#good lord im not a writer lmao this shit exhausting

[occasionally-victor]

this one is like ultra rushed, i did it right before a flight to another city (im already back) and im still in a bit of a artblock so yeah

mer au !jaiden + changed !bobby a bit

!jaiden is a harpy (blue jay)

she was actually the one who found !bobby - he was passed out on some rocks and !jaiden happened to fly right by, and she basically decided to take care of him "until his parents find him" (because surely a mer kid is being seeked for right now?). A week passed, !jaiden stole some old raft (because she basically had to live there for a while now, and rocks suck for that, so raft and and a tent will do) and there was still no sight of anyone looking for !bobby (apparently a kid has some amnesia as well, he seems to not remember anything before waking up here). By the time another week passed, !jaiden was already kinda thinking about how to maybe set up a more permanent station here (she's already kinda used to sea and she's fully getting along with a kid, so reasons are here...).

until! one day she does see someone! and it was a mer! basically, in mer settlement (i really need to give it a name) by that time several more dragon mer kids were found. less mer start to go out for search, and the one who do need to go farther because well everything closer is already fully checked. !roier was one of those and that day decided to go out very far away from a city (like, basically other side of sea far away. just in case.). he did eventually found a raft, were apparently another dragon mer kid lived (and also a harpy, who took care of him)

uh basically that's how !ro and !jai met for the first time. they went on to become friends and eventually become a full on co-parents to !bobby. !ro helped !jaiden move a bit closer to mer settlement, and now she lives in basically a floating home made of basically scarps in a middle of a sea (i drew it there, im not explaining how tree ended up there. the blue lantern there is for when storm hits, it would put a protection bubble so the house would be fine). !bobby mostly lives with !jaiden, but often goes to city; !roier doesn't live with the other two, but he goes there almost every day.

so, that bracelet on !jaiden's leg. Time for another mer lore drop: mer, that considered "family" to eachother (basically that are really close to eachother, not necessarily an actual family) can basically feel where the other one. It's more of a subconscious thing, tho mer can "send" signals for "family" to catch in case of something. so, i did established before that mer have generally good relationship with land people. basically, it became a tradition to give to a very close people, who are not mer, a little trinket (usually a wearable), that basically works the same way (and both ways). It's normal for a mer to have atleast a specially enchanted stone prepared for it, if not the trinket itself. ! jaiden's bracelet contains the stones of both !roier and !bobby (they are not actually seen - usually those stones are hidden inside of trinket)

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

Do you think they would actually enjoy the modern world? Or would they want to stay in their current time period?

Hm, well, I think that may vary depending on each suitor if I’m honest! (I’ll be excluding Sebastian from this one, only because he is a modern man and I wager he would want to stay in the mansion in order to finish his thesis) 

Under a cut bc it’s a long boi:

I think for people like Arthur and Theo, for instance--who always seem to live in the fast lane--it might not really prove much of a problem. They would continue enjoying the night life and move with their busy schedules. Tl;dr: (For them? Same shit, different day)

Vincent would likely be doing just fine given how Theo often provides assistance in places where he struggles; to promote his art, to spark intrigue in the general public and benefactors. He might be a little overwhelmed by the influx of stimuli that comes with the modern era, constant noise and interaction and movement--perhaps worry that people are losing their ability to live in the moment. (Not to mention what’s being done to the environment...) There might be a learning curve/adjustment, but I think Theo would help him ease in. Plus, it would be a little easier to promote his art given the less stringent restrictions on public exhibitions. He’d still have to work for his fame, but at least the van Goghs wouldn’t have to live in constant unease in the proximity of the cutthroat academy.  Tl;dr: (Mixed feelings, but tries to stay positive about modern times)

