#references to the dopples

[spotaus]

*It seems you managed to stumble across a unique trio...

Decided to do a silly lil doodle of my favorite Dopple-trio! :D on the surface I feel like this'd be a daily occurrence. Kale is the most normal of the 3 of them, but I wanted to draw her and Paps having a cute lil conversation. (More ideas below the cut!!!)

Pretender regularly interacts with humans (his disguise slowly recovers, and he continues to mostly abstain from his old habits) and usually appears as "human" as long as he's out. Sometimes in public I feel like ppl would be willing to talk to him, and he's always quick to make it clear that to get to his family people would have to get past him. (Also I think in their neighborhood/town everyone gets increasingly confused because he regularly goes, "Yeah, that's my Kid" some days abd other days he's like, "That's my little sibling" and it's just that he's her guardian and the terms are kinda interchangeable because it's easier to use them than explain the whole situation lol)

Pretender also has no sense of fashion. He's always so close to a neat outfit then takes the wrong turn before he exits his closet lol.

Paps stays in skeleton form (at least for the first few years) even tho it's dangerous, because his human disguise is awful and makes K uncomfortable. Instead he trains genuinely with Undyne and Tender to properly figure out a human shape over about 4 years. Eventually he does have a human disguise, but he's contented in his monster form too.

K I can't say a lot for (beloved @oodlesndoodles is who designed/owns her!) But I'm pretty certain that she'd probably still wear her one monster-style outfit sometimes if only to show her solidarity with her family, or just to mess with people on the streets 🙏

Also:

I love the idea that someone talking to them would take in this info and be like ???????

Last Notes: Human!Pretender is one of my favorite blorbos ever to doodle! His hair texture is probably the most satisfying thing ever! Paps keeps miraculously looking good for this AU??? I've never been able to draw Papyrus before??? Idk what changed, but I love him! And KALE! K my beloved I have struggled so hard to doodle her well and usually fail but I think I did it!!! I love her sm...

[katkalis-the-horror-fanartist]

Peach Peach Dopple but doing the mr.frog raining money pose

[Replace the money with peaches]

YOU KNOW I HAD TO DO THIS ONE CAUSE I LOVE SMILING FRIENDS-

And the original for reference just in case:

Thanks for letting me STEAL YOUR IDEA I GUESS-

[mythsee]

Question! Why do you make Legend/the Dopples eyes violet? They look really nice on him!

For the dopples, I’ve always thought they’d have violet eyes because since they don’t have a fourth link(vio) I made them have violet eyes as a reference to them. So it’s basically just four swords BUT vio’s just the eye color. For legend, since the dopples are still technically him I just made him have vio eyes too (and mainly because he look awesome with it)

[winterpower98]

I randomly stumbled across an old post of your Reversed AU while I was looking for LBD references on google! Spend the last 30 minutes getting cought up with it instead of sleeping xD

I can't believe you basically killed one of the twins in this one! I sincerely hope he'll get freed from the furnace again once LBD is defeated, otherwise Jin will probably have a breakdown when he learns that him trusting LBD got his brother killed for good!

Also, the "Dragon Empress" drawing you made looked awesome! But you mentioning Mei having a "villain arc" made me take a dopple take. Really hope that was before she joined the good side, and not a fall back into old habits/aliances xD

Aaaand, I'll spare you from more of my rambling. Really hope we get to see some more stuff for that AU in the future though :3

~*~

*looks at my notes * Yeah, sure. Yin is coming back, don't worry

As for Mei's villain arc, I am afraid that it will happen after season 2 A bunch of things happen and create a domino effect where Macaque decides to leave Mei behind, which she doesn't take well, of course. She had already a bad encounter with Red, which was made worst by Wukong, and Macaque leaving was what tipped her vase and she joined LBD's side Kind of She actually joined Jin's side (more like she threatened him) because both of them were tricked into believing that Wukong/Red killed Yin.

Sometime during this very unstable alliance, LBD gets her hands on Macaque. And when I say "gets her hands on him" I mean he becomes her new host And Mei doesn't know that

She looked at the demon with cold eyes. The shadow who had traveled with her over the centuries gave her a simple smile back. "You're back. Does this mean you're done hiding in fear?" the dragon hissed, her anger making her blind at the blue glint in the macaque's eyes as he smirked "Eh, something like that"

[strixcattus]

I want to make a list of everything that needs to agree with something in the time travel conlang, just to get my thoughts organized.

The guiding principle here is: Everything that might have cause to agree with something, does so. A Watsonian explanation for this would probably be something like, "there are a lot of ways time distortion could drop information or cause someone to miss it, and they would really like to know whether they're talking about their friend or an evil future version of their friend." The Doylist explanation is absolutely that I think it would be funny and fun and also I've never done any sort of agreement in a conlang before and have a lot to make up for.

The numbers this conlang inflects for are: —Singular (needs no explanation) —Monogender plural (a given group of one gender) —Multigender plural (a given group of multiple genders) —General plural (used for blanket statements that may or may not have exceptions, such as "stars give off heat" or "cats have fur")

The grammatical genders of this conlang are: —Null (always and exclusively used for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th person) —Former (past variant of myself, you, or a familiar 3rd person entity) —Future (future variant as above) —Alternate (alternate-timeline variant with a branch point in the past) —Split (alternate-timeline version of a future variant, with a branch point in the future) —Dopple (they're not a past or future version, our lives are identical, but somehow we exist separately at the same time and I need to gender them somehow)

(The distinction between 3rd and 3.5th person can get complicated. If I'm friends with someone named, say, Alice, and her future self travels back in time to now, then regardless of whom I'm speaking to, Alice is referred to in 3rd person and future-alice as Future 3.5th. If, however... let's say Nikola Tesla. If Tesla were to time-travel to 2023, and I met him, I would refer to him in 3rd person, because he would be the only Tesla I am familiar with and the only Tesla in this time frame.

On the other hand, if my grandfather were to travel through time as a young adult, and we met in the present, I would refer to him in 3.5th person, because I already know my grandfather as someone else. However, if I did the time-travelling, and met my grandfather in the past, I'd refer to him in 3rd person, and the version of him who is my grandfather in 3.5th... unless I happened to bring my present grandfather with me, in which case my present grandfather would be referred to in 3rd person and the past version in 3.5th.

Get it? By default, the native version of a person in the current time frame is referred to in 3rd person and all interlopers in 3.5th... unless they do not exist in that time frame, in which case the one with the greatest familiarity to the speaker is referred to in 3rd and all others in 3.5th, or if the speaker is travelling with the native version of that person to their time frame (or another person native to the same time frame who also knows the person), in which their native version is referred to in 3rd and all others in 3.5th.

