#nine's tails dimension au

[whitecatindisguise]

What would Nines endgoal be. Absorb all the Tails' intelligence into him? Perhaps form an isolated society of Tails? Have them all unite as an army to take back his home dimension?

See, that's the issue. I don't know yet. I know he needs them for something. Why would he go through all the trouble of collecting each and every one of them if he didn't?

I'm certain he doesn't want to get back New Yoke. He's all but accepted it's never going to be his home. No, he's definitely trying to make his home at The Grim.

Maybe, just thought about that now. Maybe he decided that he doesn't want any other Tails to go through what he did. So he's really trying to create a Tails Dimension for all of them to be safe in. With no bullying, no hurt...

I think he's going to first collect all the Tails. He keeps them in crystals to make sure they won't escape, won't try to go back to where they can be hurt (that's what he believes anyway). He'll also have to prepare the dimension, to have it ready for them.

Oh but he also knows he won't be able to just release them once it's complete. No, if he just does that, they're all going to try and escape, try and go back to their own "homes", to leave him.

No... He's going to have to make sure they won't even think about that. Some mind-wipe, or even mind-control would be in order. It's all for their own good, of course. He's just looking out for them. The way no one ever looked out for him.

Not even Sonic. He, too, left him. But them, the Tails... Once they know. Once they understand... They won't leave. And Nine will never have to be alone again.

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

absolutely screaming right about now

Been thinking about a Sonic/Spiderverse AU since I've seen a few people doing stuff like that and um the art muse attacked me and yeah this happened:

Who are you?

I'm Miles Prowler. But you... You can call me Nine.

[itz-pandora]

do you have a list for your swap au and who everyone’s swapped with (and possibly designs)? I’d like to see them so I could quite possibly fanart them🫶

OH OFC ILL PROVIDE EVERYTHING I HAVE!

Shadow and Sonic are swapped with each other! These are their designs.

Shadow is the protagonist, and he's usually reserved and introverted. He wants to help who he can, which is why he fights against Maria.

Sonic's got DNA from Chaos, so he's got a ton of funky attributes to play around with (he is almost only made of water, he has water manipulation abilities, stuff like his tongue & blood is water (glowy tho!), and he can't get injured in a regular way. You can scroll through my Sonic swap AU tag to see thesecon action!) He's a chaotic neutral who's always looking for an adrenaline rush, he tends to lean towards people who could give him that, or people who he has compassion for (like Maria). He still cannot swim LMAO

Rouge and Tails are swapped! I don't have a design for Tails yet though.

Rouge is Shadow's older sister figure and she's the extroverted one of the two (so their dynamic is more like Rouge is Sonic and Shadow is Tails). I haven't gotten everything down for her just yet, but I want to keep her Jewel enjoyment and sass.

Tails works for GUN before briefly working for Maria. He keeps Sonic in check for a while. He's serious and pretty much the opposite of Sonic. Think kinda like Nine!

Silver and Amy are swapped!

Silver is the annoying but sweet younger friend, kinda clingy but everyone would keep him safe. His weapon is a slingshot and he has incredible aim, if you gave this kid an actually dangerous weapon, that'd be scary. Also he's got a great intuition and ppl swear he's clairvoyant (he's not LOL)

Amy comes from the future and has psychokinesis AND a hammer! She has to use her psychokinesis to actually swing her hammer since it's HEAVY. She tries to find joy in her situation, but she's a bit jaded from her time in the future. (She's more confident and upbeat than canon silver tho)

Maria is swapped with Eggman! But He doesn't have a design yet.

Maria was still raised on the ARK, but she was raised there alongside Ivo. She was fascinated with Project Sonic, and she had therapy in the ARK that helped her with her illness, but after her grandfather was killed and the ARK was shut down, she had to live with her illness afflicting her worse than before.

Ivo (Eggman) is actually more swapped with the GUN commander tbh, was raised alongside Maria, and after the raid on the ARK, he ended up blaming the inhabitants of the ARK (making Sonic and forcing him to be there during the raid) and ended up joining GUN as the lead engineer. Him and Maria get a "cousin rivalry" because of it.

Blazd and Knuckles are swapped with each other! (Not 100% on Blaze's design yet tho)

Blaze is the guardian of the Master Emerald, and she uses her claws to fight. She's very skilled and nimble, so she's a difficult opponent. She's a stoic girl with a heart of gold.

Knuckles is the protector of the Sol Emeralds, and he has fire powers (something something he ate the Sol Dimension Iblis something something ♪ the flames of disaster ♪) he's a proud warrior, the struggles to ask for help, since he's used to being strong enough to do everything alone.

Another swap I haven't drawn yet is Cream and Big.

I also don't have ideas for most other things so feel free to suggest anything 💕

[nowimjustastranger]

Someone to call my own au, does Ford ever come across like a really really young sad Stanley?

Because if a whole bunch of Stanleys are suffering there’s at least probably one small kid Stanley who is too.

If he does come across him, how would Ford react?

You mentioned that Ford doesn’t like to directly intervene so does he tries to help from the sidelines?

Also I know goes through different dimensions to help different Stanley but how bad does the situations have to be for Ford to offer help?

Ford has absolutely come across a kid Stan before, the youngest he's ever had to save was a nine year old Stan from dimension 83×A.

