#shattered conduit au

[elodieisboredd]

there is a light , i feel it in me .

[scatterbrainedbot]

Hey, hey, @tmntbestsibscompetiton here! We don’t currently have a description or picture for your entry into the competition yet! You don’t have to send one in, but if you’d like to, just answer this, or tag us so we can make sure it’s ready for when the competition begins! Thank you so much for joining, and good luck. 

@tmntbestsibscompetiton

falls down stairs IM HERE IM HERE SORRY IM SO LATE

RAT SONS AU

in which Master Splinter is a wise and silly old tortoise, and father of four skittering, chaotic, ninja rat children. <3

(inspired by that one background moment of the 03 series! 🐢🐀🐀🐀🐀)

there will be lots of similar plot points as the 03 series (like 'tales of leo' and 'good genes' etc etc) but there are also a lot of fundamental changes in the foundation of things too — like the guardians and ninja tribunal and the hamato family line etc etc. content wise tbh its probably mostly just gonna be snapshots of random moments throughout the boys lives, but i do kinda have some plot concepts? so we'll see 👀

(embarrassingly long) introduction under the cut if u'd like to read!

——————————————

Years ago, Oroku Saki defeated Hamato Tang Shen in battle, and finally brought an end to the family that would deny him his power. He ordered her homestead be razed to the ground, and all mystic artifacts to be delivered to him. Particularly, the Hamato’s prized pet tortoise, which was rumored to be itself a conduit for the family’s legendary mystic abilities. With the creature in his possession, along with the new rapid-enhancement chemical he commissioned from laboratory familiar with mystic properties in New York — at last, he would be granted his godhood, and guarantee the legacy of his fathers clan. The Hamatos could deny him no longer. He had won.

Or he would have, had the fools at the lab not ruined everything, the precious mutagen spilling all over the tortoises crate and the fool handlers who carried it. The contaminated men morphed into horrific, animalistic monsters, attacking the scientists and wrecking the laboratory itself. And, most crucially, in the ensuing madness, the crate which contained the tortoise, his last possible connection to the Hamato’s power, lay shattered, and empty…

Meanwhile, Hamato “Splinter” Yoshi, who until this point had quite enjoyed his extended existence as a simple tortoise and family pet, found himself fleeing the eyes and hands of the man who killed his human family, and the lab that granted him this new shift in consciousness, to instead face the terrifying chaos of the streets and alleys of NYC. His transformation into something more bipedal had hurt considerably and left him aching and disoriented, but still he could not pause. He could not falter. Not until he found somewhere safe to hide himself and the four squirming, impossibly small rat-pups in his arms. He hoped the chemical that washed over them had not warped and hurt their young bones as it had his own. He hoped he could find somewhere safe to care for them. He hoped they could survive the night without their mother. He hoped, he prayed he could protect these precious, squeaking, peach-fuzzed ruminants of his family. He did not think he could survive any more loss.

For now, he would do what he could, and slip into the shadows of this city. Having lived so long among ninjas had its benefits there, at least.

[nomsfaultau]

The Lambs Wolves Wear part 6

Dark SBI AU where Philza’s human children were replaced by monsters. Start of ficlet is here.

It wasn’t unusual that “Technoblade” was late to meals. Philza wasn’t entirely sure if he needed to eat anymore. The hoard of spirits using Technoblade as a conduit assured Philza the body of his real son was technically still alive, but it didn’t change the fact his child looked less alive every day, pallid skin and sunken sockets. “Technoblade” was rather diligent in feeding the body they possessed, though often grew distracted, consumed with ghostly obsession. “Technoblade” had taken it upon themselves to farm the land, and with armies of ghosts set upon the task, there was little use for Philza. He was left to domestic upkeep, shaved down into nothing more than a sweet and nurturing caretaker. Hopefully such a docile persona would cause them to underestimate him.

Technoblade was stolen from him, but not truly gone. Perhaps it could have been some relief. Only his darkest nightmares could begin to fathom what the fates of his other children were, and yet he could still embrace Technoblade. It didn’t change the gut feeling that he was cradling the icy corpse of his son. Philza wasn’t sure if he could handle realizing he was watching his dead son’s carcass laugh and walk alongside him, puppeteered by ancient specters. No. The real Technoblade had to be in there somewhere. He had to. 

“Technoblade” hadn’t come back from the barn yet. Philza frowned as he dished out stew, then ordered “Tommy” to fetch his brother. While Philza only pretended to care if the others ate, he needed to believe Technoblade’s body was still alive. 

The demon whined about waiting to eat, then hmph’d and crashed through a window, morphing into a dark stallion as he raced for a distant barn. Philza flinched at the shattering glass, then sighed as Wilbur began to weave yet another illusion to ‘fix’ the broken window. Sometimes Philza wondered how much of his life was distorted into the image of a happy normal family, pasted over with magic to hide the real damage. 

A sound like distant thunder cracked through the air. Suddenly he could see the towering true form of the demon that stole Tommy, hissing and recoiling as dark waves of an undead legion poured out of the barn, attacking everything in their path. War unfurled from the barn.

Ah. So the façade was finally over. There was a grim relief in relinquishing the fragile peace. It was too soon, he still didn’t know where all his children were. But Philza was prepared. He’d been covertly stockpiling the means to defend himself for a long time now. These creatures wearing his children wouldn’t kill him that easily.

“Tommy” scrambled back from the ghosts that charged at him. Powerful claws slashed through the ranks, but their fury was ceaseless and phantasmal. “Tommy” turned tail and scampered back to the house. A blur of his form, and a bristling raccoon burrowed around Philza’s shoulders, shaking and bleeding.

“He’s crazy,” the demon hissed, ringed tail puffed up. “I tried to help him like you taught me to,” “Tommy” insisted, expecting reprimand. “He attacked me! And he was rude! He wouldn’t die even when I tried to kill him!” Philza pressed a kiss to the injured raccoon’s forehead, ignoring the sulfuric smell. Only a little longer must he pretend to love them. He coaxed the demon and changeling into resuming lunch, promising to handle it.

And then Philza prepared to finally kill the thing festering inside Technoblade’s body. It would have to be fast, before the others realized they were next.

Ghosts poured out of the barn, the restless legions of the slain pouring out upon the land they once tilled. Philza gripped his iron sword, praying the clumsy holy runes he’d scratched into would be enough against the undead. And then Philza charged in, flashes of blessed metal carving through the ghosts. It caught the spectral blows of swords that otherwise would have cut him to ribbons. He plunged into an army. Flashes of searing cold scraped through his form, numbing his soul. Still he sliced his way through the ghostly legion, fighting to the heart of the war. The world was a blur of darkness, but a trail of blood guided him to where ancient armies poured out of his child.

Spectral hands ripped at him, though he warded them off best he could with his Prime-blessed blade. His sword was torn out of his cold-numbed hands, too rigid from the rime crawling up them to pick it up again. And yet Philza pressed on, weathering the arctic shadows cutting to his core. In the heart of the darkness, “Technoblade” curled into a haystack, shuddering as waves of undead soldiers clawed their way out of him.

The hoards descended upon Philza, shrieking and ripping into him. Frost struck through him, brutal in its cold. Philza stumbled, struggling to pass through the gale of spirits to the body they possessed. His heart began to freeze inside his chest, sluggish as it tried to join the host of the undead. He reached for the boy, fighting with everything he had, and slammed the binding tag onto him.

The spirits screeched as they were suddenly ripped backward and shoved back into “Technoblade”. It snapped to silence abruptly, the spell tag having done its work. The ghosts couldn’t leave their vessel now. Philza panted, each exhale no longer spilling condensation. His fingers were still numb even as the soul frost melted, but he stumbled over to his dropped weapon, dragging it as he slowly approached the shaking boy. Blood trailed toward “Technoblade”, staining the hay he curled in.

Philza pointed his sword at the hyperventilating ghost. “Give me back my son.”

“Technoblade” didn’t seem to hear him, mumbling over and over to themselves. “Don’t hurt him don’t hurt him don’t-" the monster began sobbing as he raised the sword.

And Philza realized he wasn’t going to be able to kill them. Not when they begged for mercy in the voice of his children. No, not when they shared his home for months, when they looked to him for guidance to mold them into gentler lives. “Technoblade” putting down their swords in favor of plows, “Tommy” learning to be careful in his affections, “Wilbur” slowly realizing he might be loved for himself and not the child he replaced. They all called him father long past when the deception was broken.

His heart howled. He wanted the monsters that destroyed his children dead. And yet Philza couldn’t do it. He couldn’t.