As a sidenote: If my young grandfather (3.5th) time-travelled to a point after his death, but within my life, I would be well within my rights to refer to him in 3.5th person, even if he is the only version of himself in the current time. Those who did not know my grandfather at his current age, but met my time-travelling grandfather, would be well within their rights to refer to him in 3rd person and my present-day grandfather in 3.5th (future gender—or alternate, if my present-day grandfather didn't do any time travel in his own life).

(I don't know what you would do if Nikola Tesla showed up in 2023 in his time machine, then took you back in time to meet his self from a few years later in that self's native time. Leave it as exercise for the reader, I guess.)

—Adjectives agree with gender of the nouns they modify, by way of suffixes. If they need to agree with multiple genders, the suffixes are stacked in a set order. They're also inflected for number and for person, because you can expect to have an adjective attached to a 1.5th, 2.5th, 3rd, 3.5th, or 4th person noun/pronoun (e.g. in 1.5th person, "the evil me").

—Adverbs agree with the verbs they modify in terms of objective tense, again by way of a suffix.

—All persons of noun and pronoun that have multiple genders inflect for gender and number.

—Verbs are conjugated first for tense in objective time, then affixes are attached (these can be prefixes or suffixes) which encode person, gender (if applicable), and subjective tense for the subject and object. The positioning of these affixes is fluid, but they each point towards the nouns they're agreeing with.

—"No tense" is a valid objective tense for a verb whose objective tense is unknown, but whose subjective tense is known. For instance, if I know I'm going to mail you a letter, but I'm not sure when in time I'll be when I do so, I can refuse to inflect the verb for tense.

—A particle (which may act as an adjective or an adverb) can be constructed to indicate objective and/or subjective time for something not normally indicated. For instance, it might be attached to the noun "his texts" to indicate that the texts have not been written yet, or that whoever "he" is hasn't written them yet, but the texts themselves exist already, or to a verb to indicate that some third party (with which it agrees in number, gender, and person) has already experienced an event which is in the future for all other players in the sentence.

Verb objective tense conjugations tend to indicate the subject's person in some way. Some objective tenses lump 1st person with 1.5th person and so on, and others distinguish between them. I haven't decided yet, but this may be dependent on the base form of the verb. Like French! But worse.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

(Duckapus's writing about Dopple going to Nimbus's world got me inspired to talk about it tbh)

Age System

Pretty obvious that children are referred to as kits. But newborns are typically called kindles. (A litter of cats is called a kindle, but I don't really think they'd use those terms tbh.)

Newborns are called kindles until they're about 5 years old, and then they're referred to as kits until around 17~18. It really depends on where you're at in the world.

Harmonia

There are 10 kingdoms in the continent of Harmonia. The continent is extremely large, enough to fit all the kingdoms, and the environments vary depending on where each kingdom is located.

The kingdom of Luminos, ruled by Queen Melody.

The kingdom of Magnamiel, ruled by King Bolero.

The kingdom of Devos, ruled by King Umbra.

The kingdom of Ethil, ruled by Queen Alina.

The kingdom of Cilcia, ruled by Queen Tawny.

The kingdom of Fyn, ruled by Queen Eloria.

The kingdom of Stagnus, ruled by King Magnus.

The kingdom of Monaxiá, ruled by King Albin.

The kingdom of Lais, ruled by King Royle.

The kingdom of Desiderio, ruled by Queen Fluerette.

Monaxiá and Desiderio are two kingdoms that no one has heard from since their respective rulers took the throne. The two had been embroiled in war for decades beforehand due to land disputes over mountains and taigas that border their kingdoms. Once their new rulers came to power, the war was stopped, and no one has heard from them since.

Queen Melody is incredibly respected by all the other monarchs since she took down her father's paranoid and tyrannical rule, along with her siblings. No one wanted to imagine what would have happened if any of them took power.

The kingdom of Ehtil is the center of trading, as the kingdom borders a good part of the ocean and they have a lot of ships.

The relation between the kingdom of Devos and Luminos is pretty shaky after an incident between Umbra and Melody. Paired with how unstable Umbra's rule is, Devos is sort of falling from the inside out.

Below is my loose interpretation of the continent, always subject to change.

The land between Lais and Stagnus has been under dispute for several years now, leading to both kingdoms retreating from it until the other kingdoms can help decide.

Cilcia and Fyn are naturally small kingdoms, and neither ruler really wants to gather more land anytime soon.

All kingdoms follow a religion called Muse (yes, I'm basic). The kingdoms tend to follow all the gods/goddesses of the religion, but some kingdoms focus specifically on certain ones.

Luminos focuses on Bliss, goddess of Light and Rythmn.

Stagnus focuses on Aldor, god of Fire and Passion.

Ethil focuses on Caspian, god of Water and Creativity.

The others are Unus, god of Darkness and Simplicity. Zephyr, god of Wind and Change. Tera, goddess of Earth and Journey. Petunia, goddess of Nature and Medicine. Zenith, god of Lightning and Energy. Cit, goddess of Ice and Progress.

I like to think Melody and Belor are good friends, with them other exchanging letters and all that. He was one of the first she sent a letter to after the events of Watered Down Dreams to assure him that everyone was okay.

Not every kingdom has a Songbird at the same time, as someone who can naturally master both vocal and instrumental music is tough already. But every kingdom has had one.

No one likes King Umbra. They can tolerate him, but they all agree he isn't exactly someone they'll miss once he dies.

Cilcia is both known as the medical center and entertainment center of the continent. Take that as you will.

(That's all I have for now! Anything else you think may fit, tell me and I may add it!)

[jimintomystery]

DS9: "Profit and Loss"

Professor Natima Lang and her students, Hogue and Rekelen, take refuge at Deep Space Nine after fleeing Cardassian space. Lang catches the attention of Quark, who fell in love with her seven years ago and will do anything to get her back. But Garak recognizes Hogue and Rekelen as prominent members of the Cardassian dissident movement, and he makes it clear that the military will not let them leave the station alive.

I still haven't seen Casablanca (although I was doppled into it once). Nevertheless, I've seen so many "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" references in pop culture that I can spot a pastiche of the 1942 film from a mile away.

Lang has always caught my eye, and I remember thinking it was because she was the first female Cardassian to appear in the franchise. That's not the case, though--aside from Rekelen standing right next to her, at least one girl appeared in the orphanage scene in "Cardassians," and Gul Ocett was on Star Trek: The Next Generation six months before that. Real talk, I just think Lang is pretty. Which is hard to explain, because it's tough to find a shot where her neck doesn't look like a snow shovel.

Garak is an absolute hoot in this episode. I especially like the hamfisted exposition packed into the line "Thank you for another enjoyable lunch, Doctor." Try saying that to somebody the next time you go out to eat or something, it'll be great. I have to assume he's going out of his way to get Lang's attention, so that she knows he knows she knows he knows she's on the station. Really, most of Garak's activity in this one is making sure everyone else is on the same page, without looking like he's doing that.