Dazai is more familiar with this kind of life of quick turmoil and breakneck speed, if anything he falls back into his old coping mechanisms--hello writing, drinking, and smoking. An overwhelming influx of information and suffering would probably be hard for him to manage, despite how expertly he hides it. I think I would be worried he would lose himself in the dismal reality of diminished connection with other people. Yes I’m shoving him into therapy, I want him to start living for himself and taking care of himself ffs

That isn’t to say there aren’t happy possibilities for him, just that I think he really needs to heal first. I could see him very happy in a kind of writer’s circle with people he loves and trusts; less expending his energy in a desperate attempt to fill the void and please others, more cultivating his own happiness... Tl;dr: (Positive potential, but honestly part of me thinks the past quieter/simple/rural life suits him better...he still loves meme culture tho, he finds it so expansive and creative)

Isaac is in a similar boat as Dazai, I think! He has wonderful potential as a mentor and professor, and living in a world that has a little more patience and respect for genius might help encourage him to put himself out there. That being said, I think the pace of life would exhaust him though--he is very much the kind of person that prefers to keep to himself and just puzzle and tinker. Baby boy just wants to do equations, build little inventions, and read up on the recent discoveries in astrophysics (BRUH WHEN THE IMAGE OF THE BLACK HOLE CAME OUT HE FORGOT HOW TO B R E A T H E) Napoleon is the only reason he eats anything healthy or on any kind of regular schedule s m h. Tl;dr: (Not a lot changes, honestly? He was reclusive then, he still is now--he just has more toys/academic resources. If anything he might get a little too lost in his work because of it, somebody please make sure he’s eating/sleeping/socializing;;;)

Poor Jeanne is SUFFERING. Please release him from this nightmare he is begging. Jk jk, I don’t think it would be too bad for him--but I do think that he would have the aforementioned problem of too many stimuli and too much interaction. I think he would ease into it a little with Mozart’s help; he would just be awkward and wooden until he got the hang of it. Most people just find him quirky in an amusing way, and don’t think too hard about it. I’d wager he’d probably become literate at this point because of the abundance of resources and necessity to read/write (okay but imagine this baby with a little kid workbook iM GONNA CRY!!! TAKE ALL MY CRAYONS JEANNE). 

Can you imagine this mofo at a Starbucks??? Tall and stoic, dark and debonair (EVERYONE IS S W O O N I N G), and he just asks in a light tenor “can I have a mocha with eight shots of expresso” with a completely straight face. “Sir, that could kill you” “Don’t worry, I’ve been dead a long time” And he just moves to wait for his order. 11/10 cryptid I could watch an entire show just about his daily adventures

He works with Napoleon a lot given their similar skillsets. They coach kids at high schools that have fencing teams (it’s really REALLY cute bc if they’re on the younger side, Jeanne will very dramatically lose bc he wants to encourage them and the kids are delighted--but the parents are INCHES from laughing so hard they’re in tears). Otherwise, he mostly takes up gigs as a security worker/bodyguard, only really works for the money. He prefers to spend his time in ways that feel meaningful if he can, so don’t be surprised if you see him in foster homes and in social working spaces. He has an uncanny understanding about him, a kind of silence/patience that doesn’t stifle; it makes the kids/teens calm down in milliseconds. They really listen when he does talk, and he sets good and clear boundaries--he knows how to be firm when it’s required. He gives them the structure and placid grounding they’ve never had, and really pays attention to what’s important to them. Brings them little things he notices; brings flowers to the one that likes to draw, brings CDs (he is bad with technology, but they usually only have access to older/outdated stuff anyway) to the one the one that struggles to write with white noise in the house, brings little plushies to the ones that lose theirs. He’s simple but solid, and he finds a lot of meaning in helping kids overcome the similar kind of struggles he faced.  Tl;dr: (Steep learning curve, but he just sees it as all the same really--just more work to be done with the literacy requirement and adjustment to technology. Will be resistant at first, but when he gets accustomed and starts finding people who are important to him, he wouldn’t want to change anything/go back. But will admit there are some days he just wants to go to the most remote place he can access and just live there for a month with no human interaction whatsoever; people are inefficient and insufferable sometimes)

