#sunless skies hc au

[rabbitenn]

Not sure if you finished DanMaca since you just finished Part 4, but I’d love for you to write HCs for Vida, Schau, Kabane and Kuon. I’ll leave it up to you in terms of free creative liberty. 🥺🫶

WHERE THE SKIES END.

What are they like, when it comes to you?

ft. Vida (Kujo Tenn), Schau (Osaka Sogo), Kabane (Izumi Iori), Kuon (Nanase Riku) x gn! reader.

cw/genre: fluff, some angst, comfort, danmaca au, so I’ll be using the names of the characters they play to refer to the boys. Spoilers for La Danse Macabre.

thank you for requesting this, dear ! I hope I managed to portray everyone according to your expectations <3

♡ VIDA (Kujo Tenn)

“Lay your burdens on me, I can bear all the weight of the world with you on my shoulders.”

— Vida, strongest fighter on the Surface, leader of Kokujohyako, wielder of a mighty scythe that can slice through anything as long as it's guided by his hand.

— In truth, he’s just a lonely man, whose heart had to become of iron and barbed wire in order to not sink alongside district 12.

— Bloodshed and death are his closest comrades in this desolate plane.

— And they must continue to be in order to keep those he loves safe.

— That’s his two friends, and, above all else, you.

— How did someone as bright as you bound up in such a region in the first place?

— You always had that sweet smile dancing on your lips, becoming sharp edged and mischievous when needed; you weren’t afraid to get your hands dirty and fight.

— Vida wishes you didn’t have to. What would it have been like, if no blood had ever stained your skin?

— From the top of a building that somehow has endured all disaster, he sighs. A gust of wind ruffles his hair, akin to threads of stardust carrying scattered wishes into a sunless sky.

— He hears steps. He knows that pattern by heart, his muscles relaxing; no need to draw his scythe, for no surprise enemy attack is coming.

— Just your footsteps, followed by your arms wrapping around him from behind.

— Your head rests on his shoulder, lips brushing the shell of his ear, his sweet scent dancing all around you, as the evening begins to settle in, the wind picking up with darkening skies.

— “Something on your mind, my Vida?”

— He sighs, those sunset eyes of his fluttering closed, hooded by the constellations in his lashes, at the same time the horizon dyes starlit.

— A soft sigh escapes your lover’s lips.

— “Nothing, nothing.” He says, that unadulterated smile that only appeared next to you, now on his features.

— “Are you sure?” You hug him a little tighter, your gaze focused on his perfect profile.

— He never really wanted to tell you when something was burdening him.

— Vida was always the type to shoulder everything alone, for the sake of those he loved.

— And yet, you knew. You knew what weighed down over his imaginary angel wings that at some point became tainted in soot and the darkness of death.

— He turns around, his warm stare and the crimson of his jacket, seemingly the only things still not devoid of color in this decaying world.

— “I am, now that you are here.” He whispers, with a kiss to your forehead.

— Vida is also the protective type (Tenn is too, if we consider how he acts towards Riku; in the same way he wants to keep his brother away from harm, he would do the same for his s/o, which applies to Vida as well).

— He doesn’t like it when you have to get involved in quarrels, and even less when you get hurt.

— The fate that awaits the unfortunate soul who ever dared to touch you in the first place… Well, let’s just say they’ll be begging for death soon enough.

— Feelings of guilt are not unusual guests in the strongest warrior on the surface’s mind either.

— For you to have to live like this… In absolute misery, quite literally fighting to stay alive every day… Vida just wishes, one day, district 12 could become a safe and happy place for you.

— Please, take his hands and comfort him in moments like this… No matter how deadly he can be in a fight, his soul is fine glass, the rose thorns enveloping it, a double edged blade, piercing his heart at the despair surrounding you.

— If it’s with you, however, Vida feels like blue skies are at the edge of his fingertips. The vivid gazes you send his way, all the sunshine he needs.

— He’ll find a better life for the two of you, and for his friends, he thinks, tightening his fingers around his poleaxe.

♡ SCHAU (Osaka Sogo)

“I’ll be there when the guns break out, ‘til the storm is over.”

