#but anyways I love Bandito and Crow

[the-whispers-of-death]

I might have figured it out? Not 100% sure but here's the working theory 🫧Major Bandito spoilers in this one I guess

Obviously Bandito's tragic backstory happened way before any of this, and she's not a proper member of the 141 so in theory she can just be like mentioned briefly in Crow's first few chapters? And then Crow has some character development and then once his story's mostly done they have a mission together and Crow's like 'yay you didn't die and I didn't get my throat slit' but Bandito's like 'damn, my bandana ripped good job I have this spare yellow bandana that I keep in my inside pocket because it holds personal significance' but by this point even Ghost has had some of that good ol' character development with Crow and shown him (and maybe the 141) this polaroid of him and his best friend/sister (I still don't know) and told them about the gift he gave her and the reason he's so standoffish with Bandito is cause like 'she has her eyes also they both wore bandanas.' And Crow isn't stupid so he puts two and two together and manages to get Bandito wearing the yellow mask in a room with Ghost? Like messages Price or something like 'come up with an excuse for us to have to report to Ghost about the mission instead of you' and then angst ensues.

Writing this out helped, idk why it had to be in your inbox but it's fineee

I'm so glad you understand my pain though. Honestly no matter what you come up with you know we'll eat it up

I thank you for writing this in my inbox, because I ate it up. Crow finding out Bandito is Ghost's best friend/sister before Ghost does is so delicious, honestly. I'm obsessed officially.

But yeah, I'm half-tempted to just leave Heartthrob & Hellstorm in their respective U.S. military branches (U.S. Marine Corps & U.S. Navy) and just have them interact with Stone, Ladder, & the 141 like that. (Cause the 141 have worked with Marines before, in ModerWarfare 2.)

[the-whispers-of-death]

Hey so I had this idea and I'm going to subject you to it. 🫧

So it started when I was thinking about what animals my OCs would be in a hybrid AU and I was like "well Crow's obvious he'd be a crow" but then I stopped and was like (because I love Corvids) "hey Corvids remember faces I want to befriend one someday" and then I was like "hey Corvids remember faces and if you piss one off they will hate you forever" and then I was like hmmmmm....

Anyway Hybrid AU with a different childhood friend Bandito timeline, where Crow Hybrid! Bandito thought Ghost abandoned her to die (he was told she was dead and buried alive ofc he didn't abandon her, but when she escaped she crucially didn't see the news about his 'body' being found) and now she's pissed. Ends up as the 141-Shadow Company liaison thingy and builds up a good friendship with everyone (crows being befriendable). Something something Ghost saving/helping Bandito on a mission and Bandito spends days making some sort of trinket for Ghost (Crows bringing you shinies when you befriend them). Finally finishing this trinket (maybe a wood carving of an animal) and happily going to find Ghost. Finding Ghost outside smoking a cigarette with his mask fully off in his hand.

Ghost turning around to greet Bandito, neither wary about their faces being visible because they've earned each other's trust.

But instead of Bandito seeing Ghost, Nadia sees Simon. And Simon almost collapses, his best friend who he never got closure from - no body to bury or dog tags to keep (although they are tattooed on his arm next to Tommy's name) - is stood right in front of him. And Nadia almost collapses, because that bastard who earned her trust, took it for granted and left her to die, is stood right in front of her with the audacity to try and befriend her again! Doesn't he know that he ripped her heart out the first time he abandoned her?

Obligatory song picks - Reckoner by Radiohead and Gladiator by Jann

I thought this was going to be something silly/fun and happy, only for you to rip my heart out.

It's okay, I loved every second I spent reading this ask.

[the-whispers-of-death]

I can't decide if Bandito should exist in the same universe as Crow does? 🫧

Because I didn't factor either of them into the other's story - but I wrote that Crow speaks to Dobermann and Andromeda, and Bandito is friends with the twins (I'll be infodumping on all of these guys at some point there are so many of them omg) but Andromeda and the twins know each other? So idk what to do there.

My options are to try and retcon my original story ideas for Bandito and Crow to reference each other in some way (but then which story comes first?), or remove the link between Andromeda and the twins so they can exist in separate universes? This would be fine for the twins cause it would just make them a little more angsty but then I have to come up with new character development for Andromeda :/ Alternatively I get rid of Bandito's link to the twins and have her exist in her own separate universe. Or I leave it as is and ignore the plot hole of Bandito and Crow just conveniently never mentioning eachother despite both working directly with the 141.

I'm sorry this is more of a vent than anything. But hey sneak peak at more OCs to come huh? Hhhh creativity is hard

Creativity is hard, I agree. I truly hit the jackpot with Ladder & Stone being able to coexist in the same universe despite both working with the 141 because they have two separate jobs and The Lions are just chilling with the Shadow Company.

I don't know what to do with both Hellstorm and Heartthrob, though I feel like I could just put Heartthrob in his own universe where instead of Stone being lent to the 141, Heartthrob is lent to the 141. But Hellstorm... What need would the 141 have with a naval aviator?? (I shouldn't have made Hellstorm a naval aviator but my love for Top Gun took over.)

Anyways, maybe you should retcon their stories? Or just keep it the same and deal with the plot hole. I mean, would anyone besides you be really bothered about the plot hole? I don't know. Do whatever makes you the happiest.