(star) you've mentioned the Shattered Seas a couple times. The perfect court without a name lies on the far edge of them, and the court of dawn was on another shore. But why are they called the shattered seas?
Imagine a vast expanse of water. The air is filled with salt spray and this sea is clean and filled with life. But all is not well. At a time long ago, during the wars, the very physical space that held this place together was shattered into a thousand pieces. The fabric of reality rent in twain.
Parts of the sea lie above where the sky should be while a yawning dark abyss awaits the unwary sailor. Ice cold waters find themselves directly next to tropical waters, and currents are often strong enough to cause the water in them to leap from the surface of the sea and into the open air, looping and spiraling like some fantastical sea serpent before plunging back into the depths below.
No compass could guide you there, and every map is useless. Every astrolabe, sextant, and lead line will be useless and leave you sailing endlessly in circles. The very winds and waves are confused and the seas form a vast and impenetrable maze of currents and breezes that could leave even the most experienced of crews lost for thousands of years, or longer.
The Shattered Seas are like a looking glass that has been broken, each fragment of glass reflecting a different state of being, a different law of reality. Only those creatures who dwell in the sea know how to survive and navigate, and they do not tell their secrets. Some Sea Kingdoms have guides that help ships reach other shores in exchange for unimaginable prices or through very old agreements, but they use their home’s broken nature to their every advantage.
So, for this AU I came up with, I was thinking that there are the different areas where the sides can exist. They can exist within the mind space of a person, where they can only exist with one another, host’s space where they can only interact with one another and their host, then there is a third space called the physical space where they can be seen by anyone and interact with the sides of anyone else. The sides all look similar to one another in the physical space, but they have distinct differences, much like humans. The reason for this is because I view the physical space as something dangerous. When exposed to the physical space, though the sides are not humans technically, they can die or get hurt in the space much like any other human. The effects that can result from the injury or death of a side can obviously be detrimental to a host and the other sides. Thus the differences in their appearances, like humans. The physical descriptions are as follows:
Thomas: Still the same as normal.
Roman: Roman’s hair is darker than Thomas’s and shorter in length so it can fold back in the perfectly princely hair-do when needed. His shoulders are broad, he is two inches taller than Thomas, and he has more muscle. Probably from all of that battling, honestly. His eyes are also darker, and his skin is practically inhumanly perfect, and he is maybe a shade or two more tan than Thomas.
Logan: Logan is the tallest, about an inch above Roman. His overall frame is a bit more narrow and his skin is about a shade lighter than Thomas’s skin tone. He has natural muscles, not anything twig like, but he definitely has some there. His hair is a darker brown than Roman’s, and his eyes are a deep blue, but so dark that they can easily be mistaken for dark brown or black if one doesn’t pay much attention. The blue really stands out in the light, though.
Morality: Morality is an inch shorter than Thomas. He feels like he is a small bean and prances around gleefully when in the physical plane, despite the fact that he looks more like Thomas than any of the others and is only an inch shorter. He and Thomas have similar builds, the main differences being that Morality’s hair is a bit more of a golden, burnt blonde and his eyes are more golden. He also has the same skin tone as Thomas, if not just a slight tad darker.
Anxiety: Anxiety looks the furthest from Thomas. My aesthetic is short Anxiety, so he’s standing three inches shorter than Thomas. He is still relatively tall, but Anxiety being annoyed over not being able to reach things he normally can is my aesthetic, like I said before. His hair is the darkest, remaining brown, but so dark that it almost looks black, save for in the light. His eyes are a lighter, almost hazel green color, and his build is more slim overall. His shoulders are eternally slouched, making him appear a bit smaller than he actually is, but that’s his fault. He is also the most pale, so finally that white foundation matches him.
All of them still got the booty, though. I like to think that Morality and Anxiety somehow have even more booty, and while Anxiety gets all huffy when teased about it, Morality is just like “Don’t twerk kids, but I’ll totally twerk if you ask me to.”
