#mob au ante up

[neallo]

(girl who was supposed to write 3k of vaguely serious pining tonight, or at least some weird smut) so about the furby au...

uhhh okay im gonna TRY to come up with some additional thoughts since i am going to the trouble of making this post. i guess one question is— does mello RESPOND to the emails??? probably. he loves to be mad about stuff and he hates not being heard when he's mad about stuff. so like. initially he's just replying to the emails from matt with “i hate that stupid fucking furby” and “how much money do i have to give you to set it on fire, or at least stop emailing me” but when matt points out that mello could just auto sort the emails to spam mello pretends as if he doesn't see that one. eventually, as mello's responses become marginally less hostile, matt is like 😌 it's time to up the ante. and begins including his Fun Near Facts. these include but are not limited to:

- he took college level differential equations when he was 14! 🤓 (mello response: okay, so he's a loser??)

- he's not a loser he's REALLY cool (note: matt loves to lie. or he actually has an unrealistically kind view of near's swag levels) (mello does not dignify this with a reply)

- he loves talking about math! don't worry though it's really easy to tune it out and he doesn't really care if you're not listening (mello response: i don't know why i would need to know that.)

- one time he saved me from drowning 😳 (note: matt also loves to embellish. near “saved him from drowning” by telling matt to not try his luck at jumping over a river, which wasn't actually even deep enough for him to drown in)

uuhhhhh okay running out of matt's fun facts about near BUT. the point is that he is wingmanning so hard. i guess another question is whether or not near picks up on the fact that matt is regularly taking candid photos of him? my thought is no. i could see near being sort of a space cadet in this respect tbh; if he's absorbed enough in something he tunes everything else out)

hmm. genuinely running out of steam so lemme just jot down a few more ideas and then someday maybe i will add more when more comes to me.

- near: lives in... actually, fuck it, NOT new york. he and matt room together in minneapolis. near is in a PhD program for math— either complex analysis or topography. idk. something. matt is a programmer of some kind bc i am not creative.

- mello: i think i already said but he lives in LA, works for the mob. probably isn't really that Into It but he got in when he was pretty young and it's not like he has a lot of other options at this point? i imagine it isn't something he spends a lot of time angsting over but he's probably kinda unfulfilled.

OH okay sorry i got an idea. these stupid emails from matt go on for a few months, with mello gradually responding in very slightly less mean ways & occasionally asking questions,,, and then one day the Daily Near Email comes through and it's a picture of near somewhere in LA. probably griffith's observatory actually. and matt (knowing full well from mello's social media that he lives in Los Angeles) captions the image something like “where did you say you lived again??? 🤔”

okay now i'm REALLY out of ideas. not sure how the fact that mello has barely Actually spoken to near would be resolved!! thanks for listening to the Morgan Being Deranged podcast, tune in next time for another incredibly niche stupid idea 🥰

[quirkle2]

you didn't just write that angst down of your zombie au and expect me to go on about my day without crying,,,,

also also, now i wonder what did mob do to finally have reigen and teru trust that he's, well, still him? WHAT HAPPENED I NEED TO KNOOOOW (and the terumob hug oh no, oH NO *RIPS MY HAIR OUT)

((sorry if i'm asking too much i'm just that invested in this au jwnxjwndi i hope you don't mind 🥹))

DW im like so stoked abt the questions i LOOOOVE talking abt the zombie au it makes me ill

i think it's a lot of little things that add up, actually. mob, compared to other zombies, is still quite reserved and quiet. in his weird little sparse mumblings, they occasionally catch what sounds like pieces of their names in the stream of syllables. even tho he's a zombie now and most of them r usually sloppy in their movements, mob still sits with relatively good posture and with his hands politely in his lap

one of the biggest things was seeing him sit down next to ritsu and plop his head on his shoulder. old habit of his when ritsu was bummed abt smth... they saw that and the gears started churning..

a lot of behavior can be explained away if ur desperate enough for sciency proof, which is what teru likely tries to pull at first. zombie mob watches ants on the ground and gets easily distracted by animals and bugs, much like he used to pre-zombie, but many many zombies do that anyway... the hug-back is purely muscle memory there's surely no recollection of emotions or a desire to comfort in there... that thing he still does when he tilts his head at confusing things is surely a Typical Zombie Behavior

when they go to grocery stores to loot them mob stands in front of the fridges with the milk cartons that are 100% expired by now, like he wants one. he seems more quiet and a little bummed when ritsu tells him they're bad by now and that he can't have one. him and teru Totally used to have one of those silly secret handshakes for the funsies and teru starts it on instinct one day and mob returns like ?half of it in a very stilted and sloppy fashion, struggling to remember but doing it well enough.that almost makes teru cry Again

but honestly, even without any of that at all, if they rly search in his eyes, they See it. they see Him, and they never know how to describe it, but he's still there in his gaze, it's just incredibly muted and tired. there's recognition when he turns his head and looks at them, there's even some semblance of fondness when they smile at him. you don't see it if u aren't looking for it, and at first they're convinced that's the deal, that they Want to see it so obviously it's just a trick of their brain that they Do, but...it is there. he is still there

reigen and teru quickly join ritsu in the belief that mob is still very much mob, in almost every interaction they have with him. and they quickly become just as eager to find a cure for him—seeing him be Him But Not Quite is harder on them than they thought it'd be,, makes them miss him that much more

[the-final-sif]

Hi, hope you're having a good day! In your Manhunt AU (a bit of a throwback, I know) do you have any ideas regarding how the hunters and Dream began getting emotionally attached to each other? Did one of the hunters get hurt and Dream save them? Did Dream demonstrate excellent banter but also genuine kindness? I'm a sucker for "group of people embark on incredibly and hilariously scuffed found family arc" so I guess I just want to hear about more of the AU, if you've got anything. Thanks!

For Dream in the manhunt AU, he's relatively chill about the idea of the hunters from the start. He's got nothing against them, he just doesn't feel like talking to other people so he scales a near sheer cliff rather than socially interact.

What really catches his attention is when Sapnap scales the cliff after him, with Antfrost close behind. That gets him interested in testing this group, and he runs them around for awhile to see how well they do. When they're actually able to keep up with (and almost overtake) him, Dream is delighted!

He does have to ditch them for the day eventually, he's only human after all, but not before slowing down enough that George and Sam are able to get a tracker on him. It's an intentional move, so that they'll keep coming back!

That's where he starts getting attached, as for the rest of them, it varies. Dream does banter back and forth with them when he feels like being chatty, but a lot of it is just the pure amount of time spent near him. While Dream will sometimes save his hunters if they're in danger of dying, he does his best to be subtle so they won't notice. He doesn't want them to stop hunting him!

I'd imagine that Sapnap is primarily a hunter for the thrill. He's not overly concerned with the morals of it all, so he's the first to start to enjoy chasing Dream as a challenge. From there, it's not hard to fall into seeing Dream as more of a rival. Particularly when Dream isn't really go out of his way to hurt any of them. Sure, he'll fight back, he'll push them off a cliff if they're cornering him by it, but he never kicks someone whose already down. Unless it's funny. Or George. Sapnap is having fun, and he's not that worried about those he loves getting seriously hurt. It's not hard to like a guy when he's the one providing that.

In George's case, he's also not too bothered by the morals, although he's also not as into the thrill as Sapnap. He's more frustrated that they aren't able to catch Dream. George is also Dream's favorite target to separate out from the others and then chase for a bit. Half the time Dream catches him and then doesn't even do anything he just thinks it's funny to chase George b/c George is very prone to screaming. While George does realize at some point he's not really in danger, he's still annoyed. Still, he can't help but grow fond of the interactions, even if he'd rather die than admit it.

Antfrost and Sam are both more reserved, both are a bit more morally conflicted about being fond of Dream. Still, they find themselves enjoying his humor, and noticing that they aren't in too much danger when hunting him. Both of them are less experienced hunters, so they aren't aware of how unusual it is for a target to not be murdering them. They don't know how strange this sort of hunt is overall. That being said, Ant is the first one to catch onto Dream saving one of them and trying to play it off. He keeps it to himself, but keeps his eye on it and realizes it happens more than once.

