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strixcattus · 3 months

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I've had this idea for an STP roleswap AU swimming around in my head for the past couple days (as though I need a fifth AU) and I kind of want to write down what I have, semi-coherently.

The general concept is thus: The Narrator's plan did not go exactly to plan, and the outside world completely stagnated after the Shifting Mound died. The Long Quiet is content to rule over an empty kingdom, and the Voices have faded over time to be little more than memories tasked with keeping the sole remaining fragment of the Shifting Mound from regaining her former strength.

Meanwhile, the Princess and the Echo are trapped in a mockery of the original Construct, asleep, until after an unknown fraction of eternity they wake up.

The Echo is disoriented at first, but realizes that his plan was complete and resulted in an effective destruction of the world. Figuring that some world, even a finite one, is better than no world at all, he offers to help the Princess escape the basement to which she is confined. (Of course, he's still resetting each time she fails to escape, which means he has to figure this out all over again.)

You are in the basement of a cabin. Outside of this cabin is a Hero. And that Hero will arrive here any minute. He's here to slay you. If he does, you will never escape.

The Narrator offers you a chance to have a weapon. If you take him up on the offer, the Hero will arrive armed, and if you don't, he'll be unarmed—this carries over into Chapter II. You'll also have the choice to face the Hero in the upstairs of the cabin, or to lie in wait in the basement, and when you get to talking with him, you can either act generally friendly and ask questions, or make threats to try getting him to give in. If you ask several questions in a row, you'll be locked out of the threats, and if you threaten the Hero, you can still ask questions, but you won't get much cooperation.

The thing is, the door won't open for you without the Hero's help, and in Chapter I, one of you will inevitably end up killing the other. The Hero will attack you if you try to leave the cabin (or leave the basement, if you lie in wait but decide not to ambush him) or if you run out of dialogue options.

The Chapter II routes are as follows:

Executioner: Take the blade, but refuse to fight back when the Hero attacks, leading to a cold-hearted Hero who doesn't feel remorse over killing you. Prince: Don't take the blade, and refuse to fight back when the Hero attacks, leading to a Hero who regrets slaying you and seems devoted to helping you.

Seer: Take the blade and successfully ambush the Hero in the basement, leading to a jumpy Hero who refuses to trust you. Fledgeling: Don't take the blade, but successfully ambush the Hero in the basement, leading to a flighty Hero who refuses to let himself be seen.

Warrior: Take the blade, attack the Hero, and overpower him, leading to a Hero who's more interested in fighting you than actually doing his job—or letting you go free. Worshipper: Don't take the blade, but threaten the Hero and overpower him, leading to a meek Hero who can't bring himself to stand against you.

Detective: Take the blade, ask questions, and fight back when attacked (unless you're attacked after running out of dialogue options), leading to a Hero who seems understanding of your actions and more interested in the bigger picture. Victim: Don't take the blade or threaten the Hero, but still attack him unprompted, leading to a Hero who's convinced you're more of a threat than you seem and refuses to engage with you.

Jester: Willingly return to the basement after meeting the Hero upstairs, leading to a laid-back Hero who doesn't really care about doing his job. Traitor: Either don't take the blade and fight back when attacked, or run out of dialogue options either with or without the blade, and fight back, leading to a Hero who'll gladly stab you in the back at the first opportunity, and is convinced you'd do the same.

The tone of your options in Chapter II changes depending on the Hero's perception of you—you'll have more options that align with how the Hero sees you, and fewer that go against it. Once in Chapter II, you have the ability to leave with the Hero (though some are much easier or harder to convince) or, if you fail, reach a Chapter III where the mock Construct is on the edge of dissolving. Each Chapter II has both a unique Chapter III and one where they seem to be fused with their paired Hero.

Once you manage to leave the cabin with the Hero, his memories return and you get a fragment of an explanation as to why you're in the cabin. He tells you that you are not yet strong enough to escape the real prison of the Long Quiet, and he on his own is powerless to help, but that with more experiences, you'll be able to achieve freedom for real. After five routes, you remember what you truly are and get to come face-to-face with the Long Quiet.