All in all, they still look mostly similar to Thomas, save for specific things like build, height, hair, eye, and skin color.
This particular fic will be prinxiety. I am happy with this idea of the three spaces I have created, so I am more than happy to write different ships in this AU. All you gotta do is ask, my friends.
AO3 link here.
Summary: The sides experience their first time venturing out into the physical plane. Thomas, knowing how they bicker and afraid that he would somehow lose one of his sides, had always refused to let them out, but one day he gives in and decides to take them to the local park. Morality is ecstatic to pet all the dogs he sees, Logan is constantly flitting about to make sure Morality doesn’t contract a disease from any stray dogs, Anxiety is just trying to chill and admire nature and how cool it is to be free like this (despite feeling really anxious about being around so many other people face to face) and lastly, Roman wishes he can pay more attention to his new surroundings, but the beauty that is Anxiety in the physical space distracts him more than anything.
“Okay, okay, you guys. We can all - you know. I’ll let you guys out for a little while. But, we are just going to the park. And we are going to be testing the waters for an hour, that’s it.”
“But come on, kiddo! If we all behave, why not let us stay until sundown?” Morality interjects, ever the advocate to lengthen the time window for fun to be had.
“Don’t push your luck. You all are already lucky enough that I’m willing to take you guys out for a little while.” Thomas releases a nervous sigh, running a hand through his fringe. He loves his sides, but it is no secret that he is nervous about the risks that people run when letting their sides out into the physical space. If one of them were to somehow die, a part of himself would die too. That thought is terrifying.
“Yes, but I suppose you should have at least a small amount of trust in us. At the very least, between Anxiety and myself. Perhaps Roman. Morality is questionable, but I am confident that he would be the dog that runs away from home and returns a few hours later.” Logan reasons, earning a snort from Anxiety on the stairs landing.
“What do you mean perhaps me? Of course I am trustworthy! The utmost trustworthy person here! I would never abandon you all or allow harm to come to any of you. I solemnly swear so.” Roman’s hand lands over his heart as he makes his promise, his chest puffing out.
“Let’s just get this over with, guys. If you can all behave past the hour mark and you can stay out, maybe we can chill out longer. Okay?” Thomas offers, and the others nod immediately. Thomas closes his eyes and a warm sensation washes over each trait as they are transferred from the host’s space into the physical space, and once there... nothing is different. Thomas’s house looks the same, everything does, until they look at one another.
It is a bit shocking to look at one another and not see, well, carbon copies of Thomas, but it is welcome. It makes each trait feel more human themselves.
“The park is just a block away, so we can all walk. You all need to follow me and do not walk into the street, no matter what you do. Just- listen to what I say. Please.”
Each trait agrees and follows Thomas out of the front door, immediately overtaken by their surroundings. They have seen the outside world through Thomas, but it is very different to actually be out here themselves. They can smell the fresh cut grass, feel the breeze on their skin, feel grass beneath their shoes as they walk. Each trait agrees that they will definitely enjoy the physical space.
Despite being absolutely astounded by the different surroundings in the physical space, Roman is finding it hard to keep his eyes off of Anxiety, who now stands several inches shorter than himself. He looks so pale, his hair so dark, but his eyes are bright, shining a green in the light. He’s more beautiful than anything out here.
Coughing into the crook of his arm at both an attempt to hide the blush on his cheeks and clear his head of his thoughts, Roman sighs to himself, walking into the park alongside the others.
Morality is the first to bound forward, laughing joyously as he lies down in the grass, his arms and legs extended. “Can I make a grass angel? Do you think I can do it?” He laughs as he waggles his limbs, in which Logan nags at him about the potential diseases and life within the grass.
