#taleblr TMA Au

[overthinkingtaleblr]

This is the guy who runs Poltertoast, you had a tma taleblr au?! Pls pls tell more

I had a TMA Taleblr AU! I developed a lot of it with a close friend who had recently gotten into TMA at the time, and I still think about it a lot tbh. Basically the idea was ‘Taleblr, but the characters bend to the whim of TMA rules’ and was sometimes an exploration of how far things could go. We had a lot of antagonists as Avatars. And a lot of tragic ends…

Here’s some highlights so I don’t just throw the whole plot into your face all at once—

To begin: a part of TMA includes Jon dropping by the states, so if we want them to interact, it happens here. Maybe if he does his world tour earlier in the story, PIE can come back and get involved with the evolving situation right at the end of season 4.

Since the Avatars and other things done by the Fears are basically paranormal, PIE would start their exploration thinking it’s ghosts and stuff and come into a horrific realization as time goes on. By which I mean, similar to Jon, their search for answers has been turning them into the things they’ve been seeking to understand and maybe destroy.

CBF is a creature of the web, one who left a severe impact on Ghost after he survived it as a child. Probably based on the growing anxiety of how a child sees the world and how they may be tricked into allowing bad things to happen thinking it’s friendly.

Similar to Ghost, Spooker is also touched by the Fears before joining PIE. His dad ran a Desolation-based cult that’s boiled over and led to most of the members and some innocent people dying in a fire. One of the members ascended to being an avatar from it, but it still cut their member count down to two. While being touched by the Desolation, Spooker is eventually consumed by the Spiral, becoming an avatar similar to the Distortion.

The Toasts are a bit depressing. Johnny isn’t introduced to the fears until after joining PIE and even then he doesn’t fully understand what they’re chasing. At one point, he encounters a monster that seems to target twins and assumes that means it would be coming for him next, but the Stranger entity takes Gavin instead and the worst part to Johnny is that he didn’t notice the difference. Toast also starts leaning down a Hunt path that he either gets pulled out of or we get a free werewolf.

Entering this world with the least amount of context for anything, Chris’s reaction is to research as much as possible. Seeing as most of the people on the team are avatar-touched or aware that the avatars are willing to talk to them, Chris struggles not to see them as extensions of humans and can’t bring himself to the hunt-y mindset. He likely goes down the path of the Eye instead, learning and learning until that knowledge eats him. It would be funny if he and Jon met early on, agreed on the safety of their shared methods, and then reconnected after said method ate their humanity.

The Unicorns are inside of a Lightner— A ‘the last unicorn’ paperback that makes the reader consider themself.. One of the unicorns. I’m guessing it’s just Stardust in this situation (the book IS titled the LAST unicorn) but part of his goal would likely be making more. In a destructive manner— the book and the unicorn who possesses it are both aligned with the slaughter. in order for Stardust to stay around, the book has to stay open.

Spooker’s niece, Poppy, lives with her desolation-cult grandpa, friends with several young avatars, and a borderline caretaker of the Last Unicorn Lightner. Her alignment is to the fears themselves, and she thinks it’s funny to mess with PIE’s head. (She does not respect them, and kind of sees other humans as food for entities.) She may not be an active threat, but she is dangerous.

Light Zeron and James Maloney have similar stories, being so afraid of something that when they eventually managed to co-exist with their own fear, it made avatars out of them. Light is aligned with the Dark and Maloney to the Vast (bird-themed!), and they’ve both come to enjoy their new jobs, even as they still harbor the fear that fed their entity.

Maloney used to work with Princeton Quagmire, who (if I remember right) was centered around trying to find a way to destroy the entities. They haven’t consumed or taken to him just yet, but Maloney isn’t the first time he lost an employee. His other accomplices at the moment are Jenny Toast and ‘Officer Starbucks’.

Though it freaks her out a bit, Jenny and Maloney stay friends through his transformation. This likely does not bode well for her own fate…

Maxwell is an avatar of the Hunt, Aimee is aligned with the Lonely, and neither of them realize how deep down the rabbit hole they’ve dug themselves. Maxwell just constantly wants revenge, but his definition keeps changing, and Aimee doesn’t understand why she seems to be on a different path to the rest of the world. They’re friends with Poppy— even if they don’t understand what they’ve become, she supports the change.

