#torguard modern au

[nine-blessed-hero]

Also available on AO3

HAHA ASK TIME

"Sharing is caring. Now give me the hoodie."

i think that's what it was? anyways, you already KNOW who it's abt, that's right, baurus and martin.

please? also have this cat

and thank you so much!!💖💖💖

Hokay. Honestly, this... I don't even know. It’s 100% not going to be what you’re expecting, Moth. It’s 100% not what I was expecting to write. But like. When the Muses demand things of me, they usually get their way. So, yeah. Crossovers and Modern AUs for all! Hope you enjoy ☺️ Words: 1370 Tags: @aquadestinyswriting @viawrites-andacts @corkytheguar @arcane-elder-scrolls CW: None. This is pure 100% fluff

----

Elo walked into the kitchen at 23 Acacia Ave, letting herself in through the double-glazed back door. The man sitting at the table glanced up from where he was doing a crossword puzzle. "Good evening, Elowyn," he said, putting down the pen and standing to flick the kettle on. "How was work?" Elo tossed her peaked cap onto the table, flicked open the brass buttons on her police uniform and peeled herself out of the blazer to dump it on the back of a chair. She leant against the chair for a moment, letting her head hang. "Yes. Hi. Sorry, Martin," she gave him a tired smile. "It was..." "A day?" "And a half," she added with a heavy exhalation.

"Tea?" "God, yes please." She ran her hands over her shoulders, working out the kinks. "What do you feel like?" "Honestly? A pint of vodka." Martin turned, his brown hair swaying gently, as he looked away from the cupboard with all their teas. "Elowyn?" he asked, his tone worried. She screwed her eyes closed. "I'm not... I'm not gonna. I just." She shook her head. "Goddamn, it was A Day. We got our funding cut again. That programme I worked so hard to get going – the one with the drug counsellors for teens? – I can't afford it any more. I'm gonna have to let them go." She passed a wearied hand over her face. "Oh, Elowyn. I'm so sorry," he said. "If there's anything I can do, you will tell me?" "Thank you. Yes. Can we talk about it tomorrow? I'm way too tired to think right now." Martin hummed his agreement and turned back to the cupboard, riffling the boxes and jars of teas. "I think you could do with some Ginger..." he murmured, selecting the correct jar and setting about preparing the brew. Elo tucked herself into the chair while he bustled around. "How was your day?" Elo asked, pulling out her phone, setting it to silent and deliberately putting it face down on the table. "I'm still not allowed in the office for long stints, so after I met with the Canterbury Diocese, I spent most of my afternoon helping Mrs Higgins weed the garden." Martin leant back against the counter, glancing out of the back window as he played with his dog collar. "I think we shall have a very healthy crop of vegetables come summer." "Oh that would be amazing," Elo said as the kettle came to a boil. Martin placed a steaming cup of Ginger and Honey tea in front of her, taking his cup of Roobios back to his seat. She aimed a grin at him. "You haven't lived until you've tried Mrs Higgins' ratatouille. She puts so much garlic in it. So much. It's incredible." Martin smiled back. "I very much look forward to it." Elo looked around. "Where's Baurus?" she asked, wincing at how long it had taken her to notice the absence of Martin's ever-present shadow. Not that anyone could blame the American, not after what happened in February... "He's in the study, checking in with Jauffre." The two settled into a companionable silence then, with Martin serenely going back to his crossword and Elo filling her head with the scent of the tea, instead of work thoughts.