A significant loose end here is that Bajor decides to turn Lang's group over to the Cardassians in exchange for Bajoran prisoners. So I would think they'd be pretty miffed when Odo lets Lang, Hogue, and Rekelen escape. I mean, Gul Toran implies that Cardassia wasn't actually going to honor the prisoner exchange, but who's going to tell the Bajorans that? Garak? Quark?

[sparklywobblerangelrebel]

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[thebonnylads]

i’m afraid i don’t really know what a source fic is, but i am really interested in Bound Behind The Masks, so what can y’all tell me about it?

(i just realized i automatically use y’all for systems, but i know some systems that do use singular pronouns, which do y’all prefer)

We are ok with being referred to as y'all, especially if there's multiple fronters! ❤️

Basically it's writing out what happened in your backstory that differs from canon n it's mainly for fictives, at least for us! We mainly write them to work through our trauma and other issues, as well as showing why we have a trigger for example-

.

"Bound Behind The Masks" is me n the other Dopples source fic that I just figured out the name for! It's going to show the shit we went through by the Dopple Master in the name of good n how we eventually got out of there.

Basically we were kids that were given to the Dopple Master because our families couldn't deal with how sickly we were n we were given to the asshole even though he said that they won't see us again and then he performed some kind of ritual with the masks that you see in the official art of the Dopples that sealed us within our bodies.

It also made us unable to use our bodies even if we were being controlled by another person who was unaware of what happened to us, and no matter how much we got hurt the Dopple Master assured them that we couldn't feel it even though we could feel everything.

There's more but I don't want to make you uncomfortable by infodumping, especially since it goes into some topics that can be touchy for others- 🔥

[oriorchids]

Hello! Sorry to comment this here and not on ao3 but i dont have an account there 😅

i just wanted to say i just read the first chapter of your twst x pmmm crossover and i am so excited!! i love pmmm and always thought it was such a shame there wasn’t more crossover works considering just how many parallels and shared elements are in both, so i was so thrilled when i saw Connection.

Also i love that your working in elements of magia record, the dopple system compared with the phantoms of overblots has always been so cool to me so when in the fic you mentioned magia record elements too i just was like !!! i cant wait to see what you do with all these cool elements

ok ok enough raving about the concept lets get into the wonderful things in the fic itself. i love the way youve characterized yuu and their siblings so far! They seem like a fun trio and i hope we get to see their dynamic more in like flashbacks since yuu is currently isekai’ed 😔 speaking of that 👀 loving the transition of yuu fighting that witch and getting caught of guard, and then being taken by the carriage, was yuu taken out in the fight or maybe they were like summoned 🤔 either way I’m sure their siblings are absolutely freaking out, i wonder if they’ll be able to do anything on their end to investigate, maybe tracking down someone with a wish specific enough to help.

I cant wait to see more of this yuu in twisted wonderland, how their past will shape their interactions with the characters, gonna be giving azul such side eye when he mentions contracts like 😑 ‘kyubey is this your humansona??’ or somethin haha. i wonder if they’ll try and keep it secret, if they can, you mentioned the issue of them not really having a way to recharge their magic in the summary which has me nervous but excited because who doesn’t love the looming threat of angst.

ok that was a lot of words but im so excited to see where you take this, your writings so good and i look forward to more of your work! Great job and have a good day!! :D

aaaaaaaaa thank you so much!! yeah when i was scrolling through the fandom tag i kept looking for works that were related to pmmm in some way or have it as a crossover. i got like. one fic. and it was just tagged “pmmm references” and i didn’t really want to read it because it was both ongoing and long.

magia record holds a special place to my heart and i miss the days the en server was still there. i know nothing of what happens after the first arc but that will not stop me from making references to it. doppels are just very fun to me.

funnily enough, both hotaru and kohaku are older ocs than yuu, who was made for the fic. i think i actually stole yuu’s abilities as a healer from hotaru, and changed hotaru’s ability to something else. kohaku was never fleshed out before writing this, though. i think she originally had more protective shield-based abilities, but i gave her super-strength here due to the differing circumstances. i tried to make them a pretty decent trio, and i’m glad you like their dynamic! and on that last part, possibly. they’re not going to be standing around and waiting, that’s for sure.

yuu’s interactions with the twst crew will be interesting, i think. azul’s contracts are probably a little less extreme than kyubey’s, just because they can be broken and don’t lead to an eventual death by monsters or turning into a monster. then again that seems pretty innate for twst mages. and the grief seed issue is certainly an issue. hopefully they can figure out how to fix that.

i’m glad you enjoyed the first chapter!! and tbh lots of words are always welcomed i like being talked to about my writing. hope you have a good day as well!

[bokettochild]

If you’re still taking requests maybe Legend showing off his outfits from Triforce Heroes (if you consider that one of his games) or just the fierce deity outfit if that’s to much

Good grief! This one really took it away! I liked the prompt so much, and had so many ideas for it, that I think this might have to be a multi-parter (wasn't expecting that).

I touched on three outfits in this one, but I have six more I might do as well. For reference, I included the Kolkiri Clothes, Linebeck's Uniform and the Cozy Parka.

I also realized while writing this that this is the first time I've written from Wind's perspective, which is positively criminal!

I am still taking requests by the way! If you want to see something, shoot it at me!

(Fic below the cut)

It started so normal, Wind never thought it would get so insane.

They were in the Old Man’s Hyrule, too far from the ranch to make it by nightfall but close enough to still be in a relatively safe location. Time had called for them to set up camp and as they were close to a stream, Twilight had called for the additional order of baths.

Watching Twilight drag his protégé into the water was almost worth having to have his head scrubbed by Sky.

Most of them had taken the chance to cool off and mess around once they were clean, and while Warriors attempted to duck Time under the water (a mistake, they soon realized, when the man easily overpowered the captain, who ended up getting dunked instead) and Wild sat in a tree watching their backs (hanging up to dry, Twilight had joked), Wind found that the rest of them were content to swim idly in the water, with only the occasional splash from one or another of them. Usually, there would be more noise, but Twilight was teaching Hyrule to doggie paddle, and they needed calmer waters so as to not scare the Traveler.

He cast his eyes over their group. A red-faced Warriors was coughing and spluttering out insults at a smug looking Time (boy he needed his picto-box), Twilight was gently coaxing Hyrule to the other bank in a manner highly resemblant of a parent urging a baby to walk, Wild was keeping watch, and Sky was relaxing in the shallows.

Where were Four and Legend?

A glance upwards and a signed conversation with Wild later and Wind was making his way upstream a way, around a bend that blocked off most of the noise but that Wild could still see over if needed, to where Four and Legend sat together one the bank.

Or rather, Legend sat, Four was floating in the shallows with a curious expression as he watched the vet- cleaning clothes?

“We’re out here having a good time and you’re doing the laundry? Boring much.” He drawled, drawing the attention of the two heroes.

“I don’t like swimming around others.” Legend scrunched up his nose in disgust, it wiggled, almost cutely. “And my things needed a wash.”