— Schau, the apathetic and cold sniper of the Unity Order.

— To anyone else, he’d seem unapproachable, completely disinterested about everything happening around him. A conformist, if you will, as long as his peace and commodity are not disturbed.

— However, what most people don’t know, is the violet garden flowering on the other side of the icy waterfalls of his harsh stare.

— In the middle of that secret paradise, there was you.

— You, whose gentle fire melted the ice bullets lodged into his heart.

— By your side, the sharpshooter’s expressions became more noticeable, his lips tilting up in a rare crescent, often only seen on the sharpness of his precise shots.

— Schau might have held no regard for anything or practically anyone surrounding him, however, when it came to you, his blood pumped vigorously.

— His cool aura fell away, a rainbow of emotions gathering in whirlwinds ready to ride or die next to you.

— When it comes to romantic gestures, turns out the Unity Order’s marksman is quite the charmer.

— And without even trying.

— His touches just fluster you at the most unexpected moments.

— Like Vida, he is protective. Very protective (so, if anyone pursuing you is smart enough they’ll keep their distance. The guy carries a rifle around… I mean, I would not risk it.)

— Sometimes it’s one of his hands on the small of your back, as he escorts you to safety when he has training or duties to attend to. The way his touch lingers, hand hooking a little around your waist if anyone looks at you for too long, to let them know you’re taken… it makes your knees weak, butterflies spreading their wings in the pit of your stomach.

— On other occasions, were you to find yourselves under enemy fire, Schau shields you, one of his arms wrapped securely around your shoulders, pulling the two of you behind a wall.

— Using his other hand, he fires his rifle, taking down anyone who could ever pose a danger to you, no questions asked (he is very much like the actual Sogo in this aspect, you see).

— Honestly, it’d be pretty hard to fluster him.

— You’re his, so Schau just sees it as the most natural thing in the world to show these small (and a little possessive) affectionate gestures.

— However, when you return the actions, a warm feeling he hadn’t quite known before spreads through his chest.

— He likes it.

— He lives for those special moments with just you and him.

♡ KABANE (Iori Izumi)

“We knew this day was set long ago; and when the sharks smell the blood, they will all see it’s their own.”

— Smart, cautious and sharp, Kabane often lets out remarks laced in dark humor, regarding the regrets he holds for his immortality.

— If you happen to be a mortal, then his sorrow is infinitely more unbearable; condemned to endless wandering amongst the shadows of an underworld that won’t get to see your light anymore after you inevitably part.

— Thoughts of a future ominously nearing, compared to his centuries of existence, are enough to keep him awake at night.

— It doesn’t look like the moon will keep him any company down here.

— Rainy midnights are contained in the depths of his deep stare as he looks up at a solid sky.

— “Can’t sleep?” A voice he wishes would never be snuffed out asks, followed by the sound of light steps landing right by him.

— He lets out a breath, shoulders slumping. This isn't good, he isn’t being rational… Of course your paths will diverge someday but… that’s just how it’s bound to be.

— And he could never take that away from you, even if you’re the only thing that, right now, makes his existence bearable.

— “No, I guess I can’t.” He mumbles, to himself or to you, he is not entirely sure.

— You reply with a tender smile, scooting closer to him.

— “That makes two of us, then.” You rest your head on his shoulder; the lit torches, the closest thing to stars you could wish upon down here. “It’s hard to sleep when you’re not around, you know.”

— Those last words resonate in his mind like the chimes at midnight, as reality comes crashing down on him.

— There will come a day, when you will go your separate ways. What will it be like, when eternal sleep wraps their cloak of darkness around you forever? When an empty space is all that remains by his side?

— No, Kabane shakes his head. He can’t let such baleful thoughts take command of his mind.

— For as long as you’re here, he’ll protect you.

— He shrugs off his cape, wrapping it around you. You’re here with him; his coat, akin to a spell, making you invisible to the cold claws’ of the bitter end.

— At least, for a little longer; a lifetime to you, milliseconds to him.

Ah, the cruelty of the curse.

