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the alternate universe meme

how to play
1. post with your character, name and canon in the subject line.
2. feel free to mention which aus you’re willing or not willing to play in the body of the comment.
3. tag by rolling for an alternate universe setting using rng.
4. or tag by picking whatever au you’d like to play in most.
5. have fun!

alternate universes
i - all human: in an all human au, characters who are canonically vampires, werewolves or superheroes, are now humans, with corresponding changes to their backstories.

ii - apocalypse: a portmanteau of "apocalypse fic", apocafic is fiction set during or after some sort of apocalypse, or end of the world. some canons carry a built-in apocalypse against which the protagonists are fighting: in apocafic, they lose. for example, apocafic in stargate and x-files is usually set after the alien occupation; supernatural apocafic is set on a demon-controlled earth.

iii - band: an alternate universe in which the characters are members in, or form a band. often, the instruments they plan and their roles in the band are analogous to their canon identities. for example, tony stark might be cast as the fame-hungry lead singer who is also a musical genius, or river tam might be a classically trained pianist who, after a terrible experience at julliard, writes songs for mal reynold's grunge rock band, serenity.

iv - circus: circus aus are a popular trope in fanfic and sometimes fanart. using a circus as a setting means introducing the characters to each other in a close-knit community. that can help break down barriers between them and make them bond together against the outside world which may not understand them as well as the other characters do. it also brings a sense of adventure and the idea that this world may have different rules and everything is possible. a circus can also be a good place for characters to go undercover and meet the love of their lives.

v - coffee shop: the barista au (or coffeeshop au, or the closely related bakery au) is a popular fanfiction trope in livejournal fandoms. in most cases, one half of the main pairing is the barista and the other is or becomes their favorite customer; in some stories the whole cast works at a coffee shop. this trope is especially popular in fandoms where one character is very attached to coffee, either in canon or in fanon, or is frequently stressed.

vi - college/high school: college fic is a popular genre of fanfic (less often a genre of fanart) that places characters together in college or another secondary institution such as the starfleet academy in star trek fic (then called "academy fic"). this can be canon stories, for example backstory if characters have or could have met during college, or college aus, similar to high school aus. in science fiction, historical or fantasy fandoms the present day college au is a popular subgenre of the modern au that puts fantastic or historical characters in more mundane everyday settings.

vii - cop/detective: an alternate universe in which the characters are cast as cops or investigators of some kind. often, the canon villain is also cast as the villain in the story. this might be set in modern times, or in a noir-like environment, complete with gangsters and femme fatales.

viii - daemons: his dark materials is a fantasy trilogy by philip pullman. the trilogy consists of the golden compass (1995; published in the uk as northern lights), the subtle knife (1997), and the amber spyglass (2000). there are currently two companion novellas: lyra's oxford (2003) and once upon a time in the north (2008). a movie adaptation of the first book was released in theatres in late 2007. humans have their souls living outside their body in the form of an animal companion. males have female souls and females have male souls. the animals often correspond to the character’s personality.

ix - fantasy: an alternate universe populated with fantastical characters like elves, dwarves, unicorns, sorcerers, and dragons. canon characters might be cast as analogous races (e.g. clint barton or katniss everdeen as elf archers) or they might be humans in a fantastical setting. characters also might be able to secretly shape-shift into another form, like a dragon, and therefore is related closely to were/vampire/supernatural aus.

x - historical: a historical au is a fanwork which moves characters into a different historical period than their canon setting. typically this involves taking "contemporary" characters (from the late 20th century or 21st century) and putting them in an earlier historical period (such as the 19th century or before). popular settings for historical aus include: pirates, america's old west, britain's regency period, ancient rome, a vague facsimile of medieval england such as robin hood, and many others.

xi - hooker/porn/stripper: hookerfic is a type of fanfic where one or more of the characters is a sex worker. there are many different types of hookerfic, ranging from more realistic depictions to the more common pretty woman-type fantasy of a hooker with a heart of gold, rescued from life on the streets by a client. sex work of all kinds is portrayed—brothels, escorts, street prostitution, "call-girls" as well as strippers and go-go boys.

