#true siblinghood

[articus-icecream]

I love how in the early snippets of god games, when Athena yells out Ares’s name it sounds like she’s in pain but in the official song she yells it out in annoyance. Just like you would yell out your sibling’s name in annoyance as well

[arttsuka]

I don't know if it'll last since we have 3 more episodes to go but, to the people who actually thought Vi and Jinx actually wanted to kill each other and would never get along because 'Powder is gone', that's single child mindset

[lovevalley45]

the end of irrational treasure is so funny to me mabel is just like. i've learned i don't have to prove myself to pacifica and take her down a peg bc i'm fine not being serious. and then dipper said fuck that i will NOT be the bigger person today

[77ngiez-archive]

I love ur sora and nikei sibling posting bc i always in my mind think of iroha and nikei as having a sibling dynamic and i rhink the three of them as siblings would be REALLY FUNNY. Minions meme

WAIT NO BUT UR RIGHT THO.

[purpleturtle9000]

Tello starts making some kind of wheezing, honking noise that Leonardo finally realises is laughter about the same time that Tello slides sideways off their chair and lies on the floor, sounding very much like they’ve laughed so hard they’ve started crying.

“I’m going to kick you,” he seethes, but that just makes them laugh harder.

[sufferu]

I hope to god this theory is true because it would be so so funny. Imagine these two getting into a proper fight over who gets to be the older brother: Subaru (born first) or Aldebaran (20 years older). Imagine them forcing people to take SIDES.

Some notes:

Julius has no idea why this is even an argument. Aldebaran is clearly older than Subaru.

Emilia is in the same boat as Julius. Subaru is heartbroken.

Rem thinks this is ridiculous for much the same reason.

Ram is saying whatever would piss off Subaru most.

Ferris is in the same ship as Ram here.

Heinkel believes Aldebaran is older and therefore the older brother. This says wonderful things about his feelings about him and his wife (currently 20 years younger due to the Sleeping Beauty Disease).

Otto cannot conceptualize a world in which Subaru is Aldebaran’s older brother.

Beatrice is on Subaru’s side no matter what.

Garfiel refuses to even consider the idea that Captain is NOT the older brother.

Wilhelm refuses to deny Subaru his birthright as Aldebaran’s older brother.

Reinhard feels a lot like Wilhelm. Also — his mom has been in a coma for years, and is now even younger than he is, but — she’s still Mom, right?

Frederica feels similarly to Wilhelm in that older siblinghood is a birthright.

Petra is taking Subaru’s side, no questions asked.

[salparadiselost]

🍂🍁🎃 Autumn-Themed Batfam Fic Reccs 🎃🍁🍂

The season is getting a little colder and the season is turning towards winter. The nights longer and the need for hot drinks stronger. This is my favourite time of year and one that just invites curling up with some reading material. In celebration of my favourite season, I thought I'd recc my favourite autumn vibes Batfam fics.

These fics are all completed and available for free on AO3. They all lean horror (Halloween is fastly approaching! 🦇), with some of them being darker than others. I love horror so that's where I tend to stray. Hope you enjoy! Welcome to Beggars' Bones - Bridgesburn - Length: 143k - Genre: Thriller, "True" Crime, Kidnapping in a Creepy Small Town

"Welcome to Beggars' Bones" is the epitome of what I think of when I think of a perfect story for a bitter autumn night. It reads like an expertly crafted thriller and perfect for those who love a realistic horror story. The basic premise is that Dick, Jason, Tim and Damian are on a road trip when Dick's car breaks down. He sends Tim and Damian to go get help and it goes absolutely horribly from there.

Mind the tags because the story hits on real themes and is intense. It draws to mind movies like "Silence of the Lambs" and "Misery" and makes you think twice about stopping in a small town.

Vrykolakas - @chemical-processes - Length: 34k - Genre: Horror, Monsters, Having Your Son for Dinner

My first recc was horror based in reality and this recc is horror based in all the things that go bump in the night. Timothy Drake is not okay. Timothy Drake is not safe. Timothy Drake doesn't have anyone to tell this to, especially not his parents. Read this one if you love a story about a terrifying monster and are not afraid of some gore. It's a bloody good time.

