#moreau's revenge au

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

DC

What Does it Mean When Your Son Comes Home with Plans for a Death Ray? Asking for a Friend by PrinceJakeFireCake

Basically the title.

Excerpt: “What does it mean when a young man comes home with plans to create a death ray so he can frame Luthor for plagiarism?” Bruce asked anyway, because maybe one of them knew.

There was a long silence. Bruce waited patiently.

“What?” Clark and Diana asked, at the exact same time.

“You know what? Never mind,” Bruce sighed, wearily. “He’s probably just at that age."

Clone Wars

: (Is to) :: (As) by TamerLorika

Cody's General was a perfect example for the men. He ate regularly. He was punctual with his medical appointments. Kenobi socialized with his officers, hosted curated office hours for the rank-and-file, walked the field hospitals during engagements, and made time every Centaxday to review escalated grievance reports.

He was there for his men—but always at the exactly appropriate arm’s length away and half step ahead.

.

Cody notices that Kenobi's regard for himself is always clinical and utilitarian. As he ponders a way to break the stalemate, he begins to learn more about the lightsaber that is so often in his hands, and how it relates to the subject of Kenobi's own soul.

The Exception by Threebea O (ThreeBea)

Cody gets a new Jedi assigned to the 212th Attack Battalion after he is forced to execute his last one. He has enough experience to know how this new Jedi will behave.

But the Sith Slayer proves himself to be the exception to all of Cody's expectations.

Cody leads his unit, fights a multi-front war, and tries to figure out JM-031.

All for the Game

No straighter path than to struggle by otatop

Neil is sick and it's fine until it's not.

There's a lot of soup.

if you saw my darkest parts by KweenDay

When you meet your soulmate, you share your dreams. Even the bad ones. Especially the bad ones.

Jeremy knows he's met him—his soulmate—when he starts sharing his dreams. But those aren't just any dreams. They're all dark and violent, nightmares that make Jeremy suffocate. And Riko Moriyama is in all of them. Jeremy narrows it down to one person—Kevin Day. Except, Kevin already knows his soulmates (plural?), and Jeremy isn't one of them. So why is the universe fucking with him? And why is Jean Moreau looking at him like that?

//Soulmate AU in which you share your soulmate's dreams after you meet them in person.

soleil / sans soleil by electric_typewriter

Jean is slowly learning how to live as a Trojan with the support of his teammates friends. There are better days, and worse. A bad day leads to a conversation with Coach Rhemann. Some uncomfortable questions have to be asked.

SVSSS

Luo Binghe's Guide to Winning a Bride by Meriglass

Five years have passed since the events of the Immortal Alliance Conference, and Luo Binghe is nowhere to be seen. Shen Qingqiu is beginning to fear the worst. That his dearly beloved, golden halo protagonist really did die in the Endless Abyss. Otherwise, why wouldn't he have come to enact his revenge by now?

Meanwhile, Luo Binghe is alive and well. He's just sulking in the Demon Realm.

In which Shen Qingqiu is kidnapped and placed as the official bride prize for a demon battle tournament, and it's up to Luo Binghe to enter undercover in order to save him.

[forkz07]

i have some more about the cowboy au 😼

okay so a little more backstory on everyone

Donna

Donna’s parents, like in the canon, also killed themselves, and Miranda took Donna and Angie in at a young age. Donna was about 5, and Angie was only a couple of months old. She grew up with her and the others and was the baby of the family, always being cared for and treated for which ontop of her parents leaving her, gave her major abandonment issues. So, when Donna was about 11, when Karl left to join the outlaws (since everyone else had alr left), Donna was left alone, and Miranda was focused on revenge, so she didn’t care for Donna at all. All she had was her little sister, Angie. When Donna turned 16, and Angie was 11, Karl came back during the night and took her and Angie away from Miranda and they both joined the outlaws.

Karl

Karl’s parents were killed when he was a kid, around age 9, and he was left to fend for himself until Miranda found him a couple of months later. He was starved, hurt, dehydrated, and severely ill. Miranda took him to one of the local hospitals and he was taken care of, and he swore to himself that nobody, not even Miranda, could take care of him except himself, because if they did it would hurt his pride. He didn’t really like any of his siblings. They were alright, but they got annoying. Then, Donna was adopted into the family. They grew a bond. About 7 years later they hen Karl was 16, he left and became an outlaw. He went around with them and as soon as Donna turned 16 he came back for her and let her join the gang which he was now the leader of. His reputation was massive, and it wasn’t a good one. He was kind of honourable, but he had robbed and killed hundreds. He also had a talent for welding metal and making tools or machinery.

Alcina

Alcina was about 11 when Miranda took her in and was 12 when Karl joined the family. Her parents, even though they were nobles, didn’t think they were going to be able to properly take care of alcina, so they found someone who was willing to take her in (Miranda) and shipped her off so she could ‘have a better life.’ When she was 17, she left home and started to work in one of the new cities, and by the time she was 20, she was a well known, successful woman (which was not common at all). She had her own winery and very loyal customers. Alcina learnt a lot about everyone and everything, and for the right price, and with the right amount of trust, alcina was willing to give you information on whatever she knew. Karl and Donna would come along sometimes if they needed something. And so would Miranda, though, alcina didn’t trust her all too well.