xii - magic: magic aus are alternate universe fanworks that incorporate magic in fandoms where there is no magic present in canon. (or in some cases, fanworks that make a canon with magic more magical.) they differ from elf aus in that there may be magic without any elves showing up, and are opposites of all human and mundane aus.

xiii - neighbors/roomates: an alternate universe where the canon characters live next-door to one another, or in the same apartment building or complex, or in the same apartment. often, this is also an all-human au, if the canon characters are powered in some way. the forced proximity is usually used to create romantic tension between characters.

xiv - space/sci-fi: a space au is an alternate universe where a source set on earth is transported into space; works are often referred to as "[fandom] in spaaaaaaaaace!" the trope can be a form of crackfic, but often includes surprisingly serious reinterpretations of the most earthbound of sources, particularly historical fiction written or set before space exploration. cyberpunk trappings such as robots, cyborgs and ais are often included.

xv - steampunk: steampunk was originally a term for a sub-genre of speculative fiction that imitated 19th century "scientific romances" like the work of jules verne and h.g. wells. later, the term was applied to a general aesthetic involving styles that would be "futuristic" from the perspective of the 19th century. steampunk appears in fanworks as both a genre and an aesthetic. there are some fandoms for which the canon is steampunk(-ish), e.g. the secret adventures of jules verne, but more often it is found as steampunk alternate universe.

xvi - western: the western is a genre of fiction set in the later half of the 19th century in the western part of north america, especially the united states, but also canada and mexico. sometimes also included in the genre are stories about western-type characters and plots in other settings, e.g. "space westerns" (in science fiction settings) and contemporary westerns (set in the western part of contemporary north america).

xvii - were/vamp/supernatural: a reversal of the all-human, in these fics characters who are normally human are now supernatural creatures of some kind the most common being werewolves or vampires.

xviii - choose your own: self-explanatory! choose your own option.

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"The city. It's... imagine thousands of people, humans and vampires alike, living in one big complex of houses. There are theatres and eateries, stores and markets, workshops and schools and everything civilization ever produced. It may look like squalor and chaos to you at first, but it is peaceful and safe, as much so as a gathering of people can be.

...and, as it seems to be different in other cities," Rome came to mind, or Alexandria, "my kind and yours coexist in knowledge of each other.

My lady's house is in the best quarter of the city, and I am sure she will be best equipped to tell you of the society of your kind."

Edited 2017-01-27 18:56 (UTC)

"What is her house like?" Ashley asked, eyes lingering again and again upon Mago, drawn constantly back to him. "I'll be staying there? With servants?"

The idea appealed to him, since he'd only ever known dependence, and he wanted to be under the care of someone who would keep him safe. If Zyabqot offered that, as promised, Ashley was sure that he would be content.

"Most likely, at least for a while. She will want to teach you how to conduct yourself among people not a part of your own household." It was an educated guess, no more, but it would at least have made sense to him.

"Her household is large - 17 slaves and servants, two of her childer, and many patrons and other guests that frequent it often - and the size and splendor of it reflect that." Sure, half of the actual residents tend to be out on errands, but the fact remains that it is a busy place.

[ooc: Sorry for the delay, my rl is being super frustrating and busy right now. So I'll probably remain slow for the next week, too, after which it should calm down.]

[No worries! Glad you're still with me.]

"It sounds nice," Ashley said, politely. "And I'm grateful for both the sanctuary and the education." He was, too, especially as he gained increasing awareness of just how ill-suited he was to taking care of himself. "And you are--what, in those numbers? A servant or a chil-der?"

"A servant." It's a bit more complicated than that, and he's certainly one of the most high-ranking people in the household, with only the lady and her childer above him and Hanno at his side. "Childer are always vampires - the word denotes that she sired them. And as you noticed, I'm very much alive still."

"Yes," Ashley agreed, learning quickly. "A ghoul."

His eyes lingered again, wondering. He'd been sent on this task alone. Which meant, considering the past two nights, that he was trusted and capable. But also very expendable. "Do you like being alive? Or are you jealous of them? The childer."

