Remember that mer AU?
Apr. 20th, 2019 07:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
general_radixI've gone and revisited it with a somewhat different premise; visual aid for said new premise here, plus some more refined art here (it's just Durandal).
Also, lots 'o text:
Things start off inauspiciously for Vince: he heads down to the shore one afternoon to try and not think about how his life feels like it's going nowhere, and as he's walking around, he hears a voice call out to him. Durandal, a lonely young lionfish, happened to be visiting the same area (as he's been for the past week following a concise but unpleasant breakup with his asshole boyfriend Aleister), and is interested in having a conversation. Eventually, Vince agrees to take Durandal back to his apartment; while his dubious employment status is still an issue, having someone around to share his life with does wonders for Vince's mood, and the two of them grow steadily closer over the next month.
One night, Vince answers a knock at his door and finds himself facing a bespectacled older stranger, who's eager to know Vince's name but not as much to share his own; he claims to be a friend of one of Vince's past clients and wanted to pay him a visit. Yannow, as thanks for the hard work Vince put in to tighten said client's security.
There are many explanations for how this guy would know where he lived, all of them acutely discomforting at best. Vince tries to tell the stranger that he's happy for his gratitude, but he's not the kind to entertain guests and it would be best if you left and talked to him over AIM or something, honest. Undeterred, the stranger almost literally shoves past Vince and has a walk around what passes for his living room, noting how orderly everything is kept and then seguing into questions of marine biology and how interested Vince is in the subject. His mental alarm bells are really starting to go off now, but Vince humours him in the hopes that it'll make him leave sooner; maybe it's nothing serious, just the scammers getting bolder--
A terrified scream rips through Vince's thoughts; his attention snaps to Durandal who, clearly in a panic, begs him to eject the stranger immediately. And that's the last thing he's aware of for a while, as a needle buries itself in his neck.
Vince awakens a couple of hours later handcuffed to a chair in an unfamiliar room. To his right is Durandal trapped in a makeshift tank, and directly ahead is the stranger; he wastes no time in cursing the man out, but foul language won't unlock those cuffs. The stranger--finally introducing himself as Dr. Strauss, and with all the artificial congeniality dispensed with--holds up a device resembling a gutted hell-fish and informs Vince that, while it may not seem that way, he's actually being given an amazing opportunity. In a few minutes he'll be able to shake off the strain of his mortal human flesh and take part in the genetic destiny of humanity--and once the worst is over, he'll be able to do something "fun" with Durandal...
The demanded explanation isn't given; Strauss simply tears open Vince's shirt one-handed and clamps the device to his chest.
Within the next few minutes, Vince experiences an agony unlike anything else in his life as his insides are torn apart and rearranged, both sides of his neck split open, and other things feel like they burst out of his torso and arms. Somewhere over his own screaming, he hears something heavy clatter to the floor, followed by a bodily thump, then Strauss cursing in shock. The device is finally torn off of Vince's chest; Durandal frantically unlocks the handcuffs with the key he swiped off of Strauss, and Vince scoops him up and runs for (what looks like through his blurred vision) the nearest exit.
It doesn't take long to get outside, but there's a problem: Strauss's hideaway is only accessible by boat, and they're a ways from the shore; the only way out is to swim. Not a huge issue for Durandal, but Vince is still struggling to remain upright from all the pain; he hears Strauss approaching the door to the outside and decides to cut his losses by jumping in and holding onto Durandal. They manage to swim out to an isolated shoal; Vince lies down with Durandal, catches his breath...and finally notices his hands.
Durandal has to confirm for him that no, he isn't seeing things--his forearms have gone scaly, in addition to sporting fins; there's a set of fins resting over his heart, it feels like there's more on his shoulders and back, and--does he have goddamn gills on his neck now? Was Strauss's idea of "humanity's genetic destiny" becoming a Deep One?
Vince's mind goes completely numb, and all he can think to do is take Durandal back to his apartment; it's a long walk from wherever Strauss took them, and when the two finally reach home, Vince passes out on the couch.