Salvatore

Salvatore was 15 when Miranda brought him in and he was 17 by the time alcina was adopted into the family. He had no mother beforehand and his father was too ill to provide for the family and was later jailed for stealing to try and get money. Moreau had nothing except the fisher house and docks his father left behind. When he was taken in by Miranda, he was so happy. He felt lucky. And when he was 25, he moved out, and went back to the fisherman house his father left. Sal lives quite a quiet life, though, every once in a while someone will come by, and they would mysteriously disappear. Karl and Donna would make trips out to Sal to see what belongings the people had left behind, and if anything was useful, Sal would let them have it.

Angie

Angie was only a few months old when her parents died, and all she had was Donna to take care of her until Miranda found them, though, Donna was still her main caretaker, even though she was a child herself. They grew up closely, though they were total opposites. When Karl came and got them, the two of them were thrilled.

Miranda

Miranda was only young when her daughter died. She was about 22, and her daughter Eva was only 5. When she got mauled by wolves, she was recasted, and swore she would get payback on the man who made it happen. She adopted special children which she swore had ‘gifts.’ Even though she was a governed (which was odd for a woman), people thought that Miranda was a witch. They though she studied witchcraft. And even though she denied it, she did. And she had mastered all there was to know, to the point that she could actually wield magic. Nobody has ever seen her use it, but she has. She cursed Ethan winters and is still out for him. She won’t stop until she has revenge for her daughter. She wants to take his daughter and turn her into her own.

Ethan

Ethan lived a pretty normal life. He got married to Mia, had his kid rose, and they lived on a farm so they could make their living. One day, Ethan was out in his farm when he saw a little girl wandering around. He went up to her and asked what she was doing and she assumed she was in trouble so she ran in the direction to the woods. Ethan knew that it was unsafe and followed her. But when he found her, it was already too late. He got Mia to fetch the law and when they got there, Miranda arrived on the scene. She couldn’t believe what she seeing. Ethan was blamed for the murder by Miranda, though everyone else thought it was an accident. A couple years later when his daughter rose was born, a hex was put onto him by Miranda and his body was slowly deteriorating, though it didn’t look like it from the outside. Whenever he got hurt, it would heal quickly, no matter how severe. It was.. odd. It was like he wasn’t even human anymore. Him and Mia thought nothing of it though, and had to make plans for rose. They had seen a cowboy come by the town recently and knew that he was still here, so they found him and asked him to take rose, and to bring her back in 5 years to see if it was safe. Karl agreed, oblivious to the fact it was Miranda who was after their daughter and took off. He soon learnt that it was Miranda after rose, and he was fine with that, though it didn’t go very well with Donna..

Donna didn’t want to go against Miranda. She was the one who cared for them, took them in, and protected them until they were old enough to protect themselves. Angie agreed with Karl that Miranda wasn’t a good person, but Donna didn’t believe it. She stuck with Karl, though it made their relationship rocky.

Alcina and Sal were shocked when they heard that Karl had kept rose after learning that Miranda was the one after her, but decided to keep his secret and aid him. After all, they could both tell that Miranda was less.. humane.

is there anything you guys want to know or want me to clear up about this au 😻 I wanna write more about it but idk what exactly so I’d gladly take questions

[firstaidspray]

Little thing I made imagining an AU where the Lords team up with Ethan to take down Miranda as revenge for their treatment by her- Donna gets a gun and some armor!!

Let's say Moreau gave her this gun (since it is Moreau's Hidden Weapon) when they teamed up and he prefers to use his powers (as will Alcina, though i MIGHT give her a gun just for fun) and the armor came from...idk a former victim?? Or she sewed it herself?? Idk lol. I low-key want to add Angie to the scene and give her a scaled down version of the gun too.

(Model credits under the cut)

Donna Beneviento model

Armor/Body

RE8 Magnum model

Background from the game taken by me :)

[monowires]

info dump about ‘my’ shepard because i’m Autistic™️

DEFAULT/CANON MALE SHEPARD / sheploo (calling him this is so funny)

name: commander john shepard

birthday: april 11, 2154

class: adept (L3 pre-me2, L5x post-me2 prologue)

background: earthborn, sole survivor

morality: paragon (me1), paragade (me2), renegon (me3)

skill set (italicized = most used)

combat style: medium-range offensive

weapons: sniper rifles & pistols

powers: barrier, pull, reave, singularity, shockwave, slam, throw, warp

friendships/relationships

sexuality: gay

canon/primary romantic partner: kaidan alenko

headcanon/alternate romantic partners: garrus vakarian & jeff moreau

queerplatonic partner(s): tali’zorah vas normandy, liara t’soni

best friends: wrex, EDI, mordin solus, samara, kasumi goto, thane krios

kaidan is his partner unless otherwise stated; in some AUs (i.e. fanart or fanfic pieces), he may be with garrus or joker. garrus and joker count as his best friends, too, but for the sake of clarity they aren’t listed there.

tidbits

romantic traits:

he is the little spoon (and the bottom).

his love language is touch, but he doesn’t initiate physical contact often.

he’s clingy, but not overbearing.

he’s a bit dense. not to the extent that it makes him seem stupid, but enough to cause unnecessary pining.

he’s rather inexperienced; growing up on the streets had him too occupied with surviving, and by the time he’d hit adulthood, he joined the alliance. this became his sole purpose and he didn’t have much interest in pursuing romantic relationships.

disposition-related traits:

in me1, he seeks diplomatic solutions to problems, only resorting to violence when unavoidable. he often tries to avoid pursuing revenge or anything similar, but this is slightly shaken when he meets toombs & wayne. he convinces toombs to let wayne be arrested rather than killed solely because he does not want toombs to become wrapped up in chasing closure through killing just as he has.

