#it's funny in AUs I try not to go TOO far away from canon roles

[crewofthegoldrush]

this town's our canvas, baby

Rating: T / PG-13

Campaign Setting: Modern AU of an Eberron setting

Summary:

"Why not shoot me a text?"

"I only have five minutes and barely a finger free, let alone a whole hand. It's quicker to say 'call Montgomery'."

"Montgomery? You don't have a nickname for me in your phone?"

"No," she says like it was obvious, and Monty can hear the sound of Aubrey's heels stopping abruptly. "Why? What's my name in your phone?"

[this town's our canvas, baby - let's paint it red tonight]

-

back at it again with another AU no one asked for 

most PCs and core NPCs have cameos in this and honestly I think their use here is pretty funny, I hope their antics get a laugh now and then. It is my biggest regret that I didn't give Ellie, our resident Angus McDonald character, more spotlight in fool's gold so I hope I've made up for it here

minor content warning for womanizer & fantasy racist boss behavior

[the-lark-ascending69]

How would Stobin happen in the Scoops Ahoy Ronance AU?

Answering this after a million years 😭

I imagine this AU to be kind of a Steve-Nancy role swap AU in which Nancy is with the Scoops troop while Steve is... with Jonathan. Solving mysteries. Now, I haven't watched s3 in years so I don't remember much about Nancy and Jonathan's plotline, other than Nancy was the driving force through most of it, but in this AU the timeline shifts a bit so that she gets fired, alongside Jonathan, way before the events we see in S3, so that by its start she already got a new job at Scoops Ahoy (which is humilliating to her, but she needs the money). She already did some work and by the time Jonathan realizes she was right all along, he's alone because 1) Nancy is incredibly mad at him and 2) she's too busy cracking Russian codes. Dustin is the one to pull him to the side when he tries to explain everything to her (she would have dropped the code immediately to go back to help him if that were the case) and tell him that, if there's one thing he learned at summer camp, is that when a girl is angry at you, it's best not to push her. He pats his shoulder and tells him "you know what? I got just the right man for your quest". The man in question is Steve.

Jonathan would not accept to work with Steve unless it was absolutely necessary.

Again, I don't remember much about that storyline, so I couldn't tell you exactly what happens, but I imagine it would be pretty funny, with Steve coming up with more and more idiotic ideas each time and Jonathan being pissed about it but unable to send him away because he still needs help. I imagine they wouldn't become close friends, but they'd find a way to get along just fine.

That means Robin doesn't meet Steve after much later, through Dustin, in fact. Since they're not friends, he doesn't get a job at Family Video, and is instead wandering around looking for jobs, not being hired, not doing anything with his life and being constantly roasted over it by Dustin, who's become pretty close with Robin lately and he swears she's perfect for him, dude, he should totally date her. Steve isn't so convinced - Robin? Talks non-stop Robin? Band nerd Robin famous for passing out in the middle of a theater audition in school in front of everyone because she got just a little bit passionate about a scene? (Rebel Robin is canon to ME!). Robin is weird. Steve doesn't date weird girls ("You dated Nancy" / "Yeah, 'cos Nancy isn't weird" / "Dude, she literally dressed as an elf princess for one of our campaigns. She's a nerd" / "Wait, Nancy plays that shit?" / "You have a lot to learn about women still, my friend").

But then he needs to work with Nancy and Nancy had a new best friend, and she is - let's face it - insanely hot. Like Steve is kinda left breathless, staring like an idiot when he first sees her - Weird Robin was attractive all along?? All Dustin has to say is "I told you" ("...yeah," says Steve).

So Steve makes it his new mission to ask Robin out. Nancy makes it her mission to stop anyone from talking to her Robin.

A few important notes about Nancy and Robin's friendship so far:

They're each other's first female friend in years.

Nancy has no problem at all with Robin liking girls, but Robin still feels a bit awkward about it. If Nancy were a boy it would be different but Robin really, really doesn't want to make her uncomfortable. She wants to be One Of The Girls for once.

Robin has a big crush on Vickie, but she won't tell Nancy despite Nancy's repeated attempts to talk about girls (she's trying to make Robin feel normal. Most girls like talking about boys, and she knows Robin is secretly a repressed romantic at heart who's just scared of showing emotion. A little push will help, right?).

Robin tries to act as "normal" as possible with Nancy, never bringing up anything that might remind Nancy that her new best friend is a lesbian. Nancy has no such concerns and will often ask Robin about girls she think she might find attractive.

Robin is almost physically holding herself back from seeing Nancy in a romantic light. She is NOT going to ruin this friendship.

Nancy thinks Robin is the most beautiful girl she's ever seen.

Nancy is incredibly protective of Robin.

Nancy feels a bit weird about the idea of Robin getting a girlfriend some day. She tells herself that, at first, she was just getting used to the idea of a girl having a girlfriend, then, that she just wanted to enjoy a friendship with a girl again without the involvement of boys or any romantic interest that might come between them, as a return to a more innocent time. She does want Robin to be happy, though, and would try to help her with girls if Robin allowed her to.

Steve finds all of his attempts to speak to Robin frustrated by Nancy intentionally interrupting him.

"She's not interested in you," she says.

"Did she tell you she didn't like me?" Steve asks.

"A couple of times, in fact. She did call you a douchbag."

"Maybe that's because she doesn't know me."

"Steve, believe me. She's not interested."

Every time Steve tries to speak or flirt with her, Nancy intervenes by either pulling Robin along with her, as if she were her right hand man, always by her side in every mission, or she'll begin talking to Steve, forcing him to direct his attention somewhere else.

Steve falls low. He falls very, very low, because his next step is to ask Dustin for help, which must be just the most embarrassing thing he's ever done, but jeez, Robin just has that effect on you, and Nancy is like a very mean guard dog with her, so he needs a distraction. Dustin will pretend to be interested in journalism, or girl stuff, or whatever Nancy likes, doesn't matter. Or he can just go annoy her for a few minutes so Steve gets a chance to talk to Robin alone.

Robin is not impressed. She knows what he's trying to do, but she decides she'll take the chance to bully Steve a little, just for fun. She replies with "wow" and "really?" to everything he says until he realizes she's being sarcastic. She makes fun of him for a while before making things clear to him: she's not interested.

"Why?" Steve asks.

"Because I have my eye on someone else," she says. "Besides, you're not my type."

"Really? So what's your type?"

"Well, for starters, I am drawn to profound souls and intelligent minds."

"Hey, I can be smart. I helped save the world like, two or three times."

"Given our current situation, I don't think that makes you all that special, Stevie boy."

He tries to get her to admit who this boy she likes is. He tries to guess, naming every guy their age he knows. Robin is mildly entertained and amused so she lets him provide free white noise while they walk through the woods. It helps her not get bored with all these fucking trees around them.

And then maybe they get separated. Maybe they're in the woods at night while running from the search party and from Jason, who is hunting them. Nancy, Eddie and Dustin are on one end, with Robin, Steve, Lucas and Max in the other. They'll reunite as soon as possible, but they can't stop now.

And maybe Robin realizes Steve is not that much of an asshole when she sees him comfort a terrified Max, or put himself on the line to protect Lucas. He cares about the kids more than he cares about himself. He talks to them, gives them directions, makes sure everyone stays together and safe and who would have guessed? Seems like Steve the hair Harrington has a sensitive side.

And he gets to see Robin is more than a pretty face when they do come face to face with Jason.

He's looking for Eddie, Lucas, and everyone he knows associates with them. Steve and Max would be good enough targets for him. He is only tangentially aware that Robin is friends with Nancy, Mike's sister, but she quickly turns that possible weak spot into a strength.

She tells him she's so terrified - her friend's brother might be involved in that horrible cult. That's what motivated her to join the search party. She doesn't want anyone else getting hurt (Robin spins lies like a spider spins webs). In fact, she overheard Mike say something once - Eddie was planning to leave Hawkins soon, maybe on that very same night, he could be on the road as they speak, which is why Robin found it so imperative to be with the search party tonight, to find Eddie before he leaves. Jason and his team rushes out of the woods and in direction to the nearest road, thinking themselves smarter than Robin.

They make it somewhere safe. Robin and Steve stay up to keep watch - they insist the kids have some sleep. Lucas and Max cuddle adorably, and Robin just wants to pinch their cheeks because they're so damn cute together. Steve keeps an eye on them while Robin watches out for the search party. They talk to keep each other awake - Steve tells her about how he became a mother of six, and Robin tells him how she became best friends with Nancy Wheeler, which isn't an easy feat, mind you (though she excludes the most personal details). She tells him she speaks four languages and is learning a fifth. Steve tells her he gives great hair advice (he asks her if she uses conditioner. She asks him if he rents his head out to the council on weekends to use as a speed bump). Steve laughs. He tells her he'll leave her alone - it's fine if she doesn't like him. Plus, he's probably not ready for a relationship anyway. He should focus on things other than pretty girls, like college, someday, maybe. Max is definitely his focus right now, keeping her alive and safe (as he's been doing ever since that first fight with Billy), and nothing else should matter. Robin respects that a lot, actually (she'd never thought she'd put the words "Steve" and "respect" together before). He still thinks she's cool as heck, though, and he'd love to be friends. Robin doesn't feel terrified this time, like she did when Nancy said the same thing eight months ago. She doesn't feel the need to tell him her darkest secrets. She just likes having someone pure of heart and dumb of ass to poke fun at. She can't believe she's becoming friends with Steve the hair Harrington. She wants to be real, actual friends, thogh, not friends-as-a-shortcut-into-her-pants friends. Steve laughs. "Real, actual friends," he agrees.

