#x!scar

[gtwscratch]

(question for grian and scar; ask together or indipendently or only one; witchever you think would be the most interesting answer)

grian: what's your opnion of your sister?

scar: what's your opnion of your brother?

[cutthroatcarnival]

Man No More Than Animal (Made of Moral Chemicals)

What if…? What powers would be gained? Survival of the fittest…

This fic includes: human experimentation, blood/mentions of blood, graphic description, and dehumanization.

*Slaps fic* this bad boy can fit so much angst in it

For @gtwscratch, the creator of the Project X AU!

Title from: Laplace’s Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!) by Will Wood

Read it on AO3!

Chapter 1: Mechanicality

It’s frighteningly easy to lose track of time here. No windows, no clocks. Even the internal clock of BDubs can’t count how many days it has been. Only the yellowing of bruises act as witnesses to the passage of time. Mumbo watches as Scar pokes and prods at the newest splotch of color on the canvas of his skin- it’s no longer an angry red or ugly purple, but an off-putting green. Neither can remember where it came from, nor how long ago it formed.

The scientists are staring at him. Not watching, not taking notes- just staring. Mumbo is resolutely avoiding direct eye contact, even as he stands in the middle of his cell, subconsciously drumming his fingers together, forcing his gaze to stay locked onto Scar. He can’t decipher what emotions are on their faces, only risking quick glances out of his peripheral. Provoking them would only make things worse. One of his observers slams the side of his fist against the glass, startling a flinch from Mumbo and a yelp from his cellmate.

Mumbo feels like a cornered animal. All of his potential ways of escape are impractical; the door requires a keycard, the glass and solid wall at the back couldn’t be broken- Scar had tried. Oh, how he had tried- the defeated wailing still haunts him- punching and hitting every surface until his knuckles bled. The itch to run squirms under Mumbo’s skin. As his panic and confusion rose, the foreign feeling of blood in his veins grew. It felt thicker than it should’ve been, almost like a slurry, and it made his stomach roll.

Why were they standing out there? Why can he feel his blood surging through him? What have they done to him? They considered him their second greatest failure- their whispered conversations never quiet enough- but what changed their minds? The grating sound of a door sliding open makes his blood freeze. He hears the shifting of Scar behind him, half-hiding behind him and half in a defensive stance, and a hand curls into the scratchy material of his hospital gown.

A scientist now stands in their cell, their face a blank slate, yet those cruel and calculating eyes seek. Something twists in Mumbo’s gut, harsh breaths sound from his nose as his eyes remain locked onto the intruder. He can feel and hear the tightening of Scar’s grip- is this how he felt every time he protected Mumbo? Stubbornly brave and bone-rattlingly afraid?

Some part of his body must’ve clued the scientist into his distracted disposition, as a wicked grin split their lips, closing the gap between them with a lunge. Alarms blare in his skull, the cry of his name from Scar as his cellmate attempts to shove him out of harm’s way, yet Mumbo does not move. His body is bolted to the unforgiving floor. Not even Scar’s strength can move him- and that terrifies him.

Mumbo has never been a fighter. He’s happy to solve things with words rather than fists. Conflict can be solved peacefully and smoothly in his opinion- so why doesn’t his body move? The space between him and the scientist is so, so small, his brain and body arguing between instincts. One part of him wins as his hand shoots out and grips the scientist’s neck. A sickly, ugly red has replaced the cool undertone of his veins, as they pulse and glow. In a disgustingly mesmerizing fashion, the red spreads from his hand to the scientist and seeps into the other’s skin.

He can feel eyes on him as he stumbles back from Scar’s harsh yanking, breathing now quiet but no less quick, as he watches the scientist in front of him topple over, one arm curled around their stomach and the other bracing from impact. To Mumbo’s horror, the skin where his hand made contact with their neck is blistered and violently red. An alarm wails above their heads as the remaining scientists rush in, the slamming of metal echoes through the hall as the other cells are put into lockdown. There’s shouting and so much movement it makes Mumbo sway, mind reeling as he realizes what has happened- poisoning. He had poisoned that scientist with his bare hands. The presence of Scar protectively secured around him is the last thing he registers as the scene fades from his vision, slowly fading to black.