 in me2, he still tries to be a good person, but his patience with those who become his enemies is rather thin. he doesn’t hesitate to threaten/intimidate his enemies, but he also tries to help civilians and similar people. as he’s very on edge given that he’s been forced to work with the same people that slaughtered his entire unit on akuze, he’s quick to defend himself and his allies. he will pursue those who threaten him or those he cares for because he doesn’t want to risk their lives regardless of cost; he feels largely at fault for the destruction of the normandy sr1, and this causes an obsession with eliminating potential threats.

in me3, he shoots first and asks questions later. he doesn’t accept any risks to himself and his crew. the invasion of the reapers despite his warnings has caused him to fall into a constant state of anxiety; these are the same entities he’s had nightmares about for years. he’s distrustful, brutal, and protective, but not evil. this is an important point, as a lot of his inner turmoil centers around his growing anger and worsening violent tendencies. he tries his best to protect the innocent, but acknowledges the occasional need for sacrifice. he will make these sacrifices if it eliminates something he perceives as a threat. this is, again, mainly a trait of post-traumatic stress disorder.

misc. traits:

due to being biotic, he eats a ton of food, and often steals the leftovers of his crew. this is something they learn the hard way; they either finish their food in one sitting, or they get their leftovers stolen by their Feral Biotic Commander™️.

he really, really enjoys tending to the fish tank in his cabin. it’s therapeutic for him. 

collecting model ships becomes a special interest hobby after his two-year coma. he enjoys setting up their displays and learning about various ships.

he has trust issues—but not towards other people. he distrusts himself and his ability to protect his crew.

he falls for kaidan in me1 but doesn’t ever confess his feelings on account of alliance regulations (and the fear of rejection). in me2, he pines for him, but the encounter on horizon causes a rift between them. in me3, he tries constantly to prove himself to kaidan, yearning for the trust he’d placed in him so many years ago.

there’s more, but it’s 4am and i can’t think straight anymore. plus this is also like a huge fucking wall of text already. so enjoy 👍

[leedee013]

WIP Wednesday

I'll be participating in @/kedreeva 's game again this week!

PLEASE SEND IN THINGS. THIS IS LITERALLY THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY WEEK. Anyway, rules:

It’s WIP Wednesday, time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

Here is what I have to offer:

1. Silly Little Jean Moreau Fic 2. Etienne 3. Baby Jean 4. Needle AU (CW: Needle AU will occasionally feature depictions of self harm scars and injuries. The primary focus of the AU is on healing and growth, however.)

5. 101 Ways Not to Say I Do

MASTERPOST OF PREVIOUS WRITINGS

Snippet from a mystery chapter of Silly Little Jean Moreau Fic below the cut:

Jean thought of all the pain. All the loss. All the unfairness. 

He thought of how his cloak of normalcy had been stripped from his shoulders before he’d been thrown into the blizzard of his new life.

He thought of how he’d never get revenge on Riko. How he’d never be able to defeat him on court. How he’d never get the satisfaction of seeing him again and turning his back. 

Jean thought of all of this and swung.

The bat slammed into the old computer monitor with a glassy thud.

[czenzo]

czenzo fic masterlist

All for the Game | The Foxhole Court

♠︎ Overcome ( G / 3,495 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Andrew Minyard/Neil Josten, Sir & King, Animal Sickness, Domestic Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending

♠︎ red plaid, yellow stitching ( E / 1,306 ) – ao3

Jeremy Knox/Jean Moreau, Pining, Plaid Pants, Shower Masturbation, Fantasising

♠︎ soft and sweet, firm and steady ( E / 1,658 ) – ao3

Andrew Minyard/Neil Josten, Post-Canon, Weight/Muscle Gain, Thigh/Arm/Stomach Fixation, Soft Beefy Andrew Appreciation

—

Ao No Exorcist | Blue Exorcist

♠︎ The Joys of Working Retail ( G / 5,039 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Okumura Yukio/Shima Renzo, Alternate Universe: Convenience Store, Modern AU

—

Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

♠︎ Go Big or Go Home ( G / 4,348 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Aizawa Shota | Eraserhead & Shinsou Hitoshi, Sickfic, Light Angst, Hurt/Comfort

♠︎ Misguided Ghosts ( M / 4,292 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Aizawa Shota | Eraserhead & Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Alternate Universe – Lockwood & Co, Ghosts, Angst

—

Carry On | Simon Snow

♠︎ On the Hunt ( M / 8,402 / ongoing ) – ao3 / tumblr

Simon Snow/Baz Pitch, Werewolf Simon, Enemies to Friends to Lovers

—

Haikyuu!!

