mememaker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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bakerstreet2017-01-10 10:43 pm
mememaker) wrote in bakerstreet2017-01-10 10:43 pm
(no subject)
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.
no subject
"All right," he said, patting the bag that he had over his shoulder and drawing back his hood to show off his long red hair. He shook it out, adjusting the golden crescent he'd set into it as adornment and checking that the gems still hung from his ears. He was in desperate need of a bath and a thorough grooming, but his natural beauty was striking even through the neglect. "Do I look suitable?"
1/2
He gives Ashley an encouraging smile and then ushers him inside, leading him down a hallway and through an atrium into a smaller room and then knocking on the door on the other side of it. If Ashley watches him, he will notice how the companionable ease falls away completely from him as they walk, being replaced by sober formality.
"Lady Zyabqot? The lord Ashley is here now."
A female voice answers from inside. "Bring him in, then."
Mago opens the door and lets Ashley step through the door, following after him and closing it again behind himself.
2/2
The woman herself is dressed much in the same manner as the room: Her clothes speak of high status in how they are made and with the colours they sport, but she wears close to no jewelry and her hairstyle seems to have been chosen mostly for practical considerations. She stands when Ashley enters and gestures for one of the chairs. "Welcome to my house. It is good to see that you made it here safely. We worried a bit - you were expected yesterday." Her eyes go to Mago at that, briefly, raising a displeased eyebrow, but she's completely back with Ashley just a moment later, dismissing the ghoul from the conversation.
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He sat in the chair as though he wasn't entirely sure what chairs were, and looked around himself again in confusion. She was a scholar--but not like his brother Arkady--and a ruler--but not like his father.
"I am... grateful for your hospitality," Ashley said, stumbling over his words in his uncertainty. "And the sanctuary of your household. Please forgive our delay. I was ill-prepared for travel."
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She walks over to the table in the corner once seated and picks up two of the goblets to hand them to Mago, who takes them and quickly and quietly vanishes back out through the doorbefore sitting back down where she was when the two men entered.
"And I mean it when I say that I am glad to have you." She flashes him a grin. "I was blessed to have worked with your sire, and would like to see you follow in his footsteps eventually. But everything in its time."
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He looked around again, seeming younger by the second, lost in this strange place and confronted with questions that his sanity could not grasp. "Is Arkady here?" he asked, eyes returning to Zyabqot, though his gaze was hazy and unfocused. "My brother. He went to Egypt. To study. He should have returned by now."
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But it did not, and she finally stood and let herself be carried over by one simple stride, embracing him and gently pulling him against her chest. "My poor boy. YOu must have been alone for a long time."
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After a few moments, he relaxed against her, hesitantly hooking his arms around her waist. "Zyabqot?" he said, testing the name more than anything.
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"Yes, that is my name." There was warm amusement in her voice as she responded. "And you are Ashley."
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Ashley nodded, finally relaxing his grip on her. He sat back in his chair, putting his hands in his lap and lowering his eyes, watching her timidly through his lashes. "Please, I'm tired and dirty. Mago said there would be baths, and servants. My nail is broken."
He felt dizzy and lost, somewhere between childishness and sanity. He was emotionally exhausted, and desperately wanted some familiar comforts.
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While we wait for him to return and tell us that they are ready, would you tell me a bit more about yourself? We will have more time to talk later, but all that your sire told me about you was that you existed and should receive his inheritance."
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"Inheritance?" Ashley repeated, frowning. He knew that, on a certain level. The villa was his; the lands; the money, or what remained of it. "No, Arkady is the heir. It should be his. Arkady was always..."
He trailed off, brow furrowed with uncertainty. "There is nothing to tell. I am beautiful. I like books. That is all there is."
Shaking his head as he struggled with what he knew and what he could not bear to know, Ashley frowned at a spot on the tiled floor. "Someone should be sent. To care for the villa. To clean it. My mother..."
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"I will see to someone being sent. What of your mother and Arkady?"
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"My mother. She was... she was beautiful. She was... I think she was mad. He made it worse--my sire. She... when he didn't come back, everything went wrong. Arkady was gone, and they said that my father--my sire, not my real father--that he..."
Hands shaking, Ashley curled his legs up and hugged his arms around them. "His ship was lost? I think? They said he was gone. She wept, and raged, and refused to eat, and then... and then her rage was worse."
Ashley felt dizzy, sick. He lowered his head into his arms, hiding from the reality. "The servants barricaded her in her room, and then they left, and everything was quiet."
Ashley fell quiet for several long moments, hiding behind the long curtains of his hair. "Arkady promised he would come back for me."
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She will have to ask Mago about this woman later. See if he followed up with any hints of her, and what his observations of the household as a whole were. How long the servants had been gone, what state it had been in...
"Arkady went with your sire?"
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He trembled, trying to press back the dam of everything he knew and everything he didn't want to acknowledge, dreading that if it crashed down upon him, he'd be as mad as his mother.
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Too fragile to let him speak to others of their kind for a good long while; it would have been much too easy to manipulate or break them. She would have to keep him close and tucked away, which would be a challenge in itself.
But for now, it would be better to let him settle.
"Very well. Someone should arrive soon- ah." There was a knock at the door, and a young woman opened it. "Go with her, she'll see to what you need."
[Skip time to a few days later, once he's settled into the household a bit?]
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Relieved, Ashley rose at once, glad for the escape and the promised bath. He paused briefly in the doorway to glance back at Zyabqot. "Thank you," he said, voice soft and face guarded.
It was easy to let his worries slip away, as the servants helped him to bathe and to brush out his long red hair. He felt more like himself, with a new confidence. He didn't fear Zyabqot the way he had feared his sire, and he had his friendship with Mago, which still fascinated him.
He was encouraged to stay to his room for several days, which Ashley didn't mind in the least. He was brought food, which he always treated gently, and books. That was plenty to entertain him for a few days, and he slept entire days and half the nights, and woke refreshed and a little more lucid each time.
When he finally got the inclination to leave his room, he looked like a healthy young man, with alert, curious eyes. He dressed in simple finery, a loose white shirt with laces hanging open, and tight-fitting breeches that showed off the beauty of his figure. His hair stayed down, and loose. Even when he ornamented his hair, which remained his ultimate vanity, he never constrained it.
Without asking anyone's permission, Ashley slipped out of his room and went to explore the house. He intended to stay out of the way, having learned long ago that his presence was preferred to be quiet and forgotten except when his family wanted to show him off.
no subject
In the atrium, Zyabqot was talking to a few men and women. She noticed him and nodded at him briefly, but there was no other acknowledgement. It was not time for him yet to be introduced into society, so directing everyone's attention to him would have been counterproductive.
After some more exploration, Ashley might find Mago. He is outside by the kennels, one dog at each side of his, and seems to be talking business with two other men.
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He found his horse before he found Mago, pleased to find that it had been cared for as well as he himself had been. He spent a few minutes stroking the animal, then moved on again, bored quickly because he did not wish to go for a ride and the horse had no urgent needs.
He hovered shyly when he found Mago, not wishing to interrupt. Going around him, Ashley only briefly caught Mago's eye, then went inside the kennels, curious about the dogs.
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If sticking to the front, Ashley would find that the dogs there were all friendly and happy to be petted, though more than one also looked at him with the big eyes of a dog who had never, ever having been fed, really, it's so cruel, don't you have a treat because clearly the last meal was ten
minutescenturies ago, surely you brought something, look what a good boy I am.Mago showed up a good while later, pausing under the door to look around and see where Ashley might be.
no subject