#considering ive been trying to piece together a timeline

[sun-stricken]

Don’t have to answer if it’s not your style, but headcannons for overprotective dragon slayers to new demon slayer gray?

Random person: you’re all dragon slayers?

Slayers: yeah, why?

Random person points to gray: why’s he here?

Slayers: he’s adopted

anon you have no idea how much i love you for asking this, ive been waiting for an excuse to do this, i am a SLUT for anyone and anything being overprotective of Gray

i don’t believe in canon or timelines so use ur imagination

i like to think of Gray as person practically everybody ends up really liking, and a total cat magnet.

And dragon slayers r just big cats. So Gray already had close friendships with them

so when they realized ‘holy shit hes like us now’ their protective instincts went in overdrive

Natsu, Wendy, & Sting didnt even try to hide it; constantly trying to make sure hes comfortable and felt safe and didnt sit alone confused and scared by all these new things he has to deal with

Natsu definitely drags him onto impromptu jobs and fishing trips with Happy, in an effort to get away from people, or just so they can spend time together, the reason is unclear

i think dragon slayers as a whole are like violently touch starved, and thats what Sting focused on mostly.

he would drape himself over Gray when he felt like the other needed or wanted it but wouldnt ask

it helped Gray get more comfortable for sure

Wendy, as a healer and friend, tried to give him every piece of advice she knew, offering remedy after remedy to help ease him into his now heightened senses

Gray tried to explain to them once that his abilities are fairly different from theirs, yes he has heightened senses, but his instincts and needs were a hell of a lot different than theirs; that only spurred them on more, making them try to research everywhere they could about demon slayers

Rogue & Gajeel were more subtle with it (not by much tho), they understood when needed it quiet, when he just wanted company without the talk

If Gray was having a hard time, whether or not it was bc of his slayer magic, Rogue would offer up Frosch and sit with him, offering silence or white noise. whatever he needed

Gajeel probably thought he was subtle but he absolutely was not, like asking Gray if he wants to run errands with him when places theyre at get too sensorially intense

he tried to ask Levy about everything she knew abt demon slayers without being too obvious, when she kept sending him knowing glances he just asked (very resigned) for some books on the matter.

there was surprisingly little

But he made do and probably studied every piece of literature there was on the matter

The others probably found out and teased him even tho they did the same thing (they also probs asked him to drop a list of books for them)

Now, Laxus really was subtle

telling Gray to go home when he was visibly pushing himself

talking about his new sound canceling headphones and then conveniently leaving them near Gray

or little compliments abt how his new magic is coming along, quiet support type shit

also staring someone down to get them to shut up if they’re being too much

i feel like they turned from ‘one of our own’ protective to overprotective when they realized ppl werent as accepting of demon slayers as they were with dragon slayers

Most ppl exposure to slayer magic is limited to dragon slayers, who refer to themselves as dragons. so when a demon slayer pops up, the correlation isn’t pretty, and their actions are even worse

While Gray understands people must just scared or confused, so he doesnt blame them; he has a hoard of extremely protective dragons who think differently

Wendy had to be physically restrained by multiple people after she heard people calling Gray a monster

Natsu genuinely considered burning alive someone who refused to pay Gray after he finished up a job

Gray definitely now had scary dog privileges, the dog being every single dragon slayer he knows

Laxus zapping people who so much as look at Gray wrong, or frying whatever electronic (ik its lacrimas but work with me) device they have.

or both

Them all hyping up (in their own ways) Grays physical demon features when they start showing up

Post joint guild party at Sabertooth: some guy talking shit abt how Fairy Tail could allow a demon into their ranks, how he is gonna hurt someone. They are now guildless and only eating through a straw and a face not even a mother could love

Someone at an event giving Gray a backhanded compliment and immediately getting death stares mixed with a violent increase of magic in the air that would make the gods shudder

Remember when i said Grays a cat magnet? its not just the dragon slayers who adore him, its their exceeds too

if u asked them to list their favorite people, Gray is in the top 5 for all of them

im stealing another hc from someone and saying Gray fosters cats, and Happy may or may not of gotten jealous once or twice over the pets and scratches that were supposed to be his

If Rogue loses Frosch and Gray happens to be in town 70% they’re probs together

The incorrect quote u put is so canon in this universe btw

Gray “Honorary Dragon Slayer” Fullbuster

i have so many more but neither of us are prepared yet

[zahri-melitor]

For the writer thing: James Tynion IV

Oh this is going to be fun as I've actually read a variety of things written by James Tynion IV. At present I have 164 issues marked as read on LOCG.

8. Talon 2012 #0-14: Oh wow do I not care about Calvin Rose. This is like a turbo combination of 'what was HAPPENING' during n52, 'new writer' vibes where he's still learning in places, and just really fanficcy vibes in places? He grows from here.

7. The Woods 2014: Early installment weirdness again. I'm enjoying it so far in terms of the concept of the plot, but I get why nobody talks about this title.

6. Batman Eternal 2014: These were a toss up, but I had to put Batman Eternal lower because it just drags so much. 52 issues is such a lot of story telling and there are clear sections of this that could easily have been excised into their own miniseries. It's got some interesting plotting, it has some characterisation I hate, I hope that Babs never has a mental breakdown like that again to the point that she decides trying to kiss Jason because she misses Dick was a good life choice.

5. Batman & Robin Eternal 2015: it's shorter, for one, and there's a handful more stand out scenes in this over Batman Eternal (Bruce talking to Damian about being Robin stands out of course). The plotting is tighter. I don't particularly like the concept of Mother and I think it overwrites a lot of important background for characters like Cass and JPV, but also I suspect that was scripted by someone else, given Tynion gets straight into fixing that as soon as he's on 'Tec.

4. Something is Killing the Children 2019: Just stylistically so much smarter and better considered. I want to dig into this further.

3. Batwoman 2017 #1-6: Tynion cowrote this with Marguerite Bennett and honestly it's such a juicy reset for Kate Kane. Now I do want to fist fight Tynion over a few issues (like locking Kate to Bruce's age even as we're getting the timeline extension put back in) but the Lost Year is just a glorious idea for Kate and the world and character building in this is very satisfying.

2. The Nice House on the Lake 2021: oh gosh I am head over heels for this title. It's just such a really nicely constructed horror piece, and interestingly in conversation with being very much a 'this was written during COVID' piece; it's less aggressively Hi I Am Processing My Feelings About Lockdown than a lot of COVID response stuff, particularly that came out in 2021, but it's also...it's about a group of people who have a friend in common trapped together in a luxury house in the middle of nowhere during the end of the world, where everything arrives by delivery and they can't leave a very specified area. The parallels are obvious.

1. Detective Comics #934-981: Rise and Fall of the Batmen. Is it perfect? No. Do I have things I would have done differently? Yes. Is it doing an incredible amount of work and storytelling in far less space than you would think? YES. I am in awe of Tynion's ability to compress decades of comics and hundreds of issues of storytelling down into this 48 issue run, while still making entertaining plots.

[henrysglock]

Pulling @krokodilsredimudil'stags from this post

OKAY THIS IS SOMETHING IVE BEEN CHEWING ON FOR A LONG TIME!!

Now, I don't have a full "analysis", but I've got a web of things I've noticed.

Let's start by looking at an Observer (September pictured here):

Bald, grey suit, darker tie. They can both see and move within past, present, and future. They exist outside of time, a new branch of humanity from an alternate future. They're guardians of the timeline, making alterations to ensure that specific ends are reached.

Now, there's a certain character this sounds a whole lot like, who we've discussed before in the context of Vecna/001: Dr. Osterman/Dr. Manhattan.

He can also see past, present, and future all at once, and he can manipulate the universe to get his desired ends.

Particularly, though, what connects him to Vecna/001:

Dr. Manhattan's theme, Prophecies by Phillip Glass, which comes from the documentary Koyaanisqatsi, plays over young Henry/Edward's introduction in 4.07.

As Dr. Osterman becomes a blue, super-powered, pseudo-God "Dr. Manhattan"...so, too, does 001 when he becomes Vecna:

The 001 -> Vecna transformation sequence is beat-for-beat the same as Dr. Osterman's transformation into Dr. Manhattan:

So this all already puts Vecna tangentially into the realm of Observers.

But what makes this paralleling interesting is this:

That man is not Jamie Bower. Period. The man we're told becomes Vecna is not Jamie Bower.

For reference...here's Jamie Bower under similar lighting/injury:

Proto-Vecna? Not the same (as I've detailed here and here).

He may not look like Jamie, but he does look like Modine/Brenner:

(as I've detailed here)

Meaning if we hand-wave and mumble a little to tie Brenner and Vecna together, we get a true Dr. Manhattan-type character. A doctor who fucked around and found out and ended up a fucked up blue pseudo-God.

Which becomes even more interesting when we consider that, from a certain point pre-Gate, Brenner does not change outfits. He always wears a dark grey suit and a darker tie...just like an Observer.

(This exact costuming detail has been driving me batty because it makes it impossible to put Brenner's scenes in chronological order. He's always wearing the same thing, meaning I have to rely on the outfits of those around him to try and piece it together, which is...insanity-inducing)

This becomes even more interesting when we consider that William Bell had plans to create a brand new universe out of the decimation of the existing two and act as the God of that universe.

Which, initially that makes you go:

"Okay, that's a 001 thing"

Except...

However, he does so with just a shit ton of chess references, much akin to how Henry describes Brenner in NINA:

While also being heavily Brenner paralleled in shot choices and character design:

And here's Bell's New Universe plus its inhabitants, as compared to demodogs:

However, after having his plans thwarted, Bell then pairs up with the Observers, selling the Fringe team out to them in Season 5, which leads them into the final timeline reset.

We also know, from season 5 of Fringe, that "normal" humans can become observers by co-opting their technology:

(peep the Bowie reference)

And we have a Brenner who is a) in direct connection with William Bell and the cortexiphan trials and b) is not located by the end of Fringe.

So like...I have nothing but questions, honestly! I wonder if Brenner is somehow tied to that Brenner, and if he has Observer-like abilities the way Peter does when he co-opts the Observers' technology. Our Brenner predates cortexiphan, and he predates Walter/Bell's discovery of the alternate timelines...

So who's to say he's not tied to Fringe's Brenner? Our Brenner is known for his LSD trials in pursuit of pushing the limits of human ability.

I mean, the Duffers even go so far as to say that Brenner was looking for Henry to show him "other worlds about how our universe works".

That's textbook Fringe. That's textbook Bell and Bishop. Were Stranger Things to be something of an offshoot, Brenner would be in exactly the same line of work as Bell and Bishop. Hell, Richard Brenner in ST could very well be meant to be tied to Fringe's Brenner. We just don't know, and we won't until Season 5.

I just... [REDACTED] Brenner, William Bell, Walter Bishop, Peter "Test Subject 01" Bishop, Olivia "Subject 13" Dunham, Henry Dunham, Henrietta Bishop, Ella and Eddie Blake (named for his grandfather, Eddie Dunham). Martin Brenner, Richard Brenner, Peter Ballard, Peter Owens, William Byers, William Hargrove, Henry/Edward "001" Creel, El "011" [REDACTED], Eddie Munson...etc., etc. into eternity.

Bell, Bishop, Brenner.

Anyway, I do have a working graphic for this web of connections, though:

[fantastic-mr-corvid]

⭐ for I want to die with you, Wendy, on the streets tonight in an everlasting kiss!

Hehe<3 ty for indulging me to talk about this fic more Dujour!

ive talked about the contents quite a bit, but one thing i haven't touched upon as much is Celia knowing Elena's gonna leave, and how she changes to make up for that- this fic capturing Celia as she steps towards taking over Elenas role of leader and is slowly running out of denial about how Elena will leave. Ft taking about the power structure and leadership pre everlasting kiss. it got long so under the readmore!

