. Besides Alt. Hello Alt. I know you're here. Thank you as well.

This one's just for me y'all imma be real

This is a pointless character analysis essay of chapter 33 of Fault bc I realized I had a lot of thoughts that would be difficult to fully explore via the limited pov of the characters. Because frankly Tubbo lacks the emotional maturity to take a step back and see the fullness of the picture, especially as it’s their warped mental health that I wish to examine. 

The angle I’ll be exploring is this: Tubbo neglects their injuries as an act of punitive self-harm born from guilt. 

Cw: physical/emotional self-harm via neglect, examination of guilt, ableist logic, religious mention. Pure angst bby. 

A few important details so this isn’t 100% incomprehensible:

Tubbo is a staunch pacifist.

Tubbo technically murdered an OC named Rosalind by adding her to their hive mind.

Tubbo lost their legs thanks to The Blade and is in massive amounts of pain that they cope with by ignoring it. 

Tubbo is a flawed character and obviously has a lot of incorrect ideas that should not be conflated with the author’s. I'd particularly like to stress this on the 'disability as punishment' angle, as significant time will be spent dismantling that but not within this essay as this is strictly an identification of Tubbos' flawed mindset and not a discussion on fixing it.

The basis for chapter 33 is essentially a microcosm of Tubbos’ increasingly maladaptive responses to pain. Chiefly, repressing pain and verbally lashing out at Philza with arguable justification, culminating in contemplating destroying their hand (forcing Rhodes to stop them) before the group realizes their broken legs have healed incorrectly in an irreversible fashion. When writing, the original question was ‘why is Tubbo acting like this?’ with a succinct answer of ‘pain’. But when reviewing it I came to another question: why did Tubbo choose to cope with the pain by ignoring it? The original answer was in their history of dissociation and fear of being weak around dangerous people. But I think that’s only the part Tubbo is aware of because on re-examination I found it ran far deeper. 

It all comes back to guilt. Surprise surprise a fic named Fault deals heavily with guilt. Essentially, Tubbo subconsciously views their legs being ripped apart as justice for Tubbo ripping Rosalind apart. The pain then is deserved. They choose to accept the pain and try to push past it even as it grows worse due to neglect. This results in Tubbo not taking the proper steps to heal, creating extreme medical complications. 

A large contributing factor comes from the backgrounds of hive members in Tubbos’ system. Rhodes, a lawyer, acted for decades as the hand of the punitive system, which emphasizes punishment as the correct treatment to deter future crimes. And then with Rosalind’s Catholic upbringing (which is mostly implied, but that’s my authorial intent), there’s that good old religious guilt, particularly with the concept of misfortune being a divine retribution for sin. Combined, The Blade disabling Tubbo becomes an act of (the blood) god to punish Tubbo for their crime, which they must accept in order to ensure they don’t ever do it again. To properly take care of themselves would get in the way of their deserved damnation. 

Which…obviously big yikes on many levels that hopefully I don't need to explain.

In the sense of a DID system which the hive mind resembles (in certain aspects), Tubbo takes on the role of the persecutor as a way to punish themselves for (arguably) murdering someone. They blame their self-loathing on Rosalind because on some level they recognize it to be a bad thing, but regard it as deserved if it’s from her, further fueling their guilt and justification of their self-harm. In actuality, their ‘penance’ is actively hurting the victim as well as themselves.

Additionally, commenter MossyWizard brought up dsmp!Tubbo’s self dehumanization. And I think there could very easily be a reading for that here. Fault!Tubbo has a problem of dehumanizing people. This can be partly attributed to the Foundation training that Rosalind had. Tubbo doesn’t have generalized dehumanization of anomalies, since they are one and that would include people they like (ie Tommy). Instead, it combines with their sense of morality and results in them dehumanizing people they deem ‘evil’ such as Philza or The Blade. Part of chapter 33 deals heavily with Tubbo refusing to acknowledge Philza’s personhood under the claim that he doesn’t experience empathy (abundantly untrue, and also empathy is not the marker of someone’s humanity nor their capacity for kindness). 

An excerpt that I believe highlights a compounding issue in Tubbos’ philosophies: [“You’re filled with a lot of anger, Tubbo,” [Philza] said quietly. / “No. We’re not angry; we’re a nice person.” / …“Please don’t misunderstand me, I do not condemn anger.” / “Maybe you should.”]