Kid Stan and Ford were being followed by a creep while they walked through town, neither boy noticing. Ford stepped in by yanking the creep into an alley and killing him, dropping the body into a wormhole to be picked clean in an alternate dimension. Ford made sure the boys safely reached their destination, tailing them to an ice cream stand.

Now, Ford does intervene directly if necessary, but he prefers to work from the shadows.

But Ford has a soft spot for his tiny brother and approaches the ice cream stand, paying for their ice cream while the boys were still counting out the amount needed. The way Stan smiled at him lingered with Ford, keeping him sane through the next three far more stressful missions.

As for the youngest and saddest, that would be the 12 year old Stan from dimension G/727, who had been cutting himself with a glass shard at the Stan o' War while Ford was busy studying at home and accidentally cut too deep.

Ford was distraught when he saw his brother laying on the deck of the decrepit ship, blood pooling on the wood. Ford couldn't stop shaking as he injected Stan with a serum that would slow the bleeding before speeding up the healing until the jagged cut was a fresh scar with a handheld device that looks like a barcode scanner. Ford cleaned up the blood and then waited, cradling the boy as he wept.

He managed to pull himself together by the time Stan woke up, scolding him for being so careless with his life and telling him that his brother needed him more than he could ever know. Stan was so frazzled by the fact that a random guy in a helmet was reprimanding him that he didn't even realize that the stranger knew he had a brother.

In the end, Ford gave a sniffling Stan a bag of toffee peanuts and a few dollars to get him and his brother a sweet treat (firmly telling him that he should go to his brother when he wants to hurt himself) before walking Stan home. At the front door, Stan turns to say goodbye to the weird man, but the street is empty.

[regina-cordium]

Absolute garbage at coming up with prompts but uhhhhhh Crutchie being a menace? Maybe with someone else but dealer's choice on that

idk why i decided to set this in the dnd au, but here we are.

---

It’s hotter than all nine hells combined out, and Crutchie is starting to worry his brain is melting out of his ears.

It’s too hot to exist, let alone string a thought together. When he mentions it, voice monotone because emotions take effort, Davey makes a vague noise of agreement, which really just proves his point further. If a wizard thinks it’s too hot to think, then it’s too damn hot to think.

The only person not suffering is Albert; damn tieflings and their heat resistance. Honestly, Crutchie wouldn’t even care much because at least one of them isn’t dying slowly, but Albert’s been a smug dick about it (whether or not Crutchie adores Albert’s smug little smile is beside the point). Something simply must be done, and if Jack can’t summon the energy then Crutchie is just gonna have to take matters into his own hands.

He gently knocks his foot against Sarah’s ankle, the closest person he can reach from where he’s sprawled on the floor of the house they’ve all taken over. He’d hoped the stone floor would be at least a little cooler, but apparently halfling Luck only gets a guy so far.

When Sarah lolls her head his way, he smirks and whispers, “Watch this.”

He makes a face as his magic surges warmly through him – it’s too hot for magic, what the fuck, man – and summons Mage Hand. When Albert is distracted enough, Crutchie has the Hand flick Albert’s tail, quickly dismissing the spell as Albert whips around.

“Who did that?” he demands, looking around.

“Did what?” Race asks halfheartedly.

“Hit my tail!”

“Ain’t nobody hit your tail,” Jack sighs from the other side of the room.

“How would you know? You’re not even looking over here!”

“Cause it’s too hot to move, let alone start a fight.”

Next to Crutchie, Sarah is biting her lip hard to stop from laughing.

Once Jack and Albert stop bickering, Crutchie gives it another couple minutes before nudging Sarah again. When she looks over, he smirks again and gives a repeat performance.

“Who the fuck!” Albert snaps.

“For the love of all that is holy, stop screaming,” Race groans.

Albert whirls on him immediately. “Is it you?”

“Why would I hit your tail?” Race asks, rolling his eyes. He’s slumped so far in his chair he looks like he’s actually melting.

“‘Cause you’re a dick!”

“Hey!” Race objects, getting to his feet. “Fuck you, Al, I didn’t hit you!”

Sarah snorts, but quickly turns it into a cough when Jack sits up and looks over at the two of them. Crutchie holds Jack’s gaze before flicking Albert’s tail again. Jack slams a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing as Albert turns in place.

“He looks like a dog chasing his tail,” Sarah whispers, clearly struggling to keep her composure.

Crutchie finally cracks, practically sitting up from the force of his laughter.

Albert spins around and points at him. “You!”

“Gotta go,” Crutchie decides quickly, before casting Dimension Door and rolling himself into it.

The last thing he hears is Albert yelling, “Fourth level spells won’t save you, you asshole!”

[dark-knightlight09]

inter-Dimensional hopper or (I-DH) Nine

Nine can travel to other universes. He got this power because of the amount of time he used the paradox prism and the energy he got from it. So he can travel across dimensions. He doesn't find out until he gets sick and wishes Sonic or anyone is there to take care of him. Unbeknownst to him, a portal opened up underneath him and sent him to the SCU Verse. The power is amazing, but it comes at a price. Other universe are colliding and are showing cracks. When he leaves a universe, that is when things get weird.

