#sergey crosscode

The Evotar project is less a completely independent project and more an independent modding project, as Evotars still rely completely on the crosscode and exist purely through instant matter avatars, and is against TOS/ not legal (IDK how illegal modding online multiplayer games is irl but seeing as the Crossgear has the ability to do such wonderful things as torture someone if you turn off a limiter (assumedly i don't see how that would be limited to just Evotars) I can see the law around it being more strict). Funding is met through Satoshi's position being very high pay, giving him some savings, though it isn't enough to fully fund it so some of Shizuka, Sergey and Gautham's money is also used (this is probably very optimistic but so is this whole au really). They also got some equipment for the project (such as things needed to make instant matter and continuous access to up to date code) from connections/friends at/connected to Instatainment (Jet, Carla and Sergey as main ones probably). While Satoshi, Shizuka and Gautham all completely left their jobs at Instatainment to work on the Evotar project, Sergey kept his job and only works on the project part time.

Shizuka in this au isn't really all that jazzed to be the base of the first Evotar, but goes through with it as she; was the first choice being the youngest as well as the most physically fit and healthy (which considering some Shizuka headcanons I have, is kinda sad), wanted to support her brother on something he was very passionate about, and knew if she didn't Satoshi probably would and she didn't want him risking it with his heart problem.

When Lea is 'born' she's not actually called Lea in this au, due to Sidwell not being present. She's called Serika with the spelling 星璃花 to fit with the names 'Satoshi' and 'Shizuka' (I do not know Japanese I do not know if that name/spelling makes sense, but 星 means star). (This name also kinda ended up as my IRL Lea's real name so whoops, though Lea is a nickname she has and is the thing she's called the most. IDK how she gets it yet dw that's a different au anyway).

Sergey would probably take the role Sidwell did of trying to teach her things/seeing exactly what's up with her not being able to talk/internalise some things, though overall she would interact with Satoshi, Sergey, Gautham and later Shizuka a lot, as opposed to my general headcanon with the main game where while she interacted with Gautham and Satoshi some, she spent most of her time either alone or with Sidwell.

Relatively early on in development they figure out that the 'breaking' that happens when an Evotar is made aware of what they are is less of a literal computer break and more a physiological crisis (general headcanon I have mainly cause of the Luke stuff, also what's shown of Lea, with the only time we see an Evotar breaking being due to a fake malfunction). They decide to ease Serika into making her aware of it instead of trying to avoid it completely since her being unaware would probably cause more problems in the long run (both for Serika and Shizuka, it'd end up with both of them a lot more isolated, and its bound to fail eventually). Serika would still have some sort of crisis about it because hell of a thing to learn, but it'd be manageable (funny way to describe a crisis). Serika and Shizuka would have been introduced after Serika had worked mostly through that crisis.

While Shizuka isn't actively aggressive and hateful towards Serika at first like in game, she is still rude, dismissive and prickly towards her, not really internalising that Serika is not just an ai copy immediately and also her being a result of something she was hesitant of. She is at least somewhat ('''somewhat''') polite towards her, though Serika is very wary of her at the start because of this. As time goes on Shizuka gets warmer towards her and starts seeing Serika as her own person, with Serika also growing more fond of Shizuka, though she is still under the impression she's basically tolerating her. The second part of the MAP part shows basically the 'conclusion' of this, with Shizuka fully accepting that Serika is her own person. Serika would start to fully internalise that Shizuka does not hate her actually after this, and becomes very clingy towards her.

At some point Satoshi goes against probably common sense/survival instinct something like that and shows Instatainment the stuff he's been working on. They're impressed enough with it that Satoshi and the gang aren't charged for anything and Serika is allowed to log into Crossworlds (albeit a limited part), with the condition that Satoshi comes back to working at Instatainment and start working on implementing parts of it into the game (This is helped by Satoshi previously being a key member of staff who never stops fuckin working, but is also probably optimistic)(the horrors of game integration stay at least earlier on). While Satoshi, Shizuka and Gautham would all go back to Instaintment to work again, Gautham would probably end up splitting off due to feeling creatively stifled still, maybe to make indie games. This would turn out much better for him in the long run I'd hope.

