bakerstreet | Labyrinth AUs and fae court AUs

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[meme] shipping

Labyrinth AUs and fae court AUs

the monster & the maiden fair meme

There's a long precedent in folklore and myth of beautiful young people - both men and women - being kidnapped by monsters: dragons, beasts, goblins, demons, elves, vampires, wolves, or even evil humans. In the end, however, these prisoners are almost always rescued and brought back to civilization to live a normal and happy life.

But what if they didn't want to leave their jailor?

They've seen behind the surface and have begun to sympathize with this "monster;" no, more than that, they've fallen for them. Will this story have a happy ending? Will the monster believe that anyone could love them? Most importantly, though, can the two of them be left alone without any attempts at a "rescue?"

how to play

Comment with your character, your preference, and what role they'll play. Feel free to AU characters to your desire role.
Reply to others.
Thread anything that could remotely fit under the umbrella theme. Was the kidnapping just that, or did both parties know (and care) for each other before, making it a collaborative, mutual effort? Perhaps you'd prefer to play the actual Beauty and The Beast-style getting to know each other or seeing behind the grizzly facade. What about an attempted "rescue?" Or maybe you could thread out a scene where the prisoner runs away from the society they were forced back into and returns to their beloved beast! It's all up to you. You could even do smut if you wanted to, but this isn't a smut meme.

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(ooc | The maiden. Available as a human or a nine-tailed fox.

It's well-known that beauty catches his attention, but I'd like to play with the idea that while he does enjoy physical beauty, it's also the beauty of the inner person that can attract him since he does reject some canonically beautiful people with bad personalities.

Edited 2021-08-05 15:16 (UTC)

(ooc | Information, permissions, and warnings can be found here.

Open to canon, crosscanon, crossmedium, etc. Ash is canonically bisexual so while shipping is difficult without assuming CR, M/F and M/M are both welcome though I request they be 16+ with no upper age limit. Default age is 18, but he can be aged up or have it change based on canon point. More information about his canon and in-depth preferences can be found at the link above.

Ash is considered handsome in canon so he could play the beauty. Looks mean nothing to him.

If the beast, it could be based on how he feels about his own personality since he sees himself as a monster. We can go a step further and assume there are rumors his appearance matches his reputation as a demon, only to realize nope, he's not actually a beast. )

ooc monster. very, very unlikely to hold someone captive for romantic reasons, open to slow burn cr or the false appearance of captivity.

[ would you be interested in a sango? she's slightly canon divergent because i haven't watched final act yet (though i have a vague idea of how it ends), nor the new series, so rather than her settling down with miroku, she's still a practicing demon slayer. ]

ooc she's very welcome. he would take one of the band for any number of reasons - to dissuade them from interfering with him, to trap them, to throw them into chaos (if they don't know he's the culprit). if one of them spied/came after him unexpectedly, he might keep rather than kill if he's late stage in the show.

without spoiling final act, i can tell you he has access to a sky castle owned by family, and that may be where he'd hoard her.

[ Could see Jon either getting in over his head with a monster, or being in the monstrous role himself. 20+ only for romance. ]

( Yeah, the maiden. Open to discussion & crosscanon. )

[ooc: Either role. He probably sees himself as monstruous due to scars received during wartime.]

[ooc: Maiden.]

{{Either! As the maiden, she might be kidnapped or she might well have wandered into the monster's domain looking for treasure or knowledge. As a monster, I may punch up the expressions of her draconic bloodline. She might keep a person for reasons other than conquest but that would probably be her primary desire.}}

[[Any interest in Éowyn as the maiden? Could be anywhere from gen to smut, depending on your tastes. (full disclosure, this is Casimir's player, and I'm 100% here because I'm nosy about how Eligre plays out in the dominant role)]]

{{Oooh, lovely! I'm totally down. We can start with gen intentions and see where it goes? Her ladyship's priorities and wants are so unfixed...until the become obsessive. In a situation like this I usually play her as some kind of witch-- isolated castle/tower and all that-- where she spends her days brewing trouble of some kind or another where somebody might come across her. And I might punch up her dragon features slightly but nothing too weird.}}

[ called out by a gif. the maiden, but definitely up for a role swap au. crosscanon, other aus, ocs, all welcome ]

( The monster. Happy to adjust for cross-canon! )

(ooc | How would you feel about a nine-tailed fox? In his canon, he decides to go to the demon realm to get away from the celestial realm but instead, we can assume the FFXV world is another of the six realms and he flees there instead? The rumor can be he's kidnapped, but Sui kinda just does what Sui wants so he was never kidnapped but wanted to hang out somewhere else.