Celia is not anything close to a leader, or even in the middle of the social hierarchy, when she turns 17. Elena and Tesoro are both near the top, not enough to be considered in the running leaders of their year, but Elena has an intelligence and fighting talent that overshadows that shes a girl, and Tesoros emotional intelligence and levelheadedness means hes the de facto mediator.

if all 2-3 'leaders'- the people fighting over the top position who have the ability to hold it- are down, Tesoro may be the person who most look to, but Elena would be the true leader, having the intimidation and strength to take control.

Celia is at best, a loyal grunt whos aware of the complexities of reputation and can win a fight enough to mostly avoid being fucked with.

But Elena is nominated for a scholarship by the school. Elena is already spending less time with them and more in what passes for an art studio, planning her portfolio and pieces, spending extra time behind class to make sure she gets those grades.

Elena will no longer be the person to step up as leader.

Tesoro is already cracking under the strain of his home life as well as the emotional baggage piled onto him. he will be important- but he cant be the one at the top.

and this is fine- well its not Celia has to grapple with her best friend leaving but shes happy for her!

Then the race happens and Polpo orchestrates a turf war between street gangs just so Passione can take over and absorb the victor. [timeline here more specifically under the second readmore]

and by the middle there down to one leader, and even less people, then that leader gets hospitalized and Elena is forced to step up while Tesoro is trying to hold everything together and Celia is who Elena leans on, Celia is the one who is trusted by Elena, and Celia is the one who suddenly starts moving upwards.

turns out being head over heels for your leader motivates a low tier grunt to become someone people learn to fear, not to mention fighting for you and your friends lives.

then the war is over, then they can breath- and thats when Everlasting Kiss happens. and it all changes again.

Celia didn't know if she was glad it missed or not. She was already the de facto leader of their little sub-group, and despite the leers, she would be the one to step up when Sovrano was taken out of the game- Hell she had stepped up as he was taken care of in that clinic.

By all rights, Elena should be the next in line, but this scholarship- well, she's been slowly retreating from them, preferring to study and linger in what passed for a studio in school, than hang out in parks and bars and wherever they chose to linger at night, drifting through the stone jungle they called home.

by the beginning of the fic, Celia is hyper-aware of Elena leaving, and has even become the leader next in line herself. Her and Elena are seen by the current leader as of equal status- showing just how far she has risen from effectively being Elena's lackey.

not to act like a Shakespearean dick joke is a truth of the universe but Celia is not born great, she had greatness thrust upon her every time, greatness being leadership. Her mother dies, she is forced to take up the role of parent. Elena is working for that scholarship [and other people die] so she is forced to take on the role as leader.

Celia is willing to make hard choices and sacrifice herself for those she loves and so she ends up carrying the burden of responsibility for others. she will end up stepping up to become a leader not out of a thirst for power, but because those she loves cannot hold the burden themselves.

+ bonus thats actually in the vein of directors commentary:

Yet Sovrano was waiting for something, anticipating action- despite the bandages and stitches, and there had been so much blood, and someone else had managed to knife him, in that last desperate attempt, but missed killing him by a few centimetres.

that 'last desperate attempt' was by Elena. she was so fed up of his shit she shanked him in the middle of a fight but unfortunately she missed.

[okthatsgreat]

hiii okay i just started reading opddmh and i was wondering if you have any thoughts about komaru and toko's relationship and udg in relation to the virtual reality au you're writing? :3c they are so precious to me and if u dont have any thoughts on it thats fine!! just wondering <3 have a good day!!

OOOO DEFINITELY !!! nothing too complex or thought out but ive definitely got some thoughts on it >:)

first things first ultra despair girls is most certainly some kind of spinoff in this universe! so its not considered a main storyline/killing game however it is still on ongoing series! i imagine after 53 seasons the danganronpa timeline has been seriously fucked up and udg is absolutely one of the main reasons its so wonky, you can IMAGINE all of the conspiracy youtube videos trying to piece that shit together lmfaooooo. but yep udg is a running spinoff series starring toko, komaru, and the warriors of hope (who are teenagers in this au at this point!!). it also features a range of other villains and side characters that were introduced later on :] udg definitely isnt as popular nor is it as consistent in its production as the main danganronpa story is (while danganronpa has at least one season per year, udg has one maybe every three), but it still gets a whole lot of views !! which means toko and komaru are unfortunately in it for the long haul </3

they live seperate from each other however they're over at each others apartments so often that they basically live together LMFAO. they rely on each other SO so heavily. i personally think they have romantic feelings somewhere underneath their fear of losing each other to the mental trauma of danganronpa however there is NO WAY danganronpa would ever let them be a couple. the most theyre allowed to do is queerbait ghfdsjkghjkdf. if they confirm anything between the pair they are destroying an entire market of fans they can profit off of and also likely losing hella sponsorship money. its extremely difficult navigating a relationship like that, where they have become so heavily codependent on each other not only because their wellbeing relies on the other being healthy and well but also because they've grown so close it's impossible to imagine a future where the other isnt involved somehow. everything danganronpa has put them through, it has usually been TOGETHER, which means they've bonded through those experiences. is that healthy? absolutely the fuck it is not however there is no time or space to navigate that or to spend time away from each other (even if they wanted to, which they don't)!!

the pair stay relatively close with the warriors of hope-- or at least komaru does lmfaooo. like i said before the warriors of hope are teenagers at this point (honestly theyre probably mius age!! which sparks a lot of hypothetical interactions LMAO) so they dont really need babysitters or anything like that but because there are not very many people who could possibly understand what they've gone through they tend to stick together!! a few of them, at least. i imagine nagisa is a lot more distant and kotoko probably has other friends she talks to a whole ton :] people that arent constant walking reminders of her current and past traumas lol

komaru also doesnt talk to makoto as often anymore! they kind of keep in touch and definitely see each other at press conferences and all that, but the relationship has become somewhat strained. its a bit awkward knowing they arent actually related!! theyre still kind to each other and care about each other like actual siblings but its hard not to feel sad around the other unfortunately :(

and toko definitely doesnt talk to byakuya much anymore besides the occasional promotional material LMFAO. they dont despise each other but both have done a lot of growing and a lot of that included distancing themselves from each other

SORRY IF THAT WAS MORE THAN YOU ASKED FOR!!! THANK YOU <33

[calliecat93]

...I completeley forgot that the Christmas special is what introduced the rockets from Tardigrade Xtreme. Man they prepare for everything, and this was back in Season Four. Heck I forgot the introduced space travel here. Dang you continuity!

[nevertheless-moving]

INFODUMP AU continued

(Star Wars AU #22)

Possible Continuations from INFODUMP. I headcanon that exchange taking place about a year before episode II and episode IV

A) Anakin Force Shenanigans

Anakin walks up: “master- who’s this guy?

“You can SEE him/me?”

Obi-Wan urgently cry/yelling at Anakin to either wear a condom with Padme or at least take her to a healer if you’re worried about her pregnancy (seriously healer BEFORE evil sith wtf)

(its been a number of years for Ben so he’s pretty much puzzled out the ‘doing this for padme’ bit)

just before obi-wan fades out anakin panics because ben hasn’t told him how he gets together with padme

yanks him into this timeline and now Old Ben has to deal with Obi-Wan and Anakin freaking out over all the info he just vomited at them AND everything else

B) Brush Off

Obi-Wan practices some good old fashioned repression to mostly convince himself it was all a weird dream

yoda always says in motion, the future is anyway

he mostly puts it out of his head until a year later when Anakin VERY obliquely references having dreams of his mother

“...what kind of dreams, exactly?”

end-up rescuing Shmi shortly after her capture, Obi-Wan’s there to make sure Anakin doesn’t go off the deep end

Council is a little disapproving of their side mission because now Anakin is even more attached/devoted Obi-Wan 

Obi-Wan is a LITTLE freaked out but Shmi being in danger isn’t exactly a hard prediction to make considering they left her on Tatooine but...

almost immediately after they get specially requested to protect Senator Amidala.

things proceed like canon and when Dex says the dart is from Kamino, Obi-Wan has a little panic attack attack

the whole trip to Kamino he’s just thinking pleasenoclonearmy  pleasenoclonearmy  pleasenoawFUCK THAT’S A CLONE ARMY

good news here is when he’s bullshitting his way through the meeting/ inspection he very confidently brings up removing the control chips

at first there’s some hemming and hawing ‘oh you mean the inhibitor chips, are you sure you want them removed we’ve already installed them’

“I DEMAND they be removed- I- can i speak to your manger? Do I need to take my business elsewhere??”

Nala Se is very reluctant, “I was ensured by certain high level parties that the chips were intended to be an important safeguard...”

*Obi-Wan sweating, but all-in at this point* “Well, uh, Master Dooku and Chancellor Palpatine themselves told me they were concerned about the chips being abused by the wrong parties, and sent me to supervise, so,”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were read-in on the project architecture to that extent, well here are our options-”

Obi-Wan still chases to Jango to Genosis because he’s got a mission and ‘this might as well happen’

Still gets captured in that stupid rotating energy field by Dooku 

“What if I told you the senate was now controlled by a dark lord of the sith?”

“...I would say that I would be very interested in any holo-recordings or legal documents you might have to that effect”

“oh?”

“would very much like some sort of proof to bring before a court of law, yeah.”

The rescue attempt actually goes well this time! Anakin is well rested and practically glowing after his week-long all-expense paid vacation at Varykino

They all manage to escape and intercept reinforcement mid-flight

The council is pleased Obi-Wan is safe and not surprised to find Anakin there, but it doesn’t really change their mission as the senate has ordered them to take out the federation army before they can attack...

“The Senate ordered it?”

“Yes, much has happened, while gone you were. Were given to the chancellor, emergency powers. Drafted a military, he has. Generals, the Jedi have been made. Uneasy we are, but serve the senate, we do.”

“Oh kark, the Chancellor ordered it? We DEFINITELY can not invade.” Obi-Wan's starting to have another panic attack, not sure how to get out of the sith trap

Anakin’s a little offended. “Obi-Wan! The Chancellor is a good man; the Jedi must do this, for the good of -”

“PALPATINE’S A SITH LORD”

“what”

C) He tries, ok? (inspired by @ourhitofsucrose )

Very similar to B except for the full year between the ‘vision’ and aotc, Obi-Wan is desperately trying to follow the future’s warnings but failing hysterically

kamino and genosis have both erased from the archives and it doesn’t occur to him to ask dex so he doesn’t even have a direction to go on

tries to find some proof about Palpatine but he is a sneaky bastard

tries to separate palpatine from anakin but he’s like I’M AN ADULT NOW YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO

tentatively brings up Dooku falling ‘in a vision’ to the council because that is something they can check up on- Yoda gets really offended

‘garbage planet on the outer rim’ is not a lot to go on

when he tries to get help searching because he knows that the sith who killed Qui-Gon is still alive and planning to kill his ex-girlfriend even Anakin is like... ‘ok buddy, i think you might be under too much stress, maybe we should visit the healers...”

best he can do for Shmi is leaving her an emergency beacon

A+ success in relationship repair with Anakin tho! through the application of a very awkward hug and a mumbled “you know I love you, right?”

Anakin drags him to the healers immediately, and after a drug test and an overnight stay finally responds by bursting into tears and ugly crying on Obi-Wan’s robes because “YOU’RE A FATHER TO ME BUT I THOUGHT YOU HAATED ME”

Obi-Wan is uncomfortably patting him on the back “Of course I don’t hate you! You’re my padawan! Why would you think that?”

