#magic in the modern world au

[lunarharp]

..polly pocket au.. (<- a type of doll.)

[reds-skull]

Concept art for the new AU I've been working on... I'm really liking the vibes it's giving me

top one is a metaphor taken literally (and just me being edgy in general cause why not)

second and third are the Ghost version of this painting I made of Soap a while back

Forth is something I made like a month ago and didn't want to post by itself. It's from the same AU, but uhh not exactly...

[fusionfanatic]

Research for an au fic I’m working on: how would Azula act and behave in a modern setting? And I don’t mean re-imagine her character within a modern context and stories. This isn’t Azula, but she’s an overachieving American high schooler with strict and overbearing parents, or Azula, but she’s the soon-to-be CEO of her father’s multinational conglomerate based in Japan or something. No, I mean how would Azula as she is in canon, Fire nation princess and all, act and behave if you simply just took her from her world and plopped her into [insert current year you’re reading this]?

[saturnniidae]

Modern au Snotlout frantically deleting the 'am I gay?' Quiz (it was a pop-up ad on some sigma male youtube video) from his search history when someone asks for his phone

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

More stuff about my Merlin soulmate au:

Something I think I forgot to mention last time is that soulmates take comfort in the presence and physical contact of each other, feeling safe and content with them by their side.

The other kingdoms view Uther's policies on soulmates to be barbaric and cruel, and is a contributing factor to the tension and conflicts Camelot faces with the surrounding kingdoms.

Morgana still goes evil in this one lads, but with an important change of her anger being exclusively directed at Uther, Arthur, and Merlin. Gwen is her soulmate and she loves her, she wants Gwen at HER side. Her rage at getting a vision of Gwen becoming queen isn't because she is queen, but because she's ARTHURS queen (I do want to clarify that Gwen and Morgana's relationship in this au is platonic, but it only makes sense for Morgana to want one of her soulmates to rule beside her, and her other soulmates are her sister and a child)

So all the attempts on Gwen's life are gone (though both the shade plot and the dark tower might still be in play, but with the intention to get Gwen back all to herself, not to harm her)

(Merlin does not know Morgana is one of Gwen's other soulmates until after he poisoned her and Gwen let's slipped that she's really worried about Morgana, but at least she knows she's alive.)

(Gwen being Morgana's soulmate is a treasure trove of angst that I do plan on exploring fully)

The Coming of Arthur is going to be fun in regards to Morgana and Gwen (and Leon)

Morgana promising Gwen that no harm will come to her, not with her by her side.

"I know it's not fair of me to make you choose between soulmates, but Gwen, I can bring peace back to Camelot. Magic can be free again, soulmates cherished as they are supposed to be. Please, join me."

But the thing is, Morgana isn't just asking Gwen to choose between two halves of her soul. She knows both Leon and Merlin would never forsake Arthur, and if she chose Morgana, she would also lose both of them, not just Arthur. It's an unfair position to be in, an impossible situation (she chooses anyway. The Morgana she knew never would have ordered the death of innocent civilians to punish those who would not obey her. Something happened to the girl she loves, shes having trouble recognizing the holder of a piece of her soul)

(Gwen still goes to the dungeon to bring Leon food, though it goes a little differently, with Leon learning that Morgana is her soulmate. More on that in another post)

Arthur is going to repeal the laws against soulmates and magic as soon as he becomes king (he has been aware of Merlin’s status as a sorcerer for years and is unable to see how magic can be evil and corrupting when Merlin is one of the best people he knows and his soulmate to boot)

Due to most of them growing up under laws that prohibit talking about soulmates, it takes everybody far too fucking long to realize that they are all soulmates with each other cause no one says anything or compares notes.

I know its mean, but they finally figure it all out following Lancelot's death

(I have tried to figure out a way for him to survive but I really don't think he can)

(Poor Gwen all alone in Camelot breaking down while helping care for people because she feels Lancelot *die* with only Gaius to help her. No other soulmates available to hold her and help her feel a little less empty, a little less alone.)

Everyone experiencing the same pain and all knowing they just lost Lancelot leads to conversation.