Tubbo shies away from emotions deemed negative (anger, fear), twisting them into something they view as positive (righteousness). It’s possible Tubbo is terrified of acknowledging their anger because they heavily associate anger with Phil, given he’s a god of wrath. The logic line is thus 1. bad emotions = bad person and 2. bad person = not a person. Tubbo is then terrified of being a bad person while having to exist under their current morality framework. 

Notably, Guilt is exempt from being deemed as a ‘bad’ emotion due to it being an aspect of empathy, which falls in line with Tubbos’ concept of empathy being a component of humanity. Tubbo (incorrectly) assumes that Philza and The Blade do not feel guilt, and so feeding their guilt becomes almost proof of them being good and thus still a person. 

In conclusion, Tubbo has a lot to unpack before they can begin to heal. Motto of Fault really. Tldr; Tubbo neglects their health due to perceiving their injuries as deserved and wallows in guilt as a desperate response to maintain their perceived status as a good person (and thus a person at all). This gels rather nicely with Tommy’s perception of punishment, and it is this foil that will eventually pull Tubbo out of their spiral and have a healthier relationship with guilt, beginning their shift away from punitive to restorative justice. Thus concludes my TED talk. As you can tell the autism won today.

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

You mentioned something about Adam being a werewolf in the monster au? What exactly would he look like if that's the case?

Something like this probably

[chryzure-archive]

OKAY, thoughts on the movie: Mid. But like. Low Mid. the movie i was completely rewriting from scratch in my head was entertaining though. and the ex boyfriend is my boyfriend now. i’m kissing him on the mouth as we speak.

[sweetcloverheart]

Clover Rants Miraculously

I think I’ve complained about this before, but MLB has a terrible habit of telling you to hate a characters instead of simply letting the dislike form naturally.

Like, take Chloe for example - it was easy to hate her in season 1 because she was being the stereotypical bully and causing Marinette (and the rest of the class and city) problems while acting in a way that earned negativity from the audience. There was no need for the show to go out of the way and make her hateable because she did that well enough on her own while making her an interesting and dynamic character. Then the season 3 finale happened, and it, along with season 4′s portrayal of her, her previous arc as a temp hero, and Thomas’s responses to (genuine and bad faith) questions about it on twitter saw a surge of Chloe defense because hell if Thomas and the writing crew were not determined to shout from the rooftops about how Chloe was the spawn of Satan with a pitchblack soul of coal and you had to think this too or else you likely ate puppies. Every scene she was in was basically the audience constantly being berated with “Hate Chloe Bourgeois or else!” signs while trying to enjoy the episode that just caused them to roll their eyes because really? The dumb blonde girl who’s entire modus operandus is “Threaten to call daddy mayor” is supposed to be seen as an utter monster who’s within the same ranks as the man who, in an alt-timeline, beat his son and then tried to brainwash him into being his magic servant to hurt his girlfriend (“Chat Blanc”)? I mean, outside of the near traincrash she caused as Queen Bee (Which they had her show remorse for, even if they didn’t handle the aftermath all that well) and her actions as Miracle Queen, Chloe is just an entitled bully with a superiority complex. Just get the girl some therapy and cut access to her credit cards and problem solved.

Felix’s entire intro episode is about how he’s such an awful conniving little brat in comparison to our beloved blonde angel Adrien - which he was, and we all loved him for it! and the fact that Thomas and co. didn’t want this just made everyone love him more out of spite. Probably helped that he absolutely seemed to revile Gabemoth and helped move along the Agreste side of the plotline by uncovering important secrets/lore Which should have been happening for our Deutagonist seeing as how this involves his father and mother but you know what let’s move on as well as him being based off the PV!Felix whom Thomas openly hated - so that just meant the fandom should definitely love him more and create thousands of AUs where he gets the Black Cat (or Butterfly) miraculous instead. (Of course, now that he’s on his way to redemption, he’s definitely going to head straight into base-breaking territory, though I feel the writers are just going to sour him on everyone if they play this the same way they did his intro)

Lila was fun to dislike and theorize about after her debut in Volpina - like, the amount of recurring villain Volpina, antihero!Lila, and Butterfly!Lila fanart I saw back then was immense. That’s how much of a splash she made. Then Thomas shuffled her off into the void and left her there for a majority of the show until “Heroes Day/Catalyst”, and when she finally got another focus episode (“Chameleon”), the entire thing spent so much time harping about what an awful and terrible liar she was and how “evil” it was to deceive everyone that people started hating her less for that and began hating the class and Bustier more for being stupid enough to fall for such obvious fibs (though in their defense, that’s more fault of the plot twisting itself into pretzel shapes so that Lila schemes can work when they really shouldn’t), and it worsened with “Ladybug” because everyone was so quick to turn on Marinette in it (and that the school apparently doesn’t have security cameras or bothered to call Lila’s mom considering her daughter was apparently assaulted on school grounds) that it just worsened the class salt the previously mentioned “Chameleon” brought upon. The final nail in the “Hate Lila or else” coffin ended up being the bible spoilers, which just made almost everyone stan her out of spite because when you have the show creators claim a lying teenage girl is more capable of greater evil than the magical emotionally manipulative terrorist, that tells me a lot of things except what you’re trying to claim.