He snorted, turning his questioning gaze to Four.

The smithy shrugged. “It’s quieter over here, and Wars will try and dunk me if he gets the chance.” A heavy sigh escaped the shortest hero. “He really needs to be taken down a notch some days.”

“Some days?” Legend snorted.

Wind just rolled his eyes. So, what if Wars had a bit of an ego and spent a lot of time messing with them? It was just the way the captain expressed himself, Wind would do the same if he could get away with it and had a few inches on the others.

A flash of color in the spring caught his attention, bright pink against the soft blue of the water, and he surged forwards. “What’s that?”

Legend’s hand hit his face as the vet reached out to push him back, effectively pushing the excited child under water, and for a brief moment, Wind could swear he saw a pink skirt drifting just before his face before it disappeared and he was popping up out of the water again with a splash.

“You have pink clothes?” He grinned at the bundle of fabric in the Vet’s hands.

“I have clothes in all colors.” Legend sniffed, batting another piece of fabric at him in a shooing motion.

“Doubt.” Four and Wind deadpanned. “Nobody has that much clothing.”

Legend’s face was drawn, eyes dark with that haunted look that Time sometimes got when looking at the moon. “I do.”

Wind and Four exchanged a look. “Why would you even need so much clothing?”

“Adventure number six.” Legend sighed, returning to his washing.

Another shared glance was exchanged and the two boys swam closer to the older teen. “And you used all of it?” Legend nodded. “All by yourself?”

The vet paused. “I had some...friends, with me.”

“You have friends?” Wind sat up again, who knew the Vet actually got along with people other than Ravio and Zelda?

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, Wind, that’s kinda mean.” Four murmured.

“I don’t mean you don’t have friends,” He huffed bangs from his eyes to look at Legend better, it did nothing, they still drifted into his view and cut off his view of the top of Legend’s hat. “I mean, we’ve never seen them so I didn’t realize you were on good terms with more people than Ravio.”

Legend shrugged. “You probably won’t ever meet them, I... became acquainted with them outside of Hyrule and they’ve never been seen leaving the land where we traveled together.”

“What were their names?” Four asked lazily, eyes trailing after leaves that floated off downstream towards where the others were.

Legend’s snort caught them off guard. “You don’t want to know.”

Now that was interesting, Legend never shied away from giving names to the people he had met in his travels, what was so different about these people? He’d had nothing against telling them Ravio’s name. “Why not?” Curiosity was tickling at his just like his hair was, and it was the only thing keeping him from ducking under again to relieve the itching of slowly-drying hair.

Legend cocked a brow at the two of them. “Their names are worse than ours.”

Now Wind really wanted to know! “What were they?”

Four echoed his question, eyes glinting in the light as he stared over at the vet, who was now beginning to pack away his things again. It took some nagging (something Wind had plenty of experience with) to finally get Legend to answer, but when he did, he didn’t disappoint.

“Red, Blue and Green. A set of nut cases if you ask me.” Legend drawled, not looking at them as he stuffed something glittery and gold in his bag. Four froze, eyes flashing four colors, one after another for a moment before he turned his sharp gaze on the vet.

“Did they call you Vio by any chance?”

Wind stared. “Why would they do that? He already has a name, he wouldn’t need to match, besides, Legend doesn’t even wear purple.”

“His eyes are purple.” Four pointed out, and Wind turned to very pointedly try and see what color Legend’s eyes actually were.

They were purple.

“No, they didn’t call me Vio,” Legend rolled his eyes, pushing Wind out of his face again. “They call me Link, same as any sane person does.”

“We’re sane.” Wind protested.

“Debatable.” The two older heroes deadpanned.

Wind pouted, but let it go, gaze drifting for a moment as he let silence fall over them. Four was staring at Legend in a suspicious manner, eyes blue again, but he didn’t say anything, and the vet didn’t seem keen on saying anything either, instead getting up and walking over to the clothes he had draped across one of the trees. He wasn’t kidding, it looked like a rainbow over there.

“So, if those things belonged to your friends, why do you have them?”

“Only one with a bottomless bag.” Came the clipped reply. “That and I’m the only one who’s likely to need them again.”

“Your friends don’t need clothes?” Four balked.

“No! Of course, they do!” Legend made a face, swatting a hand at Four. “Wild’s the only one who goes around naked, I’ll have you know, and if any of them had done the same they would have been shunned by the whole kingdom.” The vet huffed, voice dropping to a mutter. “What with the fashion laws and all.”

“So, if they already have clothes of their own, what did you need all for this for?” He gestured towards the various garments that Legend was still packing away.

“They’re all enchanted, or otherwise intended for special purposes.” The vet winced. “Hopefully I’ll never need most of them again, but there’s always the chance.”

“Will we ever get to see them?” He watched as Legend stuffed another garment into one of his bags many pockets.

“Hopefully never.” Legend spat.

But when did things ever go Legend’s way?

It was a hat first.

A battle in the forest ended with black blood spattered everywhere, but with Legend and Wild having provided support from the sidelines in the form of arrows flying across the battlefield, injuries were more scarce than normal.

Of course, that could be attributed to the fact that there had only been a few of the black-blooded monsters in the camp they had just destroyed.

As most of them had gathered their weapons and wiped away the blood, Wild had come leaping down from the treetops with Legend following after at a more sedate pace. Wind wondered if that was because of the Vet’s arthritis is because of the huge hat on his head.

“Nice accessories, do some shopping while we were down here fighting?” Wars snarked, huffing a laugh at the vet as Legend’s feet touched the earth again.

Indigo blue snapped at the captain as Legend adjusted the pointed cap. “No time for that when I have you all to keep an eye on.”

Twilight sniggered. “What’s with the hat, Ledge?”

“Yeah!” Wind bounded up to the older hero, eyes wide as he looked at the strange accessory. “Where did you get that?”

“Is that one of the things you got on your last adventure?” Four mused, sparking further excitement in the sailor, if it was, than maybe Legend would actually be willing to tell them more about it!

“Yeah, is it?”

No one addressed the confused stares of the taller heroes as their three shortest members conversed.

“Yeah,” Legend lifted the hat off and brushed at its brim in a clearly fond display; if he even attempted to say anything about hating his adventure again Wind was not going to believe him, not after that smile. “A Kolkiri hat, made to aid archers and help them shoot more arrows. I don’t usually use it, but it helps when you need to take out more than one enemy at once.”

“You could just learn to shoot better.” Wild chuckled, plucking at the hats brim only to have the garment whisked out of reach by a glaring veteran.

“I can shoot well; this just helps me see better because it blocks the freaking sun.”

“Kolkiri you say?” Time mused, stepping forwards to peer at the pointed green cap.

“Sure, you didn’t just steal it off of a witch?” Wars teased.

