If you're willing, drop a depressing VPyro headcanon? *Bats eyes*
I'm the one who asked for Pyro being animalistic a month ago (:
Pyro didn't think of Apo as a friend when they were roommates.
Pyro could only confidently call Truffle a "friend," but no one else in Oakhurst.
Pyro thought very highly of Apo, considering her a little violent due to her military background, but very cool, very beautiful, and very strong. He would dream of being friends with such a beautiful woman. But... hah, who would want to be friends with Jack von Pyroscythe anyway? Ugly, pathetic, obnoxious nerd... Apo probably only lives in the same house with them because everyone else in Oakhurst is even crazier, screaming about vampires, Bigfoot, and other absurd things. So Apo is willing to tolerate Pyro in her space, but no, of course she doesn't want them, doesn't want to be friends with them. And it's best for Pyro this way; monsters like him don't deserve human friends anyway, only pet friends at best.
(Pyro's self-esteem is terrible and his autism doesn't help, to be honest. He calls Truffle his friend immediately when he finds him in the forest, but never calls Apo his friend. I headcanon that it takes Pyro a lot longer than a couple of weeks and at least a few conversations about feelings to believe that someone is seriously interested in being his friend. He doesn't believe that Apo values him and considers him good company, even if it is true.
And here's the thing, they really didn't have time to talk about it, Pyro was turned too early.
In my mind, there is a whole comic about early Applespice where Pyro finds strenght to ask Apo if they are friends, and she is very amused by Pyro's clumsiness and hesitation, but finds it very endearinag and cute. And of course she considers him her friend! And actually even more, oh lol, they kiss in this comic and Pyro is metaphorically dying at the opportunity to kiss such a beautiful, gorgeous woman. This is more than he ever wanted)
i dont really know you, and i dont know if/when youll see this message, but i wanted to share my own perspective as you decide what to do next.
i dont think ccs have the right to dictate what fanartists create. they just dont. pyro has every right to decide what he he wants to see and block tags/curate his online space accordingly, but fanartists dont make things *for them* - theyre for us.
i know this fandom goes on about respecting cc boundaries, but dictating what others do isnt a boundary. a boundary is a response to a behavior - blocking tags and blogs you dont want to see. you dont get to come into someones lawn and demand you take down your lawn ornaments. this fandom simply isnt a space that is meant to cater to ccs.
obviously you can have your own opinion, but you seemed to be struggling with losing the months you put into your work, and i wanted you to know that i really dont think you have to do that. your space is your own, and your work does not belong to any cc.
Hi, anon. I was planning on talking about this in detail a little later, and I probably will, but I'll say something now too.
I know some artists in the fandom prefer to think of anything they draw that includes the content creators' characters as a gift to them. Or at least as something the content creators can see and have an opinion/reaction to. That is, artists try to only draw things that will please the content creators. Make them happy. Will fit with the character's canon. Etc. And I think this way of being an artist in the MCYT fandom is valid.
But it's also not my way.
I don't see my art as gifts to the content creators (unless I specifically tag them or say it's a gift). I create content for fans as a fan, and I primarily expect my followers to react to my drawings, not the content creator whose character I drew. A CC can like or comment on my work; approval is always very nice, but ultimately I don't expect it or want it.
Sometimes I'll even deslike it if a CC notices and interacts with my work. And not because I drew something "evil" or boundary-breaking, but simply because it embarrasses me. Yes, I get embarrassed when CCs see my shipping content, even if it doesn't violate any boundaries. And I'd prefer it if they only interacted with my regular G rated art, for that matter. And I think being this type of artist in the MCYT fandom is also valid.
Moving on to the topic of Pyroscythe's changed boundaries specifically... I won't open this can of worms now about what actually means setting boundaries and what is an attempt to police the fandom. I don't want to get into that right now, I don't think I have anything new to bring to the table in this conversation, and I'd rather focus on the topic of art.
So, what upsets me most is the fact that the value of my work has dropped in the eyes of others.
No one will share my Pyro characters shipping art anymore, and I myself (I assume and feel pressured to do so) am expected to act as if my shipping art never existed. I'm not supposed to ever talk about it or be openly proud of it anymore. And it hurts, because it took months of my time to create. And now I'm literally forbidden to be proud of my work. And I repeat, it hurts. Because I value my art very highly. I love drawing so much, and I consider myself a very capable artist who deserves praise. And no, I don't think my ego is more important than Pyroscythe's and Maddie's feelings about shipping and how they're uncomfortable w it right now. If you're reading my words that way, then I don't know. You clearly have no empathy for the artists in the fandom.