Their companionable silence was shattered when the front door swung open with a crash, the sound of loud voices spilling in. "I'm telling you," came a high lilting voice, "sharing is caring! Now give me the hoodie!" "Nope!" came a more masculine voice. "It's my official hoodie. I can't just go letting waifs and strays like you cop a-hold of it!" Elowyn and Martin winced at the same time. "Snotgrut! Do not slam the nieking door!" Elo bellowed. "Aderyn, stop antagonizing the Police, please!" Martin called with a roll of the eyes. "He's not gonna be Police if he keeps this up much longer," Elo grumbled, and Martin shot her a smile as the two came tumbling into the kitchen. "Hi Aunty 'Lo," Aderyn said, pressing a kiss to Elo's cheek. "I'm younger than you are," Elo said, tilting her face to accept the kiss anyway, her tone gruff despite the smile threatening to twitch into existence. "Still my Aunty though," Aderyn sing-songed at her. Elo rolled her eyes as the sprightly auburn-haired girl jumped up to sit on a counter. "Yes," she replied. "Don't sit on the worktop!" "What's for dinner, Uncle Martin?" Snotgrut said. Martin laughed. "I swear you two live in a constant state of hunger. It's shepherd's pie." There was a beat of silence as the two women and Snotgrut glanced at each other. Martin sighed. "Don't worry, Baurus made it." The two rambunctious members gave a cheer, and Elo laughed.

They chatted a while longer when the doorbell went. Feet pounded down the stairs. "I've got it!" Baurus yelled. The door was indeed got, and Elo listened as Baurus' bayou-drawl mingled with a sharp London twang, warm nordic tones, and the friendly rolling accent of Yorkshire. She sat up straight. "Wait. I'd know that voice anywhere. What's Farren doing here?" she asked, her tone worried. Martin gave her a curious frown. "Have you forgotten what day it is?" he asked. "No... It's," Elo looked at her watch, "Thursday?" Martin gave her a gentle smile. "It's the monthly 'let's see how many people we can squeeze around the dining table' day." "... Oh." Baurus swept into the kitchen with Enisa, Kashton and Farren cramming themselves in behind him. "Aderyn, get off the counter," the American said, crossing over to Martin. He bent down, as Martin tipped his head back to share a kiss. "How's Jauffre?" Elo asked once they were done. "Still thinking of ways to get you into the private sector," Baurus told her. From the doorway, Farren snorted. "Never gonna happen, is it Bug?" "Aye," said Snotgrut from where he leant on the counter next to Aderyn. "After all, where else is she going to find such prime specimens to work with?" The little man aimed a wink at Farren. Elo laughed. "I'm gonna fire the both of you and promote Adalhard," she joked. "I don't get no back-chat from her." Snotgrut responded by sticking out his tongue with a grin. Baurus clapped his hands. "Right, it is lovely to have you all," he said, "but I gotta ask y'all to get outta my kitchen!" Chatter stilled, as Elo raised her eyebrows. "Listen, honey," Baurus said to her. "While I'm cooking in it, it's my kitchen. Unless you fancy making dinner for this horde?" Fighting a grin, Elo promptly stood up. "My cup of tea and I are going upstairs to change," she announced with a prim tone. "Aderyn, you're on table-laying duty-" "Aww what? I did it last time." "Then don't sit on the counter!" came a chorus of voices. Snotgrut giggled, as Aderyn's shoulder drooped. "Fine," she whined. "Snotgrut, you're helping her," Elo said. He just shrugged and nodded. "Kas," Elo continued, "you're on drinks duty. Farren: you, Adalhard, and I are on washing up and putting away." Martin leant back to look up at Baurus, his arm slung over the back of his chair to hug the American by the waist. "Is there anything you need help with, Darling?" he asked. "Naw, I'm good," Baurus said. "I've only got a few last-minute things to whip-up." "I don't mind carrying things to the table if you want," Enisa piped up. Baurus nodded to her, then shared a look with Elo. "Actually, Padre, I've got a very important task for you," Elo said, failing to suppress a smile. "Oh?" "Mm. Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to sit in front of the fire and play with the cats. Aurianna and Ardyss need some attention before dinner." It took a moment, but then Martin tipped his head back, letting out a loud guffaw. "I do believe you're all coddling me," he said. "But yes. Of course. Can't have the kitties starved of attention." "Excellent. I'll be down in a tick to help with the table," Elo said, and squeezed out of the kitchen as everyone went about their allotted tasks.