Also, Sam is the one that Dream has to rescue most often. This is 50% because Sam is the tech guy and despite being a big buff creeper, he's not actually that great at hunting people. He's a pushover when cornered, and gets overwhelmed by mobs.

Finally, you've got Badboyhalo whose in moral turmoil Constantly. He doesn't quite pick up on the fact Dream is saving the other hunters, but he certainly notices that Dream goes easy on them. But he knows that Dream is a bad person who murdered others (or at least, he thinks he knows that). Still, it's hard to stay angry at someone who won't give you a reason to. There's a part of Bad that wants to stay stuck in a chase forever, so he'll never have to confront the moral wreck that is bringing Dream back to stand trial. It torments him and keeps him awake at night the longer things go on. Because Dream isn't cruel, but he's dangerous and Bad knows his job is important. But he also knows that if Dream is found guilty, then he'll be put to death. And that's not what he wants either. He starts concocting his own plan to capture Dream and then basically keep him imprisoned to keep people safe without Dream dying. Hey, maybe Sam could build it and be in charge of it. Surely nothing could go wrong with that idea.

The hilarious thing is if they did actually catch Dream and bring him back to stand trial, he'd be acquitted in 5 minutes. The mask design is totally wrong, and XD has still been out committing crimes while the manhunt crew chase Dream, it's just that the manhunt crew don't know about those.

[slime-sandwhich-nom]

omg... tell me more about the isolation au

Just woke up but!! 🫵

This au is obviously based on alien isolation, but does not take place on space, it only takes the alien part and changes it to fit in.

The au takes place on earth, in Las Nevadas, where normal humans and normal people live in and work in (this means anything that happened in the dreamsmp did not happen, aside from a few details that are for the characters)

This world does not have hybrids, mobs, it's just a plain world like ours. But aliens exists, and one of them is: the slime.

A sentient parasitic slime that just like any parasite, is looking for a host. A good one even.

What makes it dangerous is it's wild range of options, it can go from humans to little things like ants. And because the alien is aggressive.

the victim of this parasite is Charlie, a cheerful employee of Las Nevadas that is now a simple host getting pushed around by the parasite, roaming around Las Nevadas.

What makes the slime unique, is it's incredible intelligence: it has a personality and is almost mistaken as an animal rather than a parasite.

The slime can be curious, sad, angry, it can feel emotions and use it's own host to communicate, but it's goal remains the same.

Despite this slime walking around bringing chaos among Las Nevadas, the others are trapped in it. The slime was smart enough to trap anyone in the building or Las Nevadas completely, making the city a horror labyrinth for the slime to play in.

• if charlie ever gets rid of the parasite, he will not survive, his vital parts and most part of his brain is gone.

This is the concept of the au, I'm looking to expand the story and work more on the alien (how it works in general)

[theficblog]

IT HURTS

LEE JENO

Prologue: Yours was the hottest boy at school. You were too ecstatic to ask him out to the prom.

Genre: Angst + Highschool AU

Wordcount: 1,336

Prompts: “Is that what you call an apology” + “It was all just a game for you, wasn’t it?”

Warnings: Language + Heartbreak + Humiliation + Crying

Lee Jeno. The hottest guy at your highschool, or maybe of all the highschools the city had to offer. He was blessed with beauty. Deep dark black hair that appeared so luscious, so immaculate, not even a single strand of hair was out of place. Eyes of that burnt brown shade, still like the ocean, so captivating as if he could hypnotise the ones that dared to make eye contact with him. His smile alone could successfully make the heart pump at double the average rate.

Not only was Jeno handsome, but also rich, and it was never once that a good face and a full wallet failed to offer a person some popularity. He enjoyed massive popularity. Oh! To be invited to Jeno’s parties! Oh! To earn a smile from him! These were all privileges, not rights.

Jeno perfectly mastered the art of making people swoon.

It was a given that all the girls at school were heads over heels for him. It was almost like a competition between them, a harsh one, to get themselves noticed by him. They could call themselves lucky, for Jeno was totally into it. The king of hearts was also a player of hearts, an absolute ace. If you were not fortunate enough to call him yours for a long time, he could at least promise you it for one night.

It was about two months back, your first ever conversation with him. "Y/N from the third class, right?" You were astonished, The Lee Jeno himself initiated a talk with you. Of course! You could not resist his attractiveness.

"Yes." You replied confidently.

"I think I’m interested in you." He gave it away all at once, making you freeze on the spot. It could not be real.

Since then, it had been what one could call a relationship, well, for you at least, it was a relationship. You started to get involved with his circle of friends, all of whom were like him. Birds of a feather, flock together, they say. It became common for the two of you to be naturally stuck together. During the recesses, after school got over, and not to mention the fact that he inculcated the habit of bunking lessons in you. There were also times he bought you gifts, flaunting his riches. "That’s just my way of showing affection."

Back to the present time, the school prom was in a month or less. Everyone was thrilled at the thought of it. Excited, restless, as if they had got ants in their pants. Preparations started to be made, girls from your class were already finalising dresses and makeups. Asking out was an everyday affair, some were fortunate, others were not so fortunate.

You, too, were going to officially ask Jeno out to be your prom date, he was your boyfriend after all, maybe he was too cool to give damns about proms, so you took the matter into your own hands.

Everything was going just the way you planned it to be. The golden balloons were magnated perfectly to the ceiling, with silver threads hanging and each one attached with a personalised note. The flower petals carpeted the floor gracefully. The banner, for which you stayed up all night was now in it’s final stage. "JENO LEE WILL YOU GO TO THE PROM WITH ME?" It read in all bold capital letters. There was a mob gathered, after all, it was about him. You impatiently waited for Jeno near his locker, holding a rose in your hands.

"There he is!" "Oh my gosh will he say yes" "Go Jeno!" "Oof he’s hot" "Stop talking" The mumblings started as soon as he entered. There he was standing, a blue, velvet jacket thrown over a white tee, studded with jewelry.

You straightened up your posture, wearing a dainty smile, trying to get yourself comfortable in that little sheath dress, which you would never wear if it were not for this day.

"Jen-" you could barely finish your sentence.

"Y/N" he let out a chuckle. "What the fuck is this? Is there something wrong with you?" He blurted out, as his minions started with their roar of laughter.

Of course, he was not serious, he was your boyfriend, after all.

You let out a little giggle, waiting for everyone to stop laughing before you could speak. "Jeno, would you go to the prom with me?" You proposed, leaning forward and handing him the rose. A blush showed up on your cheeks, out of shyness, or maybe embarrassment.

He grabbed the rose in his hand quickly, pursing his lips, failing to control the urge to laugh. "Prom? Are you serious right now?" His eyeballs grew larger as he let out another chuckle. "Ahhh" He sighed, toying with the flower, grabbing one of the notes from the balloon stings.

"Why would I go to the prom with you Y/N? I mean, look at you. Why would you even think of this?"

Your gut felt strange, he was being serious right now, his words hit your heart like an arrow, but there was no cupid involved.

He took a step closer, leaning towards your ear. Yes, this would be when you’ll realise it’s a joke.

"Stop humiliating yourself in front of everyone." He whispered.

You stepped back. That very moment was horrible. The roses appeared to be burning, felt like a mirror with shattered glass, just like your heart. Everyone was laughing, including Jeno, whom you thought you could trust. Yet again, Jeno did not fail to live up to his image.

Tears started to form in your eyes. You did not care if they ruined your makeup, all you wished was that you could disappear. Nobody had ever treated you like this before. Your heart had been played with, but it was a stupid organ, it would never understand.

You ran away, leaving everything behind. At times, running away was the best solution. You rushed yourself in the bathroom, running and crying ceaselessly. The pain could be heard solely with your whimpers. You dug your head in between your knees as you sat on the floor, crying a river.

The door opened, you could hear it, not caring the least. Maybe it was one of Jeno’s friends who came to record you. Let them fucking be.

"Stop crying Y/N, you’re creating drama!" It was his voice.

You didn’t know what the reason was, but it boosted your crying even more. He stepped closer, right in in front of you, towering over you. "Stop crying I apologized." Jeno hesitated.

"Is that what you call an apology?" You questioned back, swording your eyes straight into his. His lips remained sealed, his eyes avoiding contact with yours and fixing themselves on the floor.

