#Cortical Cocoon AU

[tumblingxelian]

Cortical Cocoon AU:

Actually, on the subject of food, how do you see various Imago going about getting it?

I mentioned the Infestigator setting up a dead drop or clandestine rendezvous with a delivery guy, or just going ahead and casually buying food like they don't probably have a warrant for all the hostage taking during their emergence.

But how do you see other Imago going about food acquisition?

Good question and hilarious mental images regarding the Infestigator.

"Well technically it was my human host who took the hostage not me." "That means you killed the man yourself after driving him crazy!" "We can't help how we're born." "So wait, are you that guy or a new guy?" "Excellent question! One you should perhaps also direct towards Miss Rossi . Normally I'd not interfere but Chameleons tend to eat insects you see."

As for other Imago, I think it'd depend a lot on their type, personality & obsessions, as well as how much destruction they are prone to cause on their own.

Like, Startrain probably has to grudgingly come back to earth and raids a space station to steal all the "space food" & takes off again.

Style Queen just orders the nearest server to bring her food and then maybe doesn't kill them if she thinks they did a tolerable job.

Princess Fragrance sends her loyal lovelies out to collect her food, or has her adoring attendants make her home cooked meals.

You get the idea.

Some of the more rational one's may even be willing to pay people!. Ya know, in theory, an autograph from Anti-Bug counts as money!

XD

[mindriz]

Infestigator HC, but given you said he always has to be broke, I am just imagining that he's subconsciously turned a couple of moths into drones (The way Jagged turns Fang into a dragon) & they just float around his nest and wallet eating money and ensuring all his clothes are suitably raggedy.

Huh. Hadn't considered the idea of non-humanoid drones.

Does seem rather interesting though.

Of course, those moths would provide an advantage (possibly unknowingly) to Infestigator, quietly watching things, resulting in the Infestigator having strange bursts of insight he claims as 'hunches'.

[mindriz]

@tumblingxelian

Yeah that would be an interesting way to play things.

Idea: Ladybug AU where before the start of the series Noroo in a desperate attempt to save himself from Gabriel uses his power while he’s busy leading his company.

He wanted to find an hero that could save him, but instead he akumatized hundreds of people around Paris that are causing chaos and destruction all over the town in order to find him… or are simply causing chaos and destruction for their own reason.

To make matters worse, Adrien and Marinette are amongst the akumatized victims

oh dear.

Could make for a good vibe of 'oh shit Heroes exist now'.

[tumblingxelian]

Hey did I ever get around to asking you about your thoughts regarding Marrinette's mindset of separating the Akuma from the host in the context of Cortical Cocoon?

I don't believe so, but it is an interesting question, I think Marinette would really struggle with Imago on a conceptual level for many reasons.

Off the cuff, Marinette is a problem solver who feels responsible for everything. As a result if she can't fix something or a problem seems insurmountable she starts to catastrophize things.

So she's already gonna be super anxious about them.

Add in that she sees Akuma as basically people possessed and otherwise rendered unto as tools and thus not remotely responsible for their Akuma's actions be they good or bad. IE to her the Akuma does not reflect anything about the person so Chloe not killing Chat Noir doesn't say anything more about Chloe than Nathanial trying to murder Chloe & Marinette says about him.

When in reality that are people transformed and exaggerated by external stimuli, IE magic drunk/steroids that births an alternate persona but one they are still part of...

Its entirely possible she views becoming Imago as death.

The Imago is not a person its a monster that festered inside someone and ate them from the inside out and now they are dead and any resemblance between the two is happenstance.

Which to be fair is not 00% inaccurate depending on the type of manifestation, but is also not the case 100% of the time and more to the point, even unhinged and dangerous, Imago aren't inherently evil, in fact some are less-so than Akuma, though this is rare to be fair.

So, yeah I think she'd both feel immense guilt about anyone who becomes an Imago but also low key view it as a death sentence and would not see the Imago as an evolution, successor or continuation of the person in question.

At least not at first, no one's thinking is so rigid that they can't find exceptions or grey area even if they won't acknowledge it.

