#surface magic au

[a-sad-mage]

I’m sorry you’ve been having a hard time, sounds like a curse 🫂

I’m imagining Eli hearing some of these myths before a distant shore and just going “what? No??? Not true!” But being unable to explain why and being clowned on it for that, or worse, actually accidentally explaining too much and having to just end the conversation cause he’s fumbled so hard.

If Eli ever sees the gang take one of those quizzes he’ll shut it down real fast by just asking when their birthday was and making a quick calculation on what moon phase it would’ve been around then to just tell them to their face what they’d be born as lmao. He’s not taking none of this buzzfeed nonsense

Rattling off surfacer myths sounds hilarious lmao

Kord: is it true that burning worlders have flying machines

Eli: yeah but idk how they work so… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

——

Trixie: can you sense when slugs are nearby?

Eli: Not really? Only tazerlings

-🦇

[🫂]

Eli getting clowned on is a universal must. Dose not matter the context the little idiot must be made fun of-

Its official, Surfacer BuzzFeed typ quizzes are banned from the Hideout. There is only so much misinformation this boi can take-

Eli needs to drop unhinged facts more, either because he's explaining to much, or because he craves chaos.

-

Thank you for sharing 🦇Anon!

[a-sad-mage]

Thinking about the original Shane a bunch too

I think that in the times before the Shane, surfacers who fell down and were interested in learning more about slugterra would sometimes hole up in cavern stalactites and make a little hammock house/nest thing. Honestly sometimes Eli really wants to go up there just for a nice nap lol. The original Shane likely did this which is why wild spores cavern is so untouched despite the hideout (and I think the drop also???) being there. The original Shane would have slowly figured out Terran, but since their interaction with slugterra was more of a hobby than a job, it wasn’t until a couple of years in that the whole transformation spell was implemented to let them mingle with regular people.

People wouldn’t have interacted with wild spores much because it was considered “burning worlder” territory, and eventually the situation fell into myth about how these beasts chose the Shane family line to protect the caverns, because from the public’s PoV, the Shane’s were the only people that “the people of flight” would allow to live in wild spores cavern, not realising they’re talking about Eli’s great great great x10 grandpa who was Laios levels of fascinated by the caverns and just decided to stick around because slugs cool lol.

Honestly the big reason the original Shane would’ve kept coming back is because slugs don’t last long on the surface, or at least in direct sun/moon/star light. Burpy could survive but only because he was sheltered indoors and even then, stuff like full moons and meteor showers messed with him.

Bringing slugs to the burning world sounds like it’d be good for them, but the energy change and intensity means that it’s like drinking nothing but caffeine, slugs do great for a short amount of time before imploding from exhaustion. It’s a pick me up for the light well, bad if used constantly.

Thank you for letting me ramble in your inbox lol

-🦇

Comparing ANY Shane to Laios from Dungeon and Delicious is perfect, but the first Shane? That's just big brain.

ngl, completely slipped my mind Wild Spore Cavern technically might just, belong to the Shane's if not the whole Cavern then just a portion of the land because realistically, that place is prime real estate, and had it not been for plot reasons in Cannon, Blakk would have probably taken over the Cavern to stop on the Shane Legacy even more-

there being, any sort of reason as to why, no one else really dares to mess with Wild Spore Cavern, is a fun exploration of lore and just adds that just more to the world.

The OG Shane being concerned for their Slug companions is, just, so on brand for them.

the idea of the Celestial Energy basically giving Slug's a major caffeine high and subsequent even worse crash, is cool detail.

Bet Burpy was real happy to be back underground, and was so much more energetic. thus Making Eli real happy as well seeing his best friend so happy and healthy in years.

it's like pants and water, water is supposed to be good for them, but you can kill them by over watering. But in this case, the Celestial bodies literally give caffeine poisoning, as much is it's a boost of energy-

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Hey, my ask box is open for a reason, ramble away, I love hearing others idea's, theories, and general questions!

once again, thank you for sharing 🦇Anon!

[a-sad-mage]

Been thinking about surface magic/gremlin AU origins and myths and stuff lately

I like to think that in the early years the Shane’s job was to essentially close off any new openings between the surface and slugterra, but to actually reach the cavern ceiling to seal it and prevent more surfacers from falling down (lol undertale) they’d have to drop the spell and fly up there themselves in a hooded disguise. Which led to a bunch of ghost stories and myths in the higher caverns that your spirit ascends to the burning world when you die but if you’re too bad in life or if you get cursed with something you will just fall back down again, kind of like an extra dangerous ghost.