"It was all just a game for you, wasn’t it?" You yelled at him with a disgusted expression. "Actually, I was on the wrong, how could I dare think The Lee Jeno would be serious about me. People are no different than a tissue to you, use and throw."

"Please.. please Y/N" his face held a novel expression. "I-I’m.." Words refused to come out of his mouth. His knees dropped to the ground. He was obviously crying. Eyes still not meeting yours, he engulfed you into a hug, shoving his head on your shoulder. You could feel your dress getting damp, thanks to his tears. "Would you ever forgive me for this?" He stammered, pulling out the rose from his pocket.

"Prom?"

You yanked his hand away, causing the flower to drop on the surface, just like Jeno’s heart. His eyes were watery, he looked up at you with pleading eyes. "Why am I such a pain the ass?" He questioned, still crying.

After a few minutes of the same dead silence, with the only sound being that of your cries, you hugged him back. He did not hesitate to wrap his arms around you.

You both stayed on the bathroom floor. Crying rivers, squeezed in each other’s arms.

LET ME KNOW YOUR VIEWS + ALSO SEE : MASTERLIST

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM PLAGIARIZING ,TRANSLATING, OR POSTING OUTSIDE THIS PLATFORM.  

[mamahersh]

For whumptober, do y'all think I should post some snippets from a really niche TMA AU I made awhile back? I can't post more than like one or two things, they'll be pretty short, and won't make sense without like an explanation post, and depending what I post might be really graphic gore.

To give a better idea, the AU is that after TMA episode 200, Jon and Martin manage to survive the Panopticon and stay in universe when everything gets remade back to normal. The twist comes in that remember how some of the bigger avatars of the apocalypse got hunted down by angry mobs (Simon mentioned explicitly)? Well, we also know from the tunnel cult that people didn't recognize Jon just from his looks, nor from his name; meaning the Eye didn't like, cosmically project who it's Special Little Boy was during the apocalypse. But we do know that avatars knew who he was, and that anyone who actually could see him walking the apocalypse could vaguely tell he might be able to help, a la Jordan. So, AU officially kicks off with Jon and Martin minding their own business trying to survive in the wreckage of the world post apocalypse and Jon being blinded after the Fears leave (spooky eye man loses sight instead of life), but Jordan Ant-Man is really pissed off that the guy who turned him into a monster during the apocalypse is getting off scott free, and so spreads word around that he knows who kicked off the apocalypse. Of course, many of the other avatars who don't want to die just yet corroborate this to try and get the heat off them, and it works. Cue bad times for Jon, and by virtue of standing up for him, Martin. Basically, my incredibly niche idea is that a show trial happens, and Martin tries his best to prove that Jon was basically innocent of ending the world and in fact had a hand in trying to save it. The end result is the judge (who I'm letting do whatever they want) sentences Jon to 3 years in prison. But, because people are still recovering and need an outlet for their rage, Jon will also be doing "community service" during that time. So long as the people who visit Jon's prison cell say ahead of time what they plan to do, and as long as they dont try to do damage to him that will significantly impact his quality of life outside of prison, its fair game. (Basically, nothing sexual, no taking limbs, nothing that would kill him before a medical professional can see to him).

However not everything in the AU is doom.and gloom! Tim and Sasha are alive in this one! (Tim's a former Desolation avatar who decided to just say "fuck the Institute" after he rose from ashes, and Sasha was just kinda spit out into a Domain after Jon obliterated the not-them during the apocalypse.) I have really sappy Jon&Tim moments already written. They finally have a chance to heal your honors.

Anyways lemme know if that sounds interesting and if I have the time I'll def post something or two for whumptober based on this AU.

[epicwalrus]

What's this? Another fic starting another series? Welcome to the DMBJ Mob AU! (Thank you to the wonderful @jockvillagersonlyfor helping me plan this oh so long ago 🖤❤️🖤)

Wu Xie is a police detective who likes to act first and think later.

Zhang Qiling is the head of the Zhangs, the oldest and most powerful organised crime family in Changsha.

When strangers scurrying deep within the shadows of their city threaten the delicate balance of power that has maintained peace between the nine most powerful families of Changsha, the two must work together to find answers...while protecting secrets of their own.

Snippet:

Changsha, at sunset, was a beautiful city, the setting sun turning the glass faces of the skyscrapers into towering waterfalls of bloody reds and vibrant gold. Zhang Qiling sat quietly, his back turned on a room of deepest blacks as he watched the colours of the city shift. He sipped his whisky, silver rings flashing in the dying evening light. Far below, the people bustled as small as ants, and cars the size of toys crept ever closer to unknown destinations. This high up, Zhang Qiling’s fated detachment from the world became manifest.  Somewhere behind, a door clicked, gliding open on noiseless hinges, and Zhang Qiling turned from his contemplations. Lights ignited at the movement of a man, clad in grey and black, stepping into the room, his dress shoes clicking against glossy black tiles webbed with veins of gold.  The man bowed. “Patriarch.” “Zhang Rishan,” Zhang Qiling greeted in return.  Zhang Rishan stepped forward, a folder in hand. Zhang Qiling gestured to a chair across his desk, the silver chain around his wrist glinting in the reflection on the black glass surface. Zhang Rishan sat and placed his folder on the desk. Zhang Qiling reached for the pile of papers, flipping through them. “Zhou Lixin’s main competitor has pulled out of the mayoral race. We don’t have any further information on why, but we suspect blackmail,” Zhang Rishan reported.  Zhang Qiling scowled. At the rate the so-called Zhou Lixin was going, he would be in power within the year. And his appointment would spell the beginning of the end for the Nine Gates. Zhang Qiling needed to begin considering countermeasures. 

Read More on Ao3

[heavenlyhoundoom]

I made a cuphead au where every character's different in some way called Mughead au.

Cuphead and Mugman personalities swap and they wear the opposite colors of what they normally wear.(Cupman wears green and Mughead wears orange)

Elder Kettle and MS.Chalice switch roles.(Elder Chalice and Mr.Kettle)

The Devil and King Dice also switch roles. King Dice is now King Demon and Devil is now Dice's right hand goat named Darrell.

Isle 1

The Root Pack is now The Fruit pack with Sal being a pear, Ollie being an apple, and Chauncey being a banana.

Goopy Le Grande is now Rolly Le Rock and is a rock that does a lot of rolling instead of bouncing as his name suggests.

Ribby and Croaks are now toads who fight using magic instead of muscle.

Cagney Carnation is now Cagney Cactus.

Hilda Berg is a mermaid instead of Cala Maria.

Isle 2

Esther is the princess of the ungulate(hooved animal) kingdom.

Djimmi the great is a strongman who fights with muscle rather than magic.

Beppi is a mime who is depressed.

Wally Warbles is now a bat living in a bat house named Eddie Echoes.

Grim Matchstick is an alicorn named Gleam Magic.

Isle 3

Sally Stageplay and her husband switch roles.

The Phantom Express is now The Festive Express and goes from being Halloween themed to being Christmas themed.

Rumor Honeybottoms is now the termite queen, Rumor Woodenbottom.

Captain Brineybeard is now an astronaut instead of a pirate.

Calamity Maria is now an alien instead of a mermaid.

Dr.Kahl and Werner Werman switch species.

Isle 4

Chef Saltbaker is now Chef Pepperbaker.

Glumstone is a small troll, he has giant gnome friends, and The Ulcer is now The Booger as you end up in the gnome's nose instead.

The Howling Aces are a bunch of cats called The Meowing Aces.

The Moonshine Mob are the cops and the ant cops are the mobsters now, and the mob ants have a giant chameleon instead.

Bonbon is a candy outlaw turned sheriff.

Mortimer Freeze is now a fire wizard named Mortimer Burn.

King's leap are know just checker pieces.

[milktearosethorn]

4, 5 & 20 for the ask game!

4. Anything you like in particular about writing for this fandom? (the setting, the aus, the people,etc)

Answered earlier :D

5. How do you translate the world of Minecraft to fit into your fanfics when you keep the original setting?

I like to loosely incorporate Minecraft elements for flavor and spice! Adding details like referencing typical Minecraft foods and potion ingredients, mentioning that cities need to be lit to avoid mobs, Wandering Traders bringing valuable goods to town, bringing up mobs as a minor nuisance or a potential threat if caught unarmed.... All good stuff!