So like, if Chloe went through the Chrysididae transformation, Marinette would try to give this new being the grace of a fresh start but would also REALLY STRUGGLE not to just see Chloe pretending to be someone else.

In contrast if Alya transformed into Lady Wifi she'd want a complete 100% discontent from this thing puppeting around her friends corpse and want to destroy it, but probably while crying the whole time. & 50/50 on whether she could actually go through with it.

Basically, she'd be super fucked about them and struggle a lot.

[tumblingxelian]

Cortical Cocoon AU: Interesting idea I had due to thinking about Poker Night at the Inventory.

Every so often, some of the Imago in the catacombs will get together and play some Poker or other card games

There must be some really interesting conversations there.

Oh, and the Infestigator ends up being the dealer after winning too often due to his skill at calling bluffs.

Honestly that sounds very fun and also reminds me I think I wanted to share this video with you:

But yeah love the idea that some Imago can form a degree of community, or at least hold truces with one another.

Its like imagining Scylla and Charybdis casually chatting in Greek Mythos XD

[tumblingxelian]

Cortical Cocoon AU: So I happened to be looking at the Missing Floor tvtropes page and I learned about Ghost Stations.

Of which the Parisian Metro has at least a few.

And it seems to me that such a location could serve as a decent spot for an Imago who wants to avoid the catacombs to set up their Nest or Hive.

The most prominent ones are the Ghost Station that had never opened in the first place, namely Porte Molitor and Haxo. Both of which don't tend to have trains passing through due to their locations and lack any surface connection.

Another station an Imago might want to use as a Nest/Hive is Saint-Martin, which closed in 1939 due to WWII, opened again after Liberation, then closed again due to being redundant.

It's apparently been used as a homeless shelter, with the eastern section currently being used a day shelter.

An unscrupulous grouper Imago would likely take that as a benefit.

Sorry for the wait, been wrapped up in a map making project.

Anyway dang this is super cool, Paris has so many places for villains and monsters and cults to set up, how wonderful! & yeah I can definitely see those places becoming habitats for Imago.

Vampire: Well its not the Catacombs but this Ghost Station will do nicely as a lair. Pixelator: Hey get out of here, I called dibs! Vampire: Oh gods more of them!

Also oof, yeah I imagine a lot of people in unstable or insecure positions will find themselves victims of an untoward Imago, be it as a meal (Horrificator, ETC) or subjects (Darkblade, ETC) & such people would be among the least likely to be noticed missing or heard if they avoided capture too.

Gods ANdre would probably consider that a boon cos he can claim credit for "Ending homelessness in Paris" or something.

[tumblingxelian]

Cortical Cocoon AU: This song feels fitting for someone suffering from various physical effects prior to Emergence.

Perhaps the same Patient the Investigator was treating?

Medical Anomaly- RIProducer

Ooh yeah that fits extremely well, especially the strong contrast in the like, expectation of recovery of undiagnosed state of things VS what they 'know' what they can 'feel' is happening.

[mindriz]

I was trying to tinker with making a Paris Catacomb map and Paris Map thing for funsies, and to test out what Wonderdraft can do. Sadly it didn't exactly pan out, even with attempts from watabou and RL maps of Paris, though they did lead to some neat results.

Anyway here's what i did make.

Mostly by finding black and white maps and messing with the color grading and importing back and forth between programs XD Oh & here's the two Paris which as said didn't quite work but are neat:

Those do look pretty neat!

I actually did find this map on reddit of the catacombs and other such underground areas of Paris.

Bit complicated, though. I've never really been good with geography so I have some trouble making sense of it.

[mindriz]

Stumbled on this song again after ages and was like "I could see an Imago having this as a rally cry kind of" XD

"Heroes Falling"

Alright, that does seem pretty fitting. I also went ahead and looked up who Nine is for additional context.

I could definitely see a similar sort of character as an Imago, who would likely cause a massive conflict.

Definitely a season finale level threat. Or tie-in movie, I suppose.