Then when Shmi activates her emergency comm the same night Anakin has his first nightmare about his Mom and they fly to her rescue he’s even more OBI-WAN 5EVER  than canon or scenario B because

“You...checked in on my mom?? Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

“I’m sorry Anakin, I knew the council wouldn’t approve...”

hugs Anakin again since that is the only piece of advice he can follow from his future self and he just thinks ‘well its a long shot but hopefully this is enough to prevent any lava planet incidents’

it is 

Seriously in this version of events Anakin actively RESISTS being knighted because he was already obsessed with Obi-Wan in canon and now with hugs + verbal affection + protecting Mom proactively he is ALL IN FOR OBI NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN

low-key ruins palpatine’s plans by itself because now when he tries to drive a wedge between them with his bullshit ‘your master doesn’t truly trust you’ Anakin gets huffy and responds with a space powerpoint presentation

i mean other stuff is going to go down once we get to the armies but already the stage is set for him to go running to Obi-Wan the minute he has a nightmare about Padme dying and him responding “J. Force Christ, lets just... go to a healer, fuck’s sake Anakin I hope it doesn’t need to be said but do NOT turn to the darkside over this”

canon would definitely diverge before that point but its also very funny to me to imagine RotS playing out more or less the same but when he gets to Palpatine’s big offer he just goes ‘sorry dad told me no’

[nimbus-writes]

Shackle and Chain Timeline

the zelda timeline as a whole is something of a mess, and its easy to get confused trying to parse out the inconsistencies and how everything fully ties together. ive seen a lot of different interpretations and how they differ from the canon timelines supplied by nintendo (none of which ive ever really agreed with, particularly the more recent idea of having the timeline split during minish cap, but thats another topic i wont get into here), but for my story i figured id give my shot at one that makes the most sense to me. there arent too many differences, but i feel any differences from the canon example at all are deserving of an explanation, so ill get into that here (along with my kinda shitty timeline graphic i threw together in like 5 minutes)

to make things simple, ive outlined every iteration of link in a square, and listed all of their games they appear in! also, the gaps in time arent really to scale, but in general are just there to help spread it all out. this doesnt feature EVERY character that i plan on having appear in the story though (such as how ravio has already made an appearance in chapter two, and i plan on him sticking around for a while because i love ravio) but lets get into the differences! like i said, this mostly follows canon, since i find a simpler option to be better, but there ARE some important changes ive made!

first off, ive included two non-canon games! im not planning on bringing in any others aside from the hyrule warriors games, but i felt these were necessary for the timeline as a whole. the first hyrule warriors is the only way to easily resolve nintendos stupid "breath of the wild is in all 3 timelines!" bullshit, since thats not how time works. at all. but if you take hyrule warriors as having merged the timelines back into one (with three parallel worlds as opposed to three timelines), then the problem is solved! and since i included one warriors game, i might as well include the other, which leads to the second timeline split as a result of terakkos actions. (and like, yeah i COULD have added in another "link dies" timeline there, but since neither that nor the post age of calamity timeline will ever get another piece of media, i dont see a reason to explore that concept)

the next change ive made is combining what canon considers two separate iterations of link (specifically the one from a link to the past and a link between worlds). i understand WHY theyre two different links, but a lot more of the two games just makes sense in my opinion if they arent different at all (specifically how a link between worlds has the same map, characters, dungeons and themes, AND the actions of link at the beginning of tri force heroes, where he tries to hide his identity. that just makes more sense to me if hes been through a LOT more quests, including one where he was labeled a criminal, than just one quest where he wasnt ever vilified)

the last change i made has to do with four swords and four swords adventures, and this change is a hill i will die on. THESE GAMES ARE A PAIR. DO NOT SEPARATE. i KNOW the timeline has them centuries apart. i KNOW this. but its wrong! at the beginning of four swords adventures, it directly references both the hero from minish cap and four swords, but only vaguely referring to minish cap while specifically calling the hero from four swords "link", which, along with implying the hero from four swords adventures already knows what happens when you draw the four sword, leads me to believe that these two games feature only one iteration of link! but then that leaves the question of where in the timeline both games fall? is it directly after minish cap? or after twilight princess? well actually, its neither! several things featured in four swords adventures shows that the two games can only exist during a brief window of time, namely the presence of zora as an enemy, and the existence of the dark world. both of these things are only found in the downfall timeline, after link is slain in ocarina of time, meaning both games have to take place there (not to confuse the dark world for the dark realm, which only exists in the adult timeline as far as weve seen. im pretty sure they have the same origin, but the dark realm was influenced less by ganon since he was sealed somewhere else in that timeline). the dark world narrows it down the most, since it gets restored back to the sacred realm after the events of a link to the past, so the game has to take place before then. this means the two games actually fit nicely into the period of time known as the imprisoning war, where ganon is properly imprisoned within the dark world (which, to those of you who played the game or read the manga, know that this is what happens in four swords adventures!). in my opinion, not doing this is the single most aggravating thing nintendo did to the timeline. everything else i can excuse, but THIS angers me to no end.

anyway, thats the timeline ill be working with! at least, assuming tears of the kingdom doesnt have MORE fucked up time travel bullshit. ill take a look at this again once the game comes out, but hopefully it wont change anymore!

[thewolfmanny]

let me be clear about something as someone who does not like eric or eric ships

it's not him fucking up CAELUS that makes me dislike him. it's how he treats rachel even when you pick the 'good' options.

i don't consider what rachel did as cheating. if you pay attention to their dialogue and explore the different options, you'll learn that after the accident, they drifted apart. eric poured his attention into CAELUS, blamed rachel for the accident (which is unfair imo also don't put your fucking feet on the dashboard--there are so many documented cases of people fucking up their legs in car crashes that way), pulled away from her, and then comes back a year later to take over her operation and expect things to be fine again.

they aren't legally divorced, but they WERE separated for a YEAR for all intents and purposes. if you get the cut scene with nick and rachel meeting for the first time, you get the tail end of a phone convo she has with eric that gets heated with her implying eric said some meanspirited shit to her. that doesn't sound like the type of guy i would take back with open arms and this is AT camp slayer which means that phone call happened within the last few weeks before the game (and post-checkpoint for nick, another timeline clue).

so, 1) he pulls away after the accident after blaming her for it 2) leaves to focus on work for a year while she tries to move on by focusing on HER career 3) comes back to take over her program and 4) acts like everything is normal when he comes back.

and look, everything he says after that--the simping as we all like to joke about--is typical nice guy bullshit. i have seen this so many times where guys act like they didn't do anything wrong and expect the woman to just get over it and come back to them with apologies and unconditional love. it's manipulative, it's toxic, it's unhealthy.

i did a co-op playthru recently where eric simped while rachel told him to back off, she moved on. later, when he was being choked by the ancient one, she came back to save him, but i fucked up a qte. you know what eric did? he booked it while rachel got infected by a vampire. later on in the game, he didn't try to save her and then ghost signaled nick. when jason wants to go back to save salim, eric tells him salim isn't one of them despite everything they had been through together.

that's so beyond petty, i can't even find a way to spin that into a good thing.

oftentimes i ignore stuff about eric. i just move on. maybe it was just all bad writing; i mean the whole love triangle and nick's storyline being conflated with that when he had a more interesting character arc with the checkpoint is bad writing, period. however, i don't like implications that people are wrong for disliking a character or have stupid reasons for it lmao. my reasons are shaped by real world interactions with men like this and i ain't apologizing for that. he's a shitty average looking white blond guy that is often excused for his shitty behavior and often gets put over nick (and nevermind the treatment rachel gets) and that rubs me in all the wrong ways.

if eric is your favorite character, that's cool. i'll respect that and leave you alone, but i gotta say my piece about it since ive been seeing one too many posts writing off people for not liking him.

[ajdrawshq]

So.... What the fuck! ( Any thoughts? VLR is wild )

if i put the Junpei what the hell compilation here does that count as an answer

ok i do actually have thoughts yes. so many thoughts. might take me a sec to form words out of em bc of the sheer.. something. whatever just happened and im also lowkey sleep deprived rn i have shrimp emotions and i also cant feel anything

hmm ok one of the things i wanted to mention was that earlier i almost thought Quark couldve been some kinda abondoned Left clone but they have different eye colors so thats crossed off the list. that Does make it kinda weird that Quark mentions freeing his soul during that one scene, but i guess we're supposed to assume he just picked it up from somewhere? like he heard abt it on earth at some point? i doubt Dio wouldve said anything to him abt it in the pod, and even then i dont think hed quote him during That if he did. but how well known were the Myrmidons for him to hear that?? or was it from Junpei/what Junpei was talking abt when he said he was involved during the mars expiriment thing??? idk i just thought that was a weird connection that they didnt directly address.. i think. i couldve missed smth there

im not even gonna try to understand the entirety of the time jumping stuff when it comes to switching bodies and all that. youd think id be prepared for this kinda thing considering all the stuff ive played so far! i am not. looking at the picture they used to show how Sigma's been jumping all over the place legit gave me motivation to do my homework bc that would be easier to comprehend

on that note im like. how do i put this. i was actually super interested in where all this stuff was going for a long while bc the ideas being used were cool even if the execution was a lil wonky. like im so down for time shenanigins (with memory fuckery!! come on!!) and clones and humanlike robots and a lot of other stuff they had going on. i actually like what they were doing when they expanded the morphogenetic field stuff, although i Do wanna think of that as completely seperate from how it is in 999 bc of the retconned stuff :/ other than that what they had going on was pretty cool but. the ending just. i ,,, i dont even know the way it all came together feels so weird???? like it technically makes sense and i get what they were going for. its. ???? i wanna say what im looking for is "anticlimactic" but idk if thats right. its just..... Weird.

however i also wanna say that i am at least glad they touched on the different views of people being stuck in the "worse" timeline? Junpei being glad to have Quark despite everything while Clover and Alice have to deal with leaving behind half a century along with their friends and family. even tho they just kinda went jk lol at that part immediately afterwards???????? but whatever i guess

the characters in general were pretty fun tbh? not quite as real-feeling as 999 but still enough to be enjoyable. it was nice seeing Junpei reference a bunch of stuff from 999 and retain some pieces of himself all these years later, especially when he quoted Light ("fake, a replica, not the real thing...") its horrifying to think abt all hes been thru at this point tho ,,, Clover seemed a lot more outgoing than before but a year can change u so i cant say much abt that, it was cool to see her again regardless. Alice is an interesting one and i liked her even if she was kind of frustrating to go against in the AB games lmao. Luna has lowkey been one of my favorites thru the whole thing but i had a hard time fully trusting her for so long bc of how suspiciously innocent she was lol which wasnt entirely baseless either but yknow. Dio is admittedly funny and ridiculously good at acting like hes a normal person its actually scary. also whered he hide the bombs before planting them bc they didnt seem That small. anyway uhh Quark is a funny little guy and its nice that he straight up doesnt die (usually?? i cant remember if theres a route where he does. other than the bombs) and!!! i actually really enjoyed Kyle. no idea why. wish he didnt abandon me so many times but it fuckin be like that i guess. accidental revenge for absent fatherism. and.. Sigma. when u said u do not like him i think im with u now. not necessarily strong feelings but. yeah. but PHI.. god i wish they actually said where she came from shes just HERE and they never fuckin elaborated man who is she. she is so cool tho i love when she goes on her tangents abt stuff <3

AL OF THAT SAID u were very right when u said the puzzles in this game are fun. even tho i had to check a guide a few times bc i was genuinely clueless for some of em (u have no idea how stumped i got in the darts part of the white room puzzle. i should never do mental math this late i cant live that one down) theyre mostly really good and i did enjoy those sections especially

[heyyy-hey-babyyy]

When We Were Young (part X)

Dean x Fem!Reader; Sam x Fem!Reader (platonic)

Read part I here ; Read part II here ; Read part III here ;

Read part IV here ; Read part V here ; Read part VI here ;

Read part VII here ; Read part VIII here ; Read part IX here

Warnings: Angst, Mentions of trauma/abuse, brief moments of self-harm, mentions of anxiety attack, *moments of assault*

**This chapter contains mentions of assault. Please be aware if this is trigging for you!

B/N: I’m getting a little lost in my own timeline, so apologies for any inaccuracies... All mistakes I claim as my own.