I am also very guilty of using things like the inventory as a way to simplify story actions, without actually explaining the mechanics of how it works lsdhflkasdfh (it's just whatever makes the scene most easy to write).

I'm interested in exploring deeper world building in a fic eventually. Like respawn mechanics and what it actually means to start/join a server. :D

20.Which project have you poured so much of yourself into that it resembles more an original work than a derivative mcyt work?

Hmmmm.... Honestly I think all my fics are still so closely connected to DSMP and its characters that there aren't any where I could get away with filing off the serial numbers and calling it original. Even with my AUs, I like re-imagining plot points from canon and adding my own twist to keep readers on their toes. I still pour a ton of myself and my own ideas into what I write, but there's nothing that I consider more original than derivative.

What I also do is bring a lot of inspiration from other things that I love. 'make a fist and not a plan' has a TON of homages to My Hero Academia and the X-Men. One of the planned story arcs in that fic is deeply inspired by the Chimera Ant arc of Hunter X Hunter. Before we got the real TFTSMP 2 lore, I imagined the Other Side as a deity similar to Kyuubey from Madoka Magica as I wrote 'Brown Guilty Eyes and Little White Lies', because I thought it would be a fun direction to take the pretty sinister things that were happening to Karl in canon.

Tysm for these!! :D

[randomkposts]

Would a female mafia boss mello be more unhinged, crazy, cautious, warry, and have power over the fake ID industry? Like, she would have a lot of escape plans in case she's 'caught'

E:-Lmao like we haven't searched up how to get rid of bodies before.Bold to not assume Mello don't have at least one escape option

K:-I don't know if you can graduate whammies without having an escape option.Near went with Money, Mello broke out and pursued crime, and L committed identity theft. 

E:-Doesn't another DN world story implied a bunch of them go military at some point??

K:-I never read that

E:-And a lot of them are familiar with weapons. No doubt thanks to Roger and Watari. So there is another series of the books with a different version of how L dies. It talks about some other alphabet prodigies who have died in action or got killed.

K:-I wonder if it counts as more of An AU spinoff like hopes, or is a different world variant like birthright vs conquest?

E:-It is seeing their L died a different way compared to the manga/anime.

K:-So more like birthright vs conquest?

E:-Though I can still see Roger being hard to please grandparents. He doesn't like you but cares enough to make sure you stay alive.

K:-Except the divergent point is the Death Note was never dropped?

E:-Yeah Birthright vs Conquest

Or Pokemon Emerald/Sapphire/Ruby

No its always dropped. Just outcome is different how L dies or Lives.

In one case Watari died but L faked his death and made it back to Whammies.

K:-How do you successfully fake your death when someone has shinigami eyes?

E:-I got no freaking clue. Which feels inconsistent.Or was it Watari who lived and L died. Either way DN shrugs and goes "I dunno."

K:-Like the shinigami eyes are so broken, that I'm pretty sure even if L poured Acid in Misas eyes she could still see.

E:-Taking Justice being blind to a whole new level.

K:-Neither Mikami nor Soichiro showed signs of having trouble seeing with their glasses on, despite the fact the prescription would make what they saw blurry and distorted with their improved vision.

E:-Interesting#

K:-OK, maybe not quite, but Misa made the end deal at least twice. And so if L theoretically Blinded Misa she could make the eye deal again, as 

"Regardless of their original eyesight, those with the eyes gain a visual acuity of over 3.6 (about 72/20)."

Giving up half your life span can give you vision to rival eagle vision.OK, not quite. But like, 72/20 vision  is broken, and how do you fake your death to someone who can see your lifespan?

Maybe Watari lived?

But I still don't see how they could successfully fake your death.

I wonder what gaining shinigami eyes does to your cones and rods.OK well probably a lot to your cones. But I have to wonder if night vision improved too. 

The simplified form of 72/20 is 18/5 which is slightly lower then Eagles 20/5 vision. Eagles can see stuff like an ant crawling on the ground from the top of a ten story building.  

Eagles Retinas are deeply covered with cones enhancing their power to resolve fine details. They also have a deeper fovea then humans. "

Our fovea is a little shell or bowl, while in hawk or eagle it's a convex pit. Some investigators think this deep fovea allows their eyes to act like a telephoto lens, giving them extra magnification in the center of their field of view," 

Misa could have been big brother!

E:-Omg. Jesus imagine she did the eye deal thrice.

K:-Mello is already unhinged regardless of gender, as Mello left Whammies school of crime fighting for orphans and proceeded to take over the American mafia. Somehow... 

We the viewer, are never shown how. Just that he destroyed a mob boss not even Kira could find. Then successfully held it for anywhere from 1-3 years.   Whatever Mello did, would have had to have been crazy,  cautious, wary, and unhinged. 

He pulls a kidnapping to get his hands on a Death Note. And not only that, he kidnapping the person who he thought was Kira's sister to pull it off.

He blows up the warehouse to escape capture. 

He  tried to blackmail the president of the United States. 

Do we need to Amp up any of the mentioned qualities? Admitibly Female Mello is going to act more dangerously anyways, as what's unsafe for Male Mello, is even more unsafe for a female, but there's already nothing safe about a teenager running the American Mafia, so boy or girl, Mello is setting a reputation as someone not to cross, but the girl has to play even harder hardball, due to gender reasons. 

More escape plans? Maybe. If it suits as foil to Light. 

Personally  I like to think Matt is her forger, and one of the reasons Matt was brought. Forger Matt!

If I could somehow get the eye deal from a shinigami without running the risk that they would kill me if bored enough (not Ryuk) and I was asked if I would want the shinigami eye deal for half my life span, it would be a hard question for me to answer

If I could somehow get the eye deal from a shinigami without running the risk that they would kill me if bored enough (not Ryuk) and I was asked if I would want the shinigami eye deal for half my life span, it would be a hard question for me to answer. 

A vision  just below eagle.As usual, Misa and her abilities is overlooked in death note.Mello went to  kidnapping a Kira. It was Takada (who in the movie the last  made the eye deal).

E:-Jokingly I want to add in Wearing leather in what looks like the desert.Very underused of the eyes. How many times that girl is gonna sacrifice her life for Light 😭😭😭.

K:-All 9 of them.At least in canon

E:-He doesn't even have RIZZ.He ain't got the charm charm.

K:-The shinigami eyes as superior eyes should be used.I wonder what the above means for the bearers of eagle vision in AC.

[covenofwives]

Aaaa okay so i just reread the fic with XD and Tommy and it's got my mind going in so many different directions so get ready for a couple of questions :D

After this instance, how often does XD interact with Tommy, if at all? They seem to be worried about him, especially in the area of the timeline in which Dream is now out of prison.

What are XD's thoughts on some of the other smp members that we haven't actually seen much yet. Like Quackity and Karl, or Foolish since in the canon universe they seem "close ish"

And finally,, where did XD learn this healing power from? 👀 There was definitely some weird hinting happening in the fic. My theory is HD but im curious to know the truth 0-o

-emmadoodlewrites

After the Tommy and XD fic, I'd probably say XD checks up on Tommy from time to time, keeping an eye on him and looking to see if Dream goes near him (sort of a part in looking out for Tommy and part in using him as bait)

I imagine XD knows nearly all members of the SMP. I headcanon that every once in a while XD hosts "games" for people to play in (think like MCC or squid/crab games type stuff) so he knows near all but only close with a few. He considers Tommy, Phil and Techno as friends. Tommy reminds him of a young Dream so he is extra fond of him. He is friends with Foolish since I like the canon being that XD and Foolish are "friends" and have it that XD helped Foolish unlock some of his God powers and Foosh built him a statue (because XD is still rather vain in the au hehe)

XD knows of Karl and his powers but doesn't have much interaction with him. When he does it's mostly from worry and XD handles Karl very gently. He knows Karl is a dear friend to George though so he does keep and eye on him from time to time. He does not like Quackity, for a few reasons, and certainly won't like him if/when he finds out what Quackity done to Dream.

He dislikes Sam, Bad and Ant for the reason of them being prison guards but holds extra dislike for Bad. Of course not to the same level of canon but just generally wants to not be around him. I think he tolerates Sam a bit more since he's Foolish's friend and Ant he doesn't really know, just knows that he is/was a prison guard so that's a dislike.