Mozart’s life honestly doesn’t change much? I feel like he would easily be able to keep composing and continue releasing his work as per usual. Given his quick capacity to schmooze and say what people want to hear when he must, he’d be more than able to network his way into success. I think the only thing he might struggle with now and again is inspiration, given the world operates on a very surface level in the modern era sometimes. Profound insight and depth are not quite as cultivated in many ways, and he can struggle to find something that just sparks motivation/novelty in his mind, makes him start composing at breakneck speed. He reads a lot and watches some TV shows/movies when he’s at really low inspiration levels, the kind of guy that sneers at Game of Thrones--but finds things like BBC’s Sherlock more passable (wants intrigue and complexity, doesn’t much enjoy the sensationalized drivel). When Arthur finds out he loves ATLA he about falls off his seat. “It’s a children’s show.” “Yes it is, with a remarkable level of depth and craftsmanship, what are you trying to say?” He begins to find a kind of rhythm in his composing, and Jeanne and Dazai often drop by with so many crazy stories he finds himself filled with music anyway LMAO Tl;dr: (Same as Isaac, really just keeps doing his thing without being impeded, and he enjoys the luxuries/conveniences of the modern era. Will be slightly resistant at first because of how alien some of the changes are, but will fall into the habits/customs slowly and surely. Fine with it, will whine a bit at the growing pains tho)

Leonardo actually canonically owns a bar, and does that really surprise anyone? He really enjoys the excitement of meeting new people and hearing about their myriad histories, the influx of cultures/languages/experiences. It’s a nice but lowkey place, people stop for a drink, listen to some good music--chat amiably and relax after a long day’s work--before heading out. There are regulars and people that just stop for that single day; tourists, vacationers, so on and so forth.

When asked, many people note a sleek black cat with sharp eyes that led them to the bar... Tl;dr: (Don’t Let the Existential Dread Set-in: The Prequel, adapts well to the modern era because of centuries of experience but also...he’s so tired...somebody please hold him I can’t watch him live like this, lord jesus)

Optimally, I see Comte filling his time with myriad pursuits; ranging from philanthropy, indulging in art/music/theatre (often a benefactor as well), and keeping track of his chirren (they may exist more independently now, but he still worries about them ;-;). Otherwise nothing much changes for him, still goes to galas and fancy gatherings, still enjoys fashion and spoiling people, still seeks to occupy himself with social interaction and care-taking--if he doesn’t have a family of his own. He’s basically just that meme that’s like DON’T LET THE EXISTENTIAL DREAD SET-IN. DON’T LET IT SET-IN!!!!!!!!! Tl;dr: (Not to repeat myself but also Don’t Let the Existential Dread Set-in: The Sequel, literally just desperately trying to fill the void please somebody help him he also just needs to be held fuck’s sake, I’m going to drag him kicking and screaming into happiness--but otherwise has no great trouble adjusting to the modern era. I feel like he would have a more minor form of what Dazai struggles with, maybe a lack of personable connection that he once had; fewer chances to be himself and relax. Also probably worried about the increasing unhappiness and turmoil building in the world in general...)

Napoleon is similar to Comte in that he often checks up on Isaac and Jeanne from time to time, and does the aforementioned fencing lessons with kids. He also takes a lot of basic security positions--for venues, concerts, museums--you name it. He dislikes the idea of sitting behind a desk a lot, so he prefers to do a lot of different things; he even cooks from time to time at the restaurants  that know him very well. One gig he particularly enjoys is battle choreography for movies/theatre! He tends to stay away from anything too historically close to his era of origin, but he has fun coming up with realistic (smaller scale) hand-to-hand combat scenarios and duels. Tl;dr: (This era doesn’t feel like too much of a change. It’s a little more intensive in terms of pace, but he manages to keep up pretty well, it just exhausts him from time to time--and he usually goes on trips or hikes to unwind when he needs to like Jeanne LOL they do not go to their happy place, they go to their high lonesome place).