Nancy sees them exchanging jokes and laughing when they reunite, and she's surprised - finds it amusing - but also frels a strange pang of jealousy in her gut. She knows Robin couldn't let a boy come between them if she tried, and she's happy she's making more friends - she is! - she doesn't know where she's going with this. All she does is to embrace Robin tightly when they're together again, happy to have her partner back by her side. Steve eyes Nancy curiously. He's not the smartest, but he seems to notice something Robin doesn't, something not even Nancy sees, though he can't quite put his finger on what the strange thing is.

[daringdoombringer]

HERE ARE MY IDEAS FOR AN IMAGINATORS REVAMP/REWRITE AU RAHHHH

Skylanders Imaginators has always had a soft spot in my heart for being the first (and so far only) Skylanders game ive actually played. Despite it being a bit lackluster compared to the other games, it’s still my favorite and I wanna do it justice. I still wanna keep the feel of Imaginators, like not have it be a complete overhaul. Just have the existing story be more complex and interesting.

So here’s a summary of the story mode.

It starts as usual with Kaos sending a Doomlander to steal a book from the academy. Said book being the Tome of the Ancients, and it contains loads of knowledge on Mind Magic and what the ancients have made. (This is how he finds out about the Helm of Ultimate Wisdom and the Mind Golem later)

The Brain is replaced by a character known only as the Mind Golem. It is an automaton created by the Ancients as an immense source of knowledge and Mind Magic power. It was sealed away eons ago by the Dragons, as it had used its power and sentience for evil. You have to try and stop Kaos from reawakening it, but spoiler alert: he somehow does so anyway.

Cue the Mushroom River and Scholarville levels. Kaos then tries to create a Doomlander with the combined power of the Imaginite and the Helm of Ultimate Wisdom at Shellmont Shores. Lo and behold, something goes wrong, a giant vortex of Mind Magic is created, and we have to fix it.

Afterwards, Glumshanks figures out the Helm contains directions to an ancient tomb witch houses the Mind Golem.

We then have to take back the Sky Baron Battleship. After doing that, Kaos uses the Helm a second time and successfully summons/creates a giant darkness-Imaginite-goo monster, (Guacamole felt a little too silly) thanks to the energy shared from the Mind Golem now that he knows where it is. We explode that gooey goober into a million pieces and proceed to follow Kaos on a wild goose chase throughout the next few levels on the Battleship as he goes after the Mind Golem.

Along the way, we encounter many Doomlanders, whether they be miniboss enemies or full bossfights at the end of a level. As we progress they become more monstrous as Kaos gets closer to the Mind Golem. They are decorated with Imaginite shards we have to destroy in order to defeat them.

Finally, Kaos reaches the Vault of Visions, where the Mind Golem is. Kaos finds and reawakens it with the Mind Magic he’s mastered, we have to fight it, and he runs away with it. Little does he know, the golem has its own plans. (dun dun DUNNN)

Now this would be the part where Kaos tells his supposed “new toy” to cast a brainwashing spell. But the Mind Golem is like “lmao nah” and brainwashes Kaos instead! Kaos’ immense ego and ignorance are pushed aside turning the sorcerer into a truly terrifying threat. This is all too much for Glumshanks and he contacts the Skylanders saying “uh hi I might need your help Lord Kaos has gone insane again” or something along those lines. Level or two later we get to Kaos’ lair and confront the Mind Golem. We still have to use a giant tactical cake to do so, that parts pretty funny so I’m keeping it.

Finally, we get inside with Kaos and the Mind Golem waiting for us. Kaos snaps out of his trance and scolds the golem, only for him to accidentally fuse with it somehow,(?) starting the final boss. Idk it’s pretty similar to the final boss of Giants but anything is better than the Goku wannabe we got tbh. No idea if the Mind Golem is going to be redeemed (like how The Brain was canonically) or if we have to destroy one of the last remaining pieces of ancient technology for the sake of Skylands. This idea’s still a wip.

But… yeah that’s the main synopsis of the story! I wanted to try and have stuff like Mind Magic, Imaginite, and The Doomlanders play a bigger role. They were kinda just “there” canonically.

Will be posting the gameplay tweaks/possibly art later lemmie know what y’all think of this idea👀👀

[linawritesocs]

Here is my writing for you <3

Aka reasons why I KNOW Lilia x Lina x Rollo is canon frfr

First of all, the vibes and the aesthetics are there. Trust

The :D x :( x :| dynamic is so fun. So so fun

Lilia is scooping you and Rollo up in his arms and giving you both forehead kisses <3

You and Rollo have things in common and I think you'd be able to help each other get through a lot of stuff!

Plus Lilia is there to always support you and he's very understanding!! No judgment from him at all, absolutely 0

Again, LILIA AND ROLLO WOULD FIND YOUR SMILE AND LITERALLY EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU STUNNING!!! GORGEOUS!!! They wouldn't want to change a single thing about you!

They'd take such good care of you, no cap. Seriously. They'd be absurdly good at it. And they're incredibly careful and ask if you're comfortable :)

Why did they fall for you? Not sure with them but in my head, they saw a failgirl meow meow (affectionate) and went "OMG I LOVE THEMMM" and "...Okay so I love them"

Also that one Halloween drawing you did is like. Stuck in my head permanently. The vampire x witch x priest one.

Ngl I think y'all should have a pet cat. Idk why but it seems right

So the fireworks during masquerade, right? Or whatever they were if they weren't fireworks, I'm not sure jsndkfs

I think Rollo would take you both to a place that's kinda far and the sounds aren't very audible, but the view of the town is great! And you get a clear view of the fireworks so that you don't have to miss how pretty they are!

I'm trying to think of date ideas but I'm kind of blanking rn? I know it'd be something more low-key... OHHH what if cat cafe??? (I feel like I keep mentioning cats but that's literally your and Rollo's energies, I can't just forget cats)

Whenever you're sick, Rollo would definitely take some time away from NBC, like a few hours, so he can see you and make sure you're doing all right! Maybe he brings you some food or medicines he heard is good for you!

I'm sure Lilia does a really good job too, plus he'd make sure you aren't lonely and in low spirits!

Random thought: If Silver is basically the son of Lilia and Lina, what's Rollo's role? I feel like he doesn't dislike Silver, that's all, but if you have thoughts... 👁️👁️

Cottagecore house cottagecore house cottagecore house

Once y'all graduate I can see you having a cottagecore house. Yes just like Seth and Rollo

That's all I have rn but PLEASE RAMBLE IN YOUR RESPONSE IF YOU WANT!!! I WANNA HEAR MORE ABOUT THEM <333

HSDHDJSJSDJKSJS TARUUUUU THIS IS SO CUTE I'M GONNA CRYYYYYY

and you're right. rollo x lina are just cat x cat. both of them are so cat-coded.

THE IMAGE OF LILIA SCOOPING BOTH ME AND ROLLO UP IS SO FUNNY but it's okay i know he can do it

everything about the vampire x priest x witch au is perfect. lina and lilia already dating and lilia going "hey dude wanna form a polycule". rollo naming one of the bells john and making cole and sebastian worry for his mental health. rollo being So Scared that someone is gonna find out about his relationship with those two but when cole and sebastian do find out they just go "OMG SO YOU DO HAVE BITCHES SLAYYYYY- ahem, we mean. wow.. you're not maidenless.." lina secretly being a catgirl and hiding her cat ears under her witch hat and fully turning into a cat when she's comfortable around rollo. honestly priest!rollo is a very popular au concept especially with a vampire/witch/other "monster" s/o but like. come on. we all know this is the best one /lh

. I GUESS SILVER CAN ALSO BE ROLLO'S SON THOUGH THAT'D BE SO FUNNY IT'S LIKE ".. so. uh. y-you're dating my father." ".. yes" "and you're also dating my mother" "also yes" ".. uh. does that make you-" "i am literally one year older than you" "okay father number two" NO BUT THEY EVEN LOOK KINDA SIMILAR. KNIGHT OF DAWN WHO. i'm actually obsessed with the way how silver actually looks and acts like a mix of them. he can appear very suddenly, scaring others in the process, just like lilia, he's eepy like lina and also tends to blame himself a lot just like them and he looks a lot like rollo and is very serious and responsible, just like him. he is literally their son. i'm gonna sob

here are some of my fav lina x lilia x rollo concepts if you don't mind me sharing!

lilia is 700 years old and he's been through so much and it took a lot of time for him to change and become the gremlin that he is today. lina is MUCH younger than him, but she also had to go through a lot of horrors. lilia never says that their trauma isn't valid and never says stuff like "well at least you didn't have to fight in a war". he just hopes they can feel a bit lighter when he's around.

i've mentioned before that i imagine lina's unique magic hurting them a lot in exchange for them to do things as good (or better than) as others so yeah, maybe rollo would find lina suspicious at first but then imagine him finding out about what her magic is doing to her and he's like. "SEE. I AM RIGHT. WE HAVE TO SAVE YOU WE HAVE TO GET RID OF MAGIC WE HAVE TO-" and lina is standing there like "sir.. why do you want to save me.."

*sobs* rollo putting a flower in lina's hair while she's sitting lost in thought and comparing her to that flower *CRIES*

rollo being confused why lilia is 100% okay with a poly relationship and lilia is like "well. uh. well. you see. i have EXPERIENCE" mallenoa and her husband (possibly crowley)

ACTUALLY IT'S SO FUNNY bc if you think about it lina x lilia x rollo is like a reverse version of that relationship. it's not the "actual queen" and a "trash man" it's "the nbc student council president and the most talented student from that school" and "a wet cat i found on the street and said "i just think it's neat"".