[druidx]

First Line, Last Line

I yoinked this from @loopyhoopywrites, but I'm about to break the rules here ^.^' I've pretty much given the last line of everything I've got in my Active WIPs folder, so I thought I'd grab a couple of first lines instead

What Alexis Did Next (FF/ Titan):

Hail Reader. If this tome has fallen into your hands, it can only be for one of two reasons: 

FF/ Titan Modern-ish AU:

Burning red eyes, cutting through the night. A grating voice that she shouldn't understand. Dark fluid on its hands and a- She gasps awake, eyes flying wide and fingers curling around the revolver's stock under the pillow.

Tagging: @strosmkai-rum @spacetimewraithwrites @wildswrites @tetrodotoxincs @odysseywritings @ayzrules @morganwriteblr @my-writblr @bexminx @writingingraves @dreamwishing @aalinaaaaaa @wardenoftheabyss @pleaseloathemyveryexistence @jaguarthecat @catharticallysarcastic

[druidx]

Storyteller Sat questions

I thought I'd pick some questions to just answer from this list, a la that suggestion from cheerfulmelancholies.

🌵 Which OCs would NOT get along?

I'm assuming this is cross-universe, so Alexis (FF/Titan) and K'Rin (TES) would constantly be at odds... in much the same way that Alexis was at odds with any Paladin type.

🥀 Go off about a villain OC

Arnor, son of Wilfrið is the only one that I ever fully introduced (as opposed to being a vague hand in th shadows). He's a special kind of villain - he's a brutal psychopath, but charming and with a code he won't cross. He come across as sympathetic when we first meet him, but it's quickly apparent that he's really, really not.

🌹 Write a vague blurb about your WIP

For example, "a rude elf and a dumbass dwarf find out they're actually related and must stop a big problem"

I don't think I ever did any kind of intro for the Titan Modern-ish AU, so: "Elo O'Toreguarde has three problems: A murder, a visiting monarch, and something that shouldn't exist..."

[druidx]

HAHA ASK TIME

"Sharing is caring. Now give me the hoodie."

i think that's what it was? anyways, you already KNOW who it's abt, that's right, baurus and martin.

please? also have this cat

and thank you so much!!💖💖💖

Hokay. Honestly, this... I don't even know. It’s 100% not going to be what you’re expecting, Moth. It’s 100% not what I was expecting to write. But like. When the Muses demand things of me, they usually get their way. So, yeah. Crossovers and Modern AUs for all! Hope you enjoy ☺️ Words: 1370 Tags: @aquadestinyswriting @viawrites-andacts @corkytheguar @arcane-elder-scrolls CW: None. This is pure 100% fluff

----

Elo walked into the kitchen at 23 Acacia Ave, letting herself in through the double-glazed back door. The man sitting at the table glanced up from where he was doing a crossword puzzle. "Good evening, Elowyn," he said, putting down the pen and standing to flick the kettle on. "How was work?" Elo tossed her peaked cap onto the table, flicked open the brass buttons on her police uniform and peeled herself out of the blazer to dump it on the back of a chair. She leant against the chair for a moment, letting her head hang. "Yes. Hi. Sorry, Martin," she gave him a tired smile. "It was..." "A day?" "And a half," she added with a heavy exhalation.

