ItsGirlCraft

@Princess_Monika_57 OH I just remembered something!! A big part of my crossover AUs is when characters go "same hat!!!" Like whenever I find some detail that's similar in both series!
            
            It doesn't have to be big or really obscure, it could be really simple. Like how My Little Pony has Rainbow Dash, and she n Rainbow Steve both have "rainbow" in their name. You could have just like 5 surface level connections like that and you'd have plenty to work with.
            
            Or it could be more in depth, like how Toga from My Hero Academia has a similar shapeshifting ability to Faceless. Having even just one of those lore connections can really make a good AU all on its own. 
            
            It could be whatever thing you want, really. It could even just be headcanons and stuff, like the bee jokes abt Nightmare since bees don't technically exist in canon, or just things someone might like/know about, like w my AU's Sabre making pokemon references.
            
            If you really want to get into it, you could look for the opposite, tho it's kinda harder to do. Like if most of the characters aren't familiar with magic, or are mostly all human, you can make up some neat conflicts there. 
            
            Better yet, combine them, so like there's something they have in common AND don't work well together. Like if someone has ice powers but is really hot headed, they may or may not get along well w Light Steve.
            
            I hope this makes sense, kinda rambled a bit again, haha! Good luck on your AU!

@ItsGirlCraft noted!!

@Princess_Monika_57 well with crossovers, you gotta have enough info on all the series involved. I've never heard of Yokai Watch, so I can't help w that. But generally you just need 3 things - locations, people, and reactions. You don't have to know too much, you just need at least one setting you're familiar with (like the Rainbow Town for SS), at least know who you want to use (like 5 for each series, max), and know how these characters react to unfamiliar things.
            You don't have to know everything, just basics, like...whatever's the character's or location's main thing. The Rainbow Town would probably be about the giant tree of life, and like Sabre's would be blindfold/chicken suit. 
            
            If it's hard to figure out what's the unique thing about something/someone, you probably don't know enough. I like to consume a lot of fan content since it's hard for me to watch the source material for most of my crossover AUs, like with MHA. Wikis are your best friend too.
            
            Really, just kinda yoink your faves and plop them into a random place, and that's it! If you aren't comfy with putting them into a canonical location, you can just make it generic - wilderness, a house - whatever works!

Shoutout to the crappy limit on this thing, I really should've just posted it in my books but ehhh whatever. Previous post is the start of this btw!

Pt 13.
            It is cold, and there are voices reaching out to him. Shadow is horrified, and can feel the power coursing through his veins. It's so strong. It smells like blood and rain, something sickening and yet somehow smells good too. But he stands his ground, and silences the voices - he will not give in.
            
            But he is tired, so tired, and don't you just want to go feral? He can feel himself relapsing. He cries out for help. Sabre manages to stun him, and M helps them teleport back to the village. The Yellow Steves are worried for Shadow and put him in the machine for Sabre's armor. No one knows what to do.
            
            Assistant and Twisted/Hypno are just kinda existing, don't mind them. But eventually Sabre/M/the Yellow Steves finally come up with a plan. Alike to Purple Steve siphoning Void's energy to help Galaxy, Sabre uses himself as a vessel to help lessen the burden Shadow has put on himself. He doesn't want M or the Yellow Steves to do so, since Darkness will take control of them and he himself is Darkness.
            
            The Steves aren't interested in not helping. They build a battery, akin to the one used to remove Alex's powers when she was infected. It will store most of TGO's energy. 
            
            Within Shadow's mind, he is fighting for control. He felt himself slip, and he's fighting to see the light again. The Darkness is dangerous to one's mental health, and he knew that. And yet, he still took the risk. He doesn't know if he'll ever escape, and can feel his will draining. Is this his end?
            
            When the machine is turned on, it hurts Sabre. It hurts to watch. Within Shadow's mind, the Darkness isn't clearing - only physically is it being removed, so far. It takes time. Sabre worries he won't be able to handle it, to handle something that blinded him once. Will they lose this battle and slip back in?
            