To Hear, To See, To Smile - @jube514 & @salparadiselost - Length: 8.6k - Genre: Light Horror, Monster Kids, Bruce's Horrifically Fierce Adoption Instinct

Is it too pretentious to recommend my own fic? Perhaps, but I'm not known for my humility. I wrote this fic with Jube and it's perfect for the Halloween season. The loose premise is that Bruce has acquired children in the form of eldritch horrors and he is well on his way of getting one more. Although his children are all monsters, it's on the lighter side.

when doves cry - @silk-scarlet-ribbons - Length: 13k - Genre: Grief, Death, When a Memory is as Fresh and Festering as a Wound

This is one of the ones that's making it in through autumn vibes. It's about grief and ghosts that form immediately after death. It's very psychological and a deep scrape into Tim's grieving head before he even realises he's grieving. The horror in this is slow and it sets in like the decay of a human body. It's so deliciously creeping and will have you shivering even if there's no ghosts except for the one's in Tim's mind. The Little Neighbor - @oberonbronze - Length: 27k - Genre: Horror, Vampires, a Little Grave in the Dark and Mysterious Woods

This one is the newest on this list because, well, it posted as I was making this list and I stopped to swallow it all in one go. This one features one Dick trying to bond with his new little brother, Jason, by exploring the woods behind Wayne Manor. Nothing could possibly go wrong! I would encourage you to read without getting too deep in the tags, because it sets you up for maximum twists. It's a true horror feature that reminds me of Hereditary and Rosemary's Baby, so if you like something along those lines just go in blind! it's life after death (roll the credits) & when the bodies hit the floor - nashequilibrium - Length: 6k & 7k - Genre: Supernatural Horror, Siblinghood, Spooky Stories Told Around a Campfire Two for the price of one! I recommend both of these stories for those who love lighter horror more in the vein of Scooby Doo. Both of these fics feature sibling pairs - Dick & Jason in one and Steph & Damian in the other - investigating some mysterious happenings. These are both fun little romps and the dialogue is excellent.

Finally...

Not quite a recc, but I know a lot of people like to know what I've been up to, me and @spookyprime have been working on a Batman fancomic together and we are about ready to start posting it. It's a medical mystery and a horror story set in 1910s Europe. We will be posting it here: @vivisection-of-a-surgeon-comic . I've written out a more in-depth synopsis in that blog and you can give it a follow if you're curious.

So happy reading and happy halloween! I hope your nights are bitter and spooky.

~ Kay

[cosmikazie]

also im convinced anon doesn’t even know about the entire subregion of The Precipice, the entire purpose of which lore-wise is to create a link between LTTM and FP, something which, may I note, NO OTHER KNOWN ITERATOR HAS.

i dont know what anon is even on about, if i were an iterator and a different iterator was attached to me like that, I WOULD DEFINITELY CONSIDER THEM TO BE MY SIBLING IN THIS INSTANCE

It annoys me that the whole fandom treats Moon and Pebbles as siblings when they are just friends

Moon calls herself Big Sis Moon to the whole local group, so that isn't specific to Pebbles! Also she is the only one between the two who says anything about a brother/sister dynamic they have when Pebbles only calls her a friend and then Moon calls him a friend in Rubikon too!

Just because one person tells me Hey I'm now your sister doesn't make it true it's just fanon and I feel like the only one who likes them more as friends

.

[giddlygoat]

wordgirl and two brains have such an indescribable dynamic and it’s great. i’ve seen some people compare it to a father / daughter dynamic but imo steven was not dad material. i think he could have raised that space girl if he really tried, but he’s so young? it just seems like he was at an especially career-focused time in his life that was more about building his own life than starting a family.

in fact, i can see becky and steven as having the potential to approach something more like siblinghood. she’s such a smart and mature girl, and maybe steven was a truly wise and responsible person, but i wouldn’t know. i do know, however, that two brains isn’t. it’s not even that he’s an inherently bad guy. he’s a very sympathetic villain for good reasons! but as it stands, him and wordgirl have this sad rivalry that will probably always remain due to two brain’s condition.

he definitely has his moments of wisdom. they do have their moments of true, uninterrupted peace, but it’s so rare. the dynamic has irreversibly changed, and even if it had father / daughter potential before, i just don’t think that’s possible anymore.