♠︎ nobody loves you like I do ( G / 5,862 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss

—

Heartstopper

♠︎ falling for you all over again ( G / 3,445 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Nick Nelson/Charlie Spring, Temporary Amnesia, Comfort, Group Chat Shenanigans

♠︎ Nick and Charlie (& Nellie) ( T / 3,381 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Nick Nelson/Charlie Spring, 5+1 Things, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Nellie getting excited and interrupting

♠︎ Seven Years ( M / 16,259 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Nick Nelson/Charlie Spring, Post-Canon, Post-Break Up, Adult Nick & Charlie, Exes to Friends to Lovers

♠︎ Thick Thighs Save Lives ( E / 2,974 ) – ao3

Nick Nelson/Charlie Spring, Post-Canon, Thigh and Ass Fixation/Worship, Mutual Masturbation

—

Harry Potter | Marauders

♠︎ now I hold the guilt on my hands ( E / 1,662 ) – ao3

Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Sirius Black/James Potter, Mutual Masturbation, Phone Sex (sort of), University AU

♠︎ you fit well together ( T / 8,693 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, 5+1 Things, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship

—

Inazuma Eleven

♠︎ food (and a kiss) is the best medicine ( G / 3,585 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Genda Koujirou/Sakuma Jirou, Sick Fic, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss

—

Lockwood & Co.

♠︎ Consequences ( T / 2,335 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Lucy Carlyle/Anthony Lockwood, Fluff & Humour, poor attempts to cover up a hickey

♠︎ Dear Yorick ( G / 1,456 ) – tumblr / full zine

Tea Toast & Ghosts Zine, Magazine AU, Advice Column, The Skull

♠︎ In Record Time ( T / 5,117 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Lucy Carlyle/Quill Kipps/Anthony Lockwood, Soulmate AU (shared injuries), Light Angst, Sharing A Bed

♠︎ Just An Act ( T / 6,360 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Lucy Carlyle/Anthony Lockwood, Case Fic, Jealousy, First Kiss

♠︎ Misdial ( G / 20,348 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Lucy Carlyle/Anthony Lockwood, Modern/University AU, called the wrong number AU, First Kiss

♠︎ Revenge ( T / 1,514 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Lucy Carlyle/Anthony Lockwood, sequel to Consequences

♠︎ Skullyle Internet Friends Series – ao3 / tumblr

Pretty Boy ( T / 2,086 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Missed Call ( T / 3,440 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Lucy Carlyle/The Skull, minor/brief Lucy Carlyle/Anthony Lockwood, Internet Friends, Modern AU, Coffee Shop AU, Mutual Pining

♠︎ step into the moonlight (and throw your weight into me) ( G / 1,439 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Lucy Carlyle & Anthony Lockwood, Angst and Comfort, Book Spoilers

♠︎ The Final Applicant ( G / 2,832 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Lockwood POV, Lucy’s interview, Rewritten Canon

♠︎ Young, Alive, Together ( T / 4,363 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Lucy Carlyle/Anthony Lockwood, Valentine’s Day, Angst, Poltergeists, First Kiss

—

The Quarry

♠︎ Summer Loving ( M / 13,097 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Abigail Blyg/Nick Furcillo, Crushes, Mutual Pining, Fluff, Pre-Canon, Rewritten Canon, Post-Canon

♠︎ The Quarry: Prologue ( M / 6,433 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Rewritten Canon: the game’s prologue, in the form of a written story

—

Yuri!!! On Ice

♠︎ meet me in the morning when you wake up ( T / 1,391 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Angst, Death, Old Age, Memory Loss

♠︎ sea, sand, and sun lotion ( G / 849 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Beach Day, Fluff

♠︎ warmth ( G / 782 ) – ao3 / tumblr

Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Fluff, Blizzards & Snowstorms

[bansheeoftheforest]

Successful Kidnapping AU where Moreau broke free of Bedlam and kidnapped Jekyll as revenge against the Society? He gets rescued, but he's.. different. Skittish. Fearful of almost everything. Doesn't talk anymore, and when he does he panics and shuts himself up, flinching away from whoevet he started to talk to. The Lodgers thought he was just tied up or something, but it's Moreau we're talking about, there was definitely alot of pain, manipulation, and psychological torture at play.

Could also have an amnesia route where he doesn't remember his life before Moreau took him captive. Maybe an even angstier option of him thinking positively of Moreau because of his manipulation and gaslighting, fearing the Lodgers and trying to argue that Moreau should be released after he'd been recaptured during Henry's rescue.

Trauma my beloved <3

(also how come all my aus either involves amnesia and or kidnappings? FK au, AFK au, some branches of the syndicate au, amnesia ghost au, young!Jekyll au... Is this my gimmick now? XD)

Anyways! Would make sense and I absolutely love this idea. Moreau managing to escape, barely alive because he was burnt to a crisp, having horrific scars and being more insane than he used to be, deciding that he wants revenge on the one person he believes is responsible for his downfall despite the fact that Henry was never present during the fire (or so people believe). He manages to escape Bethlam and gain control of what creatures he still has, or he simply does a one-man's-job in abducting Henry. Henry is too terrified after his hallucinations to be able to defend himself, Moreau manages to drag him off to some underground lab or whatever-- I know he was probably miles away from his own but regardless! Secret hideout-- and Moreau physically tortures him. He probably tries to experiment on him. Henry quickly has to learn and adjust everything he does to keep himself safe from Moreau's torture as he sees him like some sort of pet or labrat or just punching bag. Someone either saw the abduction and manages to tell the police what happened or people realize that Moreau's sudden break-out from Bethlam and Henry's disappearance must be connected. I like the thought of Moreau knowing he is going to be caught so he suddenly tortures Henry even more, maybe to the point of amnesia, and when the Scotland Yard busts his lab, Moreau is barely fighting back bc he got his revenge and they find Henry beaten and unconscious. He still has a pulse and his body is twitching yet the cops immediately get him to a hospital, where he could be patched up and healed without having to tell the Lodgers in the state they found Henry in, not wanting to make them more worried.

