#deviate. ooc tag

[lovely-showtimes]

i feel like sometimes in fandom spaces, people get a little too heated at others for "mischaracterising" a character and i just. i dont know. it rubs me the wrong way sometimes because i think everyone is going to interpret a character differently from each other because of their own life experiences if that makes sense

[catboii]

.

[spider-stark]

house of the dragon masterlist // link to my general masterlist

General Warnings -

⚔️ This blog is 18+

🛡️ This particular masterlist currently contains only Aegon II Targaryen, Benjicot Blackwood, Aeron Bracken, Gwayne Hightower, and Criston Cole. however, i am open to writing about other hotd characters

⚔️ All of these fic's contain dark themes or content that is considered inappropriate by some readers, so adhere warnings! I am not responsible for your content consumption; so please read responsibly!

🛡️ If you happen to notice that something is not tagged appropriately or you feel a fic needs a particular warning, please let me know and I will do my best to correct this mistake.

⚔️ And, as always, happy reading!

A CRUEL FATE

⚔️ SUMMARY - Having been in love with Aegon your entire life, you always assumed that he never felt the same. Now set to wed his brother, Aemond, your frustration finally peaks and leads to you confessing your feelings.

🛡️ WARNINGS - suggestive language/actions, light use of y/n (sorry), sad aegon lol, obvious incest

LITTLE DRAGON

⚔️ SUMMARY - Your elder brother, Jace, attempts to teach you how to wield a sword. Aegon, your new betrothed, interrupts.

🛡️ WARNINGS - slight Jace x Reader, incest

THE CONQUEROR'S CROWN

⚔️ SUMMARY - After being captured by a member of the Kingsguard on your way to Winterfell, Aegon calls for you in the throne room.

🛡️ WARNINGS - light smut, oral, kidnapping, blades/blood, possible hematolagnia, eludes disappointed mom!rhaenyra (absolutely no bashing tho), and obvious incest

JEALOUSY

⚔️ SUMMARY - Dealing with the consequences of making Aegon jealous

🛡️ WARNINGS - abusive/toxic relationship, definite masochism, choking, brief mentions of blood, brief mentions of blades, targcest

PRECIPICE

⚔️ SUMMARY - Forced to attend a stuffy ball, you find yourself hiding beneath a table with Aegon.

🛡️ WARNINGS - implied targcest

SPARRING PARTNER

⚔️ SUMMARY - You and Aegon have hardly spoken since sharing a particularly sensual moment a month ago. Now he thinks he stands a chance in a sparring match.

🛡️ WARNINGS - implied targcest, hints to smut, blood, horny/stupid argon & reader

SWORN RIVALS

⚔️ SUMMARY - Taking up sparring with your sworn rival is likely never a good idea.

🛡️ WARNINGS - kieran burton fan cast, all character 18+, barely edited, blood, implied fighting, suggestive language but no real smut, likely ooc given that the episode hasn't even aired yet lmao

LADY STRONG

⚔️ SUMMARY - Stuck in the Riverland's on a marriage tour, you pretend to be Lady Strong when Benjicot Blackwood doesn't recognize you as the Princess of the Seven Kingdoms

🛡️ WARNINGS - kieran burton fan cast, all character 18+, not edited!!

THE BRIDGE

⚔️ SUMMARY - Your wardship with House Blackwood was meant to bridge the chasm between your families. Years later, you return to Stone Hedge as the whispers of war spread—only for Lord Tully to call for a hunt.

🛡️ WARNINGS - fem!reader, complicated sibling relationship, fighting, (probably excessive) mentions of blood, talks about hunting/killing wild animals, !angst!, adult language, reader def suffering from identity crisis, probably deviates from canon some, kieran burton fan cast for benji, all characters 18+

THE GOLD TANKARD

⚔️ SUMMARY - Benji is a regular at the tavern you work at—and you're starting to think he's forgetting his coin on purpose.

🛡️ WARNINGS - fem!reader, kieran burton fan cast, all characters 18+, suggestive/sexual language, not edited bc I'm lazy and wrote this for fun in like an hour

GOLD

⚔️ SUMMARY - You go sneaking through Bracken territory for some time alone with Aeron.

🛡️ WARNINGS - fem!reader, blackwood!reader, mentions of blood, mentions of fighting, no real plot, hurt/comfort, subtle rivals-to-lovers, aeron grabbing boobies lmao, maybe some grammar errors idk

LITTLE BRACKEN KNIGHT

⚔️ SUMMARY - You sneak into Aeron's room at Stone Hedge.

🛡️ WARNINGS - fem!reader, blackwood!reader not edited, suggestive language, hints towards smut but there is none, secret relationship trope ig, blackwood!reader being a little shit

A CONVERSATION BETWEEN OLD FRIENDS

⚔️ SUMMARY - Devotion will never be enough to make the Gods forgive you for the sin of your existence. They will keep finding new ways to punish you.

🛡️ WARNINGS - fem!reader, bastard!reader, septa!reader, mostly edited, heavy religious themes & guilt, angst, yearning, *slightly* ooc gwayne but mostly cause he's drunk and bitter lmao

SWORN PROTECTOR

⚔️ SUMMARY - After sneaking back into the Keep from a night spent out in the city, you find your sworn protector, Ser Criston Cole, waiting for you in your room.

🛡️ WARNINGS - fem!reader, targtower!reader, not edited, reader has mommy/daddy issues, duty turned devotion type bullshit, criston can't just guard a woman without falling in love ig, yearning

[bisexualiteaa]

Hi honey, I just discovered your Cooper fics today and oh my gods. They're incredible, I love the way you write him ❤️. I was wondering, if you're still taking requests that is (no pressure like), if you could do a sub! Cooper x reader? Preferably male!reader or with male genitalia, but fem is totally okay if you're not comfortable with that 😁. I just think Coop with a taller, more muscular partner is neat.

I'm thinking the reader was secretly married to Coop and Barb beforehand, but lost part of their memories after they became a ghoul and one of the best bounty hunters around, wearing a mask. And all they remember about Coop is how beautiful his eyes were (Walton Goggins has the most gorgeous eyes ever, I swear 😫) So the reader wants the head too and tags along with the gang, eventually getting closer to Cooper. During a fight, reader gets hurt and Coop comes over to help them, but reader is finally close enough to properly see his eyes and realises it's him. Coop takes off the mask, reader remembers, there's tears, kisses, and eventually super soft, subby sex.

So, really just really angsty, then fluffy when they find each other after 200 years. Reader taking care of our baby girl Coop, and him just accepting the love and being a pillow princess. Maybe a little overstim and edging if we're feeling spicy 😉.

I'm so sick for this man, it's unhealthy. Thanks again for your amazing work, love. I absolutely made my day better! (Sorry for how long this ask is 🙃).

It’s Been a Long, Long Time

Cooper Howard x Ghoul Fem Reader (angst-fluff!)

CW: pre-ghoul Cooper, established relationship, reader and Cooper were married and had a child together, character death, cursing, angst!! But don’t worry, it’s a happy ending, slight OOC Cooper, slight deviation from the TV series

AN: not me posting this at 3am before I leave for a trip for the weekend, I feel like I’ve depraved y’all! 😂 I wanted to post this to give y’all some good Cooper Content ™️ before I go on a three day hiatus for vacation! 🥺 Thank you all to the people who have submitted asks, I promise I am still working on them/towards getting to them! ❤️ In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy this one! @kinatanhi I hope I did your request justice! I know it’s a little tweaked from what you sent in and forgive me, I wrote this literally an hour ago at 2am because it finally came to me what I wanted to write, but seeing as it was written at 2am, y’all please forgive me if it isn’t my best work, I tried my best lol. 😭❤️

You smiled happily as you danced with your husband in your shared, quaint little kitchen, his hands coming to rest at your waist as they always did, and your arms looped around his neck. You were thankful that the producers on set of his movie, as well as his agent, allowed him to come home early in order to celebrate your birthday with you. You stood smiling up at him as you two danced- well, more like swayed, to the slow music playing from the radio. You lay your head against his chest, smiling as your eyes set on the gorgeous flowers that were lying on the kitchen counter that he brought home just for you. You smiled up at him when you caught him staring down at you with nothing but love and adoration in his gaze. “What’s that look for, hmm?” You asked with a playful smile, making him chuckle and flash that gorgeous smile of his that you loved so much, almost as much as his eyes that you swore you could be lost in forever. “Nothin’, just that I’m lucky enough to have married the most beautiful woman on this earth” he said, making you hum appreciatively at his cute answer. “Oh stop it, you charmer you” you replied, making him scoff in fake offense, making you giggle at his dramatics. “I’ll have you know I don’t go throwin’ that ‘round willy-nilly, little lady” he assured, making you smile wider at him as you laughed. “I know, I’m a lucky woman to call you my husband” you replied sweetly, getting up on your tip toes to kiss him as you looped your arms around his neck once more.

Those were better days, days when things were so simple, times where all you had to worry about was nothing more than how long the pie was in the oven, or how your baby was doing. It was a pleasant memory, one you’d never forget as the last time you’d seen your husband since the war. That night flooded your memories each time you’d lay down to close your sunken in eyes, they were the only thing about you now that remained as human as they were back before you became a ghoul. You swore to yourself that you’d find him one day, swore that you would kill the bastards that started all this, that took your baby girl away from you before she had a chance at a good life and separated you from your husband. You prayed each and every night that he was still out there, still alive somewhere, roaming the wastelands like you were. You knew it was doubtful at best, maybe it was better if he wasn’t alive to live through the shit you have, to see the way you look, but one could only hope for the better things. You no longer looked the same way you used to back then. Your soft, nearly perfect skin was now marred and leathery, your teeth yellowed from radiation exposure, poor diet and lack of ability to actually care for them, and your nose was now missing completely from your face, a deep hole sitting where the cartilaginous appendage once did. You wondered if he would even love you still in this state, if he’d even recognize you. You couldn’t blame him if he didn’t, you weren’t that same woman anymore physically or emotionally. Anger and vengeance had a hold on your heart like a vice death grip, you were kind to those who deserved it sure, but to those who crossed you? Those who hurt you? Let’s just say there’s a reason you’re a feared bounty hunter out here in the wastelands and not in a vault somewhere.

You were walking into Filly one late morning, coming to pay a visit with Ma June to see if there was anything she needed, any bounty she may have had for you for some extra caps. Your supply of chems to keep you from going feral was running low, you were down to your last bottle in your inhaler, and in desperate need of more. As you strode into town, you pulled your bandana up over your nose, effectively covering your face below your eyes, your large hat casting a shadow on the rest. You weaved your way through the vendors as they were trying to shove goods at you and anyone who was behind or around you. As you waded though, your ears caught the sound of a deep, southern accent that sounded awfully familiar to you. “I ain’t interested unless you got RadAway” he spoke harshly to the vendor haggling him, and you had to do a double take. He sounded just like your husband. You turned in the hopes to place a body to the voice but by the time you could, he was already lost into the crowd, impossible to find amongst the sea of people now that he wasn’t speaking to anyone anymore.

