Don’t Tap the Glass AU - notes & timeline
I'll be writing a journal entry style fic for DTTG and posting occasional comics so this is technically spoilers but posting anyway since it's been a long time coming. Feel free to read if you like 👍
internal conflict within the Shimada castle leading to the deaths of two brothers and the clan disappearing
some time after (years?) the brothers are reborn as an oni (self-inflicted curse) and minor god (revered as a tragic victim)
centuries later, Cassidy in his early hunting days is attacked by a lycan (deadlock) and to prevent the curse, dismembered his own arm (infected area)
blood loss and shock from doing this nearly kills him but one of Death’s workers (Nevermore!Reaper) notices how stubbornly he’s clinging to life and makes a deal with him (blackwatch)
Cassidy becomes an Undead, able to maintain his human form unless weak or when it’s time to do his part of the deal on the anniversary of his “death”
his deal grants him the ‘deadeye’, able to see who is marked for death and he has to bring them to the Reaper to keep extending his life
he later acquires the new arm for channelling the magic he lost when Turning, help with reaping, and is heavily enchanted to react to non-humans with a burning touch
Cassidy heavily relies on weapons more than his magic because it's not as strong as it used to be and more akin to practical effects or smaller attacks like smoke, stuns, small explosions (ei. wind effect during deadeye, flashbang/magnet grenade, etc) and feels draining to use at the same time as keeping his human appearance
Cassidy finds a way to stay away from innocents whenever the anniversary comes around, feeling more justified in his reaping if he’s taking out those who deserve it. Refusing to reap will end their deal and the Reaper will finally take Cassidy himself
at some point, Cassidy meets Genji Shimada, a traveller who he suspects is also not human, but Genji never brings it up
Cassidy is hired by a “priest” (Zenyatta) to capture the oni lurking within the abandoned Shimada castle, frightening the citizens of Hanamura
The priest warns of a horrible fate if the oni is left alone
Genji vouches for the Priest, and explains some of Hanamura’s legends to Cassidy, who figures Genji must’ve fled from there from the association with Shimada castle, or displaced when his ancestor’s clan fell apart.
bounty money was good too
Cassidy travels to Hanamura to hunt the oni, who he is able to find because the oni is peculiarly marked for death
He wonders if that means the priest will be killing the oni himself after the delivery
Cassidy wins the fight because being Undead has its perks (still hurts tho) and the Oni fought very distractedly (lack of tactic/sense)
He seals the Oni in a lantern that is covered in a variety of seals as oni are not something he hunted before, and he rarely takes jobs involving escorting a live target, so better safe than sorry. He made the seals himself
The oni in its sealed form is surprisingly chattier and snarky, as it didn’t talk during the fight. The two butt heads and bicker throughout the journey. At this point, Cassidy doesn’t consider the oni to really be a person with the rumours that this oni was born out of the tragedies in Shimada castle alone
funnee hijinks of avoiding other monsters or hunters
Vampire hunter!Brigitte encounter
Banshee!Moira encounter
The more human the oni spoke and acted, the more Cassidy questioned what it really was
The amount of detours and unexpected delays of journeying with a live target threw off Cassidy’s predicted drop-off time. The energy on maintaining the multiple seals is draining.
Both Cassidy and oni become more irritable and tired, and argue until Cassidy decides to stop talking to the oni and focus on the job
His Undeath anniversary is soon and the only person around for Cassidy to reap would be his own target
Cassidy detours again to a town to find suitable souls to reap
Oni has become significantly quieter and falling asleep more often. Getting weaker.
The Oni shares that he finally figured out what Cassidy was, through the different magic signatures that carried into the seals. He knows that Cassidy is Undead, and that it is ironic that they’re both cursed. He falls asleep once more, as Cassidy realized that the oni was also once a human.
Encounter with a disguised witch (Mercy) who took notice of his charge, tries to cast an enchantment on Cassidy to hand over the weakened oni for herself
Cassidy catches her act, burning her hand in a handshake
Village is revealed to be false, all the people in it are puppet illusions by the witch. (looks like ragdoll!echos) Cassidy cannot reap.