There's an equivalent to As You Were Once Nothing, as well—if you repeatedly refuse to leave the basement during Chapters II and III, you'll eventually fade away into nothing due to not being perceived.

#slay the princess #role reversal au #stp roleswap au #escape the cabin au

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hay-389 · 5 years

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When Hope Is Lost (Blindspot Fanfic)

A Blindspot story I’ve been working on, the rest is on Fanfic.net or Ao3. Link down below for the rest of the story.

CHAPTER ONE: Past Mistakes

If life were a person, Jane had only one question to ask; Why was it out to get her? No matter how hard she tried, no matter how many people she seemed to save, her overall actions and decisions came back to bite her in the ass. She lived in a never-ending circle of lies, and each one existed because of her. Even the ever so painful lie about being Taylor Shaw, that was her fault. The video Oscar showed her proved it. Her old self said, "you did this to yourself," the words were on constant replay in her mind. She's the one who decided to tattoo all her visible and nonvisible skin, hiding secrets within them, she's the one who drowned her entire body with ZIP, leaving no memories of even what her favorite color was, and she's the one who chose Kurt. The giant tattoo with his name on her back said it all. Jane felt betrayed by her past, maybe it was a good thing she couldn't remember. It was a fresh start. Not exactly anymore, but maybe someday it can be. Cause the fresh start she could've had was ruined the moment she accepted those damn missions. The ones that set Mayfair up for murder, and ultimately lead to her death. Jane wished she could say she saw it coming, and maybe in some small way, buried deep in her self conscience she did, but the truth was she was blindsided. She became caught up in wanting to know her past that she didn't see what her future could end up like. Jane was stupid to think that she could keep the team in the dark about Oscar. Her biggest mistake though was letting him threaten her team. She could have done more, should have. There was no way she was going to let her past choices negatively affect the only people who cared about her.

That's why she hunted him down. While she may have set up Mayfair's untimely death, Oscar pulled the trigger. Jane needed to give Mayfair and her team Justice. She would bring Oscar in, and tell them everything that happened. Like usual, life had other plans. Jane got distracted and Oscar tazed her. When she came to, she was tied down to a wooden chair, and Oscar threatened to wipe her memories once more. Everything after that was a bit foggy. Jane couldn't handle that thought, the pure idea of waking up afraid and not knowing anything about who she is again, it made her want to throw up. Jane remembered breaking out of the chair and fighting Oscar, but she doesn't remember when the fire started. Sure she could feel the hot flames feet away on her face and see the bright orange and yellow flashes dancing out of the corners of her eyes, but the bigger threat was Oscar. That's when a cry escaped his lips, confused she looked down. There had been a scythe hanging on the wall, the one Oscar had originally attacked her with, somehow she had impaled him with it. Jane didn't feel bad that she had killed him, maybe her past self would have because after all, they were engaged at one point. She must have seen the good in him at some point for her to want to marry him. If only he showed that side instead of the darker one that lead to his final moment.

After the barn incident, she headed to her safe house, which looking back is kind of ironic as it wasn't actually safe. That's where she found Kurt. The look on his face will forever be burned in her memory and hurt every time she thinks about it. He knew she wasn't Taylor. Then he arrested her. The words would always exist in a corner of her mind. "My father killed Taylor Shaw 25 years ago. Taylor Shaw is dead, now who the hell are you? Jane doe you're under arrest." The words stung in two ways. While Jane may not have known Taylor Shaw, she had a strange sadness that made her heart heavy. A poor girl who only had 5 years of life. The loving family and friends heartbroken by her abrupt disappearance. Then there was the actual arrest. Jane was no longer sad about it, but angry. If he had given her a chance to talk to him maybe she wouldn't be in this mess. She begged Kurt to listen, tried to set everything straight in the car, but once she realized he wouldn't have it she went silent. He booked her and put her in a holding cell, said he would be back tomorrow to interrogate her, but he never returned. Instead a guy Jane didn't recognize escorted her out of the FBI building and into a van. At that moment Jane knew what was happening and there was nothing she could do about it. That's why almost 3 months later she's sitting in a cement cell, waiting for the perfect moment to escape this hellish black cite.