— If, on the other hand you’re immortal like him, then well, the withdrawn underworlder has at least one reason to not despise his existence so much.

— With you, the bleakness of the Underground lights up in colorful sparks, the glow of a thousand galaxies causing heat to rise to your partner’s cheeks, reflecting the colors you ignite inside his heart.

— Like the previous two boys, Kabane is pretty protective too. He’s always the one to patch up the bruises you get while exploring, his deft fingers delicate against your cheek as he disinfects the small cuts.

— His brow furrows in concern; no matter how much you insist that he needn’t tend to you like this, that your wounds will heal alone.

— You always love to pat his head in these instances, if only to see the cute blush that tints his pretty face.

— And honestly, eternity sounds very appealing to Kabane right now, if it means being on the receiving end of your tender affections.

♡ KUON (Nanase Riku)

“Our stories are past the horizon, we’re chasing the sun till we find them.”

— You always knew that, behind that innocent and enigmatic smile of his, a story of heartache and melancholy was waiting to be unfolded.

— Kuon was to you like some sort of fairytale; a little magical, mysterious; poetics you could spend hours attempting to decipher.

— You liked your time with him.

— You like him.

— If you’re a mortal who happens to stumble into the Underground, he doesn’t say anything about his past at first.

— Kuon will give you hints, however, in that roundabout way of his; the words he spins for your ears only, the code he desperately wants you to decipher.

— He is ready for the fleeting nature of your unforgettable presence through his endless existence.

— The ex celestial knows he’ll come to mourn you when you depart, but he’s more concerned as to how you will react when you figure out you’ll be unwillingly leaving him behind one day.

— That same melancholy smile is the first answer he offers you the moment you decode his message.

— No matter how much you beg of him to ask Kabane to make you immortal, or to at least investigate a way for you to stay with him for more time, he refuses.

— “I just can’t do that, my dear [Y/n].” Your lover utters, in that soft tone of his, smile never leaving his lips.

— “No! There must be some way!” You protest, bunching up your fists by your side. “I don’t mind living for an eternity, I don’t care how painful it becomes, I want to be with you, Kuon!”

— He doesn’t avert his gaze, reminding you of bright autumn leaves you can no longer quite remember.

— “It has to be like this…” He tells you, arms holding your shaking shoulders. “But I know we’ll meet again, after that, our paths are entwined, you know. They’ll eventually merge back together.”

— You are not certain how much of that statement is the truth and how much of it is just him trying to cheer you up.

— But whatever the case, you’ll make each moment next to Kuon one you can remember, looking back at it with a fond smile.

— If you’re immortal like him as well, then that’s okay with the both of you.

— Kuon might feel guilty for having burdened another person with the curse of never ending existence.

— However, you’re more than happy to spend centuries, millennia, with him.

— Waking up to your kisses and falling asleep with you in his arms… Those are pleasures the former celestial could never grow tired of.

— As long as he has you, every forever is a precious constellation of petals swaying to the melody of you.

[carminite-wyrm]

Sunless Skies Hermitcraft AU ideas

So I've been playing quite a bit of Sunless Skies lately, and whilst yet another captain met a tragic fate, I had some ideas for a crossover AU.

This set of ideas was also inspired by some of @sweetest-honeybee's Fallen London AU art that crossed my dash on my main, as well as this (also Fallen London AU) absolute banger of a fic by @redstone-sun. Seriously, you should go check it (and the rest of their AU series) out.

The Boatem Crew

A group of merchant mercenaries, the crew of the Boatem run a rickety locomotive that actually is a lot sturdier than it looks, and a lot deadlier, thanks to their Chief Engineer.

On paper, the Captain of the Boatem is one Mumbo K. Jumbo, however, in actuality, the one who does the most Captain-esque duties is Grian.

Mumbo is actually the Chief Engineer, and the one responsible for kitting out the Boatem with its deadliest weapon: the End Crystal cannon, an obsidian-lined monstrosity of a cannon that can and has taken out multiple Scrive-Spinsters in one shot.

Pearl is the Boatem’s signaller, who has the propensity to sometimes send messages out backwards or written upside down. Most of them are used to it by now though.