i do see something strange and oddly refreshing with them, though - wordgirl’s attachment to steven may have been the reason she didn’t immediately drop two brains as a friend after his change, but i honestly don’t think that’s the full reason they’re still friends. you could argue that she’s friendly on some level with all the villains. she is! but i think becky cares about dr two brains now, not just steven.

because steven isn’t really coming back. steven as we knew him cannot exist anymore, and she must know that. she cares about two brains, and still thinks of him as a close friend despite the irreparable damage. they're nemesis and it’s all effectively harmless. they’re genuinely concerned with each other’s well being.

wordgirl admired steven and learned everything she knew about heroism from his research. two brains admires wordgirl for being an incredible and selfless person in general. amazingly, it’s like they still trust each other, just with reasonable expectations. it’s not father / daughter and it’s not siblinghood but it’s some kind of family, and it itches my brain just right.

[izvmimi]

cw: fluff. you and todo are besties, somehow. you're thinking about someone else.

“If I’m gonna be seen out in public with you, I’m gonna need you to act sane, Aoi,” you offer, huffing. He barely looks up, still taken by the convention programme in his hands and you sigh, not bothering to repeat yourself as you pull your knees to your chest. It’s cold, and Todo is warm, so you rest on his shoulder and he’s kind enough not to shrug you off (or perhaps too distracted by the chance to see his ultimate waifu to). 

In another world, you’d be jealous, but you’ve long gotten over the potential of romance, settling comfortably into a platonic sort of siblinghood over the past year. God let you dodge that particular bullet and you’re thankful for it, although you’re staring down the barrel of Cupid’s shotgun. You shake your head away from thoughts of the pink-haired ray of sunshine, and look at your own schedule, wondering how Todo convinced you to come to camp out here this early in the first place.

You yawn loudly, raising your head up to see the sunrise along the horizon, past other huddled bodies dotting the streetside. Rather than be upset at Aoi for having such delusional aspirations, you should be glad that despite all that you’ve all been through in the world of curses and worse, he can still invest in something as ridiculous as fanatical love. Even normal, attainable love terrifies you to the very core, chilling you more than the winter frost trying to seep into your bones.

“If you’re going to ignore me, I’m not doing this again,” you say out loud. Todo looks at you finally, but instead of meeting your annoyance similarly, he grins widely. 

“Ha, actually, can’t wait till you come out with me for the international tour!”

You glare at him, then check your watch.

“Wasn’t this shit supposed to open hours ago?” You ask.

Todo shrugs, eerily calm. “I’ll wait hours for her.” Your nose scrunches in disgust.

“Okay, you might, but what about me?!”

Todo gives you a look, shrugging his broad shoulders again, something that irritates you. “Love is patient, you know?”

“Okay, that’s enough.” 

You get to your feet and he considers reaching for you, then remembers you don’t have the heart to ditch your friend anyway. Crossing his legs and resting his face on his planted elbow, he waits and watches you. As expected, you stand and make to leave, but turn on your heels and sigh before sitting back down. For the next few minutes, you don’t say anything additional until finally Todo glances at you. 

“Text Yuji back.”

You blink.

“What do you mean, ‘text Yuji back’?” 

Todo has intermittently pulled out a boar bristle brush and smooths down his edges, preening in the mirror, and you can’t believe how many hair products are in the small pouch he brought with him. You wait for him to respond, blood pressure rising as he takes his time, then places his brush down on the camping blanket.

“He’s worried about you.”

You grimace.

“Tell him to mind his business.”

Todo looks at you sideways. “You are his business the same way Takada is my business.”

You would argue with him that Takada, again, is not going to fuck him, but it would involve admitting that the unaddressed part of that statement is true.

“I respect you-“

“Debatable,” you interrupt, but Todo continues as if you haven't said a word.

“But that’s my brother, you know?” 

By now, Todo is spritzing perfume on himself, enough to make you choke. You’d strangle him if his neck weren’t so thick.

“Tell your brother I don’t like him,” you murmur. 

Todo pats his face with overpriced lotion. “I’m not lying to him.”

“Aoi, I swear to God.”

He rummages through the bag again, and spritzes you this time, a floral scent that has you swatting the air.