He adores Puffy for looking out for Dream after XD, Dream and Drista came to the Overworld. I imagine he sometimes spends lunches with her to chat.

For mostly everyone else I think his level of like to them would be related to how much Dream or George likes them. XD tried and failed to keep a distance from things going on and developing relationships to others as they'd skew his judgement, but for that he's not really "introduced" himself to everyone.

And yes, absolutely XD learned how to heal from HD. He can't do it as well as HD can but it's enough for minor stuff. I have it written that HD taught XD to heal because XD was constantly worrying over Dream's injuries (think like he just had a bad fight with mobs and is just bedridden till wounds heal) and HD taught him so it would stop him talking about it.

I have so many small character moments that just don't fit into fics so I just try to put hints to them happening.

Sorry for my LONG answer, I hope this wasn't overwhelming ^^

[seerofmike]

3, 5, 11, 19, 30 for AO3 ask game 👀

hi nix :3

3.) What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

i think it's still my percy jackson apex AU Until The Sun Comes Up (and its unfinished sequel lol) cuz like. not to toot my own horn but i felt like SUCH a genius working everyone into that AU even if i didn't get to fully display it all. i need to finish the sequel so i can go off about the apex predators in camp jupiter/praetor blisk/valk being a legacy demigod (hehe). oracle wraith my beloved. my Only regrets are making bangalore a daughter of ares instead of athena but it was suggested to me by the commissioner so u.u

5.) What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

ok i cant pick between 3 of em, from apex: Shower Talk since it was my first real explicit work so i wasn't expecting positive feedback (and its still. rly popular LOL) and Same Damn Hunger. i got a lot of anons and twitter replies/DMs about this fic which i was surprised about because the subject matter is. intensely personal and comes from a dark place but i got a lot of messages from people who were hurt by it (in like. solidarity JWISJWIE) but also felt a sort of vindication and comfort.

and then True Identity which is a mob psycho fic which i wasnt expecting to be even a QUARTER as popular as it is because 1.) i'd never written for mp100 before and 2.) its just separation arc but reigen trans KAISKW9S

11.) What work took you the longest to write?

ogh. i am STILL writing Four Oh Three it hasnt been updated since 2020 but thats more like. on hold. i think Up The Ante takes the longest to write because between the large gaps in chapters i *do* have chapters in the works. sometimes they just take me like 6 months to write. because porn is hard actually

19.) What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

i like seer/rampart SOOOO much i need to actually do shit with them. its on my to do list

30.) Biggest surprise while writing this year?

i'm just surprised most of my works reached 50+ kudos this year. literally nowhere near the 1,000+ kudos average i could expect from bnha fics but the apex fandom is so tiny and my pairings so dead that 50 kudos are like the equivalent of 500 from the bnha fandom for me. its like inflation for kudos on ao3 economics

[themculibrary]

AU Fics Masterlist 2

Links Last Checked: April 13th, 2024

part one, part three

All I Ever Wanted (ao3) - alby_mangroves, seratonation sam/bucky, steve/tony G, 14k

Summary: Florist/tattooist AU. When Steve and Tony decide to get married Bucky and Natasha volunteer to organise the wedding for them. As it turns out the florist is one Sam Wilson and Bucky really didn’t stand a chance.

A Pirate's Tale (ao3) - Marvel corner (PinkGold) bucky/steve/tony M, 35k

Summary: Pirate AU where Bucky, Steve and Tony have a past, a present and a future together. Not everything is easy, in fact, easy may not have been in their vocabulary to start with.

Catfish (ao3) - L1av steve/bucky E, 28k

Summary: Catfish /ˈkatˌfiSH/ - A catfish is someone who pretends to be someone they're not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.

Steve Rogers is a famous movie star, known for his role as Captain America. Bucky Barnes is a bored law student who drinks too much wine. Bucky gets on match.com to boost his confidence. What he doesn't expect is a guy using Steve Rogers' pictures on a dating profile. Bucky decides to mess with the guy. After all, what idiot uses Steve Rogers' pictures on a dating site?

Not like it's really him, right? Bucky may need more wine.

Clueless (ao3) - Nemerosa                                                                      scott/hope M, 40k

Summary: A high school AU in the Ant-Man 'verse. I wasn't able to find many and I thought this might be worth a shot... Inspired by Clueless, my general love of Paul Rudd and the Ant Man part of the MCU.

In which Scott is generally still the handsome goof we all know and love, he's just younger. An intelligent slacker who could be something if he only applied himself more.

Hope is the new transfer student who arrives and challenges him, academically and in other ways...

Countdown (ao3) - ShesLikeTexas steve/tony, pepper/happy, bucky/natasha E, 96k

Summary: Mob Boss Steve Rogers kidnaps Tony Stark and gives him 365 days to fall in love with him.

Dishonor On Your Cow (ao3) - mandarou steve/bucky E, 111k

Summary: “Sergeant Barnes?”

“Oh, hell no, don’t call him that, man,” Sam warned.

“Captain Fuck Off!” Barnes shouted over him. “Fight me!”

Steve didn’t know whether to laugh or just slink away. He managed to combine the two by pacing two steps and snorting instead. Like a bull.

“I’m gonna need you to calm your ass, Barnes,” Sam said as he went limp again, obstructing Barnes’s struggling under him. “This is so undignified. That is Captain goddamn America.”

“Captain goddamn America!” Barnes repeated, louder. And angrier.

Steve cleared his throat again. “I’ve been looking for you,” he told Barnes.

“I hope you brought lube this time!” Barnes shouted.

Gonna Marry That Boy (ao3) - haveufoundwhaturlookingfor clint/tony G, 6k

Summary: Clint runs a coffee shop with his best friend Natasha, and he has a crush on one of the customer's, but he's never actually talked to this boy. He's awkward enough as it is, and things get even more difficult once he learns who the customer is.

Heart of Fools (ao3) - Claudia_flies steve/bucky E, 55k

Summary: Bucky spots the leaflet under some old magazines as he eats. It’s crumpled and worn. He’s looked at it several times in the past seven months since he found it in the Omega center. It has pictures of smiling couples holding hands, sitting on picnic blankets under willow trees. They’re outlined by slogans like “Serve Your Country” and “Your Contribution is Needed”.

Into the Open Air (ao3) - SilverSlashes bucky/steve/tony E, 30k

Summary: Steve is a werewolf missing his mate. Tony is a retired hunter desperate for a cause to take up. They’re both looking for something out in the idyllic, Victorian Irish country-side. They both find it. But the entanglements of love and honor, the bonds of pack and family, and the capricious nature of fate and forgiveness could force three hearts together or tear them all apart.

Lakeside Retreat (ao3) - spacebuck steve/bucky M, 16k

Summary: When Bucky Barnes (writer, sometimes) is sent to Lake Placid to relax and work on his next novel, he's not expecting his trip to get off to such a bad start. Anything that could go wrong, has - until he's rescued from his own misery by his handsome neighbour, who looks mighty familiar.

Last Stop Before Malibu (ao3) - justanotherrollingstony (adoctoraday) steve/tony E, 31k

Summary: Steve stands under the hot sun, hoping that the next trucker to roll in will bring him enough money to eat tonight, enough to save a little, to get out of this place and go somewhere new.

What he doesn't expect, is to meet a man who changes everything.

When Tony leaves, Steve follows and finds a place in his home, his bed, and maybe, his heart.

Pythagorean Expectation (ao3) - trickdaggers steve/tony E, 182k

Summary: Steve turns, feeling his heart fall out of his chest at the figure walking towards them. This has to be a dream. A nightmare— one that Steve has definitely had before.

Tony Stark walking towards them does not compute. Even with his eyes shrouded by orange-tinted spectacles, there is no mistaking that lopsided grin and casual strut onto the field even from a distance. Steve's head is swimming with questions. Tony holds so much notoriety right now that it would be near impossible to keep him transferring teams a secret, especially considering the team he would be leaving is owned by his own family.

(Aka, the fic in which Steve and Tony are rivals both off and on the baseball field— until they aren’t. And it’s also in the 90s, because why the hell not.)