It was sad to say that the only thing she had left anymore was her anger. It fueled her heart and brain not to give up, even when her body protested otherwise. She got used to the pain though, after a couple weeks of nonstop torture she zoned out, found a safe haven and tuned everything else out around her. It disconnected herself from reality, and if she had a choice she would stay disconnected. It's not like she has anything left to stick around for in the real world. The team hates her, Kurt hates her. Of course he does though, "you lied to him," she told herself. "If he actually cared then he wouldn't have handed you over to the CIA. The only reason he kept you around is because he thought you were Taylor."

"No, he had to or cared about me, even a little." She internally argued with herself. That's all she seemed to be doing these days, she was her own company. Jane came out of the shadows of the cell, sitting in front of Jane who was hugging her knees in the farthest corner of the room. Jane smiled, which she quickly stopped because of how much her dry and cracked lips hurt. This is what almost a day and a half of no water and food did to a person, made them hallucinate. The Jane that sat in front of her wasn't her but looked like old her. She had long hair and an evil glow in her eyes. "Then he wouldn't have handed you over. He only cares about Taylor, not you, not Jane. Now that he knows Taylor is dead, your not even a thought to him."

"He kissed me. Invited me to the park. He felt something." Jane replied, taking the bait. Her past self scoffed, "That kiss meant just as nothing as the park, he didn't bother to waste his time going, remember? He told you yourself."

"We never showed up, we can't know that he did or didn't go. Maybe he did." Jane tried to convince herself.

"But you'll never know, will you, because you chose me."A malicious smile spread across Jane's past self at that voice, and in return, she scowled. It seemed she couldn't get away from him in life or death. "Oscar," she said with as much venom in her voice as she could muster. "Kurt never loved you, he loved Taylor. You know that, so why are you fighting it? You knew it was part of the plan, you chose him."

"I'm not that person anymore."

"Of course your the same person, your memory is just stored away at the moment. It's allowing bits and pieces to slip through, but soon enough you'll remember everything, even the hatred you had for your so-called team. You'll regret it."

"I won't regret anything," Jane argued. "Yes, you will. You're going to remember the mission, and that you are the one who screwed it up. That's all you've been doing lately though huh, screwing things up. No wonder you have nobody in your life. You're pathetic. Poison. I'm glad we never got the chance to get married. I can see why Kurt gave you up to the CIA, I would have done the same thing."

"No...no he wouldn't."

"Yes, he would. They are happy to be rid of you."

"No...go. Get out of my head, leave me alone!"

The room went coldly silent. Jane glanced up, Oscar and her past self were nowhere in sight. That hadn't been the first time she's had that conversation with herself or hallucinated for that matter, but Oscar had never been in the conversation. It seems the less food and water she gets, the worse the hallucinations.

As almost on cue, one of the goons that assisted, Jake, as he liked to be called, opened her cell door, gently placing a piece of bread and bottle of water on the floor. "Make sure to drink the water slowly, or else you'll be sick," he told her, before locking her cell door again. Jane ignored the bread and went straight for the water. Although it hurt to put the bottle to her lips, the feeling of the water putting out the desert that resided in her mouth was like heaven. Never again would she take advantage of something so simple as water. Jane took the bread and slumped back into her corner, more picking at it then eating it. Tomorrow was important to Jane, and just thinking about what was to come made her stomach flip. "What if you don't succeed? You're not as tough as you were when they first brought you in?" It's something she asked herself a lot, but in the end she would have to try. Better to go out fighting than to not have tried at all. So, she scooted herself forward until she was in the center of the room. Jane unscrewed the drain pipe-that she had discovered was loose almost a week into her stay-and checked the rope dangling off the bottom to make sure it was steady and didn't need to to be woven anymore. Satisfied, she screwed it back in. Jane smiled, mostly for the freedom she was about to grant herself, but also because Keaton had no idea of the plan that was about to unfold right under his nose. He claimed to be such a great CIA agent, could detect everything. Of course Jane knew he was lying, or else he would have found out the information he needed from her already. He was definitely cocky, and Jane hated him for it. But she hated him in general, wanted to make him suffer as badly as he made her, but the look on his face tomorrow when he realizes she outsmarted him will be enough. For now though, Jane went back to her safe haven. She found it to be underneath a tree that sat a couple feet away from a cliff, which had the perfect view of a random town her brain had conceived. As she rested her head against the tree, she found it funny. This place felt like more, as if it were real, or somehow she had actually been here before. It was peaceful, it felt like home.