*SOBBING* LINA HAS NOTICEABLE FANGS.. DO YOU KNOW WHO ALSO HAS THOSE.. which means linalilia can just bite rollo whenever they want.

lina and lilia dye each other's hair all the time and try to make rollo join them. they fail but it's okay

[all-chickens-are-trans]

🗣📝🔎

🗣️Talk about your favourite WIP

I could never choose only one of my children like that, so I'm gonna say three 😅🙈

The most current one is a Ted/Trent fic that's an AU based on the 2007 rom com/drama "No Reservations". In this one, Trent is Catherine Zeta-Jones basically, the overworked, overwhelmed guardian of his niece since his sister passed away. And Ted is of course Ted, the manic pixie dream coach who gets the little girl to open up and helps Trent to see that he's not trapped in this situation. So far, I've written two very short chapters and I wanna write more, I just kinda lost focus 🙈

Then there's also the two big projects that I started in 2020 for my two biggest German fandoms. One is called "Hühnerküsse" and it's about the girls from "Die wilden Hühner", a kids' book series by Cornelia Funke about a girl gang - it's from the 90's/early 00's and even though it's mindblowing to me that they already had a canon lesbian character in a children's book in 2003, I decided that I needed to make it even more queer. So I started writing this little story in 10 chapters about how all of them kissed each other at various points in their friendships, for various reasons - I just never finished it because for one pairing, I couldn't decide how I wanted the kiss to happen, I wrote three or four different versions of it, I was never hapy with it and then I stopped. :( Recently rediscovered it again because someone left some lovely notes on it and it really made me want to revisit the story.

The other one is a five part series called "Kontrolle und Chaos" and it's about my two favourite milfs from the German crime show classic "Tatort". They're called Charlotte and Anaïs (the latter played by love of my life Florence Kasumba of Marvel fame and also, more importantly, known from the German cast recording of the musical Aida, in the title role) and god, they've got issues <3 And I had so, so many issues with part 5 of that series. I started writing it just after their second episode, fully committed to writing a lesbian love story and ignoring the uncomfortable love triangle created in the show. But then unfortunately, I fell in love with Daniel Donskoy who plays the man in that love triangle and has openly advocated for polyamory, and suddenly I had to rethink the whole thing. So now I've written four of five parts, trying to figure out how to make the last one fit with the new information I've got, and just like with Hühnerküsse, I wrote several versions I didn't like and eventually dropped it. Sure hope I'll finish this one because I have recently found some notes for it that offer a pretty good solution.

📝Share a snippet of an unposted WIP, with or without context.

Okay, this is technically an outtake from my current Jamie/Roy(/Keeley) WIP, meaning I probably won't be able to make it fit anywhere in the fic but it was too funny not to share so here you go:

“I have one rule,” Roy says. “You do not call me ‘daddy’ in bed.” Jamie scoffs, pretending the idea has never even occurred to him. Roy doesn’t believe him. “What about out of bed?” Jamie asks and wiggles his eyebrows. “I have two rules,” Roy says. Jamie laughs. “Just fucking with you, mate. Out of bed, you’re granddad of course.” He ducks just in time to avoid the pillow Roy throws at his head.

🔍Give a clue (a picture, emoji, a word, etc) and let your followers guess what a WIP is about.

here's a clue for the Jamie/Roy one lol

[madcatdaderpydrawer-blog]

I’m bored and procrasinating so have some Sun and Moon incorrect quotes, curtesy the automatic generator XD

Sun: I want to wake up with you every day for the rest of our lives Moon: I wake up at 4:30 AM Sun: Sun: I want to see you at some point every day for the rest of our lives

(The idea of Moon being an early bird cracks me up for some reason)

-

Sun: I prevented a murder today. Moon: Really? How’d you do that? Sun: self control.

(Dealing with Karens probably, the poor lad)

-

Sun: It’s dark in here Moon: Don’t worry dude I got this Moon: *Stomps their feet* Moon: *Skechers light up*

(Always the helpful lad)

-

Sun: Violence isn't the answer. Moon: You’re right. Sun: *sighs in relief* Moon: Violence is the question. Sun: What? Moon, bolting away: And the answer is yes. Sun, running after them: NO-

(Okay this is just canon.)

-

Sun: Am I going too far? Moon: No, no, no. You went too far about seven hours ago. Now you're going to prison.

(What the fuck did Sun do)

-

Sun: Don’t worry, I know exactly what I’m doing. Everything is going to be fine! Moon: How can you still say that? Sun: Because sometimes, when things get tough, denial is all we have.

(The pros of optimism :D)

-

Sun: Please, I'm begging you go to a doctor. Moon: I'm sorry is this OUR stab wound? Stay out of it.

(Of course this is something Moon would say)

-

Sun: In light of what you did for me, you can hug me for four to five seconds. Moon: FORTY FIVE SECONDS?!? Sun: No! Four to five seconds! Moon: Too late!!!

(Always imagined it the other way around, buuut this is funny too)

-

Sun: Are you an ‘arr’ pirate, or a ‘yo ho ho’ pirate? Moon: I’m a ‘I’m not paying $600 for photoshop’ pirate.

(He has to get those disney movies from somewhere, and he sure as shit isn’t buying them)

-

Sun: Someone will die. Moon: Of fun!

(Role reversal au essentially)

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Sun: I made tea. Moon: I don’t want tea. Sun: I did not make tea for you. This is my tea. Moon: Then why are you telling me? Sun: It is a conversation starter. Moon: That’s a lousy conversation starter. Sun: Oh, is it? We are conversing. Checkmate.

(Sun drinking tea cracks me up fehbeufe)

-

Sun: So what do you do? Moon: I work in genetic research, and I'm currently trying to eliminate all Cancers. Sun: Wow, impressive. Moon: Then I'll move on to Leos.

(This feels weirdly accurate to the weird way Sun communicates with Infected Moon)

-

Sun: Ok, maybe playing ‘whose family is most dysfunctional’ wasn’t the best idea we’ve had. Moon's been crying in the bathroom for an hour. We can’t get them out...

(trauma :D)

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Sun: Let’s watch Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Moon: Okay. Sun: And make out during the scary parts. Moon: Th- Moon: The scary parts. Moon: Of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

(Again don’t ship it but this cracks me up and feels really accurate)

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Sun: A theif. Moon: Thief? Sun: Theif. Moon: I before E, except after C. Sun: Thceif. Sun: No.

(He’s working on it.)

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Sun: Stop buying plastic skeletons for Halloween! It's terrible for the environment! Moon: Yeah! Locally sourced, all natural skeletons are much more environmentally friendly!

(Kinda reminds me of the crazy duo ngl)

-

Sun: .. .----. -- / ... --- .-. .-. -.-- [translation: I’M SORRY] Moon: What's that? Sun: Remorse code. Moon: I'm even angrier now.

(brotherly bullshittery)

-

Sun: *Gets down on one knee* Moon: Oh my god, it’s finally happening. Sun: *Falls over* Moon: The poison is kicking in.

(I swear Moon is such a gremlin--)

-

Sun: Moon... Why did you draw a pentagram on the floor? Moon: Your text told me to satanize the house before you returned. Sun: Sun: I wrote sanitize, Moon.

(OKAY.. that is absolutely infected Moon.)

I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do lmao

[maximoff-pan]

l’amore de ma vie | fred weasley

Summary: When Fred invites you to Bill and Fleur’s wedding, your feelings for your best friend are stronger than ever before. What happens when you realize just how much you love him?

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: Fluff...i-is that a warning?? Anyway buckle up for some sickly sweet goodness....

A/n: I know, I’m terrible. It’s been a little while longer than I’d intended but I hope this makes up for it! Feedback is very very much appreciated! I love seeing what all of you think of my writing! Without further rambling from me....enjoy!

Sidenote: This is a total AU. It completely deviates from canon, as Bill and Fleur’s wedding goes smoothly in this version. No violence here haha...only happiness! (I guess what I’m trying to say is, in no way shape or form is this an accurate recollection of the books, this is purely from my imagination...)

• • • • •

“Fucking weddings...” you mutter as you walk through the massive white tent that adorns the front lawn of the Weasley residence. Everything is perfectly displayed, tables meticulously set, with delicate flowers littering the venue.

The romance of it all makes you want to throw yourself into Bill and Fleur’s masterfully crafted, six-tier cake. And watching as Molly rushes in and out swiftly with the brightest smile on her face, it all reminds you of how you should be getting ready right now. But you just can’t stomach that.

It’s not that you’re not happy for Bill....you’re ecstatic and you absolutely adore him. He’s been a role model for you almost your entire life. And it’s not like you’re not an absolute romantic, because you are...but weddings always make things complicated. They manage to dig up feelings that you’d rather not confront.

Feelings for a certain Weasley twin...

That’s why when he (said twin) and George invited you to the wedding, you were reluctant to say yes. It’s hard to pin point exactly when you felt your friendship with Fred (at least on your end), morph into something more, but you’ve managed to keep your feelings for him locked away for the better part of four years. And as far as you’re aware, the only person that’s truly caught on is Hermione...because you’re convinced at this point that she just knows damn well everything.

“Something on your mind?” A voice startles you, bringing your attention back to the bustling world surrounding you.

Turning around slowly, you’re greeted with Bill’s towering figure. You huff out a quick, teasing laugh. “You know, it’s not nice to interrupt a lady’s thoughts.”

“Forgive me,” he chimes with a chuckle of his own.

Bill knows your humour, and he knows you well enough to recognize when you’re using it as a defence mechanism.

“It just looks like you’re about ready to make a run for it,” he continues, “and I wanted to make sure my favourite guest doesn’t ditch me on my wedding day.”

“You know I would never ditch you.”

Bill sends you a look, clearly not impressed by your jokes. You can tell he knows something’s wrong, but you don’t want to be the first one to bring it up.

“I’m fine.” You reassure with a soft smile. “I promise.”

He only nods at you, and he’s not quite sure if he’s convinced, but he’s confident things will work out in the end. “You know, I best be getting ready.” He grins wide. You reciprocate his grin with an additional giggle.

