It came out of the idea that there are different categories of overlords that I am going to call media, form, and genre. The only three I see as media overlords are Alastor (radio), Vox (tv), and Velvette (internet) and I thought it would be fun if they formed a Vee-like group.
They control the flow of information in the pride ring, how much reaches the general public, and how what the other rings get to know about their going ons. In this day and age, nothing is told without one of them hearing it.
Due to popular demand (Vox and Vel pestering Al), the three of them live together in a very art deco skyscraper on the edge of the city rather than in the heart of it- a compromise between Velvette's urban preferences and Alastor's less densely populated ones. The wilds near their building have been converted to a rather Hellish wetland- the only body of water anywhere near the city. I wouldn't recommend trying your luck though- its private property.
The three of them can also transmit signals to one another using radio waves (as all three have access to them), making it appear as though they are telepathic and/or all-knowing to others. Those dramatic fuckers love messing with people with it. It's not automatic though, taking longer the further away they are from each other, and each have unique restriction on it- Alastor can only project audio, Vox can only do visual, and Velvette can do both but not for very long.
Fun fact about their designs: I gave them each a contrasting color. Alastor already had red and green, so I decided to orange up the reds in Vox's palette and switch out Vel's reds for yellow. Their designs are still a work in progress (Al will probably not have a green tie when the dust settles) but I am going to stick to that.
I'm also toying with the idea of them each having 2 animal inspirations so they're not explicitly 1 animal
Alastor as a deer and either a dog or fox (haven't decided yet, they both have their merits)
Vox as a dolphin (he hates that it's not a shark so fn much, but dolphins are just too social for vox's codependent ass to be anything else) and cuttlefish (for hypnosis)
Velvette as a black cat and a stoat (very witchy small mammal that dramatically changes color in the winter)
This wouldn't change their designs as I still want them to be recognizable as themselves, it's just something to fall back on just in case I hit design trouble.
For everyone who asked: Thank you so much! It is both super cool to have people who are curious about my silly little aus and is incredibly helpful for me when ideas aren't flowing!
All the responses are below I just went a little overboard with length on some of 'em
@forgottenstarlightwishes asked about Valentino's moth aspect in relation to his death [post]:
Honestly, I really like your idea! It's the same delightful dramatic irony as the two we've seen so far and really fits his eyes being shit in the series <3
My reasoning for the moth aspect was getting distracted/ lured in by lights like one would and the most fitting thing I could think of that fit was headlights.
@eternalfandomsintheuniverse asked if Chaggie still canon in Prince of Pride/ Guided Potential [post]:
Yess...ish. Because Lucifer never had his mind changed about sinners, he would talk about how awful they were. As the only person she interacted with that had 'informed' opinions about sinners, Vaggie believed him. She's Adam's left-hand woman by the time we reach the 7th extermination (and meets Charlotte), almost if not as equal in status to Lute. Suffice it to say, they do not get along.
Similar dynamic to canon Alastor and Vaggie but with the hostility of Vox's interactions towards Al. They find one another hot, but they would never actually get together. Vaggie and Charlotte grew into very different people than what could've been.
It's all very Bubbline in The Star if you're familiar with the reference.
@bakingpotat0s asked if AAAAlastor has pronouns [post]:
Yeah, but it's just more of a grammar/ quirk of language thing rather than anything Al meaningfully connects to. They'll accept anything to varying degrees of 'huh'/ 'heh'.
I tend to use they/them for Al for the agender side of the prompt but he, she, and etc are all fine. Unless you're mocking them with pronouns based on their appearance and societal expectations. Then you better start running.
@personofpoweris2cool4school asked about Lucifer and Lilith having to leave Charlie in Hell in Guided Potential [post]:
Yup! They leave her in the care of her maternal aunt Rosie (Eve), but they can't stay as Lucifer made an ill-worded/ thought out deal with Heaven and they can't take her with them since she was born in Hell.
Their abandonment of their daughter has no ramifications for the fate of said child and the story as a whole no siree :] She does not declare war on Heaven nope it doesn't happen.
@bakingpotat0s also asked a couple Media Alliance questions [post]:
Is Alastor triple a in this au?
Yeah. Al is definitely aroace and gender apathetic at the very least (even if he isn't aware of it/ the terms). He predominantly uses he/him but wouldn't mind alternatives as long as he doesn't think you're mocking him.
2. I'm really curious about how (and why) Alastor joined their alliance in this au.
Since there was an acknowledgement of how old Al was on Vox's part, the underlying romantic and/or sexual tension in their relationship on Vox's part never existed. As a result, their business partnership is laid on balanced and well understood foundations.
Vox, as someone with experience running a network and working everything from news anchor to cameraman handles the management and business side of things. Alastor has an existing reputation as the most terrifying person in Hell as well as knowing more about Hell itself. He is the creative side while Vox balances him by being more in tune to audience preference. On the flip side, Vox is impulsive and not the best with actually interacting with the public while Alastor is a showman and social butterfly. In terms of people skills: Vox is better at the macro level while Alastor is better at the micro.