Odds this Nine!Imago would be able to attract a decent following of Imago to their side, although plenty would likely try to stay out of it.

Maybe even fleeing Paris entirely for a period.

I suppose if we go a bit further with making this character an expy of Nine, we could incorporate the Organization by making it so that this Imago happened to be taken by the Organization, who managed to enhance their abilities as part of an experiment.

This naturally backfires on the Organization's part, and ultimately sets up the entire conflict.

Also, apologies for taking a while to answer. Got somewhat distracted these past few days.

[tumblingxelian]

Okay, so I was listening to 'The Experiment' from Steampianist, (I'm pretty sure I've shared it with you before) and I stumbled upon this cover of it, which includes extra additional lyrics.

Which I feel are really appropriate for the Cortical Cocoon AU.

Thoughts?

Oh it was not a good idea to watch this before bed XD

But also yeah I totally see it deteriorated minds, "We are you" over and over again, "We are the madness that lurks within you", "We are the animal instincts of greed", Also damn "You've been chosen eyes wide open", That whole intense frantic section about not sleeping feels like the person realizing and fearing their situation too.

[tumblingxelian]

Cortical Cocoon AU: here is a song again

I’d talk more but I’m experiencing unusual levels of fatigue.

Animal - The Living Tombstone

Gosh I love Living Tombstone:

My first unclenches I’m losing all of my senses I freeze I’m tense defenseless suspense presents with intense mystery I move my body but it feels like someone taking over me My thoughts are gone like they’re locked up and someone threw away the key It’s like a creature from a nightmare

Damn this one comes right out the gate swinging as far as terror and losing one's self goes.

I do not feel like myself, I think I might be something else, And I don’t think I can tell if I am dreaming My mind is packed and leaving, I’m feeling like an animal

Mhm, overwhelming emotions, thoughts, more intense drives, its still you but is it really you? Are you even human>

Don’t know what has occurred but I see in third person view I try to talk to myself but the voice I hear sounds just like you The words I’ve spoken make me . think that my mind has broke in two Not in control or without a soul there’s no telling what I’ll do I’m like a creature from a nightmare

This persons gone down the slippery slope so fast!

Did I always have the potential I’m revealing I have become something new, or am I turning into you And will I even make it through this delusion Or is this evolution, I’m feeling like an animal

I feel like this one may work best for "Has been an Akuma long enough for it to start becoming permanent, the degree of disassociation but still present, losing ones self to instincts of the Imago with the animal lines, ETC.

Losin sight of what I once was, it might get gruesome I feel like I’m ten feet tall, and nothing frightens me at all Ready to fight and tonight I’m out of control I’m finally done concealing I’m feeling like an animal

They full embrace their new nature as two become one.

[tumblingxelian]

Cortical Cocoon Vibes: https://youtu.be/gduNlGgX1c8?si=oaUI7vG5XJSywYXV

Damn that was a cool video, also horrifying! I think I see what you're getting at there too.

[tumblingxelian]

Found another song that reminds me of the Cortical Cocoon AU.

ALREADY DEAD - KittenSneeze

Oh snap yeah this fits extremely well, though I think in this context HK would fit for the golden rabbit, while I imagine a third voice emerging from inside Vanny's and overwhelming hers as the Akuma becomes an Imago and thus its own entity.

[tumblingxelian]

Found a similar song like the last song I sent you that reminded me of the Cortical Cocoon AU.

ALWAYS WANTED

Wasn't sure on this one at first, but one it got to the counting up section I was all in, that def works well.

[mindriz]

Very rambly half formed thoughts regarding Imago order and public perception but like:

Patient Zero & Infestagator happening first/second, within a short period.

Public: This is bad, but also manageable, they were criminals/'crazy', we're fine.

Darkblade (Unknown) and Mylene (Info contained to avoid panic)

Public (Unaware anything's changed) Heroes' & Mylene's peers (VERY AWARE)

Probably some minor Imago & regular Akuma, things seem stable but growing 'worse' but not yet out in public.