Summary: Dean, Sam, and Y/N grew up together, but when she’s taken away for over 10 years, the boys have no idea what she’s been through. Will asking her to move into the bunker with them reveal more than she’s ready for?

1668 words

You had been asleep for awhile, when you woke with a start, your body shaking slightly. Your legs were entwined with Dean’s under the blanket, and he had his hand clamping yours to his chest, as it rose up and down slowly with sleep. Untangling yourself from Dean while he slept soundly, you slid to the other end of the bed wondering what had woke you. You hadn’t even been the hardest sleeper, always having one eye open, but the sudden and abrupt waking usually followed a nightmare. You couldn’t remember having one. Stuck in your own thoughts, you jumped when a voice whispered out to you in the darkness, making you squeak. 

“Y/N.” The voice called quietly, and you shrunk back against the headboard, contemplating waking Dean, when the floppy haired man stepped into the soft light from the window. 

“Jesus, Sam....” You whispered back, glancing up at the man. He looked like he hadn’t slept, and was still fully clothed, flannel, jacket, and all. “You scared me.” Sam looked sheepish, but reached out his hand toward you with a quick, ‘I have to show you something.’ 

You took his hand and he lifted you abruptly off of the mattress, and through the open door to the hallway, urgency in his movements. Sam was tugging at you roughly, almost as if he was forcing you to follow, and you ground your feet in to halt his swift movements, pulling back at your arm. 

“Sam, what’s going on?” You asked the man carefully, looking into his cool grey eyes, which held no emotion. He seemed to be weighing his words carefully, when a door down the hall opened with a creak and you heard someone whisper “Y/N?” from behind you. Turning you caught eyes with a yawning Sam, his hair sleep mussed and tangled. 

You glanced back at the ‘Sam’ in front of you, and let out a short scream, which was muted by the monster’s hand clapping to your mouth quickly, his other arm snaking around your waist, and spinning you successfully shielding his body from the real Sam in front of you. 

Sam jumped into hunter mode, pulling out his gun and pointing it directly at you, aiming high at the monster shrinking lower and lower behind you. 

“Let her go.” Sam spoke level and you flinched back from the venom in his voice. You had never heard Sam sound so much like his older brother, and you breathed out a quick sigh against the shifter’s hand when the older Winchester emerged from the bedroom you had just left, still in his boxers and undershirt, his gun trained on the monster as well. 

Dean looked directly at you stating quickly, “it’s going to be okay, baby,” before addressing the shifter with slight amusement in his voice. 

“And here I thought I would actually have to hunt you down. But you stupidly decided to make a house call? Bold.” Dean was smiling, but you saw the anger vibrating through him as he stared daggers through the monster. You heard an unmistakable voice behind you, and realized that Greg must have reverted back to his true form, but the look on the hunter’s faces worried you, as they watched his mouth move intently. 

“What can I say?” Greg asked, sounding cavalier. “I can’t get enough of this girl.” Greg nuzzled against your cheek lightly and you struggled against his hold. You heard Dean growl suddenly, and you glanced into the hunter’s green eyes, begging him silently to get you away from this monster, but Dean’s eyes were still fixed on Greg’s. 

“How did you just turn so quickly?” Dean huffed out, and Greg laughed behind you evilly, the sound sending a chill to your bones. 

“You have no idea who I am do you?” Greg challenged and you suddenly remembered the ring on your hand. Raising it up and gripping tight to Greg’s wrist that was clamped down across your mouth, you waited for the satisfying burn of flesh, but didn’t hear anything. Greg chuckled again, pulling your hand simply from his wrist and letting it drop back at your hip. 

“Oh hunny-bear,” he cooed. “That was a good try. But silver has no effect on me.” You yelled into his palm and he increased his hold, making it hard for you to breath, continuing his villainous speech. 

“As you boys are hunters, I’ll break it down into terms you can easily understand. Most monster vulnerabilities don’t work on the alpha.” Greg was so close that you could almost feel the way he was smiling at Sam and Dean and it made you sick to be on this side of the fight, so far away from the security of your boys. Dean never wavered, clenching his jaw in response, but Sam, ever the empath, looked scared at what the shifter was telling them, and you felt tears slip down your cheeks. You realized that the boys didn’t have time to research this particular monster, and if they had no idea how to kill it, they had no way of saving you. You felt the weight of the realization, and you saw Dean recognize it as well, shaking his head at you almost in response to your silent realization. 

Greg was watching the entire situation intently, admiring how you and the hunters were having silent conversations with each other. He let out a breezy laugh, massaging your side a bit while he spoke, his fingers digging into the tender skin just above your hip bone. 

“You really do have a connection with these too, hunny. It’s truly incredible to see! I knew appearing as the younger hunter would make you feel comfort following me blindly, and now I see that it was truly a genius plan appearing as dear Dean here when we shared such a special moment.” You kept your eyes on Dean the entire time, trying to ignore Greg’s words, but tears continued to pour from your eyes down your cheeks and over his hand as he spoke. 

“You son of a bitch!” Dean yelled, taking a few steps closer, his gun raised high. Greg chuckled and simply crouched lower behind you, knowing Dean would never shoot you. 

“Oh, Dean-o. I’m really sorry, but you have to know that I will always hold a special place in Y/N’s life. You’re just going to have to accept that.” Greg was playing with them now, pushing the hunter’s buttons, and you hated the satisfaction he was gaining, knowing it was working in his favor. You shook your head at Dean, both a warning to stay back, and a reminder that what Greg was saying was far from the truth. 

Greg continued to speak, but you shut down your mind to the situation, a move that was quickly becoming your superpower for better or worse. You were desperate, and the longer Greg kept a hand clamped over your mouth the more you couldn’t consider any other plan. So you used your last trick, and prayed loudly in your head for your guardian angel to save you. You hoped that Castiel would have it in him to rescue you one more time. You grinned behind Greg’s hand when you heard the familiar fluttering sound you were growing to love hearing. 

Greg tightened his hold on you and turned slowly coming face-to-face with the blue eyed angel, who tilted his head to the side in confusion. 

“Hello, Y/N.” Castiel said in the same low monotone, his head moving to look behind Greg at Dean and Sam, in their pajamas, guns both raised, putting the pieces of the puzzle together for himself. Castiel’s attention returned to Greg and you thought you saw anger flash behind the Angel’s eyes, before he spoke measured, looking unwavering at the man holding you close.  

“I would let her go if I were you.” Honestly, Castiel looked pathetic standing in front of Greg who towered over him and you weren’t sure if the angel’s powers were anything compared, but you knew this was your only chance. Greg tried to keep the humor in his voice, but you could hear a hint of hesitation behind his words. 

“Well hello there. And who are you? A friend of Y/N’s?” Castiel merely stared on giving Greg that uncanny look. 

“My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord.” 

Greg openly laughed in response, turning to look back at Sam and Dean, “Is this guy for rea--” but Castiel cut him off with a smooth flick of his wrist and Greg was flying backward, dropping you from his grasp, and you fell to the floor at Castiel’s feet with a dull thud. You scrambled forward, moving to stand behind the angel, glancing around wildly for Greg, who had apparently completely disappeared. 

All you saw were Dean and Sam rushing toward you, but Castiel held up a hand lightly stopping them from approaching, as he offered you a hand and you stood next to him. He turned his blue eyes onto you and glanced up and down, with a simple “are you hurt?” You shook your head in response, and the angel looked satisfied before disappearing himself with a flutter of wings. 

Dean was at your side in a second, pulling you into his arms. You tucked your head into the crook of his neck, giving him a kiss that let him know you were okay. You could feel his heart beating erratically, matching your own. You are okay, you repeated to yourself over and over again, but you knew that next time you might not be. The monster was still very much alive. 

You pushed Dean away gently at the thought, and headed toward the room Sam was sleeping in, where you knew your bag was. 

“Y/N?” Sam asked hesitantly as you brushed past him, Dean looking just as confused. Not wanting to waste any time you spoke over your shoulder quickly at the two concerned hunters. 

“We have to get out of here.” 

When We Were Young Tag List: @vicmc624 @woundedxsmile @akshi8278 @supernatural3002 @imaginationisgrowth

Read part XI here!

[kavkasia]

hey jade I know you said you're busy but 👉👈 could you tell us more about your georgia of? i love the vibes I get from him and I'm not very well versed in the history of the caucasus so I'd love to hear more about him 👀

You know the way to my heart... ❤️

I’m going to ramble, so if you want me to expand on anything don’t be afraid to send an ask about it! I’m just trying to compact my notes and not write one giant paper LOL.

NAME

Human Name: Giorgi (Ilias Dze / Ilyich) Davitashvili

Giorgi — His first name actually started as a joke (Georgia... Giorgi... very clever) but it also works well. The patron saint of Georgia is Saint George: a military saint which has been popular in Georgia for centuries (parts of Georgia post-Christianization are believed to have combined the cult of Saint George with the cult of the pre-Christian moon god Armazi). Giorgi is also the most common male name in Georgia and the name of many Georgian kings.

Ilias Dze / Ilyich — He doesn’t actually use his patronymic anymore, but during the USSR he did have one because Obligatory Russification Time™. It’s after Prince Ilia Chavchavadze, a major contributor to the revival of the Georgian national movement in the late nineteenth century and widely considered to be the “Father of the Nation”.

Davitashvili — A Georgian surname roughly meaning “David’s child”. It’s a reference to the Bagratoni King David IV of Georgia (also known as David the Builder) who is famous for keeping the Seljuk Turks out of Georgia at the Battle of Didgori. It was under his reign that Georgia began to experience its Golden Age and much of the Caucasus region fell into Georgian hands.

AGE

He is around 2500 years old (physically he is in his mid-late 40s).

He considers himself to be an ancient nation like Armenia and Iran. Not that he’s wrong! It’s just not often acknowledged by others who aren’t familiar with him.

PERSONALITY

[steals bits of this from my RP blog because I got tired from linking wikis in an upcoming section oops]

MBTI: ESFP

• hospitable • sociable • stubborn • prideful • short-tempered • charismatic • confident • passionate • brave • spontaneous • lazy • sincere • boisterous •

Ok, listen. He is a bit of an asshole I’m not going to lie LMAO.

He is the type of guy that argues a point even when he knows jack shit about it (he knows more than a professional!!).

He has an opinion on everything.

He is super prideful to the point where he genuinely believes his culture is superior and his language/food/people/etc. are the best.

He has a bit of a temper (the kind that just jumps out with some build up) and he is sensitive to feeling slighted.

He is a flirt but it is not cool at all. He is an attractive guy (I have a reason lol) but he uses the worst pick up lines.

At the same time:

He is very devoted and loves genuine relationships. If you gain his favour he will do almost anything for you (there is also the reverse of this though).

He is so hospitable he is famous for it.

He treats his guests with the utmost respect.

He can be very chivalrous towards women (but it can come from a sexist place oops).

He is very friendly once you break through his initial serious shell.

He loves jokes and anecdotal humour.