Time runs out, the Reaper comes for Cassidy
Oni wakes up during the confrontation, overhearing the argument, Cassidy being offered an extension if he reaps the oni whose time was long due, just like him, and overhears that Cassidy has decided not to hand off the oni to anyone
Cassidy doesn’t want to do the Reaper’s dirty work anymore,
they fight
the lantern shatters, releasing the oni
the two of them together fight until the Reaper retreats, vowing to return even before the next deadline
now freed, Cassidy offers for the oni to attack him back, in revenge for being sealed
the oni refuses, they talk instead
Cassidy finally learns that the oni’s name is Hanzo
Hanzo asks more about Cassidy's deal with the Reaper, about Deadeye, and he figured he was marked for death. He asks if he's still marked, Cassidy reluctantly admits that he is, but it's been wavering.
they decide to continue to travel together
Cassidy laments that he will not receive the bounty for turning Hanzo in. Hanzo mentions that there was abandoned wealth back at the Shimada castle. They go back for it as their first destination together.
Cassidy sent a letter back to Genji for the Priest. He will not be completing the hunt.
The Priest shakes his head at this, amused, but strangely optimistic about this development. Genji leaves to search for them instead.
Cassidy learns that Hanzo does not remember everything from when he was human. He remembers his name, yes he always had this tattoo, his family was of summoners, he did something to have been cursed to become this. He thinks he cursed himself in his final moments. He doesn’t remember what his familiars were, nor anyone in his clan
Cassidy mentions Genji as the one who told him about Hanamura’s legends, and that Genji might be one of Hanzo’s technical descendants since they share a last name. Hanzo doesn’t recognize the name Genji.
Hanzo learns that Cassidy enchanted one of his bag’s pockets for hammerspace. Cassidy uses this for multiple hats. Hanzo hates that.
Werewolf!Winston encounter. They fight until Winston turns back. They thought he would’ve turned back into a human. He didn’t.
Hanzo eventually remembers what he looked like as a human, for a supply run into town where he needed to be disguised like Cassidy
Same town has Einherjar!Zarya who is also a hunter, not an active one, but protects that town. She keeps squinting at them.
Anytime time they try to mention/question about Winston's.. condition (gorilla), something interrupts them
the witch returns, having captured the Reaper (Jack-o-Lantern!Reaper) as a servant after being denied the oni
Cassidy makes a new deal with the Reaper, that he will forget about Cassidy and Hanzo’s souls in exchange for being broken out
[more time for adventures here]
Will-o-wisp!Tracer and Satyr!Lucio “help” them through a forest
catch a ride on a ship with pirate!Torbjorn, warning from pirate!Baptiste about monsters in the water, (unseen, pirate!Ana in background talking w Genji)
Siren!Symmetra encounter
here comes the giant fist (swamp monster!doomfist)
Ana is there after they arrive, makes fun of them for getting attacked by the swamp monster
There’s a circus! (roadhog, junkrat, soldier)
Genji finally finds them. Hanzo remembers. He does not take it well.
Hanzo's death marker revealed to be referring to his humanity and identity, as being in isolation as an oni he would've eventually lost himself. Suddenly remembering what he did and being overcome with the emotions drives him out of control
Genji and Hanzo fight (reference to dragons animated short except big oni attacks), and meanwhile Cassidy recreates his seals to suppress the frenzy to help Genji's words reach Hanzo
probably some crying but 👍
Other notes/encounters
Widowmaker is a monster hunter
Sombra is another monster hunter (knows Cassidy’s secret)
Kiriko (Matsuri?) is still a shrine maiden, or helps care for it, specifically the shrine Genji is connected to. They hang out :)
Ramattra is a necromancer that puts souls in dolls and bots (haunted doll!Ashe, victorian doll!Echo, gearbot!Bastion? what a weird family...) (this means ashe technically appears twice but it's possible because the lycan attack was years ago and she could've died since then and doll!ashe isn't the same
Enchanted armour Pharah and Reinhardt if they appear
No one ever sees Zenyatta's face under the cloth, and Genji only ever describes it vaguely
Junkenstein's Revenge and Wrath of the Bride could still happen to a degree but very different dialogue/origins for the four heroes
Cassidy can't see death markers through glass so he couldn't see Hanzo's having changed during travels because of the lantern
Cassidy can safely lose and reattach limbs as an undead but can't heal/regenerate too much lost mass on his own. He cannot have his head or heart pierced, that could still kill him
Hanzo has to physically eat as well for strength so part of him getting weak over time was seals, the other was cuz he was starving. He could eat people technically, but tries to stick to animals, and magic-adjacent stuff is more filling (he got a couple birds from the fight with Reaper)
Genji's abilities as a deity are wind and weather based (swift strike no cooldowns) and he can still summon his dragon familiar from before. He still uses weapons unlike Hanzo who is more melee now as an oni (though has storm related effects like lightning)
They probably stop by the town that had Zarya and Winston every once in a while because it's actually a chill town once they get to know you