-----'zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz'-----

When (prime) Sonic sees the cracks, he freaks out because he doesn't wanna lose his friends again and rushes to Tails Workshop and sees his little brother looking at the sky shock as well.

Everyone in different universe are seeing the cracks and are scared and confused as to what going on.

Meanwhile, the eggmans are curious and want to know how this is happening it also giving them ideas.

-----'zzzzzzzzzzz'-----

I just love Interdimensional sonic the hedgehog universe meeting each other. Also NEW AU Yay.

[tsukuyomii45]

Hello tsukuyomii45, I’m a huge fan of your stories and artwork.

I have this idea for an Obito AU. It’s based off of you and deathsend’s post about your guy’s headcanons of Rin surviving and Obito still becoming the masked man. But in my AU, instead of Obito continuing Madara’s plan, he abandons the plan after finding out Rin is still alive.

My AU is called The Uchiha Ghost.

Basically Rin survives Kakashi’s Chidori, and Obito thinks she’s dead. On the night of Naruto’s birth, Obito plans on taking the three tails and nine tails, and destroying the leaf. Thing didn’t go according to plan. That’s when Obito finds out that Rin is still alive. Obito escapes to kamui dimension and has a mental breakdown. Obito abandons Madera’s plan and goes AWOL.

He doesn’t return to the Village out of shame and guilt for what he almost did. Fear of getting attached to his friends again, and a little resentment towards the members of Team Minato.

For the next 2 years, Obito, now under the alias Tobi, would hunt down rouge shinobi. Tobi would basically become a ghost story in the ninja world. Some say the grimm reaper of the Uchiha who takes you to hell. Others say he’s the ghost of Madara who wants revenge from beyond the grave.

Eventually Tobi is discovered by Kakashi, Minato, and Rin. They have a fight where Tobi has the upper hand on them. But Tobi surrenders to prove to that he is not a threat to them or the hidden leaf village. Tobi is brought back to the village with his only condition being that his mask stays on.

After days in a cell with constant supervision from the anbu. Minato decides that they should have Tobi as an ally to the village because of his special skills of passing through stuff and teleporting. Tobi would gather information from other villages for the leaf, meanwhile being constantly watched by Rin and Kakashi just in case if Tobi tries to attack the leaf again.

That is what I got so far. What do you think?

Hello! Thank you so much! :3

Also, I love your idea a lot. I like the mystery and curiosity this version adds when Obito demands that he keeps the mask on and would rather not be known that he is still alive.

I enjoy the image of him suppressing his overwhelming emotions as he roams around the village, or when Rin gets near him.

I imagine that in your version, he'd be found nostalgically looking at his old house in the Uchiha District, recalling the times Kakashi would find him kissing the team photo.

Safe to say that I approve of this. :)

[heckinconfusedparade]

There’s this AU I saw where sonic was older and it was something like Dad AU where he adopted Tails as his som and Amy is hi wife.

And that got me thinking about how Dad Sonic react to the primeverse.

Imagine. Your a dad who made a big mistake shattering the prism, you end up in your world but its drastically changed. You find out you don’t exist and that your son was alone and beaten for being different and your wife is a cyborg with no heart.

It could be kinda heartbreaking but really wholesome of Dad sonic telling Nine about he is his son in his world and what they did together. Seriously Imagine Nine hears that this super fast big dude is like, his dad and he had a family where he was loved and appreciated and I think he would even be far more determined to make it a reality.

Omg yes I remember that comic! I love it so much!

Dad Sonic would be absolutely heart broken seeing the state Nine is in. That’s his son. His baby boy. The realization of this is what probably would’ve become of his little Tails shatters him.

Sonic tries to tell Nine that he’s his dad. Nine doesn’t quite understand, and says he looks nothing like him. Sonic hits him with the “you’re adopted” line.

Nine is then angry that if Sonic is his father like he says he is, then why did he leave him? Why did he leave him to fend for himself?

When they figure out this is another dimension where Sonic doesn’t exist, they’re both a little happier to learn that Sonic didn’t accidentally abandon his son. But that brings Sonic to more worries. This kid was on his own for YEARS!

Nine wants this. Nine wants Sonic to be his dad and he wants to live with him and be a family. A family born of love instead of genetics. When Sonic is sucked into the shard, Nine is determined to find him and make his fantasy of having a family into reality.. and it all starts with having Rusty as a permanent ally.

Bonus: since Dad Sonic is married to Amy, when he sees Rusty Rose he’s absolutely mortified. The woman he loved and cherished has been turned into a robotic killing machine. Amy has always had a big heart and loved everyone around her, it’s one of the qualities that Sonic loves about her. Now she’s just an empty soulless machine. He feels like he’s going to hurl when he sees Birdie. Amy would never. This isn’t Amy.

Sonics gonna throw down with the council for this!

[beevean]

My biggest gripe with Prime so far is it's narrative insisting that Sonic is somehow a person who took his friends for granted and that he needs to go on some kind of self-discovering journey because of it, despite nothing Sonic has really done so far actually reflecting it. The catalyst for the show happening in the first place is Sonic getting pissed at Eggman shit talking Tails; doesn't seem like someone who took his friends for granted. Hell, if anything, Sonic won't shut the hell about the Powar of Friendship. The show's synopsis made it sound like he's his Fleetway counterpart, when at worst he's just kinda dumb because there wouldn't be a conflict otherwise, and the so-called bad selfish things he's done are honest to God mistakes and things no one could have predicted.