Straight on till Morning (ao3) - Sineala steve/tony E, 109k

Summary: Tony Stark resigned his commission in Starfleet five years ago, after a disastrous away mission, and he swore he’d never go back. He just wants to be left alone to build warp engines in peace. But the universe has more in store for him than that, as he discovers when Admiral Fury comes to him with an offer he could never have expected and cannot possibly refuse: first officer and chief engineer aboard the all-new USS Avenger, a starship of Tony’s own design. What’s more, the Avenger’s captain is Steve Rogers, hero of the Earth-Romulan War. Believed dead for over a century, Steve is miraculously alive… and very, very attractive.

But nothing is ever easy for Tony. As he wrestles with his secret desire for his new captain and his not-so-dormant fears, another mission starts to go wrong, and Tony becomes aware that Steve has secrets of his own – and the truth could change everything.

The Ballad of The Three Legged Werewolf (ao3) - The Notorious Trollop Vo the Terrible (Voishen) steve/bucky E, 84k

Summary: Funny how the perfect time to begin again is right after you realize everything you had is gone. After being a test subject and a weapon in the hands of the humans for fifteen years, Bucky is finally free. His first order of business is finding his own kind and maybe some answers about the holes in his memory. When he meets the pack's First Alpha, he quickly realizes there is something irresistible about him that has nothing to do with his pack standing. With mating season on the horizon, it's time to pick a partner and he knows exactly which alpha he'd like to keep his den warm. Now if only he could remember how seduction works.

the bruises that we share (ao3) - haveufoundwhaturlookingfor steve/bucky T, 3k

Summary: Soulmate AU. Sharing the same injuries/bruises. Pre-War. Skinny!Steve doesn’t like bullies, and often finds himself getting beat up, leaving bruises littered all over his body. Steve doesn’t really think about his soulmate when he gets himself in these situations, figuring someone like him won’t end up with his soulmate. Then, Bucky enters the picture.

The Mating Habits of the Modern Falcon: A Field Guide (ao3) - chicklette bucky/sam E, 48k

Summary: Samuel Wilson has his shit together.

Not in this fic though. In this fic, Sam has a roommate (Steve), a fuck-buddy (Bucky), a full class load (and some student loans), an internship at the VA, a tense relationship with his sister, and no idea what he's doing.

But he's working on it.

To Forgive a Murder (ao3) - SpacePunkStevie steve/bucky M, 24k

Summary: The issue of the Winter Soldier is, truth be told, a dire and intractable problem for Steve Rogers (and, indeed, for at least one powerful government and at least one frustrating millionaire). But this was a dire and intractable problem that had been handed to Steve by fate - or something like it - when he was given Bucky Barnes as a soulmate.

There were a lot of complaints that Steve would like to lodge with fate.

(You’re) The One That I Want (ao3) - eriot, tisfan bucky/tony T, 24k

Summary: Billionaire genius Tony Stark meets and falls in love with tough guy and heart-throb Bucky Barnes during a summer’s fling at a beachside resort. Thought to have been parted forever, they discover they’re both attending Avenger’s Academy, a prep-school for superpowered people. With a different social circle, different goals and different dreams, will Tony and Bucky decide that the other is “the one that they want.”

An Avenger’s Academy/Grease mash up fic.

[pistachiolan]

Highschool Memories

| Egos Mob AU: “Ante Up” | Marvin, Stacy, Chase and Henrik |

It’s been a long time since the last proper Mob AU I’m soooo sorry, I’m trying to get back on track and I have ideas I’m just sooooo slow ;w; Anyway here are our high school sweethearts!

— Commissions are OPEN! Art/Idea© LAN (Do NOT use without permission) Credits to abermals on DeviantArt for the polaroid texture 

[chey-doodles]

Okay I saw this on Facebook a few days ago and all I can think about was Marvin in @murder-schmurder and @pistachiolan / @pistachio-lan Mob AU 😂😂

[peninkwrites]

Lines Drawn in Sand & Concrete - Ch 8 of ?

Bad sees red. Sapnap has his first real day on the job. Quackity questions his graphic design choices.

[CW: violence, guns]

crossposted to ao3

Ch 1

Ch 7

Ch 9

Mafia AU

~ Bad ~

Bad has never and will never give up on Skeppy.  It’s simply not an option.  He will tear this city apart until he finds him, he’ll tear this world apart if it means bringing Skeppy home.  They haven’t stopped their campaign to find and butcher every old ally of Schlatt who might have gotten big ideas about taking out an opposing mob boss, but Bad doesn’t delight in needless bloodshed.  As of late, it seems many of them have gone underground, having finally caught on to who is being targeted.  Bad is not utterly without patience.  Since his targets have all fled to hide under rocks, he instead waits.  He has vines creeping all over the city, ears listening around every corner, eventually, somewhere, someone, has to hear something.

Eryn has always been the best at the job.  Despite his age and limited experience, this kid always finds himself in the right place at the right time and always makes sure to bring it back home to them.  In some ways, Eryn reminds him of his son.  His loyalty and care bears a resemblance, but the ability to be stealthy and therefore dangerous, that is not something he has in common with Sapnap.   Sapnap had never been able to surprise him, not with his heavy tread and dangerous trust in others; rather, he hadn’t been able to surprise Bad until he turned eighteen.  That was one secret his son had kept well; his plans to leave him.

Ant raps once on the rusted door of the office and Bad motions him in through the filthy chicken-wired glass.  They haven’t moved in to the slaughterhouse very well.  The warehouse remains a warehouse and they merely have added blood to the rust.

“Hey, Bad, Eryn… I think he’s got something,” Ant sounds nervous, maybe even more risky, hopeful.

“Is he here?” Bad stands sharply.

“Yeah,” Ant turns and nods down the metal staircase, Eryn taking his cue and coming up the stairs to join them, a flier clutched in his fist.

“Hey, Boss,” Eryn is equally excited as he is wary.  “So, um, I think I should preface this with I wasn’t trying to nose around at the time, but ages ago, I saw… I saw the note the guy that took Skeppy left,” Eryn pauses, waiting for some scolding, but Bad doesn’t blink.

“Yes?  Go on?”

“And… and I was on the West side, there’s this fancy as shit building getting gutted, and they just sent out fliers, it’s for a casino,” Eryn offers the flier.

Bad is puzzled, glancing at Ant.  “Okay…?  I’m sorry, Eryn, I’m not sure I follow.”

Eryn offers the flier more insistently.  “Look.”

Bad accepts.  Once glance is all it takes.  The flier reads: JOIN US FOR THE GRAND OPENING OF LAS NEVADAS!  Followed by a date in six days time and an address vaguely familiar, but that is clearly not what piqued Eryn’s interest, rather, the logo.  A poker chip, on its surface, a smiley face.  Bad sees red.

“Ant?”

“I’ll get the car.”

“Eryn, did you notice anything else?  Do they have much security?  Is it near a police station?  Anything like that?” Bad asks, his voice calm in a way that makes Eryn nervous.

“No, nothing like that.  They had a sorta big guy directing construction shit, but no one looked armed,” Eryn shakes his head.

“Okay.  Thank you, Eryn.”  Bad first checks his holster, before deigning to add another gun to his belt.  If he felt like having a shred of more patience, he would have gathered reinforcements.  “Keep yourself out of trouble, we’ll be back soon, m’kay?” He presses some cash into the kid’s hands before he can protest.

Ant is quick to act, pulling up outside and driving fast, and Bad is grateful, but a minute into the drive, Ant can’t seem to resist a thought Bad has thus far deigned to ignore.  “It’s… it’s just a smiley face.  For all we know, it’s a coincidence.  It doesn’t even look the same.”

“Yes, the professional logo looks different to a ransom note,” Bad says icily.  “In what possible world would a new business opening happen to have the same symbol as whoever is holding Skeppy hostage?”  Bad stares down at the flier, half crumpled in his fist.  “It’s like they’re mocking us.”  

Ant glances over at his friend, but he can’t actually argue.  “Do we… Do we have a plan?”

“We can’t kill anyone, not right away.  The last thing we need is to get hasty and shoot the one person who knows where he is,” Bad can’t help but check his holster again.  “If there’s a crowd, we get a hostage, just to maintain control.  If there aren’t too many people, hopefully guns will be enough to keep people scared.  One of us will cover with a gun, the other goes in with… what do you have in your trunk?”