“You best be. Or else Fleur might divorce you on the spot.”

“Wouldn’t that be a shame.” Bill shifts his weight from foot to foot. “I’d have the record for the shortest marriage in wizarding history! Mum would have an absolute shit fit.”

You both burst into a fit of laughter, before you’re nudging him out of the tent and towards his home.

There’s a comfortable pause of silence as Bill thinks to himself. He can see it in your eyes exactly what you’re thinking about. Having been around you for years and Fred even longer, and watching the two of you grow up together, he knows what’s troubling you. Bill Weasley is not a stupid man, and he knows love when he sees it. Better yet, he knows the fear of losing that love that runs rampant in your mind. If Bill has learned anything in his years on this earth, it’s that love allows for the greatest of happiness but it also allows for the greatest manifestation of fear. Unrequited love can be more painful than the relief of returned feelings, but Bill Weasley knows you both well enough to know that these feelings you and his brother share, they’re anything but unrequited.

“I should probably be getting ready too.” You break the silence and remind yourself of the upcoming event as you step through the front door of the Burrow.

You both turn to each other, acknowledging your parting of ways. You hear Arthur shouting for his oldest son from above. “I guess that’s my cue.” Bill simply nods in the direction of the staircase, taking a step towards it. You stand still, just watching him for a moment.

He leans his head over his shoulder for a brief second, already a few steps up the winding stairs. “Oh and (Y/n),” he breathes, “my brother may be an oblivious twat, but to give him some credit, I see the way he looks at you, and I’d be blind to say he isn’t in love with you too.”

In love with you too....

And as soon he’s said it, the cheeky bastard’s disappeared up the stairs, leaving you dumbfounded and completely still.

Fucking hell. Your mind wanders, his words at the forefront....so apparently Bill knows and surely if Bill knows, George must too. Are your feelings for Fred that obvious?

• • • • •

You step through the doorway to Fred and George’s room hoping to find a certain twin. You spot him sitting cross legged on his bed, fiddling with a prototype for the shop that you’re sure you’ve seen him working on before. His ginger hair is messily in his face, his tongue sticking out in concentration. He’s the picture of a working artist....pranking materials being his art. You heave a sigh. Like you, he’s nowhere near ready for the wedding that is going to take place in a few hours.

“Do you know?” His head whips up at the sound of your voice. It’s such a vague question, one in which a normal person would question what it itself is in relation to, but George knows exactly what you’re getting at. But maybe he’ll screw with you a little first....

“I know lots of things love. You’re going to have to be more specific.”

A groan passes your lips. Maybe he doesn’t know....but the way his lips are turned upward, the smirk that seems to be growing on his face tells you otherwise. You’re not blind; you know the games George Weasley likes to play.

“Don’t be coy asshole.” You send him a look that says ‘try me.’ “I know you know. My question is, why haven’t you told me that you know?”

“I haven’t a clue what you mean.” He continues testing the waters of your frustration, seeing just how far he can go before you snap.

“Oh fuck me!” You exclaim, hands thrown up in the air. You point at him, eyes narrowing in his direction. “You’re a prick George.”

His grin only widens. “I’m pretty sure you’ve got the wrong twin (Y/n). Last time I checked, Freddie’s the one you want to fuck.” He says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

And....Bingo. There it is. The exact confirmation you wanted and feared.

You recoil, eyes widening at him. Your voice goes soft, serious. “Why didn’t you tell me that you knew?”

His warm eyes meet yours, a calmness to them that is surprisingly reassuring. “I’ve made a living out of not taking things seriously and meddling in other people’s lives (Y/n), but what you and Fred have, I won’t meddle in that.” He pauses for a moment, his voice softening. “It’s not my business to push you two together. You’ll realize it at your own pace.”

“Realize what at your own pace?” Fred leans his body against the doorframe. He’s dressed in a suit, his hair done up nicely, and unlike his twin, he looks entirely put together. The irony almost makes you laugh. You’ve always known George to be the prepared one, ready hours before he needed to be. And Fred a scambler, leaving everything to the last second, to be fashionably late was his life motto.

“Just how stupid the two of you are going to look all dressed up with no dates.” George answers for you, keeping the true nature of your conversation a secret. “Even Ginny’s managed to catch the chosen one.”

You huff out a laugh. “You’re an idiot.”

“Ah,” George muses. “But I am an idiot with a date.”

Fred grins at the two of you and your banter. “Angelina’s better off without you as her date.” He jokes.

A laugh passes your throat, Fred joining in with you. “Oh, sod off!” George pipes before shoving the two of you out to get ready.

• • • • •

Hours later you find yourself ready on time, a shocking revelation to you and each of the Weasley’s. And George is too. He sits beside you grinning like a mad man. Fred is on your other side, smiling all the same.

The ceremony is wonderful and quaint. You knew the moment you saw Fleur all those years ago, just how beautiful she was, but you never could have imagined just how much you’d grow to think of her like a sister. And it’s funny because you’re neither a Delacour nor a Weasley, and yet you feel like you belong. It’s different from the love you know Harry and Hermione feel for the Weasley’s, because ultimately, they’ll both marry in and it will be official, and as much as you love Fred, you know that will likely never be the case for you. But that’s the thing you love most about Molly and Arthur and their children: you don’t have to be related by marriage or blood to be a Weasley.

And seeing Fleur and Bill smile, seeing the pure happiness that they exude in this moment, it makes you forget why you ever questioned coming. It makes you hope that one day you can find what they have. You’d spent the last few minutes mesmerized by their first dance as a married couple. You’re so caught in a trance that you don’t hear the clapping when they’ve finished and stepped off the dance floor.

Your eyes snap up at the clearing of a throat beside you. George nudges you and you turn to look at him. He points at Fred who’s gazing at you curiously. You must have looked like a daft idiot, an utter love struck expression on your face.

“I’m sorry.” You laugh. “Did you say something Freddie?”

“Dance with me?” He asks.

Fred’s question lingers as you contemplate whether or not to accept his outstretched arm. But then your eyes drift up to his, and you catch the mischievous glint that rests in them. It’s in that moment that you know there is no turning back.

Groaning, you relent into his touch. “One dance.” You say, but you know that if he asked, you’d dance the night away.

The grin that spreads onto his face is nothing short of beautiful. It’s unmistakably perfect the way the light catches his features, his ginger hair glowing in the overcast moonlight, and an ethereal aura glistens from his skin. Fred looks youthful...and he looks undeniably happy.

Gripping your hand, he leads you to the dance floor. You catch a brief glimpse of Bill whose lips are tugged into an encouraging smile. Fred snaps your attention back to him as he pulls you into his body, bringing your arms to rest around his shoulders. You can hear the faint thrumming of the slow and melodic music drifting towards you, but all you register is the sound of Fred’s heart beating against yours. Wrapping yourself in his embrace, you allow yourself one second to believe that he might feel the same.

Your feet move in sync almost flawlessly, and it’s as if you’re reading each other’s movements without any effort. (Despite being known for your clumsy nature). But if you’re being honest, it’s always been like that with Fred....easy that is. Easy to read each other, easy to be with each other. It’s just natural. 

“You’re quite graceful Freddie.” You nudge him playfully, breaking the silence between you. 

“And you’re quite...” his voice drifts softly, “something.”

The half scoff, half laugh you let out rings in his ears. “Are you implying that I’m not a good dancing partner?”

“You’re a formidable partner love, just a shit dancer.”

Your eyes light up in amusement. “Well we can’t all be as graceful and beautiful as you Fred Weasley.”

He plays along happily. “No.” He agrees. “I guess we can’t. But I reckon everything else about you, your beauty, your wit, your affinity for kindness, makes up for your lack of dancing skills.”

It’s that self assured attitude that draws you to him. Yet he’s not the slightest bit arrogant. He simply believes in himself, knows his strengths and his weaknesses, is completely aware of his self worth, and he won’t let anyone tell him otherwise. It’s addicting to be around, and a quality so desperately you wish you could find in yourself.

And when Fred compliments you, you can believe that he’s telling you the truth. He makes you believe things about yourself that you would never dream to think about on your own. As cheesy as it sounds, he makes you feel seen. He makes you feel special. And it’s so strange because for as long as you can remember, everyone has always thought of you as merely the best friend of the infamous Weasley twins. Hardly to anyone had you been your own person with your own identity. But Fred never made you feel like that. You’ve always been someone to him, not just a product of who you chose to be friends with.

“You shouldn’t say things like that you know.” Your voice goes quiet.

Fred notices the change in your body language as you begin to close yourself off from him. “Why not?” He asks. “It’s the truth isn’t it?”

Your eyes catch his and your breath hitches. This feels like something. It feels like a moment, the moment that you’ve been waiting for. You never believed Fred could ever feel the same for you, but the look he’s giving you feels so so real.

“Fred, do you-“ You start, but he cuts in for you.

“Feel it too?” He finishes.

“Yeah.”

“I do.” He replies.

Your heart races in your chest as he pulls you closer into his embrace. This confession of feelings is nearly wordless, and yet it feels perfect. You’ve never needed to say a lot to Fred for him to understand you.

You’ve always just had that kind of connection.

You barely notice that you’re still dancing, your bodies moving on autopilot. And the people around you fade to nothing. Your focus is solely on the man who holds your heart in his hands.

Your movements slow as Fred tilts your chin towards his face. “I’ve been in love with you since we were 11 years old.” He says. It’s nearly impossible for your mind to process it. “I’ve known for so long, I just didn’t want to ruin what we have. But I reckon if there’s ever a time to do it, now seems pretty good.”

A gentle smile rests on your face, your heart warm at his words. “Now is perfect.”

Fred hums softly, his warm brown eyes searching yours for any sign of regret. He sees nothing but adoration staring right back at him.