Scar is the First Officer, and constantly talks about figuring out how to add a wagon compartment to the end of their locomotive, because surely, if they’re jetting around the High Wilderness in a train, they should be able to add a carriage to it?

Scar also is the CEO (?) of Swaggon Incorporated, a small-ish trading company that not many people are sure what it trades in

Side note: Scar’s hat is full of secrets

Impulse is the Quartermaster, and is responsible for why the Boatem has had so many run-ins with Chorister Bees, because of his candy-making side business which, as one would expect, uses quite a bit of Chorister Nectar.

The Boatem Crew are generally based in the Reach, well away from most other parts of the High Wilderness, trading in Chorister Nectar, Impulse’s confectionaries, and whatever else happens to end up in their cargo hold.

Big Eye Co.

This dynamic trio are entrepreneurs located in Eleutheria, whose current project is to build more pit stops in the region, which is known for Not having as many safe ports as some of the other regions in the High Wilderness.

They all are captains of their own locomotives, they just hang out a lot

Bdubs’ mascot is a small pony named Lulu, most wonder how he manages to keep an entire pony in his locomotive, considering those things aren’t overly spacious, but it works out.

Tango and Bdubs have set up a base in a floating mountain-shaped landmass, there is a fossilised (?) cyclops inside of it, that now has a sign slapped in front of it naming it Fifi.

Keralis’ manor holds a small hoard of clocks stolen/acquired/taken from Bdubs, ranging from grandfather clocks to tiny little pocketwatches. It seems to be a running thing between them, every time they meet up Keralis gets a new clock that Bdubs produces from…somewhere?

Zedaph, Scientist Extraordinaire

Zedaph is off doing science in the Traitor’s Wood, in the Reach, somewhere in there, at any rate.

Most think he’s associated with the Summerset academics, but honestly he’s as much a cryptid to those academics as he is to most others in the Reach and beyond.

Gem + False

Have a cool and neat set-up in the same region of the Reach as Titania and the Leadbeater & Stainrod’s Nature Reserve, in which they are neighbours living on practically-adjacent pieces of land.

Living out the ideal cottagecore vibes even though there’s bees every now and again

Sometimes get visits from the Boatem crew, sometimes for shenanigans, and sometimes for Scar to do a sales pitch

Gem is a business partner (?) of the Big Eyes Crew in that she helps send them resources for decorating their new port stops but they…get into a bit of a Heated Discussion over the pros and cons of the light-hued saplings she sends them every now and again.

Ren + Doc

They’re a pair of adventurers Co-Captaining a refurbished locomotive that is affectionately referred to as the Van.

Their current adventure? To investigate the secrets of the High Wilderness.

How is it going? Who knows, all they have is some odd conspiracy about why the suns in the High Wilderness have started to dim, or go dark, like the one in the Reach.

Yes, they’re on their protagonist ambition arc

[carminite-wyrm]

A Sunless Skies!AU fic, Part 1

So I've...ended up writing a fic for my Sunless Skies x Hermitcraft AU. At first it was meant to be just like, a ficlet, but it's kind of spiralled a bit into a multi-parter fic. So here's the Part 1!

Again, credit to @redstone-sun for the FL!AU that kickstarted my inspiration for the Sunless Skies!AU!

Ren and Doc, brave Co-Captains of the Octagon Van, seekers of secrets and conspiracies, have for once, decided to take a brief vacation from their adventures and accidental incidents in the High Wilderness. Their vacation of choice? A few days at the most desirable holiday destination in all of Albion: Worlebury-juxta-Mare.

An idyllic holiday spot, where nothing is amiss, and nothing can go wrong. Right?

(Spoilers for Sunless Skies lore!)

The admission passes for a weekend stay at Worlebury-juxta-Mare had been a gift from the Boatem Crew, after a series of incidents that were probably best to never be spoken about again, on both groups’ parts.

Specifically, Scar had handed over the admission permits with a wink, tipping them out of his top hat with a dramatic gesture, along with a pamphlet.

