Archangels Anonymous

bloodymary got me in a chokehold ♡innersanctuaries on Ao3♡ ☆let me cook and ill bring you a fanfic like none other!!☆ minors dni

[innersanctuaries]

such small hands

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 11: interlude (mutation overview)

Summary:

Just wanted to have a little interlude so we can have a moment detailing the logistics of how both Simon and Grace's mutations function, as well as kind of explaining the reasoning and my thought process behind why they work the way they do for those who do not follow my tumblr or in case my mutation post gets lost on The Blog. Hope you all enjoy!

[almondcroissantsandink]

Ryland Grace, seconds before losing consciousness: did--did you just reference Parks and Rec

[sleepawink]

Guess who finally watched Iorn Lung last night!!!

[ctrl-shift-alt-9]

Hi! I'm wondering if you have any info or theories on the picture Simon takes at 1:02:20 (file 089.DCM), it definitely looks like an iris but due to how x-rays work that doesn't really make any sense. Also the picture he sees at 1:06:30, he's looking at the pictures he has taken and at first glance a lot of people I've talked to thought it was the picture from the hangar but I'm guessing it's a section of Ellie's taill?

Simon Looks at Death, and it Looks Back...

Photo 1

So, if you listen to the scenes where Simon is approaching this thing, a heartbeat can be heard in the background, which steadily gets louder until he is directly in front of it. It would have to be a bone plate of some kind due to the nature of the x-ray, if this is assumed to be organic based off of the sound effects we hear. I genuinely could not tell you, and I think that's the point.

Everybody trying to make sense of this image is doing this right now:

It's "alien shit." We know it's alive, at the very least dormant.

Simon is in the ass-crack of space and everything is rapidly losing its "wow" factor. Simon's seen it all, and he's barely bothered by this. That's the joke.

Remember, Markiplier's a show-not-tell kinda guy. This was an asset created specifically to confuse and unsettle you, because you cannot figure out what it is. While the viewer is trying to figure out what the hell they're looking at, Simon is moving on. This is just normal Tuesday stuff to him.

Photo 2

For the one at 1:06:30, there is a punctual cinematic beat here where Simon is very startled by this seemingly empty tunnel:

Let's take a closer look at this particular image, and I'll tell you why it's important:

There's a skull. A corpse. Looking straight at him. Multiple skulls pointed directly at the camera, poking out of the wall.

What do we know about the symbolism of skulls?

Death.

And his face is being reflected in it.

Look at Simon's expression:

He's looking at something he isn't supposed to see, and he knows it. He's terrified, confused, disturbed.

Simon is looking at death, and it's looking back.

Simon's seen death all his life, but it's never looked back. Not like this. Not literally.

[notes-and-violets]

So I did post the sketches of these quite some time ago, but I finally got around to actually coloring them in...

I'm still figuring things out with this particular dynamic, but the gist of the idea was: Simon can get particular cravings due to mutation stuffs, and Grace being the oh-so-eager Science Freak he is, allows Simon to satisfy those cravings; for science of course. . . . Things don't go exactly as planned, but Simon is satiated and that's all Grace could ever hope for. The rest of it however, he can unpack all of that tomorrow.

⚠️ content warning// suggestive art + blood under cut

Ohh boy... I will never be used to posting these sorts of things :v

[ctrl-shift-alt-9]

I’ve been thinking about the flashback to Eden where we see young Simon and the last tree. We never see any mouths move, so it’s unclear whether he was the one challenging The Father (“Stop saying they’re gone. We can all see them.”), or he was just watching quietly. I’m really curious what your take on this is.

Father: The Stars Are Gone. Simon: That's Bullshit.

It's implied Simon said it; he's held this belief all his life.

You don't center-focus a camera on a young boy, with a young boy's voice speaking, to imply that it is someone else. To the people out there who believe that this might not be Simon at all; this kid has the holster on his sleeve in the exact same spot. Go zoom in on that picture if the headband and general dead stare didn't make it obvious enough.

"Stop saying they're gone." "Isn't it easier to believe they're still there?" "No one on Eden wants to think this way."

These three dialogue lines are direct parallels of each other. In fact, they lead into each other seamlessly.

That's what made him the "head in the clouds" guy among a crowd of nihilists in Eden, and put a target on his back as the black sheep. It's always been this way.

It's why I extrapolated that Simon is a maladaptive daydreamer to psychologically soothe against the loss of all the stars and planets. Simon's always thinking about the things he lost; his mother included.

He's always thinking about Mars. He's up every night wondering if the people back home miss him. How everyone missed the chance to see him grow up. Wondering if they'd welcome him back or see him for the monster he had to become in order to live long enough to see the chance of the Quiet Rapture happening again.

He'd rather be given the chance to be rejected by his own people than never see them again.

Simon's deluded, but he's doing it to cope. Poor son of a bitch.

[innersanctuaries]

such small hands Mutation Descriptions (spoilers for CH10)

Hello friends! Chapter 10 of "such small hands" is up, and we have finally gotten to exploring Grace and Simon's mutations.

However, I wanted to make a more in depth post detailing the logistics of how their mutations function and the reasoning and my thought process behind why they work the way they do.

