#<< this au takes elements from both the life series and hermitcraft

[introboy]

So so excited to share my @mcytblrholidayexchange gift for @follow-the-compass-home! My concept was to combine a bunch of prompts together into one AU.

The premise is a modern-fantasy roommate situation where Tango, Bdubs, and Etho live together in an apartment. The only issue is that none of them are human, but they're all trying desperately to blend in, even though they don't really understand humanity as a concept.

More information can be found below the cut, and an introductory fic snippet can be found here (x)!

Downstairs Neighbors AU

Prompts used as inspiration:

Focus on Tango, Etho, and Bdubs

Include Boatem

Story told from Grian's perspective

Hybrid/inhuman AU

Angst with a happy ending

Emphasis on character dynamics

Here's a summary!!!

Tango, Etho, and Bdubs found each other by looking for roommates on Craigslist. They live in a 4-bedroom apartment together.

Tango is a spirit who wanted to interact with the world in a physical sense, so he built himself a body. He's basically just a ghost possessing an android (but unlike ghosts, he was never alive; he came into being as a fully-formed spirit). He doesn't adhere to normal bodily necessities like food, water, or sleep, which is convenient but also heavily concerning from an outsider's perspective.

Etho is a specific kind of shapeshifter called a mimic. He doesn't have a true form, but can copy the shape and mannerisms of most living creatures. The only constant across all of his appearances is a scarred left eye and white hair. Unfortunately, it takes practice to nail specific species characteristics, so he often forgets what he's supposed to look like and falls into uncanny valley. He wears a mask to cover his more noticable facial slipups.

Bdubs is some sort of plant creature (he doesn't really understand it himself). He has a perfect internal clock and sleeps, without fail, for 12 hours every night. He spends a lot of time in the unoccupied bedroom-- he uses it as a makeshift greenhouse, and it's filled with grow lights and humidifiers. He loves taking care of houseplants, but it's also a cover for him to spend time under the grow lights. Without enough light & water he gets lethargic.

Bdubs, Etho, and Tango, henceforth referred to as BET, all assume that the others are human. But since none of them know how to act human, they continuously pick up stranger and stranger habits from each other.

BET are close friends with Impulse & Skizzleman, who live together across the hall. Their upstairs neighbors are Grian, Pearl, Mumbo, and Scar, who are also besties with Imp & Skizz. BET and Boatem don't know each other well, but Grian especially thinks his neighbors are really odd.

Like BET, Grian is not human, and neither are the rest of his roommates. But they all know about each other, and Grian especially is really good at knowing how to act natural in public places. He's an avian shapeshifter, who can take the form of either a scarlet macaw or a human. Unlike Etho, both forms come equally naturally to Grian, and the shapeshifting process is a lot easier for him.

(Imp & Skizz are not human either-- they are a demon and an angel respectively. But, like Grian, they're really good at blending in when in public.)

One day, Grian gets injured on a flight and accidentally ends up on BET's balcony instead of his own. He's too disoriented to shift back into his human form or fly away, so Bdubs and Etho find him outside their door. Tango calls Impulse over in the hopes that he knows how to fix the random-injured-parrot crisis, but the only result is that Grian and Impulse start to truly take note of how strange their neighbors' living situation is. Incidents like the one pictured above arise (i.e. everyone finding out that there is not a singular scrap of food to be found in the entire apartment).

Ok that's all the rambling I'll do in this post, but I hope you enjoyed! Happy holidays!!

[skimmeh]

your most recent post is my excuse to spew a bunch of questions because i love this au (and art) so much-

how did scar meet jellie? was it "oh look a stray cat" or something else?

was scar's crutch/bow given to him by the military thing, did someone make it specifically for him, did he just buy it, or something else? (and why does it look so cool-)

how did scar get away with customizing his stuff?

what did grian used to look like?

are grian and scar closer like in third life or is it more like double life?

g-man's a wanted criminal? how did that happen- (like he's grian ofc it did, but how-)

can i ask about the other people here-?

etho's a farlander/albino enderman? what does that entail exactly? im curious- (also, is he part farlander part albino enderman, or is farlander another term for albino enderman?)

did the eyebrow notches work-

are all the double lifers in this au? are there an more pairs not from dl?

is the divorce quartet a thing here? if so, how did they survive-

which pair got zapped the least, and which pair got zapped the most? random, but i'm curious-

what did everyone do to get in the game? how did jimothy manage to do anything bad-

why are all of their designs so cool-

uh i've seen other people sign with an emoji sooo -✨

OH BOY!!! HAHAHAH this so cool!!! Thanks for being this interested in the series me and @kairamuwu are planning to run

Since we've changed plans on how we're going to tell the story!!! And working on it behind the scenes, but I'll answer all the questions I can, without giving away too much!! Hah

-Scar's crutch bow, he designed it, and got Cub (who's an old friend to Scar as well as being a high ranking member of the Vindicators) to make it for him.