“No witch could replicate this sort of quality,” And if there wasn’t pride in his voice than Wind would eat his boots. “Not even the finest tailors in all of Hytopia could imitate it, and they’ve tried.” Legend spun the hat in his hands before popping it back on top of his head. “Don’t know the tailor, but what I wouldn’t give to learn their tricks. Kolkiri know what they’re doing, and they do it better than most Hylian craftsmen.”

Time was smirking, and Wind really wanted to know why. “You should see the tunics they can make.”

Legend returned the smirk. “Oh, I have, I own one.”

“As do I,” Their resident old man chuckles. “Although I doubt I could fit in it any longer.”

Wind giggles, trying to imagine Time in the clothes he’s seen on the spirits of the kolkiri, it’s hard, what with how big their leader is.

“Hat might fit you though.” And as the words ring through the air, Legend is already reaching up to pull the brim of his pointed hat over Time’s face. Their leader chuckles, brushing Legend off and adjusting the hat to sit more securely on his head.

Somehow, Time looks more comfortable in the hat than he does in his armor, and even though the two clash terribly, he doesn’t seem to mind, a light smile gracing his features as they set off again.

It’s a few days before Legend brings out another item from his collection of clothes, and when he does, it’s only after the others have drifted off to sleep. Wind would have been sleeping too, but you can only stay awake so long when your mind replays the horrors of the past, and Wind can only watch in silence for so long as giant ocean-monsters attempt to destroy those he loves the most. Tetra’s scream echoes in his own cracking voice as he startles awake.

The stars shine brightly overhead, brighter still as they blur from his tears. Despite what the others might say, or the confident way he tries to convey himself, Bellum frightens him, even now, and everything he had to deal with on that adventure... it weighs heavy on his mind.

A strangles sob escapes him as he sits up to bury his head in his knees, arms wrapped tight around his legs as he tries to shake of the after-effects of the dream.

That’s all it was, after all, just a dream.

Just like the Ocean King, like Lineback, like everything else in that world had been.

It’s just a dream.

“Hey,” Legend’s voice is soft and almost lost in his sobs and the crackling of the fire, but Wind is used to listening for even the softest of sounds in the night; be it due to Aryl having a night-terror –her own dreams aren’t free from their adventure- or someone sneaking around to make trouble. “Sailor, you all good?”

It’s clear he’s not, and he knows that, so Legend really has no business asking, but at the very least he isn’t being told to stop being a baby. “’m okay.” His own voice betrays him and Wind wants to sigh in irritation. Usually, he’d pout and groan at the way his voice cracks, but right now he doesn’t have the emotional or mental strength to do anything about it.

There’s shifting from across the camp, and even though his head is still pressed against his raised knees, he sees a flicker of golden pink in the firelight as Legend crouches down before him.

Thank Hylia the vet doesn’t sit back on his ankles, Wind doesn’t want to know if he’s not wearing shorts under that skirt of his.

“None of that now, what’s eating you?” It’s a weird term, especially coming from Legend, who’s usually so clipped and professional in his speech, and Wind can’t help but huff out a short laugh.

“Nothing,” His hand dashes across his eyes, wiping the tears away, only to have more of them prick at the corners. “Go back to watch, I’m fine.”

“And Twilight is a dog person.” Legend drawls. “Look, if you have an emotional moment or whatever, you’ll be tired as shit when we have to leave in the morning. I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel keen on dealing with another Sky.” It’s rough and gruff, but in a way that reminds him of Lineback rather than make him upset.

“I’m fine, just...” He dwells on his next words for a moment. He’s not scared, not really. It’s just the aftershock of a too-real dream about another too-real dream. He’s not really sad either, even if the island is gone now, he’s just... “I’m drained.” He whispers, scrubbing his eyes. “I miss everything back at home but,” He pauses, wondering briefly if Legend could even understand what he’s trying to express. “I guess I miss the things that aren’t there too.”

“Like what?” He doesn’t look up, but he knows the exact expression on Legend’s face; brow raised and mouth pulled into a thoughtful frown.

“Places... people. It’s all just dreams but..” He fiddles with the end of his blanket. “I miss the warmth of them I guess, miss the sea and the islands, even the fake ones, they were so... comforting.” He chuckles, surprising himself with the bitterness that tinges his own voice. “Even if I did spend so much of that time trying not to get killed.”

“Warmth, huh?” Legend hums. There’s a brief pause, one Wind almost takes for Legend rolling his eyes and deciding to leave him to his thoughts, but then there’s a brief rustling and something warm and thick settles over his shoulders as Legend sits at his side. “It’s no pirate uniform, but it still smells like the sea, if that helps at all.”

Wind wants to tease Legend for the sentimentality and love in the action, but when he turns to look at the Vet, his gaze falls instead on the royal blue coat that has been draped around his shoulders.

Too-long sleeves fall to fold at his waist while the rest of the long coat trails and puddles around him, rich, warm fabric blocking out the night chill. It’s a lovely coat, but it’s painfully familiar, and Wind finds himself running his fingers over the stitching and inspecting every detail with a precision that he only ever shows to his swordsmanship and sailing.

His eyes don’t fool him either, the coat is an exact copy of Lineback’s own.

“Where... where did you get this?”

“Like it?” The vet chuckles softly. “Hytopian tailors. It’s a sea-coat, made to aid traveling sailor’s in searching for treasure. Don't ask me how it works though,” A ringed hand waves lazily overhead. “I could never make sense of it all. What matters is that it’s warm, not even the ocean can chill you in that thing, and trust me,” Buck teeth and small canines shouldn’t look so chilling, but Legend’s smile is just that. “It’s tried.”

Wind decides not to push it. There’s no way Legend could know about Lineback, not with the gaps of time and timelines between them. So, instead, he nestles down into the coat, one which bears the promised scent of the sea, with just a hint of smoke and rum to it, and lets his mind drift off again while Legend hums something under his breath.

The vet doesn’t realize he’s humming any less than he realizes Wind is slumping into him, but by the time he does recognize it, Wind is out cold, his head pressed against Legend’s shoulder, the coat still draped over him as he snores softly. Legend doesn’t push down the warmth in his chest as he smiles down at the golden curls, no one will see him anyway. Gnarled fingers decked out with countless rings card through sun-bleached curls as a lilting melody pierces the silence around them, no one will hear it anyway.

In the days to come, Legend allows Wind to don the heavy sea-coat from that night. Warriors makes a comment about poor coordination between fabrics, and while Legend doesn’t seem to disagree, both of the older heroes seem of the opinion that it's for the best he holds onto it, what with the cold and all.

The last switch landed them in the mountains, and while the Hyrule they are in has not yet been confirmed, everyone knows one thing for sure: it’s cold. Wind buries his face in the raised collar of the heavy sea-coat, which, despite being in Legend’s bag for so long and the vet refusing to smoke or sail, much less swig rum, the coat smells of all three, and Wind buries a smile at the thought that maybe Legend didn’t get it new like he’d let on.

