tired of seeing nothing but the same 2-3 AUs making the rounds on [insert app here]? well, i've got the list for you! here's some smaller/less well-known AUs that showcase tons of creativity! have a look around, and maybe show some love to smaller fan artists and writers 💖
﹁ Hail True Body ﹁
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creator: mustangs-flames
Mark doesn't die in september 1992 and instead ends up trying to help his friend, "Cesar," following the death of his mother. What he doesn't know is that an alternate has taken place of his friend, and said alternate is having its own struggles with identity.
- reason for rec: first of all, absolutely stunning prose. boy pls lend me the thesaurus in your brain so i can be that good at words. also has the most extensive worldbuilding i've seen in an AU? literally from the biblical side of the story, all the way to the 2009 part, not a single things gets skipped over and pushed to the side. also this is what finally helped me understand mark as a character. if you're also a mark enjoyer, or you want to see a unique take on alt!cesar, or you want to see some bomb-ass prose, you'll probably like this!
☣ Labrats ☣
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creator: shmorp-mcdurgen
Doctor Gabriel is on the cutting edge of genetic modification technology, but his quest for perfection has led him and his employees down a dark path, one which will change the lives of seven patients in particular.
- reason for rec: has some of the most unique takes on the characters i've seen, and has some good good body horror in spades as well! the art is also phenomenal, and i particularly like this story's take on the murray family! if you're also a body horror enjoyer, or you like some more sci-fi flavored horror, this might be the AU for you! NOTE: it's apparently getting rebooted?? so stay tuned for that i guess!
⊗ Septendecim ⊗
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creator: foster-the-moths
An alternative take on what happened to Adam during catalyst, in which his body warps even further beyond recognition and Jonah is there to witness the fallout.
- reason for rec: yet more stunning art, plus just some insanely metal imagery in general? like look at that nightmare cathedral. it belongs on a deathcore album (affectionate). if you're an adam angst enjoyer that likes deathcore, then this is the AU for you!
⛧ Submandelaphobia ⛧
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creator: moonlightmasquerade
A Shadow Over Innsmouth-inspired take on TMC, in which the alternates are basically Deep Ones instead of demons, and Mandela County is a small fishing county by sea.
- reason for rec: very biased because i'm also writing some lovecraft-inspired, thalassophobia-based horror, and this is literally all the things i like about those aesthetics and more! plus there's a unique artstyle, and a pretty cool take on adam's story as well 💖 if you like mandela catalogue but wish it was wetter, you'll probably like this AU!
♡ Mother Mary ♡
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creator: sukunasbabygirl
Rather than the human child Adam dying so the alternate Adam we know and love(?) can live, in this AU alt!Adam is found by Lynn, who she thinks is her real son, while human!Adam (called Abdiel) is unknowingly raised by Six.
- reason for rec: most love for lynn i've seen in an au, plus has the most cohesive take on the prospect of both human and alternate adam surviving that i've seen. also has some really great art too! if you think lynn murray deserved better, this is the AU for you! NOTE: don't know how active this project still is. so watch out for that.
✤ Finding Eden ✤
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creator: moonflwer-gutz
Another take on Catalyst, in which Adam crawls back to Evelin because she's the only one he believes can get him out of the mess he made. Unfortunately, he visibly looks like an alternate now, and Evelin's not particularly inclined to help him.
- reason for rec: love it when tmc fic writers acknowledge that evelin. ✨️exists.✨️ but also this is another au with a lot of great art and well thought-out character designs! if you're an evelin enjoyer like me, you'll probably like this au!
▶ Confessions ▶
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creator: mythicandco
The tapes Thatcher gives him aren't the only secrets Dave has. There's another tape he owns, called "Confessions." Even darker secrets could be revealed once a young employee of his happens upon the tape.
- reason for rec: hey are you one of the rare but enlightened dave enjoyer? because this is i think the only AU i've seen that uses dave motherfucking-god-damn lee as its main character. also has a very fun explanation for why he looks like mark, but you're just gonna have to go digging to find out why ;) if dave is your fave, you'll like this AU!
✦ Tethered Together ✦
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creator: fostopia
Mark and Cesar become ghosts after their respective, fatal alternate encounters. Both still shows the wounds from how they died, and both never left the Torres house. However, two paranormal investigators visiting the house gives the ghosts a new purpose for their afterlife.
- reason for rec: absolutely incredible artwork, and also one of my favorite renditions of jonah! also this one has animatics!?!? if you want an au with an interesting take on the four victims with some great art, you'll probably like this one!
✪ Sanguine, Such as Celestial Spirits May Bleed ✪
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creator: GhostliestBastard
A space horror take on Mandela Catalogue! The story is now set on a space station, with all the characters having a different class status within the station's society. Of course, something finds its way onto the ship and bloody chaos ensues.
- reason for rec: some very cool descriptions of both the alternate, and of the violence that ensues as it wreaks havoc on the station. and i do love me some gory af fanfic 💕 if you also like poetic descriptions of violence, or like media such as dead space or alien, you'll probably like this fic!
✿ Floral Fate ✿
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creator: miss-wanna-draw96
Set in a world where everyone has flowers growing from their bodies that signifies their destiny, this story sets all the characters in a more modern setting, and has Mark surviving his attack and Sarah and Jonah supporting him in the aftermath.
- reason for rec: very cool worldbuilding around the designs here, and also features a lot of character dynamics i haven't seen other writers tackle yet! if you like urban fantasy worlds or wished more people would write about sarah and mark's dynamic, this might be the au for you!
in addition, perhaps you might like mine? no pressure tho, just a suggestion... 👀