To avoid spoilers for those who haven't gotten around to reading the fic/chapter yet, I'll be putting the details under the cut, but please let me know what you think!

Simon:

-Hinged jaw on the side of his cheek, spanning from about 0.5 inches away from the opening of his human mouth to the end of his back molars, cheek division attached to the space on his gums where one's wisdom teeth would likely come in. On the inside of his mouth, there is a division between mutated and main, human mouth cavities. This division is created by a thin wall of flesh keeping a barrier between his human mouth and tongue and his preternatural mouth and tongue. The needle-like teeth unhinge to the point where the top and bottom row of pointed teeth are almost parallel to his face. Second mouth opening causes him to squint his left, reactive eye. A human instinct to avoid getting scratched or poked by the sharpened teeth.

-Left eye is reactive to overpowering emotions, mostly negative but also acts up when overwhelmed or overstimulated. Pupil lights up gold, looks almost as if there is electricity crackling throughout the shimmering burgundy of the iris as the emotions build and intensify. Causes the left eye exclusively to water and tear up if it becomes too intense.

-Tongue is ridged, middle ridge and several ridges along the sides of middle ridge on flat of tongue. The sides of tongue are almost scalloped? Look similar to loose ruffles. Somewhat rougher than a human's, also stronger and much longer, as well as thicker. Pointed. Reacts to body heat and touch. Resides in the hollow between left cheek and teeth. Causes slight protrusion on inner division between Simon's main mouth cavity and second mouth cavity. Has to learn to chew differently to avoid biting down on the thin cheek barrier and causing tears on the fragile flesh with his molars.

-Second mouth prefers to lick or wrap around things and hold them in place over biting. Likes to gently close teeth around objects inside it, not unlike a venus flytrap. Is in it for the love of the game, not to be aggressive. If someone that is important to Simon is in danger, will flare/open up, gnashing and snapping at the target, becoming violent. Will potentially bite if it is in close enough proximity. Fuck around find out situation.

-Ear fins come to a point when not flared out. Bioluminescent, blood red stripes going down the points, fading at the beginning of the shell of his ear. Main structure of his ear is still his base skin color. As we transition into the actual fins and fin tips/frills, they fade from his skin tone into a more blush pink, phasing into a deep burgundy that glows and matches his left eye. When touched, sometimes even with merely a gentle brush up against them, they will flare out and not go back to their original state until the emotions caused die back down. As feelings for someone progress, even close proximity to the subject of interest's body heat is enough to make them flare. Touch is not the only trigger, they react when feeling a strong sense of fondness or embarrassment. They flare during outbursts, although outburst related flares are usually related to overstimulation. Plays into touch/sensation being the main trigger, though emotion is the lesser, secondary trigger.

-Gills flare and flutter when feeling flustered, aroused, or craving touch. If he is starving for touch, they will let the whole world know. Gills are incredibly sensitive. Erogenous zone. Unsure at this point of whether or not they allow for breathing underwater, more research is required.

Simon Overview:

Mutations are symbolic of him being out of control of his own emotions and not quite knowing how to take the reins in order to live life without flare ups, outbursts of emotion, or the desperate need for affection/attention/affirmation. In line with his BPD and CPTSD episodes/desperate emotional needs. They are all actively reaching out for touch, for warmth, yet they're sensitive and gentle, not wanting to harm unless his loved ones are in danger. He feels his emotions so literally, his rage so viscerally and so often despite not wanting to. His mind misconstrues simple words as criticisms and requires further explanation sometimes so as to not become frustrated and in his head over a few throwaway words that his BPD mind latched onto and turned into something the speaker of them did not mean. Attachment issues from hell. Dissociative, will sometimes stare off at a wall and tell Ryland that his vision looks "wiggly". Ryland, having been a grade school teacher that has dealt with ND kiddos and knows Coping Mechanisms will go grab him a cup of ice to chew up and bring him back to reality. CPTSD does not help, he feels his emotions very strongly in his body and the BPD causes him to shake violently when upset. Feels like he is out of control. Apologizes often for his actions and reactions, even when he either didn't do anything wrong or he had an outburst that was directly provoked via a trigger of his. He tries his best, but the rage in his chest makes his fingers twitch and tremble, his lip snarls involuntarily, and his teeth are suddenly bared like a feral animal. His eye flickers and waters, fins flaring out against his will when someone gets too close. He doesn't know how to stop it or what is causing this anger. He just wants to be in control, but he's riding in the back car of a long-ass train going off the rails, one with no conductor and no way to get in the driver's seat.

Despite how sturdy and terrifying the mutations truly look, he is not a dog that bites. At heart, he is a gentle spirit that just wants to be loved and be free, all he wants is to live and not feel like someone else is commandeering his brain and his actions for him.

Grace:

-Mouths with anglerfish-like teeth run up and down his right arm in a pattern that has no rhyme or reason. There is a single mouth directly in the middle of his palm. They mostly stay closed, or just shift around uncomfortably. On good days, the skin around them even begins to heal over the mouths, but when Grace has an outburst or feels negative emotion of some kind (fear, sadness, rage, guilt, panic, etc), they begin to gnaw themselves open and chew on whatever skin remains. They shift beneath his skin and will contort unnaturally in order to reach for the areas they hunger for. Showcases the way his outbursts and episodes cause him intense distress, his body and mind's form of self harm.