The sword clattered to the barn floor. “Technoblade” whimpered and struggled at his approach, kicking out wildly. Philza wrestled them down, catching the hands clawing at him. “Technoblade” was a bloodied mess, a gash crossed over an eye and digging down his collarbone to his heart. “Don’t hurt him dON’T HURT HIM PLEASE—“

And suddenly, Philza remembered that “Technoblade’s” last vessel had been murdered.

Philza brushed “Technoblade’s” hair from where it fell into the wound. “Shhh, it’s okay. If I wanted you dead, you would be.” It soothed the strategically-minded spirits a little. Philza would exorcise them in a heartbeat, but then he’d have to deal with the others and in that time Technoblade could very well bleed out. Never mind the fact he still didn’t know where the other children were.

He peeled out of his jacket and used it to soak up the blood, murmuring assurances. Slowly “Technoblade” began to calm, realizing they weren’t being attacked. Shakily, they explained that they’d accidentally hurt Technoblade’s body when tilling, and panicked, sure they’d be finished off while weakened. They kept apologizing for hurting the body, like Philza couldn’t see how deeply the ghosts cared for their vessel. Carefully, Philza removed the binding spell tagging the spirit, shoving it into a pocket for later. “Technoblade” reached dark hands for him, clinging on for comfort. 

Foolishly, Philza thought that was all they did, till too late he saw the shadow and whirled to find his sword hovering over him in a phantom grasp. “Technoblade” examined the runes Philza scratched into the metal. “You have been scheming against us,” they said almost levelly. Red eyes pinned him from within dark sockets, staring up from where “Technoblade” clung to his chest. A spectral hand clawed at the fabric covering his hammering heart, poised to rip it out. He’d let his guard down. 

Philza was silent, realizing he’d revealed his intent far, far too soon. “…I’m not a foolish man. You’re a warrior, are you not? Would you deny me strength? We all know I’m nowhere near you boys’ equal.”

“Technoblade” pressed the sword hilt back into his palm. “True. A far better man than any of us. Few soldiers are strong enough to stop fighting.”

Next>

[nhoeer]

Prompt 1

What exactly is the Matrix?

Baseline AU;

The Matrix also know as The Matrix of Leadership was forged by Solus Prime to contain a tiny bit essence of her creator. It servers as mean to conduit between Realm of The Primes and The Living Realm. After their death, all the presence of 13 original primes reside inside the Matrix to grant wisdom to its holder.

The matrix has its own consciousness to pick whoever worth to bestow itself.

In Between Other, After the fall of Golden Age, The Matrix of Leadership was kept inside Hall Records of Iacon.

Shattered Glass AU;

The Matrix also know as The Lord of The Matrices was forged by Solus the Maker to kept a tiny bit power of her creator. It serves as media to communicate with the 13 primes who got their soul trapped among the Lesser Matrices. With this, the vessel of The Lord of The Matrices could order and controls all the bearer of the Lesser Matrices.

The matrix has its own consciousness to lure the next compatible vessel for itself.

In Between Everything Else, After the end of Void Age, The Lord of the Matrices was contained inside Vigilem's Prison of Carcer.

[alexanderlightweight]

Wednesday prompt :) what if the reason Valentine made Luke a wolf was that a wronged nephilim in a parabatai bond can declare the other an oathbreaker, to trigger divine judgement, and if the judgement finds fault with the other you get back your soul piece and the other is punished? What if Alec, faced with another entitled and selfish rant, just snaps and declares Jace an oathbreaker?

okay so I couldn't figure out a way that would work like you were wanting but i did really like the idea that traditionally, a ritual with the silent brothers as a conduit to raziel is the only one allowed to judge and break a parabatai bond

this is actually an au of all your cracks i'll paint gold. because my thought is that an alec who didn't have the faith or hope to wait to give jace till the very last minute (because until the first rune is taken, some part of alec still believes jace is coming). this alec knows he's about to be deruned and he wants to lose his parabatai bond on his own terms. because fuck if he's going to let the clave tear him from jace, he's going to ask raziel to judge them and whoever ends up taking the brunt, so be it. because only raziel can judge the bond between him and jace.

also a part of alec expects to be the one judged as an oathbreaker. he's really tangled up in his own thoughts at this point and he knows he's not thinking straight which makes him doubt himself.

alec wants answers and to fuck the clave by not letting them get their way.

also tbh, for parabatai, i think the loss of the bond itself, especially not knwing what is happening would feel like divine punishment itself. especially for two peple who are so devout to the bond.

i hope you still enjoy <3

lumine

-

Alec doesn’t know what to do, but there is only one thing left to try and Jace is going to lose him either way. This is the most selfish thing Alec’s ever done in his life and he almost doesn’t do it, until he thinks about how long he’s been sitting here, alone.

Jace isn’t coming. Alec knows that at this point. Wherever his parabatai is with Clary, it’s far beyond anywhere that Alec can reach him in time.

And Alec can’t stay sitting here, waiting to be deruned whenever Imogen gets bored of making him wait.

Treated like he isn’t a Commander and not even given the choice of someone as a witness of his own to keep watch.

“I demand the presence of a Silent Brother for an oath.” Alec rasps to the next shadowhunters who pass, and they wince, looking at him with concern but they shake their heads.

Imogen has scared them all with his imprisonment and Alec is paying the price. Alec is normally the backbone of his Institute, the shield between him and the clave and while they trust him to do that, Alec’s never been their official leader or had the chance to make these hunters completely his.

It’s with a snarl and the determination of spite in his heart — because what was the point of any of this? Of denying himself and Magnus even a moment of anything if this is the way things end — and Alec spits his blood and saliva onto the ground.

It’s grueling work.

Alec was already tired from patrol and the mess with Meliorn when they dragged him to a cell and pronounced him a traitor.  There’s been no soul sword and no trial. They want an example and they’re not afraid to use Alec as one.

Where once, Alec would have assumed he had the protection and privilege of the Lightwood name, he knows now that none of it is true. He’s protected himself and his siblings by his own merits, despite their name, all of these years.

So, Alec reaches deep within himself and calls forward the blood magic that every nephilim is told about but rarely any ever attempt.

It’s a brutal, vicious magic that can turn even the simplest of magical desires into an onslaught of eldritch curses.

Alec uses the blood from his split lip and cut cheek and paints a series of runes before placing his hand down and willing it to activate.

His fingers shatter from the pressure he’s using t push down at the same time the array activates and Alec smiles in satisfaction, copper thick on his tongue.

—

“The Silent Brothers have been summoned and so will remain, especially for a trial we were not notified of.”

“Because this isn’t a trial.” Alec rasps out, “I’ve been asked no questions and offered no recourse. I request two things of the Silent Brothers, one of each.”

“Your requests?”

“I declare a broken oath between parabatai. I wish to let the angel judge my parabatai and I’s bond, not the clave.”

Alec isn’t going to fight his deruning, he can’t.

But he’s not going to let the clave strip away his bond, the angel himself can do that.

“The second request?”

“After the first is finished.” Alec says firmly, not about to let them know that his request depends on how the ritual goes.

“Very well. You will need a warlock to maintain your vitals.”

Alec hates to do it, but there isn’t a warlock who he trusts more than Magnus and Alec is very tired of being betrayed.

—

“What is going on?” Magnus asks tightly, because the Institute is full of strange nephilim and there isn’t a single one he recognizes. Which normally isn’t strange, except it wasn’t like this even a week ago.

“You’ve been requested to monitor and maintain the vitals of the nephilim, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, during a ritual.” The Silent Brother escorting him informs him with their invasive way of communication.

Magnus freezes, because this sounds dangerously close to the idea that he’ll be holding Alexander’s life in his hands.

“And he knows I am the warlock working with him?”

“You are the only warlock he would agree to work with.”

Magnus wonders at what that means and curses the flare of hope in his chest. As he enters the room he frowns, noticing it’s heavily guarded by what are clearly clave guards.

They sneer as he passes and Magnus lets his glamour drop, smirking as they flinch from him.  The cell-like quality of the room means he’s not prepared for Alexander when he enters, though he should be.

Alexander looks exhausted and worse than Magnus has ever seen him, and his eyes are dull. There’s a small spark, the softening of Alexander’s gaze on him. When their eyes meet there is wonder and curiosity for a brief heartbeat before Magnus’ glamour goes back up and Alexander’s eyes drop to the floor.

“Well, this is not how I imagined seeing you again.” Magnus says, trying to soften his words but he’s surprised, and he can’t help it and the hope makes him coy. “In my dreams, I imagined crashing your wedding. Not being summoned here to keep you alive.”