Pt 12.
            
            It goes on and on, longer than the first fight. Shadow doesn't want to absorb TGO. Assistant comes in and attempts to shoot TGO with a laser, before M pulls them away. Shadow remembers o!Sabre absorbing the laser, and decides to ask M to let Assistant fight. That helps distract TGO, and keeps Twisted pleased.
            
            Finally, Sabre joins the fight again, now wanting to prove his worth. With three people trying to attack, TGO is distracted a lot, and that gives Shadow the chance to attack with the sword instead of absorbing. This takes far longer and is ultimately far more deadly, as it takes multiple fatal hits to take TGO down. 
            
            Sabre asks Shadow why this, when he knows a way that's confirmed to kill TGO. Shadow admits that this might not end well, and eventually decides he must take risk and absorb TGO.

@ItsGirlCraft LORE!!!!! also LOVE YOU AU!!!!!!!!

Hypno is...well, Hypno, and also has just A Lot Going On. He's one of the unexpected favorites in this angsty, hopeful story. And, well, do you recall that RQ Time Steve was said to have shattered after RQ ended, and ended up in the multiverse? Yeah. He's definitely another special guy in this part of the AU. It's complicated but very angsty and horrifying in a weirdly hopeful way. These two are some fun additions to the otherwise standard redemption arc story I've done a hundred times for TR Shadow.
            The parallels are uncanny to og TR Sabre's beginnings when Shadow first arrives in the roleswap universe. All he wants is to be listened to. No one will, not unless he makes himself a big enough threat through violence. Violence and listening go hand in hand here..people won't listen to you without violence. That's simply the only language they understand in this universe. Shadow is desperate to follow through with peaceful advocacy of understanding and care, in an attempt to make up for what he has done. In an attempt to make up for not listening to Sabre. 
            
            But TFC won't stop until he's destroyed Shadow's willpower and gives in. Shadow can't keep it up - even M won't leave Twisted, no matter how much Shadow begs. He listens, but can't do anything to change this, not until later. When Shadow discovers Sabre is the Elite Dark Guard, he is horrified, desperate to make him listen, not let him make the same mistake he himself made. Sabre ignores him, assuming him to be simply hysterical. Eventually, Shadow is forced to follow the same path Twisted Sabre walked.

@ItsGirlCraft Hm. Yknow what? Let's just. Jump ahead and go to those parts, screw chronological order. Twisted Rainbow has some of the most interesting concepts, personally speaking. The original TR timeline is dead, unlike the others... because TFC's impact on Twisted Sabre was so severe, Sabre...well, he died in the process of destroying the TR universe within his mind to take revenge and take back control. Being a universe within his mind, his body is still floating out in the multiverse... finally empty. 
            
            The Roleswap occurred when Origin died after the destruction of the TR universe. Or, well, was supposed to. Roleswap is... not just a trope here. It's... something else. Something alive within this AU. Something that forms when there are deeds undone and second chances needed. In some ways, it's both a curse and a blessing in one..
            Because the original TR Sabre died alongside the TR universe, he cannot be given second chances. Instead, the Roleswap chose Twisted Shadow. (Totally not bc he's My Favorite, nooo, totally not) Except, because Reasons, only Shadow and Sabre swap places. There is a crackfic variant where everyone swaps, but that's not relevant. I might just post my various AU rambles including it and other crackfic variants later.
            
            TFC is somewhat experiencing a mild time loop, at least from his POV, being an immortal creature and such. He knows what the original timeline was, and despite the knowledge that Shadow tried to change, he doesn't expect Shadow to rebel against him. Just like TR Sabre, Origin and TFC are voices in Shadow's head - Origin providing him with his true name, Shadow Sabre, and TFC encouraging the use of the sword (I call it the Cursed Sword).