Then the Dungeons of Daarkblade happen & while he' stopped, tons of people have been made into Drones and other ranks and need to be quarantined and Mylene escaped into the catacombs and this cannot be covered up at all.

Now people can start panicking & oops, Imago have started to show up elsewhere in the world, so sealing off Paris won't stop them.

Sorry for the response delay.

Anyway, that does seem like a pretty good order of initial Imago.

Infestigator is probably going to be pretty upset that his warnings were ignored.

He is then going to be smug once people actually realize it's a problem.

So the events would go as such:

Initial wave of Infestation

After several weeks, Alisa Maurelle (a name I came up with for the Magician's civilian identity) is checked into a hospital due to worsening symptoms from Infestation.

A bit into her stay, a Doctor in possession of a magic seeing glasses notices the strange energies surrounding her. However, he does not recognize it as being akuma energies due to being new to Paris. As such he attempts to confiscate the akumatized item, but Maurelle resists, eventually resulting in the Akuma in her forcing large amounts of Akuma energy into the doctor, infesting him.

Maurelle, now having a greater understanding of what's going on, imposes her will upon the Akuma, triggering her emergence as The Magician whilst leaving her in control.

The Infested Doctor notices these events and begins to put the pieces together. He is later attacked by a underling of the Magician and flees to an abandoned warehouse. He attempts to warn the Ladyblog about the infestations but fails to properly communicate.

The Infested Doctor, increasingly influenced by the Akuma, decides to resort to drastic measures. He lures and kills a member of the Magician's gang before taking their gun.

Afterwards, he makes his way to the TV station and rushes a live broadcast, taking multiple hostages. Following this, the Infested Doctor attempts to give his warnings about the threat of the Imago. This warning is mostly ignored and perceived as the ramblings of a mad man.

Shortly after Ladybug and Chat Noir arrive on scene, the Infested Doctor gives in to his infestation and emerges as the Infestigator. Realizing that he is unlikely to win this fight, the Infestigator attempts to flee, resulting in a comical chase sequence.

Shortly after the situation resolves itself, D'Argencourt becomes Darkblade and heads underground, using his abilities to slowly gather an army.

While all this was happening, Mylene has been suffering from severe nightmares and night terrors caused by infestation. She succumbs to the mental assault and becomes Horrificator, an event that her classmates discover. However, Mayor Bourgeois suppresses information about this in an attempt to prevent panic, believing that the situation can be brought under control.

Meanwhile, Horrificator ends up encountering Darkblade, who decides to bring her under his control for use as a 'guard dog'.

Infestigator has, by this point, noticed the situation regarding Darkblade and decides to pass a warning onto the heroes via Rose, who passes it on to Alya, Lila & Chloe, who pass it on to Ladybug and Chat Noir (who also overheard the information earlier in class). This warning is taken seriously due to correlating with various disappearances in the catacombs.

Shortly afterwards, the heroes gather a team together to investigate, finding the Dungeons of Darkblade. This, however, results in Darkblade attempting an invasion of Paris, causing mass panic.

Eventually, Darkblade is defeated, with Horrificator being freed from his control and fleeing back underground. However, a large number of Drones still remain, some being captured and put in quarantine, others going to ground and escaping.

There is some debate on sealing off Paris to prevent further spread, but then a report comes in from elsewhere in France. Another Imago has emerged. The situation has changed drastically.

Yeah that's a good way to set things up.

[mindriz]

I was mostly thinking of someone lost in the Imago Infested Paris Underground (standing in for wonderland here) getting infested and eventually becoming an Imago.

I’d imagine they’d have some sort of powers based around the Imago (I got the idea from the animation in the video).

Cortical Cocoon AU: Stumbled upon a quite fitting song that came out today.

I Only Paint In Red Now - Lydia the Bard

Oh snap this song rocks, can definitely see it as someone losing themself tot he Imago within, thought he opening low key looks more like being welcomed into a secret community of Imago.

Though also thanks to RWBY my mind very much went to Alyx having portions of this in an AMV.