Alexander lets out a hoarse, defeated laugh and shakes his head. “There’s not going to be a wedding to crash, Magnus. I’m being deruned for treason. If I’m alive in a week, it’ll be considered impressive.”

Magnus feels his heart crack with the icy hands that have suddenly grabbed it.

“Tell me, everything, Alexander. Now.”

Alec sends him a weary, hopeless gaze and then shrugs, his hoarse voice forming words that tear into Magnus’ cracking heart.

—

Alec recites the words of his oath, the one that will allow Raziel to judge the bonds of his and Jace’s soul.

If he’s to lose this, then he’s going to do it by his own choice.

He expects the pain, when it comes, but it’s more excruciating than he thought it would be. 

The part of Jace’s soul that is melded with his own is burrowed tightly. It writhes and tugs and fights leaving, and Alec is too tired to do anything but accept the pain and the struggle. He doesn’t even have the energy to fight for himself, he certainly doesn’t have the energy to fight for Jace one last time.

Instead, he lets him go and wonders, whose soul will be returned to who.

—

Magnus has never seen such a gruesome, intimate ritual in all of his life, and it galls him at how many are watching it.  He’s keeping Alexander’s heart beating only through the strength of his magic, or Alexander would be lifeless on the flat table they’ve laid him on.  There is nothing to comfort him or ease him from the cold marble and Magnus seethes that he wasn’t allowed to add any kind of magical cushioning.

It’s as if they want Alexander to feel the most discomfort possible.

He can see it in Alexander’s eyes, the surprise and confusion of waking up and it breaks apart the walls he tried so hard to hastily rebuild.

Alexander didn’t expect to wake up and Magnus was the only one he trusted to make sure that if he did die, he was properly taken care of. Death is an intimate affair for shadowhunters, and Magnus knows the honor he’s been given, but every part of this except keeping Alexander alive feels like a curse.

Because what could have happened in the mere days since they last talked and saw each other, to send Alexander spiraling so low? When he was so proud in his own misguided beliefs the last time they saw each other.

“His soul and bond have been judged. Alexander Lightwood’s soul has been returned to him; he has not broken the oath of his bond.”

Alexander doesn’t look pleased by the pronouncement, if anything the distress and grief grow before they’re hidden away.  It’s then that Magnus realizes, while there are a variety of important shadowhunters, there isn’t a single person there connected to Alexander. 

“Is family not allowed?” He asks casually, smirking at the Silent Brother, because all of their order know Magnus’ reputation enough that it’s better to indulge his curiosity.

“There was no family willing or available to come.” Is what he’s told instead of something like, ‘they’re not allowed’ and Magnus, Magnus itches with the urge to destroy something.

“And Alexander?”

Whatever information Magnus is about to learn, is interrupted by Alexander himself.

“My second request, to the Silent Brothers. To request the right of severance. A trial of law.”

Magnus is curious and he raises an eyebrow imperiously at the Silent Brother standing near him.  Magnus hears the mental sigh before he’s told, “to request such a thing, means the clave has first betrayed the nephilim requesting it. There is no risk besides the soul sword knowing it is a lie and he is still due to be deruned. If he cuts himself from the clave, the clave cannot destroy first destroy him.”

“Does he need a magical aid?” Magnus asks without thinking, because of course he wants to help Alexander get away from the people doing this to him.

“Only comfort, when the strength of his own will finally fails him.”

Magnus wonders what that means but he has no further interest in what is being said and he takes the five steps that separate him and Alexander.

“What will happen, when you succeed in the next ritual?”

“I might fail.”

“You won’t.” Magnus assures him, his fingers light as he boldly places his hand on Alexander’s shoulder. Alexander stiffens for a moment and Magnus almost moves, before Alexander visibly relaxes and leans even closer.

“I’ll be allowed to leave the clave, though I doubt any Institute will take me. I wouldn’t trust them either, not anymore.” It’s a bitter thing for Alexander to admit and Magnus can tell. “I’ll still have my runes; I won’t be hunted. I can hide in the edges of the mundane world if I need to. I’m sure Night Markets have some use for what I can hunt.”

Magnus tsks and tightens his grip on Alexander’s shoulder and sends a soothing, warming pulse through Alexander’s muscles. His shadowhunter has been shivering since the ritual and not a single shadowhunter has offered him a blanket.

This entire time he’s been dressed in thin clothes, the kind nephilim are buried in, as if his fate is already decided on. Magnus is going to burn the horrendously white shirt and pants Alexander is wearing and never let him wear the color again.

After Alexander agrees… of course.

—

Alexander’s voice is low, but strong as he speaks his truth upon the soul sword. It carries across the room as he grips the soul sword and speaks.  He looks at no one but Magnus as he talks, repeating line for line the various laws the clave have broken in his case. Even Imogen looks a little pale when he’s done, as if hearing the truth of her own crimes is worse the committing them.

Alexander seems stunned when he’s finished.

As if he didn’t really think it would work, as if he thought he might actually be in the wrong and Magnus heart breaks.

“Alexander—” Magnus murmurs as he walks towards him, for his shadowhunter’s eyes haven’t once looked away from Magnus’ unglamoured ones. His dark eyes are weary as he watches Magnus, there’s no satisfaction in having one.

Hazel eyes widen in shock as Alexander watches Magnus reach out and wrap his fingers around the hilt of the soul sword.

“None of it has ever been a game. I would cherish you, darling. Far more than the clave, your family, your parabatai or even your exalted angel, Raziel.” The sword doesn’t stop him from speaking, because it isn’t a lie. Raziel cares little for the race he created and what Magnus is starting to feel for Alexander can’t be matched even by a divine being.

Let alone the petty, hateful mortals that have brutalized Alexander’s heart and soul so badly.

“What if you get tired?” Alexander asks and Magnus knows he’s too worn to voice the ‘of me’ aloud.

“I will keep you for every moment of your life.” Magnus tells him, swearing upon an angelic relic that croons temptingly to the corrupted blood in Magnus. “I will never throw you from me. Or give up on you. Whatever exists between us, it can grow to whatever we let it and no matter what that is, I will never abandon you. You, just you, would be enough, Alexander.”

Alexander wraps his trembling arms around Magnus and nods, “then take me away. Please, Magnus. From all of it.”

Magnus smirks at the one Silent Brother who never approached him and Jem nods in return. If his friend hadn’t told him about the properties of the soul sword in detail, this never would have worked.  However, Jem isn’t afraid to toe the line of nephilim law and Magnus has never seen him so enraged as he was when he pressed against Magnus’ mind in secrecy earlier.

The clave cannot refute Magnus’ words, not when sworn on the soul sword or witnessed by two Silent Brothers and that means that this is binding.

The clave no longer has any say or power over Alexander, only Magnus does.

[desultory-novice]

Bonus - Dark Matter Swordsman

One of the most insidious ways Zero maintains control over its drones is by carefully depriving them of the senses...

Dark Matter Swordsman is both blind and deaf. No light nor sound can reach him. The only "speech" he can make sense of is the thought-speak of Lord Zero and his fellow hive mates.

He judges his surroundings via the moving, flexible, bit-like conduits surrounding his body. They become a highly efficient sixth sense that allows him to perfectly detect the location and shape of the type of matter the things around him takes. They are supernaturally fast at detecting any threat as they ignore most "useless" information.

...Such as the expressions or individual characteristics of those around him, but he's here to invade, not here to make friends right? (Nor respond to the pleas of any loved ones...)

His limbs are vestigial, bound to his body by the same material as his armor, robbing him of touch as well. To Zero, the majority of his human body is "unnecessary." He, like other Dark Matter hosts, is no more than an empty shell now, a vessel to command while feeding off the last drops of a dying soul. Any "successful" attempt to free the vessel at this stage will merely cause the Dark Matter inside to wake up and shatter the host body like a chick breaking its egg.

-

PS: Apologies AU is not a gijinka comic, but I couldn't help wanting to conceptualize Noir in full Swordsman regalia at least once...!!

-

[Apologies AU]  “Apologies”  [You Are Here] “One Sneeze”   “Summer”   “A Walk in the Snow”   “The Swordsman”  “Wonderful Gift”  "Damnation"  "Salvation"  "Unstoppable"  "Brightest Star"

[Bonus Illust] “Ugly Scarf”   [Bonus Illust] "That's...Funny..."  [Bonus Illust] "Full Regalia" (DMS "Gijinka")  [Bonus Illust] "Was I A Good Brother?" [Relevant] “Vestige” (script-only)

[Bonus Text] Noir Facts!