I don’t remember considering the Acachallas, but Sally could easily embody the End and Spencer could be an incredibly powerful Buried avatar.

To anyone asking “Why were most of them avatars? Why not just kill them?” I like the trope of someone coming back Wrong, and that happens multiple times if the character is basically hollowed out and replaced by an entity of fear.

I might be missing or misremembering some things ^^; but YEAH— that’s the general vibe of the tma AU. I had a story in my head where Jon’s visit to the states was extended by encountering these mfers— including meeting Poppy Soup herself at one point, her being very coy about knowing something that Jon doesn’t, and him being confused about how someone who feels so human knows so much about what’s going on. His interaction with PIE probably devolves into an argument.

+ my old doodle from when i first announced this au

[poltertoast]

jimmy casket as an avatar thoughts? mew

Mew! This is actually one I really really want to talk about.

So a lot of people might place Jimmy as an avatar of the Slaughter because well he's a gorey murder man. But I agrue that murder for Casket is less about well the actual kill.

He enjoys the game of it, the struggle, the Hunt. He's notably disappointed when he's not only caught but after his kills. He enjoys blood, yes. But he more so enjoys the thrill of the chase.

Hence why I headcanon Casket as an avatar of the Hunt.

The murder mystery is his endless game of hunting. Because that's what the Hunt wants, the chase to never end. Sure he brings in others and he looses sometimes. But then he's back, he's on his hamster wheel again.

[poltertoast]

Fuck it I'm researching Colon to add him to the tma au.

If anyone wants to help, my inbox is open

[poltertoast]

Thoughts on what might have happened to Johnny roast and boast in your au? Did they ascend? - OvT

In my au PIE is Eye aligned by the fault of Toast. He was a Magnus Institute intern but left to create his own company. The Eye stayed with him however.

Anyway back to the others. Being aligned with one entity tends to bring some unfortunate things from other entities. Take for example the fates of Roast and Boast.

Roast, was sent to deal with an "easy mission" to survey an abandoned house. What came next, well the others never knew. Roast found a Leitner buried in the dusty bookshelves of the house. He opened the book, just a but curious. The next thing he knew, he was breathing dirt.

Roast ended up the first PIE member killed by an entity.

Boast was the second. He wasn't supposed to be on that mission with Ghost. No, he was supposed to be back at home but nooo Ghost needed hands and Toast was sick.

Prince Fang was ghastly, but nothing they hadn't faced before. At least that's how it appeared. Then he touched- no bit him Boast. The change was slow, horrid, and intentional.

Of course there's the bone turners tale which allows a reader to manipulate someone's form. But flesh Avatars can do that at will with their own hands. Or in Prince Fang's case, own teeth.

Ghost tried to stop watching. But he couldn't. He saw everything, heard everything, smelt everything.

Though that's less important to how Boast felt. His body was changed, he lost himself in the sounds of bone breaking and carnage.

Eventually Boast passed out. But when he awoke he couldn't recognize himself anymore. He hates himself but the Flesh loves him. It welcomes his unease as it welcomes him.

Eventually though he gets his freedom.

[poltertoast]

Would you want to include 13th dimension guys here? Specifically thinking of the dragons— like Prince Fang! I know they have ties to mind control, but I dunno if web suits them. -overthinkingtaleblr

Flesh Avatars! At least I believe Prince Fang would be. Honestly the 13th dimension in itsf feels like a fear domain. But that's neither here nor there

Being as Prince Fang is the only 13th dimension member I remember, I'll make sure to talk a bunch on him.

So Prince Fang has the ability to change, mold others into dragons. Taking their form, their sense of self.

Boy golly! That's something that the Flesh is all about.

Also in his debut he's known for eating things and people. Much like the Flesh's own beast, The Monster pig.

[poltertoast]

Not niche quite yet, but thoughts on maddie-friend? Because of her obsessiveness I was thinking corruption— since toxic love is a bit of a subcategory of it — but she doesn't have to be an avatar at all, does she? Because of her connection to Billy and Darth Caluclus, I almost want to say she could start off similar to the people in the archives— someone who was brought into a world that was way bigger than her and may get swallowed whole

Sorry for the long ask! - overthinkingtaleblr

I'm going to spare these out in the order I received them lol (we're watching TV but I'm so excited to answer these)

Ok! Maddie-friend, now she's not a character I remember a ton of but oddly I do remember her lore. (Aka I know to a certain extent and prey on the wiki for the rest)

I think she'd be either a corruption avatar like you said or a Desolation avatar.