Even Su Han, who isn’t a villain, is victim to this - he’s basically supposed to be representative of the fandom criticism of the show and Fu, who’s only purpose is to yell at Ladybug for “not doing guardianing right” before either being proven wrong (“Furious Fu” and “Ephemeral”) or admitting he’s the actual screw up (“Evolution”). Naturally, fandom responded by either making him the replacement mentor for Fu in their fics/AU that actually helps Maribug and Adrichat and proves a competent ally, or actually make him a decent opposing force.

Meanwhile, the characters they want the fandom to like are immediately hated because they’re just put off by how obvious they are about it - Poor Zoe was hyped to heaven and back, ultimately causing her to be immediately reviled by a lot of the fandom (mostly by those who were still bitter about losing out on Ally!Chloe) in her debut, and disliked even more when her temp hero episode had every character and their mother praising her on how nice she was and how she was so much better than icky Chloe. The constantly being told about how “good and pure” Emilie was despite being given nothing on her life before the Peacock miraculous and Gabriel has caused a number of people to create Evil!Emilie aus where she’s just as much of a self-centered megalomaniac as old Gabemoth. And Gabriel himself is basically the #1 hated villain not just because he’s, as stated, a magical emotionally manipulative terrorist, but also because the show is trying so hard to make him out to be this “sympathetic grey character” who “just loves his family” when he’s done nothing to show this (Hell, his actions the past 4-5 seasons basically showed the exact opposite), not to mention how inconsistent he seems to be with his goals and the lack of competence he’s shown despite apparently being so “smart and sophisticated” (Like my man, you had a time traveling miraculous and have one that can give you any superpower you want - Emilie should have been out of that magical cryocoffin and tap dancing right now)

tldr; Don’t “tell” your audience to hate a character. They can do it fine on their own.

[kitsunes-multiverse]

Welcome to my AU blog!

So, this works similarly to an ask blog. You can ask the various alts questions, or ask questions about them and their respective universes. All universes contain the same characters, as is expected, but there's always a difference. I will mostly be using Christopher and Kitsune because they mainly star in said AUs, but every now and then I'll draw someone else too.

Tag list: @drsweetcake @arc-carnes @sarahthebookdragon @tessathepeanut

Also, now I'll be posting my stories here too- so anyone who doesn't have Wattpad can read them!

Every alt has their own nickname, which I will add below this paragraph. But before I do- some brief rules. No being rude or disrespectful. No homophobia, transphobia, or any bigotry is tolerated here.

Anyways, onto the AUs and their nicknames! (I'll update as time progresses) Kitsune's nickname will come first, and then Christopher's.

Cyanide Squad (aka the original) - Kitsune (Kit for short) and Christopher (Chris for short)

Dynamite Squad = Shi and Cris

Sinner Squad = Scarlet and Churro

Cyanide Tears = Mirror and Shard

Cyanide Laced Dreams = Six and Seven

Sara SMP = Ghostsune and Chrisza

Black Rose Petals = Saiko and Noire

Cyanide Cafe = Mocha and Latte

Girlfriend from Hell = Sakuya and Halo

Parenting is Nuts = Insecta and Glass

Century of Hallways = Hex and Phantom

Woman in the Woods = Spectaire and Spiritus

Happy Days Will Never Be Granted (that's a fuckin mouthful) = Hyacinth and Chrysa

Flowers and Enderpearls = Petal and Chrisboo

Angel of Death = Death and Azrael

It's Not Me It's My Reflection = Pastel and Ember

Cryptic Kitsune = Marie and Nex

The Witch Amongst the Crows = Raven and Eclipse

Circus Monsters = Bete and Larua

Cinnamon and Snow = Gingersnap and Snowflake

Moth in the Spider's Web = Mothi and Archa

Chris's Garden = Trixy and Apple

Heaven's Favorite Butterfly = Sulphur and Skoros

Ghost Hunter's Demon = Jinx and Tetre

[thanksjro]

More Than Meets the Eye #32 - Nobody’s Ever Actually Dead in Comic Books

Our band of merry guys-who-weren’t-on-the-Lost-Light-in-issue-#1 approach the shattered husk of the Lost Light, in a gruesome scene that is only slightly marred by the graphic design.