[Dark Matter Painter AU]  "It wasn't supposed to go this way...!"  "You're a good knight!" "The Body Remembers"

[crystaleclipse10]

wip list update

istg i blink and a month is gone

anyway here's the current wip list (purple is posted, bold is new)

Series:

Spirit's Calling

I Must be Strong and Carry On (IMBSACO)

The Conduit

Crystal's Compilation of Touchstarved Idiots (CCOTI)

Shattered

Whispers

Ninjago:

Fly, Little Dragon, Fly (one chapter left :<)

Lost in the In-Between (IMBSACO fic 3)

Walk Forwards Through the Cold Dawn (IMBSACO fic 4)

Guardian

One-shot requests

touch-starved fic (CCOTI)

crossover (x2)

s3 ficlet

Spirit's Wrath (Spirit's Calling fic 2)

Spirit's Time (Spirit's Calling fic 3)

Fight, Little Wolf, Fight

Take a Breath (And Dance with Death)

The Life of Earth

the conduit #5 (shattered #2)

Whispers of the Mind

Eclipsed Ninjago

Empath AU

(unnamed)

LMK:

(unnamed) (CCOTI)

crossover

Sonic:

Target: Alpha

Tumblr early access!

Shadow Line

[rogueshadeaux]

inFAMOUS: Erosion masterlist

| ➳ Ao3 here | ➳ Click for Palestine | ➳ Support Indigenously

──⇌WRITING⇋──

inFAMOUS: Erosion Table of Contents

Journey into the Conducrine Gland

STASIS ➳ An inFAMOUS: Erosion mini-fic

His Light, Her Cause ➳ Eugene & Alessia

Dissipate — by @infamoussparks

The Ultimate Jean Character Sheet*

The Ultimate Brent Character Sheet*

The Ultimate Delsin [Erosionverse] Character Sheet*

*(Credit for all character sheet templates goes to the lovely @inhumanghostlight)

──⇌ART⇋──

Rowland Twins Character Sheets

The Tag That Started It All

Happy Birthday Brent and Jean (faceclaim declaration post)

Linus Pauling Goes to State

Focal Point

Jean's home screen

Brent Listening to Spotify

Hereditary

A Life Is Made of Wrongs We Inherit

What Do The Rowlands Fear?

Patient's Constitution

"Those Rowland Kids?" — by @conduiitz/@kraftledare

"Good Times" — by @inhumanghostlight

"Love" by @inhumanghostlight

"Skyscraper" an art dump by @conduiitz/@kraftledare

"Cock Bridge" by @conduiitz/@kraftledare

"Skyscraper art dump 2.0" by @conduiitz/@kraftledare

"Notorious" by @conduiitz/@kraftledare

"You wouldn't Scrape a Sky" by @conduiitz/@kraftledare

"Jeans" by @conduiitz/@kraftledare

"You need to go back" by @inhumanghostlight

──⇌MUSIC⇋──

Brent's Spotify Playlist

Jean's Spotify Playlist

[COMING SOON]

──⇌MISC⇋──

#Jean Posting (Jean's shitpost tag)

#Brent Posting (Brent's shitpost tag)

──⇌Hungry For More inFAMOUS?⇋──

Shattered by @conduiitz/@kraftledare — Apocalypse!AU. Follow glass conduit Luca Montello as he searches for his best friend in the broken remains of Seattle.

Devil Like Me by @neverdewitt — See the aftereffects of DUP life on a forced conduit trying to make peace with his past sins.

inFAMOUS: No Man's Land by @codenamehazard — Evil!Cole AU. Run away with Beast Cole MacGrath as he traverses through the Wildlands, the untamed and conduit-filled plains of America that hold more secrets than it seems...

All's Well That Ends by @neverdewitt — Follow the tumultuous life of Garrett Jorrer, a Curdun Cay enforcer, experiment victim...and child of Brooke Augustine.

inFAMOUS: Sparks by @infamoussparks — Set 7 years after the good karma ending of inFAMOUS: Second Son, join friends new and old as they navigate what it really means to be a part of the Second Age.

O Brother Where Art Thou by @theapartmentninja-blog — Four years after Augustine fell—and Reggie, too—Delsin, who has tried to build a better world, realizes Augustine was just one head of the hydra that was the DUP.

Traceback by @lightconduit-2501 — Piece together every memory fragment Childe pulls from their database as they reconstruct the past, and the world they had made. Poetry!

[COMING SOON]

[codenamehazard]

Welcome to the InFAMOUS: No Man's Land Masterlist! Where I will post links to chapters, art, one-shots and whatever else I feel like putting that's related.

The lovely cover art was done by the talented @rogueshadeaux who has been a major help in my writing journey and a huge inspiration with her love for InFAMOUS and world building!

.:Table of contents:.

.:Fun Stuff!:.

.:Art!:.

---What is InFAMOUS: No Man's Land?---

InFAMOUS: No Man's Land started out as a simple one-shot of a what if that took root and grew.

The story follows the journey of Cole MacGrath a couple of years after the Evil Ending of InFAMOUS 2. Years of having the burden of being the "messiah" and dealing with the hardships that came with it, Cole finally has enough. He breaks away from the army he reared and takes off into the Wildlands of the Great Plains, where new opportunities await for the Demon of Empire City to claim.

---- Want More InFAMOUS?----- Erosion By @rogueshadeaux — Second Son Continuation. How far will you go to do the right thing while trying to protect your family?

Shattered by @conduiitz/@kraftledare — Apocalypse!AU. Follow glass conduit Luca Montello as he searches for his best friend in the broken remains of Seattle.

Devil Like Me by @neverdewitt — See the aftereffects of DUP life on a forced conduit trying to make peace with his past sins.

All’s Well That Endsby @neverdewitt — Follow the tumultuous life of Garrett Jorrer, a Curdun Cay enforcer, experiment victim…and child of Brooke Augustine.

inFAMOUS: Sparks by @infamoussparks — Set 7 years after the good karma ending of inFAMOUS: Second Son, join friends new and old as they navigate what it really means to be a part of the Second Age.

Erosion link done by me, the rest was borrowed from @rogueshadeaux listing.

[qyburn]

wyllach beauty and the beast au

BATB is mostly used as a framework than a retelling; karlach is the beast & wyll is beauty but certain elements from both characters are shared, such as the prince's origin story being a curse, but blended with wyll's choice of self-sacrifice, & karlach wanting adventure in the great wide somewhere.

karlach lives in a castle gortash owns, & instead of transformed servants, the castle runs on the power of her engine, which she keeps in the west wing in place of the enchanted rose.

ulder is being blackmailed by gortash into being used as a political puppet; he threatens to reveal wyll's curse to all of the sword coast & convince the public that ulder is the one letting baldur's gate be controlled by hell (which is true anyway, but ulder will take the fall & gortash will emerge the hero, like his plan in the game)

wyll has "disappeared" since his curse, considered dead by many. mizora orders him to slay gortash's most powerful infernal: karlach.

once in the castle, wyll bargains his life in exchange for ulder's, allowing him to escape and formulate a strategy to fight back with the flaming fist. meanwhile, wyll is karlach's prisoner, but he quickly learns the truth -- that she's also a prisoner of hell & couldn't leave the castle even if she wanted to.

once wyll comes across the engine in the west wing, he plans to escape & bring back mages/holy men to undo the curse, but it triggers a cambion attack. karlach saves him but is heavily injured.

since they can't leave, they decide to employ the use of gortash's gigantic library to solve the problem themselves. some time later, they start talking about wyll's noble life, karlach waxing on about how badly she's wanted to attend a ball, & he offers to hold one there in the castle's ballroom for just the two of them. as they fall for each other, they discover that literally capturing karlach's heart might be the key to breaking the curse.

mizora begins putting pressure on wyll to complete the mission, while gortash ventures to the castle to deal with karlach's insubordination. a battle breaks out on castle grounds between ulder's loyalists vs gortash's loyalists. gortash & karlach face off in a brutal battle.

as gortash delivers the killing blow to karlach's engine, wyll jumps in to take the blow instead, effectively breaking his own curse & killing mizora by proxy. karlach eviscerates gortash in a fiery rage.

karlach reaches for her engine & shatters it, trying to give him the life energy inside. as they both lay dying, wyll is fortified by the residual energy of his contract. he holds karlach tight to act as a conduit for the infernal energy so that it passes into her less violently. this, however, makes his devil appearance permanent. she is brought back to life.

ulder is reinstated as grand duke & begins to undo the damage gortash wrought as well as deal with his loyalists. wyll requests that he remain "dead" to the public so as to not threaten ulder's image, and to live a free life with karlach. he promises to visit with her every now and again.