This in turn has the unintended effect of not only making Sonic's friends from his primary universe look like ones who hold him to standards that are impossible to meet, but the alternate dimension versions of them too. Especially Nine Tails, who in my personal opinion, has been kind of insufferable so far. Even with taking his differing background into consideration, at best he comes off as someone with the biggest stick jammed up his ass, and at worst he just seems like one of those try-hard whiny Punk-Emo kids who think they're being edgy and non-conformist. He just seems like someone using the two people in the past who made fun of his birth defect as an excuse to be as abrasive and stand-offish as possible to everyone, even when someone hasn't given him an actual reason to. I also don't like the implication that without Sonic in their lives, they either end up like Nine Tails, you just never get anything done, or you're just too dumb to function.

Wouldn't have a problem with all of this if they weren't insisting that this is totally canon to the main game one, instead of just being it's own thing like every other Sonic adaptation in the past has been, despite there already being several things that contradict the game canon beyond just matters concerning characterization.

Didn't a similar thing happen with Rise of Lyric? I remember that most of the descriptions of the game pre-release mentioned that Boom Sonic was a loner who'd have to learn about the Super Power of Teamwork. Game comes out, and uhhh he's actually pretty chill with his friends, a few cutscenes notwithstanding.

I don't know which is worse: thinking that Sonic needs to learn how to accept his friends, or not even delivering on your premise. Both are bad writing :V except that everyone and their mother gleefully shat on Boom and everything related to it, but Prime has a Sonic that Is Just Like Me Fr Fr (And Is Also Gay For Shadow), so it's all A-okay :^)

Prime to me honestly feels like a Boom that takes itself seriously. Boom (the show, I mean) had no pretenses: like it or not, it knew that it was nothing more than a funny sitcom featuring AU versions of Sonic & co. So I don't mind that Sonic was grumpier, or that Knuckles was basically a furry Kronk, or that Eggman had a crush on Sonic was little more than a manchild with mommy issues. But if you show not only want to have a more serious storyline with dimension hopping and protagonists screwing up and having to live with the consequences, but you even want to be considered canon... well, I expect more.

[prowerprojects]

I don't believe in kitsune!Tails but I'm also not against it in aus.

Especially in Human aus because it's quite hard to adapt the tails there in their full capacity. But afaik the younger kitsune often get caught in stories because they have trouble hiding the tails while shapeshifted into a human form. This happens to Tails but he ends up being able to convince everyone he's just a furry. Gets bullied even more.

Though I've also been thinking about a story idea that involves everyone meeting some other character that mistakes Tails for a kitsune and gives a list of reasons which seems to be super convincing, to the point where even Tails himself starts having doubts. But ultimately he ends up reaffirming that he's just a regular fox with a mutation and not some sort of magical being. (If this was like a fic I imagine it would work better as a sideplot and the main plot should be focusing on someone else)

Or maybe he gets possessed by an actual kitsune. Maybe the kitsune live in another dimension but some of them are trying to cross over to wreak chaos over here and they're somehow trying to use Tails to get here. Idk.

I also enjoy the ideas that play around with this inspiration without mentioning the kitsune outright. Like Nine obviously having the most tails a fox could have or Tails allegedly having insatiable appetite or like. using holograms to substitute for illusion powers, etc.

[wingsofthesun]

What if the Paradox Prism from Sonic Prime is like the Master Emerald for the Time Stones?

ANON YOUR MIND OMG

This tracks pretty well too! The Time Stones allow someone to travel through time and change things and then see that good future from what we see in Sonic CD, while the Paradox Prism is said to be able to manipulate space and send people to alternate dimensions- the latter we see when it gets shattered. And shattering it apparently destroys the main dimension if Shadow is to be believed (which I'm not sure I do- at the very least it has to be reversible) so it's clear there's something going on here. Time manipulation and dimensional manipulation like the Paradox Prism is capable of probably isn't that far apart, especially considering the fact that the main alternate versions of the characters we see in each world's personalities could easily come about from one minor change in their backstories. (Like it is all but flat out stated that Nine is who Tails would have been had Sonic not appeared, Thorn could be an Amy that wound up spending time with nature and not other people, and Dread could be a Knuckles that never had any sort of responsibility.) (Could also be applied to some of the other alternates- it's really easy to see Rusty as an Amy that never got saved by Sonic during Sonic CD- but unfortunately most of them aren't given enough focus for us to know for sure.)

Basically what I'm trying to say that yeah, it makes a lot of sense that they'd be connected in some way because they both involve manipulating time and space.

About the only thing I can think of against it is the fact that shattering the Master Emerald doesn't seem to have any immediate bad effects, but considering how every single time Knuckles tries to find it and restore it as fast as possible maybe it'd take more time for it to affect things. (Like, both Adventure games take place over a couple days max for example.)

By the way, sorry to bring up my Guardians au if you don't care, but this makes all those memes of Silver coming back to scream at Sonic for fucking with the timeline even funnier x)

[whitecatindisguise]

Do you have any ideas on what Nines Tails Dimension would be like?