Miscellaneous:

He loves rugby, wrestling, football, singing, dancing, wine, this movie, and eating absurd amounts of (hopefully Pasanauri) khinkali.

He hates rules, not having enough money for cigarettes, if you put on a seat belt when he’s driving, criticism, refusal, and being called “Gruzia.”

He also plays the panduri.

TIMELINE

Before I start, I have to say Giorgi is not a collective personification of Georgia. Giorgi is actually the personification of the Kartlians! He just has the title of Georgia and so represents the nation on the international level (and also the domestic level depending on the situation).

Start (~5th century BC)

I pinpoint his “birth” to be around when several Anatolian tribes settled in Eastern Georgia and merged with the local tribes. He had a couple caretakers who were like siblings or sibling-parents.

Kingdom of Iberia (Kingdom of Kartli) (302 BC–580 AD)

In this period he gets baptized, starts loving God and Jesus (becoming the second nation in the world to adopt Christianity) and says no to paganism (but lowkey-highkey pagan practices were kept up for a long time).

Also, Iberia is the Greco-Roman name that is used for the area. When you see Iberia, know that it’s Kartli.

Principality of Iberia (588–888)

He is just trying to live his life but the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Iran are ruining everything by fighting over the area. He also continues to love God and Jesus.

Kingdom of the Iberians (888–1008)

Lots of politics. Honestly, I hate it here.

Kingdom of Georgia (1008–1490)

The Battle of Didgori happens during this period and it was the best moment of his life. He has several amazing rulers including King Tamar. Lots of wars against the Byzantine Empire, various Turkic states and more. Eventually, the kingdom breaks up.

Kingdom of Kartli (1478–1762)

Here he gets fucked over by Safavid Iran multiple times and also works as a weird slave soldier too so life is great.

Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti (1762–1801)

He has a short marriage to Kakheti that ends after he gets completely fucked over by Russia and then forcibly annexed into the Russian Empire.

Georgia Governorate (apart of the Russian Empire) (1801–1917)

There were actually several governorates in this period but for the sake of simplicity I’m going to list it as that one.

I have a small write up about the time here.

Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (1918)

The Caucasus splits off from Russia. Giorgi represents Georgia and the TDFR (Armenia and Azerbaijan are also there as co-representatives of the TDFR). The Entente will later say they need to stick together but they forget one crucial detail:

Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–1921)

Georgia splits off from the TDFR. Time to create a republic with a socialist government! Amazing! Too bad he’s the wrong kind of socialist according to the Bolsheviks and gets brutally stomped by the Red Army in 1921! 

All his neighbours want to fight in this period as well. The Entente also won’t commit to helping Georgia until it’s too late because they were suspicious of him after he had been forced to ask the German Empire for protection in 1918.

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (1921–1991)

Listen, the USSR was terrible, but at least Georgia was actually one of the nicer Soviet republics because he won the geographic lottery. He even got stereotyped as being the rich republic.

We just aren’t allowed to talk about Russification or the purges or the discrimination or the fact they would only print Georgia’s most iconic piece of literature in Russian.

(Oh, it’s also my headcanon that until 1936 he shared the title of USSR with the other republics.)

Georgia (1991–present)

1990s sucked. 2000s sucked. 2010s sucked. 2020 sucks.

Summary:

NOTABLE RELATIONS

Ukraine

Best friend. Best girl. His Suliko. He loves her.

(I also have way too many dumb AUs for them 😭)

Lithuania

Other best friend. They call each other by their proper names because fuck Russian names. Also, this video is them (Giorgi is the wrestler).

Kakheti

They were married at one point in time. He is closest to her out of all the other Kartvelian regions (it’s the Eastern Georgian solidarity).

Armenia

He is like a brother but they only really acknowledge that when they’re in a good mood or when one wants something from the other. It’s a love-hate relationship that has gone on for centuries.

Russia

Azerbaijan

They are... okay. They go from tolerating to disliking each other pretty quickly. He hates when he hangs out with her and Turkey and they only speak Turkish to each other so he ends up being a third wheel that didn’t want to be here in the first place but his economic situation means he has to show up.

Iran

They had major issues but things are fine now, I guess.

Okay, Giorgi actually still has some issues, but Iran just wants to come over for a vacation sometimes.

EU and NATO

BUT YEAH UM... that’s Giorgi. This is all mostly surface level stuff so again, if you want me to expand on anything just ask. Thank you for the ask and ily. ❤️

[firewoodfigs]

letters to a young poet 

Summary: Riza Hawkeye, a young, aspiring poet, exchanges letters with her fiancé, Roy Mustang during his time in the military academy. He attempts to write her poems and prose about life and love, and occasionally sends her presents to remind her of him. Like his boxers.

read on ao3  

(a/n: (i) title is taken from Rilke's book. (ii) tw: the timeline of this is largely based on yet another man's battlefield, so there are brief mentions of racism here. (iii) I recommend reading on ao3 instead because... formatting issues, again xD (iv) original poetry at the end)

for @royaiweek 2020 - thank you to the lovely mods for organising!! 💖 

~x~

“Promise you’ll write to me when I’m away?”

“Of course, Roy,” Riza drawls idly as she adjusts his coat and ensures that his tie is neatly in place.

“Thank you. I’m going to miss you terribly, you know,” he says, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead before stretching his arms out invitingly. Smiling, she leans in and allows herself to be crushed to his chest in a warm, firm embrace.

God, I’m really going to miss her, he thinks, as he inhales her scent - a lovely mix of gunpowder and peonies and old books - and incarcerates it in his memory.

Roy steps back to admire her pretty countenance properly. Pride and admiration swells in his heart, and he can't help but run his fingers gently through her flaxen tresses once more before resting them on her lips.  

“Let me be your muse,” Roy declares with a triumphant grin, pressing a hand to his heart with a melodramatic flourish that earns an amused eye roll from his fiancée. “For parting is such sweet sorrow, and -“

“Shut up.” She pulls him by his tie to kiss him roughly, before flashing a wicked grin and kicking him out of the door. “Get going, you lovesick, histrionic fool.”

Riza throws his belongings out and slams the door as he stares at the wood longingly with an endearing pout.

~x~

June 8th

Dear Riza,

How doth your literary endeavours come along? I hope all is well with thee. Whenever I close my eyes, I see you Like a midsummer’s night dream, exquisite And when I open my eyes to sunlight I cannot wait to see you once again.

All my love, Roy.

~x~

June 12th

Roy,

Stop trying to imitate Shakespeare and force all your sentences into iambic pentameters. It makes me shudder - in disgust, not delight, lest you misconstrue what I’m saying.

Anyway, my literary endeavours are coming along fine. I’ve been spending my time reading some of the books you got me for my birthday, and for someone who writes so incorrigibly you sure do have impeccable taste. All is well on my end. What about you? How are you adjusting to the academy?

Thanks for the pressed flowers that you sent over, by the way. They’re surprisingly lovely, though I’m sure all credit goes to Vanessa’s guidance.

I also enclosed a scarf that I personally knitted for you in case it gets cold at night. Because you have an uncanny tendency to misplace your things, I embroidered a few water droplets in blue at the bottom for clearer identification (if you lose it I’m never making you anything ever again, this took me days to complete).

Hopefully, they serve as a reminder to you that you’re useless in the rain as well, so that you’ll refrain from doing anything reckless or stupid in my absence.

All my love, Riza.

~x~

Roy tears the package open with all the enthusiasm of a child opening his presents on Christmas morning the instant it lands in his hands. His eyes light up appreciatively at the lovely scarf, laughing at the tiny water droplets at the bottom that she’d added as a personal touch.

When he reads her letter and realises its intended meaning, though, an indignant frown makes its way to his handsome features.

Nevertheless, he dons it on immediately, relishing in the warm comfort and how it smelt like her, like flowers blooming in spring (even if his fiancée didn’t appreciate his poetic attempts, he very much liked to believe he was capable of using a simile properly).

June 16th

Dear Riza,

Thank you for the lovely gift, although your harsh words wound me terribly. Nevertheless, I understand that underneath your acerbic tongue lies a tender heart full of love, and I am a lucky man to be the sole recipient of it. I’m glad you liked the flowers. One day I’ll buy you a carful of them, I promise.

Things are going fine here. I’m adjusting well to the ridiculous sleep schedule (you’re the only person I know who willingly wakes up at seven in the morning daily), and with the rigorous physical training we have to endure I believe you’ll have a glorious set of washboard abs to admire the next time you see me.

I must say, though, the food here is pretty bad. Spinach quiche is pretty much the only edible thing, but this man - I think his name was Huggles or something. Sorry, Hughes - had the audacity to take the last piece of quiche right under my nose.

(Per your commands, though, I refrained from trying anything stupid.)

What’s even worse is the racial prejudice. The other day I saw an Ishvalan getting bullied by a trio of ugly men, but they left before I realised what was really happening… So I helped him out after that. I can’t bear it, to this day - they picked on him just because of his skin colour, for goodness sake! It was completely unwarranted.  

It’s only been a week but I already miss you terribly. Can’t wait till I see you again.

All my love, which extends from one end of Amestris to Xing, Roy.

~x~

June 21st

Dear Roy,

Sure, keep deluding yourself however you like if it makes you happy. You’re not the only recipient, by the way - I made a cute little scarf for Hayate, too, who has replaced your ‘snuggling spot’ in my bed, as you like to call it. Between the both of you I sometimes can’t tell who smells worse.

Also, don’t be ridiculous - what would I even do with a carful of flowers?

I’m glad to hear that things are fine on your end. Waking up at seven is a wonderful thing, especially when you get to see the sunrise, no? I look forward to seeing those abs, though with your drinking habits I’m sure you’ll probably end up with a beer belly in the foreseeable future. Don’t drink too much.

I’m sorry to hear about the quiche. I’ll make you one when you’re back. If it makes you feel better, though, I’ve sent some cookies I made the other day to you as well. Express delivery, in case they go bad.

Also, even if you haven’t already punched the Hughes guy I can already envision you slamming your tray down on the table, turning around to scowl at him like a petulant child and competing with him in just about everything you do.

All I will say is this: relax, it’s just a bloody quiche.

Good to know that you did that! The Ishvalans most certainly don’t deserve such treatment. No one does, of course, but it’s frustrating that certain ethnicities still continue to be singled out and ostracised in Amestris, despite the state’s proclamation that it’s a cosmopolitan society accepting of different cultures and whatnot… Until then, we have to stand with them, stand up for what’s right, and -- oh, I don’t mean to ramble. Just know that I’m proud of you, Roy. Keep at it.  

If it does make you feel better I suppose a tiny part of me does miss you too. Just the slightest.

All my love, Riza (not interested in your silly competitions) Hawkeye.

~x~

Roy blanched at the bag of cookies she’d sent him and the thought of Riza’s quiche. Cooking had never been her strongest suit, and while she was talented in many areas somehow all of that seemed to go away every time she entered a kitchen.

Nevertheless, it was Riza who’d painstakingly made them, and because he appreciates his fiancée’s efforts he vows to eat every single one of them even in her absence.

He bites down on a cookie apprehensively, and is pleasantly surprised to discover that it’s edible. It bears emphasising that this is an incredible feat for Riza Hawkeye - considering how she’d managed to almost burn the entire kitchen down when she tried to make a simple pasta dish for his birthday.

(Fortunately, they’d managed to extinguish it, but afterwards Roy mentally designated himself as head chef for the rest of their lives.)

Deeply touched by the gesture, he wraps one of his shirts to send back as a gift. The thought of her dressed in his apparel has him grinning like the lovesick, histrionic fool that Riza said he was.

June 26th 

Dear Riza,

Don’t say that, I definitely smell better than Hayate. And I know for a fact that you love me, although maybe not as much as I love you -- my love for you knows no territorial boundaries.