It does a good job of keeping him warm though.

He wishes he could say the same for Four.

The poor smithy refuses to be carried, but as snow whips around them as they trek through the knee-high snow, the diminutive smith is left chattering and shivering in their wake.

It really shouldn’t be a surprise that Legend has something to help with that.

Yes, the vet still isn’t wearing pants, but he doesn’t seem too poorly off, no matter how badly the others shiver. He and Wild only share a look and scoff when Warriors asks through chattering teeth how the two of them aren’t freezing.

“You should see the mountains in my Hyrule.” Wild chuckles brightly.

“Done this before, cold is cold, you get used to it.” Legend grins, swinging his fire-rod.

“N-not all of us c-can s-st-stand the c-c-cold.” Four chatters grumpily, sounding startlingly close to the minish he’s shown Wind in the past. “Jer-jerks.”

The concern on the faces of the taller heroes is obvious, but with Twilight’s teeth chattering nearly madly (the rancher's nose is somehow frozen) and Time wrapped as tight as possible in one of Wild’s extra cloaks, it’s clear most of the others don’t have warm things to spare.

They were separated in landing in this world, and even when they had all been pulling themselves together again it had become clear that there was nothing of Wild’s that could even fit the smithy, and not even the blue scarf that trails over his shoulders seems to be doing much good against the freezing winds.

“Hang on a sec.” legend huffs, already turning to rustle through his bag. The coat he pulls out is ridiculously plushy, and in a soft shade of violet that makes Four chuckle past his chattering teeth. The chattering doesn’t last for much longer though, not when shoves the garment over Four’s head like Wind has done to his sister so many times with the sweaters Granny has knit them. The smithy’s blond hair is mused beyond recognition, chunky and flying every which way as he pushes his face out of the plush, but the healthy flush to his cheeks assures the rest of them that he won’t be freezing any time soon.

“I- Oh...” Whatever Four was about to say cuts off as he looks down at himself. The coat is long, but not too long. Where Wild’s shirts would drown the smithy, a coat made for Legend only brushes against the smithy’s ankles.

Legend smirks. “It prevents slipping too.”

“Why aren’t you wearing it then?” Hyrule questions, the Traveler’s cheeks are rosy in the cold, but borrowed clothes from Wild, while also too big, seem to be keeping him warmer.

Legend winces. “It’s a pain to get off.”

“And inconvenience is enough reason to freeze?”

“Do I look cold to you, captain?” Legend snarks, turning an expectant look on Warriors. “Because I certainly don’t feel it.”

“Stop rubbing it in.” The captain huffs, unfortunately too big to borrow from the others, and now highly irritable from the cold. His scarf is still on Four, and if what Legend says is right about the coat, Wars won’t be getting it back for a while, leaving the poor captain to shiver as he clings to another fire-rod.

Four seems comfy enough anyway.

[spotaus]

(hi I’m just gonna finish what I wanna say here cause the tags are getting excessive and people can only handle so many reblogs of moots gagging)

I won’t get burnt out! I’m perfectly content right now just really hyper fixated on pretender. Also he is still taller then Ozzy without heels by like half and inch. It still counts for something.

low-key wanna continue this comic but I have no idea how he’s canonically react to being kissed. Flustered yes but who isn’t? Anyway that’s it for my ramble I just finished making a quiz for a whole new fandom so. Yippieeee!

thanks spot for making Pretender and N! They’re the silliest AU’s I’ve come across. (And the most smooch able.)

Heya!! (And yeah, good call! I forgot that Asks exist lol-)

And nice! Glad ta hear you'll be good lol, I always just like to check in on folks ^^. And NICE! Tall Pretender from comic holds strong then! (Plus who knows, Pretender does shape-shift so he could totally just... change height to mess w/ ppl or tease hehe)

And Ooh!! I'd love to see where you could go with it! If ur looking for a potential reaction I might have a few? (Adding them... now: 1) Pretender kinda like, melts a lil. When he's emotional he kinda loses his shape and sinks into that purple mist, so I could totally see him just kinda getting flustered and literally deflating for a sec before popping back up with a stuttered little surprised response. 2) He's definitely Blushing, but doesn't like, react very obviously. More of a, "Well, that's a first!" Followed by a cheeky, "Usually I try to eat a human's face, not the other way around.... Not that I'm complaining!" Or something with a stupid lil grin and a wink, before he continues conversation. 3) "You sure know how to greet a new pal!" As he kinda squints at them and goes, "So, do I get a name to match the kiss?" Looking flustered for sure, but low-key smug as he jokes to cover his loss of composure. These would just depend on how competent u think he'd be in the face of a Random Wonderful Smooch hehe...) And those are just loose ideas? I'm actually not sure how he'd react to romance yet, if only because I haven't written him in that situation often enough yet hehe! U got him p spot on tho, so take any or none of these as guidance if you want! (And if not this was still a fun chance to write him some dialogue lol---)

And You're so welcome!!! Thank you for enjoying them so much!!! I pride myself on the Silly since my Serious sticks to writing, so I'm glad ya like em! (And wanna smooch em too! The rizz was built-in I suppose lol---)

[silverhearted-robin-hood]

If Sapphire guilt trips, that is a big red ooc flag. 

[pond-porridge]

for the ship thing, either flint x eira, lance x eira, or both, your choice

ok ok so

Flint x Eira

-Flint went from seeing Eira as "boring lil annoying man he's so serious fucking loser" then saw him do cool sword fighting shit and went "OH"

-Eira thought Flint was a dumbass at first. This hasn't changed much. Just went from dumbass /derogatory to dumbass /romantic

-Flint carries Eira. He just fucking lifts him. He figured this out after Eira was severely injured and needed to be brought to safety. Yes, Eira did yell at him because "I could walk!" Yes, Eira was 100% lying. Yes, Eira gay panicked. Flint found it hilarious (and concerning)

-So uhhhhh..... Y'know "get help", the thing Thor and Loki did in that one marvel movie? They've done that before. It was Dopple's idea. Eira hated it.

-Flint isn't a very touchy person, but occasionally hugs people. He hugged Eira once and Eira fully needed moment to just stop and process That

Lance x Eira

-the Jury found out Lance likes Eira via PowerPoint presentation about sex no I won't give context that's what happened

-the Jury already basically knew though, Lance INSTANTLY volunteering whenever a task involved Eira. The PowerPoint was just proof.

-it accidentally became tradition whenever they end a fight with each other the winner steps on the other homoerotically. It started with Eira just doing that not even trying to make it homoerotic it just happened, then Lance did it to get back at him, ect.

-Once Bandy figured out Lance likes Eira he just 100% refers to them as each other's boyfriend.

-,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,concept: Lance trying to stop a different Jury member from actually severely hurting Eira.