Higher caverns have a bunch of temples and religious places etc because of this. The mix of both superstitions means that people in those areas kinda refuse to go further up despite how close they are to the burning world, which is very convenient for the Shane’s lmao. It also means that guys like Gar just sound straight up suicidal. On the one hand, most people don’t believe anyone can actually reach the burning world and it’s been decades since someone’s fallen because of the Shane’s work so no one really believes in it lately, on the other hand, if they go and actually FIND it, it implies that they’ve all died lol

The fact that these “people of flight” would only occur in higher caverns too (I doubt many fallen surfacers would stick around or go further down (unless injured) because of claustrophobia) just reinforces this belief.

Even though Trix and most of the gang don’t seem to be religious, Eli confessing in a distant shore kinda comes off as just claiming he’s a spirit or yokai or something mystical lol so they’re extra thinking he’s delusional

-🦇

AU LLLOOORRREEE

AHHH-

That is cool, like, really cool! genuinely a real awesome way to expand on the au but taking a cannon element like Gar and other Burning Would Truthers, and incorporating it like that, even the religion stuff.

I myself am agnostic, so I'm not going to comment on that too much, but the whole 'Ascending to the Burning World after death' bit low-key reminds me of the Rapture, and how 'good individuals' would ascend while 'sinners' say 'ed and or where condemned.

And nice touch with the higher elevated Caverns being a more centralized location for all of that, it make's a lot of sense. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the temples and 'holy places' there would be location believed to be under where the 'Ascenders' where. Or if there are actual groups dedicated to staking out these locations or just a given area to try and spot an 'Ascension' and get photographic and video evidence.

-

Honesty, considering the amount of hit's Eli has taken, the Gang probably thing the brain damage is getting to him, or he's found a strange coping mechanism, and has become religious in the last few hours since first running into Gar.

only to learn a few hour's later Eli is, in fact not delulu.

and you know what, even if the Gang didn't believe in the whole 'People of Flight' stuff, Eli, ripping that band aid off and telling them what he dose, straight up disproves what was probably one of Slugterra's oldest religions. And that is a can of worms I don't think anyone wants to acknowledge.

Thank you for sharing 🦇Anon! :D much appreciated!

[a-sad-mage]

Hey, it’s the surface magic AU guy from a couple months ago. I don’t have an ask quite as long but honestly I have some tidbits and AU headcannons that I’d like to share lol.

• since the Shane’s technically aren’t human, Eli would’ve had to be taught Terran mannerisms but after so long without a reminder from his dad he tends to slip up

• surfacer mannerisms can include: trying to pick things up/ move things with their tail (without it, Eli just sorta stares at things for a second longer or stands in front of a door trying to tail close it), wanting to be in high places (Eli ends up just being a ceiling gremlin and has a little hammock nest on the ceiling of his room), and trying to take flight when spooked (Eli ends up jumping a lot higher than people expect when he gets startled. They think he’s just extra scared but the gang knows that if he slips into surface words is when he’s actually genuinely startled)

• Eli, as an electrical surfacer (like imagine a tazerling but a person lol), can sense electrical/energy fields and changes in them (this makes him really good at sensing slug energy)

• Surfacer reliance on the sun/moon for energy tend to cause them to be really attracted to places of high slug energy (which is how the shadowclan come to notice and trust them compared to other “humans”)

• Tad is able to deal with ghouls a lot better than others would due to his dad being Terran

• Tad is a little stunted compared to other surfacers because of his dad, which is why he’s so resentful and keeps calling him weak. By surface standards, Dr Blakk is a tiny, non-elemental, flightless guy. I like to think that Tad was born as one of the physically larger elements (maybe pure Earth or fire???) but ended up comparatively tiny because of that. On the Surface he’s a tiny fish, in slugterra he’s a big one. I doubt he’d ever let anyone know about the burning world because of this, but he’s definitely looking for ways to undo the spell The Drop put on him so that he can go full villain

• Having minor abilities retained despite the illusion/transformation on anyone who comes down via The drop (for Eli- having a minor jolt touch, for Tad, I’m not sure about his element. He seems pretty firey so maybe burn resistance or small fire breath? Idk lol)

I just think Eli being a genuine little creature after taking the Drop is hilarious. Need more feral Eli out here. I need him incompressible. I need him to be more absurd. I nee-[gets chloroformed]

- 🦇

'Ceiling gremlin Eli' was not a string of words I didn't know needed in my life.

Freaks love these bits about the Surface Magic AU.