You could curate your own gardens with a carful of flowers, I suppose. And we could… Well, smell the flowers and procrastinate together?

It is - the sunlight reminds me of you, and I appreciate that. A lot. I also haven’t been drinking, so don’t worry - these glorious abs are definitely en route to you.

Thank you for the cookies - they were delicious, and I look forward to your quiche when I return. Baby steps, alright? I hope the kitchen will still be intact when I come home.

… It’s sometimes creepy how well you know me… But I think you’ll be pleased to at least know that I became friends with Hughes, after we confronted said trio.

We also made a new friend today - Heathcliff! He’s the Ishvalan I told you about in my last letter. He told us he joined the military because he wanted to change and empower the people’s perceptions of Ishval and its culture from a point of leadership. I think that’s an admirable dream - one that I’d like to assist in, too. He’s been a great friend, and I can’t stand to see him be the recipient of so many pejorative remarks. It’s completely unjustified, and you’re absolutely right on that point.

I take that as an admission that you miss me ‘most ardently’ - have you been writing poems about me in my absence?  

On that note, you’ll be pleased to know that I have a break on the 8th of July for a couple of days. Want to do something fun? I know you’ve been dying to check out that shooting range, and I’ve been training in the academy for my victory.

All my love, kisses and glorious abs, Roy

P.S. I’ve also enclosed a token of my own affection herein for you - hopefully it reminds you of me whenever you wear it.

~x~

Riza stared confusedly at the oddly-shaped lump that surfaced after she opened the package. After reading his letter she was expecting one of his shirts, maybe one of his button-downs that would’ve been perfect as an oversized sleeping top on her, but she certainly wasn’t expecting his…

Boxers.

His boxers, of all things. She holds it up to scrutinise it in its full glory, and it’s peppered with little puppies - his favorite pair.

To say Riza is surprised is an understatement. She’s not quite sure why he’d sent her his boxers or how she’s supposed to even wear it, but she chucks it aside in the laundry for him to retrieve it when he returns.

July the 8th. The date's circled in bold, bright red on her calendar.  

She’d never admit this out loud to any living person, not even her best friend Rebecca. The only person who’d heard her let out an almost-giggle (almost, because Riza Hawkeye did not do giggles) in excitement was Hayate. Because God, did she miss him terribly, and true to his predictions he’d been her muse for quite a number of her recent poetic endeavours.

July 3rd

Dear Roy,

Whatever, you insane idiot. I miss you and I love you too. That is all.

For the record, the kitchen is still intact, and will continue to be so. My cooking skills aren’t that bad.  

That’s great to hear. You’re an honorable and intelligent (this is questionable) man, Roy, and I would definitely like to see that kind of change happening. I hope Heathcliff is well, too - send him my regards.

… I refuse to lower myself to drawing smiley faces on my letters, but you’ll see one on July the 8th in person.

And yes, it would be nice to check out that shooting range, though let’s be real - we both know you can’t defeat me no matter how hard you try. I do live up to my namesake, after all.

All my love, Riza

P.S I don’t know if it was intentional, but I never knew you had a thing for me wearing your boxers. Unfortunately, they are way too loose for me and I won’t be wearing them any time soon. Your underwear and I eagerly await your return.

~x~

The 8th of July finally comes around. Everyone in the academy is astonished at just how fast Roy Mustang is capable of running. He might’ve been the golden boy, and he generally outran most, if not all, of them during their training sessions, but now he looked like his pants were on fire as he made a dash for the gate and boarded the first train in a sweaty mess.

Roy continues running like a madman after alighting the train, desperate to reach their home as soon as possible to explain his predicament. He certainly hadn’t intended to send his underwear over, and was sure that one of the other men must have done so as a practical joke on him.

(Fortunately for the culprit, Roy didn’t manage to identify who he was, but there would certainly be hell to pay when he did so.)

As if on cue, Riza opens the door with a beatific smile adorning her features. “I can hear you panting all the way from the other end of Amestris, Roy.”

He chuckles awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “Well, I’m excited to see you, for starters. And, uh…”

“You want your underwear back?”

“Yes, of course I do.” He pants, struggling to catch his breath while trying to formulate a coherent explanation. “Look, I swear it wasn’t deliberate - I intended to send you one of my shirts, and I definitely don’t have a thing for you wearing my boxers. I don’t know which idiot in the academy substituted my shirt for my underwear to sabotage -” She lets out a laugh. It's loud, unrestrained. Roy thinks it’s the most beautiful sound he’s heard in a month. “You really are hopeless, Roy. It’s fine. Defeat me at the shooting range, and you can have it back tonight.”

~x~

In the end, his favorite pair of boxers sits at the bottom of the laundry for the rest of the day, because Riza Hawkeye is an indomitable force of nature at the shooting range.

She does, however, have a poem written for him, and he’s so enraptured by it that he forgets all about the underwear fiasco. “I’m back home, ma chérie,” he whispers as he runs his fingers down the groove of her spine, as if he’s tracing constellations on the canvas of her back while they lay together on satin, hearts thrumming in harmony. “I’d like to keep holding you close, too -” he recites, but he’s quickly interrupted by her.

“You sound best when you don’t speak, Roy,” and with that Riza silences him with a fiery kiss that rouses an overwhelming conflagration in him.

One that can only be put out by her.

Roy grins delightfully into the kiss, all too willing to oblige. Her lips are an inviting chamber of unbridled affection and unsatisfied desire, and he finds himself exploring her eagerly, fingers tracing her sharp cheekbones in reverent adoration.

Riza responds in kind, trailing a hand down his shirt and notes, somewhat gleefully, that he has indeed returned with said glorious abs. She makes a move to untuck his shirt, humming to herself in amusement as she feels his bare stomach quiver beneath her curious palm.

He’s quick to make a comeback, though. Unwilling to be teased by her Roy draws her deeper into the kiss - she’s utterly incredible, he thinks, as he cards his fingers through her flaxen tresses - and he tastes traces of eggs and pastries and -

- and spinach?

“You made spinach quiche?” Roy asks curiously, breaking away from the kiss for the briefest of moments.

“What on earth,” she huffs. “Way to ruin the moment, Roy.” A scarlet blush makes its way to her cheeks - equal parts breathlessness from the vigour with which he kisses her, and embarrassment at being found out.

He laughs, and quotes yet another line teasingly. “Didn’t you say you’ll even listen to my silly moonshine?”

Riza scowls. “I do regret writing that now. Perhaps I will -”

“No, no, please continue writing more,” Roy pleads in earnest, and before she can make a decision he’ll live to regret he kisses her again with such an ardent love, such a fervent passion that it completely derails her train of thought.

The quiche rests in the oven, burnt and forgotten.

~x~ 

adieu, mon chéri. may you fare well. in my heart, you will always dwell. (won’t you please come home soon, or will it only be after june?)

you write to me, letters (hidden within are flowers) to abate my need for you. i knit scarves in a room candlelit;

holding a heavy weight within from empty spaces on satin. i’d like to hold you close again -- hurry, love, won’t you run to the train?

i’ll let you place your weight on mine oh, i’ll even listen to your silly moonshine (come home to me, darling my soul is aching in longing)

~x~ 

*moonshine: foolish talk or ideas.

[cela-astral-projection]

Fic Masterlist:

Pre-Plague/Character Establishment: 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190042013689/family-is-family-in-church-or-in-prison-you-get Celeste and Aedan’s origin/backstory. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190082894844/they-cursed-my-brother-to-his-face-go-home Aedan and Lucio go on a “hunting” trip. (Quotes because Mercedes and Melchior are not good at hunting not because they do anything else together they’re cousins ffs) 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190311270529/this-particular-diamond-was-extra-special-and Celeste x Julian. Coworkers to Cuddle Buddies (then fuck friends but I haven’t written that yet because Julian is difficult) 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190320567309/one-day-someday-my-prince-may-come-but-it-doesnt Celeste’s first Masquerade. She meets Asra for the first time, and Muriel, too. Gets into it with Julian. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190341492284/have-you-been-fast-asleep-and-have-you-heard Celeste officially meets Asra and he reads her tarot and wow okay

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190067442994/when-you-have-no-light-to-guide-you-and-no-one-to Aedan meets his future brother-in-law and promises to bail him out. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/611214605743767552/once-again-she-steals-away-then-she-reaches-out Muriel is injured. Thankfully Celeste is a nurse. 

Post-Plague/Pre Canon:

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190384015114/i-rage-against-the-trials-of-love-i-curse-the – Ressurection Story 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190458665589/the-sun-fades-on-me-now-and-i-miss-you-like-words Asra bails out for a few days on resurrected Celeste, leaving her with Muriel. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190472987084/see-the-west-wind-move-like-a-lover-so-upon-the Muriel comes around to the idea of having Celeste with him with a quickness. 18+

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190491986324/i-know-who-i-am-when-im-alone-something-else It’s just smut. Celeste is still with Muriel and Asra isn’t back yet. 18+

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190509030509/purple-clover-queen-anne-lace-crimson-hair Muriel is confronted by his Patron Arcana. Muriel, Asra, and Celeste are separated for the last time until the Prologue. 

During Canon:

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190582700534/you-saw-my-pain-washed-out-in-the-rain-broken  Travelling with Morga! It sucks. 

Post-Canon: 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/610958656942522368/dont-say-a-word-just-come-over-and-lie-here-with Muriel and Celeste go on a date. It doesn’t end super great. 18+

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189801811349/i-drink-good-coffee-every-morning-comes-from-a Flashbacks to why Julian and Celeste officially broke things off but it’s hard to know where this should fall on the timeline. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189951843634/i-was-born-in-the-arms-of-imaginary-friends-free AsraxCeleste after Celeste gets back from traveling with Julian. They snuggle and fuck. Muriel is being mad so he’s in his hut being petulant. 18+

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189941199294/im-still-mad-as-hell-and-i-dont-have-time-to-go Celeste and Muriel argue then fuck about it. My original Possessive!Muriel piece that people really seem to enjoy. 18+

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190248585519/all-i-want-is-freedom-a-world-with-no-more The Phantom of the Opera is Muriel Julian is Raoul that’s it send tweet. 18+ Sort of Possessive!Muriel 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190289302564/i-hear-you-calling-and-its-needles-and-pins-i Julian comes back from traveling and he and Celeste start working together and Muriel is less than thrilled so he and Celeste fuck about it. 18+ Possessive!Muriel

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190745800284/no-i-wont-bring-too-much-of-anything-maybe-a Celeste Climbs a Mountain 18+

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190784482169/my-one-true-broken-heart-pieces-inside-of-me-and Celeste loses a pregnancy. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190005355709/id-never-want-once-from-the-cherry-tree-cause-my Muriel is at the tail end of a depressive episode and Celeste takes care of him. Muriel takes off his clothes so 18+ plus but there’s no sex just some dancing around the subject. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190670502549/she-floats-like-a-swan-grace-on-the-water-lips Lemon tree! 18+

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189726046699/overtime Julian and Celeste have feelings at each other at work. 