Also I believe it's important to mention that Lance and Flint have DEFINITELY flirted before as a joke and Eira just fully gay panicked even though he had nothing to do with that interaction he was just Watching Distantly

[teatime-scans]

Chapter 38 Text Translations

Here are the promised text translations for Chapter 38 today! Enjoy!

Translation: Manaphy TLC: Sushi, Spimer Proofreading: Pablo, Stray

Page 1

TIME.38: A strange rumor.

Arai Takahiro - Draft Supervision: Aoyama Gosho

Side text: After the rain, the triple-faced man is reflected on the water’s surface.

Detective Conan

Zero’s Tea Time

Page 2

Side text: A rumor about Amuro, and his solid reputation, is being spread everywhere... This turn of events… Somehow, it’s slightly worrying?!

Highschool girl: That waiter who’s at café Poirot sometimes, Highschool girl: He’s super cool, isn’t he?-♪ Highschool girl: Yeah, I feel so lucky when I see him!

Mother: He’s really attentive, and he provides stellar customer service! Mother: I even feel safe bringing my children there- Mother: I know, right!

Old man: That young man from Poirot, Old man: Apparently he’s Mr. Mouri’s best disciple! Young man: Really? He’s quite something, despite being so young-

Lady: Ah, but, SFX: Whisper Lady: I heard a strange rumor about Amuro-san…

SFX: Clang clang Amuro: Good morning!

Page 3

SFX: Step

Azusa: Amuro-san! Azusa: You can’t do that!

Amuro: What’s the matter, Azusa-san? Amuro: All of a sudden… Azusa: I’ve told you, haven’t I? Azusa: “Please be careful not to cause bad rumors”!

Azusa: If the face of our café is hitting on women, the customers will be upset! Amuro: Hitting on women?!

Amuro: No, I’ve never done such a thing… Azusa: Eh?

Page 4

Azusa: B-But… a high-school girl regular said she saw Amuro-san persistently calling out to ladies and telling them “Wait, wait...” Azusa: But you’re right… To think that Amuro-san’s hitting on women.. Perhaps she made a mistake…

High school girl: My friend said she’s been warned against buying snacks and eating them right away near the school... SFX: Whisper whisper High school girl: Eh?! High school girl: Warned by that cool waiter?!

High school girl: Yeah, he said not to eat them now… High school girl: Heeeh! He’s surprisingly naggy too, isn't he!

Side Sign: Ramen Ogura Front Sign: Ramen so wicked, it really is to die for - Ramen Ogura Door Sign: Ramen so wicked, it really is to die for

Ogura: Here y’are, one Enma Daiou Ramen!

Page 5

Ogura: The other day, I happened to see you at the bathhouse… Amuro: The bathhouse?

Ogura: It looked like y’were about to get out so I didn’t call out to you, but…

Ogura: Dippin’ your towel in the bathtub’s bad manners, y’know?

Ogura: Well, just be careful next time! Ogura: Apart from that, your belly’s showin’ up more than i thought! Ogura: Y’have to do more exercise!

Ogura: Actually, we got a match next Sunday, so would you mind bein’ called up to be our backup again? Amuro: ...

Page 6

Amuro: I don’t remember going to the bathhouse either… Amuro: This is getting creepy...

SFX: Brr brr

SFX: Beep Amuro: Kazami, huh…

Kazami: That’s the end of my report!

Amuro: Understood… Amuro: If he makes any moves, please report it! Kazami: Err, Furuya-san, Kazami: This is unrelated, but… Kazami: Were you at Haido Shopping Mall a couple of days ago? Kazami: I tried to call out to you, but...

Kazami: It looked like you didn’t notice... Amuro: The Shopping Mall?

Amuro: Good grief, Amuro: Even you are saying these kinds of things...

Page 7

Kazami: An impostor?

Amuro: Indeed, Amuro: It appears that someone that looks like me is spreading an undesirable reputation… Amuro: Standing out any more will bother me… I have to do something about it…

Kazami: Furuya-san, Kazami: By any chance, could this be a dopplegänger? Amuro: Dopple?

Kazami: Various interpretations of it exist, Kazami: From the occult stories saying that one’s vengeful spirit, to the Sci-fi novels saying it’s another you from a parallel world... Kazami: There’s even an urban legend saying you will die if you come across your other self...

Page 8

Kazami: Furuya-san… Searching for your impostor might be dangerous… Kazami: Are you listening? Furuya-san… Amuro: *pissed off* SFX: Beep

Amuro: Now then… Amuro: According to the eyewitnesses’ intel, our target’s main mode of transport is by foot…

Amuro: If I narrow down the places he's been seen in Amuro: by running a simulation with public transportation facilities, the times at which he was sighted, and the speed he was moving at... SFX: Clatter clatter

Amuro: I should be able to find where he came from... SFX: Tap

SFX: Beep beep

Page 9

Amuro: Just as I thought… SFX: Clunk SFX: Screeech

Writing: Beika Youth Hostel

Matteo: (Excuse me, where’s the tavern?) Matteo: The tavern!

Page 10

Matteo: I’m Matteo! Matteo: I’ve heard that there is spaghetti which you can only eat in Japan, Matteo: So I came all the way here from Italy-!

Azusa: Matteo… Azusa: “Matte-yo*”... Matteo: I’m Matteo! Matteo: Where’s the tavern-? (TN: “Matte-yo” means “wait!” in Japanese).

Page 11

Azusa: Sorry for the wait! SFX: Clink

Matteo: Ooh, so this is Napolitan! Amuro: It’s a simple approach of Western cooking! One can also view it as a traditional Japanese noodle dish dressed with ketchup! Amuro: And it's not served in Naples!

Matteo: Amazing, amazing! Whichever part I eat, I can taste the goodness! Matteo: I’ve never eaten something like this in Italy! Matteo: It was worth searching through various shopping streets for a nice tavern. Matteo: I'm so glad I didn't give up after all!

Azusa: Good job finding him, Amuro-san! Amuro: In Italy, they refer to inns as “taverna”... Amuro: After taking into account the various sources of information, I thought that it was perhaps someone from a foreign country…

Ogura: So it was a mishearin’ of Italian soundin’ like Japanese… Ogura: That’s confusin’, I’ll tell you that…

Matteo: I’ll be careful with my towel in the bathhouse! Matteo: When in Japan, do as the Japanese do, right?

Page 12

Ogura: But when I look at you two like that, you don’t look alike at all, y’know…

Amuro: People always tend to link the things they’ve observed with their memory from the past, after all...

Amuro: That’s why cases of getting the wrong person like this actually happen a lot! Azusa: Ah! Azusa: Speaking of look-alikes..

Azusa: Some time ago, Sonoko-chan and Ran-chan said that someone who looked exactly like me… Azusa: Went to a concert with Amuro-san!

Ogura: Is that so? Azusa: Yes! Azusa: Even their voice sounded similar… Matteo: Heeh

Amuro: Ah, no, that was that woman’s disguise… Amuro: Oh well, whatever!