Shakespeare also continues to do his drama thing, organizes troupes on tons of different levels--from community level to more intense, skilled groups that re-enact his own work. His life doesn’t change all that much beyond a new form of theatre logistics, and he adjusts to the technology fairly easily out of necessity. He’ll stop by Vincent’s place from time to time to show him recordings of his latest shows, but otherwise is almost always on the move. Tl;dr: (So long as he can keep following his greatest passion, he doesn’t really mind the changes in how theatre happens--he doesn’t have any sizable issues with the modern era.)

Ability with technology (phones mostly):

Arthur: more than capable, well-versed, loves to do everything on his phone no prob--maybe lives a little too much on his phone (Vine/TikTok/Youtube can kill his productivity RIP) also yes he has a fidget spinner on his desk, no I will not be taking any constructive criticism at this time

Theo: yes but with a lot of cursing at first, had to do it for work and now looks down on anyone that can’t keep up with him (except for Vincent)

Vincent: knows the basics, taking and sending pictures, writing things in notes for later, texting (tho sending emails is a little harder for him); he does his best but he can be slow. Really really enjoys the paint programs on his iPad for when he’s on public transit, but he starts setting alarms after he gets the hang of it (he’s missed his stops before because of it LMAO)

Leonardo: what kind of stupid question? Man knows how to pick them apart and put ‘em back together for crying out loud, uses it like a pro--comes to him naturally, and he’s the guy that keeps coming up with ways to jailbreak Apple products and thwart their money-grubbing tactics. Catch him playing Minish Cap on his emulator on the way to work, brah

Comte: just vibing, keeps up with the times easily since he’s been doing it for so long, much like Theo uses it to keep in touch with the people around him--he’s the “prefers to call instead of text” sorta guy though, he worries about losing emotional subtleties and he likes to hear people’s voices. Doesn’t do anything special on phones, more just a tool; will read/listen to podcasts/does have emulators (courtesy of Leo) and enjoys playing Pokemon when he’s bored

Jeanne: types one finger at a time, it will take a while--but he’ll get there (deleted all his contacts by accident once and Mozart was just. HOW.) He barely knows how to use a phone, and it’s a steep learning curve for him

Mozart: purely functional when it comes to his phone, refuses to rely on it beyond the necessities that only tech can do (for instance, sending emails or reading articles or uploading compositions) he still writes his music before making more polished digital copies. He will sometimes listen to pieces digitally, but prefers to play them in-person; he feels that a lot of the soul in a piece is lost despite the convenience

Dazai: you absolute fools. you baboons. why would you ever give him this kind of power. it is 3AM and he has been on a wikipedia trail spanning hours, started with Cleopatra being the seventh in her line with that name all the way to cotton candy being called “daddy’s beard” in French. please help him he hasn’t slept in years. Also probably binges anime and manga lbr. He’s the one making vine references every other second, always up to date on the memes^TM

Isaac: also mostly uses it as a tool for research and calculations; it’s a way to keep track of information. He also likes to play background music while he’s working, so he finds the device nice and convenient--plus less having to go around pestering people in-person. he does start to get interested in coding and tinkering with apps/programs eventually, too

Shakespeare: finds it a delightful little contraption, so useful because it lets him jot down ideas as they come to him quickly, and he can edit his texts much more easily with digital interfaces. also likes that performances can be recorded, because now he can analyze his staging more efficiently--it gives him a good sense of what needs to be adjusted, and encourages him to keep streamlining/try new concepts

Napoleon: likes it because he can keep in touch with people more easily, the kind of guy to drop a line before checking on a friend. he really likes to look up recipes and find out more about cooking techniques he’s never encountered before. Isaac starts making an Instagram account just to show Napoleon’s impeccable plating, and Napo gets quite the following without knowing for a while