It can also be gen if you're feeling that more. )

[Definitely the monster. Voicetesting!]

[Given his nickname of "Villain Behind Glasses", Shiroe is likely to be seen as the monster here. He's not a bad guy, though, just a schemer who's incredibly awkward around strangers, pulling the political strings in the city.

Alternative: someone could be joining his guild to secure an alliance, instead of a traditional marriage.]

[Not super familiar with the lore of Log Horizon but I know the general premise of the canon, and I figure Maria here could translate to an RPG cleric pretty easily.]

[She is a teenager however, so either 1) I could age her up, 2) Awkward Political Marriage Made More Awkward Via Large Age Difference, or 3) she's just being given to the guild so her age isn't relevant (asides from the fact she won't have much practical adventuring/political experience.)]

(Option 3 works for me. Let me know if this starter works!)

[When Log Horizon had made arrangements to ally themselves with Maria's guild, offering to speak up on their behalf at the Round Table Conference, they'd asked for a cleric if there was one that could be spared. While the guild had a Kannagi (the Japanese server's regional version of the Medium class) in Minori and a Druid in Serara, they needed more healing power on hand, as Isuzu chose to take her Bard build more offensive and Touya learned the tanking strategies inherent to the Samurai class.

Shiroe had hoped for someone older, to help wrangle the younger members, but it truly didn't surprise him as he looked out of the window of one of the upper floors of the Log Horizon guildhouse to see the younger cleric approaching. He didn't head downstairs yet, watching and waiting to see how his new guildmate would make her introduction. Hopefully his reputation as a ruthless mastermind wouldn't intimidate her too much.]

[Maria hovers near the front of the guild’s building for a quiet moment, gazing up at the brickwork and branches. In the back of her mind, there are a number of things intimidating Maria, not the least of which was the guild’s reputation. Maria wasn’t anywhere as well-versed in the political landscape as Geordo or Sirius but even she knew that Log Horizon, small as it was compared to Sorcier, was much more important. Would an amateur adventurer like her really be of any use to them? And if not, what would the guildmaster do?

But she’d volunteered for this position. She owed it to her friends in Sorcier, and to their new allies, to put her best foot forward, not to hide in the background fretting. Tightening her grip on her staff, Maria steps toward the guild’s entrance, where a small group of people are waiting.]

Ah... Excuse me… Are you members of Log Horizon?

[The younger members of the guild greet Maria eagerly, and the suave catman in the kitchen mentions he's made a special meal to celebrate her arrival. It's just as Maria's starting to relax that Shiroe comes down the stairs.]

So, you must be our new cleric. I'm Shiroe, your guildmaster. It's nice to meet you.

[He's tall and his gaze (though somewhat occluded by the glasses he's known for) seems to linger on her thoughtfully--though in truth, he's assessing her gear and trying to figure out if there's anything in the guild vault that'd be better, given her current level.]

Tell me a little bit about your current build, and how you're used to working with a party strategically, say for a boss battle or while scouting a dungeon.

[It’s a relief to meet others who are close in age to herself, and it’s a genuine delight to meet Nyanta- Maria’s hobby is baking sweets, and she hopes he won’t be opposed to her borrowing the kitchen sometimes. She’s soon smiling and listening happily to the others, but when Shiroe appears her expression sobers up, and she straightens into a more business-like posture.

He’s younger looking than she expected- even as she knows how deceptive appearances can be- but his eyes seem sharp, from what she can see of them behind the glasses and from his height.]

Yes! I’m Maria, from the Sorcier guild.