Thomas just laughs and takes his place on a park bench beside a large tree, in which Anxiety chooses to sit in the shade of the tree, leaning against the gnarled bark. Everything is so green, so bright. The sky is so blue, the clouds are so fluffy. The day is absolutely perfect - which only serves to make Anxiety dwell on what can possibly go wrong to ruin this all, because never is anything this good. He can see other people that can actually see him too. He can see - oh god, children. How is he supposed to handle a child? He really doubts he has the patience for kids. He tries to enjoy times like this, he honestly does, but just like how the others cannot help who they are, he cannot help who he is.
He notices someone taking a seat beside himself, in which he looks over to see Roman, who in turn offers a small smile and a nod. Anxiety is confused as to why Roman is sitting beside him when there are plenty of other more exciting things he could be doing, but it isn’t like he is complaining. He finds that he rather enjoys Roman’s company, contrary to belief. He tries to not dwell on why.
“Isn’t this lovely? Being here, like this? I love it.” He speaks, his tone more relaxed from his normal confidence laden, brash tone.
“I guess it’s nice. For now.” Anxiety tacks on the end as he looks around, watching as a dog runs after a Frisbee. He can’t help but to smile when the dog jumps and catches the flying disk, bringing it back to their owner.
“Everything I have looked at is simply stunning.” Roman says softly, his gaze trained on the beauty before him. Truly, Anxiety in the physical space is a sight to behold. His eyes hold a depth and sparkle that Roman had never seen before, or perhaps he never noticed or cared to look so closely. But, here and now, it seems he can’t stop noticing things, like the smatter of freckles across Anxiety’s nose and cheek bones, how full his lips are, how long and dark his eyelashes are. The boy is a work of art.
“I bet you’ve been staring at yourself in a mirror.” Anxiety teases, turning his head to look at Roman’s new features properly, not expecting to meet such an intense gaze. His cheeks flush and his freckles practically glow in contrast to the dusty pink, and again, all Roman can think is what a masterpiece he is.
“For once, I have not been, actually.” Roman grins and finally looks away from Anxiety, looking up to the tree shielding them from the sunlight. The way the leaves rustle as the wind blows, and occasional leaves falling down around them. He will have to ask Thomas to take everyone out into the physical space more often.
“Whatever you were looking at - fine. But now, I want to just be quiet and sit here, all right?” Anxiety manages to force the words out, wanting to ask if he was stunning to Roman, but there’s no way he would do that. Not even when Roman’s hand gently caresses his own, and as Anxiety had requested, no words are spoken. They sit in silence and watch as Morality pets all the dogs he can handle, Logan reads and chats with Thomas, and a sense of content washes over the both of them. Maybe one day Roman will get around to informing Anxiety that he is in fact stunning, but for now, it feels like they have all the time in the world and rash confessions can wait for another day.
Hello everyone! I have come up with an AU that I quite like, so I plan to write more oneshots on the idea. I wanted to make a master post that explains everything. I have written one piece already with this idea where I explained everything, but yes, this is a post solely dedicated to the details.
AO3 link here.
Basically, there are three planes where the Sides can exist. Every human has sides of their own, a minimum of two and a maximum of five. They vary depending on the person. Thomas, as usual, has Anxiety, Logic, Morality, and Prince. The four sides may have their own consciousness within one plane at a time. That means that Anxiety may not exist in the mind space and the host space at the same time. I will detail the differences between the spaces.
The mind space: Here is the space where the Sides can exist on their own plane. They live within Thomas’s mind. Here, they can only interact with one another and mildly influence Thomas, as they are not speaking to him directly to influence him. This space, no matter where Thomas is, looks like Thomas’s home. Each side has their own room in the mind space, so they may have their own solitude if they so choose. The good thing about this space is that they do in fact only influence Thomas subtly, so if they are having a bad day, it will not be too detrimental to their host. They may interact almost freely, almost like an Inside Out manner, but they do need to be careful to incite too powerful emotions, or else Thomas’s specific emotions will trigger a side to be summoned into Thomas’s host space to speak with his conscience.