“Are you fucking serious?”

“I can’t have you cramping my style. Takada needs to know that my friends smell good too.”

You can’t believe that you woke up early to do this, but bite your lip and decide not to rage further. Before you can ponder what exactly to do about the friend of a friend who very clearly is in love with you, the gates open and Todo has packed up in a millisecond, warning you not to slow him down. 

He’s fanatical in love, and while you’ve once wished someone would adore you to this extent, it’s been more than you can handle to have even a fraction of this type of adoration pointed towards you.

[the-sinful-voice-witch]

Aaaaaajjjjjjj not this "sibling dynamic" Bullshit again! 🙄🤦‍♀️

Listen up please and I'm talking specifically about the Batman universe in the webtoon Family Wayne adventures:

If you are a timstepher is fine, if you are a Stephcasser is also fine but as Jaystepher I'm done with both shippers trying to label as siblings Jason and Steph based on their banter in FWA 🙄🙄🙄, what they are doing is called being BESTIES and I have to call out the hypocrisy because Steph dynamic with Tim isn't that much different than what she has with Jason the literal difference is the Jason and Tim's different personalities but regardless she is exactly the same menace she is with both and if you label Jason as her brother because of that then you'll have to think of Tim as his brother too 🤨🤨 and for Cass... they don't have that much banter I'll say Steph behaves better with her 😆 (I'm still talking about FWA universe) anyway the only sibling dynamic she has is with DAMIAN and we all know that is because the age difference otherwise we'll have more shippers (and still those shippers actually exist and wrote fanfics about it, siblinghood won't stop anyone)

The day Jason or any character call them siblings my life will be ruined but I'll still ask for an universe where they can be together... There's a webtoon Jason is with Artemis and in DCeased he married Rose Wilson why is too much to ask for an universe where Jaysteph becomes true and nobody calls them siblings 😫😫😫?

[voidselfshipp]

Crying over the names of the legendary boons in Darksiders 1.

》written from the perspective of an eldest sibling《

1)DEATH'S BLESSING.

I know I shouldnt take this so literall,but the Word "blessing" from DEATH. He who holds himself to be the worst of the horseman,the one beyond repentance,The one without "a soul". Even from afar he still cares for his youngest brother,death gives him A BLESSING,his genuine blessing.

How it gives War more souls? More resources to help him? How he can get Harvester? That it works better when you assign that boon to the scythe? Do you think a part of Death's soul,the very thing he claims not to have, lingers in this arcane thing to still Keep his brother safe? How he stil cares so deeply even if he denies it vehemently?

2)STRIFE'S OFFERING.

Just look at genesis,how close they are by the end,how they mourn together and hold eachother up. Do you think war remembers and has seen in detail and maybe with a bit of awe whenever Strife uses Mercy & Redemption? How hes memorized the EXACT pulse and grip his brother uses? This boon gives him profiency with the gun, it makes him more durable to ranged And projectile attacks.

Do you think the true magic is the memories of his brother? How maybe just a bit of Strife's Essence guides his aim, his bullets and takes the hit for him? Not to mention War gets "MERCY".

Do you think he can hear STRIFE'S voice saying "aim higher,remember wind resistance. Breathe. Keep your grip steady,youre not alone. Im still here with you"

3)FURY'S EMBRACE.

Arcane expert extraordinare, badass fighter. This boon gives War more wrath for his abilities,shows him all the treasures. Do you think he can kind of hear the softest ring of fury's voice guiding him to the treasures? Do you think she used to give him trinkets when they were kids and thats why that boon works that way? Do you think he can hear the inflexions of her voice?

Stern when he missed something that was right in his face.

Playful and jovial, so reminiscent of her younger self.

Urgent and,dare I say it, worried and scared when its something that Will heal him or protect him?(Like the abyssal armor)

How beautiful is it that Fury lends whats the center of her personality: Her anger. She shares it with her brother, gives her power to him without hesitation even if time and circumstances has pulled them appart.

Maybe by taking that anger from fury,war can help his sister feel better. How she embraced him and guides him like an elder sister. The memories of their Bond when younger still linger,still tethers them together. Time is passed but their siblinghood prevails.