No ideas on the dimension itself, as I don't think it'll go that way tbh. I DO have an idea on how the story could go, however.

I'm still unsure why Nine would kidnap all those Tails, but I was thinking about how he can actually keep them there (as we're all aware any Tails would start to figure out a way out as soon as possible). So, Nine found a solution for that.

Imagine all the Sonics (and friends) finally managing to get into the Dimension. They met, figured out all of them were missing their Tails and all were abducted by the same "Tails" (I'm uncertain whether they know Nine's name by then or not).

Anyway, they get inside the base/hideout/whatever Nine has built, and luckily Nine isn't there (probably on a hunt for another Tails). They come inside a big room. And they all freeze at what they see.

Rows and rows and rows of purple crystals. Stocked on huge shelves like a display of some sort.

And in each crystal, there is Tails, asleep, trapped.

They're all terrified and worried. Because they don't know what Nine has done to them. And they don't know how to fix it. (Tails would, but they're trapped)

[narutomaki]

I draw Obito exclusively in the mask he has after he gets the Rinnegan

1: because I started to do so because it's the only one I could remember and liked

2: he has the Rinnegan MUCH earlier in this au so I guess it makes sense

3: I live in his head and got to help him design his first solo mask and that's the only one I could remember and he didn't have any better ideas

[wereh0gz]

I'm still thinking about my adult sonic and co

By adult I mean over 200 years old btw lmao

Yeah he's immortal. He's been exposed to so much chaos energy and dark gaia energy and whatnot over the years that it won't let him die. He's essentially made himself into an ultimate lifeform, if he wasn't one in the first place. He also still transforms into the werehog, but he has control over when it happens (except on new moons or eclipses). As the years go on his normal form looks more and more like his werehog form, tho... Weird.

Shadow's still alive too, of course, cos he's the ultimate lifeform (or an ultimate lifeform, i guess). He and sonic are qpps but argue and race all the time like when they were kids. The status of their relationship doesn't change how they treat each other much. He gains more black arms traits and gets better at handling chaos energy too. He still needs his inhibitor rings to stay stable, but he can handle not having them for longer if need be.

Omega's here too. He's pretty much the same lol

Tails is also still alive because I firmly believe he is a nine-tailed fox and they live for a Very long time. By the time sonic's 200 he's gained two other tails and cool new abilities i still need to think of. Most of them have to do with wind, which he learns from sonic, and some illusory stuff to help him keep a low profile, as being immortal could bring him and the others some trouble.

Speaking of trouble, eggman nega takes the role of villain and archnemesis to sonic and co. He wants to take over the world, just as his ancestor/mobius dimension counterpart(???) did. But he's taken a keen interest in immortality after learning that the guy who keeps thwarting his plans is the fabled sonic the hedgehog, legendary hero of mobius from 200 years ago.

He wants to see what makes the hedgehog tick. Study him. Find his weaknesses, both physical and mental, to effectively destroy him. Because if he wants to take over the world, he has to get rid of sonic.

I'm unsure if I want to make this a separate au, or to incorporate it to my sonic eclipse au as a sort of distant future arc, or to make an au of the au? Idk. These are just kind of random ideas I've had rattling around in my head for a while now that I wanted to talk about lol. Nothing really concrete will come out of this for a while. I may do some more designs and random doodles but this isn't something I'll work on a lot for now (gotta focus on finishing the sonic eclipse fanfic! It will happen! Eventually!)

If I do end up incorporating this into sonic eclipse I'll probably involve some of my ocs somehow, but again nothing's really set yet and probably won't be in a while.

I think I'm done rambling now good night

[drabbles-of-writing]

my head is pounding (I can't stop the pounding)

This is part of my Four Years AU

AO3

Masterpost

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“They say you travel dimensions,” Luz said, gazing up at the man, flickers of hope in her eyes. “Is it true?”

“My dear, of course it is!” The man chortled, a tall demon of sorts covered in fur, with a mane like a lion around his neck. “Interested in learning my ways, are you?”

“Very much, sir.” Luz nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “I’m looking to find a way to the human realm. I got separated from my mom, and she’s got to be worried sick about me by now.” 

“I see, I see.” The man hummed, digging around in his pockets. “Yes, I believe I can help you. Come with me,” He said, withdrawing a card with his name on it and handing it to her. “Are your friends interested, as well?” He asked, peering over her shoulder towards the witches poking around at the knickknacks and items around in his shop.

“They’re here to help me find a way to the human realm,” Luz explained, swelling, just a bit, with pleading in her eyes. “We’ll take as much as you can offer.”

“That,” The man said, eyes flickering to the wanted poster sporting a crude drawing of a figure dressed in a purple and white cloak, an owl mask covering her face. “My dear, depends on how much you are offering.”

The building rippled like water, the scene smearing like wet paint. In the blink of an eye, the scene changed to inside a tent, Luz holding a potion bottle in her hand and peering at the murky, brownish green contents within. The man spoke words that meshed together like gibberish, as though his words had been forgotten, as he gestured towards gadgets with springs sticking out of them.

Luz quietly watched, clearly not listening to a word he was saying. Her face was blank, the faint traces of weary hope gone, like they’d never existed at all. Her shoulders were slumped, and she glanced at the potion in her hands before shaking her head and sighing.