But then the fun branch split starts. Either he has amnesia and is confused and scared because Moreau gaslit him, or he just has horrible trauma and is so scared of everyone. He is barely the same person anymore. He barely allows the nurses to get close to him when he is in the hospital and when Rachel/Robert/Jasper come and visit, he refuses to let them get close too and tries to get away from them, scared that they will hurt him. He doesn't speak during the entire time and he can barely sleep because he has nightmares. The nurses did a good job before allowing visitors so you can barely see how badly he was beaten, take away for a few bruises and scars. Soon they take him to the Society and yet he is so close to getting a panic attack in the carriage bc of claustrophobia, seeing the Society invokes so many more horrible memories for him. He tries to go on with his life but the Lodgers keep hounding him, asking what happened (he never responds) or why he is so quiet and scared all the time (he flinches even more whenever they ask him that). It goes to the point where someone (Helsby, most likely) finally has "enough" and loudly scolds Jekyll for acting so traumatized when Moreau barely did anything to him... Ahhh... Trauma <3

And with the amnesia route... Moreau gaslighting Henry into thinking that he is his savior and that the Society is the evil ones, that he is just helping him and being nice despite... Well, torturing him (abusive parental trauma flashbacks perhaps?). Henry not remembering anything else but his life with Moreau and almost refusing to go to the Society and begging the police to not take Moreau, although the cops immediately realize that something is wrong when Henry doesn't even recognize them-- Brokenshire, Wipple, Jenkins, and the commissioner. And soon they realize he has amnesia and yet he struggles because he thinks they are trying to hurt him... <3

[be-gay-do-heists]

do you think hardison has a live camera feed of a cramped cell in san lorenzo, one he can pull up on his computer whenever he needs to check. do you think parker has a neat little list of contingencies that she updates every couple years, refreshes her networks, plans that would fall into place like vault bolts if that cell door showed even a hint of opening. do you think they’ve compiled all the ways to say we’re safe. you’re safe. he can’t get a hand on you again ever

[thieves-never-say-die]

Ok I can’t stop thinking about the undercover Eliot au, or the Moreaus fiddle game au, or whatever it is you want to call it

And just - Eliot looking at the difference between how Moreau treats him and how the Leverage team treats him

Like a scene of Eliot coming back to Moreau after a job where he had to torture/murder someone, and it almost went sideways and the guy Eliot was supposed to kill fought back and got in a few hits of his own. Eliot returning to Moreau with a black eye and bloody nose and a few cracked ribs and Moreau scoffing and shaking his head and saying ‘go clean yourself up I have an aesthetic to maintain. I cant believe you almost let that guy get away, that would’ve been quite a mess for you to clean up’

So Eliot trudges off to his safe house and tends to his injuries as well as he can before going back to Leverage because that’s his long term mission

Only to be met with immediate concern from the rest of the team because he has a black eye and is walking gingerly and is he ok??? And Parker goes to poke his bruises but she’s not trying to hurt him and she’s not pointing out his weakness. The others tripping over themselves trying to get him an ice pack because that black eye looks bad. And Nate not stopping them from derailing the mission briefing and not saying no when Hardison demands that they take another day or two off so Eliot can rest and recover

Just Eliot who has been dealing with Moreau for years, who thinks the team is going to be mad that he isn’t top of his game right now, and instead being met with genuine kindness and concern and not knowing what to do with that?

[trivalentlinks]

Alternate (pre-canon, immediately post Moreau) E/Q meet-cute concept/prompt:

Quinn, recently betrayed by a bad employer, seriously injured and left for dead, is laying low and slowly recuperating in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, where he knows a really good doctor and/or physical therapist who owed him a favour.

He has taken up photography to pass the time when his hands don't hurt/shake too much, since he won't be in any condition to take a job for a while. (When he's bored of his other hobby, which is plotting revenge on the bad employer)

Eliot, jumpy, on the run, hasn't slept more than half an hour at a time in months, sees a photographer and mistakes him for someone Moreau has been sending after him and punches him in the face.

(Quinn has not given any indication that he's a hitter, Eliot is just delirious at this point. (Or maybe Eliot registered it on some subconscious level, but it certainly wasn't any of the Distinctives, and once he realizes Quinn isn't actually Moreau's employee, Eliot stops seeing him as a threat.))

I'm thinking in this AU, Eliot, for the most part, built his reputation after leaving Moreau, so at this point Quinn has no idea who this guy is and thinks maybe the bad employer found out he wasn't dead and sent Eliot to tie up loose ends and Eliot is just very bad at his job.

(Seriously? Punching me? In a public place? In broad daylight? I mean, dude's got a mean right hook for sure, but still, that's not how you tie up loose ends. That's how you create more loose ends. Can't believe I worked for the same client who hired this idiot)

... until Eliot snaps out of it and starts apologizing and Quinn is like, what, this is even weirder, just go back to just punching me in broad daylight, that at least made some sense.

Also Quinn can't really fight back at even close to full capacity due to injuries, but somehow befriends Eliot anyway, despite them not getting to have a cool fight or anything. (Maybe they make up for it with a cool fight later.) And maybe it takes months for Eliot to realize that Quinn is also a hitter.