And the name? EMBRACE. Fury? Hugging war? Dont think so. But it can be a symbolic embrace, Like the one she lives in the end of darksiders 3. She sees her errors and faults and begs Ulthane to help War.

Do you see how fundamentally each one of them cares so deeply for their brother??????

Im going to CRY.

[thalfbloodloser]

You bring insanity to a boringly sane fandom. I would like to hear your latest thought on ivorycest... Whatever nugget you may be nursing. If that is alright

✦ aw, thank you! you're so sweet 🐌🧡 it's very much alright - no one in here ever sends me fun stuff anymore. your ask was a breath of fresh air, anon! truth be told, i haven't been thinking about ivorycest all that much, but get ready for a HUGE text-block jumpscare because you just gave me the perfect excuse to write about them ➜

✦ sometimes it pains me to see so many folks avoiding ivorycest like the plague, because, like ranfren itself, it's so unapologetically insane that you can't really hate it. even if you try. if you have a dash of sense of humor, you'll see it's hilariously canon compliant!

i've seen lots of people argue that "anything romantic/sexual between randal and luther would be inherently out of character", which i'll admit is a reasonable concern, but it's just not true. the issue is characterization: people keep projecting human-based tropes and behavior on cryptids, and that's where the knee-jerk "eugh" reaction comes from. because yeah, randal and luther aren't going to declare their Forbidden Love for each other and then passionately kiss under the moonlit sky, nor are they going to feel guilty about their attraction and part ways with a tearful "we can't! this is wrong!". it would be completely unnatural behavior for them. all that? made for humans. and pretty basic humans, at that. for ivorycest to work, both in and out of canon, you gotta fully embrace the weirdness, see beyond humanity and forget all old expectations you might've gotten from any other couple of siblings!

from my point of view, it doesn't even feel like it fits with the rest of the "-cest"s. and not because of the possibility that randal and luther aren't even biologically related (i seriously doubt they're even from the same species) - we all know that adoptive siblings aren't any less siblings just because they don't share DNA. plus, pseudo-incest is still a thing - but because they're so, so far from human nature and from other brother/brother ships that it's almost laughable, and sometimes genuinely puzzling, to apply ANY human labels to them at all. for example, would you call luther a cannibal because he eats people? no. because it'd be like calling a human cannibal for eating cows, and that makes no sense. words mean things.

to us, at least.

coincidentally, that's half of my point.

the ivorys adress each other as "brother", sure, but you cannot look me in the eyes and tell me that they fully understand what that means or that they care about it enough to follow the moral/ethical guidelines attached to such terms. you simply cannot. most times it feels less like they see each other as family and more like they're just...roleplaying.

but if you decide to call someone "daddy", just when does that make them your father?

randal, who could (but perhaps shouldn't) be considered the most resourceful of the two, uses "brother" as both title and honorific - like one uses "sir" or "ma'am" - but doesn't seem to be overtly attached to the familial aspect of it. again, he's not a human, and, as far as we know, our siblinghood doesn't come naturally to him - much like pain, guilt, conscience and a whole load of bodily functions that he also seems to lack. luther, on the other same hand, understands the caretaking implications of being the "older brother", but that's pretty much where his brotherly-ness begins and ends. if anything, he's incorrectly using the sibling label while playing parent; just without any trauma and/or responsibility attached to it. there's also the fact that he's the most powerful entity in the household and randal - no matter how many pianos he "possesses" or how many times he shoves himself in the space between the wall and the fridge - cannot possibly overpower him, also adds to this parent/kid dynamic; hence granting luther the (almost-meaningless) title of "master" and the authority over their dysfunctional home. that still doesn't mean randal perceives him as anything but a housemate, or playdate, for he doesn't really seem to keep up the role of mischievous little brother unless he's bored (often, not always).

so they use the word, but it lacks permanent meaning. in that sense, classic incest tropes - no matter if brocon or dadson flavored - don't really work. there's power imbalance, sure, but the familial bonds needed to reinforce that imbalance simply do not exist. randal is babied because he likes to be. he likes being taken care of and likes having rules to break. it's a character he plays. luther "takes care" of him because he himself likes doing it. he likes being a parent and likes having a reason to lecture & discipline. it's a character he plays. they don't actually need this dynamic to thrive, and it wasn't imposed on them by parents/caretakers or any set of misfortunes that we know of. they just deliberately chose to partake on it.