Less expendable than some others, perhaps, but not much more. He tries to not linger on it, and simply do his best to remain past this stage. If there is a step beyond.

He chuckles at that. "Both?" It's always toying a line, speaking of such matters, and he's both more open and guarded with Ashley. "How could I not be envious of the many advantages that such beings as you have access to? But I also would like to be a father one day, and enjoy walking under the sun."

"I do miss the sunlight," Ashley said. "But not so much. I always preferred the night and the indoors."

He rode in silence for a time, thinking over everything Mago had said. "What is it like, being a ghoul?"

He chuckles again, more softly, and nods. "I could have figured."

While they ride in silence, he calculates distances and around what hour they will arrive in Carthage, so it takes him a moment to fully catch the meaning of Ashley's words when he speaks up again.

"Compared to what?"

"I don't know," Ashley said, giving him an uncertain scowl. "All I know is what you've told me."

Taking it as a rebuttal, Ashley sulked, paying attention to the side of the road rather than Mago.

His father had always kept ghouls, of a sort, letting his human servants taste his blood occasionally on order to keep them loyal, but he'd always kept them half-starved and obsessed, with a sort of madness that was not evident in Mago.

"...no, I mean: As compared to regular humans, or as compared to vampires?"

Because that makes a huge difference.

Well, it also makes a huge difference how you are treated - he thinks that he is fortunate in that regard. But that's the same with every kind of underling, no matter how high or low they stand in the general hierarchy, isn't it?

"I don't know," Ashley said, but he relaxed now that he understood Mago hadn't been brushing off his question. "I've been both, but I don't think I was ever regular in any case."

Thinking about it, Ashley sucked on his lower lip, reconsidering what he was asking and what he wanted to know. "I want to know about you. And I want to understand the society that I'm a part of. Whatever you think is most important to tell me."

That is a very broad request. And hard to get started on, with just how little Ashley seems to truly know.

He nods to signal that he has understood, but falls silent for a while after, trying to figure out how to best begin.

"While there is vitae running through our bodies, we are as immortal as a vampire; more so and less at once, because sunlight does not hurt us but injuries will hurt us much more gravely. We are stronger than normal humans and may learn the abilities of our masters, and yet..." He scratches his head. "It's difficult, holding down a relationship when your wife or husband would never be the most important person in your life, and you may well frenzy on them, you know?"

He may or may not have been told these things about ghouls with time, but it might be best for him to hear them from one.

Ashley listened with rapt interest. His attentiveness wasn't merely polite, it was fixed, like a child being told stories. Ashley had grown up with knowledge being a rare thing that others possessed and only rarely deigned to share with him. He'd been provided no tutors and no formal education, learning only when his older brother could be bothered to show him something, or from the eclectic and macabre collection of books and scrolls that made up their library. He had enough sense, barely, to know that the 'ghoul' before him was not the same sort of creature as the flesh-eating 'ghouls' of his stories who dug up fresh graves and feasted, nor the sort of spectral 'ghouls' that haunted old ruins and fed upon the souls of curious travelers.

"Why will your wife or husband never be the most important person in your life?" Ashley asked, trying to stitch together a complete view of the world with the tattered scraps of understanding that he possessed.

"Because that will always be my lady."

It's as simple as that, really. Or perhaps not. Because as much as he is aware of the effects of blood bonds - more so perhaps than most other ghouls of his age, by virtue of his standing and tasks involving quite a lot of dealing with other ghouls, and often their training - he is rather sure that there is a level of genuine affection, or at least respect, in how he regards her as well.

But to put it plain for Ashley: "You might have noticed that to drink a Kindred's blood has one effect on everyone else, be they human or animal or another Kindred. The person who has consumed that blood a few times," he's fairly sure that there is a set number, but he has no idea how often, "will be bound to them by love, no matter what their original feelings on them were."

Edited 2017-02-22 16:11 (UTC)

Questions and realizations crowded in Ashley's mind, one after the other. He was quiet for a long time, thinking it all over and deciding which questions mattered to him most.