Because while everyone in the group had been bonded with Lancelot, not everyone is bound together, which is totally possible, but Arthur knows he's soul bound to half this group, it would make sense to check if there's others in the group.

I will make a separate post about the events of the darkest hour cause I think this would get very long if I had it in here

Now, something I haven't gotten into yet is the magic part of soulmates (so far it's mainly been the destiny and social ramifications and interpersonal details)

Soulmarks are magic, and in some cases, an individual can develop a soulmate ability, a single ability that can be used in regards to exclusively one's bonded soulmates

Now these abilities vary in strength and specificity, some are dictated by touch, others apply no matter where they are in the world

Some soulmate abilities I've come up with thus far are:

The ability to always know what direction their soulmate is in relation to themself

The ability to know when their soulmate is lying to them, and a more broad varient of always knowing when they are lying period

The ability to always instinctually know what it is their soulmate truly means when they speak (I'm very tempted to give this to Gwen because I think it would make things interesting with Morgana, but I am worried it might break things a bit)

The ability to know what their soulmate is feeling emotionally by looking at them or touching them (I think I'm going to give this one to Leon?)

An ability confined to touch that brings to the soulmate's attention what their body most needs at that moment. (It's requires intent to be put into use, and it doesn't necessarily make the soulmate do that thing? It's not compulsory. It's more "Hey you're fucking exhausted you need sleep," or "Crying sounds so nice right now," or "Dude, EAT," and they can still fight these things, if they choose to, but those things are now at the forefront of their attention (making them more likely to be heeded))

Now, an ability I've thought EXTENSIVELY about:

A very rare and (before Uther nuked everything having to do with magic and soulmates) coveted ability that allows someone to, through constant touch, share their life force with their dying soulmate in order to keep then alive.

So say, for example, somebody (Soulmate A) is actively bleeding out from a fatal wound. The soulmate with the ability (Soulmate B) would have to touch soulmate A, skin to skin contact, and have this desperation, determination that soulmate A will not die, they won't let them.

Now, a couple things would happen.

One: Soulmate B's soulmark on Soulmate A's skin would move in some way to the point of injury (the method may vary depending on what their mark looks like. Like if the mark was a flower, the stem may extend and the mark itself stays stationary, or if it's something that's alive it would just fully move) and start "healing" the wound

Healing being in quotes because

Two: The injury is really being transferred partially to Soulmate B, enough so that the injury to Soulmate A is no longer immediately fatal, for the duration that they keep contact with Soulmate A. This buys Soulmate A time to be healed properly, but if the underlying injury is not healed in a timely manner, both Soulmate A and B could die.

Healing Soulmate A would also heal Soulmate B, as it was never truly their injury (though it sure feels and acts like it, and can be just as deadly if help isn't gotten in time.)

Because this ability is so inherently magic and is considered a spell, Soulmate B, even if they have the capacity to use other magic, can not cast a healing spell while using this spell, as it's only possible to cast one spell at a time.

I am naturally giving this ability to Merlin.

But the thing about abilities like this one is that it's impossible to know if you have it or not until the situation calls for it for the first time. It's impossible to know until your soulmate is dying right in front of you. Until you reach out and wish with every fiber in your being that they survive and they DO

The other thing about this ability? It can only be used once per soulmate. One get out of death free card and that's it

I haven't fully figured out if the dark tower would still happen, but if it does, Merlin would discover this ability saving Elyan's life (with the help of the knights who have to on the fly learn healing magic or else lose *both* of them)

That's going to be it for this post as it's starting to get long, but I have other posts I'm already working on. Also, if anyone has any questions, ideas, or suggestions in regards to this au, please feel free to send them my way!

[meditating-cat]

Imagine waking up every morning to devastation—a world where safety is a dream, and hope feels just out of reach.

Vetted by: 1) gazavetters my number verified on the list is ( #89 ) 2) a-shade-of-blue Here or Here 3) 90-ghost Here or Here 4) dlxxv-vetted-donations Here

Dear Friend,

My name is Ghazi Al Amoudi, and I am reaching out from Gaza, where my family and I are enduring profound hardship. Our home, once a sanctuary of safety and comfort, has been reduced to rubble. We now face freezing nights and hunger in a makeshift shelter, holding onto hope amidst overwhelming uncertainty.