consequently, i don't think they feel what humans perceive as familial love (healthy or unhealthy) for each other. they're simply two powerful entities - whom we can assume have been at least friends for a long time - playing make-believe. creatures who have little to no regard for humanity as a species, and are only interested in their own antics. of course they do eventually commend certain humans for their achievements, and seem to find all sorts of comfort in our art/creations/traditions, but outside of that? they see humans as fragile beings as intelectually insignificant to them as most animals are to us. randal forcibly keeps one as a pet. not far from "master" luther, who keeps two.

again, the ivorys are clearly intelligent, specially regarding their own survival. they're not behind being purposefully dense when it comes to anything human that is even slightly inconvenient to them (huh? eating the delivery man's arm when we order pizza is bad? haha, i would never have guessed!). they have the means and understanding necessary to behave (and perhaps look) 100% human, they just...choose not to. they can bend reality itself to their whims, turn themselves and others into inconceivable creatures, all while feigning absolute normalcy at the chaotic world around them (werewoofs, carpet cats with human faces, alive walls and furniture...), and you think they'd draw the line at willingly distorting something as frivolous as family hierarchy?

tch. please.

with that said, by the rules of their own game, if they were to partake in any...non-platonic activities, it would only be considered incestuous because they decided it would be - by creating the dynamic and environment in the first place. and they would simply not fucking care if it is upsetting, distasteful or imoral by human standards. and that's the ship's whole flavor - that's why i love it so much! precisely because there's no such thing as the "oh, no! i accidentally fell in love with my sibling! woe is me!" (which i also love) with the ivorys. there's also not a "normal" way to ship them, even if you're adamant about them not being related or not seeing each other as family, because they're two fucking weirdos.

their whole relationship is so tastefully bonkers that i genuinely wouldn't be fazed if they spawned another creature to be their "littlest" sibling. honestly, who could stop them? and who's to say that, in their cryptic way, they're not a married couple? or buddies into weird roleplay? ultimately, it is undeniable that they - in at least one sense of the word - love each other enough to enable each other; and to indulge on each other's silly/straight-up-criminal fantasies.

to me, there's no (human) romance, nor seduction, involved. randal knows he'll get nothing by jumping on his brother's lap and performing the most disgustingly horny hentai rip-off scenario ever. much like he'll get nothing in exchange for sweet words, flowers and chocolate. it's part of the game. he knows he'll receive only a "<3" (♥︎) - which him and luther seem to be able to pronounce out loud - or a hummed, blank-faced lecture about needing either a nap or to drink more water. if luther is having a bad day, he might even receive some sort of punishment. and those are the reactions randal wants, the normalcy (if you can call it that) he counts on. if he wanted a different response, something genuinely human, he'd have forcibly gauged it off sebastian, nyon or even nyen. likewise, luther knows better than to come too close or to grab randal by the waist, lest he get bitten or not-so-playfully snipped with scissors.

but there's intimacy. so much intimacy. on waking up to the other's figure looming over them, on physically crawling under each other's skin, on wrapping hands and claws around each other's organs and muscles and bones, on faux eyes staring into faux eyes, on a eerie smile pressed against unmoving lips, on the suspension of disbelief, on the lingering smell of copper, on the flashing lights and sappy endearments and and-

and, i suppose, on the sex too. i don't think i can picture them having human sex - really, who am i to guess what these creatures are packing in their pants? for all we know, they might as well be ken-doll smooth down there - but if they were to ever consummate their relationship sexually, i feel like it would probably be as uncomfortable, off-putting, disturbing and offensive to the eyes as everything else they do. genuinely revolting from any possible point of view - unless you're a true monsterfucker. a ritual so gross that, for us, it resembles nothing but a cacophony of unthinkable horrors molding together wetly, but that, to them, feels nothing but heavenly from beginning to end. as close to divinity as such wretched demons/creatures are ever going to get.

anyways. enough, my apologies-

the conclusion is that...me shipping these two isn't even about wishing they'd get together, because, in their fucked up way, they already are. it isn't about spiting other fans either. it's about having fun coming up with increasingly nonsensical scenarios hoping to come close to their freak ✦