High Priestess Stories 1-3: What happens when Celeste drains all her magic trying to save a patient’s child. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189742268754/high-priestess-reversed

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189746823779/high-priestess-reversed-pt-2

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189751784379/high-priestess-reversed-pt-3

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189771072979/ill-wake-up-my-body-and-make-up-for-lost-time Celeste gives Julian a birthday gift…kinda. 18+

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189734513229/if-im-well-you-can-tell-shes-been-with-me-now Muriel Proposes. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189831954089/with-that-freewill-comes-the-burden-of-choice-it Julian meets with Celeste before her wedding and lets her go, and they both have some feelings. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189839281409/when-other-loves-are-gone-ours-will-still-be AsraxCelestexMuriel Wedding Ceremony/Handfasting presided over by Nadia and Portia. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189761082259/i-find-it-funny-that-youre-the-only-one-i-never Celeste tells Asra she’s pregnant. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189789342769/shes-the-history-thats-made-at-night-shes-my Muriel and Pregnant Celeste snuggle. Some throwbacks to Canon traveling with Morga. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189810937059/what-day-is-it-and-in-what-month-this-clock Asra foists very pregnant and nesting Celeste off on Portia so he and Muriel can have a little peace and quiet together before things kick-off. Short. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189895805254/ive-got-my-hands-on-a-miracle-and-there-aint-no Celeste goes into labor. Muriel has to go get Julian. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/189914211199/i-believe-this-time-begging-for-sweet-relief-a Celeste gives birth to two perfectly healthy baby girls and it’s sweet and happy.

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190545859754/and-though-i-cant-guarantee-theres-nothing-scary Asra rocks his baby and has feelings about being a parent. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190033429514/oh-i-wanna-see-you-again-but-im-stuck-in-colder AsraxMurielxCeleste have terrible cabin fever and their babies are bouncing off the walls in the midst of a cold snap so they go out for a bit. 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190116505314/and-where-was-i-before-the-day-that-i-first-saw Pt. 1 Nopal Vacation where Muriel and Cela go and reconnect by themselves. 18+

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190134347659/when-you-touch-my-weary-head-and-you-tell-me Pt. 2 Nopal Vacation with snuggles, domestic bliss, and dinner. Intro to “we’re gonna figure out your history Cela” 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190174948949/well-laugh-how-things-have-changed-you-never Pt. 3 Nopal Vacation where Muriel and Celeste whine Asra into submission and make him come to fuck them because they’re lonely. 18+

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190207916499/the-poison-came-in-liquid-it-was-all-between Pt. 4 of Nopal Vacation and they figure out of Celeste’s history and it’s a real bummer 

https://cela-astral-projection.tumblr.com/post/190226109284/i-thought-if-i-could-touch-this-place-or-feel-it Celeste’s cousin shows up and it goes pretty well all things considered. Nice!Lucio

UPDATED 3/6/20

[unfolded73]

How Do We Get Back (8/16) - schitt’s creek ff

Summary: In a literal alternate universe where the Roses escaped financial ruin, David and Patrick struggle with loneliness and a sense that something isn’t right. A chance meeting in New York and a terrible tragedy drive them to question whether the timeline they are on is the right one.

Rated explicit. This chapter 3.3k words. So you know how my summary has always referred to a “terrible tragedy”? Ummm... here we go.   (ao3)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

_____________________________________

Chapter 8

Spring arrived in New York on muddy, wet feet, pouring down from the sky in day after day of rain. As David dragged himself from his empty apartment to his empty gallery and back (when he bothered opening the gallery at all), he found the rain to be perversely appropriate. The grayness, the lack of sunshine for days at a time fit his mood perfectly.

He knew he needed to stop hibernating alone, that he needed to put himself out there — go to a bar or at least open Tinder and swipe right on someone. But it felt like more than he could possibly handle, and so he stayed in his solitary cocoon. Friends would call or text sometimes, telling him to get his ass down to this or that party, but that too felt like it would require more energy than he could muster.

He rewatched Downton Abbey during those weeks, starting over with the first series as soon as he came to the end, and when he didn’t have the TV on, he wrote and wrote in his journals, filling two full books in February and March. He wrote about the way he was feeling, the heaviness on his heart that he couldn’t explain, and the way the thought of resuming his old dating habits, with its revolving door of shallow people, made him feel like crying. He wrote about the fact that his entire professional life had been a lie, propped up by his deceitful parents. And he wrote about Patrick.

There was a part of David that wished he and Patrick had never met. It was unfair that a person who’d been in his life for not even 36 hours could have made such an impression, could have left him feeling so abandoned when he had absolutely no right to feel abandoned. Patrick didn’t owe him anything, and what else was he supposed to do other than go back to his small-town Canadian life? But David couldn’t stop thinking about him, couldn’t stop unlocking his phone and looking at the few texts they’d exchanged, couldn’t help wondering what would happen if he texted Patrick now. He was too afraid to find out.

~*~

“Patrick, would you like some eggs?” his mother asked as he descended the stairs.

“Mom, I’ve told you that you don’t need to cook for me. I’m trying not to be an imposition,” he said, sitting down at the kitchen table to put on his shoes.

“You’re our son, not an imposition. And I’m making eggs anyway.” She gave him an exasperated but fond smile. “Where are you headed so early on a Saturday?”

“I’ve got more apartments to look at.” He’d been staying with his parents for several weeks and trying to find a more permanent place when he had the time and energy. So far the apartments he’d seen had been nice, but out of his price range, since he was still paying half the rent at the apartment where Rachel was living.

Marcy shot him a sad look. “You don’t have to run out and get another apartment; you can stay here for as long as you need to, until you and Rachel have a chance to work through everything.”

“I’ve told you that’s not going to happen.” When he’d shown up on their doorstep, teary-eyed and exhausted, his parents seemed to have resolved to let him figure things out on his own without commenting on his personal life. Apparently that resolve was crumbling as the weeks stretched out and he wasn’t reconciling with his wife.

“What’s not going to happen?” his dad asked as he came in from the back door, where he’d no doubt been up early trying to get a jump on preparing the yard for spring.

Marcy pulled an egg carton from the fridge and cracked two more eggs into a bowl. “I was just saying that Patrick doesn’t need to rush out and get another apartment. He has an apartment with his wife.”

“Which I’m going to be moving out of permanently once I get my own place,” Patrick said, picking up the newspaper to give his hands something to do. Every article on the front page detailed another horror. The rise of a new extremist sect in Syria that even ISIS was afraid of. Drought in California that threatened the world’s food supply. A mass suicide in China by some group called the Acolytes of King Yan. Bushfires in Australia. Patrick pushed the paper away.

He could see his parents exchange a look in his peripheral vision. “Patrick, I’ve spoken to Rachel a few times,” his mother said, and Patrick’s heart began to race. Had she told them what he’d done?

“What did she say?” he asked, terrified of the answer.

“She won’t say what happened, but I’ve never heard her so convinced that things aren’t going to work out between you two.” His mother abandoned the eggs she was whisking and sat down at the table next to him. “But for as long as you’ve been together, I can’t imagine that there’s no way to work things out. Whatever happened—”

“We aren’t going to work things out because I never should have been with her in the first place. Because I’m gay,” he blurted, his hands clutching together. Patrick sat there in the moment that hung silently after those words had left his mouth, in utter shock at himself.

“What makes you say that?” his father said and then chuckled uncomfortably.

Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound, Patrick thought. “There was a guy I met in February, and if love at first sight were a real thing, then I swear that’s what I experienced. I cheated on Rachel. And I realized the reason things have never felt right with her. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure this out, but I’ve spent a lot of time soul-searching the past few weeks, and thinking about my past and some of the… some of the other men I’ve known, and… this is who I am.”

His parents were looking at each other, having a silent conversation with their eyes. The other thing Patrick had thought a lot about over the past few weeks was whether his parents were homophobic. He didn’t think so — he knew they were good people — but the fear of rejection clawed at his throat as he sat and waited for them to react.

The first thing that happened was that his mother reached for his hand. “Oh, sweetheart. First of all, know that we love you.” She looked up at Clint, who nodded. “And second of all, this must be very difficult and very confusing, so know that we’re here for you.”

“This man you mentioned, are you… still seeing him?” Clint asked.

Patrick looked down at the table. “No.” He wished he could say yes. He still thought about David every day.

“Rachel knows?” Marcy asked.

He nodded. “I told her everything.”

“Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry you’ve been struggling with this alone. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been pushing you to patch things up.”

“Yeah, you did that a lot over the years,” Patrick said, and then immediately regretted it as Marcy’s face fell. “But you didn’t know. How could you? I didn’t even know.” He stood up, anxious to put an end to this conversation. The best thing he could probably do at this point was to give his parents a little while to process. “I’m going to be late for my first appointment, but I’ll be back later, okay?”

“Oh!” Marcy looked at the clock. “What about breakfast?”

“Sorry, I’ll grab something later,” Patrick said, and then found himself pulled into a hug by his mother before he quite knew what was happening.

“We love you so much, sweet boy,” she said. “That will never change, you hear me?”

Patrick nodded. He felt his father’s hand, a comforting weight on his shoulder, and Patrick sagged with relief. He’d told them. He’d come out, and his parents had taken it pretty well.

Once he was sitting in his car, he pulled out his phone and sent Rachel a text.

I came out to my parents. You don’t have to keep it a secret anymore if you don’t want to.

The receipt appeared, indicating she’d read the text, but she didn’t respond. Not that he deserved a response from Rachel — it was enough to know that the message was delivered.

He then switched over to a text chain with Stevie. Her deadpan jokes and the occasional stupid meme she’d send him had been getting him through the last few weeks.

I told my parents I’m gay, he wrote. It was getting a little easier each time he said it. She didn’t respond immediately, so Patrick put his phone in the cup holder and started his car, backing out of the driveway to drive to a block of apartments on the other side of town. When he arrived, there was a message waiting from Stevie.

how’d it go?

[Patrick] Not bad, considering.

[Stevie] i’m proud of u 🌈

Smiling for the first time days, Patrick got out of the car and walked up to the apartment building with a bit of a spring in his step.

~*~

David winced as he walked into the club, the thumping techno beat and strobing lights already giving him a headache before the night had even started. Attractive men and women filled the dancefloor and clustered around the bar, an orgy of attempted human connection. Immediately regretting his decision to leave his apartment, David made his way to the bar and ordered a martini, the most efficient vehicle for feeding alcohol into his bloodstream short of an IV. While he waited, he looked around the room, automatically cataloging the designer clothes on display. Seeing a few interesting pieces that he didn’t recognize, David made a mental note to do some serious shopping soon. His hibernation meant he’d fallen out of the loop on a number of fronts, and fashion was foremost among them. He nodded to himself; a day of shopping on Fifth Avenue was perhaps just what he needed to shake himself out of this funk. His drink arrived, and he handed over his credit card, telling the bartender to open a tab, before he set off toward the back of the club.

“David, darling!” A tall woman in a black jumpsuit was waving him over to one of the large roped-off booths. “I told you I could get him to emerge at last.”

He went where he was being summoned, giving her a tiny wave. “I can never pass up an invitation from you, Diana.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’ve passed up a few, David, but I suppose I’ll forgive you. What have you been up to this season?”

“Just taking some time for me, you know?” He didn’t have to tell her that ‘me’ time was bingeing on Netflix and junk food and sleeping ten hours a day.

David fell into the rhythm of meaningless patter that this crowd of people required: name drops and salacious gossip and loudly proclaimed, buzzword-filled opinions about art or books or film. He bought rounds of drinks for the group, more rounds than anyone else paid for, because he was David Rose and that’s what David Rose did. That was why he was invited to things, he suspected. Not because any of these people gave a damn whether he lived or died.

“David!”

He knew the voice before he even turned around, the raspy scrape of it was like a sharp stick between his shoulder blades.

“Sebastian,” he said, trying to keep his own voice even and unaffected by the presence of his ex. “I didn’t know you were in New York.”

“I wasn’t until recently. Vanity Fair hired me to photograph Jack Dorsey’s spiritual awakening in Tibet, so I was out there for a while. Really beautiful, haunting stuff,” Sebastian said as he plucked an olive out of David’s drink and put it in his own mouth.

