Jin Guangshan: There’s nothing you or I can do to bring Wei Wuxian back now.
Wei Wuxian: He has RISEN, babygirl!
Jin Guangshan: FUCK!!!!
demon underling: we found out who’s been raiding the territory! It’s polyamorous Lou Binghe.
demon canon fodder: that little fuck! I want him dead! I want his wife dead! I want his wife dead! I want his wife dead! I want his wife de— *repeats ad nauseum*
mdzs au where everything is the same except jiang cheng calls wei wuxian “edge lord” during his yiling patriarch era
this is entirely a crackpot theory as I haven’t reread all of dgm in ages, so I’m likely missing a lot of relevant information, but:
is the reason for the earl making akuma to prevent new accommodators? Like, if I’m interpreting past!lavi’s words correctly, innocence feeds off of/attaches itself to people of particular suffering and tragedy, right? And mana won’t let himself grieve/cry because it will attract the earl (I think) and Allen is the same. So is the earl intentionally going after people who experience great suffering and just… nipping them in the bud? if the innocence is hostile, or even just keeping in mind the Noah clan’s hatred of it, then preventing it from getting stronger from feeding or gaining the ability of fight would be a smart move.
I’m not sure why specifically going after people in deep grief is a qualifier outside narrative themes, but it would make some sense to me, especially if the Noah’s past world was destroyed due to something relating to the innocence.
allen: what’s with all this “chosen one” bullshit? Chosen by who? Why me??
allen, upon regaining his memories:
allen: son of a bitch
personally, I’m not the biggest fan of modern aus (the more distance from real life the better lmao), but in particular the significant traumas of the characters don’t always translate well (which… maybe the point actually). But seeing how the author does is always interesting! that said, here’s how the closest I can think of for a dgm modern au:
Allen: if you cut out the whole past self and possession situation, up until the Order, it’s pretty one to one. As a child, he had a limb difference and was trafficked. He met Mana and Allen the dog, the dog died, the place he was trafficked to burns(? maybe attacked and he was spared out of pity?) Due to the trauma of the incident, Mana gets worse, thinks Allen is Allen the dog and then they live on the streets until Mana’s death. Occasionally Mana mistakes him for Nea to keep that aspect of the trauma. Allen is attacked shortly after, survives, and is eventually taken in by Cross (and his debts). He gets a few stalkers or already has them and finds out later.
Lenalee: once again, the fighting is a bit tricky for a plain old modern au, but I can make some things work! After her parents died in an attack, she was adopted out of China into England to an abusive family. Eventually Komui was able to get custody of her… I’m unsure/doubtful he would actually be able to do this with the systems in place, so maybe foster care would work better?
Kanda: A cult??? I guess? And Alma died setting a fire maybe? Unless you want unethical government experiments in your modern au!
Lavi: … I don’t know about this one. A very emotionally distant family that shamed any expression of emotion or connection as weakness? But it doesn’t have quite the same implications, I think.
Miranda: Pretty easy! She’s still miserable and can’t keep a job. Poor Miranda.
Alistar: A bigoted, isolated small town? Very tough on this one. Maybe such a small town that superstition still runs strong and he was run out of town during a series of disappearances (actually caused by his girlfriend, Eliade).
Timothy: Pretty much the same. Abusive father who was eventually jailed for thieving, the orphanage where he lived had money trouble and he started stealing himself. Not sure where the trauma from the orphanage being attacked could fit in.
Mana: A crime family/mafia?? His brother (for reasons we aren’t sure of yet) went on a rampage and managed to take out most of the family, forcing Mana to kill him.
Link: he and his siblings/friends from the streets are adopted by a corrupt government official.
I can’t remember if it was in any of the extras, but I desperately want to know what mortals thought of the whole situation after Xie Lian’s third ascension.
like the heavenly emperor was overthrown. An ancient curse/plague descended upon a city and was prevented by the same god who was blamed for it the last time. The heavens soared across the sky, pursued by a giant statue of that same god.
Did they ever find out how utterly insane Jun Wu was? Did they learn about how he sabotaged the Prince who Please the Gods into becoming the god of misfortune?
The plays must have gone crazy in the few years after. Either they knew some stuff and that’s wild enough on its own, or they came up with some shit that had to be equally batshit.
I am but Sisyphus, pushing the boulder uphill, hoping for respite, damned by my own hubris. (I’m taking three (3) writing interviews courses and I have no one to blame but myself.)
reading dgm truly is An Experience (tm)
my desperate craving for d gray man content has become near unbearable, so it may be time for me to take matters into my own hands. that being said. I have no idea what to write about.
so if anyone sees this and has any suggestions or prompt ideas, please let me know!
that being said, I’m not the biggest fan of modern no power aus (unless they’re funny enough). But I do welcome crossover ideas!