[wheeloffortune-design]

stop normalizing violence between siblings

true pwp siblinghood is my brother saying 'Perchance' at all the wrong moments

[t4tfitpac]

Thank you

Chayanne and Lullah. You were the very first characters I wrote QSMP fic about. From the beginning, Chayanne captured my heart as the valiant and brave, yet still young and hopeful child. Anyone who I've talked about the server with knows that my love for Chayanne as a character runs deep. My first and so far only published song is a lullaby written for him. And Lullah, though she came later, she is equally as important to me. Their siblinghood is everything, and I am so, so glad to have experienced it.

May all the admins' hopes and dreams come true, and may you, reader, rest assured that I cherish your part in this community. We are all better for having known the love that QSMP radiates with its groundbreaking and heartfelt storytelling.

[marukrawler]

I was wondering (maybe you already answered it somewhere else) since I stumbled upon your old post about how Gus is the worst and how he and Spectra were actually the ones that deserved to die so it got me thinking: what if Clay, Spectra, Gus, and Zenoheld all kicked the bucket while the remaining Vexos would survive. What would they do, and where would they go, would Mira get a much-needed character development now that her family is dead? I'm asking because I don't know what Hydron would do or what Mylene and Shadow Prove would do as the last two were very committed to their cause too while Hydron doesn't have any place to go. Could any of the Vexos reappear if Spectra is dead instead?

Hi! Sorry for the late reply!

Long post incoming.

I haven’t talked about it here much, but I’ve definitely thought about what a rewritten S2 would look like and also talked a little about how fitting it would be for Spectra to die as the result of his own hubris. Canon also seems to support this, given these references:

Spectra’s ambition to becoming the new ruler of Vestal is what leads him to alienate himself from the rest of the Vexos and for his comrades to conspire to betray him. It’s entirely possible for Spectra to die at the end of NV1, with no allies to help him escape (Gus being imprisoned) and his former teammates responsible for the events that caused his death (Mylene convincing Hydron to abandon and blow up Vespalace.)

Gus could either die with Spectra or survive the explosion and carry on Spectra’s work (I can easily imagine a scarred Gus wearing Spectra’s mask and continuing the Ultimate Bakugan project in his honor. Perhaps Helios survives, too?) Gus would still try to bring Zenoheld to justice for sullying his master’s name posthumous, resulting in Gus dying to his loyalty to Spectra.

When it comes to Mira, I’ve always thought her story should’ve focused on her eventually besting the older brother that she idealized, as well as realizing that the Resistance is her true family. You know, the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb and all that. The mid season finale of S2 could've been the perfect opportunity for Mira to have a final showdown with Spectra. Her character arc could've been complete with her finally gaining the upper hand after years of catching up to him, with Mira rejecting Spectra's corrupt ideals and the person he had become, thus severing their siblinghood.

It would be tough, but she had a support system to fall back on, so she’d be alright. Ace already viewed the Resistance as his family and frequently sympathized with what Mira was going through, so I could easily see him, Baron and Mira becoming really close. I wish Mira had interacted with Baron’s family more and used them as a reference for what a happy family looked like instead of Dan’s family, but I digress.

I don’t think that Clay and Spectra need to be dead for Mira to get her character development, but I also can’t help but think that Mira would’ve been better off if Spectra was dead and gone. It really depends on whether you want Spectra to stick around or not. I would personally have Spectra die from his own ambition (flying too close to the sun, wink wink) at the end of NV1 (the same way I would’ve liked Gus to die to his own loyalty in episode 39) because I think it’s fitting, and I want to preserve his cool factor as a villain at a point where he hasn’t lost to Dan yet a million times. Clay could die after the BT System was thwarted. . .I distinctly remember his laboratory being blasted by a backflow of energy that was sent from across dimensions (Drago’s attack) so him being killed by a Bakugan after trying to massacre all the Bakugan on New Vestroia is also fitting.

In any case, I would personally highlight the found family aspect between Mira and the Resistance members so that way, it’d be easier for her to cut ties with Clay and Spectra.  

As for the Vexos, I think it could go two ways depending on whichever version one prefers.