[gtwscratch]

Girl, just because I can't get my mind off of artemis II, can we just pretend that the timeline matches up with today and wonder how the lifers would react to missing out on both the launch and landing of artemis II, specifically scar I think

I think they’d all feel varying senses of despair because they’re not just missing out on their personal lives but other major world events.

Scar’s more affected by it than the others, though. He thinks space is the coolest, and he has an awesome brother who actually knows all the ins and outs of the rockets, so he would’ve been devastated more than anyone else about missing the entire event.

Meanwhile, Cub is watching the whole thing go down, petting Jellie as she rests in his lap.

[gtwscratch]

*Sighs dramatically* ProjectX!Pearl staring into ProjectX!Scar’s iris-less eyes and wondering if it’s the closest she’ll ever come to seeing the moon again.

(I’m going through Scarred Moon withdrawal if you can’t tell lol. I would write something for them if I had any ideas.)

I-

THAT-

YOU-

I DON’T-

(^real picture of me in my bed as I open this ask)

You are a goddamn GENIUS DO YOU KNOW THAT???? DO YOU REALIZE HOW GOOD THIS IS??? CAN I USE THIS?????

[gtwscratch]

Did any of the subjects attitudes change after the incident/ skizz and mumbo's deaths?

For The Incident, Scar became a lot more reserved with his actions and now tries to attract as little attention as possible. Grian is much more closed off than he used to be, and the only one who’s managed to get past the barriers he’s put up is Gem.

After Skizz died, Impulse was consumed with grief. Knowing that his friend is dead hurts him more than anything the scientists could ever do to him. Throughout all the testing, he hears Skizz’s voice in his head urging him to keep going despite his lack of hope for escape.

[gtwscratch]

Hey, I'm back! I haven't done one of these in a while, but here I am. Also patiently waiting for the next chapter (I lied, I'm so excited). Anyway, onto the headcanons!

When Mumbo died, all nearby light and electronics exploded, mimicking 'lighting'

Scientists originally thought Ren's power was water-breathing, and he nearly drowned from a test

If Jimmy is invisible, and he stands in front of another person, they look to be invisible too. (Like a shield, sort of)

The first time Grian used Pearl's powers, he lost track of time and fell from a great height. It took a long time to recover.

BigB can breathe both oxygen and carbon dioxide, being part plant

Scott once turned into an elephant, surprising both himself and the scientists that were in the small room with him

Gem knows exactly what day it is because she can see the dates when in astral form

Lizzie's shadows can not only cause blindness, but also dampen the senses

Tango's portions are doubled, but Bdubs still gives him some of his food

Scar has inflicted several dents and cracks in the glass, but has yet to break it.

That's all! Hope you have an amazing day/night!

Ahhh welcome back!!! Yippeee!! More headcanons!!

1.) AYO WAIT!!! WAIT!! I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT!!! I’M GOING TO USE THAT!!!

2.) Ohhhh poor Ren. :,(

3.) Interesting thought, and I won’t elaborate on why, but that is not how it works in Project X. It’s just him that’s invisible.

4.) Oooo yeah, bro was probably up so high that he broke a couple things on that fall. Yikes.

5.) Idk how that can be or will be utilized, but that’s canon now.

6.) That makes such a funny visual in my head. XDDD But Scott can only turn into animals he’s touched, and there’s not always a guarantee it’ll work.

7.) Oh yeah, 100%. She and Bdubs can always keep track of the time and date. (For him it’s just, like, intuition).

8.) Ooooooo I actually really really like that idea.

9.) Yeah, that happens, especially since Bdubs is awake half the time to eat anyways.

10.) I think Scar would be too afraid to break the glass, but the tile walls? Those have got at least a mark or two.

[gtwscratch]

Here's some fun "what ifs"!

What if Grian was hit by Scar instead of Skizz?

What if Ren looked at the camera instead of Martyn and he found out?

What if Cub saved Scar from being taken?

What if Lizzie was taken before Joel?