David narrowed his eyes. “Can a person have a spiritual awakening when it’s being documented for Vanity Fair, though?”

“How are you? People are saying you might close the gallery.”

David’s mouth dropped open. “I’m not closing the gallery,” he said. Surely the fact that his father’s business manager had advised him to do exactly that couldn’t be public knowledge.

“Okay, good.” Sebastian put an arm around him in a possessive move that made David cringe. “You know how these rumors get started. Must be because it’s been closed a lot lately? That’s what I heard. And that you haven’t hosted an opening in a while.”

Sebastian Raine may have only been back in town for a short time, but apparently it was enough time to collect a whole set of sharp darts for him to throw straight and true into the heart of David’s insecurities.

“Can I get you another drink? Sebastian asked.

David looked down at his mostly-full glass. “No, I’m good.”

He thought about Patrick suddenly, and how refreshing it had been to talk to someone whose every remark wasn’t calculated to cut him down and play on his weaknesses, or to just get him wasted. The gnawing empty hole in his heart that he’d been living with for weeks widened a tiny fraction.

“I spent a lot of my time in Tibet just, feeding my soul, you know?”

“Mm hmm,” David said.

“It made me see a lot of the things that happened in the past in a new light. Us, for example. I want you to know that I care about what happened between you and me. And while my therapist said I should never feel sorrow, I do appreciate your pain.”

“I’m not feeling any pain about the past, Sebastian,” David said. “Not anymore.” Not about you.

“That’s good, David, that’s so good.” He felt Sebastian’s hand slide down his back. “It really frees you to… pursue your desires without baggage.”

David almost laughed. Sebastian’s attempt at seduction was so obvious, and it made him wonder if he had always been this stupidly transparent. What exactly had he seen in this self-important douchebag?

Nodding, David took a large step away from Sebastian, shaking off his arm. “It really does. It makes a lot of things very clear.” Looking around at the other people whose drinks he’d been buying all night, David frowned. What am I doing here?

“Diana? I’m gonna head out,” he called.

“Oh, David, the night is so young!” she said with a fake pout, but then someone else lured her attention and she appeared to immediately forget he existed.

“Can I walk you home?” Sebastian asked.

“Nope.” David said as he pulled on his leather jacket. “I’m good.”

The look of confused disappointment on Sebastian’s face would keep David warm for weeks, he thought as he went over to the bar to close out his tab, a half-smile on his face. Traversing the few blocks back to his apartment, David held his head higher than he had in months.

As he unlocked his apartment door, his phone buzzed with an incoming call. Dad, it said on the screen. Why on earth would his father be calling him at midnight, he thought with annoyance, answering the phone.

“Hi, what?” David dropped his keys into a bowl on the table in the foyer and began shrugging out of his jacket.

There was a pause. “David, are you at your apartment?”

His father’s voice sounded weird. “Yeah, I just got home, why?” He could hear what he thought was his mother in the background, but it was almost like a whimpering, keening noise. Then it faded, like his father was moving farther away from her. “What’s wrong with Mom now?” David asked, figuring she’d failed to get cast in a role she wanted, or that the cleaners had ruined one of her favorite outfits.

“David, can you sit down? I need you to be… I need you to sit down.”

David stood in the middle of the living room, looking out the dark windows of his apartment. “I am sitting down,” he lied. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“It’s Alexis.” He swallowed so loudly that the phone picked up the sound. “David, she…”

“Oh my God, spit it out!” David’s pulse had started to race. Surely she was fine, though, right? She was fine. She was always fine.

“She was on a yacht with some friends, and… they don’t know how it happened, but she fell overboard and no one realized it. It was dark, I guess, and people were drunk…”

David’s vision started to narrow, whiteness filling his periphery. “Is she…?”

“She drowned, David. Alexis… she drowned.”

His body was breaking out in a cold sweat. It felt like a sudden onset of the flu. Or like he’d felt when he was thirteen and had broken his nose, the blood pouring down onto his white T-shirt.

“David, did you hear what I said?” His father’s voice sounded like it was coming to him from the bottom of a well.

“What do you mean, she drowned? Are they sure, or can they just not find her?”

“They found her.”

Her body, that’s what he wasn’t saying. They found her body.

David sagged, catching himself with a hand gripping the back of the sofa. His eyes followed the zig zagging pattern on the rug under his feet. back and forth and back and forth and....

“David?” Johnny said softly. “Are you there?”

“I think I might be sick,” David whispered.

“Okay. That’s okay, son.”

Still holding the phone to his ear, David stumbled into the bathroom and leaned over the sink. He knew it would be better to kneel down next to the toilet, but he felt like if he got down on the floor he might just never get up again. “What do we do?” he asked his father.

“We have to arrange to have her…” Johnny paused and cleared his throat. “We have to have her body flown back to the States, so I’ve been on the phone with the U.S. consulate in Mexico, and also with the airline—” Johnny seemed to lose his voice on the last word, like he’d suddenly been sealed under a bell jar. David looked up at his face in the mirror. His stubble stood out harshly against his over-pale face, the mole on his chin that he’d nicked shaving dozens of times even more noticeable than usual.

“Is Mom…?” David asked.

“She’s taken a sleeping pill.”

“I’ll come up there… now. I’ll come up there now.”

“I can send a limo to get you,” Johnny said.

David considered refusing that offer, but he imagined getting on a train and just the thought brought him closer to vomiting. “Okay.”

He hung up the phone without saying goodbye, setting it carefully on the vanity before finally sliding to the floor.

~*~

“Stevie?” Patrick said into the phone. “I’ve literally never seen you use a phone as a phone, what’s wrong?”

“Remember when you told me to google that guy? David Rose, right?”

Patrick’s eyebrows shot up, and he paused midway through pouring himself a cup of coffee from the office coffee pot. “Yeah?”

“To be honest, I forgot immediately and never did it. But I just saw something online, and… this is the David Rose whose sister is Alexis Rose, right? The socialite?”

She said that like he should have heard of Alexis outside of meeting her, but he never had. “Yeah, his sister is named Alexis.”

“It’s all over twitter. Patrick, she died in a boating accident.”

Chapter 9

.......

I know, guys. I know. Just repeat to yourself that this universe is wrong, and please don't yell at me too much!

[mercenarypark]

How do you think a crossover between Scooby-Doo and Ghostbusters would go?

EDIT: i typed all this shit out, posted the ask, and it posted without any text. thank CHRIST i saved everything i had written like 5 minutes before but i gotta re-add some edits real quickfunny that u ask since my friends and i have been workshopping that concept for monthsHeres what we have set in stone: first of all, Ray is Fred’s uncle. Theres no way around this one. This is mandatory. We’ve got two excitable and kindhearted idiots, with a love of ghosts and mysteries, who are constantly walking right into danger while having The Time Of Their LIVES, and theyre both voiced by Frank Welker? Not to mention the fact that so many Scooby Doo movies/shows involve various relatives of the Scooby gang suddenly appearing out of nowhere despite never being referenced before, and Fred having a famous uncle isnt even out of the ordinary, what with him being Bobby Flay’s nephew [and, while its only briefly mentioned in one old non-canon video i found, hes apparently a distant cousin of Tom Jones. which is hilarious] Second of all, setting will probably be Miskatonic University, aka the fictional university from Lovecraft mythos. Stay with me here, I know full well Lovecraft is garbage, but both Scooby AND RGB canon have Miskatonic as a real place At some point in RGB, Venkman and Egon go to Miskatonic for information during “The Collect Call of C[a]thulhu”, and the university is referenced again in “The Hole in The Wall Gang”, where Ray talks about his college football team having to fight Miskatonic’s once In Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated, at the very, VERY end of the show, the gang gets scholarships to Miskatonic and drive off on a road trip to there, solving mysteries along the way. They’d have a perfectly valid excuse to already be in that area- and even outside of Mystery Incorporated’s timeline, you could easily make the argument that Miskatonic University and Arkam, Massachusetts would still exist in other Scooby timelines since it exists THERE, and they could still have a reason to be in that area solving mysteries as a resultAs for an actual plot, that’s more debatable. Probably some eldritch god bullshit, probably a lot of “is this a job for US or for YOU?” and trying to sort out if they’re dealing with a guy in a mask or an actual supernatural being. could also lead into the two teams trying to one-up each other in friendly[or not so friendly] competition, with Winston being literally the only one who wouldnt take part in that (see: “Ghostbuster of the Year”, and him also being the only one with the common sense to be like “wait we’re getting into a petty fight with teenagers now? Really??”). aside from that probably mostly a lot of the Ghostbusters bouncing off the Scooby gang. Going off what we’ve discussed:-Ray and Fred’s love for each other as family is compromised by the fact that neither of them will accept the possibility that the other guy’s car is better than theirs. Ecto-1 vs the Mystery Machine. who will win? no one. no one will win this mess-that said Ray and his talent with engineering works well with Fred’s trap building expertise so if whatever monster of the week they wind up dealing with is tangible, they’d make something incredible and way, wayyyy too complicated to catch it-It would take about 10 minutes for Egon to get into a heated debate with Velma over the existence of the supernatural, and they would both at least CONSIDER getting into a literal fistfight over it. Do not leave these two alone together. It won’t be pretty. -And in Mystery Inc, there’s the added bonus of Scooby technically being an alien god; so in that continuity there’s the potential of Egon, who steadfastly doesn’t believe in aliens, being confronted with the gang’s “mascot” who is an alien; and Velma, who steadfastly doesn’t believe in ghosts, being confronted with the Ghostbusters’ “mascot”, who is a ghost. -Slimer, Egon, Shaggy, and Scooby can and will eat the rest of them out of house and home. This is a fact.-Velma and Winston get along for being the bookish ones of their respective teams AND for far and away being two of the smartest, with the most common sense-that said Daphne probably has the most common sense and practical knowledge of the gang, and she and Winston both also share the sad title of “most often sidelined and ignored and not given the fun roles”, though over the years Daph has managed to save herself from this (see: Be Cool Scooby Doo). Also, without them, their respective teams basically fall to pieces. they are the glue keeping these ships running. -though with regards to what roles Daphne DOES get to play most of the time, iirc Venkman is the non-Janine Ghostbuster who’s most likely to get kidnapped, if only one of them is captured and not the whole crew like in “Janine Melnitz, Ghostbuster”. [examples of Venkman getting kidnapped solo include “The Bird of Kildarby” and “A Fright at the Opera”.] What I’m saying is, if anyone’s gonna get kidnapped by the monster of the week, it might well be these two. They can probably break themselves free, though, especially if they work together-Venkman, Shaggy, and Scooby share the common trait of being perfectly willing to ditch everyone else if given the opportunity and go nap and/or eat instead of dealing with whatever the hell is going on THIS time. the difference is that Venkman’s not really a coward, he’s just a lazy asshole-Speaking of things Venkman has in common with the gang, Venkman and Fred share the titles of “least brain cells” AND “biggest egos”. lord save everyone if those two try to put their heads together. anyway thats most of what we’ve got so far[i know, theres an unfortunate lack of Janine]. with all of that combined, you could probably make a pretty good crossover. christ knows ive been chipping away at the idea for a while, though i havent made much headway w/ how busy i am and how distracted i get (see: my 10 other in-progress rgb fics in varying stages of completion, and the fact that i only have 2 that are actually finished and posted)in short, i think the idea is fantastic and its a genuine shame that it doesnt look like the idea has really been considered, even with scooby doo guess who out now. Sure, there’s been more and more crossovers with the comics- the TMNT crossover and the new Transformers crossover- but I’d really want to see this with RGB and not the prime versions and again, it doesn’t look like crossover comics with the RGB characters have been considered. :/