[Maria’s equipment isn’t anything flashy. She wears simple robes and ribbons to boost her MP and speed. It’s not low quality equipment by any means, though. Probably the highest level item she has equipped is her staff, which is bedecked with feathers and a glowing golden gem- Shiroe may recognize it as a rarely dropped item from a boss.

His questions make her hesitate. The truth is, she doesn’t think of herself as much of a strategist, usually just passively going along with whatever the others- usually Geordo, or Katarina, though Sirius is technically the guildmaster- decide. But it’s an important question, and Maria likewise has to try and put into words what’s important to her...]

I still don’t have a lot of experience, but I’m a recovery specialist. I stay in the back, and use my magic to protect my comrades from injuries and status afflictions, as well as to boost their abilities. But I’m not very strong offensively, so I just try to keep an eye on how everyone else is doing. My goal is to keep everyone in optimal condition for whatever we’re doing.

[Abruptly, she bows.]

I promise to work very hard for you, Shiroe-sama!

[It's a good answer, and well-delivered. He offers Maria an approving smile.]

Alright. I think party-wise, you'll mostly be working with Touya and the other younger members of the guild. We already have two recovery classes in the party, so we'll have to see if it's more effective with Serara carrying more offensive spells, or perhaps Minori trying a bow miko build.

[Nyanta peeks his head out from the kitchen, clearing his throat politely.]

Right! We can figure that out tomorrow, do some coordination drills and maybe take you to a low level field zone to see how you'll work with the party. For tonight, though, just relax and get to know everyone. We're not all work and no play around here.

[Maria misses the smile because her head’s still bowed, but it still feels like she’s passed and so she breathes a little easier. When Maria looks up, she’s visibly more relaxed. Still, she listens intently to Shiroe’s musings, trying not to miss out on anything that might be expected of her.

(She sort of wishes she had a notebook on hand, actually.)

When Nyanta appears, she’s honestly a little surprised when Shiroe changes the subject- she sort of HAD gotten the impression that Log Horizon was a very busy, serious work environment- but she smiles and nods regardless.]

Yes! Of course. I’ll look forward to it.

[Maria peers around the room, looking for the younger people that Shiroe mentioned.

She’s gotten too used to having her own friends around in social situations- she’s not sure how best to approach others in a group that already knows one another.]

[ Can a Spartan be a fair maiden? ]

( monster haha )

[Could be either lol. Him being the monster would mean being a werewolf, werebear, or dragon.]

[ Definitely a monster. A prince with less of an eye for courtly things and more of a thirst for violence, oh ho ho. A 'maiden fair' that can put up a good fight is to his taste. ]

[The monster.]

(Either! Essek makes a beautiful elf to steal someone away or a beautiful maiden for a greater creature to whisk away)

[ The beast, considering he can literally turn into a number of them. Open to any kind of situation. ]

[ the maiden. ]

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Labyrinth AUs and fae court AUs

Gu Sui | The Best Actor is a Fox Spirit | M/M

Ash Lynx | Banana Fish | OTA

sesshomaru | inuyasha

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Jonathan Sims | The Magnus Archives | OTA

elia martell | asoiaf | ota

rinoa heartilly ( final fantasy viii ) f/m

Nico Acosta | OC | M/F

Evie Montgomery | OC | OTA

Eligre Kaivodulin || D&D/flexible/generic high fantasy || OTA

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sarah williams (return to labyrinth, ota)

Ardyn | FFXV | ota

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michael | tma

Shiroe | Log Horizon

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Astinos | 300 | M/M

Noctis Lucis Caelum | Final Fantasy XV | M/M

Duo Maxwell | Gundam Wing | M/M

Tifa Lockhart | Final Fantasy VII/VIIR | M/F

Jester Lavorre | Critical Role | M/F

Stiles Stilinski | Teen Wolf | M/M

Alina Starkov | Grishaverse | M/F

james buchanan barnes | mcu

Arthur Morgan - Red Dead Redemption II - OTA20+

honeymaren | frozen ii | f/f

Zenos yae Galvus | Final Fantasy XIV | OTA

Xue Yang | The Untamed | Open

Essek Thelyss | Critical Role | M/M

vincent valentine | ffvii | ota

tifa lockhart | final fantasy vii