You huffed to yourself, wondering if maybe you were just hearing things, or maybe you were just plain out delusional at this rate. It wouldn’t shock you, between the years of radiation exposure, radiation sickness, and everything in between, you wouldn’t be shocked to find out you’d gone mad. However you wanted ever so badly for it to have been him that was speaking. To run up to him, arms outstretched, tears down your face but a happy smile as you called his name. But you couldn’t, you couldn’t even find the man attached to the voice anymore so why make a fool and draw attention to yourself. No one took kindly to ghouls. So with a heavy heart, you pushed on, making it to the doorstep of Ma June’s shop when you heard him again. “50 caps? That’s just plain ridiculous. 30, take it or leave it” he bartered, making you turn around again, only this time you caught him. You spotted a man that was tall, around the same height as your husband, clad in a wild western style cowboy outfit. You thought it was familiar, from the hat all the way down to the boots, it reminded you of him but a lot of people out here in the wastes wore Wild West themed clothes, deeming themselves cowboys and cowgirls of the wild wastelands. You wished he would turn around, you needed to see his face, hell just his eyes would be enough to sate the curiosity that was eating away at you. You’d forever recognize those eyes, they were so unique, so him. So beneath the shade you stood, observing him from a distance to be safe. That was until Ma June saw you standing there through the window of her shop, and she had a job for you that was important so she couldn’t wait for you to be done with whatever it was your were doing before she drug you inside. “What are you standin’ around out here for? I got a job for you!” She exclaimed, grabbing you and pulling you inside right as the man turned to walk away. You groaned in frustration as your only chance at an answer was stolen from you, but little did you know that your commotion made him stop to watch curiously as you went inside. Something about that dress you were wearing looked awful familiar to him but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, so he just kept walking.

As the next couple of days passed by, the curiosity was absolutely eating away at your mind. You wondered if you were on the brink of going feral with how your thoughts were screaming that it could have been him. You wished she would have waited until you could have gotten a better look at him than just his back and his clothes, though they felt familiar, akin to something he would have worn on the set to his movies, you just couldn’t be sure. So you continued on, traveling with a random person’s head in your bag, wrapped up in an old T-shirt that was soaked through with blood now as you were on your way back from your bounty for Ma June. It was a particularly hot day outside, one of those days where no matter how much water drank, you just couldn’t keep the heat away or the dehydration at bay. So as you sucked down the last of your water in your canteen, you did your best to stave off the coughing fit that was bubbling in the back of your throat like a horrible itch you just could never scratch. Unfortunately for you, it wasn’t enough, and seeing as you hit your inhaler for the last of your supply yesterday, you were shit out of luck. Damn it, you were so close too, you felt it. You couldn’t go like this, not without finding him, not without avenging your child and going after those Vault-Tec bastards that stole her and your husband from you. “Damn it!” You choked out as you clutched your chest, your coughing fit sending you to your knees in the sand where you laid in the hopes that it would let up sometime soon and you could continue moving. This couldn’t be the end for you, it just couldn’t be. You wouldn’t let it.

As you laid there, throat burning as you were hacking up your lungs, you saw a figure walking along the horizon in the distance. You wondered if maybe this was what they spoke of when people said their loved ones come and take them away right before they pass, or maybe it was just another hallucination, all you knew is that they were coming closer and closer to you. You reached for your gun with all the strength you could offer through your coughing fit and weakened state, unsure of whether they were a raider or someone with just plain ill intention. As they drew closer, you looked up to see another ghoul stabbing before you, his cowboy hat casting a slight shade over his face but even through the tears in your vision you could see his eyes. They were gorgeous, they looked just like how you remember your husband’s looked the last time you had a chance to look into them, making you look him over but it was so hard to tell. He was a man who had succumbed to the same fate you did, leathery skin, no nose, ruined ears, but his eyes…god they were so familiar. You saw him cock his head while looking at you, investigating your features, you could tell there was something about you that he was intrigued with.

“I feel your pain there, sister” he said, that southern drawl coming out sounding just like him, and god how it made your heart ache. He bent down to see you better, taking a better look at you. “I’ll be damned if somethin’ ‘bout you ain’t familiar though” he said, making you look up at him, and in that moment as he looked into your eyes, he could have sworn it was you, his long lost wife. He held hope it his heart, but it was a cruel world out here, he couldn’t be sure. “Your eyes, they look a lot like my wife’s did” he said, and you took that as your chance to see if it was really him. “C-Coo…per…?” You rasped out the best you could, needing to know if it was really him, needing to know if he was alive or if you were just going crazy. His eyes went wide for a moment before reaching for his gun, making your heart jump in your chest with anxiety. “How do you know my name?” He asked coldly, his eyes looking angrily upon you and it made your heart wrench in your chest but beat fast all the same to know it was him. “Tell me! How do you know my name?” He said angrily, making you raise your hands up to show you weren’t dangerous, you cursed your inability to speak properly or else you’d have answered his question already. “Be..cause…we were…Mar…ried” you rasped out once more, showing him your wedding ring that he bought you that rested on your ring finger, making him soften up for just a moment. “After two hundred years… could it really be?” he asked softly to himself in disbelief, but once again, he reminded himself that this world was a cruel place where people stoop to things lower than they ever did before. To him, you could have been anyone, maybe no more than a random stranger who pick pocketed that precious ring off of his wife, a total stranger playing as his beloved to get to his weakness. He pointed his gun at you once more, making tears come to your eyes even more now, had you said something wrong? Why was he mad at you? You hadn’t left on bad terms last you remember, but then again it’s hard to remember as far back as two centuries. “How do I know, huh?” He asked aggressively, and you figured it was a valid worry, you knew how awful this world was now, you couldn’t blame him for needing the reassurance. He needed to be sure it was truly you. “How do I know it’s really you?” He asked, waiting for you to stop coughing long enough to give him an answer. “What’s…that look…for?” You asked, something you always asked him when he stared at you in awe, or when he looked at you right before you two went to bed, it was like your signature phrase. You weakly removed the bandana covering your face, trying your best to show him any bit of your features left that you could use to show him it was really you. “It’s me…Coop. Y/N…” you rasped as saliva began to well in your mouth at the sight of him, slowly losing control over yourself as time passed. He’d never dropped his gun so fast, or fell to his knees so quick in his entire life than in that moment, the only other time was the moment he found out you were pregnant with his child, dropping to his knees to kiss your belly and place his hands on it excitedly. “Oh my god…Y/N” he said in utter shock and disbelief that you were here, you were alive. You were a ghoul now which hurt him to know you suffered the same pain as him, but you were alive and that’s what mattered most to him, finally having found you after all the years spent hoping you were still alive out here.

“Here baby, here, hold on. I gotchya” he said, quickly grabbing his inhaler with a vial of the chems you’d run out of last night, never needing it more than in this moment to keep you from turning feral on him. He pressed it to your lips, pushing the plunger on it to get the chems in your system. You inhaled it like a breath of fresh cool air, sending you coughing once more but that itch was slowly fading away, you could breathe again. You looked up at him as you laid there weakly, your head in his lap. “My hero” you said weakly, trying to be funny but he was too caught up in looking into your eyes, getting himself to believe what was right in front of him. “Two centuries I’ve spent looking for you…” you said, your eyes scanning him and his features to assure yourself too that this was real, that he really was sitting here before you, alive and well. Or as well as one could be as a ghoul in the wastelands. You smiled as you teared up, seeing the tears in his eyes as he looked down at you, pulling you up and into a hug. “Oh god…I can’t believe you’re alive” he said, hugging you tight and you did the same, burying your face into his shoulder. “I could say the same to you. I always knew you were stubborn, too stubborn to go out the way the rest of the world did” you said, making him chuckle as stray tears ran down your marred cheeks. “I’ve been dreaming of this day…dreaming of the day I’d get to see you and B/N again…” he said, making you grip his duster as the tears flooded down your face even more when he said your baby girl’s name. “Cooper…” you said, making him pull away from you but you weren’t far, he made sure of it. “She…she didn’t make it, honey…I’m so sorry. I tried everything, believe me I did, but it was too late…” you said, making his heart absolutely break in his chest knowing his baby was gone and that he would never have the chance to see her again.

“What was she like? She was so young when it all happened” He asked, holding your hands in his as you two shared in this moment together. You smiled as your hand cupped his cheek softly, your thumb rubbing along his skin that shared the same texture as your own. “Just like her daddy. She had your gorgeous eyes, your beautiful smile and that same stubborn attitude” you said through a laugh, making him chuckle with you as his hand came to hold the back of yours as it touched him. He missed your loving touch, and that beautiful smile that he swore could light up even the darkest rooms. He could hardly believe that you’d still even touch or speak to him now, with the way he looked. He knew you likely held a sympathy for it, knowing all too well yourself what it was like but the fact that you weren’t scared or hateful like others were towards him for it. “She was smart, funny, kind…she was daddy’s baby girl. You’d have loved that about her. It was like a little slice of you was there in her, keeping me going. She gave me hope when it felt like there wasn’t any left in this world to hold onto” you said, seeing a few stray tears stream down his cheeks as you spoke of her. His stomach was in knots, his heart filled with anger and pain to know the wastelands claimed one of his own. “I wish I coulda been there, for both of you. Maybe she’d be here if I was” he said somberly, guilt lacing his tone as he leaned his forehead against yours, not caring if your hats would come off. He needed this, he needed you. “Hey, don’t blame yourself for what happened, you had nothing to do with it. It’s those vile people at Vault-Tec who did this. They took our baby, not you. Don’t you ever think this is your fault” you assured him, holding him close to you as he expressed the most emotion he’s felt in nigh on two centuries.