What if Gem had Grian's powers?

What if Pearl could fly out of the labs?

What if Etho gave Joel his hammer, saying he doesn't want to use it anymore?

What if Bdubs saw Cleo as a mother figure and wishes she could comfort him again?

What if Tango accidently caused a fire with his super speed?

What if Cleo could get Skizz and Mumbo to free the others?

What if Mumbo got a power?

What if Scar could break through the glass?

What if Impulse could visit Bdubs in their dreams?

What if Sausage found clues of Cubs work?

What if Joel had an argument with Etho after a particularly bad day?

What if Big B was allowed one free day to move wherever he wanted?

What if Jimmy was stuck being invisible?

What if Scott could turn into inanimate objects?

What if Skizz could speak to Impulse?

What if Martyn had a sonic scream instead of hearing?

WOW that’s a lot!! :DDD

1.) Oh, Skizz wasn’t hit by Scar. Skizz died during the scientists’ experiments on him.

2.) Assuming you mean if Martyn would have been taken regardless if he noticed his picture being taken, he would’ve been absolutely furious. Honestly? Might have caused a causality. He would rather be completely alone in the facility than have to suffer alongside Ren.

3.) Cub would have tried way harder to report Ex to the head of Lacuna Labs and the police. He hadn’t realized how serious Ex was, and he’d be damned if his efforts to protect his brother went to waste.

4.) Joel would’ve been just as worried as Lizzie was about him. Maybe he would’ve filed a missing persons report sooner.

5.) I don’t think things would change too much since Gem and Grian are in the same cell.

6.) If you mean if she could fly but was still captive, she’d feel waaay less claustrophobic and less like she was losing her mind. If you mean if she could fly and escape, she might not ever come back. What would people say if she approaches them, maniples and antennae and wings?

7.) Sadly, no one else can use the mace. It dematerializes when other people try to wield it (unless it’s Grian and he’s copying Etho’s power).

8.) Awww.. They certainly grew close in the short time they shared a cell.

9.) Luckily there are fire extinguishers and other items that are readily available to prevent major damage. And it would probably have happened during a test, so Tango would get no punishment or anything since they were testing the limits of his speed.

10.) Then she 100% would. If she could summon them past the walls of her cell, she would have gotten herself and as many people out of the facility as she could.

11.) He actually did before he died!

12.) Oh, he can. Scar is just too afraid of his own strength to utilize it.

13.) I’m not sure. I haven’t put any thought into if Impulse and Bdubs would have much of a relationship in this AU.

14.) Then he’d do everything he could to meet up with Cub and figure out where Pearl went. They’d work together with the others to figure out where they are.

15.) They’d stay pretty quiet, but they wouldn’t stay mad at each other for long. At the end of the day, they both know that the other isn’t actually mad at them.

16.) He would take as much advantage of it as he could. He’d take out security cameras as subtly as possible and hope the others figured out what he’d done.

17.) Oh, he would be so much worse mentally than he currently is. He’s constantly holding onto Lizzie or the thin blanket from his bed so that he can see that he’s touching something—so that he can see that he’s still there.

18.) He probably would have escaped a lot sooner.

19.) If Imoulse could hear him, then Skizz would let him know anything and everything that he saw. He’d let him know the perfect time to make a move, the fastest route to escape, all that jazz. And if they had to wait a while for an escape opportunity, then Skizz is feeding him words of encouragement and urging him to home on just a little bit longer.

20.) Many scientists would have gone deaf early on before they put a power suppression collar on him.

[gtwscratch]

going a bit headcanon but with Scars power and overall danger due to it, Im wondering if some of the scientists have ever used him to threaten others or even “handle” problems against his will? (was gonna add “silly headcanon / question done” at the end but this is very sad )

Maybe a few of them had in the past, but it never worked. Scar would freeze up when put into that situation, reliving what happened to Mumbo when they’d order him to injure another subject.

He’d either freeze up entirely, or, if the scientist started getting physical with him, he’d punch them away from him out of self defense, resulting in their death.

From then on it was agreed not to use Subject 005 to physically threaten the other subjects.