[infamoussparks]

InFAMOUS Sparks: Table of Contents

--WRITING-- Ao3 Link (bookmarks & kudos appreciated!) Prologue

Chapter 1: Sparklers & Secrets

Chapter 2: Safe with Me

Chapter 3: Missing Pieces

Chapter 4: Skeleton Closets

Chapter 5: Origami Smoke

Chapter 6: Dead Ends & Decisions

Chapter 7: Sound Choices

Chapter 8: Reunions & Relationships

Chapter 9: Sparking Emotions

--ART--

Falling with Grace

Happy Birthday, Benji!

Happy Birthday, Caly!

Happy Birthday, Lucky!

--EVEN MORE INFAMOUS--

Erosion by @rogueshadeaux — When the world comes crashing down around you and everything you thought you knew was a lie, how do you save the world, and your family, without failure?

Shattered by @conduiitz/@kraftledare — Apocalypse!AU. Follow glass conduit Luca Montello as he searches for his best friend in the broken remains of Seattle.

Devil Like Me by @neverdewitt — See the aftereffects of DUP life on a forced conduit trying to make peace with his past sins.

inFAMOUS: No Man's Land by @codenamehazard — Evil!Cole AU. Run away with Beast Cole MacGrath as he traverses through the Wildlands, the untamed and conduit-filled plains of America that hold more secrets than it seems...

All's Well That Ends by @neverdewitt — Follow the tumultuous life of Garrett Jorrer, a Curdun Cay enforcer, experiment victim...and child of Brooke Augustine.

(Summaries written by @rogueshadeaux. Erosion summary by me.)

[gloriabomfim]

Oggy and the Cockroaches AU - The origin of Shadowfang Roach

Joey asked to Dee Dee and Marky, as the flashback starts, "Hey, have you ever heard about those strange roaches that have been showing up lately? They look nothing like us, and their behavior… it's just bizarre."

Dee Dee responded, "Yeah, I've seen 'em too. They give me the creeps, man."

Marky chimed in, "I heard a rumor that these roaches came from a forbidden part of the city, a place nobody dares to go."

Joey's curiosity was piqued. "Forbidden, you say? That sounds like a challenge. What if we check it out and find out what's really going on?"

The trio embarked on a risky adventure, venturing into the dark and forbidden part of the city where the Shadowfang Roaches were said to originate. As they delved deeper, the atmosphere grew more oppressive, and the air itself seemed to carry a sense of foreboding.

After a while, they stumbled upon an old, decrepit laboratory. Inside, they discovered vials containing a strange, dark substance that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy.

Dee Dee observed, "This place gives me the heebie-jeebies. I don't like the look of that goo."

Marky added, "Maybe this is what turned those regular roaches into those freaky Shadowfang things."

Joey, undeterred by the eerie surroundings, decided to investigate further. As he approached the vials, a sudden surge of energy enveloped him. Unbeknownst to him, the energy was a result of the mysterious substance reacting to his touch.

Suddenly, the vials began to shatter, and the dark substance seeped into the floor. The room trembled, and a portal of shadowy energy opened before them.

Intrigued and perhaps a bit reckless, Joey stepped through the portal, followed closely by Dee Dee and Marky. On the other side, they found themselves in a twisted and distorted version of their world – a realm of shadows and secrets.

As they explored this strange realm, they encountered the Shadowfang Roaches, their appearance even more unsettling in this environment. These roaches moved with an unnatural grace, their movements synchronized like a dark dance.

The leader of the Shadowfang Roaches, a massive and imposing figure, approached Joey. Its eyes locked onto him, and a voice echoed in Joey's mind, "Welcome, curious one. You have entered the realm of shadows, and now, you shall become one with us."

Joey felt a surge of power coursing through him, his very essence intertwining with the dark energy of the realm. He realized that he had become connected to the Shadowfang Roaches, their motives and desires melding with his own.

Back in the real world, the portal closed, and Dee Dee and Marky were left standing alone in the abandoned laboratory. They exchanged worried glances, unsure of Joey's fate.

Little did they know, their friend had become a conduit between the world of shadows and their own reality, forever altering the balance between light and darkness.

And so, the mysterious origins of the Shadowfang Roaches were revealed, tied to an otherworldly realm and a fateful encounter that changed the course of their world in ways they could never have imagined.

[gameforestdach]

Es ist wieder soweit — Apex Legends bringt sein Update für Staffel 19 heraus und es steckt voller Veränderungen, die das Gameplay massiv beeinflussen werden. Wir haben neue Kartenupdates, eine neue Legende und natürlich Waffen-Buffs und -Nerfs, die das Meta kräftig durcheinanderwirbeln werden. Hier erfährst du alles, was du wissen musst, um der Konkurrenz einen Schritt voraus zu sein. Die Karte Storm Point erfährt Veränderungen für neue Spielmechaniken. Neue Legende "Conduit" wird vorgestellt. Waffen erhalten sowohl Buffs als auch Nerfs. Sehnlichst erwartetes Cross-Progression-Feature kommt mit diesem Update. Einführung Apex Legends entwickelt sich ständig weiter und hält die Spieler mit regelmäßigen Updates und neuen Inhalten bei Laune. Staffel 19 steht unmittelbar vor der Tür und wird offiziell am 15. November 2023 starten. Eine Reihe von Veränderungen werden auf die Server kommen. Während wir uns auf die neue Legende Conduit und Kartenveränderungen bei Storm Point freuen, steht diesmal ganz klar das Rampenlicht auf den Waffenanpassungen. Waffen-Buffs und -Nerfs 30-30 Repeater Die Streuung beim Schießen aus der Hüfte für den 30-30 Repeater wird erhöht, was ihn in Nahkampfsituationen weniger effektiv macht. Bocek Bogen Dieser Klassiker der Bogenkunst erhält eine schnellere Anfangszugkraft und ein engeres Muster für Shatter Caps, dank der Umschaltmöglichkeit mit der Select Fire-Taste. Charge Rifle Die Charge Rifle profitiert von verbesserten Geschossballistiken und einer Erhöhung der Projektilgröße, was es einfacher macht, kritische Treffer zu landen. Hemlok Schlechte Nachrichten für Hemlok-Fans: Der Schaden wurde von 22 auf 21 reduziert. Longbow DMR Die Projektilgröße für die Longbow DMR wurde erhöht, was sich wahrscheinlich auf ihre effektive Reichweite auswirken wird. Sentinel Auch die Projektilgröße für die Sentinel's Amped Shot wird erhöht, was sie potenziell zum Spielveränderer machen könnte. Crafting und Care Package-Updates Das Update für Staffel 19 bringt auch Anpassungen bei den Crafting-Rotationen und Care Packages. Waffen wie RE-45 und 30-30 Repeater kehren als Bodenbeute zurück und machen Platz für die R-301 und Volt im Crafting-Bereich. Zusätzlich wird der Wingman mit dem neuen Hop-Up — Skullpiercer Elite — im Care-Package auftauchen. Zusätzliche Features Erwartete Cross-Progression Eines der spannendsten nicht mit Waffen verbundenen Updates ist die Einführung der Cross-Progression-Funktion, die es Spielern ermöglicht, ihren Fortschritt auf verschiedenen Plattformen zu übertragen. Neue Legende und Kartenupdates Und vergessen wir nicht die Vorstellung der neuen Legende, Conduit, sowie die Veränderungen an der Karte Storm Point, die sicherlich für ein frisches Spielerlebnis sorgen werden. Spekulation und abschließende Gedanken Obwohl die detaillierten Patchnotizen noch nicht vollständig veröffentlicht wurden (Stand: 22. Oktober 2023), können wir in Kürze weitere Einblicke erwarten. Die Waffenänderungen sorgen jedoch bereits für ordentlich Gesprächsstoff in der Community. Wie werden diese Anpassungen deine Strategie beeinflussen? Das wird die Zeit zeigen. Also, da habt ihr's, Leute! Ihr seid jetzt bestens für Staffel 19 vorbereitet. Nehmt die letzten Anpassungen an eurem Loadout vor und macht euch bereit für den Sprung! Wenn du Gedanken oder Erfahrungen teilen möchtest, zögere nicht, unten einen Kommentar zu hinterlassen. Lassen wir die Unterhaltung am Laufen!