“We made it pretty good all things considered, held our own well for ten years. I taught her how to use a gun when she turned eight to keep her safe should anything happen to me, did everything in my power to keep her safe, fed and hydrated even on the hard days where supplies were sparse” you explained. “The radiation just became too much for her little body to handle. She was ten years old, I could hardly believe it. It was like I woke up one day and she wasn’t a baby anymore, our little girl had just grown up so fast” you said, remembering those days as tears clouded your vision, streaming down your cheeks like small rivers, watching the droplets fall into the sand beneath you. “I’m sorry Cooper, I’m so sorry…” you apologized, making him hold you tight and hush you as you did. “I shoulda been better…if I was better maybe she’d still be here now” you said, taking the blame for something you knew you had no control over, but it left you guilty all the same. “Shh, don’t go thinkin’ like that. I’d say from the sounds of it, ya did a damn fine job managin’ that long out in this shit hole just the two of you. You always were a great mom, and an equally great wife” he said, making you sniffle as you smiled at him at that reassurance. “I did all I could, there was hell to pay for anyone who stood in my way, that’s for sure” you said, making him chuckle because that was exactly how you were before the war too. You always wanted what was best for your family, and you were willing to go great lengths to keep your husband and child happy. “I know you said you been lookin’ for me for a long time…but I ain’t the same man I was back then” he started. “But I got a feelin’ you ain’t exactly the same woman anymore either, so maybe we can still work this out, you and me” he said, making you chuckle. “No, I’m not. And if that means you don’t love me anymore I-“ you spoke but you were cut off by the feel of his lips against your own. They were thinner now, dry and marred by radiation just like yours were, but you could still feel the passion behind it, the love in it. No amount of radiation could ever take that away. “You lettin’ all the radiation get to that brain of yours? Of course I still love you. I lost ya once, I ain’t losin’ you again, that’s for damn sure” he said, making you laugh as more tears fell, only these ones were happier ones now. You squeezed his hand that was in your own as your heart raced in your chest. “You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear, Coop” you replied, kissing him once more with all the passion two hundred years of separation could hold behind it. “I love you, and I’ve missed you so damn much” you said, pressing your foreheads together once more as you fought the tears that began to turn into a sob. “I love you too darlin’, missed you like crazy. The world ain’t been the same without you” he said, making you sniffle as you felt the same way. “And if you’ll still have me, I’d like to make that a world of the past” he added, making you chuckle tearfully. “Of course I will” you said, allowing his heart to rest assured that you were still his girl, making him smile as he looked down at you, his thumb rubbing along your cheek to wipe away your tears.

You smiled back up at him, your hand coming to the back of his as you remembered the moment from your birthday again all those years ago, slow dancing in the kitchen with him. “What’s that look for, hmm?”You asked, just like you did that day, making him grin as he thought of the right words to say. “Nothin’ just that I’m lucky enough to have married the most beautiful person on this earth” he replied, making you chuckle. It was just what you’d been needing to hear all this time. “And how lucky I am to have her back in my arms where she belongs” he added, making you giggle before kissing you once more. Desert be damned, Cooper had his wife back after so long spent searching for her, and he was going to make damn sure she knew how much he missed her all these years.

[bloopitynoot]

Reading SVSSS: Chapter 2

For those who don't know, I am reading SVSSS for the first time and sharing my thoughts!

If you have not read it, there will be spoilers! Consider this a warning.

Also- if you want to follow along, I am aiming to post updates daily. You can find all the posts in the tag bloopitynoot reads SVSSS. You can also check out the intro post for context on my read.

Chapter 2: Mission

Okay pre read thoughts here. This story is so good! I am totally loving the premise of this, the system mechanics are wonderful (so much sass) but also so unpredictable!

I'm not going to lie I am nervous for this mission that Shen Yuan/Shen Qingqiu and co are about to go on. I just feel like things are about to get completely fucked LOL

again (as a reader not as system in book) points to Shen Yuan for noting how nasty the relationships are in this OG canon (p 63 re: Die-er and Old Master Chen- barf)

Okay but like I get it Shen Yuan- I still cannot imagine attempting to fake being a martial master OMG p.64

MOOD "Shen Qingqiu didnt even want to pretend to meditate, so he lay on the bed, just pretending to be dead" p65

unrelated to this plot but also related to this plot: I fucking love how MXTX is as a writer. I love the constant comments about the writing of women and side characters in fantasy writing it's very meta right now p67 (Re: shen Yuan/Shen Qingqiu- i haven't decided what to call him at this point tbh- talking about how the "original author" wrote the shittiest female characters).

I am once again here to talk about how Shen Yuan talks about Luo Binghe (he is a child- another barf) but also Shen Yuan does have this future(?) omniscient (?) knowledge about about what he becomes as a fully realized adult character - it still makes me deeply uncomfortable RE: "Shen Qingqiu could only say that, as expected, the brilliant protagonist truly was overwhelmingly cool, awesome, insane, and badass, with a dick longer than the heavens" p68

RIP easy mode XD LOL p69

why is he naked tho??? p71

bless her heart- RE: everything about Ning Yingying p74

I can't. Re: Luo Binghe's crisis pp76-77

If shen Qingqiu fixes this entire story by accidentally making Luo Binghe fall in love with him I- *deep sigh * pp76-77

The way Shen Yuan keeps reading the filth out of these characters- SO MUCH shade! "Their IQ wasn't beyond saving!" p 81

thank fuck he finally unlocked the OOC feat p85

Okay but the Lin Xi Caves actually sound so stunning p88

Re stunning caves: well minus the blood and qi deviation LOL

When his headcanon for Liu Qingge is absolutely wrecked ahahahaha p93

Liu Qingge really hates Shen Qingqiu (I mean, I get it but like still, damn) pp 97-98

Unrelated but I adore the way this sect is organized. It is visually stunning with the various peaks, im fully picturing this gorgeous mountain range

The QUEEREST thought so far in this is Shen Yuan commenting on the demon woman's (now I know she is Sha Hualing- don't @ me) footware, I can't p102

wait what the heck! Shen Qingqiu's fighting is so elegant! pp 106-107

Luo Binghe: status- Broken p107

OMG he wants to protect this kid but the struggle of a protagonist (re: -1000 if Luo Binghe does not fight) p109

Hell yeah! I already love Liu Mingyan!!! p111

OMG he totally is accidentally causing Luo Binghe to fall for him. I can't-what a way to fix the plot. p112

The hate Shen Yuan has for Ning Yingying is too much XD I keep laughing, oh no. Him basically saying "omg thank you for running away I literally cannot handle you in this fight because you are a constant mess" p116

wait. WTF. Is Shen Qingqiu going to die?!?!?! p124

oh, thank fuck, Liu Qingge showed up pp129-130

bahahahah OFC he's "repaying for the cave" p131

oh damn well shit okay, that's one way to end the chapter.

I hope his cultivation is not fucked because of the poison!?!?!?

also jesus, that's a harsh way to get points. Does he level up in this?? I feel like he at least deserves a level up.

That's all for this chapter!

Tomorrow is date night for me and my partner so maybe no chapter- but we will see if I have time to read earlier or not.

[i-heart-hxh]

Hi! I have a question, between the two versions of the anime, which one do you think was more faithful to the manga when it comes to the personalities of Gon and Killua? I've recently finished watching the 99 anime and I really enjoyed it, but idk if this is an unpopular opinion, but sometimes i felt like some of the characters were a little bit ooc, people usually talk about how the Killua of the 99 anime is so different to the Killua from 2011, but I also felt that Gon was really different in both animes, in the 99 version sometimes he was kinda shy or doubtful, like he was too passive, where as in the 2011 anime he seems overall more confident except for the times where he doubts about his self-worth, like after Hisoka didn't take the tag back during the hunter exam, in the 2011 version it also feels like when they are doing something even if the plan wasn't his, like going to Heaven's Arena, Gon is the one taking the lead and deciding how he is going to do things, idk if I'm making sense lol, the point is that he is a little bit more assertive while still being a sweet boy in the 2011 version while in the 99 version he is mostly just a sweet boy at least to me, I'm really interested in getting your thoughts about this topic, sorry for the long post 😅.

Thank you for sending this, it's definitely an interesting thing to discuss and something I've thought about quite a bit myself! Going to go on for a bit right back at you, haha.

Gon and Killua's characterization is actually a major reason for why I have mixed feelings about the 1999 anime. It has some wonderful strengths--like the beautiful cel animation, creative visual direction, more realistic character designs, unique (and darker) atmosphere, some great OPs/EDs, and a lovely soundtrack, among other things. But there are a few different aspects that I'm not a big fan of, and the changes to Gon and Killua's characters are at the top of my list.

First off, I want to say that to an extent I understand why Gon and Killua are characterized differently. Not much of the manga was out when 1999 was made, so the staff could only work with (essentially) the first impressions of the characters, and the anime had to expand into filler/anime-only material to prevent it from catching up with the manga and running out of things to adapt, so to a degree the staff had no choice but to get creative. The artistic liberties they took aren't always a bad thing. I even like some of the additions they made. But I do think some of the choices they made to deviate from the source material--and some of them were definitely not necessary--lead to them being much flatter characters in 1999 than in the manga itself.

This whole paragraph requires some oversimplification so bear with me, but I feel like in 1999, Gon is characterized as too much of a "good boy," while with Killua they lean too much into his "bad boy" side. Leaning into these stereotypes runs counter to what I love about these two, which is that they're both complex and have mixed lighter/darker attributes that feel somewhat "balanced" between them ultimately, and by the end of CAA they have essentially switched positions with regards to their respective light and darkness. They both have strong light sides and strong dark sides contained within them, which is part of why they get along so well even when they're as different as they are. To make Gon more passive and sweet (as you said, which I agree with) and Killua more edgy and bratty makes the relationship feel much more unequal and, to me, uninteresting.

I love Gon's assertiveness, strong-willed nature, and feral and scary sides, and Killua's softer, more vulnerable, and more childish sides, as well as other sides to them we see in canon, so having those toned down makes me sad.

One small example of a change that has always bothered me in 1999 is that they had Gon introduce himself to Killua when they first meet, and Killua even ignores him initially when he tries to introduce himself. While the scene isn't drastically different, I think it's incredibly important in establishing Killua's character that he introduces himself first and is so eager to get to know Gon. He desperately wants a friend! This is a vital basis for his character and motivations! There are a number of decisions in 1999 like this, where some deviation is made to make the characters more straightforward/fitting an archetype, and it would just be a small thing if not for how carefully constructed and extremely intentional Togashi's writing is, and how delicate the balance is with their characterization in the original series.

I'm personally not a fan of how much bigger and older Killua seems in 1999 compared to Gon as well--at times it feels like there must be an age gap of 3-4 years, which is weird to me with two characters where an important aspect of their relationship is that they're the same age. In the early parts of the manga, there was a bigger height gap between them as well (though it gets less and less with time), but even taking that into consideration, the strongly emphasized size difference is odd to me. (I know some people find it cute and that's fine, this is just my own preference!)

That said, I still do enjoy a lot of their scenes in 1999, even some of the added ones! I just don't think the way their characters are portrayed comes off nearly as layered/fascinating/well-balanced as in the manga and therefore in 2011 (which more-or-less closely follows the manga, with some exceptions). I consider 1999 its own alternate canon and any changes/additions only canon within that universe. (Though some of the additions I like can go under "Headcanon accepted!" status for me, LOL.)

2011 does have some small deviations from the manga too, and I do think there are subtle differences in the characterization vs the manga, but 2011 and the manga are much closer to each other overall and the characters are essentially the same at least, with only small exceptions.

So anyway, I definitely agree with what you said about their respective characterizations, and it's something that bugs me, too. There are a lot of aspects I appreciate about 1999, but I'm actually glad I didn't start with it for multiple reasons, and it's a pretty mixed bag for me overall.