He wakes up the next morning to a news report on the radio; it turns out that law enforcement has been attempting to track down Strauss for a while, and they found that lab on the rocks...without Strauss, who's still at large.
And if that's the case, then what's to stop Strauss from returning to the apartment? After Vince returns from telling the police what he knows (and losing a few more hours of his life explaining what the hell happened to him, and yes these fins are real and would you stop yanking on them?!), he and Durandal discuss what to do; Durandal proposes that they move out to the human village that his own was situated under--it's pretty out of the way, and so hopefully not a place Strauss would think to look. And hey, if those new gills work like they're supposed to, then maybe Vince could hang out with the local merfolk...
--
Unsorted things:
* As mentioned in that first pic, Vince is a half-nix here--specifically "half", because Strauss didn't get to finish the process. I imagine most of the battleroids would be half-nixes/nixies as well, with the exception of full-nixie Hathor.
("Nixes" in this AU also aren't that similar to their mythological inspiration.)
* Strauss isn't actually that interested in "genetic destiny"; he just wanted a hybrid mutant army.
* Durandal spent about a year in Vince's neck of the woods, during which time he met Aleister...who, to Durandal's displeasure, decided to move to his village after that relationship crumbled.
* In my older musings, I mentioned massive eldritch sea creatures; it's very likely that Vince and Durandal will run into at least one. Obviously, something that's notorious for cutting through the merfolk population of old like butter is not going to be amused by some random merman and his mutant boyfriend stumbling across its turf.
* The thing Strauss used to mutate Vince was an ancient artifact, and where there's one, there tends to be others...
* Caliban didn't exist back when the mer AU was conceived, but now that he does, I'd say he's a sea snake/naga who moved into the village around the same time Durandal left. He's every bit as unpleasant as his counterparts, and not exactly the best influence on Tycho.
* As one could imagine, Vince is initially really bitter over his situation; with Durandal's help, he starts to appreciate his new abilities more, but it would be a long time before he fully embraced being a nix.
Also, lots 'o text:
Things start off inauspiciously for Vince: he heads down to the shore one afternoon to try and not think about how his life feels like it's going nowhere, and as he's walking around, he hears a voice call out to him. Durandal, a lonely young lionfish, happened to be visiting the same area (as he's been for the past week following a concise but unpleasant breakup with his asshole boyfriend Aleister), and is interested in having a conversation. Eventually, Vince agrees to take Durandal back to his apartment; while his dubious employment status is still an issue, having someone around to share his life with does wonders for Vince's mood, and the two of them grow steadily closer over the next month.
One night, Vince answers a knock at his door and finds himself facing a bespectacled older stranger, who's eager to know Vince's name but not as much to share his own; he claims to be a friend of one of Vince's past clients and wanted to pay him a visit. Yannow, as thanks for the hard work Vince put in to tighten said client's security.
There are many explanations for how this guy would know where he lived, all of them acutely discomforting at best. Vince tries to tell the stranger that he's happy for his gratitude, but he's not the kind to entertain guests and it would be best if you left and talked to him over AIM or something, honest. Undeterred, the stranger almost literally shoves past Vince and has a walk around what passes for his living room, noting how orderly everything is kept and then seguing into questions of marine biology and how interested Vince is in the subject. His mental alarm bells are really starting to go off now, but Vince humours him in the hopes that it'll make him leave sooner; maybe it's nothing serious, just the scammers getting bolder--
A terrified scream rips through Vince's thoughts; his attention snaps to Durandal who, clearly in a panic, begs him to eject the stranger immediately. And that's the last thing he's aware of for a while, as a needle buries itself in his neck.
Vince awakens a couple of hours later handcuffed to a chair in an unfamiliar room. To his right is Durandal trapped in a makeshift tank, and directly ahead is the stranger; he wastes no time in cursing the man out, but foul language won't unlock those cuffs. The stranger--finally introducing himself as Dr. Strauss, and with all the artificial congeniality dispensed with--holds up a device resembling a gutted hell-fish and informs Vince that, while it may not seem that way, he's actually being given an amazing opportunity. In a few minutes he'll be able to shake off the strain of his mortal human flesh and take part in the genetic destiny of humanity--and once the worst is over, he'll be able to do something "fun" with Durandal...