Each day brings new challenges—fear, loss, and the constant battle for survival. Yet, even in this darkness, I believe in the transformative power of compassion and the generosity of people like you to help us find a path forward.

I am humbly asking for your support. Your donation, no matter the amount, could provide us with essential relief: shelter, food, and a chance to rebuild our lives. If donating is not possible, sharing our story could connect us with others willing to help.

Here is the link to my campaign: https://gofund.me/8a2c70d7. Your kindness could be the light that guides us toward safety and dignity.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. Your kindness means more than words can express.

With sincere gratitude, Ghazi Al Amoudi

31% of my long-term goal

3,156€ out of 10,000€

Donations are protected by GOFUNDME

I cannot donate, but I can share

[ambrosiagourmet]

i'm plagued by like a terrible crystal clear idea for an AU that I'll never write and would need way more context to be Anything but is still evocative enough to make me go oughhhhh I Want it.

[vehemourn]

2 freaks

[topioswords]

Dramatis Personae

A short introduction to the key cast of most of my assorted bits of writings.

Noir: Coffee addicted, fairly snarky ordinary guy who's prone to getting into trouble. He's hard to get close to, but underneath his bad attitude and even worse similes Noir wants people he cares about to be safe and happy. Letting himself care is the hard part. He's got a talent for finding and organizing info digitally. Noir mostly makes a meager life selling said skills, but it lands him in hot water about as often as it earns him a not so legal paycheck.

Main variants: Urban fantasy Human (Fey AU) who'd like people to stop kidnapping him and also these headaches to stop being an issue. Is a magic void and tends to weaken magic used near him. Robot version who used to work at a museum but ran off rather than be scrapped. Masking as human and doing a good job of it. If only he wasn't so incredibly bad at self repair.

Character tag: Noir Needs Friends

BB: Big, Unnerving, and has a thing with messing with people's memories unless they like you... and BB doesn't like a whole lot of people. To BB others are mostly inconsequential, sometimes they're toys, rarely they're worth much respect or even interaction. But they sure have taken a keen interest in Noir and whatever he's getting up to.

Main variants: Urban fantasy Fey (Fey AU) If you ask other fey, BB is their version of a dumb blonde... only BB has some eerie memory altering skills and some deep devotions on top of the figurative Barbie package.They might not get or care for the usual fey trickery, but they can and will keep their promises and if you get in the way of somebody they care about, well... you probably won't remember when they're done with you. Even if you survive the encounter. Robot version is a very dubiously legal angled monstrosity in matte black that works for a totally not mob style corporation doing... something.... better not ask. Doesn't see any issues in on the fly altering other bots' memories for their own use and amusement. Being very new and shiny tech and very badly socialized makes for a distressing combo for most others who get near them.

Character tag: BB is Bad

Zellus: Mushroom infused existential nightmare who'd like everybody to see past the mushroom part. Also they'd like you to shut up with the zombie jokes, they're very much alive.

Main variants: Urban fantasy Fey (Fey AU) when you're semi-stuck in the same area you make do. And Zellus' making do is picking up stray people with weird semi-magical issues and cooking up homegrown mushroom treatments. They trade in gossip mostly to starve off the loneliness. It's not easy having a social life when most people react like you're infections when they figure out what you are. Robot Zellus has settled down, spending most of their time with assorted mushroom infected animal bots. Their whole organic and robot mix creeps out robots and humans alike, so they don't get a whole lot of visitors, but they appreciate whoever stops by for a (nice) chat.

Character tag: Zellus Grows On You

[stvrdvster]

Hazbin Hotel AU where Hell is a devil-themed cafe, with Heaven being an angel-themed cafe across the street. Cue rivalry and shenanigans

Bonus points if you tie in supernatural stuff like ghost hunting

[blujayonthewing]

it's kind of weird to think about dnd modern AUs with the gnomes specifically, because they're all ~young adults, physically and developmentally around my age or a little younger, and in a dnd setting that's the strongest angle I have to work with for roleplaying them, but also if my vague idea of a modern au takes place [handwaves] now, more or less, then felix and mel would have both been kids in the 60s and 70s and have a bunch of cultural life experiences I cannot relate to at all

[eldritchmochi]

ludicrous that you've tagged coping skills as "alternate universe - bdsm" implying bdsm does not otherwise exist in exandria lmaoo

listen ur not wrong i am absolutely pulling from cannon where essek first sees caleb in basically leather gear but i am not an ao3 tag wrangler and cs is definitely a bdsm au in the same way that 50 shades of grey is a bdsm au of twilight. if the boot fits.....