[anosrepasi]

hi!!! hope you're doing well <3

fate lines or kintsukuroi for the ask game? :D

hello!! I'm busy but well and hopefully you're also having a good end to the year??

You get a bit of both cause why not :) Put under a read more for length just cause of the snippet lengths:

Fate Lines originally started out as a reincarnation au for Mass Effect with the premise being that the purpose of reincarnation is to have you experience lives you haven't lived before so my first draft started off with this snippet:

----

She’s tired.

It’s here, listening to the reaper construct rattle on in front of her that it hits her. She’s so tired.

Her eyes focus back on to the AI in front of her, made to look like a kid as if that’ll be the death that breaks her. Broke her. If the reapers wanted to play mind games they would have chosen Kaiden, or Legion, or Morden or-

No. She won’t think about that option.

Doesn’t stem the sudden panic that fills her though. She could picture it perfectly- the hologram of a kid stretching out in front of her until it’s taller than she is, standing in attention and his-its, its only a machine not a person, not him- hands linked behind his back the way he would wait patiently in the life support room-

A quiet twitch of his lips into a smile when she opened the door- Siha

No. They didn’t know, otherwise they would have actually left a mark with their mental war games.

The construct in front of her stills and Shepard realizes it’s waiting for a response.

“So these are my options.”

The hologram nods.

Sara feels the wait on her shoulders pull down and double. At the end of the line and still forced to make the calls and all she wants is to finally sleep.

She can’t do that though, can she?

So she walks forward and she raises her gun.

Her shots ring out as she shoots into the conduit and the machine before of her starts to bulk under the stress, pockets of gas escaping and hissing as her bullets shatter through the metal casing. A few more shots and she can sleep. A few more shots and she can go home to him, across whatever sea he believed would be standing by when she finally found him again.

Her next shot hits something important in the machine in front of her and it explodes.

The flames rush towards her and Shepard feels the breath knocked out of her as the shock wave knocks her back.

Sara Shepard closes her eyes and with the next explosion never knows if she hit the pavement.

���

2.537 million light years away and 600 years later, Zara Ryder is clinically dead for 22 seconds.

Against the odds, she wakes up.

----

Since then, the fic has actually come to focus way more on the ME trilogy aspect of the fic and has become the home for my version of Shepard that Cerberus did not actually manage to resurrect completely and who is thus experiencing all the events of ME2 onwards with a body that's shutting down on her. Which. I think would be an absolutely fascinating play through of ME? You're doing whatever it takes to save the universe but yeah no it's not going to be for you. I would love to actually get all of this au into a fic someday but for the most part it just lives as a half written tragedy in my head.

alright moving on:

Kintsukuroi!

I might actually want to rewrite Kint some day. I started it in 2015 shortly after the game came out and ooof. Writing ability has improved tremendously since then. If I ever get back into Fallout 4 I think I'd like to take a shot at it again some day.

My fun fact of that fic is my favorite chapter I've written for it takes place in the buried church full of ghouls in the glowing sea. That chapter kind of cemented the OT3 Vibe for Sole/Valentine/Hancock and was surprisingly the best way I could get the guys to uh, fucking talk to each other, after who knows how long.

My second fun fact is that I set the fic up so that Shep is doing the Silver Shroud missions and the Big Dig quest at the same time. Hancock thinks it's hilarious. Hancock does not think it's hilarious when people kidnap one of his citizens and his store room is being broken into at the same time because now it's incredibly inconvenient and becomes a goodneighbor issue. I thought it'd be a really fun way of exploring Hancock's recruitment. Thank you so much for the ask and hopefully you got some enjoyment out of these comments and the snippet from Fate Lines :)

[in-tua-deep]

Angsty au idea, five makes it back except he arrives dead and only Klaus and Ben can see him. (What happened to his body? Could be that his body got stuck between space time or he drops off as his thirteen year old sib and thats gonna traumatize the sibs probably) (Ig he could have also either died from wounds because the commision figured that he'd be turning and got strained from the time travel or an error in equations)

me, resurrecting myself over here

okay okay okay i’m going to take your idea and tweak it just a teeny tiny bit and produce:

Time travel isn’t viable.

Not the way five travels. Not without a conduit. Not when he’s essentially harnessing all of time, all of those endless possibilities, within the heart of a human being. It’s so much. It’s too much. Five died the moment he blinked away on that street outside of the Hargreeves mansion. 

But Five doesn’t know that. 

He doesn’t notice that no one gives him a second glance when he appears out of nowhere on those bustling streets. He just jumps again, because why not! He’s excited, he’s proving his father wrong, he’s liberated! And then.

And then.

He’s in the apocalypse.

He doesn’t notice that he can’t interact with anything until he touches his Luther’s corpse and his hand goes right through. And then, his first thought isn’t - I died. It’s - something went wrong with the last jump.

Which makes sense to him. He’s managed to get himself trapped on some kind of in-between plane. And that’s why his time travel powers aren’t working! Because they don’t work right on this plane! 

Five wanders the apocalypse, and it’s a little better than in canon because he doesn’t need to eat.

(Oh, he misses eating.)

He’s a smart boy. A brilliant boy. He’s thirteen, and he thinks he’s invincible. But his powers are jumping, and he can take himself apart molecule by molecule, and eventually eventually after years and years have passed he manages to solidify his hand enough to pick something up.

The first time he turns a page in a book feels like victory. 

He camps out in the destroyed remains of a library. Being solid enough to pick something up is... exhausting. He can’t do it for long periods of time. But he has a little stack of useful books, a little pile of chalk, the store mannequin he likes to talk to (he named her Dolores), and a blanket that has seen better days. He can’t exactly feel the ground when he curls up on it, and he can’t really sleep in this messed up pocket dimension or wherever he’s stuck, but he closes his eyes and pretends with all the power of the child he isn’t.

He’s in the apocalypse for a long time, trying to figure out a two-fold problem: how to get out of his pocket dimension and back into the ‘real world’ and also how to get back to his siblings when he does. He isn’t stupid. Time travel when he was capable of it was a crapshoot, he needs a way to get more exact.

And then the woman comes. Pristine and blond and carrying a suitcase. She frowns when she steps over the rubble in heels that click click click and frowns harder when she presses gloved fingers against Five’s equations written in chalk.

Five hides behind some rubble, but gets brave. Gets curious.

(Curiosity killed the cat.)

He comes out, he says “Hello?” and isn’t sure what he expected when she doesn’t even turn around. Five goes towards her with silent footsteps, footsteps that don’t disturb the dirt and chalk dust of the apocalypse because they don’t exist. 

He doesn’t know who she is, but he’s curious what’s in her suitcase, and waits patiently for her to open it. He’s also planning on following her back to whatever settlement she came from? He hadn’t thought there were any people alive, but clearly she is proving him wrong. 

So when she walks away, he puts his hand on her suitcase so that he doesn’t lose her, because even if she wouldn’t feel it putting his hand on her and watching it go through would be... demoralizing. 

And then she opens the suitcase, and suddenly they’re somewhere else. Except not somewhere else. Its bustling with people and the woman’s heels click loudly against the tile floor and someone walks right through Five and he trails after the woman because everyone seems to give her a wide berth and being walked through sucks. 

Someone addresses her. The Handler. That’s not - that’s not a people name, Five is pretty sure. That’s a title. But no one addresses the woman by name, so the Handler it is. 

Five doesn’t know how old he is, but he still looks thirteen. (He doesn’t feel any different, because he isn’t. His growth is permanently stunted, he will always have died at thirteen-years-one-month-and-nine-days-old.)

So he lives at the Commission headquarters for a few years, invisible and a tiny bit mischievous. He can travel through the walls if he wants, so no door is locked to him. He makes himself a little den in one of the vents where he gets a small collection of office supplies that he steals from the assholes as punishment. He doesn’t do anything major. 

He finds out what the commission does. He tags along with some assassins on occasion. He once distracted Cha-Cha by shoving a glass off a counter and breaking it to try and give a child witness time to flee.

(Hazel found her in the closet, terrified and silent with huge glassy brown eyes. He lifted a finger to his lips and quietly closed the closet door. He yelled “Clear!” to Cha-Cha, and then he and cha-cha and Five all left. Five looks at Hazel differently, after that.)

(Hazel has a soft spot for kids and bird-watching diner owners. This is important.)

Five scribbles equations on the walls of the vents. He gets more data every time he travels with the agents so he starts traveling with them a lot, even though he hates it, even though he sees so much death and destruction and he can’t stop it. He helps, sometimes. As much as he can. It’s not enough.