Font doesn’t really suggest danger, does it? Here, for comparison, is something I slapped together in fifteen minutes (including recreation of background) using a font I got off a free font site.

Now, one could say that my version is rather derivative, flat, and arguably cliche, but you know what else it is? Appropriate for the fucking mood of having found a destroyed, hemorrhaging ship after everyone you knew disappeared.

I’m available, IDW! Hit me up.

Theorizing that this is the ship that the Coffin Rodimus came from- remember that? It was a few issues ago- the gang flies in for a closer look. The ship blood is actually something called quantum foam, which allows for quantum space travel to happen. It’s not supposed to be outside of the quantum quills, but the ship’s pretty junked up, so it is.

Because the ship is so very full of holes, the gang can set down for repairs pretty easy. They land in Swerve’s, finding it in less-than-pristine condition. They also find evidence of Crosscut having gotten creative, as a poster for the play he was working on is hung up in the room. Considering he was still writing it when he disappeared, this might seem a bit odd. But then you remember that this is a ship from the future, and it stops being so odd.

Because this is a future ship, with evidence that Crosscut did some stuff, it stands to reason that, at some point, everyone is going to come back from being disappeared.

Just to die.

Which is a bummer, but one crisis at a time.

Megatron disembarks the Rod Pod, with Ravage following, and everyone is just a touch put off by the duo. Everyone but Nautica, who proceeds to commit a microaggression.

Nautica, that’s Soundwave’s father you’re petting like a common animal.

Ravage, angered by this over-familiarity, swats at her. Skids questions letting an active Decepticon roam around, but Megatron brushes off these concerns, saying that finding any still-living crew members is more important. With that, the search begins.

The gang splits up to look for clues, despite Riptide thinking this is a horrible idea. They’re on the clock for this one- the quantum foam is liable to explode if it touches anything, and there’s an awful lot of the stuff floating around right now.

Nightbeat and Nautica leave the rest of the group to their own work, seeing as Nautica has the most appropriate alt-mode for traversing the gaps in the ship.

Man, that’s pretty cool. Wish Nautica hadn’t been regulated to being “girl best friend” for her character arcs, I would have loved to see her do some neat stuff for her own development. Guess that’s what happens when you get introduced as main cast late, and have to compete with all the faves who had dozens of issues to be established and who also don’t have to deal with the whole “token girl character” thing.

The rest of the gang- Megatron, Ravage, Riptide, Skids, and Getaway- start looking in the area they’re already in. Seems a little lopsided, but whatever.

Ravage finds someone almost immediately, identifying Ultra Magnus through smell alone. Only, it isn’t just Ultra Magnus.

The Magnus armor lays not terribly far away, having had its hands cut off to prevent the recall signal from being activated before being gut-murdered.

Gut-murdered wiTH A FUSION CANNON, MEGATRON

Of course, Megatron was forced to destroy his fusion canon after it was decided he would be joining the Lost Light, but you can buy these things off the black market like it’s nothing. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brainstorm had a few stashed in his lab.

As it currently stands, nobody can trust the guy who has a storied past of killing Autobots, on a future ship where the only folks who could stop him are dead. Megatron, at least, has the good sense to not argue this fact, and suggests that the boys lock both Ravage and himself up until they suss out exactly what happened.

Meanwhile, over with Nautica and Nightbeat, we run through all the weird shit that’s happened in the last day or so.

Nautica, you’ve been on this ship for months now. How did you miss the fact that the only couple within 800 miles got annihilated by way of Phase Sixer? I feel like that attack might have come up at some point.

Since they’re on the subject of spouses, Nightbeat asks Nautica if she’s married, or if she has friends. Though noting that such a direct line of questioning might get him slapped with someone else, Nautica reveals that she is single, though she does have a best friend. Nightbeat is also single, probably because he pulls shit like this.

While this conversation is going on, Nautica uses her Sonic Screwdriver wrench to open a door with the literal push of a button. Brainstorm tricked out her wrench so hard it turned into a magic wand, which is good, because they’re going to need all the help they can get now that space is literally warping around them thanks to the quantum foam.