“Crowbar, hammer, baseball bat, the hunting knife you left there last time, rope, the usual,” Ant offers.  “Do we… Do we grab someone who looks important and take them back to the Slaughterhouse?  Or do we try and get this done then and there?”

Bad shrugs.  “Let’s see how quick the owner breaks.  If we have to, we take them and run.”

Ant nods.  Bad remains cold and calm, even as his heart races.  What if nothing comes of this?  What if something does?

Ant pulls up outside the old bank, which is looking shiny and new again.  Neon lights, currently off, are now installed between the pillars lining the front doors, reading in loud letters LAS NEVADAS.

“Bad, I see Foolish,” Ant says cautiously, leaning over the dash to get a better look through the glass front doors.

“What?” Bad follows his gaze, frowning.  Foolish is sitting on top of what was once probably the front desk of the bank, a long ornate counter now also adorned in neon and gold.  He’s on the phone.  Bad considers this, before quickly dismissing it.  “Foolish won’t be a problem.  He knows us, probably better than whoever hired him here.  We’ll just tell him to stay out of the way.”

Ant pulls up beside the building, out of view of the main street.  Ant doesn’t voice it aloud, but Bad knows what he’s thinking.  We’re being hasty.  This is dangerous and might not be worth the risk.  He doesn’t actually say it, though.  He knows better than that.  When it comes to Skeppy, for Bad there’s no such thing as risk.

“How do we go in?  Covert at first?” Ant asks, unlocking the trunk.

“We can’t go in swinging immediately, otherwise the only person to swing at will be Foolish, and I’m sure Puffy wouldn’t appreciate that,” Bad says.  He considers their stock of weapons thoughtfully.  A knife would be subtle, and tends to be his forté, but the rage and grief roiling in his blood draws him to the bat.  Less heft than the hammer or the crowbar, it’ll be slower to do harm.  Bad wants it to be slow.

“I wouldn’t call that covert, Bad,” Ant says pointedly.

Bad shrugs.  “Maybe we stopped by on our way to the park,” he says mildly.  The bat cannot be fully hidden, but he tucks it under his arm, inside of his jacket.  Ant keeps his gun holstered as they approach the glass doors.  Ant goes to open it, finding it locked, which makes sense considering it is an unopened business.  Bad steps up beside him, knocking sharply on the glass until Foolish looks over.  Bad waves, smiling cheerfully.

They can read Foolish’s lips through the glass, as he delightedly says “Bad!  Ant!”  And hangs up the phone.  He’s going to let them in.  Bad almost feels guilty.  Almost.  “Hey!” Foolish opens the door, stepping back to let them in.  “What’re you guys doing here?”  For a moment, his cheer wavers.  “Wait, is my dad okay?”

“She’s fine, Foolish,” Bad says quickly.

Ant scans the rest of the casino.  There’s no one else here save Foolish at the moment, tables being set out for the up and coming opening night.  “So, a casino, huh?” Ant asks.

“Yeah!  Yeah, it’s pretty cool.  I was just hired to do the renovations at first, but Quackity asked me to help with organizing n’ stuff, at least the setup, y’know?”

Bad looks at him sharply.  “Quackity?”

“Yeah!  This is his whole operation!  Did you not know that?” Foolish looks puzzled, glancing between the two of them.  “Why’re you guys here, actually?”

Bad smiles, receding into his calm facade.  “Right, of course!  I just thought you worked for Eret.  We’re here to see Quackity, actually.”

Foolish is now staring at the baseball bat under his arm.  “...why?”

“You know, to talk business,” Bad adjusts his coat.  “Nothing you need to worry yourself with.”

“Um, maybe I… maybe I should call Sam.  So he can… show you to the office,” Foolish isn’t a bad liar when he’s prepared, but this is not one of those times.  He starts to reach for the phone.

Bad sighs.  “Ant?”

Ant, looking almost apologetic, gets out his gun.  Foolish stops, wide-eyed, hands raised.  “You know we’d never want to hurt you, Foolish,” Ant says carefully.  “But, at the moment the owner of this place is our best lead on Skeppy.”

“On Skeppy?” Foolish is startled, still staring at Ant’s gun.  “Why… why would Quackity know something about Skeppy?”

“Well, why don’t we ask him?” Bad smiles.  “Where’s his office, Foolish?”

“I don’t… I don’t think I should tell you?” Foolish still stares at the gun.

Ant and Bad exchange a look.

“Come on,” Ant nods him back toward a door labeled staff only.  “We’ll find it ourselves, we just can’t have you running off to call the police while we do.”

Foolish has no choice but to follow, or rather lead, as Ant remains at his back.  “Y’know, if he knows something, you could probably just ask him normally––”

“Quiet, now, Foolish,” Bad says.  “Although, what’s that you were saying about Sam?  You don’t mean our Sam, do you?”

“Yeah!  Sam Warden?  He’s… he’s head of security now.  And, he probably saw you guys come in on the cameras, and you know how he is, he probably called the cops,” Foolish tries hopefully.

“I’m sorry, Foolish, you can’t convince us on this one,” Bad almost sounds genuine.  “Skeppy has to come first.”

Foolish tries to keep walking, but Ant stops him, nodding to the door they had almost passed.  Gold lettering reading HQ has been freshly added.

“Ah, shit,” Foolish sighs.

“You go in first, Foolish,” Ant nods him to the door.

Foolish winces, but it’s not like he has much choice.  He opens the door slowly, entering.  “Hey, Quackity!  Do you have a gun?” Foolish says with a hint of panic, but his warnings are too late.  Ant hits his head with the butt of his gun.  Foolish shouldn’t have tried to warn him, and his body hits the ground like a ton of bricks.

“What the fuck?!” Quackity and Sam each reach for their holsters, but by then it’s too late.  Ant’s gun levels on Quackity, Bad’s on Sam.

“Guns on the table, boys,” Bad says brightly.  His anger is pulsing in his blood.  The man across from him could very well be responsible for his heartache these past months.  “I would also move very very slowly.”

“Bad, Ant, what’re you–” Sam starts to speak.

“I gave you instructions, Sam.  You used to be not half bad at following orders,” Bad says.  “You might think I’d hesitate to kill you, but you know I won’t hesitate to really injure you, so, you should probably listen!”

Sam moves first, slowly, bitterly, he gets his gun out with two fingers, laying it on the desk.  Ant grabs it.

“Hi, Quackity!  Long time no see!  But I know you have a gun,” Bad says.

Quackity glares at him, fury clearly ill contained, but he too gets out his gun and lays it on the table.  “What the fuck do you want, Bad?”

Bad tuts him.  “Language, Quackity.”

“I don’t exactly obey niceties from someone holding a gun on me,” Quackity says icily.

Bad shrugs, taking Quackity’s gun as well.  He looks over at Ant.  “Why don’t you use Sam’s gun too?  I’ll need both hands for this.”

“Got it,” Ant nods curtly, leveling Sam’s gun with his chest.

Sam looks far more afraid than Quackity.  “What… what’re you here to do, Bad?” He asks, voice softer.

Bad laughs.  “Aw, don’t you worry, Sam, we’re not here for you this time!”

Quackity takes half a step back, but it’s not like he can go anywhere.  Sam, to Bad’s surprise, steps in front of him, keeping himself between Bad and Quackity.

“I thought we’d always been cordial, Bad,” Quackity says warily from behind his head of security.  “Why the sudden change of heart?”

Bad smiles, teeth too sharp.  “You know, I’m actually here to ask you that, Quackity.”  He slams the flier down on the desk, his other hand now taking out the bat.

Quackity stares at it, baffled.  “It’s my fucking flier, what’re you– are you gonna actually explain?”

“Interesting choice in logo, Quackity.  Familiar, even.  Hm?” Bad says, weighing the bat in his hands.

“What the fuck are you talking about?!”

“Get out of the way, Sam,” Bad says with that same dangerous politeness.

Sam stares at him, at his eye level.  “It’s literally my job not to do that.”  Even Quackity looks surprised by this.

“You know I’ve hurt you before,” Bad gives him one last chance.