Right side text: A secret that Amuro cannot say out loud… Next issue, tea time with Kazami and his crosswords!

Left side text: Continues in issue #35

[false-north]

Stranger Things: Resurrections (bringing back Billy...)

Since the Harringrove fandom has begun to demonstrate an amazing resilience to certain outside forces (thank you fandom <3 <3), I threw together a list of (some) resurrection precedents and possibilities, all “borrowed” from other actual media/TV/film canons adapted and applied to one Billy Hargrove: (Please do feel very free to add, expand, use, WRITEALLTHEFICS, etc. at will).

‘We Can Rebuild Him’: Still stuffed with remnants of the upside-down in his blood stream, the Russians scrape Billy up on their way out and rebuild him. Because alien world super serum goes a long way in building a super soldier (and unlocking more gates).  (Late 80s bonus points if they rebuild him with metal and wire that renders him part crude cyborg). (Re: Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier, Captain America).

Old School Resurrection: Unable to accept that Billy is gone, Max and Eleven tap into the upside-down to bring him back to life. Suddenly re-thrust into his old life that still includes systematic abuse at the hands of his father and the responsibility of facing up to all his past mistakes (including all the lives he took while possessed), Billy’s not exactly grateful to be back. (Hardcore 80s points if they forget to get Billy out of the coffin first, thereby making him have to claw his way up to the surface alla every 80s zombie film). (re: Buffy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

Super Powers Save the Day: Another secret child product of the MKUltra style lab experiments, Billy’s powers of cellular regeneration take a minute to repair that much damage, but revivify him in the morgue in a crazy cool special effects scene where he zips back up his body…(Also canonically explaining how a kid who gets shoved around by his father that often manages to still remain unbruised and shirtless as much as he does). (80s bonus points if filmed like a late 80s body horror film). (re: Clair Bennett, Heroes).

Cloning: Having been “impregnated” by the mind flayer (first with the ‘Alien’ face hugger reference, and then with the strange moment of the alien tentacle pushing into his chest…), Billy tries to kill the monster by sacrificing himself. Only the US government isn’t too keen on letting that kind of alien biotechnology go. They scrape up Billy’s body and clone him—a process that maintains the alien DNA that they can then harvest (and making Billy “patient zero” in their new attempts to use human hosts to create more).  Now confined to a laboratory cell, Billy has to fight to regain his own autonomy, not an easy feat when the military-industrial complex has labeled his body as government property. (Meta-Homage bonus points on account of Alien IV being one of Winona Ryder’s films…) (Ellen Ripley, Alien IV: Resurrection).

The Fake Out: Having made enemies of everyone in high school and knowing he’s in danger from both the law and his family (aka Neil), Billy takes the opportunity to fake his death. And yet, he can’t seem to stay away from Hawkins and the people he secretly cares about. (Re: Alison Dilaurentis, Pretty Little Liars).

Stranger Twins: Billy comes back as his brunette twin cousin to move in with the Hargroves and inexplicably looks exactly like him and might actually be him, because Hawkins is a weird dreamscape space (re: Laura Palmer, Twin Peaks)

Conspiracy!: With his body already broken and dying, Billy sacrifices himself to save Eleven, only to turn up (8) years later in a maximum security prison as a pawn in a larger government conspiracy (Cold War 80s bonus points for just being a larger government conspiracy…) (re: Micheal Scofield, Prison Break).

Deal with a “Devil”: Feeling guilty that they couldn’t save him, and unable to comfort Max, Elle uses her astral projection powers to make a deal with the Mindflayer or some other entity in the upside down to bring him back, but like all para-supernatural contracts, “the devil” wants to make a deal…(80s bonus points for really playing up any element of the “Satanic Panic” crisis) (Dean Winchester, Supernatural).

Time Travel: The alien tentacle pushed into his chest created a gateway that sucked his consciousness into the future, creating the dopple!Billy that greeted him in the upside-down, setting off a strange time line of events in which future Billy has to travel back in time to the 1980s to warn of or even jumpstart the Mindflayer takeover, as such a series of events is actually the only way to ultimately defeat it. Sacrificing his past-self to kill the monster, the ‘Billy from the future’ finds himself stuck in 1980s Hawkins, a changed man haunted by the things he’s seen (and the things he will see). Only now that this apocalypse has been averted, the things he can see in the future keep changing, not all of it for the best... (Essentially rendering Billy “The Party’s” Seer.)  (The Terminator (kind of)).

Alien Parasite: Closing The Gate weakens the Mind Flayer, but it doesn’t kill it, leaving the MF trapped inside the body of seventeen year old Billy Hargrove. Now both need the other to continue to survive, and Billy needs to learn to find some kind of harmonious compromise with his other-worldly parasite (Eddie Brock, Venom).  

(More theme-borrowed than direct references:)

(Psychic) Coma: After the events of the mall showdown, Billy is left in a coma with a healing fractured mind. The only problem, his psyche effects the world around him as it processes all its demons. As the gang gets sucked into the weird hellscape of Billy’s internal life made manifest on the streets of Hawkins, they must help him fight all his monsters before his lifetime of aggregate trauma destroys the town.

The War isn’t Yet Won: Billy’s demise was greatly exaggerated. The calvary came in, the ambulances scooped him up, and he’s fine now—physically. But the experience changed him, has left Billy quiet and hollow. He can still feel the mind flayer everywhere, phantom crawling over his skin. There’s only one other person who can even begin to understand—Will Byers. Everyone thinks the two former MF meat puppets are simply suffering from PTSD, but Will and Billy know better. They’ve seen the future; what the Mind Flayer has in store. The two form an unlikely alliance as the only two in town who know the war isn’t over.

(My personal head cannon for Season Four):

Nightmares on small town streets: After the events of season three, the gang starts dreaming: weird twisted nightmares that seem more vivid than the waking world. What’s more, they all meet up in their dreams: Will, Steve, Eleven, Dustin, Nancy, Lucas, Max. etc. who all physically went to sleep in different towns/places, find themselves in a sick simulacrum of Hawkins at night. What’s more, is that when they call each other up the next day, they all remember it: they were there. Soon it becomes clear that this dank space is even more dangerous than they ever could have anticipated. Whatever happens to them in the dream space follows them through to the waking world. And something is after them. They need to figure out how to defeat the shadows, but until they do, there’s only one solution: don’t fall asleep. (Meanwhile, Max and Eleven see Billy in the dream world, seemingly living at the Hargrove’s house and caught in a robotic glitch cycle of abuse at the hands of a nightmarish hybrid of the Mindflayer and his father. They become determined to bring this Billy back with them, unsure if that’s even possible, but Max refuses to leave him there. But waking him up and pulling him out is a much bigger task than they can handle alone. They bring Steve.).

(i.e. I actually do really want a Nightmare on Elm Street season…).

(And really, if all else fails, we saw *one* Billy go down, yes, but what about *second* Billy…?)