“Can I kiss you?” This is the first time you’ve seen Fred so timid.

You smile coyly, nodding your head. “Such a gentleman.” You tease, pulling him gently towards you. Your lips meet so softly and briefly that you almost miss it.

But no matter how brief, it’s a feeling you’ll never forget. You both want more of each other, but you also know that standing in front of Fred’s immediate and extended family and friends, you can’t simply put on a show for the world to see, as much as he wants to.

You pull back for a moment only to find yourself wrapped in each other’s arms, swaying to the music. Most people in your situation would say something. Maybe they’d profess their love, or whisper sweet nothings into their lover’s ear, but right here, right now, words don’t need to be used.

You don’t need to say I love you to feel that you are loved. And you know Fred feels the same.

• • • • •

Off to the side, Bill takes a moment to part from his wife, approaching his younger brother with a shit eating grin.

“Bloody hell.” George runs a hand through his hair, spotting Bill striding towards him.

Their eyes lock for a moment and George notices his oldest brother’s lip quirk upward. “You owe me 20 galleons.” Bill states matter-of-factly.

George grumbles, reaching into his pocket to pull out the payment. Handing it to Bill, he smiles. “Get back to your wife you tosser.”

Bill nods, taking a step towards Fleur. He turns to face his brother, eyes glinting with mischief. “Just know, when they get married, I’m telling everyone I won.”

///////////////////

Taglist:

@amourtentiaa

[wildflowers-of-trolberg]

What are your 5 personal favorite Hilda fanfics?

Oooh okie so:

5. There Beneath The Maple Tree by ThePoeticWalrus (@trolbergoraclecolumnist)

Frida and Hilda sit beneath a tree to watch the clouds. When questions get asked, new feelings are found.

You'll notice this in most of my choices, but this is just a really soft and fluffy fic that warms my heart. There's a real sweetness to the whole thing, and something about how the pair's feelings are described is just so soft and earnest. This fic is in no small part responsible for Spare Room Safety, and I love how it handles Hilda and Frida's bond.

4. A bump in the night by Smart_heart (@the-hilda-librarians-wife)

Victoria Van Gale is a serious scientist. Even after her laboratory and workplace is destroyed, she remains the sort of person to look for the reasons behind everything. She likes being in control, she makes stern analyses and important experiments, and she… goes trick or treating with a bunch of kids?

I love Victoria, and this fic has everything I want to see for her; her playing the role of a guardian figure to Hilda, and the blue-haired girl and her friends worming their way into her heart, forcing her to ultimately reflect on herself. It's fun and cute, but it's also a genuinely really good redemption fic that doesn't push things too far and keeps all the characters perfect. And as much as I would love a sequel to see how much that halloween has changed her, Victoria's open ending is really good :))

3. Mum's the Word by Great_Raven_Parade (@great-raven-parade/@starlit-lion)

Alfur finds out ‘Mum’ isn’t Johanna’s real name. Tontu won’t stop teasing him about it.

This fic is honestly canon to me; it just feels like something that could happen in an episode of the show, from the subject to the tone to how all the characters are written, and it's just a really sweet and funny fic to explain a detail that the show never did. It's also where I got the phrase "not-hands" from, and I love the implication that Alfur will be adopted at some point.

2. The 5+1 Runaway Hilda AU by Nach0 (@nach0/@ultimate-kaisa-simp)

Thinking her mum wanted a better daughter, Hilda ran away from home. But deep down, she still misses Johanna.

Johanna was distraught when her daughter ran away. But she will keep searching for her, however long it takes.

The 5 times Hilda almost went back, the 5 times Johanna almost found her, and the 1 time they found each other.

This is the first fic someone ever wrote for me, and it's for one of my favourite AUs, so of course it's going to be on here. But why I really love it so much is how right it got that AU; Nach0 put in details that I hadn't even told them about, and got the details of Hilda and Johanna's separation and how they both coped (or didn't) so perfect. If it wasn't for this fic, the Runaway AU wouldn't exist as it does, and I love it to bits.

1. In Your Arms by ThePoeticWalrus (@trolbergoraclecolumnist)

An entire summer has passed since Trevor was taken in by Ms. Hallgrim, and out of the clutches of his mother. With a new school year comes a fresh start, and a chance to become who he really wants to be. When a new girl is introduced to the class, Trevor realizes that more has changed than he'd thought.

This one is another fic for one of my AUs; it's the sequel to Learned Behaviour, and honestly? It's the better fic of the two. I just love Trevor's arc so much, how he grows, makes amends for his past mistakes, and faces his fears now that he's free from his mother's abuse. His feelings for Lucy were also just really organically handled; it's adorable when you first realise he has a crush, and when he's trying to fix his hair to look cool for her, even though he hasn't realised his own feelings yet. And although they aren't major, I really love Hilda, Frida, Johanna, and Hilda's other family's roles in this whole thing; it's just perfect.

Also because this is me, you get some honourable mentions that I also think you should check out:

This is Somewhere by Great_Raven_Parade (@great-raven-parade/@starlit-lion)

"thank you, mom" by zayheathers (IDK if she's on tumblr)

The bells chime faintly, upon family found anew. by levi2207 (who I also don't think is on tumblr, although we have talked on discord)

A Familiar's Bouquet by Furashu (@furashuban)

Littlest Keeper by Nach0 (@nach0/@ultimate-kaisa-simp)

[ready-to-obeyme]

Scenario: (Reverse AU) Game character MC is also the exchange student

for context here is the HC post I made with the [Reverse AU]

//hehe i’m pretty happy you all liked that post so much-- biggest uwus-- but tbh I had  really hard time trying to title this LMAO  

--

Lucifer

Tries really hard to act cool with it-- he really does

The moment you are summoned into the Devildom he has to turn away and compose himself before giving his spiel/introduction about the exchange program, how it’s a year, how you’ll live in the House of Lamentation-- (oh fuck oh god you’re going to be LIVING with them?) 

On the outside he is composed

In fact he’d rather die than reveal to you that he’s not okay that you look AND act like the character he was deeply invested in the game

His brothers definitely know though, so any point he shows weakness they WILL pounce on it and tease him about it by hinting to you about your game-character look-alike

He doesn’t really seek your attention (like canon) mainly because he keeps getting nudged by Diavolo into interacting with you (“don’t they look familiar, lucifer?” and “why don’t you get to know the exchange student more, lucifer :^))))))”) 

In comparison to canon, probably treats you a lot nicer just by default-- coddling to the MAX (what can I say he plays favorites) 

Can’t bring it in him to really get mad, buys you gifts to leave at your door for your hard work as an exchange student-- but literally everyone else knows he’s spoiling you

anything cute you do KOs him and he has to compose himself with breathing exercise lmaooo 

Mammon

Basically this [post]

SIIIIIIIIMP

Considering the type of money he blew on the game, the fact that you’re real means that the money will now be pooled to you instead of game-character you 

When you got summoned and you called him over the phone, he legit thought it was a game call??? And was so confused because why did you mention Lucifer

When he comes and complains, he legit shuts up so quick when he sees you because (wheeze) is that-- is that really--

“Mammon, you’re going to take care of all their needs here during their stay--”

“NO PROBLEM” 

He’s so sweet towards you and takes his role to take care of all your needs very seriously

You’re craving something? He’s got it. You need to buy something? Say no more. Avatar of Greed is here for you baby

You have no clue why he’s being so nice to you, but you think he’s the nicest demon and person you’ve ever met

Like usual, protective over you and sticks by your side-- so really, has much changed? He’s been putty in your hands since the minute he laid eyes on you 

He’s not too careful about keeping the fact that you look like a game character though so when you ask him about it he freezes and stammers through an explanation (you think the game is funny though)

Levi

SIIIIIIIIIMP

Sees you and immediately freezes, turns around and goes back into his room to freak

It’s literally a dream come true?? To have a game/anime character be real????

Peeks and looks at you again to confirm your name, how you act, and what you look like

He’s the embodiment of “Un-Follow Me Now, This Is Gonna Be the Only Thing I Tweet About for The Next Week.”

He makes fan cams of you alsdfkjaslfjksjf and admires you from a far for a while

He’s a little afraid to approach you because what if you don’t like him?

Kinda adorable when you approach him because he’s soooo shy 

Tries really hard so that you’ll like him-- not that he really NEEDS to because you’d like him even if he wasn’t extra sweet-- but he’s convinced he needs to bring his A-game at all times

Remember what he did during the otome game chapter? He’s your husbando, baby, and he made your bento with LOVE

Probably still plays the game for a while but honestly getting to know you organically is 100x better than seeing you through a screen

Is a Complete Mess whenever you do something cute or wear cosplay-- how do you breathe again???

Satan

The only one that’s not a mess that was highly invested into the game

He’s surprised-- of course-- when he sees you summoned in the Devildom because what a coincidence to see someone look exactly like his favorite character in the game

Then you acted exactly like the character and had the same name and he had to take a little breather because his heart was beating so fast (be cool, Satan)

Legit wants to throw hands with Lucifer there and then when he gets a roast-y introduction from him 

Spends the rest of his time from then on being courteous and sweet and trying to make the best impression possible without being too extra (lookin’ at his other brothers cough)

Invites you to places and hang out with him like in canon and treats you normally best

Gets you gifts that he knew your game character liked in-game just to test to see if you really are like the character

Becomes a little secret experiment for him to see what the similarities are and if there are any differences because it’s honestly just really funny for him to see how alike the two of you are (and if Simeon is behind it just like how he is with TSL) 

He’s all chill until you dress up in cat-ears for some school event and he can’t even look at you without getting heart palpitations

Asmodeus

“Ohhhhh wow!! You know, you look suuuuper similar to this one character--”

Has absolutely no qualms with revealing that you look like a character in a game he plays and gushing about you and the character

tbh ofc he’s the only brother who has the finesse to make this revelation casual and no-big-deal because he wasn’t very invested in the game but he played the game enough to have you as a favorite

Right from the get-go is very friendly towards you and wants to get to know you better

He wasn’t very invested into the game in the first place, but you BET he’s gonna drag you to his room to dress you in cute clothing

He can’t unlock all of the game-costumes or your cute cards, but having you give him a mini fashion show is way easier and a lot better in his opinion

And the fact that you’re real and he can touch you? Ugh, say no more

He’s a very tactile, touchy person so being able to hug you and give you affection is making this 100x better than just gushing about game-character you 

You are on his Devlilgram ALL the time-- and takes a bunch of pics with the two of you together in all the possible poses and filters he can find; he can’t get enough of you!