I'm just trying to say what pains me the most, and I think I have every right to do so. I want to be proud of my work, but that right has been ripped out of my hands, and I feel robbed of a certain freedom, shackled by expectations. It's hard, it's sad.
And it's doubly sad that no fanartists seem to talk about this feeling at all. I wonder if I'm alone in this...
Okay, I'll wrap this up here, since this post is already so long. Thanks for the ask, Anon!
I hope my answer has been detailed enough so far :)
Here's some thoughts for you
AU where Scott charms Avid to get Avid to stop accusing him. However he's been asleep for 600 years and cant remember how to undo it so now Avid thinks Scott is his best friend in the whole world and even after finding out he's really a vampire, won't leave him alone
Scott can't kill him though because he is regrettably endeared to him so he's just stuck with this annoying little man until he can reverse it
Aviscott thoughts for a non-Aviscott girlie, huh? Interesting. Okay, well, I can indulge. I have to say that this AU sounds like some kind of perfect mix of fluff and comedy, with plenty of potential for sitcom-esque moments. Good stuff! :D
Although, I admit, my muse takes my thoughts in a much darker direction... So, anon, if this might upset you, then don't read any further. Just consider that I really love this idea and can easily imagine Scott slowly warming up to Avid after realizing that this boy can be quite sweet when he's attached <3
Well, about more darker twist_s... Scott was genuinely annoyed with Avid during their first days at Oakhurst and felt nothing but irritation and occasional anger towards the alchemist. And then he gets Avid as his perfectly loyal friend servant? I think Scott's first instinct would be to get rid of this messy, loud boy. Take him deep into the woods under some vague, absurd pretext and devour him for all the trouble Avid dared to cause him earlier. And no one in Oakhurst would even be able to blame him! Because in the last few days, Avid suddenly changed his mind, deciding that he loves Scott and considers him his best friend. So, when the most loud person in town was noticed missing, it would be kind of hard to pin it on Scott...
Although, that's not even the darkest turn of events I can think of.
Oh, I think Scott will enjoy using Avid as a tool. He didn't plan to charm the alchemist for forever, but he will gladly abuse this magic to the limit, conduct a little experiment to see how far he can go.
Scott will have a lot of fun turning his worst enemy at the beginning of the story into his most loyal pawn.
He won't turn Avid into a vampire right away or in any forseeable future. He will simply give him all the menial labor a human can perform, mainly sending him to breed animals and mine silver for use in rebuilding the castle, among other things. Scott will make Avid's ass work harder than he ever made Pyro. And when will the tasks be over? He still won't let Avid rest; he'll come up with some nonsense to keep the alchemist busy, against all common sense. Yes, it's a kind of torture for how much trouble Avid caused Scott earlier.
Of course, Scott will justify his behavior in the most manipulative ways possible. He'll say that Avid is still not a vampire because he is... the most valuable member of the coven! Exactly! After all, no matter how cool vampires are, they can't live without blood, and human blood is hard to get around Oakhurst, so Avid is needed for breeding animals... oh no, without his work, all the vampires of the coven won't last long...
Scott also promises that he will transform Avid immediately as soon as all this nonsense with the beacons is over, and then the boy, too, can become one of the creatures of the night, YAY! To reinforce his promise, Scott will even let Avid choose a luxurious outfit from his wardrobe, you know, for the future. They'll try on several options together, and Scott will compliment Avid along the way. He'll then comb the alchemist's terribly disheveled and dirty hair, pick out a pair of jewelry for him, and so on... All to keep Avil believing their relationship is genuine.
While Scott doesn't actually plan to turn Avid into a vampire without a good reason, he still intends to test how far he can push the spell, how deeply he can break a person.
Shelby is largely indifferent to Scott's cruel treatment of Avid. Just as they missed Scott's red flags that Pyro pointed out to them in canon, they still doesn't notice something dark going on. Avid says he loves Scott and loves this coven, and he with them and not those hostile humans in Oakhurst! So what if he looks a little exhausted? Although, Shelby tries to provide Avid with as much comfort as she can. She helps bandage Avid's neck wound and gives him the human food Drift sneaks out of town for him. Because, yes, Drift is worried about her friend, but unfortunately, she can't get close enough, as Scott is constantly making sure his tool (Avid) is busy working. So Shelby is really her only connection with Avid...