[elizabethrobertajones]

Frog Time

I'm so bad at tagging people so consider yourself tagged if you want to be :)

B A S I C S

Name: Bounding Frog (redacted roe language name because I forgor)

Nicknames: Frog

Age: 18-22 (ARR-EW)

Nameday: 23rd Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon

Race: Hellsguard Roegadyn

Gender: cis woman

Sexuality: Bi

Profession: She has a summer job working with the hippo riders, although that doesn't pay as well as adventuring, so she's looking forward to Dawntrail and doing more than delivery runs.

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C T S

Hair: maroon and light pink

Eyes: maroon and light pink

Skin: brown

Tattoos/scars: I headcanon the single choice of tattoos per face for roes are meaningful somehow - I chose coming of age, getting her Adventurer Name, and leaving home, so those were fresh porple swoops over her cheekbones in ARR :D I've only known her as long as she's been Frog and looked like this.

The scar on her nose is from being underhand punted like a rugby ball by an older brother back when she was an orb shaped child. Since adventuring the regular healing has stopped her getting too scarred up from any misadventures.

F A M I L Y

Parents: Notable members of their remote mountain community, maintaining an important set of Arcanima wards around an aetherically dangerous geological fault. Of course, they're good at their jobs so this wasn't very scary as an upbringing. They're a lovely couple and make a hell of a bowl of soup. All else I know about them is they're very supportive and Frog writes to them regularly.

Siblings: like six rowdy older brothers. She was very spoiled by this squad of bodyguards tbh. (Ignore the previous comment about one of them maiming her, they DO love her even if they saw her as a cannonball under other circumstances.) A couple of them left to be mercenaries, uncertain if for Garlemald - they don't write home as thoroughly.

Grandparents: Probably, tbh. We're getting out of my limited perception of Hellguard culture and history but I think I can say the remoteness of their village is an excuse for nothing too terrible to have happened to any of them :P

In-laws and other: She was sort of starting to think of Edmont as a potential in-law and he began acting like it after Events so she's acquired some without marrying. He DID also adopt Aymeric informally, so now she's courting him it's coming back around!

Pets: Multiple, even not counting animal sanctuary beasties. Some she drops by to visit where they're being looked after once she'd raised them or sheltered them for a while (the baby hippo was donated to the hippo riders thankfully before he got too large and hungry for example). Others live at the free company house getting spoiled by the staff. The free company is named after the baby tapir who is the best and cutest. :)

S K I L L S

Abilities: In character, she has yet to find something she isn't good at after a couple of false starts. (ooc is much more of a mess depending on my ability) As an all-jobs all-crafts all-gatherers weirdo she's genuinely alarming to contemplate.

Hobbies: crafting/gathering/fishing is more of a wind down respite than a career calling for her. Canonically she's finished the fishing log... ooc I haven't by a long shot :P She also loves visiting bars and pubs across the world that she's visited to drop in on old friends, or go on foodie tours of places she's liberated. They stole G'raha being a foodie traveller in the dawntrail trailer from her actually.

Kinda always wanted to do a in character review of all the drinking establishments in game.

T R A I T S

Most positive trait: determination and everything that went into being strong enough to do the end walk, which did feel like a culmination of all the positive things they ascribe to the WoL. Since she's living the life of box art Meteor with no plot deviations or alterations except what I can put into the downtime and spaces between cutscenes, I can't argue with times when they REALLY show the admirable heart of the WoL.

Most negative trait: She's not going to say no, so if you need a favour just stand near where she wanders by routinely and look forlorn and you WILL get helped to within an inch of your life.

L I K E S

Colors: royal purple, dark reds and deep blues

Smells: fresh baked anything. Probably also the fresh morning smell when she gets up at ass o'clock to do stretches or whatever gross things morning people do.

Textures: G'raha ears >:)

Drinks: black coffee, red wine, milky tea

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: tried it with the Vath and hated it. Still has no idea if Fogweed is a drug or not.

Drinks: socially and merrily with a bottomless liver.

Drugs: nothing harder than caffeine and alcohol.

Mount Issuance: her sweet blue chocobo is called Turbulence and threw off everyone who attempted to ride him before that.

Been Arrested: not outside MSQ run ins with the law

[party-of-2]

𝙇𝙄𝙁𝙀 𝙄𝙎 𝘼 𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙔

WELCOME TO THE CONFECTIONARY! PLEASE, MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE! WE’VE BEEN DYING TO HAVE YOU!

ABOUT

Party Of 2 is an MLP AU based on the grimdark fanfic “Cupcakes” originally written by Sergeant Sprinkles and somewhat inspired by “Muffins” by Reitanna Seishin. Taking a deviation from the original story, Rainbow Dash survives the torture, instead offering to exchange her freedom for her life to be spared in an act of desperation. This leads to the present, where she now works alongside Pinkie as her partner in crime. You can ask either Pinkie or Rainbow questions and they will answer the best they can. CW! This story (obviously) contains graphic content, and is absolutely NOT for kids! This blog contains:

graphic depictions/descriptions of body horror (including torture, taxidermy, mutilation, and self harm)

tons of blood and gore

manipulation

Stockholm syndrome

murder

cannibalism

and of course, DEATH

AU created by @caughtonwebcam original “Cupcakes” fic

GUIDELINES + MISC DISCLAIMERS

For blog TW, read above. Any and all fanart is deeply appreciated and will be reblogged!! Make sure to tag my main (above) or @party-of-2. I only ask that you please DO NOT make romantic art of or tag any posts as pinkiedash. I don’t think this will happen, but just putting it out there in case! There is nothing wrong with this ship, but in the context of this au, their relationship is incredibly toxic and I discourage shipping them, though I cant stop you. Please do not tag my more graphic posts as eroguro either. It’s gross. This blog is drama free. Just don’t be disgusting or weird. I am a minor running this blog. Any asks that harass, spam, or are unrelated to the blog will not be answered and deleted. If you want to ask something ooc, please specify in the inbox.

OFFICAL PLAYLIST

START FROM THE BEGINNING

[saintsenara]

I have really enjoyed reading your answers to the rare pair tag game. I have added a lot of the fics that you recommended on your latest answer to my 'Marked for Later' list on a03 to enjoy over the weekend. I was wondering your honest thoughts are on the following ships: Tom/Ron, James/Snape, Tom/Hermione, Molly/Bellatrix, James/Regulus and Snape/Lily and Dudley/Draco. I apologise for the number of ships and I am really curious on your opinions.

thank you so much for the ask, @sarafina-sincerity - and for continuing my recent tradition of offering opinions nobody else wanted to hear on an increasingly unhinged list of pairings.

[i know you sent a message apologising for sending some ships which were asked before, but i love to chatter, so i'm going in to answer the original...]

tom riddle | voldemort/ron weasley

obviously this is the crack pairing when it comes to voldemort + a member of the trio - while tomarrymort and tomione/volmione stories number into the thousands on ao3, voln/ton/rom/ronmort/whatever we're calling it has a grand total of... ten tagged works.

i think this is a tremendous shame, but not - it's important to say - because i agree with the tedious fanon idea, particularly prevalent in ships which feature hermione with anyone else, that ron would make a good death eater [as you will see below, i think that honour belongs firmly to hermione herself...] - even in a voldemort wins au, ron isn't going over to the dark side. it sounds too much like hard work.

instead, i'm into this pairing because ron is... kind of mother. he likes to look after people and he channels his negative emotions into doing this [he wouldn't have left the tent if harry and hermione had learned how to shoplift properly and he could be settled in front of a nice pot, i'll die on that hill]. just imagine little captive ron - maybe the snatchers recognised him, maybe voldemort's won and everyone else is dead - bustling around his gilded prison in malfoy manor making the dark lord a cup of tea when he turns up to psychologically torture him. voldemort would - as i am - be intrigued.

and if, in fact, you'd like to see almost exactly this situation play out, you will definitely enjoy wind tunnels by @mrmxlemons. ron isn't having a good time, but his cooking is.

james potter/severus snape

i've not read much snames, so this is mostly just based on general vibes: i think it's fine but not fantastic.

as i've said in literally everything i've ever posted about sirius black/severus snape, snack is a great pairing because they're narrative mirrors, something which creates so much drama that it makes me scream.

severus and james don't have this - if anything, they're narrative opposites. james is adored by his parents, he's rich, he gets the girl, his best friend is in love with him and not the other way round, he's the ringleader of his gang rather than a follower, his whole family have been gryffindors, and so on and so forth. obviously opposites attract, but you haven't got the immediate potential for connection that you have between severus and characters such as sirius, lily, and - let's all be real - voldemort.

i'm not really going to get into the bullying debate here, but it seems to me that severus would regard james - had he lived - in a similar way to how he regards the adult lupin; that is, that he would completely disassociate from any situation in which he's present, rather than love getting in his face as he does with sirius. i don't love snupin for this reason [i'll read it, of course, but it always feels extremely ooc to me] - the fissure caused by their conflicting personalities simply runs too deep, and my suspicion is that snames is the same.

hermione granger/tom riddle | voldemort

so, this is the one where I think I'm likely to deviate most significantly from the opinions of my dash...

i think it's entirely plausible, but only from hermione's side.

the argument i've seen most against tomione/volmione is that hermione's moral code would never permit her to accept anything less than a voldemort who was transformed into a man she would want - which means the whole murder thing needs to get thrown in the bin.

i... disagree. the canonical hermione is someone who is very morally inflexible in relation to how she expects others to behave, but incredibly morally flexible - and often quite immoral - in pursuit of things she herself wants or thinks she wants. she is also the cruelest and most ruthless member of the trio. she thinks herself rational and would - therefore - be the easiest for anyone cleverer than rita skeeter to manipulate. she is very lonely, and would, in a situation in which she was captured, be the member of the trio most swayed by basic demonstrations of kindness [lord voldemort only needs to endure a brief conversation about hogwarts: a history and hint that harry and ron aren't coming to look for her and he's golden]. she always thinks she's right - if she's convinced just by harry and ron not telling her otherwise that her knitted hats are freeing house elves in their droves, i am certain she could be convinced that she won concessions for muggleborns under voldemort's regime through her own skill and not because he wanted to grant them anyway. and so on.

whether the relationship is something she has to do or wants to do, i think she'd be able to justify it to herself as a necessary evil which doesn't actually go against her standards for herself. that she would never think this for harry and ron if they shacked up with the dark lord is part of the fun...

from voldemort's perspective, while he definitely has a weakness for dark curly hair [bellamort nation, rise up], i cannot see him going for it as anything other than a tool of psychological warfare [whereas i think you can write e.g. tomarry based very much in mutual attraction]. intellectually, while hermione is very clever, she doesn't have the interest in experimentation which voldemort has [this is why snapemort and riddledore both always slap - they have the same views on magic], she's extremely condescending, which is his thing, she obviously grew up incredibly rich, and her dour, whiggish empiricism doesn't align very well with his late-antique-emperor's view of the world.

she doesn't give a shit about dead rabbits though. maybe they could bond over that.

bellatrix lestrange/molly weasley

yeah why not. they canonically went to hogwarts at the same time and bellatrix is definitely giving off jilted ex vibes in that final duel.

would molly put up with bella's nonsense? absolutely not. bellatrix would have exactly the same reaction as fleur to the burrow - nothing to do except cooking and chickens - and the ensuing argument would burn the place to the ground far more interestingly than that dogshit scene in the half-blood prince film.

regulus black/james potter

i don't know her, sorry.

lily evans/severus snape

as i said here, i'm into it in a post-james world where lily is trying to rebuild her life by connecting with her past.

so let's take it from a different angle: do i think it could work in the pre-james era?

absolutely not. i think these two need something as seismic as catastrophic loss to force them to actually engage with each other as they are, rather than as the versions they've constructed in their heads. at school, where they're both just dancing round each other, never seeing eye-to-eye on anything, they're never going to be able to get to that place.

i also think james needs to be out of the picture - she's clearly into him long before the mudblood incident, and that knowledge would only ever make severus astonishingly unpleasant to have as a boyfriend. rip king, but you were lost in service of shipping.

dudley dursley/draco malfoy

yeah it's hot. boxer!dudley is enormous and ripped, what's not to love. draco deserves a huge boy who also hates harry.

plus imagine narcissa vs petunia on the topic of their darling boys. or lucius vs vernon when the former pulls up to privet drive in a flying rolls royce. i would be seated.