#blindspot fanfic #season 2 #blindspot

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lovingsiriusoswald · 5 years

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Damned

Part 1 | 2 | 3

Fallen Angel!Sirius AU

Heavily inspired by: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Disclaimer: The first few parts will be based from the Prologue from the game, credits to Cybird for that! If the "series" gets too long, go to the "Damned - Sirius" tag for easy navigating!

************

Me and Ray started to discuss that what if MC was the next Alice. He had mentioned that she would be necessary for fending off the Red Army. Internally, I was against the idea of using a precious lady as a tool for war, but I nodded to him instead.

"If she joins the Black Army, we could withstand the magical forces of the Red Army."

A bright light from beyond the hedges to where MC had run off to had caught our attention. That's where the Red Army Generals' meeting had taken place. I hope she didn't get hurt by that light.

"Call in Luka and Seth, she's surely held captive by the Red Army now."

We immediately rushed back to the Black Army Headquarters and I called in Luka and Seth. They got a little too excited to hear that Alice had finally arrived in Cradle. Fenrir had overheard the orders and immediately volunteered to be back up in case of an emergency.

"All you need to do is spy on the Red Army barracks and see what they plan to do with MC. Do not engage a fight them. We will then meet up at the Central Quarters by sunrise. Understood?" I bellowed. I was worried that she would get scared if a fight broke out so suddenly.

"Yes sir!" They rushed to their horses and took off. I started to call the soldiers of the army, Ray had wanted to meet them before dawn by the courtyard. Once everyone was ready, I turned to Ray and he stood in front of them.

"Soldiers!" He shouts and the army stood upright then saluted. "A few hours ago, Alice had arrived in Cradle named as MC. She is currently held captive by the Red Army and no one knows what they plan to do with her. She could either be used as a weapon against us, or our greatest defense. " I flinched subtly at his last sentence. "We are at the verge of war and MC can help us resolve our conflicting issues if she joins our side. For the protection of Cradle nd its people, we must protect and keep watch over her. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" The soldiers respond in unison.

"Freedom soars on Raven wings!" Ray shouts.

"Freedom soars on Raven wings!" The soldiers yell back. Ray scans the soldiers and I start to worry more, it was bad timing that MC had arrived at a time like this. Her safety is something that I need to prioritize, but being the Queen of Spades, it was difficult to do so.

A raven messenger had arrived with a piece of paper tied around its neck. Ray immediately opens and reads the letter. His eyes grew wide and turned to us again. "Go to the Central Quarters quickly! Luka, Seth, and Fenrir are under fire!"

I rush to the carriage and the carriage takes off immediately. I looked up at the sky that was starting to glow a crimson light. The first rays of sunlight after a long eventful night had reached through the leaves of the trees and grass. I watched the landscape transition from the Black Army Headquarters, to the dewy fields and quiet town of the Black Territory, to the cobblestone streets and buildings of the Central Quarters quickly. My worry for MC was starting to grow -- what if she decides to join the Red Army? That means I would never be able to see her. Worse, I might just watch her fall in love with someone else.

The carriage stops and I quickly stepped out, I stood next to Ray and faced West, where the Red Army Territory was located. Three horses was seen at the distance and they were charging in fast.

"They're safe!" A Black Army soldier cheered. I squint to try and see the extra figure in Luka's arms. MC was with them!

They halt when they neared us and got off their horses. Luka helps MC off and I stare in shock. She didn't take their side, she's here!

"Glad you're back in one piece. But why did you bring MC back with you?" These weren't the words I wanted to say.

"Nice to see you again so soon, MC." Ray grins at her. She lets out a breath and smiles widely at us, her eyes squinting and her cheeks tinted with a light dash of pink. Despite being up all night, she looked like she was glowing against the sun's rays.