"What if something happens to the Kindred?" he asked, though he was certain he already knew the answer, and understood, now, why his mother's fixation and obsession had led her into such madness. Why his own love for his (dead) brother was so complicated and compelling. "What if there's another Kindred?"

"If they die, the bond will be without substance - I am told that it fades."

He hasn't experienced it himself yet and hopes that that will never happen, but who knows.

"You can be bonded to multiple people. I'm told that sometimes lovers will drink each other's blood, to be able to give that kind of love to one another."

"Oh," Ashley said, much relieved by several aspects of that information, and even more curious about several more aspects. "That's good."

He stayed quiet for some time more, continuing to process over the information and how it pertained to his new life. His curiosity returned time and again to Mago himself, fastening upon him as an anchor of safety and sanity. "How long have you been a ghoul?"

"For about ten years."

And he'd known that he would become one eventually for a few years before that. Zyabqot simply wanted him to grow into a physically adult age first so he would be more useful as an emissary. Below the age, it's just harder to be taken serious.

"And I hope to remain so for a long time to come."

"I hope so, too," Ashley said, eyes flicking briefly over Mago. He liked Mago, and wanted very much to know more of him. He was glad, too, to know that Mago was not very much older than him, although Mago seemed older, because of his knowledge and competence compared to Ashley.

He saw lights up ahead, though he wasn't sure if it was a house, a village, or the whole city ahead of them. "What about the city?" he asked, wary of all the new and strange things ahead of them. "Is it safe? Is it friendly?"

That comment surprised him, and he didn't quite know what to make of it. Coming from anyone else, he would have gone through all the possible implications and tucked it away, watching future interactions warily to see if it led somewhere, but Ashley seemed so ...not innocent, no, but naive, perhaps. Easily told no, and actually taking that no without anything following later.

He tried to brush over that and only inclined his head, though, moving on to think on how to answer the other question.

"It is no one thing - thousands of people live there, humans and Kindred, locals and traders, those who were born here and those who come from far away. At first, I would recommend staying inside the household's walls and only leaving in company, so you can learn its ways safely and comfortably. It will be ...very different from what you are used to. There will be much more people, and places, and voices and rules for conducting interactions than what you knew back in that manor you used to live in."

"I understand," he said, obedient. He was pleased to know that he'd be allowed to leave the household at all, though he felt no urgency to explore. As Mago said, he had much to learn, and he was content to take his time learning things from within the safety of the household that would be his new sanctuary. "I'll be glad to get to your lady's household."

Patting his horse's neck, Ashley fell quiet again, fatigued from traveling and the stresses of the past day. His questions could wait. Letting his eyes rest, he trusted to his horse to follow the road.

They travelled in silence until they reached the city, at which point Mago took the lead. The city gates of this specific city were never truly closed at night. Elsewhere, Kindred might need to work around human custom to not stick out, but here they were a well known factor of city life.

The streets are fairly quiet, though, most of the more nightly residents not the kind to clamour in the streets and unable to drink their life away in the bars. Not that there is nobody out, but for city life, it is quiet.

They ride for a while before they reach a richer area and finally Mago gets off his horse and knocks at a gate in one of the walls. A little while later, an elderly man pushes the gate open, peers out at them and then opens it fully so they can lead their horses in.

"I was wondering when you would return."

Mago gestures for Ashley to bring himself and his horse in the small open space behind the gate, behind which stables can be seen.

"There were unforseen complications."

Ashley dismounted from the horse, leading it through the gate. He pressed close against his horse's side, watching Mago for cues about how to behave. "Hello," he said, nervous of giving offense, but wanting to ensure that his horse got the grooming Mago had promised. His horse and Mago were his only allies in this unknown place, and Mago was still an unknown. "My horse needs care. Urgently. It has been hungry and neglected, and may have sores from being ridden in this state."

The man looked at Ashley, and then the horse, and then shot a quick glance towards Mago, who simply nodded.

"Of course. I'll see to this beauty here being treated to everything that he needs to recover."

After locking the door behind them, he took the horses from Ashley and Mago and led it off into the stables. Mago, meanwhile, came over towards the vampire. "Come inside. My lady should have seen most of those under her patronage by now."