[hatredcurse]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER.

REPOST DO NOT REBLOG !!

NAME: Nik

PRONOUNS : she/they

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION : The fastest way to get to me is Discord, but Tumblr DMs work too. I'm usually good at reading messages, but bad at replying (bad habit of checking while I'm doing something), but I come around eventually.

NAME OF MUSE(s) : I have a lot of Naruto muses, lol. And I could do other fandoms by request, technically.

( Sasuke, Madara, Obito, Hikaku, Izuna, Itachi ) Uchiha, Tobirama Senju, Suigetsu Hozuki, ( Nagato/Pein, Mito ) Uzumaki, Kakashi Hatake, Kisame Hoshigaki, Orochimaru, Mitsuki

BEST EXPERIENCE : Usually if I can bounce ideas off of you and you to me. If I see your reply and the words just come easy to me. I don't really have a policy that you need to talk to me OOC or whatever, so as long as we're both having fun.

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS : I don't know. Maybe don't spoonfeed me my own muse's reaction. Also, don't badger me for replies. 9/10 it is probably pending on me and I am just slow. I acknowledge this.

MUSE PREFERENCES: I think I end up defaulting to more serious, stoic characters because they are easiest to write, but I try to have some variety here and there.

PLOTS OR MEMES : I fair better with memes because I do best with spontaneous interactions. Plotting is fine with me, though I tend to deviate a bit from a strict outline since my muses drive the interaction.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES : Both. I have a habit of being verbose and end up writing extremely long replies, but short back-and-forths/headcanoning are equally as interesting to me as novella replies.

BEST TIME TO WRITE : Any time? I craft replies at work, when I'm chilling outside, between game sessions, etc. My inspiration doesn't really wane, it's more so if I can make the writing read well. Though, I can't actually post a reply unless I'm on a desktop/my laptop for formatting (unless we're on Discord).

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S) : Ironically, I talk and act the most like Suigetsu, but the only thing I might share with my muses is passion for the arts (Izuna, Sasuke) or for science (Tobirama, Orochimaru).

tagged by: @fighterbound tagging: For you, if you want it.

[noodlestaocc]

"HI I'M CAP'N NOODLES! THIS IS MY BOAT AND- AND I'M THE CAPTAIN AND IM THE BEST CAPTAIN THERE EVER WAS!"

This is Captain Noodles' blog! She's a rambunctious pirate kid with odd arms and an almost delusional affinity for piracy. Her ship is indefinitely docked at Barrelbuster Bay for whatever reason, a whimsical island in the middle of the sea full of small towns, hidden traps, treasure, and more. She's almost always up to some mischievous scheme, you'll rarely catch her sitting still.

Mod is @modjoof!

Tags are: #captainsquarters - Stories, character facts, anything Noodles outside of art and rps #yarrr-p - RPs #oodlesofnoodles - Art #modinterruption - OOC posts

Fun Facts!

She tends to snatch random trinkets that she finds cool. Watch your pockets.

Her arms drag on the floor.

She's very unkempt.

She is a master at swimming, her large arms propel her with ease.

She bites if mad.

She's worn her pirate outfit without much deviation other than pajamas for years.

Her alignment tends to be iffy. She does feel sympathy and wouldn't physically harm an innocent person but she's a kid, very impulsive and morally blind. Plus she idolizes pirates.

Her full name is Velvet Noodles, but she doesn't trust many people with it.

Barrelbuster Bay locations:

Noodles' Ship

Marenza Beach

The Docks

Marenza Town

Boconut Forest

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[in-my-loki-feels]

7, 26, 29, and 30 for the writing asks!

Thank you for the questions! From this ask game.

7. Your favourite ao3 tag. In terms of reading tags, anything Alternate Universe. I can't pick one favorite sub-type but it's undoubtedly the family of tags I read the most of. In terms of silly tags: 'no beta we die like wwx', because it's a hilariously perfect twist on the 'no beta we die like men'. (The main character canonically dies at the start of the novel.) (I was tempted to also choose a NSFW tag but chickened out.🙈) 26. What would you describe as OOC? Behavior that deviates from expected norms without any reasonable justification. It'd look different from character to character but a general example would be if Superman showed up and just started murdering people, and we were never given a reason why, that's OOC to me. A lot of (rude) commenters use OOC as an insult, but if a character is going through a different set of circumstances, they may not be exactly like they are in canon. However, if the setup and setting is essentially canon but the character veers into wildly different behavior, I consider that OOC. 29. What's the hardest thing about writing? For me, it's dealing with the low points when my creative energy is nonexistent. It's probably natural that creativity will ebb and flow but when I have a period of no writing longer than a couple of weeks, I get pretty depressed (which of course just makes it harder to feel like creating🥲). 30. Describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn't. I'm going to pick an example of something I almost got to the finish line and then...didn't, rather than an idea I had but never started.

It was a Charles/Erik X-Men: First Class werewolf AU set in the world of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson novels. (My love for super niche AU strikes again!) The set up was similar to the movie in that Charles and Raven grow up together, Charles is gathering "misfits", and Erik goes through hell because of Shaw and becomes hell-bent on killing him. Everyone is a werewolf and wolves are split into alpha, beta or the very rare omega, completely unrelated to the alpha, beta and omega dynamics common in fanfic.

A wounded Erik stumbles onto the estate in Westchester, on the run from Shaw. Charles finds him, introducing him to the idea of a supportive pack (instead of what he had with Shaw) and their attraction grows as Erik recovers. Eventually Shaw finds them and Erik chooses to side with Charles and protect his new found family pack.

I put a lot of heart and soul into that one and I'm still pretty proud of the writing, but I just thought it would constantly be confused as an a/b/o fic and readers would be upset or disappointed that it didn't have any of those aspects, so eventually I gave up on making it happen.

[anniezsecretz]

Replacement ★ (Ch 1) OC x Simon "Ghost" Riley

ao3 version of this can be found here! welcome back y'all and heres my brainrot of COD <3 callsign "trick" (hence the link name), femme mc but the pronouns switch here and there to they/them im new to this kind of stuff, so if you think sumn (like a tag) is not right, let me know!!! first chapter (this one!) ★ prev ★ next

★★★★★★★★★ chapter tags: // anxiety, older brother price, captain OC, Simon “Ghost” Riley/OC, trauma mentions, emotional support pup, OOC Ghost (for a reason), spiteful Ghost, enemies to lovers (enemies), vague mentions of death, canon deviation, brief-ish panic attack with decent description, angst no comfort, no smut :( ★★★★★★★★★ bite-sized synopsis: captain trick has a rough and anxious first day.

Okay. The first day with a new squad, and here I am. I’m on a cargo ship, landing in 3 minutes, and just barely mentally collected. It’s gotten to the point I have to anxiously pet Axel while taking in deep breaths; ironically he is more relaxed than I am on this plane. Planes always gave me bad anxiety, and my emotional support pups nudged my hand with his snout to alert me. So I sit back in my seat, close my eyes, and brace for the usually-rough landing.

But despite my attempt to relax in my seat, I can hear the soldiers behind me talking. I can barely hear it through my earmuffs, but I can still pick out details of it.

“Did you know 141 is stationed here for the month?” One soldier asked with excitement.

“Yeah, dude! We get to see Ghost! N’ I heard a rumor Captain Trick is joining them, that’s why she’s— on. this. plane! ” Wow. Okay, well it seemed like I was a hot topic.

I dozed off to continue bracing myself, gritting my teeth and an extreme grip on the seat’s armrests. ★★★

We landed. And after 5 minutes we were let out of the plane, Axel staying at my side as we walked off the plane. Uy, it’s cloudy as hell down here. Maybe I even have to change my goggles to compensate for the cloudy conditions— but that doesn’t matter as much. What does matter is who is waiting for me.

“Verdano!” John Price, my good old friend, was there with his taskforce to greet me. We greeted each other with a hug and then talked for a few moments. But already, his squad was gawking at me, especially this one with a mohawk, who I briefly waved at. Then John turned me to face the group awkwardly and Axel forced his snout into my gloved hand to be a comfort. “Everyone, this is Verdano. We met a few years ago and we’ve kept close contact, thas funny, innit Ver?”

I nod at John while I was too terrified to speak to the group yet. So instead, I give a polite wave and a bow of the head. But I noticed that not only was the mohawk gawking at me, but the other guy with a skull mask was also staring at me. Huh. Two skulls, hm?

“I’m Seargent Johnny MacTavish! Callsign Soap,” said the mohawk (now MacTavish) while putting his hand out to shake. Of course, to be polite, I took it in a firm shake and a gentle nod of the head. Then he directed to the skull one. “N’ this is Lieutenant Sim— Ghost! Ghost, his callsign’s Ghost.”

John leaned into my ear like he was telling me gossip. “He isn’t too fond of others sayin’ his name. Other than you n’ I, probably.” I nod in understanding before giving a small wave to Ghost. Jeez, I really do not feel like talking today.

Then they showed me Gaz and Roach. Gaz has a noticeable Union Jack flag on his hat, his posture being upright and much more at attention than the others. But that didn't stop a light smile on his face while greeting me with his name and a handshake. Roach is the silent type like me and waves back. Aww, he has two antennae on his helmet that look like roach antennae. How cute!

“Come on, Ver. I’ll show you around. N’ everyone? Remember, debrief at 1700.” John put his hand on my soldier and led the way to the main base, dismissing his squad as he and I caught up on some much-needed talk. ★★★

That Ghost guy has been stalking me while I'm exploring the base on my own and familiarizing myself with the layout. I catch him looking at me in the shadows, just suddenly appearing in the same room as me, and doing that thing I’ve had to cut my own L.t’s from doing; intimidating the rookies.