"Ray! Sirius! You have no idea how relieved I am to be back here!" She remarks happily to us. I could already see the imaginary flowers blooming around her and the cute little sparkles. She was absolutely adorable.

"MC, you already know our king and queen? Talk about a small world, huh?" Fenrir chips in. She inhales a sharp breath as she turns to look at us, I guess we forgot to tell her our roles.

"You're really good at popping up at the worst possible time." Ray softly smiles at her. It was very true, in her previous lives, she would always burst in at the most unconventional time. During her life as a 17th century Victorian noblewoman, she would suddenly enter at Security Meetings held at the Grand Hall, without really intending to. She would often use me as an excuse, which was both annoying and life saving. Another event was during the gladiator match in Greece, she fell from the balcony by accident, making me push the man I was fighting with so far away from me that he travelled across the arena and I quickly ran to save her from her fall.

"That's not my intention, but--" MC tries to explain before Luka had cut her off.

"We can chat later, the enemy is approaching." We turn our gazes up and see the four generals were leading a perfectly synchronized battalion of soldiers clad in red and white.

I see MC, tensed that something big was gonna happen.

"What the heck is this about?" Ray frowns as he watches the Red Army march towards us.

"Well, you see, we had a little run-in, so to speak, with the Red Army at the gates to their barracks." Seth explains.

"Seriously? Do I need to send you all back to school for Recon 101?" I frown at him. It wasn't necessary to put MC in danger like this.

"There you go again with that salty face. I don't know why you're so upset!" He smiles as if a fight wasn't brewing. "If you really thought that nothing was going to happen, then why did you bring so many men?" He glows as he grins, eyes so deceiving that you'd never think he wants to fight for a war.

"The Reds have been waiting for 500 years for an excuse to strike, and they've finally found their reason." Ray frowns as the Red Army's march had stopped. We faced against our opposing side.

"I'm quite impressed, I wasn't expecting the Black Army to send its leaders out to welcome us." Edgar smiles, unbefitting to the situation at hand.

"You took that girl, who was under our care, and then had the audacity to attack. Explain yourselves." Jonah's icy amber eyes pierces through us, the way he says it makes it look like he was playing the victim card.

"You almost had me fooled into thinking you were a victim there for a minute. Twist the truth too much and your face might end up that way too." I couldn't hold back my tongue from talking as I smirked at him, his eyebrows furrowing further.

"Say that once more and you'll rue the day you were born!" He says through gritted teeth.

"How dare you insult our Queen!" A red soldier retorts, I almost laugh at their pointless aggressiveness. The Red Army's growls and hate starts to grow louder until a loud voice booms from behind.

"Silence!" Lance bellows as the soldiers part in half to give way to his entrance. He looked powerful as always. His head was held high, with a cold emotionless gaze that had seemed the only expression he ever had since he became the King of Hearts.

"Bow down to the King of Hearts, Lancelot! May glory run crimson through our veins!" A soldier yells.

"May glory run crimson through our veins." His eyes were fixated on MC as she stares back, her body slightly shaking from tension. He knows. "My proud men, there is no need to draw your swords." His eyes glowed red as he waved his hand. Our weapons were lifted to the air and had suddenly vanished. A dirty player as always.

"There goes our boss again, overdoing it with the magic." Kyle sighs as his shoulders slightly slump down, making it known that he was uninterested with the whole fiasco.

"It looks like we skipped over the "threaten the enemy" stage." Seth declares as if this was a casual process.

"You think that's all it takes to stop us? Come on! We've been waiting for this battle for 500 years!" Fenrir's eyes held excitement and manic, he clenched his fists tightly as he smiles widely.

"He's right. Leaders of the past may had put this battle off, but the time has come for us to fight." Zero declares. He was a good soldier, his courage and strength made him the perfect Ace for the Red Army. He was always in a firm stance, always ready to fight.

"An excellent summation, Zero. Well done!" Edgar remarks out of nowhere, earning a pained look from him.

"If you're thinking of surrendering, now is the time. I hope you heard that Luka. " Jonah's face softens as he glances at his beloved younger brother, who in turn, looked away with a frown.