“Should be fine for a weekend stay, gentlemen! I’ve heard that they even sell genuine rubbery lumps there, tastes just like it does back in London, apparently. Haven’t tried any myself, admittedly.”

And with that parting note, the Boatem Crew had set off from their rendezvous, leaving behind Ren, Doc, and their horde of semi-displaced goats.

A few weeks later, they had finished finding decent homes for the goats across the entirety of the High Wilderness, with a few exceptions who were still very much at home onboard their locomotive. And finally, the two could head off to their first vacation in several months.

“So, Worlebury-juxta-Mare.” Ren commented, staring at the cursive writing on one of the passes, and checking the pamphlet’s travel details with the map in front of him. “Have you gone there before?”

“Nope.” Doc replied, most of his focus upon repairing his mechanical arm after their last goat drop-off resulted in a very close call with some of Albion’s native wildlife. “It’s…off to the east, isn’t it?”

“Past London, yeah. Not close to the Avid Horizon, though.”

“That’s good to hear, I don’t think they’ll be happy to see us again so soon after that one, uh, incident.”

“I thought we agreed to never speak of that again.”

“True.”

The journey to the holiday destination took a little under a fortnight, with the last of the goats willing to leave rehomed on the way. The one remaining goat ended up being named Vigenere, and appointed as the Octagon Van’s noble mascot, screams and all.

The island that Worlebury was located upon was shrouded in mist, which slowly parted to reveal a quaint-looking town, with multiple other locomotives docked at the port, and the faint outline of amusement park rides in the distance.

“Well, it certainly looks like what the pamphlet described.” Doc said, as their locomotive was guided to a docking station.

As they stepped onto the wooden planks of the docks, they followed the signs leading them to a sizeable queue in front of the main gates of the station. A few signs, all in the same fanciful cursive as the passes that they carried, directed visitors either to the queue for those with passes, those bringing supplies, those waiting for regular entry, and workers. Right by where all the queues began, they could see a bright turquoise banner for a Swaggon Inc. stall, set up in what looked like a cart, and selling all manner of knickknacks to the passing visitors.

“Suppose that’s us.” Doc pointed at one of the shorter queues, patrons in fine clothing and clearly of noble or wealthy backgrounds murmuring among themselves as their passes were checked and stamped.

As they waited, an official suddenly wandered by, stared at them for half a second, before making a ‘come over here’ gesture. Curious, the two headed over, and the man held out a hand, the badge of a government representative clearly affixed to his lapel.

“First time in Worlebury-juxta-Mare? Excellent, excellent, right this way then.” He said, a businessman’s grin fixed upon his face as he shook their hands in greeting. “I’m a representative of the Bureau of Entertainments, and I’d like to welcome you to our fine port. Now, I know queue jumping is a little uncouth, but well, for fine gentlemen as yourself, I am certain you would rather be enjoying the sights rather than mingling with the proletariat for hours.”

Ren and Doc shared an awkward glance, silently comparing their practical, but significantly less extravagant, attire with the shining emerald suit the official was wearing. Over by the admission pass queue, one of the women’s hats looked more expensive than all of Doc’s prosthetics combined, and Ren knew for a fact that Doc had not spared any expense with his equipment or materials for that.

“Uh, thanks? We do have passes though.” Ren held up the aforementioned two items.

“Consider this a courtesy for your first time visiting. We are, of course, absolutely certain that you will be returning guests, after all.” The man smiled at them, before showing them to a door that had a brass plaque with the words ‘Fitting Room’ etched onto it. “Now, there is a dress code, so please do step inside and let the good Couturier find you a suitable outfit.”

With only the slightest amount of hesitancy, the duo stepped into what turned out to be a sizeable room that had all manner of clothing hung up in the wardrobes and racks that lined its walls. The Couturier took one look at Doc’s labcoat (missing a sleeve after it was ripped too many times by him using his mechanical arm to physically fend off the creatures that attacked their locomotive), and Ren’s combination of overalls, tinted goggles, and a ragged red shirt, seemed to grind his teeth in silent outrage, and stalked over to one of the racks.

“Pick an article of clothing you imagine suits you, and I’ll…figure something out to match it.” He said shortly.