Pyro and Owen are... pretty negative towards Avid. But both are also willing to tolerate him, because Scott is in charge, not them.
But it should be noted that since Avid has been charmed with him almost from his very first days in Oakhurst, he hasn't had time to bully Pyro much. Many moments where he insulted, tried to kill, or hurt them simply didn't happen because now Avid thinks vampires are cool almoust from the start.
But oh damn, if Pyro isn't jealous of Avid! In a twisted sense, of course.
He sees how rude Scott really is to him, but he still somehow yearns to be in Avid's shoes sometimes. To be the one Sire invites into his chambers to try on a beautiful outfit. To be the one Sire watches constantly, praises for all your endless work, strokes your head tenderly when you look especially tired...
Pyro is willing to kill for this affection, even knowing that Avid gets it at the cost of torture. So, ultimately, Pyro's attitude towards Avid in this AU is more neutral, but with a hint of envy and negativity.
Owen... well, I think there's no need to explain. Hatred of humans and all that. He doesn't mind the moments when Scott very obviously uses Avid as a servant, but he, like Pyro, dislikes the elder vampire's attentions to Avid. Owen considers them sincere since he doesn't know about the spell, and Scott himself is a little strange for the general inconsistency of cruel actions and sweet words/gestures. What game is the elder vampire playing?...
Okay, that's all from my thoughts for now, although I could probably come up with a few more scenes for this AU... but it's so laaate and Im tired...
Avid being mind controlled wasn't meant to be a super happy cheerful AU don't worry. Could be fun to consider that something happens eventually that breaks Avid free of the charm and when he's absolutely horrified and tries to escape the coven, thats when Scott turns him because he doesnt want to lose the attention. Then Avid can be miserable in the coven for a change and starts looking for solace and such in Pyro since he knows Pyro is also there against his will and then fireshot
I think allowing Avid to eventually break free from the charms sounds like the most satisfying continuation of this AU.
But first, about how I like to think this spell work. Once cast, the vampire must maintain the enchanted person's belief that everything is happening is correct. Otherwise, the spell will break. So, if Scott stops paying attention to Avid and reinforcing his belief in their good relationship, Avid will simply break free from charms.
Scott himself is kind of forgot of this mechanism; he's constantly around Avid and continues to play the friendship game because it's more of a fun time than anything else. Scott certainly doesn't develop something like a genuine affection for Avid along the way, no.
But Scott is greedy, dismissive, and selfish.
Besides, over time, he'll become addicted to drinking Avid's blood. A little bite after dinner at the coven as dessert wouldn't hurt anyone, right? Human blood is so rare around Oakhurst, oh hell, it would be a sin not to drink from someone who's literally always within arm's reach. "Hey, Avid, sharing is caring! So let me-"
Scott doesn't drain Avid; he's careful, he knows the boy is fragile, exhausted. It would be too easy to break him... And yet, at some point, Avid's body gives out, and he finally loses consciousness.
He eats poorly (of course, no one in the coven cares, they all eat raw meat!), barely sleeps, and then Scott starts drinking his blood like this. Oh, the poor thing...
Pyro is assigned to care for the unconscious Avid, because he always does all the dirty work, lol. Scott, meanwhile, is busy trying to plan how he can convince someone like Legundo to come to the castle and help Avid, ugh! Because he's so upset that his favorite toy is broken, but he can't fix it either. He's not a medic, and certainly not for the humans...
So, several days pass...
Pyro is unhappy with his situation. Owen simply laughs at him, calling him a nanny. Shelby comes to the sleeping Avid with a book and reads to him in a quiet voice, not paying much attention to Pyro.
It's all exhausting; Pyro doesn't understand why he has to keep an eye on Avid's dumb ass. He even considers killing Scott's beloved pet while he's sleeping—it would be less of a hassle, after all. He's a burden! But Pyro's fear of Sir's wrath is stronger, so he keeps his hands to himself. And waits...
When Avid finally wakes up, it's not pretty. Because during his brief coma, the spell has worn off, he's beyond its control, and he's... terrified. He's in such a horror that he immediately going trough a very intense panic attack, while Pyro himself experiences shock, pity, regret, and even an unexpected sympathy for Avid. Because he's so young and so scared, yes, Pyro understands that; he knows a thing or two about fear.