Well, he’s gonna have a rude wake-up call.

I especially noticed it when he was stalking me as I looked over my favorite sniper rifle, the beautiful McMillan Tac-50 in my hands. I even caught glimpses of Ghost looking amused in the eyes, it was… odd. I was fascinated by this man. Like, who names themselves Ghost? And isn’t considered an edgy teen? ★★★

1700 rolled about, Soap sitting to my left and Ghost sitting to his left. But John was punctual as usual, everything being ready for the second it turned 5. 

“A’igh! Now that everyone’s settled, Verdano?” Oh yeah. I was gonna introduce myself. Got it. I took every ounce of bravery in my body and took a deep breath before going up in front of everybody. Shit, I haven’t talked! Does that mean they’re gonna be upset over how I sound?

Fuck. No time to think, I straighten myself out and put on my brave voice.

“Good evenin’ ev’ryone,” my Mexican accent mixed with my Aussie accent obviously stunned some people in the room. Uy. It really was a harsh mix, I remember everybody points that out at least once when they were familiarized with me.

“I’m Captain Annette Verdano. Callsign Trick. You mighta heard o’ me, you mighta not, either way, it doesn’t matter.” I take a deep breath and Axel is nuzzling my hand. “I am officially yer co-leader for Taskforce 1-4-1. It’s a pleasure to be workin’ with y’all, I hope we really do get along! 'N I hope you can kick my ass at least once." Okay, nailed it. Absolutely 100% nailed it despite the pit in my stomach saying otherwise. The pit in my stomach made me feel completely wrong.

But to keep up appearances, I give a nod of my head and sat back down while John took my spot. He was already starting to talk about an upcoming mission in a month, and leaving me to recharge from that.

Sure, I handled platoons before. But I haven’t done one since Xio. Our platoon was the last one I managed, the one she was in, and the one we met through. Fuck it’s been a year. I need to sort my shit out, especially with these upcoming missions. At least I have Axel at my side. ★★★

Then it was sleeping time in the barracks. Since this wasn’t really their actual base, we had two people in a room. MacTavish and Gaz shared, myself and Ghost shared, while Roach and Price had their own. I didn't know why though. But apparently the reasoning for pairing Ghost and I was “the respect that lurks with wearing the mask”. Aka, just so we can wear our masks without pestering the other to take it off.

When I entered the room, there were little to no decorations. Just a perfectly made bed with a few teddy bears. One had a mohawk like Soap’s, the other a mustache and hat like John’s, one with little antennae to hint to Roach, and the last one had a UK hat like Gaz. D'awww, t hat’s oddly endearing. I set my shit and the files I was tasked to read before sleeping tonight on my bed across from Ghost's. Shit, the number of files I had was excessive. Two boxes full of them! Either way, it was time for me to settle down. I took my helmet off just to replace it with a regular hat right after, dropping my vest onto my bed, and just taking off general heavy shit. 

Eventually, I could have the pleasure of a nice shower, especially since we had the privilege of a bathroom each to share in our rooms. I haven't had a shower for a long while, and at this point, I’m sure I reeked, but I know nobody would get close enough to smell. Thank the shower gods for blessing me on this fine day. ★★★

I felt comfortable now. I was fresh out of the shower with my hair washed and dried with a fresh balaclava that had my signature animal skull on it, walking into the main room from the bathroom.

“Ghost?” I called out when seeing him flip through my boxes of files, sitting like a mom waiting for her out-of-control kid to come back at 12 AM.

“Annette Verdano, age 28, Captain at 25. Has two parents in Bendigo, Australia n’ two brothers servin’ the Mexican military in Las Almas, notably part of Los Vaqueros. So you immigrated to Australia, n’ then joined the military for a green card?” Wow. He liked to talk a lot. I lean against the bathroom door frame and stare him down. “Yeeep," I drew out obnoxiously. "Ended up havin’ more fun than I thought I would, been parta the military since I was 16. Over 12 years in service, y’know?” I laughed a bit before walking over to him sitting on my bed. “Put my files down, Ghost. Is there a reason why yous lookin’ through my sheet?”

“You’re three years younger than me ‘n a captain, you don’t think that’s suspicious?” He tried to taunt me by waving my own file in front of me, then standing and putting it out of my reach. Damn, my height.

He was amused by my struggle too. I can see it behind his eye black when he raised it up and over his head, still hella out of my reach. “No. I don’t. I worked damn hard for my position ‘n I fuckin’ deserved it. You can shove my insignia up your ass if you have a problem with it, Lieutenant.” I used my authoritative voice, hands on my hips and that angry captain stare.

Ghost tilted his head, his eyes narrowing back at me like he was trying to square me up. From what I read from his body language in the meeting, I definitely somehow pissed him off. Maybe he’s salty about how he isn’t a captain and I am.

“I ain’ gonna say it again, Lieutenant. You better drop that file before I teach you how to respect your authority again .” With a bite in my voice, he yielded. Dropping the file on my bed and going to his side of the room to collect a few things and disappear into the bathroom.

I sat on my bed with a hard sigh before grabbing the file he was looking over– mine– and reading it. What did they put on my file?

It was a few pages. The first page with my full name, basic details, when I got promotions, and my time at the military academies. Then the second with my qualifications, missions, etcetera, etcetera. Then my health pages, detailing my hospitalizations and mental health shit. I couldn’t help but notice the three sticky notes added to my file at the bottom in John’s recognizable shitty cursive writing.

Allowed to wear their mask! Helps their mental health coping, don’t ask to take off was the first one. It made me smile knowing how long ago John wrote this, he was the one I went to for help to allow the army to let me wear a mask. 

Next note, Emotional support dog (the big ass Doberman) is registered as Axel Rose. All his documents are put in his own file which should be at the back of this one. D’aww. He even got all of Axel’s documents put together for me. I can tell this one is newer, the ink is still dark and nearly untouched.

Last note… Do not mention Simon Riley. At all. Or Xiomara Garcia (their late wife) only other squad members she led are allowed to speak about her. 

. . .

That last note kind of made me feel something in my chest. Hurt. I grabbed onto the dog tags hung around my neck, Xiomara, Simon, and my own dog tags. 

I miss them both. I miss them so much. I miss Simon making me feel safe and assured, watching my six and being my cover fire when I needed him to be while I reloaded my rifle before taking the final shot to save the both of us. And then I miss Xiomara making me feel self-assured, confident. I miss seeing her smile and how she’d cheer everybody up with her encouragement, then kiss me every time some random person asked her out at a bar or in the mess hall.

Fuck. Not even a mask like the one I wear is something to keep me from my past, especially not when fucking John is the one writing them.

To be fair, I did go to him a lot about it. I vented to him, he vented to me. Since both of us are Captains, there is a silent understanding between the both of us about the things we’re forced to witness. Choices we’re forced to make, just to keep everything fucking running.

Yet somehow, all of the emotions in me flowed out the second Axel perked up and jumped onto my bed to curl into me. He laid his heavy head on my lap and closed his eyes with calm breathing. My boy really did know me so well, his ears lowered while showing me unconditional love and care. Well, I guess John really does care about me too if he’s putting these notes in my files for others. As far back as a few years ago, even.

I changed files, flipping through MacTavish's, then Garrick’s, then Sanderson’s. Finally reading Ghost’s files, right in front of his dumbass on his bed lounging. He was glaring at me past his balaclava when I put up his file to block my face. I was s kimming through the information, and I finally actually looked at his name.

Simon Riley.

. . . This day just keeps getting more and more fucked. Every single minute, I get assaulted with something else. I pulled up Simon’s dog tag around my neck and compared the service numbers on the document and Si’s dog tag. But as I expected, it was completely mismatched. Fuck. I hate when I meet other Simon Rileys– it’s happened a few times, but this one was easily the most hurtful since I can’t actually compare faces.  I hold his tags tight in my hand to the point I got white knuckles, doing my best to keep it all in after my heart skipped that fucking much. Then I looked at his tags and read them over again, and stared at the picture of him I had added to a silicone dog-tag-shaped picture frame.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Shit, am I having an attack? I can't tell. My breath won’t steady, my eyes won’t clear, the feeling of a knot in between my stomach and throat. I want to puke, bile running up from my gullet to wedge itself in my throat. My mind hurts, it hurts so much. If Simon had seen me like this he would hug me, Xio would hold me, and I would be taken care of. If they were here, they would make it all better. They would make sure every ounce of pain was gone, every single ounce. They would take every bit of hurt in me away if they were just here.

But neither of them is here. Axel alerts me the second he could and puts his big paw on my hand. I put the file down slowly and took deep breaths. In through my nose, hold, exhale for as long as I can. It took a few moments but with Axel's gentle snout-prodding, my breathing tactics, and clearing my head to think of simple things like mushroom spores... the panic fades slowly from my body. The adrenaline goes down, and I'm left without much breath but much nicer thoughts.

Ghost could see me panicking I’m pretty sure. But he didn’t seem to care, and that’s how I like it. I closed the files after having done a tiny bit of my research on everybody in the group and I decided to pick up on it before I start one-on-one training with the squad tomorrow.

He stared at me with dark eyes like he could see through me but I didn’t care. I just put the boxes next to my bed and lay on my back, content with falling asleep just like that.

While I can. ★★★

I woke up bright and early at 0430, the sun peeking out by the time I was ready and out of the room. I had a quick smoke before going to John’s office after having a protein bar just to keep me somewhat full. “I read up on ev’ryone. ‘N thanks for tha lil’ notes on my file, John. It was real sweet o’ you.” 

John shook his head while sipping his coffee, nearly black just as I remembered. He only adds a spoonful of sugar and that’s it. “No worries, Anne. Y’know I need to make sure the generals can take care of ya!” He belly laughed a bit while leaning back in his chair. “You remind me of a siblin', Anne. I want you to be just fine– even if I know you can watch yourself.”

With a brow raised, I slightly laugh. “Fair dinkum, John?” I asked with a curious tone in my voice while I tilt my head.

“Fair dinkum, Anne. Whatever the bloody hell that means.” He laughed again, just as giggly as I remembered. But he calmed himself down quicker than before to show that old smile I was familiar with. “You’re just like-a sista to me. N’ may God n’ the Queen strike me down to say otherwise.” Ah, he’s even more of a British cunt than the last time I saw him too.

But either way, the expression was sweet. It brought an unprecedented smile to my face behind my mask, only being outwardly expressed when I raised my goggles over my cap. “Ah crikey, John. Guess you’re like my damn oldah brother then, aye? Just my third n’ ‘bout hundred years older than me, viejo .” By the way his mustache moved when he squinted his eyes like he was trying to understand and made me laugh. “Oh wait, forgot! You tea drinkers don’t know Spanish. Guess I gotta teach you someday,” I said with a taunting tone. John’s face scrunched with embarrassment, slightly reddening from what I caught.

“Oh, don’t be makin’ me take the piss now, Annes!” He groaned while shaking his head out of frustration. I will forever call him viejito and he will never understand. 