Idk why but, it gives me cat vibes for Eli because those chaos creatures like to be up high and just, watch. That and now the idea of Eli having like, the glow/reflective thing cat eyes do is now stuck in my head- oof

Tad having a hight complex because of Blakk is actually kinda funny, too -

All in all, phenomenal au hc's for your au anon

[a-sad-mage]

Thought about the ghouled Eli stuff and realised how much of a genuine menace Tad would be if/when he escapes the deep caverns. I’m not sure he’d even keep the scrap force around after

Also, it’s not like Will would have the illusion spell reapplied before he’d get pulled back down to the deep caverns either, the darkbane are straight up just dealing with two surfacers down there and I get the feeling they’re not having a pleasant time with it

Depending on how long the surface has been cut off from slugterra its interesting to think about the myths that are attached to the place, especially considering how trixie mentioned receiving a story about it every night before bed, which either implies a LOT of stories exist or that she asked for the same one constantly lol

I like to think that it gets spoken about similar to shadowclan territory just due to how gremlin people are compared to regular terrans. It’d also explain why only crazies or seasoned explorers would want to bother going since they’re the only ones who would also be willing to wander into regular shadowclan territories

It’d be funny if one of the myths said something along the lines of “sometimes burning worlders will make homes in cavern stalagtites, this is an omen (can be good or bad depending on area)”. Something with fae circle vibes y’know?

Anyways, ramble over, have a good week!

-🦇

aww heck yeah-

I feel like Tad would keep the Scrap Force around if he made it back from the Deep Caverns. But purely for the 'Control' it gives him. he's like Blakk in that sense. if that make's sense.

The Dark Bane are just Dealing With It[tm] the best they can when it comes to Will and Tad. honestly could be worse, Eli could be there.

OOO YES- Ive mentioned it before but im fascinated by the in universe stories Slugterra has, especially around the Surface. my personal belief is that all myths and legends are true, but over time they get muddled and the story teller changes details to fit their narrative.

makes it better with how Surfacers just, are in your AU, and yeah, makes sense why people like Gar or other explorers would bother trying-

AHHH- as always noic stuff 🦇 Anon! its always a joy when you decide to share more about your AU! Have a wonderful week yourself!

[a-sad-mage]

Been thinking about Tad and his place in the Gremlin AU too

— Tad is infinitely more of a creature compared to Eli because he hadn’t been so informed on Terran mannerisms.

— the gang didn’t think it was possible but Tad proved them wrong lol

— Eli ironically has to be the one looking out for moments where Tad might slip up and have to just gently whisper “hey humans don’t do that.” Or “terrans don’t like when that happens” or on one weird occasion “nipping isn’t considered a normal way to set personal space boundaries”

— seeing Tad made the gang realise how much none of them should ever go to the burning world or ever let people like Gar try if Tad is just like this out the gate

— also made them realise how disciplined Eli is in comparison lol

— Since Tad shows up after a distant shore etc Eli doesn’t exactly try to cover up his behaviour around him if it’s just the gang around (if the extended gang is there it’s funny to think how strange this’d look to gent and stoker lmaooo)

— they have moments where they just casually make a gremlin noise at each other, no words- just noise, and no one can tell whether they’re mad or not. Sometimes Tad just enters the room, makes a noise (presumably at Eli but no one really knows) and leaves

— Eli doesn’t seem perturbed by it so everyone just quietly assumes it’s normal for them

— While Eli has hissed and growled once or twice, it’s when he’s genuinely really freaked out. Tad kinda does it at any minor inconvenience

— Tad’s wingsuit is the source of at least 1 cryptid “sighting”

— Honestly Eli’s probably got a cryptid accusation under his belt too at that point

Tempted to see if I can finagle uncle blight into this cause I think it’s a fun headcannon but I feel like I need your permission first lol

Anyways, have a nice week

- 🦇

Tad not having 'Manners' but Eli dose must be a full 360° for the Gang because, "What do you mean Eli could be more of a gremlin, and this is just, toned down?"

Stocker and Gent have come to realize Tad is just as strange, if not, more so than Eli. Stocker gets this feeling of being watched by a predator whenever Tad is looking at him, and Gent now has a second person that freaks him out.

Tad and Eli are never beating the cryptid allegations-

And hey- feel free to use the Uncle Blite au! Im not one to gate-keep, and if it helps;

In context of the Uncle Blite au, and the Gremlin Au, Blite would be like, half Surface Worlder and half Terrnan.

[Either because hes Jimmo's basterd son, or Will's half brother, choice is yours]

Meaning he probably dose have magic, what kind idk, but i feel in my gut it added to his weird behavior, and probably got real strong and proficient during his time in the Cavern of Time. Thus making Blite more feral than he was in cannon.

But that's like my personal take of it-

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Once again, amazing au, freaking love it-

And i hope you have a nice weekend/week too Anon🦇

[a-sad-mage]

The Goon Doc making the creepiest threat known to man only to trip over Eli’s tail is hilarious lmao. I think he’d kinda drag the wings a little cause he doesn’t know how to hold them but it unintentionally makes him look bigger/more intimidating lol

Blakk accidentally seeing Eli’s true form would be a hell of a discovery for him! Especially considering how he’s used to Will being relatively “normal”, he likely thought that surfacers were human as well. I wonder if he’d ask Nacho about it because Nacho’s answer would be interesting as hell regardless.

