☆Candied Bees☆

So I don’t have too much of the actual plot planned yet (emphasis on yet!!), but I do have some key points I’d love to share.

First off—the Axolotl is characterized a little differently in my AU than how I usually see them portrayed. A lot of people make the Axolotl into the complete opposite of Bill, which totally makes sense, but I want to raise the idea that they’re also an all-powerful being who probably exists and operates on a plane of reality that’s completely incomprehensible to humans. In that way, they share a vague similarity with Bill.

My AU centers around the idea that the Axolotl is, in a sense, Stan’s Bill. They don’t mean outright harm, but when they do cause it, they don’t particularly care or understand the weight of it. That’s not to say they’re oblivious or naïve—they know perfectly well that they’re causing Stan distress. But to them, it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. They assume Stan will just “get over it.” In their mind, it’s simply not a big deal, and by extension, they believe Stan doesn’t think it’s a big deal either. (I’ll get more into what that “harm” is later.)

Now, onto the basis of this AU: Stan has “died” and been resurrected by the Axolotl with the sole purpose of becoming their disciple and carrying out tasks for them. What Stan doesn’t know is that the Axolotl has a slight ulterior motive—stopping Bill. Before Stan can face Bill, though, the Axolotl wants him to get used to the supernatural and gain the tools he’ll need to eventually thwart him. Along the way, Stan makes many connections with the supernatural world across the globe, completing whatever missions the Axolotl assigns.

Here’s where the miscommunication (and harm) comes in: Stan believes his “life” is conditional—that if he doesn’t do exactly what the Axolotl says, they’ll revoke it and let him die again. And while he’s not entirely wrong, it isn’t the whole truth. The Axolotl already favored Stan above other humans (hence why they chose him to face Bill) and, over time, they grow genuinely attached to him. They would never actually take away his second chance, even if he stopped doing their bidding.

But Stan doesn’t know that. Because of this misunderstanding, he feels like he can never disagree or say no, even when missions are taxing, dangerous, or just plain uncomfortable. The Axolotl eventually realizes this, but allows him to keep believing the lie—it makes him easier to control and more willing to do what they need. (Yeah, it’s a bit of a dick move, but I think making the Axolotl imperfect here makes the story ten times more interesting.)

When the Axolotl finally deems Stan ready to face Bill, they orchestrate a reunion between the twins—something Stan is wildly against but goes along with anyway, out of fear.