“Viejito blanquito. There. If you surprise me with how whipped into shape these boys are, maybe I’ll consider tellin’ you what that means. But so far with that puto Ghost you mixed me with, I ain’ too impressed,” I explained with a slight huff at the mention of Ghost. “N’ no warnin’ ‘bout his name either, John?” I feign offendedness with an exaggerated tone and a gloved hand dramatically pressed to my chest. “How dare you, you drongo!”

Luckily John had picked up on my humor over the years. He knew I wasn’t actually pissed, but he also knew I wasn’t necessarily positive about it either. “Well, he came about durin’ a good time. It’s just unfortunate the names are exactly to Simon– God bless his heart. I didn’t want to scare you away from this because of it.” He looked at me with sincerity in his eyes and bulky arms folded over his chest. “You know I would’ve told you if it weren’t for that.”

With a heavy sigh, I understood what John was getting at. “A’igh, a’igh. I understand you, mate.” I sat on the chair across from him past his desk, scratching the back of my head. “Still, did you have to put me in the same room as him?”

He noticeably bit his inner cheek while averting his eyes like he was thinking. “I know you don’ like curtain twitchers, ‘n I trust Siii… Ghost. I trust Ghost to not be like that with you, ‘n I know you wouldn’t be like that with him either.” 

“But why not fucken uh… I ‘unno, Garrick? Or MacTavish? Even Sanderson? They all seem like fine lads to share rooms with, y’know?” I bitch and moan about this but with decent reasoning, throwing my head back dramatically.

Price leaned forward. “As much as I love ‘em, Johnny pokes at Ghost ‘bout his mask here and there. In his sleep he even tried gettin’ a peek ‘n the Lieutenant nearly killed him.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a frustrated sigh when recalling the incident. “But Kyle ain’ as bad as Johnny, I’ll give that bloke that, but he still asks about it from time to time. I bet he’d ask Johnny to do the dirty work for him too, as much as I love ‘im.”

Then his head popped up after his shoulder hunched a bit. “N’ Gary? He ain’ too bad, but I know you like your sleep. He’ll be up at night wakin’ you up with him screamen at kids online, that’s why he has his own room. Nobody wants to bunk with Gary.”

With a defeated sigh, I groan like a teenager and lean the chair back, dangerously teetering on the edge. “Fine. Fine. Youuu win, you fucken boga–” The door opening suddenly made me and the chair fall right down from how unexpected it was.

Now I was at the feet of the biggest cunt I’ve ever met after embarrassing myself by falling back in a chair like a high schooler. Just like in high school. Staring down at me like I was a peasant was the almighty– hella tall too– Ghost. Or Simon Riley as I’ve learned to my own dismay. I quickly got up from my place on the floor to see John barely holding it together, stifling his laughter while his face flushed red. I swear, he was about to start banging on the damn table too.

I rolled my eyes at John and held all the embarrassment I had building in my chest, pushing in my chair and pushing past Ghost. “I’m gettin’ brekkie. N’ I ain’ savin’ you a bite either, Jonathan.”

He shut his trap real quick after I used his full name and shut the door on my way out. Then I went back to the barracks real quick to grab Axel– assuming he was even awake by now. Sometimes that dog will sleep well into the morning if I let him. Gotta love him.

After I grabbed him and was making my way to the mess hall with him by my side, Ghost was watching me in the shadows again. Intimidation, hm? Might work for rookies but not me. I might make him give me 50 push-ups just for trying, pull rank on him for all I care. But oh well, I was eventually distracted by the special banana nut muffins they laid out for us under a heat lamp. I grabbed one, some fluffy eggs, and a mug of coffee before going and sitting at a table in the corner. Of course with a plate of eggs and raw meat, they graciously provided for Axel with me, watching him tear that food up.

But my peaceful eating was disturbed. By Ghost, again. Of all things. He had the gall to grab a mug of coffee, a banana nut muffin, and a random newspaper (that I didn’t even know we had access to) just to sit in front of me at my table.

Well, I’m not giving him a response. Instead, I just finished my food and waited on Axel, giving him little scratches on the top of his head. Then we wash up, Ghost washing up right after we leave, and then we go on a run around the perimeter of the base. ★★★

Was he really fucking stalking me now? I’m running around the base and he’s about 3 meters away, so I fall back a bit within earshot of him while he was acting oblivious that he was following me. “Aye, L.t. You keep followin’ me n’ I might hafta assume you have a crush on your new captain!” I shouted out.

“I'm shadowen you, Captain Verdano.” Oh. This was definitely John’s doing.

I roll my eyes and fall back further, Axel at my side while we jogged. “Well, I dismiss you from shadowen me. Y’know he only wants you to shadow so we can bond. ‘N even then, it ain’ gonna work all that well.”

The tension between us was palpable as we jogged, both of us barely breaking a sweat with our heads forward.

“Any stories ‘bout your time as captain?” Ghost finally asked, somewhat breaking the stupid tension between us and making me breathe a sigh of relief.

I had to think… hm. I got one. 

“Mission in Siberia. We were workin’ with a PMC called Kortac. My squad n’ these few contractors were penetratin’ this base ‘n attaching explosives all around it to just wipe it all off. This one massive hulkin’ mass named König was helpin’ us out. He taught me a few things about how bottled-up emotions can really make someone into the deadliest weapon imaginable.” I explained, tone heavy. “We all got in pretty fast, I was usin’ the vents to my advantage to get the drop ‘n snipe them off to just help my crew out. My wife Xio was fucken shit up too! She came in from the side doors, the fastest sweeping I’ve seen, thas beau o’ a lady. Her callsigns Treat, ‘n we always tease her for it.”

“What happened to her? Are you two still married?”

I was so enveloped in talking about her that it felt like she was still here. As if I’d go to the barracks to see her in bed with a book. The sinking pit in my stomach got deeper and Axel prodded me again with his snout to alert me. I felt a slight panic build up again and I’m reminded. Reminded too fucking much of the nights I spent next to her in the hospital bed.

“She passed away a bit ago.” I clenched my fist, deep breathing like my therapist said, while we slowed from a jog to a walk. “This is my first squad since she passed. They got another captain f’r the last one, just so I could take a bit of a break.” Why am I being so open? Eugh.

I shake my head. “Anyhow, that’s outta the way.”

He narrows his eyes at me and I can swear he raises an eyebrow behind his balaclava. “You miss her much?”

With a light feigning smile behind my mask, I go back to stoicism as usual. “With all my life. I miss her ev’ry day I don’t see her, but I know she’d want me to continue my career. She was one helluva Lieutenant, Riley. I hope you live up to her.” I gave him a light nod before going back on my jog.

As much as I love Xio, I have to be a captain. I can cry over her when it’s appropriate but right now? I had some research to do on the boys. ★★★★★★★★★ thank you so much for reading!! and please send in some asksss! i beg of youuu! will post next chapter after some editing tomorrow <3

[space-xaller]

Pairing and characters:

Afton/Vanessa (Vanilliam)

Size: 4 pages

Genres: AU, Romance, Fluff

Warnings: OOC, Deviations from canon

Other tags: AU: All is well, AU: Another era, AU: Other marital status, Drabble, Pizzerias / Diners, Love affair at work, Modernity, Shopping centers

Description:

This fanfic is written based on my AU, where Vanessa and William live at the same time in the world from the last part of the game and are about the same age (they have an age difference, but a small one: Vanessa is 23-25, William is 27-30. Also, William's age is inspired by the book "Into the pit", where the owner of the pizzeria was described very similar to William in appearance: " He looked a hundred years old but was probably just thirty.").

Dedication:

I dedicate this fic to all lovers, fans of Vanilliam's pairing, and to my friends! ^^

Special thanks for editing and inspiration for writing fanfiction — @xkatylinnx !)

Thanks to @house-in-country for editing in English

Notes:

Also, the fic is partly inspired by my trips to the shopping center with friends!))

You could even see the video with creepy animatronics in my tiktok: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS85pxVFF/

I also wrote this fic after my New Year's art based on this pairing (from this post: https://at.tumblr.com/space-xaller/i-hope-its-not-too-late-but-i-want-to-share-with/asrbtj3yt4hv )

***

Finally, the long-awaited day off for both of them. Now they will finally be able to devote time to each other and not to the place they both hate. Yes, and on such a good date — Valentine's Day! Vanessa was intrigued. Where will William take her this time in his purple car? Maybe to the park? No, it's too banal. Oh, perhaps, it will be a creepy quest where they will run away from the actors in scary costumes? But of all the options that she went through, she couldn’t imagine that Afton would choose this particular one…

— Shopping mall? Are you serious?— She began speaking almost indignantly. — So, do you think this place is quite romantic?

William only chuckled slightly at her reaction.

— Relax! Yes, I know what you're thinking, but this isn't Mega Pizzaplex, so I guess we can just have a quiet time here. Not as employees, but as visitors! — William was definitely optimistic, unlike Vanessa, who only pouted her lips. Afton was very touched when she was so feignedly angry. Vanessa had no choice but to come to terms with the choice of a partner. Maybe it's not all that bad. So they hurriedly got out of the car, parked in the locally designated parking lot of the mall, and headed inside the mall.

While Vanessa didn’t see anything remarkable: standard boutiques, jewelry, in general, nothing has attracted much of her attention so far. The food court was generally located only on the top floor, which still had to be reached. On the second floor, it started to get interesting. They were met by a local toy store, where animatronic animals stood as advertisements. They were more realistic than Freddy's group and more outdated: they didn’t have AI, and they moved jerkily and mechanically, which only made Vanessa smile.

— Ha, look how ridiculous they are!—  she said, pointing to the swaying bear.

— Yeah.— William stepped closer, examining the bear. — Previously, all animatronics were driven by pneumatic actuators inside. They wore out pretty quickly. It's incredible how these survived to this day, though... I'll show you something later, but now check this out!

William led Vanessa to a staircase where two animatronic doves were sitting.

— Touch the dove! — William suggested. — But gently.

A little awkwardly, looking around, Vanessa put her hand on the dove. Immediately, she felt as if something was moving and vibrating inside. Apparently, these were the mechanisms that William was talking about. She immediately withdrew her hand.

— Hah, that's pretty creepy! It's like something is stirring inside... Now I seem to understand why such animatronics seemed creepy! — Vanessa made her verdict. She was both excited and a little scared.

— Uh-huh, so we with-… — William hesitated for a second but then continued. —…- My partner and I decided to find another method to create the latest technologies that would be much more efficient and less creepy, maybe…

Vanessa knew that Afton very much disliked remembering the time when he and Henry worked together and preferred not to question him. However, she didn’t like it very much when William became gloomy. So she decided to cheer him up and kissed him on the cheek.

— It seems that we are talking about work again. Let's go and chill already! — Vanessa grabbed William's hand and pulled him along. He didn't put up much effort to resist.