“You’re not real,” She muttered, eyes downcast.

“Come again?” The man startled.

“You’ve never been to a dimension outside your own, have you?” Luz said, raising her head. 

“What in the nine realms are you--”

“Nine realms?” Luz snorted bitterly, shaking the potion in her hand. “You really commit to the bit, don’t you?”

The scene rippled again. The two were still inside the tent, but the man had moved. There were tables covered with cloth now. He had a table between him and Luz, who was still holding the potion.

“I’m very busy,” He gruffed. “And I can’t afford to convince you of what's right before your eyes--”

“This isn’t even a potion,” Luz said, raising the ‘potion’ in the air before letting it drop, watching it dully as it cracked on the ground and the contents spilled out. Muddy swamp water, by the looks of it. “I would know. I’m practically surrounded by them.”

“Honestly,” The man scoffed, eyes darting around. “Do you want my help, or not? I assure you, it’s an arduous journey, but I could accomplish it, I believe you could, too.”

“I wanted your help when I thought you had the faintest idea of what you were doing,” Luz huffed, eyes half-lidded in annoyance as she kicked the fake potion aside. 

The tent flickered, like an old tape with a scratch on it. Luz was on the other side of the tent now. The man was closer, one hand in his pocket.

“--vious really.” Luz’s voice faded back in.

“Well,” The man said, rearing back, his mane puffing up. “If you're so insistent that I am a fake, why are you still here?” He said, nose turned up.

“Because I told Gus to find me if you took longer than ten minutes, because Eda was worried you might try to jump me.” Luz said simply. “And it’s been fifteen, and he’s never later than two minutes. Which I’m willing to guess means you either tipped off someone, or you set traps. It was the biggest among my many lists of clues that you don’t give a damn about this whole thing.”

The man growled, looking around wildly as his fur continued to puff up. It would’ve been pretty amusing if Luz was in any other situation.

“I have been searching,” Luz started slowly pressing a hand against her face. “For five days straight trying to find you. And the last two people I met before you tried to feed me to a pit or get me in on their murder clan when they found out who I was.” She moved her fingers aside to free an eye, sending a seething glare.

“And you knew why I was trying to find a portal out of here,” She continued. “You knew I was trying to find my mother, and you insisted you had the answer. Why? Honestly, dude, why?” She threw her arms out in a wide gesture. “What do you gain out of this? Do you get a kick out of leading on grieving people? Cause you need to see someone for that.”

“Everyones trying to make a living, and I’m just making mine.” The man hissed, withdrawing his hand from his pocket, fist clenched. “You know how it is.”

“I’m trying to go home,” Luz spat, the seething in her gaze bordering on barely restrained fury. “And yet I’m standing here, wasting my time on the excuses you're throwing at me. So, no, I don’t--”

A tear tore through the scene, sections of the tent smeared over and blurred, forgotten. Words combined and mumbled like they were talking under water. Luz had her hood up now, turning away with some inaudible, but clearly harsh, words spitting out.

The man unclenched his fist, revealing a retractable blade that he switched upright. He hissed and held it tightly in his grip, crouching for just a moment, enough for Luz to give a bored glare back, before charging her.

In that same moment, a small, furry demon leapt out from under the cloth-covered tables, latching his teeth and claws into the man's leg.

“King!” Luz exclaimed, jerking back as soon as the man charged her.

The man howled, a distorted sound, kicking out his leg as he stumbled and tried to shake off the demon clinging in like a burr, drawing blood as he growled and kicked. 

Eventually, the man just slammed his leg against the closest table, King squawking as he was hit straight on and falling to the ground with a wheeze, curling into a ball.

The man had barely turned to resume his attack before a pillar of ice hit him square in the face. He fell as vines wrapped around his limbs, pinning him to the ground as he struggled. Luz shoved the glyphs she didn’t use back into her pockets before rushing to King, scooping him up into her arms. He raised his head slightly, giving an affirmation he was fine, just winded, and Luz relaxed ever so slightly.

“Emperor’s Coven showed up,” King explained with a wheeze, waving off Luz when she tried to fret over him. “They’re fine, keeping ‘em at bay outside.” He said, tilting his head in the direction of the exit to the tent. “I just thought that, you know, you might be in trouble.”

“And what a brave demon you were,” Luz agreed, smiling down at him as King perked up under the praise.

Smoke flickered over the top of the tent for a moment, like a tape had skipped a scene, before returning to normal.

“You’d do best to stick to what you know!” The man snapped from where he writhed on the ground, managing not to wilt under Luz and King whirling to glare at him. 

“Spreading that wild magic of yours to the human realm won’t do any good.” The man continued, hatred spilling off him in waves. “The Emperor didn’t take kindly to an Owlet like you, why would the human realm be any different?”

“It’s not,” Luz agreed, withdrawing a fire glyph and holding King closer to her with her other arm. “But my mom is.”

With that, she tapped the glyph with her thumb and let it fall to the ground. It burned away at the plants, momentarily singeing the man's limbs tied down. He yelped and sprung free when he could, staring with wide eyes when the fire quickly spread to the cloth across the tables of fake items, catching ablaze near instantly, like frames had been passed over to allow a smooth transition.