[void-bitten-ghost]

OKAY YALL KNEW THIS WAS COMING

OFMD WINTERSBERG AU IDEAS

Gentleman pirate Ethan who took to the seas with his daughter not for the adventure, but to keep her safe and away from the real threat. I dunno the crown or something? I'm thinking mold powers are still on in this AU so there's some weird bitches messing around with aliens and making them into bioweapons somewhere on land and Ethan gets *Gone*. Acting piracy on the seas to make ends meet may be no place for a child, but Ethan has little choice in the matter when his decision has been made.

Finding out his wife was a spy and willing minion for people who wanted to take their child kind of made it for him, tbh. The day she tried to secretly take blood from Rose was the day he had the plans for The Revenge sent off for construction. He thought it was a very pirate-y name. Would blend in well.

Problem was, he was the one that didn't blend in well.

Infamy was inevitable. A man with a young baby strapped to his front politely threatening goods out of people?? Yeah. That gets attention.

I don't know nearly enough about this part of history I just want to see the 4 lords as pirate captains please and thankyou. Alcina in rose floral silks and pearls with a huge hat and a collection of cutlass'. Her coat a similarly shimmering white and grey... her three daughters in the rigging when the sun is warm on their cheeks but down in the hold under blankets during storms. I feel like the boat name would be The Sanguis Virginis. Yaknow. For reasons

Sly Twink Moreau in a sleek, black, hooded coat. Terribly allergic to citrus and sea salt. Has a very bad time at sea. Might name his ship The Ailing Tempest or something I dunno. Maybe Miranda named it with spite

Donna with her legendary and prized doll collection she gained from plundering noble ships. No one has ever seen her face and there's a betting poll going around her crew about it. There's a small fortune on what the colour of her eyes is, but every soul that's ever seen them has never lived long enough to tell the tale. Ship name would have something to do with Memories I think.

Now Heisenberg... he's all about the panache of things. The flair. The showmanship. But recently he's just been so fucking tired of it all. Has considered the act of grace a grand total of twice when at the bottom of some paticularly potent bottles....

Then he catches wind of The Gentleman Pirate, and he's just smitten from the off. What kind of fucking idiot brings a baby out to sea??? What kind of feral lunatic manages to keep a baby alive as well as himself while out at sea?????

Yeah. Heisenberg has to meet this crazy bastard. He has to.

One of em gets stabbed. Maybe both if we're being honest. Maybe ethan is more severely hurt from turning to protect Rose. He wakes to a strange man holding his little girl and shushing her back to sleep with stern tellings off. Things like "now you see here missy. Your papa needs to rest. Yes I know. I know, mate. It's fine though, the sword missed all the important bits he'll be fine," under his breath and Ethan is having an out of body experience with how much adrenaline pumped through him when he realised he wasn't holding Rose

Cue Heis being like. Thank fuck you're up how do I make it stop??? With the noise??? These things are so fucking loud how do you stand it???

Cue romantic slow-burn with Heis insisting on holding Rose for Ethan while he recovers. Instead of the clothes swap it's Heis wearing the sling and Ethan wearing all of his guns and harnesses as insurance. Ethan needs survival tips. Heis wants to know more about the world that was denied to him. A home. A family. All those delicate and beautiful things he's never known...

Ahem. Someone take this from me please I beg

[darkfinch]

What if after they take down Moreau, Eliot’s not sure he wants to have been stolen back?

Or, he is. But he’s not sure how to do this now, how to regain the team’s trust, or stand the wariness in their eyes when they look at him.

So once they’re back from San Lorenzo he slips from the bar as they’re celebrating to consider his next move, how to leave without hurting them more than he has already. It’s Parker who comes and finds him—Parker, who showed him more mercy than he could ever deserve by Not Asking, who sat next to him on the plane and stole his pretzels and acted like everything was normal.

‘When we were really angry with you,’ she says without preamble, ‘I couldn’t understand how you’d done all that stuff for us—all the saving us and looking out for us and everything—if you didn’t care. And Nate and Sophie and Hardison said you were faking to make us trust you. But I think they were wrong. I think you meant it.’ She looks at him, hard and pleading. ‘Did you?’

This is his chance, he knows, to say, Yes, I meant it. The first person I almost killed in years without Moreau ordering me to was a fake psychic who made you cry, and I’ve never been as scared as I was when you were trapped in that Steranko. I’ve meant it when I’ve caught you as you jumped from some crazy height and I meant it when I told Sophie how to be in with a chance of surviving a bomb blast and I’ve meant the high fives and the meals cooked and the punches taken and if you let me I’ll prove over and over that I mean it, until my dying day.

But it’s easier to go for the clean break. Eliot takes the coward’s way out, looks her in the eye, and says in the coolest tone he can muster, ‘No. I’m sorry. I was just doing my job.’

Parker regards him for a moment and then…smiles?

‘Okay,’ she says, nodding with relief. ‘Good job you were better at lying to Moreau than to me. We must have stolen you without even realising.’ Her smile widens. ‘Come inside. We’re all waiting for you.’

hi why are we all waking up and choosing violence today huh. why are we doing that. im weeping

this is so good!!!!! he wants to leave but he doesn't want to be gone!! he's play-acted being Their Eliot, he's worn him like a suit, but it's always been with the knowledge that moreau's still holding his leash. and he's never been able to really imagine what it would be like? to have that? being on the team and being Their Eliot for real, without the grift or moreau or the rest of it. he's starting from square one!! and it's terrifying!!!

and he knows he's hurt them, and they don't trust him, and maybe they're keeping him around out of pity or a sense of obligation (or, says the part of his brain that moreau still lives in, they're lulling him into a sense of security before doing—something. getting revenge. handling him. something).

and then parker just. does this. im on the ground im weeping and so is eliot in spirit. this team is so good and this au is going 2 kill me thank u

[vickyvicarious]

@darkfinch I thought of a happier AU for you.