First of all, they decided to look into the same toy store, in which artificial creepy animals were so actively inviting. The toys were relatively standard, ordinary branded toys, and no bootlegs. But Vanessa was most attracted to Ken with thick, messy dark hair.

— Wow, look, he looks just like you! — she said enthusiastically, while pointing to the doll. – If I add some details to the face, bruises, make clothes like yours — he will be your copy!

She held up the box to compare William's face to Ken's.

— Considering your previous crafts, it seems to me that the face will be crooked, and the clothes will all be in stitches! — He chuckled. Vanessa responded by hitting him lightly on the head with the box, then set it back down.

— Fool! By the way, I sewed the suit on purpose to look so careless and creepy! I would be more careful on you. Although after such words, I don't really want to! And anyway, it's not for you to judge with your Glitchtrap costume! —  She pouted her lips again.

— Come on, don’t be offended, I was joking! If you want, I can buy it and - ... — then he picked up another box, — ...- then you will be my "Barbie Girl"!

On the box was a picture of Barbie in a pink bunny costume, which really did look a bit like Vanessa in Vanni's bunny costume.

— Sometimes, I have a feeling that you really were born in the year 87... What are these references to songs that were outdated in the year of release?— Vanessa smiled skeptically.

— Actually, this is a classic, classic for your soul, and besides, you recognized the song, right?— He smiled, and Vanessa chuckled.

— Only because it was played on some old radio!

— Come on… So, how do you like my offer?

Vanessa thought for a moment, putting her index finger to her cheek.

— Actually, maybe I could do some crafting on the weekends, so why not!

So in the first check, there were two dolls — Ken and Barbie, as well as additional sets of clothes for them.

— Are you buying these for a child? — The saleswoman asked.

— No, we for ourselves! — Vanessa replied with a smile. She was delighted with the new acquisition and the fact that now she knew exactly what to do on her weekends. The saleswoman just smiled.

Next, Vanessa's attention was drawn to a stand with less branded goods — hordes of Huggy Wuggy in various colors. It was important for William and Vanessa, as game developers, to keep abreast of what young people like now so they both knew the names of each colored monster by heart. At first, they ironically mocked schoolchildren who played such games. However, after a while, they didn’t notice how they began to play together over the network in Project Playtime, blowing schoolchildren to smithereens. Even though Vanessa was an opponent of spending money on games, she decided to buy the Kissy Missy skin because she loves pink very much. And Afton chose to goof off and buy a complete set with all the skins, which made Vanessa envious of him for another month, until that very month later, William bought her the same set from payday, which she was pleased with. She especially liked the costume in the form of a Kigurumi cat, whose tail wagged very cutely during the jump. And she also liked the heart gesture, which she often showed to her beloved. At the same time, he preferred the guard's uniform and the purple skin color as a reference to the main villain from their common game.

There were still Hugs from the winter collection with Santa hats and scarves on display. It reminded Vanessa of her second favorite skin, a green Huggy Waggie with a beanie and a bag at the ready. She immediately wanted this, but for some reason, it was green that was not there among the various shades.

— Tell me, please, do you have a green Huggy Wuggy in a hat? — Vanessa asked the saleswoman, who looked a little older than her, but not much.

— Unfortunately, we ran out of those. They are taken apart very quickly, — the saleswoman answered.

Vanessa was very surprised at the fact that it was the Greens who were dismantled in this way and sighed heavily.

— Oh, it's a pity, but that's precisely the one I wanted...

— Do you know what his name is? — The saleswoman asked jokingly.

— Silly Willy! — Vanessa and William answered in unison.

— I'm into it! And you said that I'm not modern! — William boasted to Vanessa. The saleswoman looked at them, only awkwardly smiling.

Not finding what they were looking for, they moved on. And soon, Vanessa's attention was attracted by activity zones for children: a bunch of pipes and all sorts of passages, just like in the kindergarten area at Sun and Moon, and there is a rope park on the upper tiers. Vanessa thought for a second that this was exactly what was missing in their complex but immediately dismissed this thought because she didn't want to say anything about their job right now.

— Well, at such moments, you regret that you are no longer a child, — Afton said thoughtfully, scratching the back of his head. Here Vanessa got struck with a thought.

— Maybe I can? Height and weight are perfect for me.

— What, you want to mess around with the kids downstairs? — William chuckled.

— No, I'm talking about a climbing rope park! I always wanted to visit it, but in my childhood there were none!

— Hmm, maybe you can, then let's go and see the prices.

They went downstairs and were a little shocked by the local prices.

— What?! Twenty five dollars just for the top zone? Robbery! Vanessa was outraged. William, looking at this, rubbed his chin with his hand as if weighing something in his mind.

— You know, I can pay for it if you really want it.

— Are you serious? Don't you feel sorry? — Vanessa was very surprised, but Afton only held out his credit card in response.

— Today is all for you, my bunny! — He gave her a very gentle smile.

— Thank you, thank you, thank you! — Vanessa jumped up and down, then hugged and kissed her boyfriend for such a generous gesture.

Vanessa was allowed into this area since her build was suitable, and she went upstairs to the cable car. William was not allowed in because, despite his thinness, he was much taller and pumper than Vanessa, which is why she jokingly called him chubby. The instructor explained how the safety mechanisms work, and after that, Vanessa headed forward, climbing along the winding overhead paths. Along the way, she managed to kick a couple of kids, who then dangled helplessly on safety cables. Vanessa was aware of the insurance, so she did it solely for the sake of trolling the kids.

— Yes! So them! Hit them! That’s my girl! Everyone saw? This is my girlfriend! — enthusiastically exulted William, looking at Vanessa from the side. The nearby parents didn’t much share his enthusiasm, and the instructor hurried to take Vanessa away from the play area so that she would not interfere with the children.

— I am pleased! It was pretty funny! Did you see how awkward they were? Well, where are we going now? — Vanessa said with a smile.

— Well, there are two food courts here: one is standard, and the other is elite. Which one do you want?

— Can you afford an elite one? — Vanessa never ceased to be surprised at how much William could afford to show off, and all for her sake.

— I, as the former owner of a pizzeria, can afford everything! — William boasted. In fact, he simply saved part of his salary for such special occasions since he literally got nothing from the pizzeria, not even shares.

— Then let's go to the elite! — Vanessa's eyes lit up with anticipation.

— Great choice! And I know one suitable place! —William led the girl along.

Along the way, they met more animatronic figures that advertised the same children's store. Since it was located on two floors, animatronics were also on the next floor. This time they were even more terrible: some of them had worn out the mechanism so much that some had their necks tilted, and some of the mechanisms either lagged or didn’t work at all. A clear demonstration of how outdated these technologies are. Vanessa, as well as William a little (but he didn’t show it), was slightly spooked, but at the same time, it inspired them to new ideas for their own game. They started discussing how to make the game's animatronics even creepier. They disliked «Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex» so much that they tried their best to make the new part of the game scarier and scarier, so that the reviews about the institution became worse and worse. However, this, for some reason, worked exactly the opposite way: despite the simplicity of the games and their unnecessarily creepy stories, people liked it. They continued to go to the pizzeria itself, despite the negative reviews about the quality of the products or the fact that William «sucks». For some reason, people liked that place. But William and Vanessa disliked it more and more every day. Or did they think so? Despite all their imaginary cruelty and severity, they didn’t wish harm to anyone. Yes, they could troll schoolchildren, but they always had boundaries, and they didn't really want to harm anyone — just scare them, and that's it. Although in their games they tried to portray themselves as cruel and bloodthirsty, in fact, they were quite a lovely couple, albeit with their bells and whistles. They had something in common with the Addams family, whom they sometimes liked to look at together at work in the evenings.

In the meantime, they reached their destination, and William pointed to where he offered Vanessa to eat.

— Pizza? Are you serious? — Vanessa was already very dissatisfied.

— Well, at least not according to Henry's recipe! — William smiled.

Vanessa reluctantly agreed. Pizza really turned out to be very tasty and hot — Vanessa preferred spicy pizza. William's tastes were specific: he took a pizza with pineapples, which made Vanessa wince but then smile for some reason.

— Just don't think that I will leave you without a gift! — She rummaged through her purse and then pulled out a couple of cans of energy drinks that Afton liked to drink at work, but with the rarest flavors. But this was not even the main reason to give a gift. The fact is that Vanessa and William really liked the meme, where some blogger with the same brand of energy drinks stands with an ominous smile with the caption in the picture: "Kill." William appreciated such a reference and a gift from the girl. In fact, these two do not need much for happiness, even such expensive gifts. If William proposes to Vanessa with a slice of pizza or a burrito, she will be happy. This Valentine's Day ended wonderfully for them: after the mall, they went to William and watched horror movies. In especially terrible moments, Vanessa snuggled up to Afton, which could not but please him. And after the film and the strong hugs during it, they began to kiss each other passionately.

[satashiiwrites]

To Catch A Fallen Star, Chapter 1

Posting as scheduled. Whew. 

Title: To Catch A Fallen Star, Chapter One: A Lost Job and a Wish Upon a Falling Star

Fandom: Teen Wolf, Stardust 

Pairings: endgame Sterek. One-sided Stiles/Lydia. Lydia/Jackson, other to be revealed as we go. 

Fic Summary: Stiles is determined to cross the Wall and bring back Lydia a fallen star. Along the way he discovers himself and finds something much more valuable than a bit of stardust.

Chapter Summary: A job is lost, a deal struck, and a Babylon candle is used.

Other tags/warnings: shifting POVs. Not exactly a fusion—we deviate a bit here and there but things are recognizable. Stiles is Tristan. Derek is Yvaine. Updates approximately once a month. Now with bonus banner art. We’re also possible a little OOC here but i’m blaming Stiles’ rose colored glasses. 

Read chapter one on AO3

[styx-writes-fics]

Hi Ra (@5x-ra), I wrote you a gift for the @hashimada-giftexchange. I hope you enjoy it. -Styx Trusting a Fool - Styx_and_stones - Naruto [Archive of Our Own]

Prompt: Madara and Izuna get officially invited to Hashirama's and Tobirama's home for a formal but friendly dinner (just the 4 of them to keep it simple, they are perhaps to address Hashi/Mada friendship and everyone's 1st meeting at the river...) A domestic feel, but they're not yet friendly, this is literally first time they sit together at one table after the treaty signing.. There's still mistrust but its a first evening both sides are able to let their guard down, if only on surface.. ..But whatever, you can get as creative and deviate as much as you want :)

WANTS: tags: founders era (check), post warring era peace AU (check), Izuna lives (check), traditional food (see cuisine), japanese customs? (as much as I could between the internet and phoning a friend) cuisine? (included what I could figure out in time) DON’T WANT: no genderbent characters (check), no OOC (I think I did, though I know everyone has pet-peeves or character traits they think should be minimized/maximized; if I tripped over one of those, tell me who and why so I can try to fix it), not too much canon deviation (tried to balance conflicts between canon, Japanese history/customs, and Izuna lives)