King stared wide-eyed, looking between the growing flames and the cold, hardened fury on Luz’s face. He shrunk back in her arms, though she didn’t seem to notice. With that, she turned sharply on her heel and left, storming out through the tent flaps as it, too, caught ablaze the second she touched it, glitching as it did so.

The scene itself was wrapped up in the inferno the moment Luz left it, flames cackling as they grew and spread and consumed everything it touched. 

There was soon nothing but the roaring of the fire, the blinding smoke, the rippling of the world, and a golden eye blinking into existence behind the bonfire.

,

“Luz?”

She shot upright with a start, breathing heavily as she gasped and tugged at the sheets, staring at the far corner of her room. King jerked away from her old mattress she called a bed, head lowered and eyes wide, claws fiddling together.

“Sorry, sorry,” King said quickly, tucking his tail around his legs like a scolded cat. “I...is this a bad time? Should-should I get Eda…?”

“Huh?” Luz said dumbly, voice sounding hoarse as she turned to stare down at King, her body feeling weighted and numb.

“You, um…” King pointed to the side of his face, right under his eye.

Luz felt at her face, feeling instantly that she’d been crying. She quickly wiped at her eyes, breath raggedy as she tried to dry her face.

“Is...is it an episode?” King asked quietly. “Should I leave? I don’t want to--”

“No, no, it’s--” Luz sniffled, hating how her voice sounded and shaking her head, dropping her arm. “It's fine. Small one, mostly just...just a dream, really.” She said, cringing at how slow her movements felt as she leaned back against the wall her bed was pushed beside, attempting to shake off how it felt she was under an ocean.

“Oh...okay.” King said, staying right where he was, claws clinging to the edge of the bed as he looked away.

Luz closed her eyes in the ensuing silence, attempting to banish the memories from her head. It had been just a few days ago, and they’d finally made it back to the Owl House after all their walking and dodging the Coven only yesterday. Everything in between was a little hard for her to remember now that she thought about it. Probably for the best.

“I didn’t wake you up, did I?” Luz eventually asked when her head didn’t quite feel like it was going to roll off her shoulders.

“No, I just...wanted to visit.” King mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

Luz exhaled, forcing herself to bite back the desire to bury herself in her blankets and never see the light of day again, opening her arms slightly with a small, half crooked smile.

King noticed the invitation and took it instantly, scrambling up onto the bed and scurrying into her arms. He curled in her lap as she pulled him close, leaning her chin on the top of his head and exhaling heavily, only by force of will not slumping over and crushing him. 

They stayed like that for a bit, waiting in the silence as Luz calmed herself down, clutching King tightly. If King was uncomfortable or had trouble breathing, he gave no indication. He stayed perfectly still and loose as Luz’s raspy breathing slowly calmed to something more manageable. It was late, but only just past dusk. The soft sounds of others in the house moving and talking softly on the floor below them could be heard if you strained your hearing.

“What brings you in here?” Luz finally asked, straightening her back a bit and squinting an eye, realizing King left the door open a crack and a sliver of light was seeping into the dark room.

King shrugged, a little comical considering Luz had wrapped her arms around his midsection like he was a teddy bear, his arms forced up a bit.

“Wanted to visit,” He repeated.

Luz didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t push, slumping back against the wall and crossing her legs as she situated King in her lap. She knew King would break and tell her if she left it be for a moment. Sometimes he needed a moment to get his thoughts in order.

“Back when,” King paused again and Luz didn’t move, waiting patiently until he spoke again. “When you were talking with that demon guy…”

Luz looked down at him again, only able to see the back of his head and horns from this angle. He didn’t attempt to turn around and she didn’t do it herself.

“Your mom,” He tried a second time. “If we…” King stopped when Luz tensed, ever so slightly. He kept quiet for a moment before tilting his head back, still not enough for Luz to see his face. “When we find her,” He started again. “What’s...the plan after that?”

“What?” Luz blinked in confusion, loosening her hold on King to let him sit more comfortably in his lap.

“It’s just…” King said, turning halfway now that Luz could see his worried, contemplative face. “You always talk about how much you want to get back to your mom, because she must be worried sick about you, but...what are you gonna do after you find her?”

“...apologize for the next decade?” Luz tried, raising a brow in confusion. “Be grounded for the rest of my life?”

“I mean, just,” King struggled for another moment, leaning back against her leg and glaring up at the ceiling. “What...what are you gonna do when you're home again?” He asked quietly. “Is your mom coming to the Boiling Isles?”

“Oh, definitely not.” Luz snorted, shaking her head, not noticing his sudden reclusion. “My mom would freak out at this place. No, she’s a human realm type of human.”

“Then...are you staying with her?” King asked, drawing his limbs close to his body.

Luz watched him then, surprise evident on her face. King wasn’t looking at her, only the ceiling. He was already pretty small, but now he looked as though he was trying to make himself shrink even more.

“Course not,” Luz said softly, pulling King closer to her chest. “I love my mami, but the human realm isn’t for me. Never really has, if I’m being honest.”

“But you said your mom wouldn’t stay here,” King frowned, looking up at her now. “Are you going to stay separate again?”