[meanderfall]

Don't worry about taking some time to respond, the fact that you reply at all (and always with so much!) always makes my day! I didn't mean to imply that Caboose was an adult because he's dangerous, sorry about that! Ask boxes are just so small and I try not to flood you with too many, but it makes me lose some nuance. By pointing out that he was dangerous I was also trying to say he was competent, and was referring back to how the BCG tend to treat Caboose like he's harmless and helpless. [1/5]

[2/5] I'm a little sensitive to infantilization because a lot of people do it to me when they find out I'm autistic, so I'll admit it might just be me reading too deep into the little things, like how all the motivational speeches leave Caboose out ("And Caboose... er, it's good to see you?"). And how in Chorus he's given a toy gun because they think he has no impulse control, and no one ever expects him to have good ideas or be competent at anything despite doing/being both on a regular basis.

[3/5] But mostly what I meant when I said they don't treat him like an adult is that they treat him like he's an 'emotional timebomb' when he's not. It definitely comes from a place of caring, but they don't trust him to be able to handle hard truths. It's fine that they try to spare him some grief, but they don't give anyone else the same courtesy which implies that they think he - the one commonly described by fans and writers as innocent and childlike or as a "manchild" - needs to be coddled.

[4/5] And for sure a lot of Temple/Alpha treating Caboose like they do everyone comes from being assholes! Temple absolutely said it because Grif tried to defend Caboose when the implications of the recording failed to hurt him like it did the rest of them. But he's also not wrong that people tend to treat Caboose like he's fragile when he's probably the most emotionally resilient of the BGC. Which wouldn't be a problem narratively if Caboose wasn't also the only one with obvious brain trauma...   

[5/5] Also, the Director says in that flashback that they're the only team who's remained at a stalemate and that everything should be recorded so that they can recreate it (I can't tell if he wanted that composition for all future sim teams or just on an as needed basis though). I took this to mean that when he later decided to place Alpha somewhere safe he specifically chose people similar to the BvRs so that there would be another stalemate and therefore little chance of him being harmed.

You’re back!!! ^v^ Sorry, I immediately put all the asks under a readmore because I feel bad about clogging up dashes, but I also feel like they should be here in case anyone else wants to read these and understand what’s going on.

And omg don’t ever feel bad about sending me entire essays!!! I absolutely adore it!!! It makes me so happy, honestly, send in as many asks as you want, send in so many that you need several days to get it all in because you hit ask limit, it seriously makes my day

And, yeah, ask boxes are way too small, nuances get lost so easily when you’re trying to shove in all the necessary information in them :/ I sort of figured that you might have meant it in the sense that Caboose is actually competent in a fight and doesn’t need coddling, but the phrasing just immediately sent up red flags, so I wanted to address that point just in case. I’m sorry if that made you feel bad! I meant no offense.

I think you have some serious good points (to the point I’m not even sure I can add anything??? I’m mostly sitting here, like “yup, that’s true, they do do that don’t they”) and tbh I don’t think you’re being oversensitive to it or reading too much into it. And even if you were, it’s not a bad thing. Lord knows we all have something, a sore spot, a behaviour or cliche or situation that when it happens in media it hits something seriously personal or traumatic and just affects how you see things and feel when you watch it. (Tbh, I’ve recently encountered that sort of thing while playing a video game (which isnt fun bc i now dislike a character that everyone adores) and then again in the season 2 finale of Camp Camp.) So, like. I get you. 

(I don’t remember the specific circumstance with the toy gun in Chorus and then the eventual implantation of Freckles in the gun, but I kind of read it as them doing it to prevent team kills??? Or is that part of the problem, that it’s running gag that he kills people when trying to help them?)