Five finds something, one day, when he’s wandering around. He finds a picture of Vanya, framed. He recognizes her immediately, from the back of Vanya’s book that he found in the apocalypse. They have lots of pictures of famous people around the commission, and lots of pictures of ordinary people. All of them significant in some way to the ‘preservation of the timeline’.

He goes to the Handler’s office, and among her many souvenirs he finds a cracked violin, and he remembers the background music that made up his entire childhood. 

(He steals the violin and puts it in his vent nook. He flips it over and traces the tiny V that’s shallowly carved shyly into the bottom, the same one Vanya has been putting on every violin she’s ever had since she was seven-years-old, after Diego and Luther broke hers and tried to claim that it was just a random violin, not her violin and it wasn’t their fault she didn’t take care of her possessions -)

(Why is Vanya’s violin in the Handler’s collection of weapons?)

Five is aware of something. He thinks the commission has something to do with the apocalypse. They protect the timeline of whatever, right? And yet the apocalypse happened. Which means it must be planned. 

Five has been trained to fight ‘villains’ since he was tiny, and he recognizes a villain when he looks at the Handler’s shiny smile and too long nails. 

Vanya has to have something to do with it. Do the commission kidnap her? Do they kill her? She’s important, somehow.

(Maybe before he traveled he would have doubted that. Vanya was ordinary. Why would she be important? But Five has tagged along on so many missions where they killed perfectly ordinary people in order to spark a chain of events. In fact, it’s almost always ordinary people.)

Five solves one of his equations on a regular, ordinary day. It’s the time travel one. Not the one about his... unfortunate circumstances.

So Five finds a nice empty room, and he gives it a try. He’s not expecting much, since the pocket dimension bullshit fucks up his time travel anyway (though he can still spatial jump curiously enough) except - it works. He splits the world apart, and it’s hard. Way harder than he remembers it being. 

He chalks that up to the whole pocket dimension effect.

He pushes and pushes and then - something breaks. Like ice shattering for a spring thaw, and he’s through. He’s on the ground, winded. He looks up and - it’s them. His siblings. Older than he remembers, clearly the equation wasn’t exactly right, but they’re here and they’re alive and Five can feel himself tearing up and he lets it happen because none of them can see him anyway and - 

“Five?” 

Two voices, overlapping. Five’s head snaps over, eyes wide with shock and alarm and - 

It’s Klaus and Ben. Both staring at him, equal alarm and shock in their eyes.

“You can see me?” Five demands loudly, patting at his body frantically. Is this it? Did he kill two birds with one stone? Did coming back undo whatever bullshit he put his body through - ?

“Klaus, why would you say that.” Allison scolds automatically, “That was in poor taste.”

Five looks at her, and her eyes scan straight over him, in the way that’s been familiar for - for - 

(Five didn’t bother to keep track of the years. Not when he was unaffected by time, by seasons, by weather. What was the point?)

Five’s eyes snap back to Klaus’s, who hasn’t taken his eyes away. It’s weird, Five thinks absently. His skin crawls under the attention, not used to it.

(Isn’t that strange, in a boy who used to demand attention with every breath he took? Isn’t that odd?)

There’s a hand on his arm and Five just about jumps out of his skin, whirling around and flailing and - oh look, that’s Ben on the ground, looking absolutely shocked. Five is also shocked, because he hasn’t been touched in - in forever. 

“Ben?” Five half-asks, voice smaller than he’d like with a tremble that he kind of wants to kick in the gut. 

“Five.” Ben responds, kind of sounding like he’s been punched in the chest. Actually he might have been, Five was never very gentle when it came to removing his limbs from others grasps.

“Well!” Klaus says loudly, making Five and Ben look over. “If the crisis is over, and we’ve lost a perfectly good fire extinguisher to the void, i’m going back inside!”

Klaus gives Ben a significant look as he turns on his heel and marches back in, and Ben winces. “Come on,” He whispers to Five, getting up and brushing himself off. “It’s better to talk when no one else is around.”

Ben hesitates, and Five hasn’t spoken to anyone but himself in a very long time. It’s been even longer since - well. And Ben looks so lost all of a sudden, that it’s really for Ben’s benefit when Five takes Ben’s hand in his own and tugs him in the direction of the mansion, “Well get a move on.”

Ben looks like he’s about to cry, looking at their joined grip, but nods and leads Five into the building. He gives Five’s hand a squeeze, as though making sure he’s real, and Five allows it gracefully.

Finally, they’re tucked into Klaus’s bedroom, Klaus sprawled across the bed and staring at Five like he’s something entirely alien.

“I don’t understand.” Five says, because the silence is getting awkward. “How come you guys can see me, but the others can’t?”

And Five is very confused when Ben’s face just - crumples. He looks like he’s about to cry. And Klaus, the contrary bastard, starts laughing, just a tiny bit hysterically.

“Take a guess shortstack.” Klaus wheezes out, “What’s my power?”

It’s seeing the dead, of course. But Five isn’t dead he’s just - in between. Right?

Besides, there’s a glaring flaw in Klaus’s theory.

“Uh, Ben can see me.” Five points out, lifting his and Ben’s conjoined hands where Ben’s grip is actually getting a little bit painful.

But isn’t a good kind of pain. Five hasn’t felt pain in - equally long. 

Klaus’s laughter cuts off and Ben makes a noise like a squeaky toy that’s been stepped on. “Yeah,” Klaus says, uncharacteristically serious, “Well. You missed a lot, kiddo.”

“Ben’s not dead.” Five protests, because he’s not. Five can see him. He’s right there, and he’s never had Klaus’s powers. He turns to Ben and - 

Ben envelops him in a hug, a tight one. The kind that Five would never have allowed unless absolutely necessary before he’s left, but now just sort of - melts into. It’s the pressure of it, honestly. Ben’s a good hugger.

“Five I’m so sorry.” Ben whispers, pressing his face against Five’s hair. It tickles a little, where Ben breathes out. “I’m so, so sorry.”

He pulls back, and brushes trembling fingers against Five’s hair. “Five, Five. Haven’t you - haven’t you wondered why you can’t - Five. You’re still - it’s been so long and you’ve been alone and - ” Ben breaks into sniffles.

“I’m just stuck.” Five says blankly, trying his best to process, “I’m just - I jumped wrong, and I got - I got stuck in between. I’m not - I’m not dead.”

“You’re deader than a doornail, kiddo.” Klaus interjects loudly.

Five, never one to take that lying down, untangles himself from Ben just enough to pick up a knicknack and hurls it at Klaus’s head with a scowl. “I’m not a kid.”

Except now they’re both staring at Five again, even as Klaus presses a hand against his forehead where Five had whalloped him (his aim was a good as ever, clearly).

“How -” Ben stutters, staring between Klaus and Five with alarm.

Klaus sputters as well, “What the fuck! How did you do that!”

“Well you see, Klaus.” Five says, voice toxic with the sweetness he exuded, “When someone leans down, and picks something up, they can exert a force on it. This force interacts with other forces to form the trajectory of an object - ”

“Not that!” Klaus sputters, “You picked something up!”

“Yeah, that happens sometimes.” Five says dryly.

Ben prods him in the side, making Five look over (up, if we’re being technical. Grown-up Ben is... kind of tall, actually. Compared to Five.) “How did you do that?”

And Five isn’t dead. He isn’t. But - he remembers the early days. How terrifying they were. How he couldn’t interact with the world around him at all. And if Ben is going through the same thing - “It... it took me a while to figure out. Um. It’s - it’s kind of hard to explain? Because like, when I jump it’s - it’s kind of like taking myself apart and then putting myself together somewhere else. And it’s like, like taking that feeling, except instead of putting yourself together somewhere else you like, layer it over yourself as you are? Like, making yourself denser somehow, I dunno.”

“If you can do it, then I can, too.” Ben says ferociously, a determined glint in his eyes. “I’ll finally be able to throw things at Klaus when he’s being an idiot.”

“Hey!” Klaus protests, looking very offended.

This is all very nice, but Five did come here with a mission... so he tugs at Ben’s arm. “Ben, what’s the date?”

Ben shrugs, because why should the dead care about the date? He looks at Klaus. Klaus looks like a deer caught in headlights. 

“Um.” Then he brightens, “Right!” He grabs something from his pocket, it’s rectangular and flat. There were lots in the apocalypse, though Five has never figured out their functions. Except when Klaus clicks his, it lights up. 

“Uh, March 24th.” Klaus says, squinting at the screen.

“What year?” Five asks, leaning forward.

“2019.” Klaus says.