“Well, no, that’s not,” Luz pursed her lips, frowning as she glanced to the side. “We...we’ll work something out. Maybe I could visit. Or...you know, it’ll depend on the portal, so we’ll have to see.” She decided on. “She’ll have to watch the tapes first.”

“So you don’t know, then?” King said simply, as if he was discussing common knowledge.

“I know I just...need to work out finer details.” Luz insisted. “Look, it’s fine, really. I’m not going anywhere.” She assured, drawing him up and giving a quick hug. “And I’m sure my mami would understand. I’m sure she remembers how crazy I was, this shouldn’t be that big of a surprise.”

She didn’t sound too convinced herself. King frowned, hooking his claws into her shirt and thus keeping her from pulling him away. He used his new leverage to give her a serious, no-nonsense expression that was honestly pretty cute on him. His nose almost touched hers.

“But don’t you miss it?” King asked, tilting his head. “I mean, you’re always talking about how different the human realm is from here and...how safer it is, really.” His eyes strayed, only for a moment, towards the edges of a scar that poked out of the collar of her shirt, one that he knew stretched far further along her arm and body like an angry, tangled thicket.

“I mean, nothings trying to kill you the moment you step outside, yeah, but the human realm isn’t perfect.” Luz said with a shrug. “If I’m being completely honest, if my mami wasn’t there, I don’t think I’d ever be trying to go back.” She said, sounding only slightly surprised at her revelation. 

“But it's your home, isn’t it?” King insisted. 

“My home,” Luz said, booping his nose as she sat him down on her crossed legs, taking a moment to pull his claws off her shirt. “Is where I decide it is. And it’s not there.” She said, giving him a small, soft smile. “But my mom is part of what I consider home, and I won’t be home until I find her. Does that make sense?” She asked, head turned.

“I...think so.” King said with a frown.

“Hey, at the end of the day,” Luz said, scratching at the fur just under his skull, the demon leaning into it. “Just know that, no matter how much the Emperor tries otherwise, you guys are stuck with me, okay? Getting back to my mom won’t change that.”

King curled closer to her hand, still appearing a little doubtful, but far more reassured than earlier. Luz giggled as she used her other hand to scratch at his side, the demon kicking out his back leg happily.

“And, who knows,” Luz continued. “Maybe we’ll find your dad, too. Ask him a few questions, figure things out with him.”

“He probably wouldn’t care,” King sighed, deflating a bit and going limp in Luz’s lap. “You’ve at least got memories of your mom. I don’t have any.”

“Then he’s missing out,” Luz said, swooping down to hug the demon and giggle at his squirming. “His loss, really. I’ll be sure to tell him that if we ever meet him.”

“Even if he looks as big and terrifying as his mural?” King asked, moving his head just slightly.

“Even if he looks scarier than his mural.” Luz said with a very serious nod.

“Alright,” King said with a tsk, shaking his head. “But I’m not responsible if you get stepped on.”

“That’s fair,” 

The two smiled at each other, chuckling quietly as Luz turned and flopped back on her bed, jolting King before he crawled up and curled into a ball on her stomach. Luz smiled up at the ceiling, stroking a hand down his back. King nuzzled her hand, yawning as he shut his eyes, wrapping his small claws around her fingers.

She turned her head to the side, off towards the bundle of items she stashed at the other end of her room. Her eyes locked on the box of tapes under a pile of clothes, the words FOR MOM written as large as possible on the side in sharpie. Her smile fell, and she looked away from the box, face pinched.

“I hope your mom likes us,” King mumbled sleepily. “It won’t change anything if she doesn't, right?” He cracked open an eye, the yellow and purple glow looking eerie as he gazed at Luz.

“She’ll like you,” Luz assured quickly, forgoing answering his second question as she stroked her other hand over his skull and down his back. King shut his eyes again and purred in response, tail wagging. “She’ll like you.” She repeated, quieter, gently squeezing her fingers around King’s claws.

She didn’t speak after that. She did, however, tighten her hold on his back with her other hand, like she was afraid he’d get ripped out of her hands from a simple gust of wind. If she was squeezing him too tightly, he didn’t say anything.

[depressedhatakekakashi]

I feel like even in a civilian au Kakashi would just still be competent as hell XD

Someone: You can't just defeat ten shinobi with just a frying pan?!

Kakashi, all bloodied and bruised with a manic grin beneath his mask: WATCH ME

,,Also,,

Someone: You can't just adopt the famous last Uchiha and the Demon Nine Tails brat?!?

Kakashi, already pouring all his love and affection down at Naruto and Sasuke whilst Sakumo and Yua who are well and alive circle all over their new grandbabies: Oh yeah? Then who else was gonna do it? The Sandaime?

He doesn't even need to be physically strong XD in no matter what dimension this crazy bastard would stare down god if it meant protecting his family and friends (and he has!!)

You are absolutely correct anon. Kakashi is a feral man who will not take shit and will protect his family no matter what.

Oh you want to cause shit in his little shop and think you can get away with it cuz you’re shinobi? Think again! Have a nice flight out the front door and do not come back.

Sorry, the Hokage said I had to leave the last surviving Uchiha and the nine tails kid alone and not care for them? Lol, bite me

Kakashi without endless trauma is a dangerous Man