Pyro isn't used to dealing with situations like this, so his attempts to stem the flow of tears and Avid's choking sobs aren't helping much. He mostly awkwardly asks the boy to calm down and not get so nervous, otherwise Scott will think Pyro drove him to this and will be angry, oops.
Finally, he wraps his arms around Avid's shoulders and holds him tight, hoping that this will calm the shaking man. And overall, he's pretty good at guessing; at least Avid stops choking. Although, he's still pretty darn bad. Something's clearly wrong with him. And even Pyro, who hadn't cared about that boy before, now sees that... things maby more complicated then he thought.
At that moment, Shelby enters the room for her usual visit. Seeing Avid awake, she runs to call Scott, all joyful. And Avid himself... well, he looks absolutely terrified at the mention of the ancient vampire's name. Pyro is quite surprised by this reaction, thinking that Avid and Scott are very close... aren't they?
But then they are interrupted by Scott himself, who throws the fledglings out of the room to turn Avid.
That's right, all this happens behind closed doors, where Shelby and Pyro can't see... where they can't understand that without the charms, Avid is not at all thrilled with Scott and how diligently he's been "helping" the coven these past months.
Scott forcibly turns Avid into a vampire, almost immediately, as soon as he realizes the spell has worn off.
Afterward, he pressures Avid, saying that everyone in Oakhurst has long considered him a traitor for siding with the coven, and there's no point in trying to escape back to town. There's also no point in trying to live as a hermit in the woods, since the coven itself doesn't tolerate traitors. Scott hints that Owen will be completely unhappy with Avid's attempt to distance himself from the vampires.
Thus, Avid has no choice but to stay here, next to the one who tormented him all these months and has now turned him. His trauma is now as deep as an abyss, oh boy...
Scott also can't stand the way Avid cries and whines throughout this entire moment in the room. He's used to Avid being happy and obedient! So he gives his new fledgling a few kicks to keep his mask on. Scott also orders him to behave normally in front of Shelby and Pyro. To everyone else, it must look like Scott finally turned Avid because he was so afraid of losing him forever after that fainting moment. And Avid himself must tell everyone that his unhealing wound is to blame. Apparently, it's gotten worse lately... So he's sooo grateful that Scott turned him into a vampire and put him out of his misery! Everyone's happy.👏👏👏
...but of course Pyro finds it suspicious. He saw Avid wake up just recently, completely terrified. And knowing Scott...
Stands up and applauds sooOOOO loudly. You're right forever and ever.
Oh, my scapegoats. My darling, darling scapegoats. One of the aspects of Pyro and Apo both, especially in the context of sexual assault, that I find horrifying compelling was how Deeply everyone was set in not believing either of them in their accounts of the violence done to them.
Apo's is more overt, of course, in others outright denying their side, talking over her, smoothing it all down with a "But He's So Nice And Charming, He'd Never!", but the ways in which others assume that Pyro means them harm when he lashes out (or even when he's pleading for help) and pushes them inch by inch back towards the source of that violence, because at least he cares enough to "Want" them. Ough. Ouch. Oof. Augh. Damage tick noises.
Anyways—
There's a lot to be said for the fact that no one seems to notice what happened to Apo and Pyro. From Shelby, who ignored every red flag of their beloved coven leader, to Legundo and Ren, who seemingly tried to befriend/reach out to Pyro but never put in the real effort.
In the end of the day, some people were too busy to pay attention, while others were too convinced of Scott's incapability for such horrific violence, and that's it. And Scott, as always, got away with it.
Actually, that's not even true. Not only did Scott suffer no consequences, but he also sent his victims spiraling into pure madness. Seriously, the grief over Avid's death is a pittance in the ocean of pain Scott truly deserves.
Don't EVER feel bad for venting Helly, its so many emotions all at once.
Take it one step at a time.
We understand, we were betraied, we are mourning the loss of someone we never knew and never existed and feeling like your art, what you made, is know tainted is normal, but remember it is still your art.
Just because someone is a piece of shit, and even if they made their creations from hatred, it doesn't mean we can't take joy and connection from them, specially when it cames to your own art.
I love your art, your AUs, you are very creative and one of the coolest people I know of on this app, its ok to feel lost, its ok to feel sad and angry, its ok to not know how you feel.