[calaathmaza]

Re: TC/IP-T- What would the two of them be doing in a modern AU? Obvi there are a lot of theatrical or musical possibilities for Pel-Thenhior, but would Celehar be a catholic priest? A private investigator? An undertaker? I'm not sure. Alternatively, I love to think about them as grumpy old men in an established relationship.

*cries in emails* I'm so sorry idk how I missed this

maybe this is a boring take, but...the cemeteries of amalo verse is already kind of modern to me? at least for the purposes of translating their occupations, I think iäna would still be an opera director and thara would still be a witness or at least some kind of clerical detective. if we're talking about an our-world au, i see him in death care (or a PI as you said) or maybe both?? babygirl is certainly a workaholic whatever universe he's in<3

man now i'm just imagining the insanely experimental kind of productions iäna would put on lmao. budget permitting he would not leave out a single element of design available to him

and YES grumpy old men in an established relationship for SURE. with a porch, even. on which to sit together and watch the sun go down while they pet their own kitties. (who were once strays. and then they adopted them. all of them.)

[chibi-pix]

Finally. Quiznaking. Finished. So. A couple nights ago, my brain was hit with a screenshot redrawn that I’ve seen of one lady pulling a sword from another in magical summoning glowiness. And. I didn’t know what that was from. AT ALL. So I spent like half an hour trying to figure out what it was and I did.  And my brain said “We should draw this with VLD Pidge and VF Larmina.”  And. While thinking of differently from Revolutionary Girl Utena (which I ended up watching the first two yesterdays), I loved the pose and the concept of summoning the sword from another. It was cool.  So, in the end, I had to do that with Larmina and Pidge for some AY that hit my mind.  And while I hated drawing the pose initially and figuring out the background, I am pleased with it in the end.  I’m proud. Also, Larmina has an undercut. This was based on @toasthoneyandstardust’s concept with Larmina and that was the best idea ever. She looks so amazing with it.

Anyway, I hope y’all enjoy this one. Until next time!

[the-gayest-sky-kid]

happy day 2 of @aeventherweek !!!

prompt: first meetings/rain

little aether saves a wind spirit from the rain during a storm, friendship ensues

[unproduciblesmackdown]

spinning off of "winston being fantastically (literally fantastical (literally related to fantasy)) clairvoyant (he is also figuratively clear-sighted / figuratively preternaturally perceptive just like, in the show. which is where this all comes from. plus him calling himself cassandra, always seeing the future. he really has always / continued to be thusly) and taylor literally has a broadsword" type fun and games that are very loosey goosey b/c billions aus go spinning off into their own separate dimensions super easily when billions canon is so rooted in its specific Stage Settings of modern day US law n finance battles in the office, sidewalks, and eateries:

the thought of winston & tuk and winston gets to be a fairy. jokes, please. changelings are right there with the common theory of "was this to explain disabilities & go 'something could go Wrong and the baby's not a Person and get rid of that,' unlike nowadays where people do that but go 'b/c that baby's disabled'" and also one goes Thinking Emoji about how apparently New Mothers and New Brides were susceptible along with New Borns to become swapped out with a fairy and now something's wrong with them and get rid of that. had to be about Something given that people apparently did act on changeling lore and martin luther is taking a stance like yeah another thesis, it's important to kill them And okay to kill them b/c they don't even have a soul anyways. okay thanks martin luther....meanwhile also witchcraft and getting after anybody for that too. and fairies generally as Problems, the etymology going back to [fate], the range like "ooh hehe causing funny little inconveniences just because" to more so "yeah they could cause life-threatening illness for that" and "yeah they'll just kill you"....and i think fairy/fey as respective noun/adj re: being gay is of Unknown Origin, like "gay" also is. and you never know, if being fey is like, well something's not right and it's dangerous, whether this is the inspiration....though by the time this slang starts turning up, and even in the time of prior possible origins / the roots in other usages / potential inspirations, theoretical actual fairies are surely becoming more Fanciful, this being around like, the 18th century, rather than "here's martin luther telling you to immolate! that! baby!"