Doc immediately gravitated towards the rack of coats, finding a white coat that was almost like his labcoat except with all its sleeves, and also made in the fashion style of decades past. The Couturier seemed to calm down upon seeing his choice, and immediately busied himself with providing the rest of a three-piece suit to accompany it. Off to the side, Doc saw Ren contemplate a lavish velvet-lined hat, before putting it down and flicking through a selection of dress shirts and blouses.

Fifteen minutes later, they had finally shoved Ren into a tailcoat set, much to the relief of the Couturier, who had seemed close to sobbing after the twelfth time that Ren had thought the chosen attire did not suit him.

“I still think the fur coat would have looked better.”

“It looked like someone had stitched together a bunch of rats, Ren.”

Ren sighed dramatically, before immediately lighting up once again as they finally made it into the port town proper, and spotted the wide variety of shops and amusement park games that lined the streets.

“Oh, there’s a stall for the rubbery lumps that Scar mentioned!”

And with that, the hours whirled past as they visited shop after shop, Ren gleefully taste-testing several shops’ worth of tea variety before ordering a few caddies for them to take with them. At one point, Doc swore there was something more wormy than earthy in a particular cup of tea, staring suspiciously into his cup before setting it down. There was something…just a bit odd, besides the fact that the mists really were vaguely corrosive and causing their clothes from the fitting room to slowly disintegrate and unravel as time went by.

But, on the other hand, Ren did seem to be having a good time, and the shop with a wide array of elaborate tea sets, and other porcelain objects, was quite enjoyable to wander through, even if the screams from the nearby donkey ride was a little disconcerting.

Wait. Screams?

Doc whirled around, to where the donkey ride was. No, he must have been mistaken, it seemed like nothing was amiss, though his mechanical eye did focus upon an odd reddish stain that seemed to shimmer in and out of view. He blinked, and the stain was gone.

Huh, his eye probably needed a little bit of a tune up once they were back on board the Van.

“Hey, Doc, want to get some candyfloss?”

He turned away from the donkeys, to where Ren was tugging him over to a stand with multicoloured sticks of candyfloss. Still perturbed, he absently took a bite out of the pale green spun sugar that Ren had purchased for him.

It was sweet. A bit almond-bitter, if he thought about it for long enough.

Their hotel resort room was actually quite comfortable, considering they were essentially visiting for free. The Department official had said that their stay would be the equivalent of their usual pass, just without needing the actual pass, for some reason.

Ren tugged awkwardly at his clothes as they settled for the day, the fabric already looking a bit threadbare. Doc simply huffed, sitting down in one of the armchairs with relief after a whole day of walking and running around.

“They sure weren’t joking about the mists.” Ren joked, looking out at their beachfront view. “We’ll probably be lucky to get to midday tomorrow before we have to leave because our fitting room outfits are in tatters.”

“I thought we already saw everything today?” Doc eyed the bags of souvenirs that they had acquired, and the stack of cargo receipts he was dreading having to file away at a later time.

“There’s an art exhibition tomorrow, and we still haven’t seen the beach.”

“Hm, alright.” Doc sighed, sinking further into his armchair. “I’m going to be honest; I’m looking forward to being back on our locomotive, my eye’s been seeing some strange things and I think it might need a tune-up.”

“Probably isn’t anything serious, Doc!”

“I hope so.”

Roughly eight hours later, Doc was deeply regretting everything as the sky above the beach shimmered and doubled, the sight of an idyllic foggy day overlapping with scintillating tendrils of unsettling light. Off to the side, Ren was attempting to skip stones along the sea of mist, which quite frankly wasn’t working on account of the ‘water’ not being water in the first place.

“Ren, I think we should leave.” He said, catching the other man’s attention. “I’m…The place is starting to look a bit weird.”

“Ah, is the eye giving you that much trouble?”

“No, it’s-“

“Eh, we can always come back later, we still have the tickets Scar gave us.” Ren shrugged, and the two of them slowly made their way back to the dock. As they stepped back out onto the wooden platforms that formed the dockside, Doc blinked as the double vision he had been experiencing slowly cleared up, fading away almost like mist on a windy day.