Beelzebub

Considering how little he invested into the game, he probably doesn’t even realize the similarities between you and the game-character you for a long time

His brothers probably have to bring it up for him to realize

“Beel, don’t you think they look exactly like the game character?”

“...............oh.”

He probably starts asking questions about you just to check if you really are the game character that everyone is talking about

You don’t even know why he’s asking you what your favorite food is or what is your opinion on summer festivals-- but you feel kinda happy because he’s asking so much about you

Does eventually tell you about the game and seriously talks to you about you being a game character but that he’s liked you regardless anyways 

Honestly… doesn’t treat you that differently ngl he was already sweet to you from the beginning (after he, you know, gets over his food getting eaten)

Belphegor

He’s REALLY confused when he sees you as the exchange student

Thinks he’s still asleep and dreaming for a hot second because there’s no way that his favorite game character would actually manifest in reality 

Then you talk to him and he’s like “..................oh.” (twinssss)

Lowkey gets more invested into the game after seeing you because if that’s not a sign he’s going to get the next UR he doesn’t know WHAT is

Definitely asks you if you can dance (yknow for the dance battles)

A little shy at first, mainly because he doesn’t know how to react, but once he warms up to you, treats you as normal

This is all assuming he is NOT IN THE ATTIC

If he IS STUCK IN THE ATTIC, the first time he sees you walk up the attic andn find him is like a fever dream and he thought he just manifested you because he was desperate 

A little paranoid that this is just a hallucination or a trick of his mind-- because go figure he’d go insane being stuck in the attic and being addicted to this game 

Definitely soften his tone when talking to you and a little weirded out that you’re the exchange student

You have a high chance of NOT dying by his hands because he has a soft spot for you and getting to know you :)

[bansheeoftheforest]

Well, my wifi is not back, and wont be anytime soon. The very earliest luckiest would be getting it back by Tuesday (unlikely). The very worst my house burns down so theres that /lh /hj

This sucks so much because I really cannot read asks I dont see in real time, I have the same amount of reading comprehension for them as I do Frankenstein XD

Dm me links to any important syndicate asks I miss while I'm gone 👍

-

Bannnnnn I tried to draw the Jekyll brothers but Kent? Is inconsistent? The database (what I use) showd him as a clean shaven guy with a bit messy hair but google is showing Kent as a completely different model? Neat hair, Brokenshire beard. Like it's the ingame "identify" zoom in and I cant check whats right before I already killed himmmm

Anyway here art <3. I know I said I'd draw the DTIYS first but art inspiration is stored in the Syndicate au <3

-

Also I've been thimking about Henry wearing a mask +plus ponytail to hide his identity like for the past two days. Yknow those theater masks? The weeping and laughing? He wears the sad one while in the Blighters and Templars and the happy one while in the Rooks because hes a dramatic theater nerd. Also! I like to think that if Jekyll has to be a templar he'd still wear the Blighter uniform when he could and pretend hes not high ranking. He gets away with it because Crawford doesn't care about him and Roth lives for chaos

I also drew Henry in a mask and ponytail but it's not done yet 😔

-

Also I did the math the the twins are 3 years older than Jekyll. Like thank goodness first of all because I fully went into ship entirely unaware on if there were canon ages or a scary difference. But also Jacob being 3 years older than Henry is kinda funny to me

-

All of Evie's outfits (besides her default) are bad and I'm gonna fist fight the designers because the secrets of london (where I only searched the locations of 3) is so bad, especially with the effort needed. How did they do Jacob so good, but utterly fail with Evie /lh

NOOOOOOO D: Man, I really hope you will get it back asap, and also that your house don't burn down!!

Man, if I don't know your struggle rn. However I shall do my best to link you to every syndicate ask that I will get from here on out bc I don't tend to get small asks for that au so <3

--

Huh-- oh wow you're right. I wonder if it is a set design or just a bit on random depending on the save file... I killed him a long ass time ago so I have absolutely no idea how he looked like <3

EITHER WAY OH MY GOD IT LOOKS AAMZING. I love??? How you gave all three individual personalities in just a single picture??? Kent looks like he is seconds away from murder and I LOVE Henry in the templar outfit, it fits him so well??? Man I really want to start thinking more of this branch. Would the entire Jekyll family be Templars so the trio got that role inherited? Are Raphael and Kent unidentical twins and Henry is the odd-one-out because he is the youngest? Were the three of them really close in Scotland, but left as soon as possible bc their family was abusive, only for Kent and Raphael to find refuge in the Templar Order while Henry goes to university? Would they still have that brotherly love if they were close as kids even when they are in the Order, or would they have a falling out and start despising each other (or Jekyll @ the older brothers at least)? Would Raphael and Kent secretly be protective of Henry and manage to keep him out of Starrick's line-of-sight so that Henry won't get in trouble for defying orders/ignoring them? Would they force Henry to join the Templars with threats or would Henry mostly feel obligated to join them? Since the Templar Order isn't illegal in London, would other people know that Jekyll is a Templar, or would he keep it hidden from the public? Would his brothers help hide his identity?? SO many questions and I'm so sad I won't be able to discuss them with you :'c

(also can I just say I love the poetic differences between their clothing. Raphael is just wearing a waistcoat/basic clothes and he is a brute and more open, Kent is wearing more clothes/layering up and he is the "brains" out of the two of them, Jekyll is wearing the most layers and is almost trying to hide himself and I just... *chief's kiss*)

--

Henry being a dramatic theater nerd and stealing Roth's costume supplies to hide his identity bc he is so ashamed of it and doesn't want people he knows to know about it my beloved <3 Plus the blighter uniforms doesn't look too far off of what he normally wears so he could probably use that as an excuse whenever some other Templar gets up his ass about not wearing the right clothes, yet it still doesn't make Henry feel any better knowing he has to bear the knowledge that he is actively wearing discreet blighter clothes to keep the Order happy and the public oblivious, knowing what cause he is reluctantly supporting. (him joining the rooks and suddenly coming into the Society all dressed in green lol)

Anyways I have now also decided that Maxwell and Henry are friends bc they both hate the Templars and Crawford and Henry gets to star in many of the plays he sets up. Plus they are both slightly insane so they match each other good.

YKNOW WHAT I WAS DAYDREAMING ABOUT WHILE BRUSHING MY TEETH RIGHT AFTER THIS ASK? Jekyll being forced to be the one to murder his brothers and the twins trying to track the murderer down just to know who tf are killing their targets, conveniently at the same time Maxwell starts meeting Jacob. Henry watching Jacob from afar getting smitten by him but keeping a distance bc he knows Maxwell is possessive, Jacob being the first to befriend Henry after Maxwell explains that both of them are against the Templars and Crawford, Jacob saving Henry during the fire of the theater? Yes pls <3

--

Thank god bc here I was imagining an age gap of like idk 15 years bc of the differences in the timeline but! I'm just going to keep the canonical age difference while also shoot the timeline up a lil so that the events of Syndicate and TGS takes place at the same time but they are the right age and stuff, just bc I do not like Evie's and Jacob's older designs and I do not want to imagine them meeting during the Ripper dlc <3 Also the thought of Jacob being older than Henry is funny. I think Henry has a type /j

-

They are so fucking bad and I'm going to scourage the Nexus to see if I can find any good redesign mods because they are so fucking bad. But to be fair, all female main characters' outfits are bad. Pearl? Lucy Thorne? Mfs looks like vampires. Even more reasons for why I only play Jacob, bc all other outfits on Evie are bad <3

[goosedawn]

i've never listened to Friends At The Table (though it's on my list now, dnd campaigns podcast wooo!) what would the storyline of the crossover entail? with the HermitCraft characters i'm guessing it's chaotic and interesting 😊

:0!!!! :DDD!!!!!!! if u end up giving it a shot i hope u enjoy it! they dont actually play dnd, they play a bunch of other tabletop games which are all really neat also! (also if u need a suggestion for where to start if/when u get to it, feel free to drop me an ask)

the story follows the typical structure of "group is sent off to do tasks for money, and eventually realise something bigger is going on" so i am largely following the plot in that way, where groups of adventurers are sent out to investigate a series of towers that appear to have some connection to the gods of the world. ajhsjjejhfhjef most of my thoughts about the au are more character based,, so instead of a proper plot summary i can give details and thoughts on where some of the hermits fit into everything so far (while. trying to avoid the big twists revealed in the podcast ig,,?) i also ended up including some sleepybees (sbi + beeduo) in the au but im still not 100% sure on where they fit in (as in i have too many ideas djhdkndnj)

ANYWAY uhhhh some spoilers for the universe im basing this off of, under the cut cos it got long :'D

context/setting:

the specific arc/universe that this au is set in is the one from Seasons in Hieron (SiH) which is their fantasy season! (its. its long,, this arc spans i think. 3 seasons? plus a short interlude season)

the setting was previously a traditional fantasy world that had some sort of great catastrophe (the Erasure) happen, and the current world is after people have rebuilt a new society! its described as "post-fantasy, post-post-apocalyptic" its very fun and subversive and afhdjfbj the worldbuilding is just. real good :>