Sam’s shoulders remain squared and tense, jaw set, but he nods, and holds firm.  So Bad brings the bat down on his freshly healed knee.  Sam collapses, choking back a scream, clutching his busted leg.

“What the fuck, Bad?!” Quackity snarls.  “You’ve lost it–”

Quackity crashes against the cabinet behind him, the glass shatters, blood now streaming from his busted lip.  Quackity tries to catch himself, only managing to cut open his hand as well as his arm on the glass.  He was lucky, all things considered. A few inches further, the bat could’ve easily dislocated his jaw.

“Language, Quackity,” Bad tuts him again.

Quackity braces himself against the desk.  He spits out a tooth.  Quackity’s voice remains relatively steady, a stark contrast to Sam on the floor.  “Not exactly an effective interrogation if you don’t tell me what you think I’ve done.”

“I assumed it would be relatively self explanatory.  I want to know why your logo matches the signature on a letter from Skeppy’s captor, and then I want to know where you’re keeping him.  And if you tell me quickly, I will dial back my previous threat to skin you in front of your loved ones, and maybe instead I’ll just do it privately,” Bad offers amicably.  “Oh!  Actually, if you’re quick about it and Skeppy is generally okay, I’ll make it easy.  A nice, clean headshot from Ant, how about that?”

Quackity’s anger turns to confusion.  “What fucking letter, Bad?  What the hell are you talking about?!”

Bad sighs, exchanging a look with Ant, as if to say what a shame, as next, he brings the bat down against Quackity’s chest.  He has to be careful to limit head injuries.  They need him conscious.  Quackity hits the ground hard, gasping for breath around bruised if not broken ribs.

“I think it’s too funny to be a coincidence,” Bad circles the desk, towering over Quackity.  “Does that not make sense to you?  Why else would it be the same, Quackity?  So just tell me where you’re keeping Skeppy, and we can finish this up right now!”

“I don’t… I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about!” Quackity shouts at him furiously, spitting more blood on the carpet.

Bad sighs.  “Y’know, I really believed you weren’t like Schlatt.  You were with him, but Puffy always seemed to imply it wasn’t by choice, not that she would gossip, just a general sense of concern, but now I’m starting to think you were two peas in a pod, huh?”

Quackity struggles to sit up.  “You don’t fucking say that to me–” He snarls, fury overtaking pain, but he’s downed again by Bad’s boot coming down on his hand, crushing his fingers.  Quackity screams, curling into a ball, cradling his broken hand, cowering with practiced precision to protect himself.

Bad feels a flicker of pity.  He genuinely doesn’t relish in this.  He’d trusted Quackity, and cannot understand why the man would turn so cruelly against them, but he can see no other explanation.  Bad raises the bat, but before he can do his best to shatter Quackity’s kneecaps, he hears a voice he hasn’t heard in a long time.

“Drop the guns, Ant,” Sapnap sounds almost composed, gun level with Ant’s head, but Bad knows him better, he hears the slight tremor.  His son isn’t looking at him.

Bad has stopped, staring at Sapnap and feeling as if a new knife has begun to twist in his chest.  “Sapnap?” Bad says weakly.

“I’m not screwing around, Ant.  Drop them,” Sapnap says sharply.  He’s still ignoring his father.

Ant drops the guns.

“Quackity?!” Another man is behind Sapnap, trying desperately to push past him, but Sapnap holds him back with one hand.  Sapnap is assessing the room with care, assessing them with care.  He can’t hold a gun on both Bad and Ant.

“Karl, hand me one of those guns,” Sapnap says to the man behind him, only once he stops struggling to get past him does he allow him to pass.

Karl listens, grabbing one of the guns Ant has dropped, passing it up to Sapnap’s left hand, but after that his eyes remain locked on the figure curled at Bad’s feet.

“Dad– Bad,” Sapnap almost falters, a grim expression close to fear, as he holds a gun on both of them.  “Drop the bat.”

“Sapnap,” Bad says again, and something about his voice, his tone aching and wounded and longing for a family long since gone, it makes Sapnap flinch.

“Drop it,” he tries again.

“He’s got Skeppy,” Bad is pleading.  “Sapnap, please.  He took Skeppy, he had to.  Please don’t choose him over our family.”

Sapnap’s eyes are shining, but he remains utterly focused.  “Why?”

“W-What?”

“Why do you think he has him?” Sapnap says sharply.

Karl stares at him with a hint of panic, realizing he had handed this man another gun and now they are all at his mercy, depending on who he decides to believe.

“It’s that smile, that stupid smiley face, it’s the same!”  He points accusingly to the flier on the table.  “It’s what whoever took him signed their notes with, Sapnap.  Why would it be the same?” Bad begins to take a step closer, the hand without the bat reaching out to his son, but Sapnap braces, holding the gun not aimed at Bad’s head, but rather his leg.  Bad doesn’t think his son could kill him, he could shoot him in the leg, so he stops.  “Sapnap, please.  I… I don’t have much family left,” Bad doesn’t try to bury the tremor in his voice.

Sapnap glances from Bad to Ant, cogs turning behind his eyes that Bad cannot fathom.

“The serial killer we’ve been after.  He doesn’t always kill.  Witnesses say he wears a white mask with… with a smiley face painted on,” Sapnap says carefully.

“What?” Bad doesn’t understand.

Sapnap glances at Quackity, before back to Bad.  “He’s too short.”

“What?” Bad is torn between pain and confusion.

“Quackity is too short,” Sapnap says more impatiently.  “The man in the mask is somewhere between 6’0” and 6’2”.  Medium build, and a couple people think he has light hair, but they weren’t sure because he always has his hood up.”

Silence, Bad and Ant at a loss for words, the rest waiting and praying the new guy will get them out of this.

“So…” Sapnap continues, uneasy from the silence.  “I think that’s probably who you’re looking for.  Not him.”  Sapnap frowns thoughtfully.  “What’d the face look like?  On the note?”

“Like–” Bad starts to point at the flier.

“No, it didn’t, Bad,” Ant says wearily.  “Think about it.  The note, it’s just a regular smiley face with a round mouth.  It’s different,” he nods back to the flier, the face with a squared off smile in the center of a poker chip.

Sapnap nods, as if this confirms something in his mind.  “This isn’t who you want, Bad.”

Bad stares back, surprised to find he still had enough heart left to be cut out.  This isn’t who you want.  It is who he wants.  He doesn’t think it’s his to want anymore, but he wants his son back.

“Karl,” Sapnap says over his shoulder.  “Stay behind me, I’m going to the right,” Sapnap enters the office, circling until the doorway is open.  “Both of you need to leave.  I don’t want to shoot you,” he says back to his father and sort of uncle sort of big brother.

“Bad,” Ant grabs Bad’s arm, pulling him toward the door.  Bad lets him.  Sapnap watches them go, and tries to ignore Bad watching him right back.  Sapnap follows, silent, careful, and he doesn’t stop until Ant has dragged Bad out the front door.  Bad watches him until Ant has dragged him out of sight.  It’s the first time Bad has spoken to his son in years, more years than he’d like to count.

He’d just hurt an ally, had a confrontation with Sapnap, and found out it had all been for nothing.  Sapnap had offered them another lead, but one without anywhere to go next.  This mysterious serial killer is as elusive to them as anyone else.

“Bad?” Ant says again once they’ve driven a few blocks from the casino.

“Did you see the way he looked at me?” Bad says softly.  It wasn’t the first time Sapnap had looked at him like that, but the first time in a while.  Bad had almost forgotten how much it hurt.  “Ant, what if we’ve lost them both?”

Ant looks back at him, and he doesn’t know what he can give.  He cannot give Bad any consolation for how to keep living now, not when he himself hasn’t figured out how he’s living past Velvet.  “I’m sorry, Bad,” it’s all Ant can think to say.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take, I really don’t,” Bad gets more choked up, and that somehow snaps Ant out of it.

One hand still on the steering wheel, he reaches out, putting a firm hand on Bad’s shoulder.  “Hey.  You can take as much of this as you need to until we bring him home, right?  That’s the Bad I know.”

Bad nods, but it’s clear he doesn’t believe him.

Ant sighs, focusing on the road.  “You do what you can, Bad.  I’ll take on the rest.”