The host space: Here is the space where Thomas can consciously interact with his Sides, as depicted in the videos. Here, the Sides can only be seen by one another and their host so, in turn, they can only interact with their host and one another. It is a state of consciousness, so it appears as Thomas’s home as well. It is Thomas’s consciousness talking to his Sides, not Thomas physically, so if he is on a date and Anxiety is picking on him, his consciousness will argue with Anxiety, not Thomas himself. But that influences him in the sense that Thomas’s anxiety will spike, even if he is not physically aware that his conscience is speaking with Anxiety. The host space is where the Sides may strongly influence Thomas, as they garner the attention of his consciousness and do their respective things. As another example: If Thomas is taking a test and he is wondering what the answer is, what will give him the answer is his Logical side, Logan, discussing things with his consciousness, in turn giving him the answers. Sometimes Thomas may be aware that he is communicating with his Sides, but typically, the host space is a subconscious space that people don’t think about. Daydream mode is an area where the host can actively use their conscience to speak to their sides, though.
The physical space: In this space, the Sides are not in a place that forever looks like Thomas’s home. The physical space is the human world. People may release their different sides and interact them on the human plane, as if the sides themselves are humans. In this plane, one and their sides must beware because the sides are susceptible to human trials, such as illness, injury, and death. If someone loses a side, it can cause mental illness. They lose a part of themselves. Unlike the host space and the mind space, a person’s sides look differently than themselves. They look similar, but they do not all look exactly alike. Humans have different appearances, and considering the sides will face mortality in the physical space, they have different characteristics as humans do. They do not have to be around their host or one another at all times, but legally, sides are not allowed to do things like humans. They do not have their own identities. Humans must register each of their sides if the sides wish to visit the physical space, so that if a side is lost, they can be identified. They have ID cards that they must carry on them with information to return them to their host. A side is not allowed to have a job or go to school, because they are not legal citizens. That is why many sides generally reside within the mind of their host’s, but exploring the physical space may be fun as well. They also must wear wristbands that identify them as sides, and if they do not, they may get their hosts in trouble, so most sides follow the rules.
If anyone has any questions about any of the spaces, feel more than welcome to send me a message and ask me directly. If anyone has any ideas for me to write, again, I am more than happy to do so. I only have plans to write oneshots based on this AU, and there will be no continuity between each piece unless specifically stated. The only thing in common between them will be the different spaces, so I may write prinxiety and analogical that will not take place in the same universe. Each oneshot is independent to itself.
Now, considering that each side looks differently within the physical space, here are each of their characteristics:
Thomas: Thomas looks normal. He stands at 5′10″, has medium brown hair, brown eyes, etc.
Princey/Roman: In the physical space, Roman appears differently than Thomas. He is two inches taller, so he is 6′. His hair is not much shorter, but only by an inch or two, and it is not too much darker, but it is a bit darker brown. It swoops back naturally to form the perfect princely hair. His shoulders and chest are more broad than Thomas’s, and he has arms with a bit more muscle, probably due to all of that sword fighting. Overall, he is beefier than Thomas, though he is not beefy by any means. His eyes are a darker brown, but if one looks up close, they are a blend of many different browns in a range of light to dark. Skin tone wise, Roman still has light skin, but he is more sun-kissed than Thomas. His tan makes him about two shades darker than Thomas. His skin is perfectly unblemished, almost as if he has come straight out of a fairy tale. No blemishes, birthmarks, freckles. Just smooth, taut skin. He has a strong jawline, even stronger than Thomas’s. Roman’s could cut diamonds. His lips are more full, eyes slightly larger - he looks like a real life prince with how gorgeous he is. Clothing wise, it is a bit strange to wear full prince attire in the physical space to most people, so he sticks to black dress pants, dress shoes, and a white button up rolled up to his elbows typically. Shoe size: 11.