"Tea?" "God, yes please." She ran her hands over her shoulders, working out the kinks. "What do you feel like?" "Honestly? A pint of vodka." Martin turned, his brown hair swaying gently, as he looked away from the cupboard with all their teas. "Elowyn?" he asked, his tone worried. She screwed her eyes closed. "I'm not... I'm not gonna. I just." She shook her head. "Goddamn, it was A Day. We got our funding cut again. That programme I worked so hard to get going – the one with the drug counsellors for teens? – I can't afford it any more. I'm gonna have to let them go." She passed a wearied hand over her face. "Oh, Elowyn. I'm so sorry," he said. "If there's anything I can do, you will tell me?" "Thank you. Yes. Can we talk about it tomorrow? I'm way too tired to think right now." Martin hummed his agreement and turned back to the cupboard, riffling the boxes and jars of teas. "I think you could do with some Ginger..." he murmured, selecting the correct jar and setting about preparing the brew. Elo tucked herself into the chair while he bustled around. "How was your day?" Elo asked, pulling out her phone, setting it to silent and deliberately putting it face down on the table. "I'm still not allowed in the office for long stints, so after I met with the Canterbury Diocese, I spent most of my afternoon helping Mrs Higgins weed the garden." Martin leant back against the counter, glancing out of the back window as he played with his dog collar. "I think we shall have a very healthy crop of vegetables come summer." "Oh that would be amazing," Elo said as the kettle came to a boil. Martin placed a steaming cup of Ginger and Honey tea in front of her, taking his cup of Roobios back to his seat. She aimed a grin at him. "You haven't lived until you've tried Mrs Higgins' ratatouille. She puts so much garlic in it. So much. It's incredible." Martin smiled back. "I very much look forward to it." Elo looked around. "Where's Baurus?" she asked, wincing at how long it had taken her to notice the absence of Martin's ever-present shadow. Not that anyone could blame the American, not after what happened in February... "He's in the study, checking in with Jauffre." The two settled into a companionable silence then, with Martin serenely going back to his crossword and Elo filling her head with the scent of the tea, instead of work thoughts.

Their companionable silence was shattered when the front door swung open with a crash, the sound of loud voices spilling in. "I'm telling you," came a high lilting voice, "sharing is caring! Now give me the hoodie!" "Nope!" came a more masculine voice. "It's my official hoodie. I can't just go letting waifs and strays like you cop a-hold of it!" Elowyn and Martin winced at the same time. "Snotgrut! Do not slam the nieking door!" Elo bellowed. "Aderyn, stop antagonizing the Police, please!" Martin called with a roll of the eyes. "He's not gonna be Police if he keeps this up much longer," Elo grumbled, and Martin shot her a smile as the two came tumbling into the kitchen. "Hi Aunty 'Lo," Aderyn said, pressing a kiss to Elo's cheek. "I'm younger than you are," Elo said, tilting her face to accept the kiss anyway, her tone gruff despite the smile threatening to twitch into existence. "Still my Aunty though," Aderyn sing-songed at her. Elo rolled her eyes as the sprightly auburn-haired girl jumped up to sit on a counter. "Yes," she replied. "Don't sit on the worktop!" "What's for dinner, Uncle Martin?" Snotgrut said. Martin laughed. "I swear you two live in a constant state of hunger. It's shepherd's pie." There was a beat of silence as the two women and Snotgrut glanced at each other. Martin sighed. "Don't worry, Baurus made it." The two rambunctious members gave a cheer, and Elo laughed.

They chatted a while longer when the doorbell went. Feet pounded down the stairs. "I've got it!" Baurus yelled. The door was indeed got, and Elo listened as Baurus' bayou-drawl mingled with a sharp London twang, warm nordic tones, and the friendly rolling accent of Yorkshire. She sat up straight. "Wait. I'd know that voice anywhere. What's Farren doing here?" she asked, her tone worried. Martin gave her a curious frown. "Have you forgotten what day it is?" he asked. "No... It's," Elo looked at her watch, "Thursday?" Martin gave her a gentle smile. "It's the monthly 'let's see how many people we can squeeze around the dining table' day." "... Oh." Baurus swept into the kitchen with Enisa, Kashton and Farren cramming themselves in behind him. "Aderyn, get off the counter," the American said, crossing over to Martin. He bent down, as Martin tipped his head back to share a kiss. "How's Jauffre?" Elo asked once they were done. "Still thinking of ways to get you into the private sector," Baurus told her. From the doorway, Farren snorted. "Never gonna happen, is it Bug?" "Aye," said Snotgrut from where he leant on the counter next to Aderyn. "After all, where else is she going to find such prime specimens to work with?" The little man aimed a wink at Farren. Elo laughed. "I'm gonna fire the both of you and promote Adalhard," she joked. "I don't get no back-chat from her." Snotgrut responded by sticking out his tongue with a grin. Baurus clapped his hands. "Right, it is lovely to have you all," he said, "but I gotta ask y'all to get outta my kitchen!" Chatter stilled, as Elo raised her eyebrows. "Listen, honey," Baurus said to her. "While I'm cooking in it, it's my kitchen. Unless you fancy making dinner for this horde?" Fighting a grin, Elo promptly stood up. "My cup of tea and I are going upstairs to change," she announced with a prim tone. "Aderyn, you're on table-laying duty-" "Aww what? I did it last time." "Then don't sit on the counter!" came a chorus of voices. Snotgrut giggled, as Aderyn's shoulder drooped. "Fine," she whined. "Snotgrut, you're helping her," Elo said. He just shrugged and nodded. "Kas," Elo continued, "you're on drinks duty. Farren: you, Adalhard, and I are on washing up and putting away." Martin leant back to look up at Baurus, his arm slung over the back of his chair to hug the American by the waist. "Is there anything you need help with, Darling?" he asked. "Naw, I'm good," Baurus said. "I've only got a few last-minute things to whip-up." "I don't mind carrying things to the table if you want," Enisa piped up. Baurus nodded to her, then shared a look with Elo. "Actually, Padre, I've got a very important task for you," Elo said, failing to suppress a smile. "Oh?" "Mm. Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to sit in front of the fire and play with the cats. Aurianna and Ardyss need some attention before dinner." It took a moment, but then Martin tipped his head back, letting out a loud guffaw. "I do believe you're all coddling me," he said. "But yes. Of course. Can't have the kitties starved of attention." "Excellent. I'll be down in a tick to help with the table," Elo said, and squeezed out of the kitchen as everyone went about their allotted tasks.