But I also think she wouldn't fit as an avatar just like Aimee. Rather I see her as a Moth in a way.

You brought up Darth Calculus, whose definitely a web avatar. And that got me thinking. In TMA we learn that the web can create soulmates, two people who are intrinsically entertwined in their fates. What if like Gertrude and Agnes, Billy and Maddie-friend are soulmates?

But I doubt Darth Calculus would be fully patient enough to not nudge them together.

Maybe she grounds him, maybe she pushes him further to his own avatarness.

[poltertoast]

I've been sleeping on Web avatar Spencer.

But no longer

Ironically, thoughts to come after I get some slumber

[poltertoast]

PIE members Tma taleblr au fates part 2/?

Covering Alberto Guppy and the Military Morons

this character I did not know existed but thankfully his wiki got me enough. I imagine Albertos "parents" instead were experimenting with the fears properties and whose more susceptible to fears than kids?

Alberto and his sister were kidnapped- er chosen for this project when they were young. Each child was exposed to the different fears, or what the parents assumed were calling to the fears.

But nothing took. Not until Albertos sister was given a Leitner. She became a creature of the dark. An unknown legend.

While Alberto was spared because he just wasn't afraid. Who knew being introduced to incomprehensible fear beings at such a young age could kill your fear?

As for the fish thing, that's his own brains journey on depersonalization or maybe a Leitner. I hc he stays an intern at PIE trying to find his sister. (He's also a Vast avatar because Crew says so)

Now onto the Morons.

As I detail in the tag this is very much memory based and the human mind is odd with memory.

I forgot if they have names so we'll call them A and B. PIE was babysitting them on what was supposed to be a non mission. Just a simple encounter to show Toasts idiot 2nd cousins what real jobs are like.

Then things got complicated. The zombies they encountered were even more sickly seeming and everywhere they looked their seemed to be insects gathered.

Despite this, they pushed on.

A was the first to succumb. He'd gotten infected carelessly while role-playing COD. Apparently replica armor doesn't truly save you from the crawling filth. The others tried to save him, tried to pull out the bugs that had crawled under. But he stopped them, urging them to go on without him. He's got this bro.

When the others got a break, they reinforced their clothes with duct tape and put on gas masks.

They'd managed to breach the ritual and were setting up to destroy the building but it turned out they weren't the only ones with that idea.

B had insisted on going ahead, he could plant the bomb himself, he had protection. He ran straight into the corruption avatar despite his precautions.

He got caught in the crossfire. He and the avatar were thrown into the Vast ocean. Bodies squirming as the endless blue devoured rhem.

Toast only found his helmet, covered in mold, covered in writhing worms. He couldn't tell his family the truth. That he'd gotten them killed, that they died like this. So he spun a story.

They were brave! They tried to be ghost hunters just like PIE. They insisted they went forward first, it was easier that way. They died noble deaths, not screaming or crying, painless heroes deaths. Then their spirits helped to save him and Ghost. They were noble through and through.

Toast keeps a picture of them tucked in a box besides his wives.

[poltertoast]

Uhhh Aimee as an avatar? I made a choice just bc she was already a paranormal and i need to figure out how to explain why she was treated as an “other”, but maybe you have an idea! - overthinkingtaleblr

Yes I do have my own ideas! Though I do love your version of Lonely Aimee.

I actually have my own hard time placing her. Because there's so many good ones. Aimee unlike a lot of ghosts in canon is Neutral, kind even. (If that's changed gimme a break it's been a while lol)

In a way she reminds me of Gerry.

Anyways, of the fourteen fears the closest I think works with her and that she'd work with is either the End or the Stranger. And even those I'm debating on.

The End- I feel to some degree every ghost embodies the end. They're echos of that finality. What you could be if there's anything to be. Also End avatars tend to be... benevolent in a way. They just appear around death, not truly actively causing it.

The Stranger- She's beautiful, sweet, named like a friend. But is she actually really? Sure she is kind but do you really know her? She resembles a French royal figure but she's seen modern things. It's mostly that she's just got a lot of... half truths in her image? She's a confused together character but everything she says seems to hold up a weight.

For extra fun of just a non avatar Aimee, flesh page Aimee! Now even more horrifying.