Nautica kicks something on the elevator, and that something turns out to be Brainstorm’s mysterious briefcase. Too bad Swerve is gone, he was so invested in what it contained. Luckily, Nightbeat is just as interested.

Back over on the other side of the ship, it seems as though Megatron kept his word about not resisting, as both he and Ravage have been locked in a cabinet. Wonder how that’s going for them.

Oh, better than I expected.

Ravage is fucking pissed that Megatron joined the Autobots, thereby turning his back on everyone who supported his cause during the last four million years. Despite this grievous betrayal though, the Decepticons haven’t stopped moving. Turns out, Galvatron’s in charge now.

But only if Autobot Megatron isn’t some sort of ploy.

It’s at this point that we learn just why Ravage is here to begin with- to see if Megatron’s truly given up the Decepticons, and if he has, to murder him. But first he’d like to know why this is happening.

Megatron views himself as a monster, having perpetuated a war that ended the lives of billions, destroyed the Cybertronian way of life, ostracized his race from the rest of the universe, and killing just to have something to do. He doesn’t like feeling this way about himself, so he decided to walk away from that life by joining the other team.

Don’t think it’s quite that easy to do, but okay.

Ravage isn’t so sure that this change of heart is going to stick, still convinced that Megatron will snap back to his old self with just a bit more time. Problem is, Megatron may not have a ton of that resource left.

Didn’t they build that body in like an hour so you wouldn’t die? Yeah, no wonder it feels as ill-fitting as a twenty-dollar suit. Thing’s probably made out of pig iron and duct tape.

The lights come on before further self-reflection can be done, and the duo realize that they’ve had guests this whole time.

Someone put the kettle on.

Obviously some fucked up shit happened on this ship. Megatron isn’t so sure that it’s him who did these dirty deeds, however, as he reaches into Ratchet’s mouth and pulls out his brain. Which feels like something that doesn’t really absolve one of guilt, but okay.

Also, ew.

Back with Nautica and Nightbeat, things are getting weird.

Now, this sequence might seem confusing at first blush, but this is because the laws of reality are collapsing around them. Going by clues in the background, we can find the proper, linear progression of time, and thus is conversation. This is what is actually happening:

With the mystery of Brainstorm’s briefcase eluding us once again, we move on to see more graphic aftermaths of violence. Poor Tailgate has been nailed to the wall with a chunk of a metal beam that’s almost as big as he is. The mood lighting for this scene is gorgeous, but I’ve hit my limit for exposing y’all to gore for this issue, so you’ll just have to trust me on this one. Then they find something even more interesting.

Who’s ready for Under Cold Blue Stars… 2!

Back over on the opposite side of the ship, Riptide’s found something nasty. It’s a bunch of dead bodies!

Including, uh, Pipes.

Who already died a while ago.

Hm.

All the bodies in this room are in their alts, and it looks like they’ve all been shot and drilled into, for some reason. Skids brings up that he had a friend who could identify the placement of any robot’s brain module just by knowing what they turned into. Then he reaches into a corpse to see what the drill-hole’s all about. It makes him sick, though maybe not for the reason you might think. He gets on the phone with Nightbeat, who’s called to tell them that they’ve found Overlord.

Still locked in his weird body harness.

And decapitated.

Megatron is on the other line, calling because he’s figured out the same thing Skids has. Someone paid a visit to this ship. Someone nasty.

The gang regroups, and Nautica gets the basics on the DJD, because I guess nobody’s mentioned them even in passing in the last six months, either.

God, what do they even talk about on this ship? Certainly not their feelings.

The reason that one room was filled with alt-modes was because of Tarn’s addiction to transforming; t-cogs are easier to remove when they’ve been used recently.

We get a quick 4/5ths-page gore-fest, then it’s back to making it all about Megatron.

Maybe you should have thought about that before you FUCKING DEFECTED, YOU POOL NOODLE.

Nightbeat’s beginning to put two and two together. There’s an Overlord in the basement. That shouldn’t be, because Overlord got exploded by Chromedome when he mercy-killed Rewind. Something is off about the past of this ship.

Before he can establish his MTMTE everybody-lives-but-then-dies AU though, the quantum foam fucks with the ship. These sons of guns need to get the hell out of here, pronto.

Oh god, what now?

Ravage smells someone inside the Magnus armor, someone who isn’t a part of the usual nesting doll lineup. Megatron reaches into the Crackerjack box and pulls out one hell of a prize.

HE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES

Chromedome would be so thrilled, if he still existed.