[druidx]

Moradin’s beard, what a great question! Alright, buck up.

Elowyn O’Toreguarde would use Google+ (hush, I know it doesn’t exist any more. That’s half the joke. She likely hasn’t had chance to notice it’s gone!) and LinkedIn (because Business). It’s not social media per see, but the Triumverate Council would expect her to use MS Teams for meetings. She would loath it (”Why can’t they use Google Meet or Zoom like everyone else!”). Honestly, between the meetings, the paperwork and stupid Captain shit happening every day, she just doesn’t have time to keep up with Social Media.

Snotgrut. Oh my... What wouldn’t he be on? Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, 4chan (et al), /. forums, IRC rooms, Discord, Instagram, LinkedIn, Goodreads... He has a Thing about being on the pulse. Probably because Elo can’t be on it anymore, what with all her damned meetings. But if anyone will be up at 4am cross-posting conspiracy theories from 4chan to Reddit for shiggles, it’s him.

Millicent Wauters. Hands down, AO3, Instagram and Tumblr. She 100% writes cheesy romance and lives for the Aesthetic in this bizzaro AU version of Torguard (it doesn’t even matter which aesthetic). Elo catches her talking to Auri about OTPs, Fluff, H/C &ct. She just assumes they’re speaking a foreign language.

Farren Breakwood would half-ass being on LinkedIn because somehow it’s “Expected” as the First Lieutenant of the SRU. He might also idly be on Facebook, because the rest of Watchhouse Eight is on there and he wants to keep tabs. I don’t see him as a very Social Media kind of guy though. Millie sends him stuff she thinks he’d like over Slack though (lots of pics of Rugged Women doing Rugged Things, and motorcycles).

Aurianna is 100% an Instagram and Flickr girl. Being a dragon means 1, etherial near-imortal beauty, and 2, taking the most dramatic aerial photos. She and Millie vibe over dramatic landscape shots. She didn’t intend to be an Influencer, but her fame with Stopping the End of the World means business approach her for product placement all the time. She tries to use this power for Good.

I reckon the whole office runs on Slack for their inter-office comms. There are a dozen or so “off-topic” chats that Elo doesn’t know about. One just contains a betting pool for where the Captain is going to leave her cup most this week.

Storyteller Saturday Open Question

5th September

If your OCs had access to social media, what sites would they use?

[druidx]

This is ridiculous. How is Farren so much more complicated than Elo? This exercise is making me have to worldbuild on the fly, godsdamnit...