Everything is canon through Big Bang Job. The team arrive in San Lorenzo ready to hunt down Moreau, and track down his location.... only to bump into Quinn walking out of there cleaning blood off his hands. "Oh, were you looking for him? Oops. Sorry, he's unavailable now."

It's just a completely unrelated job to kill Moreau he just finished (hired by a competitor or another old enemy who doesn't care about taking him down legally; a big risk job but Quinn loves those). He didn't even know they were involved at all. Eliot wouldn't be anywhere they think Moreau is, so either he tracks him down later that day or the rest of the team basically gather him up to discuss this. And he's just kinda bemused and goes with it.

Either way, Eliot gets the rundown over comms so he knows that Moreau is no more and Quinn did the deed. When he shows up, he is walking straight for Quinn with a very serious face and very purposeful stride. Either Quinn legit didn't bother to remember anyone in Leverage other than Eliot so he doesn't realize he would be here, or he just had a brain fart moment and didn't consider the link until now. Anyway, seeing him come in like this Quinn remembers, "😬 oh right, Eliot Spencer used to work with Moreau. That was in my Eliot Spencer research. Dammit, now Eliot Spencer has extra reason to want revenge on me."

It's really sad for him because now his hitter crush hates him and this was gonna be a really good day but now he has to defend himself from a vengeful Eliot Spencer, dammit -

He readies himself, tries to remind Eliot that, "hey, it was just business, sorry if y-" but then Eliot cuts him off by kissing him directly on the mouth.

(he swoons a little and just goes with it.)

(they still save the election or whatever as long as they're already there, but Sophie and Nate are not the only ones who get down in San Lorenzo in this verse.)

[havendance]

Man as a Living Weapon

Ao3

Fandom: Leverage

Written for the terribly evil ‘Eliot was working for Damien Morea the whole time’ AU that @darkfinch​ spawned. As promised, here are actual words written for it. Covers seasons 1 and 2.

Summary:

"I worked for Damien Moreau. You really think I did anything he didn't tell me to do?"

Eliot knew he was going to be working for Damien Moreau until the day he died; he was five bloody years into it when Dubenich started looking into the best of the best and Damien decided he wanted in.

Or: The one where Eliot was working for Damien the entire time and Eliot Spencer was the biggest con of them all.

Excerpt:

It started like this: it was supposed to be one job only, no encores. Damien had heard the rumors, everything made its way to him eventually. He’d heard that Ford was out of the game, that someone was looking to drag him back in. That someone was gathering up the best of the best for one lucrative job. Altogether, it was something intriguing enough to send Eliot after.

He’d offered it to Eliot like a reward, a chance to indulge in his little hobby of retrieval. It was more than that of course; everything Damien dangled in front of him had strings attached. It was networking and all the greatest in one spot. It was Damien sticking his finger into every criminal pie. It was a test, a piece in the latest game he was playing. Eliot still took it. Damien spoke and Eliot obeyed. That was the way the world worked, certain as the Earth revolved around the sun.

One story started a story of revenge. Another in a warehouse about to blow. A third with revenge of quite another sort. (Dubenich really had gathered the best of the best together for his little plot. There was Eliot of course, he knew what he was. Ford had a mind like a steel trap that grief hadn’t managed to dull. Parker was a ghost, Hardison a wizard with computers, and Devereaux practically a shapeshifter. He should’ve known better than to think he could double-cross them.)

The story could’ve ended with a check in Eliot’s hand that had far more zeros in it than any he’d seen in his whole life. Proof that the whole matter had been well worth it for Damien. It could’ve ended with him walking away and never seeing any of their faces again. It didn’t though, instead it was a beginning in some ways and a beginning of the end in others.

Keep Reading on AO3

[tornrose24]

Okay idea for an au of an au. Hear me out.... au where the lords do adopt Rose, but sad. Say the lords do take in Rose, but through miscommunication or whatever, they believe Ethan is a danger to her, or that he has the same intentions as Miranda. Whenever Ethan gets close to one of them, they hand Rose off to the next lord to keep her safe, knowing there might be a battle. The story goes through as usual with Ethan killing them one by one, continuously going from place to place to find his daughter, along the way finding small, child like artifacts like toys and such with a rose sown into them. By the end, all the lords are dead and Ethan as his daughter back. As he walks away with her, Rose sees the ashes of the family that had taken her in, and even in her infant mind, knows its them and starts bawling and trying to reach for pile of ashes. Ethan thinks shes basically traumatized from being kidnapped. It isnt til he find a photo of all four lords with Rose, as a family that he realizes that he may have made a mistake.

That is just... wow,

It’d be like the Malificent movie if it was actually good, had a downer ending, and didn’t pointlessly turn the dad into the villain just to make the main character look sympathetic. Or a Shadow of the Colossus tragedy.

So first off I don’t know how badly Ethan was needed for the ceremony,  but I could easily see Miranda doing some horrific gaslighting on the lords to make them think Ethan was an awful father and husband (especially given what she’s capable of doing and if she did it beforehand by knocking out Ethan for a bit and messing with Mia’s head and safety for a bit by posing as her husband. And I don’t think I need to say what kind of things happened in order to mess with not just the lords’ heads, but poor Mia as well...). And Miranda does not let them kill Ethan as much as they want to-she wants to get rid of her false children before she can get her true child back. What better way than a game of deception and let Ethan do the dirty work?