but that like, you can have it all ways out here. the Always Small fairies i think being a later kind of victorian deal, rather than "fairies are shapeshifters & can become animals e.g. & May have a 'tiny little inches or millimeters high mode' but that's just a mode & the fact that generally though they just look like people, maybe with some stylistic variations and tells, means watch out" and i think wings came up ever, across yknow the various centuries and regions of folklore out here lmao and possible origins / influences yet further across time & regions & cultures, but again "always small and always winged" being a very relatively modern victorian deal. but we can draw on that to be sure when, additionally, a Potential mutual [would prefer to avoid] between fairies and humans (as opposed to "if your house or some shit is on a fairy path bestie just build them another door to walk straight through cuz they're Gonna") becomes "no, fairies mostly avoid humans more than the other way around" type of imbalance of any threat means like, well hey sure, the Real Self could then become a tiny little magical guy having fun with wing designs who is shy and elusive but maybe another fun little guy can accidentally become aware but then have a secret little hidden friendship hmm....

but then also just thinking of the version where you just look exactly like everyone else and live amongst them, changeling style. and potentially don't Know you're different, or at least not Why, b/c this is a "from birth" thing like hmmm ya don't say. and the whole thread where in some folklore fairies Aren't nonhuman, the difference is only about the separate fairy Realm you live in, which is different, with like "yeah sometimes fairies come from people who died." and alongside / overlapping with everything like "yeah you could disappear for a few days to that realm and then be like 'don't wanna / can't talk about it'" and whatever all various like "watch out for the liminal and unknowingly wandering or being taken into the fairy world and Then watch out for communing with them b/c then you could be Permanently affected, or permanently continually affected or vulnerable, or just stuck there. and we wouldn't want that" like well don't let them know your name but maybe try to find out their names b/c you can get at them in turn that way, don't get in on any food, don't get in on any parties. though variations, sometimes people getting whisked away for particular tasks that apparently Only humans can do. or forever potential for helpful / sympathetic fairy interventions in life. like fairies raising humans b/c their human parents were awful

also, that some classic Tests for "is your baby a changeling?" were very like, "well i guess if we drowned or burned that person and they just died about it....our bad," in the way that like apparently the way to go could be "put them in the fire. where they'll either burn or fly out the chimney." or "start going tf beating them with objects. so that they go away" like and they never stop beating winston with hammers out here!! or the classic "idk abandon them in the forest so fairies can take them back" like well they do also like [i prefer to pretend winston doesn't exist / forget that he does] lmao. this isn't really related. just the ol "ballpeen hammers kind of goated when it comes to putting someone in a sack and beating them to death" factor out here for your local changelings

also sure thinking of like ohh watch out for winston and his gayass Realm he exists in which is wrong and not of our own and potentially will forever change you with its gayass ways. uh oh don't get corrupted into a whole other powerful magical mode of existence if you commune with him in some deep fundamental nourishing ways. oh nooo watch ouuuut....one of the "you might be a changeling if" moments being "when they think they're alone do they act up?? dance??" like yeah i'm stimming and bursting into motion and making noises and existing wrong when i think i'm alone. Old Souls (theory as well that newborn changelings were secretly elderly fairies)....existence in the Fey Realm just making you different and out of place huh. and it would just be a guy though like either [undetectable except by already trying to kill them] and/or [actually just a human, fairies are just humans, fairies b/c they're in/from the fairy realm] but uh oh don't let him corrupt you. don't go hanging out with him and talking with him and partaking in his activities and embracing his ways. you'll be changed. you'll never fit in around here and be able to do things right ever again. we'll have to start beating you with hammers. and all for what. your weird gayass little guy and a whole possible other dimension of existence? vs all This? smh