Maybe talk to someone you trust, I doubt there is a single person on this planet that hasn't felt betraied by one of their idols/ someone that let them down.
If you can't do that than focus on something that might bring you joy, maybe working on some art, listening to (not sad) music or something else.
And if it helps you, vent all you need to us.
Don't ever feel scared of asking for someone to listen, even if it feels stupid or even if you called it, it still hurts. 💚
OH MY GOD THANK YOU I'M ABOUT TO CRY???? THAT'S SO NICE OF YOU!!!
Thank you, seriously, hearing words of support means so much to me, especially when they're so sincere and so kind. My heart melts... nooo, I don't know what to say, I'm just so sweeped off my feet.
Okay, okay. I don't hate my work that ever featured cAvid, and I'm increasingly starting to accept the mindset that we should just take these characters away from them. They don't need them anymore anyway, haha, not to mention they don't deserve to own them. So... okay, whatever. I don't know if I'll ever draw with cAvid again, probably not, or not anytime soon. Maybe one day, if I come up with some AU (by the way, thank you so much for praising my creativity, oh my god???), I'll want to have him in the cast, but I don't know. Maybe I'll change things up a bit so it's more like an OC, maybe I'll rewrite him. In any case, I refuse to hate my work or let AvidMC shit on my sweet raspberries any longer. Yeah... okay, they don't say that in English, but in my language it's an established expression. So whatever, sorry, my vocabulary just isn't enough to reflect the full range of emotions.
Either way, I feel tiny bit better about this situation today.
I don't really have anyone to talk to about it tho, but I went and sat down and drew today, and for quite a long time at that, and it was a good.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write me words of encouragement; again, it's very much appreciated! I don't usually expect people to actively comfort me every time I'm sad, but when they do, I always remember it. Because it always means a lot and helps.
Hi I just want to express that how you drew scott in the last comic, specially the last panel where he is alone is absolutely gorgeous. Im obssesed with how you did hos expression and he geniunely looks amazing (and prettyty). Your hands are so talented!!!
I'M GONNA CRY ANON YOU'RE SO KIND!!! GENUINELY BIG BIG BIIIG THANK YOU. Oh, this helps a lot and melts my heart in the most literal sence of the word. I'm so grateful for your support.
Omfg, I'm feeling really really bad abt my art as of recently. Because... because I tried to draw something that isn't beyond my skill level at all, but failed badly, unfortunately. And it really messed with me. To the point of considering quitting art because it's all just feels senseless. Sigh. It's probability some heavy dark inappropriate jumpscare-type shit to say or don't. I don't know. But I'm saying the truth anyway.
And I'm usually not pessimistic about my artwork, I don't want to quit every other week, it's quite the opposite... I can't remember the last time I even dare to think abt it. Art is my life, no matter how corny this sounds.
But this is how I know the shit is serious if I'm giving up on the one thing I love so dearly and deeply.
AGAIN. SORRY. IT'S SUDDENLY ENDED UP BEING SO SAD. I DIDN'T MEAN TO-
But in the end... it really helped and a lot. Praise and feedback always means a lot and I'm super super grateful and happy.
Yeah. Do you know Undertale, per chance? So imagine... Undertale is like the main storyline of my AU. And then theres Underfell. Everything is edgy and super dark now. Every previously "morally righteous" character is corrupted. And they're also wearing some fucked up nun outfits.
So "cult ending" it's like veeery dark side brunch that grew out of the main one. Everything starts as it usually would, Louis takes Owen and Pyro for himself, Oakhurst residents getting their happy ending, etc.
But Louis suffers from major PTSD and OCD (which he does in every branch, tbh).
And he doesn't ever do ANYTHING with it, and he strictly forbids their fledgling from talking about it ever too, "yeah, I'm so okey, so normal, it's nothing, it's none of your business, your attempts to argue about it only pissing me off". And then. Well. Louis goes crazy from all of his untreated mental illnesses. Kills a lot of people including Pyro's parents, his first victims, by the way. And then he starts gather some other vampires around himself, etc. Until there's a whole cult.
Basically, this is EVIL LOUIS ENDING AND HES WORSE THAN SCOTT GOLDSMITH EVER WAS BECAUSE HE REFUSED TO GO TO THERAPY
KIDS!!! REMEMBER!!! YOUR MENTAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT.