-----

characters:

im still figuring out where different hermits fit into the au but i am basically taking aspects of various characters from the podcast and splitting roles and traits to hermits, so its all mixed up! also,, there are just. so many hermits,, i have not found places for all of them (not even most of them i dont think) but here is what i have so far:

impulse and zedaph work in the New Archives (a series of huge warehouse-like archives run by the orcs of this world!) impulse is an orc, zed is not! impulse works to retrieve artifacts for the archive, and zed,, hes just kinda there. learning and experimenting with pattern magic (a type of magic done by arranging and rearranging things in specific configurations, often they are obscure and weird things like "27 brown birds in a tree, 5 table legs, 500 buttons, 16 steps to the east" etc.) when the story finds them they are studying a fallen tower in the center of the Mark of the Erasure (a location still showing the effect of the great cataclysm that befell the world)

tango vaguely takes the role of Ephraim, prince of something or rather,,, idk man hes cool and has fire powers, very anime. his powers were a gift from the gods, and he goes on to hv close relations w them! he meets up with impulse and zed later on and become fast friends obviously

joe is an expert in pattern magic, and is on the run from the archives after having stolen a pretty nondescript notebook. its a nice notebook! hes just a human guy. he writes and recites poetry in order to do pattern magic using the notebook!

cleo hails from the city of *Nacre*, where people get multiple chances at life. people from there can get killed but will exist on as zombies, then if they are killed again, they exist as ghosts, and then they pass away fully. she is an undead pirate captain that joe somehow manages to sway over to their side ahjbhfbjf,, she is hunting down the lost prince/king of Nacre.

wels is a pala-din (pal-ah-deen, rather than paladin), a sort of living marble statue that serves one of the gods in the pantheon.

scar is ofc, a wizard! it. it should be noted that wizards dont really exist in this world, people who perform and study magic are mages, not wizards,, "wizard" is kind of a weird term to use sjbdbjhfjjhb scar takes place of The Great Fantasmo in the podcast, and similarly has an invisible assistant! he doesnt seem to remember much of his past...

cubfan works in Velas, a fishing town where the story "begins" he does not enjoy talking to scar, and seems to be sad whenever hes around. perhaps scar reminds him of someone, or perhaps of better times...

tfc hes a priest aagsuijdjhkdgjdkihwhjvd i swear theres a reason for this later,, the role of the npc alyosha is somewhat split between tfc and cub!

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others i have thoughts on but im not settled on yet:

im debating having xisuma as part of the pantheon, but if not, he would be a druid so he can shapeshift into animals sjbakjnsnfjb he would take the general role of Fero in the story, but would also be kind of split with evil x, who captures... a certain stubbornness and deepset frustration Fero has in later times.

etho could take the place of Samol, the first god to exist. he is the embodiment of this world, and is kind of isolated and strange wbhshjhbdbhjdjbdkjn,, strange /pos. hes also. kind of dissapearing though... i wonder why :)

while theoratically i could have xisuma as samol cos. yknow. admin. i think the vibes and role just fit etho better

and... if i had etho as samol i think it could be fun to have doc and bdubs as other members of the pantheon, if u go with their dynamic from the start of s7 they even fit the divorced couple vibe two of the gods have /lh /hj (nho pantheon pog..? maybe. theres a total of 5 deities in the pantheon tho...)

im leaning toward either false + stress or maybe gem + pearl pairs for two of the goddesses in the pantheon, but thatd probably depend on if i can find a better place for them ;P

techno and phil take the role of red jack, and techno is a Huge Oni Dude >:] in canon red jack has a cool horse!!! it fits!! hes also. heavily implied to be kinda immortal?? anyway. im torn on this because techno and phil ALSO fit the roles of some of the player characters, with relation to the missing prince/king of Nacre but im still working things out,,

no matter whats up with them, ranboo takes the role of bluejay, redjacks son, meeting up with tubbo and tommy who take the place of benjamin, the son of one of the player characters. tubbo and tommy kind of. get sent to another dimension to keep them safe,,? and live in a lie for many years before they are brought back.

when i first thought about this au, i also thought about the whole. sending child off into fake dimension to live life, and of course. i thought about. grumbot ofc and originally planned to have mumbo or grian take the place of that player character abhdfvnbrvbn but it also implies one or both of them would be paladins (not pala-din! just the normal religious knight) AND have connections to tubbo and tommy which is. funny but ehhhh idk.

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and that. maybe probably somewhat incoherent train of thought is what i have for the au so far! its. still very much a work in progress so thank you if you stuck through all that!! ive still got a lot to think abt in the au,,,, lots to figure out ;P hopefully i can iron it out a bit more in the future, but its fun to think about for the time being

[sou-ver-2-0]

I was thinking of an AU, where the death game is created by Sou and set up in Shin's favor. I don't have it well developed yet, but I thought it might be something you'd find interesting!

I definitely find that idea interesting!! I wish you luck in developing that idea further!

For canon, I’m attached to the theory that the Man from the Memorandum is the mastermind of the Death Game, and that his favored candidate is Sara, leaving Shin in the dust. But I really love the idea that Sou could parallel the Memorandum Man in this regard, and that his favored candidate is Shin! An AU where Sou is the mastermind himself sounds delicious as candy to me.

I’ll leave it to you to work out the finer details of your AU. But, maybe it will inspire you if I share some of the ideas @novatoast and I have come up with for our:

“Sou/Midori wants Shin to live” Theory

This theory is a villain stan’s fever dream, but we do have some evidence for it. The basic principles of this theory are that:

Sou might have died for Shin, or else, that he died knowing that his death would give Shin a fighting chance.

Midori is leaving gifts for Shin, and so the “weakest candidate” ends up having a shocking number of advantages.

I already discussed some ways the first point could work in my “Midori is Meister’s Son Theory” post. The basic argument for it is that Original Sou parallels Kai, and if Kai died entrusting his “hopes and regrets” to Sara, it is possible that Sou died entrusting his own name to Shin. Midori the doll even claims, “I gave Sou to Shin.”

The obvious counterargument against this theory is that Midori also states that he wanted to kill Shin himself! You know, “since he was going to die anyway.” To explain this contradiction, I previously speculated that Midori could have lost his “positive emotions” for Shin, to parallel how Rio Ranger lost his own “positive emotions.” Recently, I thought of a different explanation: notably, Midori only says this line in the “Kanna lives” route. It’s possible that Nankidai is setting up a surprise in this route that the person Midori really wants to kill is Kanna, for taking “his Shin” away from him. Another explanation is that Midori is furious at Shin for throwing away all his chances at survival, and this line reflects his anger.

Am I reaching? Obviously, yes. This is the theory where I dial up my self-indulgence to eleven.

Anyway! Isn’t it funny how Shin keeps getting all these gifts and advantages? What if Midori was giving them to him??

1. The name ‘Sou Hiyori’: Midori claims that he gave Sou to Shin! Sou is the name of a villain who lies and uses people. It’s the name of a strong man who has the potential to win. The previous Death Game winner may have even been the role of “The Villain,” so it can be done!

2. The laptop: Shin finds the Hidden Room with the laptop, and he even comments that it may be a gift from the kidnappers. To me, Shin’s dialogue sounds like someone who is used to being toyed with. However, the laptop is undeniably useful to Shin. Firstly, it contains incriminating evidence against Kai, helping to ensure Kai’s death in the First Main Game instead of Shin. Secondly, the laptop proves Shin’s usefulness to the group as a computer hacker, giving him a lifeline he could seize…if he so desired.

3. The gift of knowledge: Before the First Main Game, Shin somehow knew about the Sacrifice Card! And other details about the Main Game! He uses this knowledge to isolate Kanna and trick her—underhanded tactics he surely picked up from his relationship with Sou. Shin also uses this knowledge to devise a strategy to draw out the Sage, while protecting himself and Kanna by acting outrageous enough that they could have each been the Sacrifice.

4. The laptop charger: Wowowow isn’t that convenient?? Isn’t that just what we all needed to keep using the laptop, that precious item which highlights Shin’s invaluable skillset? And Shin just found a charger lying around? Wow!

5. The stun gun: Shin mysteriously got himself a weapon!! Where the hell did you get that, Shin? That’s clearly an unfair advantage!

6. Kugie’s smartphone: I love the implications that Midori may have intended Kugie’s smartphone—with the cruel message—to be a present for Shin, to corner Kanna even further. Notably, Shin and Kanna found the room first, but they were too scared to go inside, and so Sara ended up picking up the phone. Ultimately, Shin used the smartphone to try to boost Kanna’s self-esteem, and he tried to hide the fact that he cared about her. (Though Kanna figured it out anyway.)

With these gifts falling into his lap, Shin entered the Second Main Game with a Strong Persona; a henchman who was willing to die for him; and with everyone recognizing how indispensable his computer hacking skills were. He had so many advantages.

And then he throws them all away.

He gives up on lying about his name, because he wants to be able to trust people again.

He uses all his wiles to try to save Kanna, even at the cost of his own life.

He argues that you should not vote for the “useless” child, and that you should instead vote for the “hated” villain, himself.

If Shin had simply kept up the selfish Sou Hiyori persona, he could have survived!

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Sou/Midori had also given up everything for Shin? That he may have had logical reasons for being so cruel to Shin, to try to make Shin a “strong” person? Because he thought that was the only way his kind-hearted, “weak” friend could live?

Who had the motivation to give the weakest candidate so many advantages? Might Shin have had his own “hero in the shadows,” similar to how Kai was looking out for Sara…but more like a “devil in the shadows” looking out for him?

…On the one hand, I don’t want to get my hopes up too high for Midori. He’s honestly a flat character so far. But he has so much potential!!