The Vexos disband similarly to canon events.

Volt is the first to leave the Vexos, of course, when the creation of the BT System and his continued run-ins with the Resistance cause him to reconsider his allegiance to the monarchy. I really like the idea of Volt sabotaging the BT System, thus allowing the Resistance to prevent its activation. He leaves for his hometown during the chaotic aftermath of the Vexos’ second major defeat, teaching the youth about Bakugan battles and helping the Resistance during the final battle.  

Lync is the next to leave the Vexos. I imagine that his reasons for leaving isn’t just because of Alice but because he takes a liking to the planet, too. We also shouldn’t forget that Dan invited Lync to come along with them to Japan. Maybe we could see more of his time spent with Alice in Moscow. Maybe his brief job as a florist opened his eyes to the beauty of nature which didn't exist (or wasn't valued) on Vestal. Eventually he realizes that Volt was the one to sabotage the BT System and it spurs him to leave as well. His escape attempt isn’t as covert, so Hydron is quickly sent to Moscow to dispose of him. Alice spots them outside her house and joins the battle just in time. Or Lync is nearly pulled into the Death portal and Alice warps him out just before it gets dicey, leaving Hydron to believe he finished the job. Whatever works. Lync is most likely staying at Alice’s place, giving the Brawlers all the information he has on Zenoheld’s plans, and joins the final battle after Dr. Michael fixes Aluze.

Mylene and Shadow’s deaths would still occur the exact same way as in canon. I really like how they stayed true to themselves and died together. Very touching!

Hydron’s death, while tragic, is also very appropriate given what we know of his character. Starved of any kind of parental love and approval, he died with his father as both an act of atonement and because being by his father's side was the only place he had left to go. Zenoheld chastised him for his weakness and we saw Hydron return to his father's side yet again during the final battle. . .it was all he knew. A stark contrast to Mylene and Shadow's final moments where Shadow chose to keep her company in the afterlife. Here Hydron is choosing to kill them both and making sure that his father can't escape from him. Something, something, “you are coming down with me, hand in unlovable hand. And I hope you die. I hope we both die.”

2. The one where the Vexos all survive.

I don’t have a solid foundation on how this version would be written but what I’m basically thinking is Vexos found family (as in Hydron, Mylene, Lync, Volt and Shadow.) It’s fairly easy to see in NV1 how divided the Vexos are, with Spectra and Gus forming one group and Mylene, Volt, and Shadow forming another group (Lync kind of floats in between the two depending on who he spies for lol but I’d still place him with the majority because even when he was discovered to be spying for Spectra, the others gave him a chance to rejoin them instead of leaving him to die with Spectra and Gus.)

Anyhow, in this version Hydron’s bond with the Vexos would be expanded upon further, especially since we know that Hydron was involved in the Vexos recruitment process and handpicked them himself.

However, Hydron’s dynamic with the Vexos in NV2 shifts because he’s no longer their superior and has been stripped of his royal title. He no longer commands them and is, in fact, made to be equal to his underlings by replacing Gus. This can allow for some interesting interactions between Hydron and the others, seeing as how they can disobey him and even express their distaste towards him without the fear of being punished. Likewise, since Hydron no longer has any authority, he can now start to act more like a boy his age instead of being expected to act like a prince. The other Vexos members could begin to like him more as a person this way.

We’ve seen glimpses of camaraderie between the Vexos members and know that they care about each other to some extent, so it’s possible to have Hydron become closer with the group that he previously bossed around. Mira and Hydron could mirror each other in the found family aspect, just like how they're already similar to each other in other aspects, such as seeking love and validation from a disinterested parental figure, using the Subterra attribute in battle, and recruiting the teams that they are respectively in charge of.

I'm not exactly sure how NV2 would transpire in this version but I’m thinking that the Vexos are still more likely to survive here. They’d probably fight Zenoheld in the final battle to save themselves the universe but unrelated to the Battle Brawlers. Once he’s gone, I imagine they might take the Vestal Destroyer and roam around the cosmos since they can’t return to Vestal…I’m not sure if I buy that Mylene accepts that outcome and won’t be swayed to take over Vestal herself LMAO but whatever. It’s an idea!!

So yeah, those are my thoughts lolol