#so pretend it's there ig

[faintvibes]

Bakery AU: Electric Boogaloo

drops this

Explanation under the cut!

Every now and then, as is the circle of life, I inevitably come back and redesign/generally remake my bakery au, so I humbly offer its latest reincarnation.

The general premise is that a bunch of dead nations (incl Prussia, because he doesn't live through the cold war this time round) try a risky experiment that's meant to bring them back to life- and it does! But they get reincarnated as humans, with no memory of their lives as nations. The remaining Nation Energy they have joins them together in their new lives through a telepathic link.

The story mostly centers around Beilschmidt Bakery- a business in Magdeburg that Almaric's (Germania's) parents decided to purchase above other candidates because of the coincidental (or so they thought) name match-up. In reality, this is a business Prussia established in the 1880s that he largely left up to locals to run, but would take Germany to as a young boy as an escape from politics. (Germany has not visited it since Prussia's death- but once he does, he's in for a surprise!)

Almaric and Gilbert work at the bakery full-time, with the plan being that Gilbert will one day inherit it. Kallisto, Navid, and Ixchel (Ancient Greece, Ancient Persia, and Thule- an Inuit culture originating in Alaska that spread across Canada for 600 years). Jules and Hazael (Knights Templar and Hospitaller) are Gil's friends from high school, who work part-time at the bakery to help pay for their education to become a music therapist and paramedic respectfully.

**I'm aware, by the way, that Ixchel isn't an Inuit name, but rather a Mayan one! There is a reason for this, both in her nation life and human one!! It's difficult to explain without going into my whole perspective on Indigenous Nations in the Americas- so I'll just say that in her human life, she's named after someone her parents were friends with but lost contact, and this is similar but not the same as the story about her name in her prior life. Hopefully that makes sense :)

Of those not working at the bakery: Romulus (Ancient Rome) is a Roman archaeologist and as a result travels a lot, Lotte (Ancient Gaul) is the Director of the Royal Archives in the Netherlands, and so lives in the Hague, Ephraim (Ancient Judea) works as a history conservator at the Jewish Museum Berlin, and Nermin (Ancient Egypt) travels the globe searching for answers on why they're Like That.

As for why Prussia dies: I'm running with the theory that Prussia becomes East Germany in canon- and that he does not in this au, but everyone assumes he does since he doesn't die/fade/whatever immediately upon becoming dissolved. In reality, his survival is due to being used to changing nature (another headcanon of mine, but I'm of the perspective- first of all, that Prussia was originally the Baltic Prussians- that the representative of the Baltic Prussians, rep of the Teutonic Knights, rep of the [independent] Prussia, and rep of the Prussia that's part of Germany all required reps of entirely different natures. Baltic Prussia/Old Prussia was a collection of tribes operating under one culture but never one organisation, meaning the representative would be more like the ancients typically were, residing over a culture but not one specific nation/tribe/organisation of people. Holy orders like the Teutonic Knights organised in small pockets within countries and territories, so being the representative of that is, again, different. And then, of course, being an independent, fully-fledged nation is another form of representative. And being a representative of territory within a nation is different again. So Prussia (the person) is clearly an adaptable little gremlin and hard to kill, even when he probably should have been- long aside over!) which means that even though he no longer represents a territory, people, or culture, he exists anyway because fuck you. Rather, he adapts to being your average everyday human, losing his immortality and boosted healing factor- but this isn't something immediately noticeable. It IS noticeable, however, when he dies and doesn't eventually get back up again. And starts decaying away.

Russia buried the body and never told a soul what happened. The rest of the world continued thinking Gilbert, as East Germany, was just trapped behind the iron curtain. This fell apart with the Berlin Wall, when Russia just would not cough him up. It became quite clear Russia did something- but no one knew what. Even the other Soviet states hadn't a clue, just that he'd disappeared years ago and no one ever saw him again. Most of them thought he probably escaped, though Russia didn't react as though he'd escaped, because it seemed like the most reasonable explanation. Now, it was clear that Russia had done something- and, they believed, still doing something, because it's not like nations die permanently when they still represent something. The reunification of Germany was partly out of the hope that it would put him out of his misery- though the thought that he might be alone and suffering, somehow managing to survive, continues to haunt Germany.

As a funky little bonus, here's the last time I made a reference for this au:

Left most of the lads as heads this time because I knew that I don't have the energy to do all of them rn.

*Ixchel has the funky little aura thing going on because in this version they all had individual powers, and hers just happened to project outwardly. Mithridates (to memory) is Navid- except the name felt a bit too on the nose, and I didn't realise Ancient Persia had a rep until I came back to the project this time around, so a lot of changes on that front. (Same with Ancient Egypt!)

[dendroculus]

at this point the house should just go for a new record. how many did they have to do in 1856? 133 rounds? we can beat that. it would be hilarious

[ilonacho]

Avo's turn

[timetravel-might-just-happen]

new battle tactic: stun both enemies and allies by kissing your boyfriend and flying away

also some doodles

[f0rgetf0rgetting]

erm what the sigma

[tollsoftheclockwerkbelle]

what gets me about the shadow/maria dynamic is that it takes the trope of "weak helpless girl dies for a tragic plot device" and subverts it

Maria wasn't helpless in her fate. She did have a choice. Shadow would have been strong enough to protect them both (Where else could they even go? Would he need to hurt someone?) but instead she made a choice to protect Shadow.

Shadow's story isn't tragic because he failed to protect Maria and now spends the rest of his life tormented over it. Shadow's story is tragic because he is the strongest creature alive, but raw power isn't always enough, and his loving friend made a sacrifice to let him go hoping she was giving him a chance to learn compassion because she was strong!

Maria's purpose isn't that she's a weak little girl who dies. Maria's legacy is that she protects the strongest creature alive, and teaches it the strength of love.

Her character gives the moment purpose, not the other way around. Her willingness to die so he can go free, asking him to use his strength to protect the people of Earth, despite everything. It's her proof of love that gives Shadow's burden that kind of extreme weight. Shadow will live forever and with so much limitless power, would life be easy to discard without a second thought? Not Maria's. Not when she asked him to protect it. That weight will remind him, always.

[hellomayu]

home, with you.

[ask-the-colony-tree-siblings]

Hey Riv what pronouns do u use

Riv: I use them all! I’m genderfluid!

Riv: Get it Inv? Genderfluid? 

Riv: Like water? 

Riv: Like a… rivulet?

Inv: Oh definitely! You could even say I found your joke riveting!

Inv: Do you get it Saint? It’s funny ‘cause the word riveting sounds like-

Saint: Just kill me.

[braisedhoney]

Draw your favorite ghost! Mine's Ember.

“That would be me. Surprise.”

(ayyy flaming hair favs club :D)

[wabblebees]

((please rb if you vote! obv this is just silly but im curious+wanna see ppls opinions<3))

[gipple]

[kiddokori]

local man loves to abandon his children

[dadrockconfessions]

[damconcha]

Ace’s Mementos

[eldritchsquared]

walks into the family gathering wearing the shell of something that appears to be human

[wikitpowers]

kitty and merthur parallels bc i'm sad pt.2 (beware of spoilers!)

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