-he gets away with all his customized stuff, because he's just that charming of a guy (also that he's still very new to the field so has schemed and played dumb with it all)

-Grian used to not have the wings or bird arms and legs, he always had feathers on his face and in hair as it's a feature of Glares

-this au takes elements from all sorta of series and mixed it in one, but if I would have to choose it leans more to thirdlife

-Grian used to be a bounty hunter and is wanted by pretty much all sides ....and ..you'll see

-you can ask about other characters we both kinda split the main characters between ourselves!!! for those questions I'll ask my friend to reblog and answer them for you!!

-there are characters from the life series, hermitcraft and empires!! Though they all don't have the same roles as they did in life series, there's only four pairs (and one pair wasn't in double life...kinda)

-For what everyone did to get in the games, you'll see :)

Thanks for the questions!!! I hope to get the story started soon!! So keep an eye out for that

[xoxo-ren-xoxo]

Hermitcraft/Life Series Kingdoms AU Magic System!

I said I would explain the magic system and that I shall do!

Basics

Magic flows through the lands, but only those who study it (and Sorcerers, who are born knowing it) can harness it

Magic can cause all sorts of things to happen, and some types are more powerful than others. Many students will specialise in one or two types of magic in order to stay in control

There are plenty of universities specialising in different magics, and some professors / experts will take apprentices

Magic can take over a person’s body and mind if it is left unchecked. This happens to sorcerers a lot, and is called ‘Mage Sickness’. More on this here!

Mage Sickness and corruption appears on the body physically, and has the nickname 'Sculk'.

Some entities feed on Magic, draining the energy from their victims

Souls, which everyone has, contain a huge amount of magic, making them particularly appealing to demons and other creatures that eat magic / life energy

Life energy = soul magic, stored both in the soul itself and the physical body

If someone loses their soul, they can become corrupted in some way, or die

Types of Magic

Technological Magic: similar to electricity, this magic allows the educated user to invent new technologies, and it is known as the least ‘magical’ form of magic, as it relies on the physical presence of mechanical parts to function

Life Magic: this magic focuses on healing and nature, often used in hospitals. These magic users create many potions to heal people, as well as channelling their own life energy to heal others or to grow plants

Mind Magic: associated with illusions and mind control, this magic is highly controversial, as it can be used to access another person’s memories, thoughts, and internal identity.

Animagic: the use of magic to talk to, create, control, or transform animals. These magic users tend to be Hybrids, as it comes easily to them, but not all are.

Construction/Destruction Magic: everything from conjuring a rabbit out of a hat to destroying a house, this type of magic steals from the user’s energy, exhausting them more depending on the size of a task.

Divination: magic users with the ability to see into the future and tell of potential events to come, usually with a vagueness that keeps the future open to manipulation. These magic users are often part of travelling groups, using their magic for commercial purposes.

Astrology: magic harnessed from the positioning of the stars, planets, moons, and the ocean, growing stronger when these elements align rightly. Usually used in conjunction with other types of magic, as it is more a power source than function.

Potion Magic: the use of magic to enhance potions made from select magical ingredients.

Alchemy: the manipulation of precious metals for magical purpose. These mages often seek the cure for ageing or death, believing the answer to be held within the earth’s natural resources.

Spirit Magic: magic used to talk to the dead. Whether this magic conjures a true spirit or simply a convincing illusion (as a type of mind magic) is hotly debated.

Ritual Magic: magic which gains power from specific rituals such as chants, sacrifices, or burning candles. Seen as rather tacky by other magic users, as it can be learned by beginners very quickly.

Soul Magic: an illegal form of magic used by demons which can manipulate someone’s soul. The other participant has to be technically ‘willing’, so demons will often use deals and contracts to acquire the soul.

Necromancy: the lowest form of dark magic, used to bring the dead back to life. This magic is illegal, and is not taught at universities. It is the magic which corrupts the fastest.