If blakk finds out during the lightwell episode, do you think he’s dropping hints to twist about the Shane secret? Trying to nudge him into stalking the gang to find out more?

Also, I might be hallucinating, but I swear the darkbane called the shadow clan “cousins” once. Not sure whether surfacers would be included but it’s fun to think about lol

Since the Cave trolls have stories about darkwater, I’m placing my bets that they have stories about fallen surfacers 100%. Or maybe it’s the molenoids who have myths about them? Since they’re more likely to dig upwards

Idk just something fun to think about

-🦇

The Goon, in Eli's body: [makes a detailed threat] Also the Goon,: [Trips over tail like a child]

-

Blakk is replaying every confrontation he has had with Will and now Eli in his mind up till that point.... many, many questions he has, but now he's probably even more intrigued.

I feel like he would drop hints to Twist, but like nothing overt. idk why, but my mind went to 'emergency net launcher in case of Shane'

I think the Dark Bane, and by proxy Nacho would have some info on Surfacer's, but since it's been so long, it's kind'a fuzzy? at least that's my interpretation of it.

You know what- I think your right, I vagally remember a Dark Bane calling a Shadow Clan member 'Cousin' as well.

After a quick check on the Wiki, in the trivia section for the Dark Bane, it happened in 'Light as Day'. and now that I think about it, that one comment is like a loaded gun that never got to be triggered-

oo Yes! The Cave Trolls and Molenoids having stories about the Surfacers for sure! I posted about it before, about how there might be an old Molenoid with a story about the Surface that was passed down through the years, but no one believes them. I can see the same thing happening with the Cave Trolls. but because so much time has passed, details get lost or exaggerated to the point then become a kids bedtime story.

there is just- so much potential for a lot of stuff-[screams]

[a-sad-mage]

I think I’m kinda running out of HC’s even though the gremlin lives in my head daily lol

— Stocker and Gent would probably unfortunately find out the hard way about gremlin/eli in Ghoul from Beyond. They’d be told/hinted at in advance, but they’d only see the full surfacer form in person after Eli is put under the Goons control

— Eli would never admit it, but he really does enjoy having the transformation spell off of him. His home is first and foremost Slugterra, and his appearance is a worthy price to pay to stay there, but if he could take the spell off and keep living there- he would. It’s not that bad, it’s just more of a comfort thing for him. He is literally living in a body that isn’t his own after all

— Redhook may or may not have seen gremlin!Will while he was still being trained by Jimmo. It’s been so long (and Will instantly went invis when he realised) that he 100% believes that redhook either didn’t notice or has probably forgotten by now.

— Compared to Eli, Will was definitely more attached to the burning world/surface and would regularly take advantage of his invisibility to fly directly to and from each world rather than go through the whole drop process

Have a nice week!

-🦇

Stocker and Gent really do be getting the short end of the stick-

Like, seeing your little freaky friend/team leader get possessed by a slug is one thing, but then for him to turn into literal 'creature' when the other guy(Junjie) who's passed TF out on the floor looked mostly human is another.

Eli being fine with his glamor, and wanting to stay in Slugterra, compared to Will not wanting to because of his attachment for the surface is interesting. Its been mentioned before, a question as to why the Shane's have to be split between both worlds, and how Eli more than likely broke years of tradition to assumedly stay underground permanently. I always find it interesting when others take a crack at that question in their own ways.

Going back to an older post, RedHook gets 'old man with LORE' privileges. He gets to know things and not bring them up, unless he wants to lmao. So I can very much so see him knowing a bit about the Magic stuff and true forms but not saying shit because he's like that.

-

As I currently work on the Man-Down au, I stop and buffer because I, too, run out of ideas before getting slapped with something. But I think thats the best part.

You start with an idea, and it snowballs. As a Canadian who has experienced many winters, let me tell you something.

When the snowball originally starts its small. And you run around pushing it, putting more and more snow on it building it up into, quite frankly the biggest snowball you've ever seen it gets to the point, where pushing it gets extremely hard. Especially by yourself. But with help from friends, even the unlikely ones, that snowball gets even bigger to the point its so large, everyone can't help but admire it even if you're unable to push it any further. And that's okay because you can still do stuff to it, like picking up for snow to patch up any holes or smoothing it out, making it look perfectly circular, or even carving it into a fun shape or neat little designs or patterns into it, maybe when sacrificing a marker or twelve to add some color. All to make that humongous snowball look the way you want it to. Even if someone else might think some details are a little weird. But thats okay. Because its your snowball. One you made, and shaped with or without the help of others.

And its perfect to you.

All this to say. Running out of ideas is fine and part of the process. It gives you time to go back, refine, and even expand on previous points you never thought of to begin with. At the end of the day, perfection is subjective and different for everyone.

With that said, have a good one yourself 🦇Anon