The demanded explanation isn't given; Strauss simply tears open Vince's shirt one-handed and clamps the device to his chest.
Within the next few minutes, Vince experiences an agony unlike anything else in his life as his insides are torn apart and rearranged, both sides of his neck split open, and other things feel like they burst out of his torso and arms. Somewhere over his own screaming, he hears something heavy clatter to the floor, followed by a bodily thump, then Strauss cursing in shock. The device is finally torn off of Vince's chest; Durandal frantically unlocks the handcuffs with the key he swiped off of Strauss, and Vince scoops him up and runs for (what looks like through his blurred vision) the nearest exit.
It doesn't take long to get outside, but there's a problem: Strauss's hideaway is only accessible by boat, and they're a ways from the shore; the only way out is to swim. Not a huge issue for Durandal, but Vince is still struggling to remain upright from all the pain; he hears Strauss approaching the door to the outside and decides to cut his losses by jumping in and holding onto Durandal. They manage to swim out to an isolated shoal; Vince lies down with Durandal, catches his breath...and finally notices his hands.
Durandal has to confirm for him that no, he isn't seeing things--his forearms have gone scaly, in addition to sporting fins; there's a set of fins resting over his heart, it feels like there's more on his shoulders and back, and--does he have goddamn gills on his neck now? Was Strauss's idea of "humanity's genetic destiny" becoming a Deep One?
Vince's mind goes completely numb, and all he can think to do is take Durandal back to his apartment; it's a long walk from wherever Strauss took them, and when the two finally reach home, Vince passes out on the couch.
He wakes up the next morning to a news report on the radio; it turns out that law enforcement has been attempting to track down Strauss for a while, and they found that lab on the rocks...without Strauss, who's still at large.
And if that's the case, then what's to stop Strauss from returning to the apartment? After Vince returns from telling the police what he knows (and losing a few more hours of his life explaining what the hell happened to him, and yes these fins are real and would you stop yanking on them?!), he and Durandal discuss what to do; Durandal proposes that they move out to the human village that his own was situated under--it's pretty out of the way, and so hopefully not a place Strauss would think to look. And hey, if those new gills work like they're supposed to, then maybe Vince could hang out with the local merfolk...
--
Unsorted things:
* As mentioned in that first pic, Vince is a half-nix here--specifically "half", because Strauss didn't get to finish the process. I imagine most of the battleroids would be half-nixes/nixies as well, with the exception of full-nixie Hathor.
("Nixes" in this AU also aren't that similar to their mythological inspiration.)
* Strauss isn't actually that interested in "genetic destiny"; he just wanted a hybrid mutant army.
* Durandal spent about a year in Vince's neck of the woods, during which time he met Aleister...who, to Durandal's displeasure, decided to move to his village after that relationship crumbled.
* In my older musings, I mentioned massive eldritch sea creatures; it's very likely that Vince and Durandal will run into at least one. Obviously, something that's notorious for cutting through the merfolk population of old like butter is not going to be amused by some random merman and his mutant boyfriend stumbling across its turf.
* The thing Strauss used to mutate Vince was an ancient artifact, and where there's one, there tends to be others...
* Caliban didn't exist back when the mer AU was conceived, but now that he does, I'd say he's a sea snake/naga who moved into the village around the same time Durandal left. He's every bit as unpleasant as his counterparts, and not exactly the best influence on Tycho.
* As one could imagine, Vince is initially really bitter over his situation; with Durandal's help, he starts to appreciate his new abilities more, but it would be a long time before he fully embraced being a nix.
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Date: 2019-04-21 01:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-21 09:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-25 11:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-25 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-25 09:18 pm (UTC)I do love Vince's fins! I bet he'll have a lot of fun swimming around with those.
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Date: 2019-04-25 11:28 pm (UTC)Indeed! XD At least one upside to getting forcibly mutated...