"Did somebody say something? Because all I heard was a gust of hot air." He rolls his eyes and Jonah sighs softly from across us.

I glance over at MC again and see her look back and forth the two sides worriedly, completely caught in the middle of a brewing war.

"Lance, call this off!" I call out to him, hoping that our friendship could reach through his heart and withdraw the fight.

"Don't speak as if we're friends, Queen of Spades." He looks at me with cold sharp eyes, his expression never faltering, then his voice lowered a pitch. "I have a message for the Black Army -- from this day forth, you have been absored into the Red Army."

"I have a message for the Red Army -- quit spouting nonsense." Ray replies, the two Kings glare sharply at each other.

"In that case, I'll just have to dissolve every last one of you." His eyes glowed crimson again as his hands start to illuminate with magic. Before he could raise it towards us, MC quickly reaches her hands out, in between the two Kings.

"Please! Stop!" She cries as a barrier of light appears in front of her. Lance's spell dissolves into nothing as the light fades away. He looks at her again, his frown softening back to his usual empty expression. "So Jonah's report was true." He looks at her from head to toe, "Alice the Second really has appeared." He walks towards MC and looks down at her, making his voice loud and clear for her to hear very clearly. "Just be warned, Alice -- I consider anybody who gets in my way an enemy." My blood boils at his threat, he didn't have to frighten her more, she's already confused and tired at everything being thrown at her all at once. You're not like this, what happened? Before I could open my mouth to speak, Ray had stepped forward.

"Stop making stuff up as you go!" He walks towards Lance and MC, shielding her away from the King of Hearts' gaze. "Her name is MC, not Alice."

A carriage violently pulled up before us, taking the attention of all the soldiers and Generals. "That'll do, gentlemen." Blanc steps out of the carriage, along with Oliver. He walks towards the two Kings, who then parted from each other. He smiles softly at MC, calming her worries little by little.

"I don't know what you're thinking, pulling a stunt like this so early in the morning. Don't you know people live here?" Oliver frowns at MC, who looked more confused than ever.

"The Central Quarter is a neutral zone. Any and all forms of combat are strictly prohibited here." He yells loud enough for everyone to hear. "The entire country of Cradle will be at great risk if you destroy its economic and political center."

You always knew how to break up a fight at the right time, thank you, Blanc.

After a long moment of silence, Lance finally speaks, anger and annoyance evident in his voice. "Let it be known, this is the only time I will humor the request of a record keeper. Troops, fall back!" MC sighs as Lance takes his leave, along with his entourage of soldiers.

"I can't leave you without something to fret over, Alice." Jonah walks up to her and Luka grips his greatsword tightly. I raise my hand to stop him from doing anything stupid, although I myself want to break that pretty boy's face for trying to threaten her like that. "I'll have you under my command soon enough. You'll learn to enjoy serving me." He leans a little to close for comfort and I hear Luka scowl at his brother under his breath. "I hope you'll look forward to it as much as I am." He turns and Lance faces MC once again.

"Alice -- I doubt that it will be long until I see you again, but until then, enjoy what little time you have left with your life." For a sheer second, his eyes grew sad, something was up. His cape flies around him as he turns, leading his troops to retreat back to the West. I gather up the courage to finally talk to her again, hoping to try and deviate the threats from scaring her too much.

"So you really are from the Land of Reason, MC?" I try my best to make small talk. She nods at me and meets my eyes again.

"Yes, I am. It wasn't my intention to come here, but now I'm stuck here until the next full moon." She explains. She looks away from me and bit her lip, thinking hard of what could happen next.

"Don't worry." I place my hand on her shoulder and she looks back up at me, hoping that this gesture could ease her nerves. "We'll make sure you find your way home." London was the safest place for her, she would never be happy here, being caught up in the middle of a war. I rethink my choices and plan what to do to keep her safe and under my care, but I know that it would never be possible.

Things need to change, and sending her home in 30 days is all I need to do to keep her safe. I'm fighting against fate now.

"Thank you, Sirius." She smiles up at me, the tiredness had slowly grown evident in her eyes.

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