[poltertoast]

i would like 2 know if you have avatar thoughts on spencer, mew

Yes I do!

So with Spencer two main entities call out to me about him. The Eye and The Lonely. So of course The Eye, he's very knowledgeable, always watching through his games and whatnot.

But I feel like the Lonely would grasp him more. He likes his solitude, others shy from hanging with him. He's constantly alone in the basement. Only called out every so often.

[poltertoast]

I’m gonna go a different route and ask if there’s anyone you could see as either a slaughter avatar or slaughter-touched? It’s one of the harder ones to do in a setting that is already inclined toward chaos and music on a global scale lol - OvT

Honestly my top pick is probably Sally. Mostly because she embraces the random acts of violence that Slaughter Touched people take on.

Other top picks are probably the creepypasta high students, or Stardust Sprinkleshine

But you're right it's so hard because well the setting. I also know there was a war at some point that I wasn't there for. So maybe some of those characters could embody Slaughter.

[overthinkingtaleblr]

A certain someone missing from my TMA AU doodle page earlier— Light zeron, avatar of the Dark wildly enough. He’s one of those avatars where he was So tormented that it circled back around and he became an embodiment of it, losing whatever made him human in the process. I’ve had the picture on the left since around when i posted my first doodle page and im still very very happy with it.

Light is important to me bc I see him as a case where PIE failed, and the consequences of their failure. He’s a representation as to why their competency and action is important. If PIE or groups like PIE do not fight the fears, people like Light will be targeted and may experience fates worse than death <3

[poltertoast]

Little Butts was likely one of the few places that stayed "normal" during the fearpocalypse. Aside from a sudden influx of creatures and power, everything seemed normal.

Because the town was already a fear domain. Every fear laid some claim to this town.

If Jon and Martin had stopped by, they'd have seen what seemed just like a normal town. Hiding in the cracks were eyes and webs and gore, creatures beyond what humans should understand. Creatures that they instead embraced.

[overthinkingtaleblr]

Yeah, I actually based my hunt Casket headcanon off of the murder club in the podcast for the most part -Poltertoast

I remember those guys! I think about them a lot.

I wonder if you can say his thing is kind of infectious and he’s related to the guy who walked in on them and got them hyped up on The Hunt. It’d be funny to tie him in with the story of TMA for Jon to talk about previous cases and Casket just ‘oh yeah i did some of those. I’m a world-famous murderer btw lol’

[poltertoast]

Oh update on my Colon research.

Here's him in my TMA au.

He's Eye aligned like the rest of PIE. But a bit more cognizant of how much the Eye leaks in. He is also Slaughter touched from his time within the military. He's witnessed the bagpipes and the gore.

The Slaughter actually is what got him invested in ghosts. What followed the Horrors, what invisible entities haunt the battle field.

He was then brought to PIE during his own exploits as an Uber driver (unsurprisingly ghost hunting freelance style doesn't pay highly). Ghost had hired him and then accidentally dragged him in. They needed help carrying equipment into the scene, but the ghost locked them in.

They were trapped, bound with a creature of the Dark. The beast whispered in their ears when it was so far away, and screamed close beside them. It was horrifying but luckily Colon had brought an extra flashlight, which helped them to escape.

Luckily there was a vent that Ghost was small enough to climb through and turn back on the power. It didn't kill the beast but it weakened it. Allowing for the two to get free and blow the building to kingdom come.

Also Colons colon feeling is an extension of his Eye powers, more honed. He just knows things. (Also Toast in my hc has the ask questions ability but people assume he's Charismatic)

[poltertoast]

Others will come later as I have to research but here

PIE members Tma taleblr au fates part 1/?

Jenny Toast- Jenny T. actually works at the institute, she's good old Jenny in research. She joined the institute after a prolonged encounter with a stranger in the form of not! Jenny Ghost. Basically for months her Bestfriend was dead and she didn't even realize.

Replaced by a duplicate. It wasn't until she was going through old Polaroids that it clicked. She executed the Not! Jenny via burning after luring her into a false mission on a farm.

Jenny Ghost- Victim of the Stranger, replaced on a mission.

Fred Spooker- was marked by the Spiral but was able to avoid his fate. How? In the most Spooker way possible. He forgot to grab his box of beanie babies from the PIE office and ran back just before opening that door.