Alcina’s death would not only further convince the others that Ethan is the bad guy, but him killing her daughters first would only make things especially worse. Like by the time Bela dies, Rose is immediately sent to Donna. Unfortunately Alcina’s hatred for men (made worse by Miranda’s trickery) only further aids in her family’s downfall...

Donna would know what it’s like to have a genuine loving father. So she’d also have a personal grudge against Ethan for ‘being scum undeserving of the title of father’. And a lot of her mind games and what Angie says would reflect that (“Do you do this with Rose too” would take on a much more darker meaning). Her monsters in the basement would become more horrific and reflecting of young victims of crimes best left unsaid. However it only fuels Ethan’s anger moreso and he kills her. Yet Rose is already with Moreau...

Moreau is kind of already screwed given he can’t control his transformations (not only is the environment a safety hazard for an infant, but you can only do so much in a giant monster fish form) and his low IQ doesn’t help him out in this scenario. But he’d get Rose sent to Heisenburg just after meeting Ethan and likely try to kill him than just block off his exit. Yet he too is fated to die for a misunderstanding...

Heisenburg would be the only one to somewhat suspect that Ethan is actually a good guy and that Miranda was screwing with everyone’s heads, but he had no way to convince his ‘siblings’ otherwise. Even his words around Ethan would be more careful in case the worst case scenario is true. Yet the scars of the past still linger and he remembers all too well what it meant to be a child under an abusive/controlling ‘mother’ and his guard is up. However he’s also too focused on overthrowing Miranda and still says that Rose could be used to defeat Miranda, and like in canon Ethan just doesn’t trust him and it later leads to Heisenburg’s death. And without anyone to keep an eye on Rose, Miranda steals her away while the big fight is happening. (So basically Heisenburg sees that Rose could end up like him when Miranda took him, but revenge still comes first)....

The fact that there are no more villagers left to hide Rose doesn’t help and the Lycans are too focused on Chris and his group. Then Miranda does what none of the lords had the guts to do in the first place for her twisted ceremony...

And to further worsen the situation? Chris (who was probably keeping an eye on things) never tells Ethan that the lords never truly harmed his daughter, or even thought to approach the lords about the truth when he got an idea of the situation, yet understandably didn’t believe it was true, so things only got worse. And The Duke? The only other person who’d tell Ethan the truth? He probably wouldn’t have been in the loop and didn’t know of the lords’ rate moment of compassion. So things continue as they do...

I think I’m order for that photo to happen, Rose would of had to have spent a few days with the lords first before shit hit the fan. And it would have been stolen and hidden away until the very end, when it was too late. But yes, she’d have been around them long enough to not feel any fear towards them-perhaps she’d have grown attached to them. And the toys and gifts? Hints of truth and humanity, yet could easily be ignored by a desperate father who only cares about his daughter’s safety and nothing else.

Furthermore, maybe once upon a time the lords were once decent folks before Miranda came into their lives. But by the time of the AU’s current timeline, their own crimes and reputations would horrifically backfire on them in a time where they had a moment of humanity once more... Their only way of living on being through Rose’s memories and through the megamycte.

(Unless that crystal theory is true and they can be revived of course.)

[party-gilmore]

your post had made me continue thinking about how eliot was taught to use his body in a transactional way. and i know there's a bunch of stories about the ot3 get together that involve parker/hardison finding scars on eliot's, asking about them, talking about how they mean he survived, etc. eliot has scars from the work he did for moreau, sure, but what if some of the scars on eliot's body are from. moreau. moreau and eliot's entire relationship (professional or otherwise) was based on him using eliot, yeah, but when something pissed moreau off, it became game of quid pro quo. because when eliot failed as moreau's personal security and moreau got hurt, eliot got a matching injury. moreau taught him, "i get shot in the shoulder, you get shot in the shoulder, that's the only way you'll truly learn to never let it happen again." and eilot carries that into what he let happen to hardison. he let hardison get hurt, now he needs to hurt, it's not a punishment, it's not revenge, that's just math. (i'm not married to this idea but i think it could be a fun au)

Ah FUCK that is BRUTAL.

The idea of like... the best way to learn how not to get punched is to get punched. You remember how that felt and you don't wanna go through that again.

That is nasty.

...I love it.

There's so much that could be unwrapped here. Like Eliot having to unlearn that tit-for-tat training, and maybe that's part of why he chose to work alone from then on? So he doesn't have that responsibility of protecting someone else not just for the sake of the job, but because he knows himself - knows that he'll still feel compelled to make things Even with a partner or employer, even though he knows it was just some mindfuckery.

Maybe that's why he starts focuses on object retrievals - the only times he could get hurt during those are due to him failing to protect himself, not someone else.

I'm trying to think of the first time any of the team gets hurt on his watch,, particularly due to a mistake of his... studio job maybe? When he takes out his earbud and Nate gets 'napped?

Maybe after the con, he knows Nate's not Moreau, knows it in his head - but his heart still has him flinching for days waiting for the transaction to complete. To pay for his mistakes.

Except he can't even have A Talk with Nate about it, since he's still honoring his loyalty to keeping Moreau confidential, so he just has to push it all back down into it's little bottle deep in the back of his brain until The Pool.