How much was destroyed in the modern au's version of the Demon Wars? Has Farren always lived at this condo with his wife, Ayela, or did they live someplace else that was destroyed? How many of the classic children's crafts did his daughter, Flore, make? I'm still not sure how old she got before the Wars happened. How many mementos could he rescue?

Ayela & Flore are still dead in this AU, but what ethnicity was Ayela? What ethnicity is Farren? In Vanilla, they both came from a village called White's Folly, which is NE of Torguard, making them plainsmen. But how does that translate - do they look like mongols? In the modern AU, Torguard is somewhere on the NE USA coastline. Does this make them Native American? I already describe Farren as being tall with chin-length dark hair, but in my head he's pale & curly (partly because of who he's based on); Native Americans and mongols both have straight hair and tan skin... Plus he acts like a Regular Joe Nuu Yawker (as brough to me by my TV set), not some kid from the boonies (and it only gets worse when he opens his mouth and sounds like a London Gezer, cuz that's how the GM played him).

And religion! Why did I have to mix IRL religions with Vanilla setting ones, and what did his parents follow anyway? What accoutrements would it have?

All this, incidentally, so I can workout what knicknacks he has on his dresser.

I'm trying to do that writing exercise 'Paint a picture of a character by describing their bedroom while they’re not in it' for Farren's Modern AU room, but every time I try, it flips around and becomes my parent's bedroom even though it makes no sense for a window to be there in Farren's room...

[druidx]

okay so:

In Vanilla, 50% of Torguard immediately fell into the Hellmouth when it opened, and the other 40% was razed to various degrees by demons. In Vanilla, Farren was very unlucky - his house was in that 50%, so he had only his memories and the clothes on his back when he escaped with the PC Party. So in the Modern AU, a bomb (or series thereof) + guerrilla forces is the most likely translation. Farren would have gotten partly lucky because the place he lived with his family, while, destroyed, was not dropped into a portal as in Vanilla. He would have likely been able to pick it over and stuff a few important items, wrapped in clothes, into a bag before fleeing. With that in mind, Farren would have moved into a refurbished or newly built condo.

Flore would have to have been at least a toddler, maybe a maximum of 5yo, and it's the age range where they get kids to do a lot of colouring/ painting and crafts, like threading beads onto string, because it's good for their fine motor development. He would have been able to rescue a fair few, because papercrafts, painted wood and beads are things that would survive a concussive blast.

Hhng ethnicity... I ended up describing Ayela as 'statuesque' in the end because it implies many things while saying nothing. In the modern AU, since it's set ~1965-1975, I think I'm safe to say that Farren is a mongrel. There's italian, jewish, german, gods know what else in him; no one stronger set of hereditary looks than any other. And this is probably true for his wife. If they both came from some little town in bumbfuck nowhere on the outskirts of The Big City (remember - I'm English; this is Movie America I'm working with), then they're going to share some ancestry, so I can make her tall, dark and handsome too. I might even give her an aquiline nose just because I can (not that it'll come up ever because she's dead). Gods, their kid would have been beautiful...

Religion-wise, Farren is still a devout of St Cuthbert and probably has been for a while. But his folks, in vanilla, were General Store owners in a farming community, which means they'd worship whichever god gave good harvests, and since that's often down to weather gods, I've given his mother an amulet from Galantanka, the sun goddess. They may also have kept a shrine to Throff (earth) and Hydana (water) or Sukh (storms). In addition to the sun amulet, it's possible they would keep a prayer stone to hand for Throff, or maybe one of those amulets that are like a vial of material such as rain water or dirt, with a prayer scroll inside.

I'm not touching what Plainsmen in Vanilla might look like with a bargepole. At least not yet. I'd want to understand the evolutionary advantages to particular characteristics first, to decide how that would work in the setting. In the meantime I'll be cursing the fact this is a 40+yo setting and has all the baggage that entails.

I'm trying to do that writing exercise 'Paint a picture of a character by describing their bedroom while they’re not in it' for Farren's Modern AU room, but every time I try, it flips around and becomes my parent's bedroom even though it makes no sense for a window to be there in Farren's room...