“Fuck,” Five says, with feeling. “A week.”

“What’s a week?” Ben asks warily as Five flails and untangles himself from his grasp to stand up and pace.

“You don’t understand.” Five says, turning to them both, “I haven’t just - just been traveling the world as a fucking ghost. I time traveled. It worked. But - the future - ”

“Five?” Ben asks, all concern and love and it’s painful.

“The world ends in seven days.” Five tells them both, voice cracking, “There’s nothing but - but rubble and ruin and - and - ”

He remembers their bodies, remembers them splayed out in the rubble. 

“You died.” Five told Klaus, “You all died. The whole world died. Everything was - ash everywhere. I was there for - for...”

“The courtyard scene.” Ben realizes, reaching out as something like comprehension dawns on his face. Five dances back a few steps, his breaths coming in funny little pants. “You came back from - the future?”

“Breath, Five.” Klaus advises, sounding a little bit worries himself.

“If I’m dead why do I need to breath?” Five snarls, and Klaus’s face drops and he curls in on himself a little looking pathetic. It’s enough for Five to toss out a mildly panicked “Sorry” because? That’s what you do right?

(Five hasn’t interacted with people who can talk back in decades and it shows.)

And Five tells them everything, in halting uncertain breaths. He winds up curled up on the bed with Ben’s arms around him, steady as a rock, while Klaus manages to somehow sit in the desk chair in a manner that makes Five a little uncertain that his brother possesses bones and ligaments. 

He tells them about the future, about finding their bodies, about learning to - to condense himself just enough to interact with the world. He tells them about the woman, about the suitcase, about following her. He tells them about the Commission, and how he’s sure they have something to do with it - the Handler had Vanya’s violin - 

By the time Five is finished talking, he’s exhausted. The sun has slipped below the horizon already, and he feels like dead weight in his brother’s arms. At some point, Ben had started running a hand through Five’s hair, and the repetitive motion is soothing.

“That’s - that’s a lot.” Klaus says, and something must have shocked him a little bit out of his goofy persona. 

“I just wanted to go home.” Five mumbles.

“You are home.” Ben tells him, squeezing him tightly, “And we’re going to make sure the apocalypse doesn’t happen. Right, Klaus?”

Klaus shuffles, awkwardly. “I mean. I’m not exactly uh, number one choice for team apocalypse you know?”

“Ben’s number one choice for team apocalypse.” Five points out, flopping his head against Ben’s arm. “You’re an okay second choice though, I guess.”

It makes Klaus bark out a laugh, and Five can feel Ben’s snicker through his chest.

“Vanya’s gotta be on the team.” Five mumbles, loud enough for them to hear. “She’s important. Gotta make sure, make sure no one uh, no one kills her or anything.”

Ben and Klaus exchange a look over his head that he doesn’t see.

“We’ll plan everything tomorrow.” Ben tells him gently, “In the morning, okay?”

“Mmkay.” Five agrees absently.

The dead don’t sleep, but they can get - tired. Being in the living world is exhausting, and Five closes his eyes and just. Ignores the world. Just for a little while. The dead don’t dream, but that’s okay, because Five’s dreams have never been anything approaching peaceful.

Five made it back. He might be a ghost, but he made it back. An impossible goal, and he accomplished it. After that, taking on the apocalypse will be a piece of cake. 

(And if Ben and Klaus think Five is going to give up on his idea to un-dead himself, they have another thing coming.)

[snowflake-of-destruction]

And I would love to tell you. @spiiderbiites​

Fun fact: It does have a name, Deep Seas and High Stakes, but I am pretty sure it’s going to be tagged on both blogs as Mermaid AU That Needs a Name forever, because there were a lot of posts made with that tag, and even though tag replacer is a thing, so is laziness. Also, SOMEONE keeps forgetting the name. It’s me. I am someone, even though I came up with the name. I blame the fact that the title does not reference anything and isn’t a joke. It’s just “what sounds like a swashbuckling adventure romance mermaid and pirate au title?” title. The AU’s real name is Bless the Woodpecker anyway. Don’t ask.

Once Upon a Time, Eraqus and Xehanort ruled the Kingdom Below, comprised of the seas surrounding the Destiny Islands, together, the wisdom and magic of both rulers renown even in far off seas . Then there was a big, gay, magical, underwater divorce  a falling out. The stories say it was over King Xehanort's dabbling in dark arts, though other legends place the blame on King Eraqus's xenophobia and King Xehanort's belief that the denizens of the surface world could be easily manipulated negotiated with. This argument took a darker turn when the trident that they shared (a single conduit of unmatched strength that represented the harmony of their rule and their bond) was shattered, and with it, a large portion of both Mer-kings' power was lost. 

Eraqus retained rule and loyalty of their subjects and Xehanort was banished to deep trenches to nurse his grudges and seek still more twisted ways to rebuild his power. Good King Eraqus himself, suffering from broken heart and diminished strength, survived not long after (in mer terms) but it was not his wasting that killed him, but human menaces, cementing the lesson that the most dangerous creature of all in the mind of the young princess now queen, Aqua. 

Hatchmates Sora, Vanitas, Roxas, and Xion were eggs when the big, gay, magical, underwater divorce falling out happened and small fry when Eraqus passed, but they have heard far too many versions of the story. We don't talk about how the royal siblings came to be. We just don't. Don't ask. Magic was involved. IDK. "I Will Do Anything for Love but I Won't Do That" will start playing in the background if you start talking about seahorses and try to lock down details.

Anyway. Fast forward to the hatchmates grown. 

Vanitas has always been an outsider among his siblings, or at least he's always felt it. He's drawn to different currents, and his siblings don't understand, citing their own restlessness and desire to explore and to lead less sheltered lives when he tries to explain how his purpose lies elsewhere. He seeks out the only other family that he might have a connection with, Xehanort, and ends up staying with him to become his apprentice. Queen Aqua and his other siblings do try and go after him at different times but they are thoroughly discouraged by Vanitas himself.

Kairi, princess of a different sea kingdom, comes to live with our royal family. She's a gift--a description Kairi herself highly resents--a future wife for one of the princes, part of an arrangement made long ago. The marriage isn't to happen for a long time; she is allowed to get to know the princes and they her, and see what personality suits, but that is far as the freedom goes as Kairi's kingdom needs the alliance and the young Queen Aqua is regrettably convinced she cannot dissolve or alter the contract without incident. Kairi and Sora do hit it off immediately, so the choice would seem easy, but they are both still far from enthusiastic about the forced aspect of it all.

Life under the sea is really shaken up though when rebellious Prince Roxas, long time sneaky boat chaser, meets a sailor named Axel and is struck dumb in love. He starts disappearing more and more often and it doesn't escape notice. Even worse, this "human madness" spreads, Prince Sora and Princess Kairi both independently becoming obsessed with Axel's crewmate aboard the Dawnfire, Riku. Xion does not feel the same kind of bolt but she is convinced of Axel and Riku's good intentions and to keep this "hatchmate secret" from Aqua.

Ventus, a dreamer who was first to start weaving tales of mermaids even though he's not met any, and, the solid, reliable Terra, who Axel and Riku don't dare tell about their liaisons with the deep for fear of being laughed at in the best case and put in an asylum at the next port at worst,  round out the crew of the Dawnfire. 

Xion finds what she thinks is a match of her own when she follows the music of a "land siren" one day and meets Demyx. Unfortunately, Demyx and Xion are not as sneaky or as lucky as some others, and Demyx runs with a rougher crew than Axel and Riku. Xion's Land Siren proves as dangerous as his nickname implies when Xion finds herself caught in a trap of the infamous Thirteen ( a pirate crew  that is admittedly down a few numbers from what their name implies, which we blame on frequent mutinies) and then used in turn as bait for a bigger catch after Demyx is caught meeting with Xion by Xigbar and bullied into betraying her trust.

Why do they want the mermaids? Sell off mermaid scales as having magical and medicinal use when used as potion ingredients. Harvest mermaid tears. Sell the mermaids themselves to a sideshow. All valid reasons even if you discount that some larger plot may be at play.

What happens next? That's spoilers for one day when writing cute, funny scenes about Sora and Riku breaking down the language barrier or drawing Axel and Roxas snuggling isn't more pressing.

The mermaids aren't the only prisoners aboard the Thirteen's vessel though. There is also the fair Namine, a nobleman's daughter kidnapped for the ransom, though she is treated with far more accommodation.

Just put tagged/mermaid au that needs a name in my or Shaky’s blog for more, or ask more questions if you want.