You know, I laughed during the emotional time bomb scene, specifically Wash’s ‘jesus christ’ afterwards, but taking a step back to think about it, you’re right. Caboose is probably the farthest one from being an emotional time bomb. Pretty sure Wash in s6-s8, Carolina in s9-10, and Tucker in s15 have the dubious honour of being titled with such a moniker. 

Caboose is easily the healthiest one when it comes to emotions, because he actually lets himself feel them and express them properly. And he tries sharing what he’s feeling. Tbh, imo, he’s probably one of the strongest person emotionally, and I admire him so much for it?? Like his guide to making friends, when he finishes it with ‘but you can always make more. And that’s pretty neat’, I’m personally blown away that he’s able to keep such a positive outlook, like lmao im sitting here getting absolutely run-down and exhausted from making and losing friends all the time and not wanting to bother anymore, and Caboose is there like “my heart got broken, but that’s okay! Spending time with you helps me fix it up again, I’m really happy we’re friends.” How even??? Caboose, can I be you???

They coddle him. And he doesn’t need to be. He’s pretty smart and competent, and he’s handled so many emotional ups and downs like a champ. Maybe not always in the healthiest ways, but he eventually got better.

(Random thought, but do you remember that scene where Wash picks him up in s6 for his team, and the Captain like takes Caboose aside to tell him to never come back and Caboose is like “Never walk backwards”? Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Caboose actually did understand completely what he said, and all the other times in other explanations like that, but said something completely off the wall just to fuck with them? Or maybe not. Idk)

Isn’t it common fanon that Caboose’s brain trauma occurred when Omega, Tex and Alpha, three AIs, went inside his head and fucked around in there? It’s always kind of interesting to look back to s1 and see how much they’ve changed. Pretty sure Caboose and Donut suffered the most from flanderization...

This discussion is really great tbh, because now I’m honestly getting upset at how people treat Caboose in universe. I love it when my point of view and opinions of characters get changed.

Oh, really that happened with the Director? I must’ve missed it. I always assumed that the Director didn’t have much if any input with what happened with Alpha, mainly because he was either being put on tribunal and needed plausible deniability or, way more likely, he was on the run already. Admittedly, the timeline is confusing?? Is the Director and the Counselor still active throughout s1-s6? They are right? Is the Director actually keeping an eye on Alpha then?? But then how come he let the other AI fragments and Tex, all of which were on the run from PFL, go into Blood Gulch and interact with Alpha? The RvB timeline is awful and filled with so many questions and I hate that so much, but I also love it because that means we can have fun with headcanons and stuff.

I have no idea about if he recreated it on purpose then. Because, with the episodes on s14, I thought Florida was just purposely finding the laziest and most incompetent people he could to prevent Alpha from being harmed, I thought that’s all there was to it. Do you think Florida could’ve been made aware of the Blues and Reds?? Or maybe the Counselor told him. Also, I kind of assumed that the sim bases were supposed to have all kinds of different situations and circumstances so that the Freelancers could be challenged with different scenarios.

(An aside, isn’t the whole sim thing kind of fucked up for the Freelancers though? Because, I’m like 99% sure that being sent into such scenarios where everyone else around them is considered incompetent by the average soldier, never mind Freelancers, probably 1) encourages them to think of themselves as better, upping their arrogance 2) makes them think that they really might be the best if not the only ones who can win the war, adding a shit-ton of pressure and 3) makes them think more fondly of their team, the Freelancers, tightening their bonds, and then the Director purposefully broke those bonds, and instead of it just being a team not meshing well, it becomes betrayal, and heartbreak, and trauma. and that’s not even going into how the sim troopers feel, a bunch of people who either volunteered to help, or signed up to try and better themselves, or who were drafted, all being used in the sick games of a man with a sick mind, and being essentially useless for the war effort. Nice going, Director) (lmao talking about him makes me want to finally make that gifset idea i have for him)

(also???? you like hearing me ramble about things??? what is this, is this reality, what is going??? thank you, that really makes me so happy you have no idea