Rivastraut
June 2023
I first started watching Breaking Bad after years of wanting to. I liked it so much that I watched the whole show before July ended! I was instantly drawn to the character Mike Ehrmantraut, as he was an intelligent, grumpy old man who I thought was very charming (if you don't know, I am a very avid grandpa gazer). I also started Better Call Saul, where I just fell more in love with the handsome bald man.
August 2023
Whenever I get into something new, I almost always make an OC to ship with my fave. As such, this was when I decided to create Kleon, who would start out as a simple OC but then develop more as my self-insert. I just really loved Mike and thought he deserved someone who would give him the care and support he deserves, and Kleon was perfect for that! I drew him a reference sheet and commissioned someone to draw him with Mike, but largely kept this new ship a secret out of insecurity. I first drew Kleon on August 12, so I consider that the official Rivastraut anniversary (both in-universe and in real life).
November 2023
After several weeks of keeping my Mike ship a secret, I posted my first art of them together. I was taken aback by the positive response it got, so I was encouraged to keep drawing them and share their story! I also met many other self-shippers and became properly involved in the community. Around this time I also developed the ship name Rivastraut, a combination of Kleon and Mike's surnames, as before I would simply just say Kleon/Mike (either names for them are fine though!).
January 2024
(Breaking Bad spoilers ahead!) Once Rivastraut was created, I began to develop them and think about their in-universe story and interactions. An important choice I made was the fact that their story diverges from the canon of Breaking Bad. In the show, Mike dies, and while I am completely OK with angst, I wanted to create an alternate world where that never happens in which he and Kleon run away to live a peaceful, domestic life on a ranch together. I refer to these different timelines as the "bad" ending (Walter kills Mike and Kleon) and the "good" ending (Mike and Kleon successfully flee Albuquerque after everything goes wrong).
March 2024
This was when I decided to make this shrine/website. I had always wanted to make a shrine, but never knew what for. Since I'm literally obsessed with Rivastraut, I decided that they would be the perfect subject!