While Serika is allowed into Crossworlds she is only limited to the currently unintegrated part of the playground, the old hideout. With this and mostly a smallish office being mainly the only places she can go, she starts to feel depressed due to yk only being in a couple very limited places, depraved of stimuli. Due to this all of them but mostly Shizuka push to give her access to the whole playground like an average player, which they manage to get (as shown in the map part).

In the game Serika meets Emilie and joins the first scholars as she usually does. She also probably meets Apollo and Joern in a similar way (possibly with Lea being taken by Shizuka to autumns rise as a surprise to show her she's allowed out into the playground, and when there she ends up gaining a level. She's then teleported to where she was in base game as she knows the basics, stuff plays out and CHEATER YOURE A CHEA-).

This AU's premise does make Tronny existing kind of not possible but I am a stubborn god that wants the fucked up little fella to exist. The basic thing I've thought of is Sidwell managed to keep informed about Evotars through some connections, and manages to make an Evotar of himself both as a test and possibly as an earlier concept version of his data gathering torture in main game, where its basically just an Evotar of him stalking people under the impression they themselves told them to do so. This fucks up somehow and Tronny ends up wandering around Crossworlds very confused and not knowing what the fuck is happening. He ends up meeting Emilie and Serika, though later than in main game (probably around when vermillion waste would happen). Somehow its figured out he's an Evotar of Sidwell and Sidwell's newly hatching bullshit gets shut down real quick. There's a lot of somehows and how did that happen in this idk its a base concept, the point is the boy exists.

This au does make it so Luke also doesn't exist tho so L. Possibly Lukas could get an evotar of himself later on tho idk why he'd do that and that evotar would probably turn out a somewhat different person than Luke, with none of the events in vermillion to shape him (Maybe some more Luke brained mfers can make this up my noggin is lacking in that department).

Shizuka in this AU, which still snippy, isn't as aggressive and bitey as in main. I'd probably describe her more as aloof? Not fully sure, but she's still jaded compared to Serika and still has medical insomnia (random headcanon) (It might make more sense for Shizuka and Serika to start out pretty much the same, but I like Lea and Shizu always being noteably different). She's generally a lot more lenient, both of peoples behaviours and requests. E.G for behaviours, in the DLC Shizuka runs away from Emilie after she starts taking to her in the dungeon, in this AU if Emilie approached her and started yapping like that she'd probably look unimpressed but put up with it. With behaviours, I imagine Shizuka being pretty stubborn about not doing things she doesn't want to in main (unless somehow guilted into it by herself) due to her previous experiences, while Shizuka in this au would be more easy to convince.

Serika would be mostly the same, though she'd be fully aware of herself and who she is at the point where the game starts. I don't know exactly how she comes to love hugs so much without the whole Vermillion trauma and seemingly growing to like them a lot, but she has to ok its important /lh (Maybe sometime earlier on she was upset by something, whether being stuck in one room or not remembering herself or her memories well or frustration at her troubles communicating and learning certain things, and she was hugged to calm her down, ending up really liking hugs). She also still cannot talk until around the same place in main game where Sergey starts giving her words, him coming up with the idea and implementing it to give her means to talk to players.

Satoshi would still die due to his heart condition in this au, though later on than in main game due to the stress of Sidwell as well as overworking due to that pushing him along. He'd still probably die quicker than he should have due to overworking though my man will not stop.

Some random other bullshit, Shizuka would meet Emilie after her and Serika do the desert temple, coming to check on her. She's how Emilie learns Lea can't say much as opposed to Tronny.

But yea a pretty lose AU with a bunch of random strewn about concepts, just like the majority of my aus which i barely ever share. It was fun thinking of it for/while making this animation.