Logic/Logan: Logan is the tallest out of all of the Sides and Thomas in the physical space. He stands at 6′1″, and his overall build is not necessarily thinner than Thomas’s, but he is more slim. Almost as if you stretched out Thomas by a couple inches and he still weighs the same, but his body became slightly more narrow. Logan’s eyes are blue, but a darker blue that most people fail to notice. His eyes are a deep blue that is noticeable in direct light, especially sunlight. Most people just assume they are brown, though the blue isn’t that hard to notice. He does not have muscles that are quite as developed as Roman’s, but they are there, probably from lugging around textbooks. His hair is also darker than Thomas’s, but also darker than Roman’s, though it is still obviously brown, not black. It is similar to Thomas’s style wise, but short enough to never sweep into his eyes. He has the same glasses, and wears the same outfit, though his black button up is long sleeved with the sleeves rolled up. His skin tone is a shade lighter than Thomas’s, so he is a bit more pale. He is mostly blemish free, but everyone normally has imperfections, and he has a teeny tiny freckle on his upper lip. His face is also a bit more narrow, and his eyes are included, his gaze appearing much sharper. Shoe size: 12.
Morality: Morality is the one that looks the most like Thomas. His build is still the same, almost identical, but he is an inch shorter, standing at 5′9″. The inch difference makes him feel like a small bean, so he gets all excited about being short. His skin tone also matches Thomas’s, if not just a small, tad bit darker. His hair is lighter than Thomas’s so it stays brown, but it is more of a golden brown with blonde undertones. His eyes are also more golden, they are lighter than Thomas’s. They are a brighter brown, hence the golden undertones. He has random freckles on his body, though his face is pretty much free of freckles. He has the same glasses as in the mind space, though the clothes he wears are slightly different. In the physical space, he wears khaki pants, a belt, a light blue polo tucked in, brown sneakers, and he actually wears a gray cardigan properly. His face is a bit more rounded, with soft cheekbones and a soft jawline. Shoe size: 9
Anxiety: Anxiety looks the least like Thomas normally. He stands three inches shorter, at 5′7″. He has the darkest hair out of the different sides, and it is brown as well, but a brown that is so dark that it can easily be mistaken for black. It is obviously brown in the sunlight, though. His eyes are much lighter than anyone else’s, as they are a hazel green color. They appear darker and more hazel normally, but in the sunlight they’re a deep glittering green. Around the edges of the irises, there is a golden ring ( like he is a dark angel with a halo in his eyes, idea from the great @notallpotatoesarefrenchfries ). He is paler than the others, about two shades paler than Thomas, and he has a smattering of freckles atop his cheeks and nose, along with on his shoulders, back, and thighs. He has random freckles all over, but very light. The only noticeable ones are the ones on his cheeks and shoulders, mostly. His skin is smooth and unblemished, save for the freckles and the itty bitty mole on his left collarbone. He has a subtle jawline, a bit larger eyes, and a fuller pout. That boy sure has exercised his frowning muscles. He slumps a lot, so he seems smaller than he is, and he is overall more thin that Thomas. Anxiety dresses pretty much the same, as he wears black skinny jeans, sneakers, a black T-shirt and an oversized black and gray hoodie. Shoe size: 7 1/2
All in all, Thomas’s sides still strongly resemble Thomas, save for specific heights, weights, skin tones, eye colors, hair colors, etc. Now, because it is important, they all still have Thomas’s bubble butt.
Thank you to all of you that have taken the time to read about this AU I came up with, I hope everyone enjoys what I write out concerning this AU! If you have any requests for plots or prompts for me, feel free to send them in and let me know you want me to use this AU. I’ve put a lot of time and thought into these ideas, so again, I hope you all enjoy it like I do! If any of you have questions or simply want to talk to me about this AU, feel free to do so. My ask box, submission box, and message box is always open!
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image courtesy of rottonara via pixabay.com
As I’m reviewing options and obstacles for the upcoming move, one of the things I realized I need is both physical and emotional space.
I lived in NYC for years, and before that, I grew up in a suburban apartment. I spent decades in small spaces, and learned how to be creative in them.
As I got older, and one of the shifts to living here on Cape Cod…