An hour or two later, and Doc held up his mechanical eye to the lightbulb above his workstation, frowning in consternation. There didn’t seem to be any faults with the eye, and he even swapped it back out again with the spare, to compare the two. For all intents and purposes, his eye was perfectly functional, down to the polished glass lenses within it.

“Well, Doc? How’s the eye?” Ren poked his head into the tiny room that housed most of Doc’s tools and other equipment.

“It…seems to be working as normal. I don’t get it, I swear it was glitching out whilst we were in town, but there’s nothing wrong with it! I even pulled it apart to check if some of the internal pieces had corroded or fallen out of place, but it was all fine!”

“Huh, weird.” Ren shrugged. “So, you up for heading back in to the town, or do you want us to go? We did manage to get quite a bit of souvenirs, anyways.”

“Honestly? I think we ought to go, there’s just something not right about this place.”

“Hm, maybe something about the mists is making your hardware go a bit haywire? They do have a corrosive effect, even if its mild enough to only affect fabrics.” Ren nodded. “Anyways, I’ll go tell the crew to get ready to set off.”

“Uh. Captains?”

The two turned, to see one of the crewmembers looking at them with barely hidden panic on their face.

“Yeah?” Ren raised an eyebrow.

“Vigenere. The mascot. We can’t find them anywhere!”

[carminite-wyrm]

Its an Empires SMP + Wynncraft crossover AU I guess

So, I’ve been playing a lot of Wynncraft recently, and man, the Wynncraft lore sure is wild. Halfway through doing a quest I suddenly remembered that hey, nether corruption sure is a thing over here, and isn’t there Also an invading corruption storyline going on over in Empires?

Anyways so here I am with yet another niche AU idea lmao (though also with the latest videos from Pix and Gem I...kind of already am thinking of a variant on this one lmao)

- Some indeterminable point in time in the future, the Empires gang are having the final fight against Xornoth, ready to take out the demon and cleanse their world of the corruption that had been taking hold of their kingdoms.

- Its down to the final few blows, with the Kings and Queens coming together, despite their grievances with one another, despite all the differences that had once been between them, to finally strike down the demon.

- Naturally, of course, it goes a little sideways.

- The final blow lands, and the hellish arena disappears in a flash of unholy light.

- When the heroes awaken, they find themselves in a spider-infested patch of woodland.

- Upon fighting/running their way out, they quickly realise that yeah, this sure isn’t the Empires SMP anymore.

- There are some shenanigans, probably, upon that realisation, but eventually, the group makes their way to the nearby city of Detlas, severely disconcerted by the clear presence of corruption in the land around them.

- They’re fairly certain that they saved their own land, only to land right in another world also beset by corruption.

- Their various communicators also seem to be displaying a different HUD from what they’re used to, including an actual mana bar along with their health, and more equipment slots and most baffling of all: the option to level up and increase a variety of skills.

- Also, there’s magic, though a different magic than what they’re used to

Added to that, the monsters are far more different to what they’ve encountered in their home world. Zombies, fairly standard, even if the ones in this strange land seem somehow more powerful than theirs. Spiders, easy. And then Joey stumbles across a flaming horse rocketing straight at him at roughly 40kmph, screeching demonically all the while. It narrowly misses pummelling him in the face with its hooves and oh, looks like this isn’t a standard world after all.

Character classes and more thoughts under the cut!

Character classes! (Wynncraft currently has 5 classes people can choose from!)

Warriors (uses polearms/hammers, generally the dps/tank build)

Scott – He has a pink battleaxe, yes of course he’s the heavy-weapon-using class. Also, bc I think it’d be really amusing to see this elf dude w/ an antler crown charging straight at someone with a massive axe/hammer/polearm.

Fwhip – King of the Grimlands, projecting an image of strength even as the corruption ran rampant and clashed with the inherent darkness of his own kingdom.

Lizzie – Ocean Queen w/ a Trident, enough said. Sure, there might not be any axolotls in this world for some reason, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the powers that made her one of the most powerful Empires back home. Probably mains thunder elemental magic, bc sending chain lightning at enemies is very cool.