It wasn't until both were established overlords in their own rights and at least a year into their alliance that Velvette joined the picture. As they were growing into a full-fledged business with departments and such, her ability to actually manage people was crucial to their success. Velvette doesn't have the resources or respect of the people to go it alone and, in all honesty, she doesn't want to. Despite them both being terrible, they're HERS.
3. Does Valentino exist in this alliance?
He's not a part of the alliance. He and Vox probably dated for a while until he threw a glass at Vox and it cracked his screen and Alastor noticed. Val probably also flirted with Alastor one too many times for Vox to be okay with it (Al's roughly the age that Vox's kids were when he died and Val is closer to Vox's age so ew no). Mutual 'get the fuck away from this man' ensued.
4. What is media alliance's relationship with the hotel? IS there a hotel?
Honestly, if there is a hotel is its unrecognizable from canon. Angel's soul is owned by Velvette, and she treats him better so he wouldn't be on a street corner for Charlie to find. I could see her still trying to get the idea off the ground, promoting it much like she did before she found Angel.
Charlie's been pestering Vox to appear on the news, and it's bled into becoming Velvette's problem, so I don't imagine they're very favorable towards her behind closed doors. Alastor at least is friendly at events and keeps an eye and ear out for her at Rosie's request.
What if.... what if in the manly appetites au, Miles talks about how much his father would cook when he had a chance. He probably didn't have a lot of free time, Miles realizes, but he remembers almost every evening sitting down to home-cooked meals.
Phoenix does a little digging and he finds Ray who helps him dig into the Edgeworth storage unit where everything was kinda plopped when Gregory died (with the intentions that Miles could go through it someday, though that still hasn't happened). And he finds old recipe books with penciled annotations and a few sheets of lined paper with handwritten recipes.
He takes them home and carefully reads them and makes the recipes that seem to have been the most loved. Splashes of decades old ingredients still stain the pages and the spine is cracked. Gregory had notes about what Miles liked and didn't like. One ingredient was better substituted for another for his son. One ingredient could be left put all other.
It does cause a bit of a breakdown when Miles learns Phoenix has been using his father's recipes, but it's very much appreciated.
Miles hits a rough mental patch. His nightmares come back. He's tired. He doesn't feel like getting out of bed let alone make meals for himself.
And Phoenix notices because of course he does. And he intervenes because of course he does.
He invites himself over with groceries and makes Miles tea and then starts making dinner. Miles watches, doesn't say anything. He barely eats, but it's more than what he would have had if Phoenix hadn't come.
Phoenix stays for a bit longer. They watch a little TV and Phoenix talks about his day. By the end of the night, Miles is feeling a little better. Phoenix asks if he wants him to stay or finally leave him alone in peace.
Miles wants him to stay, so he tells him there's always a spare bedroom if he'd like to stay.
"I'm sure you're tired after your long day. It would be unwise to return home so late."
He lends Phoenix pajamas. "These are pink? You wear pink pajamas? I love them." And let's him know where the spare blankets are.
Miles gets himself in bed, feeling absolutely better that Phoenix is just on the other side of the wall.
When Phoenix goes out, he always picks up little treats for everyone. He usually gets Maya and Pearl candy--the kind of last-minute stuff you grab in the checkout lane. They love it. Maya likes chocolate. Pearl likes suckers.
And then he starts getting something for Miles, too, when he's shopping for their dinner. He changes it up every time since Miles isn't much of a cheap candy kind of person. He'll grab a cookie or a sticky bun from the bakery. When he gets back and presents whatever he picked up, Miles tells him it's ridiculous to eat while dinner is being prepared. It's especially ridiculous to eat dessert first. But he eats it anyway because Phoenix takes a dreadfully long time preparing meals.
Miles talks about a dessert he had a few times in the von Karma household as a young boy and how much he enjoyed it. He insists it's the best dessert he's ever had, but he can't remember what it's called and he never had it outside of Germany.
Phoenix goes on a journey to figure out what it was by Miles' descriptions. He googles and texts Franziska and finally finds the cake.
And then he spends hours trying to make it. He throws out failed attempts and makes shopping trips to pick up more ingredients. Finally, he gets it. He plates it. He gets a picture. And then he calls Miles to tell him he should stop by for a drink that evening.
Miles is touched when he sees it, and he's filled with bittersweet memories of sitting with Franziska on nights von Karma worked late, eating their treat the cooks made for them to make up for the absence at the table. He takes the first bite, and the honey and almond sits heavily on his tongue, and he thanks Phoenix, quietly but sincerely.
Manly Appetites AU (since I was supposed to get volume two today and I didn't)
Miles tells Phoenix about a new bakery he's been wanting to visit. He pulls up their website and shows him the tiny red velvet cupcakes they make and how he's dying to try them. But they're usually closed by the time he leaves his office, or he's too tired to do anything but go straight home.
And he's not dropping hints, but Phoenix shows up the next day with two cupcakes. Miles gets flustered and tells him he didn't have to, but Phoenix insists. And they eat their tiny cupcakes in Miles' office, and they're everything Miles expected.