-Mouths have shorter tongues whose salivary glands produce a natural aphrodisiac, but it's difficult to access as the mouths react to touch as if they are under attack. The teeth on Grace's mouths are sharper than those of Simon's mutated mouth as they are much thinner and razor-like. However, they have less biting force than Simon's second mouth. They do not have a fight or flight response, they only have fight. Will bite and hold on until they draw blood or rip into flesh, unless they are insanely comfortable with the person touching. Even then, gentle care is required to proceed with any kind of touch.

-Scars from incident with Rocky still somewhat visible at first, but are slowly eaten away by the mutations. Causes Ryland severe distress. Hates seeing the proof of his best friend saving his life be consumed by his own mental anguish.

-Leg has mutated into a maple tree from stepping on the cracked pendant that touched the blood in SM-13 during Elli attack moment in CH4. Would have continued to grow until it consumed Grace completely, but Armando and Rocky shaved the bark down to the sapwood and its growth stopped. Mutation has advanced to just under his knee joint. Uncertain of if this will cause knee issues later on. Unsure of how much movement he has in his foot thus far, if any. Mutation is unknown, and unstable despite being dormant. Grace's leg now leaks maple sap. It will continue to leak as long as the leg is continuously shaved down to the sapwood, if needed. It is currently "dormant" according to Rocky.

-The sap is a natural aphrodisiac as well. It tends to stop flowing relatively quickly, as long as there are no open "cuts" on the mutated leg, so it is also hard to access. Grace is so desperate for touch, but his body is resistant to allowing it in most cases. Will begin to flow once leg is shaved back down to the sapwood, but this is a painful process for Grace that requires sedation.

Grace Overview:

Mutations are symbolic of Grace's crashouts causing him to feel the emotion in every way, shape, and form. This includes physical reactions, despite the fact that his CPTSD already causes him to feel strong emotions through different parts of his body as it is. Rage is felt as a burning fire in his chest, dismal levels of hurt and sadness are felt like his stomach is full of nauseating stones. Heavy and painful, he curls up in a ball and the tears won't come. He stares off, dissociating and lost in the past as his arm chews itself to hell. His arm is a manifestation of anger and the CPTSD episodes leading into his own body and mind self sabotaging, in a really literal manner. Aphrodisiacs because this man is touch starved as hell but also they're hard to get to (his arm bites those who touch, sap only releases when shaved down to sapwood). Indicative that Grace wants to reach out, but keeps a barrier between himself and anyone else because he's afraid of rejection and losing the person in question.

[art-the-f-up]

He just misses Earth sometimes

Grace's turn for comfort + his first hug w Simon. And also here's more mindless doodles:

[idgabuck]

I have a problem but what can I say?

[pinkinink]

Grace

Cw nudity

Inspired by the art of Ivan Pokidyshev

[savethestarsforme]

@idgabuck papa star

[sidvic1ious]

what is this ship called “bloodymary” even about

[breizhbaguette]

No ref just pure vibes

My drawing without filters :

The OG drawing. The colors weren’t saturated enough so changements were necessary

[innersanctuaries]

such small hands

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 10: papillae

Summary:

“-Awake!” Rocky trilled, poking Grace’s forehead repeatedly as he slipped out of the heavy-handed grasp of sleep with a gasping breath. Glassy eyes darted around the room, hungrily drinking in their surroundings. With one last tap to the forehead, his eyes slid back over to his best friend. “Heart rate increase, Grace hurting himself, leaking! Stupid, stupid, stupid leaky space blob. Why hurt self, question?”

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Thank you to my amazing betas @wizardmars and @themadrhatter !!

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Tags:

@kidneystealer101

@siysuki

@in-love-with-my-bed

@synovial-fluid

@queenofbutttouch

[innersanctuaries]

Anyway this is the best way I've heard this chapter summarized thus far!

[inkyrainstorms]

Welded shut

based on @ctrl-shift-alt-9’s horrifying implied scene post about how there’s no visible exit(or entry) point on the sub, but there IS a ladder going up the side, so they probably tossed him in from the top and then welded it shut from there

[ctrl-shift-alt-9]

David made the brick, Markiplier kissed the brick, I threw the brick, then you threw it back harder and started beating me with it.

[caelusiskool]

BLOODYMARY PORKSODA RAAGAGZHHH

Someone probably already did this better BUT THE MORE THE MERRIER

This took me 5 hours. Started at like 1am and it is now almost 7am as of posting!! Please enjoy. I was so dedicated.

Also this is like my first-ish fbf animation,, yay!!!

Credits to Cuptoast/Crumb for the original animation video which this was referenced from! :D

Augg. Passes out

(Thank you reblogger for reminding me to tag a cw for bright lights )

[potejto-potato]

Names...

It's funny how some names survive when others don't.

I had a strong vision for this one.

[morgan-drawz]

Bear trapping 101 with Simon