Mages (Magic staff goes brr. Also they can heal)

Gem! – I imagine she’d be highly adept at hitting enemies with the regular attack spell, and then suddenly casting a meteor and crystalline ice to obliterate her foes as the rest of the party watches on.

Katherine – Teleporting + fast attacks = magic menace. Also bc I think it’d look cool for her, and honestly that’s the majority of my decision-making here w/ the class selections

Pixl – Idk, something about the vigil and the whole candle thing makes me think he’d make a pretty damn good healer. Calm, collected, and the most unshakeable amongst the chaos of the Empires gang. (This AU idea was written like, a week before the latest video lmao so we're just gonna...gloss over the most recent plot developments for a bit until I can figure out how to make it make sense in the AU)

Assassins (Stabby stabby DPS)

Joel – Look I just think the imagery of Joel + Lizzie absolutely wrecking shit together on a battlefield is too good to pass up on.

Sausage – Man literally ran an assassin guild back in their home world, of course he’s an assassin here in this one. Probably has several sets of daggers hidden up his sleeves, and probably ends up with a life steal build.

Pearl – Pearl with knives would be terrifying and amazing to behold. On the other hand, I was considering either Mage or Shaman but we already have like three Mages, and I don't really have any ideas for how Pearl would utilise the Shaman abilities atm.

Archers (Ranged DPS or support)

Jimmy! – Swamp boi deserves to pop off and what better way than to be able to cause arrows to rain from the sky. And also to backflip out of danger. I imagine navigating a swamp has given him an actual dexterity or agility score.

Shaman (Buffs + support)

Shubble – Honestly I think she’d really vibe with the nature-y vibes this class kind of gives me, what with her mushroom kingdom vibes and the magic. Also, one of the most complex classes, but considering Shubble and her whole researching the corruption thing, I think it’d fit.

Joey – I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know much about his POV beyond ‘wants to court the demon’ at the moment, so contributions welcome here.

- Gem and Shubble’s initial investigations (because they absolutely hit the first library or archive they could find) whilst the others explored/adventured around the area eventually lead them to determining that in order to return to their own world, they’ll have to make their way to the most dangerous region of the Wynn region: The Silent Expanse.

Defeating whatever entity is chilling deep in that eldritch hellzone that’s pinging off Gem and Shubble’s (w/ machinery assistance from Pixl) cobbled-together ‘machine for detecting their world’s own magic’ should be enough to trigger the same event that sent them to this world. They think. Its enough for them all to hope, at any rate.

- Its an odd feeling, being at the height of their powers only to be thrust into a world where a tap from an armoured skeleton can take them down to a third of their health in one hit, at their current ability level.

- The party starts off at roughly level 5-7 btw, because I’ve had to do the tutorial quest and Enzan’s Brother quest like six times and I want to skip that here thanks.

- Eventually, the group does have to split into smaller parties for efficiency, though they’re understandably hesitant to be separate from everyone else in an unfamiliar world.

- Obviously, the parties do shuffle around a bit depending on what quests they end up undertaking, to play for each of their strengths and to cover for their weaknesses.

- Because they’re the Kings and Queens of the Empires SMP, they climb up the levels fairly rapidly, racing through quests in Ragni, Detlas, Nemract, Almuj, before finally venturing across the ocean to the province of Gavel.

- They’re well aware that something rather bad is going on in this world, something that looks and feels so similar to the corruption back home, but yet not.

- Their first encounter with the Parasites in the Dark Forest has those more in tune with the currents of magic, or the natural world, recoiling from the feeling of ‘wrong wrong that should not be in this world-‘

After that harrowing encounter, they are very, very glad, that in their world, the source of the corruption was clearly from a pesky demon, and not the result of warring planar powers.

One would think that, as the resident swamp dweller of their motley group, Jimmy would have been a tad more relaxed in the Olux Swamp. And yet, the magic from his Empire has him on edge throughout their travels in that area, the lingering sense of foreign magic, of what the locals refer to as the Decay, worrying away at the familiar scent of the swamp.