The way I’m envisioning this theory, Sou/Midori could be trying to foil Meister’s hopes that Sara will win. (Though it’s certainly possible that Sou/Midori is simply playing into Meister’s hands, or else that he’s dutifully following instructions. We just don’t know.) What makes this theory so fun to me is that I love rebellious villains trying to overthrow the system. I also like the idea that Sou/Midori could turn out to be shockingly “concerned for Shin’s welfare,” but without ever understanding what Shin really needed from him as a friend. That Sou could have approached “saving Shin” from a point of view that is still selfish and cruel. That his actions still harmed Shin, because he never cared what Shin himself wanted.

Going back to your AU though!! If Sou Hiyori is the Mastermind himself? I feel like he could give Shin even more advantages! That sounds like such a cool premise to me. I’m sorry that I hijacked your ask to talk about this theory, haha, but I hope you found it interesting. Good luck!

[katieskarlette]

I got the Folk and Fairy Tales of Azeroth book today and have read over half of it, through the one about the Forsaken soldiers.

It’s an entertaining read, but aside from the Tuskarr one (and maybe the Earth Mother one) the stories have been kind of depressing.  Maybe it’s just me.

I don’t like creepy ghost stories, so the Vulpera and Goblin stories, while well-written, just weren’t my cup of tea.  The Forsaken one had an amusing ending but was pretty damn dark otherwise--which is fitting, of course, but didn’t change the overall tone of gloominess.

Both the Vereesa and Uther ones were so full of symbolism and veiled allusions that I feel like I need to read them at least twice more before I can begin to wrap my mind around them.  I had read spoilers so I knew what they were about in broad strokes, but I was still left confused about what I should take away from them.

More spoilery (and not particularly positive) comments below.

Is it weird that the most interesting conversation Zovaal has had so far was with Vereesa Windrunner in a story that’s basically a fever dream of dubious canonicity, in a book that costs over $30 and thus will be read by a fraction of the playerbase?  And by “weird” I mean “a shame.”  He’s genuinely wounded by what he sees as his siblings’ betrayal, and is a textbook case of “I got burned once so I’m never ever ever letting anyone close enough to hurt me again.”  Which isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s more characterization than he’s gotten in-game so far.  He even had the tiniest glimmer of a sense of humor when he commented that everyone has a hole in their heart, but they’re usually not visible like his.  I want him to be a good villain, damn it, but there’s so little to work with, so I’ll take what I can get.

The Sisters story definitely gives credence to the theory that Sylvanas’ soul was split like Uther’s upon her death to Frostmourne.  We still don’t know exactly what that means, or if it’s fixable, but it’s definitely something Blizzard is teasing.  I’ve said it before, but I don’t like the possible implications about culpability (or lack thereof) for deeds performed after one’s soul is split.  I don’t want a convenient “oh, this character’s soul was broken, so nothing they did is really their fault” kind of end to the stories of characters like Sylvanas, Arthas, and Uther.  But neither do I think they should be condemned with the same severity as someone like Kil’jaeden, Gul’dan, or Adelas Blackmoore.  I wrote a piece about that back in November so I’ll just link to it and move on.

If Vereesa was so broken up about her sister’s death to the point where she had a mental breakdown and wandered the wilderness on some kind of near-suicidal vision quest, maaaaaaaaaaaybe we should have heard about it before, like, you know, in the game?  Because now either Vereesa is not going to be part of Sylvanas’ destiny in 9.1 (and beyond?), which won’t feel right, or she is going to have a significant role, in which case the majority of the playerbase will be in the dark because once again a lore development happened in supplementary media.  

I’m generally supportive of the idea of retroactively fleshing out lore, but something about this didn’t quite sit right with me for some reason.  I might be too nitpicky, though.  I am glad they chose to focus on the love between sisters, as that’s a topic that almost never gets addressed in WoW lore.  I just wish it hadn’t been in the context of, “Oh, you want to know more about the fate of Sylvanas’ soul?  The thing we’ve been teasing you about back and forth, over and over for years?  The thing we’ve been deliberately obtuse about in order to rile up the fandom?  Okay, read this surreal story that may or may not even have happened in canon and be even more confused!”

Sigh.  Moving on.

The Uther story was weird.  Really weird.  Uther is a father figure to Arthas, so having him be attracted to the AU!fem!Arthas was uncomfortable.  (And stumbling upon maidens bathing in the forest?  Could that be more of a cliché?)  Was the minstrel supposed to be genderbent Jaina?  He was described more like Kel’thuzzad, but that doesn’t really make sense, either. I know, it’s a fairy tale AU, it’s not supposed to be a perfect one-for-one parallel, but I felt like the story could have gotten the same message across without some of the extraneous details cluttering the scenes.  Was the young man in green and gold supposed to be Nathanos?  The warrior woman with red hair was...who, exactly?  Every time Uther met a character my brain came to a screeching halt trying to figure out if it was supposed to be a familiar character from the main universe, and if so what (if anything) that meant.

And, I mean, the message is okay, I guess.  I’m a huge fan of empathy.  But it seems like there could have been a better way to express that moral than a slightly-creepy Rule 63 AU full of distracting maybe-cameos.

Maybe I’ll like it better upon re-reading, but as I said I’d already been spoiled about the basic plot and the name anagrams, so I knew what I was getting into when I started reading.

Maybe there’s an appendix telling how both Vereesa and Uther stumbled upon some funny mushrooms.  That would explain a lot.

[the-astro-ace]

Alrighty, for @spiritofcamelot who asked for snippets from my giant list of WIPs lmao

SO HERE WE GO

9 - Dragonlord Gwaine

So, uh, funny story

The first chapter of this one is up on AO3 X’D

Basic premise: Gwaine is a Dragonlord, but he doesn’t know it until he happens to run across Balinor in a tavern one day

Ummm, yyyyyyyyyyyyyyeah.  I’m stuck on this one X’D.  I had Plans, but then the further I got in the Plans, the less I liked the Plans, and now I don’t know what to do this one laskdjfklasdf

I would love to give a snippet from Chapter 2, but as it stands right now I have no idea how much of my current WIP of chapter 2 is actually going to make it in/get released

So

Yeah

I hope to finish this one, but I have no idea how soon that’ll be ;-;

~~~

19 - Spymaster Merlin

Basically: Arthur realizes Merlin knows what he’s talking about when it comes to enemies, and decides to make it official by appointing Merlin as spymaster

Merlin then turned back to Arthur.

Arthur was watching him, his brow furled in thought.

Merlin glanced behind himself - was that where Arthur was looking? - but when it revealed nothing, he turned back, utterly confused.  “Arthur?  Is something wrong?”

Arthur stared at him for a moment longer, before sighing and leaning back in his chair.  He gestured to the empty one across the desk from him.   “Have a seat, Merlin.”

Merlin was taken aback.  He gestured to the clothes that still needed putting away.  “But I -”

“Now, if you please.”

Merlin blinked, but he nodded and set out the half-folded shirt on Arthur’s bed, before making his way to the desk and taking a seat.

Arthur was silent for several moments, staring at Merlin with that expression of consideration.

Merlin’s stomach began to twist.  Did… did Arthur find out somehow?

Merlin shifted.  “Arthur?”

Finally, Arthur spoke, “Merlin… you knew about Valiant.  You tried to warn me of him before he attacked.  You were investigating the men who impersonated Sirs Ethan and Oswald long before anyone was suspicious of their true identities.  You knew Lady Catrina was a troll before anyone else -”

Merlin shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  “Arthur -”

Arthur held up a hand, and Merlin shut his mouth with an audible click. 

Arthur paused, then he let out a breath.  “What I’m trying to say is that… you have good instincts, good reflexes, and time and time again you have proven your loyalty to me and to Camelot.  You have a way of figuring things out before anyone does, and you are able to make connections with people that I am incapable of.  You take things into your own hands, and if there’s a threat, you’re one of the first people who know about it.”

Arthur clasped his hands on the table, and met Merlin’s eyes with an intensity Merlin wasn’t sure he liked.

“I have a proposition for you, Merlin.”

~~~

37 - Gwaine Emrys

I AM SO HAPPY YOU ASKED ABOUT THIS ONE BECAUSE I LOVE THE PREMISE SO MUCH

This is another attempt of mine for a comedic fic, and, here, I’ll just paste the first bit and hope it is self-explanatory 😆

There were a lot of things that led to the situation Gwaine was in now.

First and foremost, he supposed, was that several years before, he had jumped into a fight in a tavern to help save a handsome, raven-haired young man and his companion from surely being killed.

That, of course, led to him waking up in an unfamiliar castle and an unfamiliar bed. And that led to many more moments with the raven-haired young man in question, bringing Gwaine to a life that he never thought he could have had, but would never give up for the rest of the world.

Now, several years after that initial day in the tavern, Gwaine’s life was looking very different.

Very different indeed.

For starters, he was now a knight for that raven-haired young man’s companion.  One noble, albeit very prattish at times, King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot.

And that raven-haired young man in question, one quite handsome Merlin Emrys, was Gwaine’s husband.

His name wasn’t Merlin Emrys when they met, no, for Merlin had had no surname to speak of then.  

But when magic had been finally, finally returned to Camelot and Merlin had been given the role of Court Sorcerer, Arthur had asked Merlin to pick one.  To appear more regal in the eyes of the council and of the neighboring kingdoms, he explained.

Merlin could have chosen the last name of his father – and that of the Dragonlord Clan Ambrosius – but as people knew him by his other name, Emrys, already, Merlin went for convenience and simply opted to make his second name his surname.

And when, about a year later, he proposed to Gwaine and asked for them to be married, Gwaine was faced with a decision himself.

He had never told Arthur – or anyone other than Merlin, really – his true surname, wishing to keep that part of his past buried and forgotten.

He was Sir Gwaine, Knight of Camelot and nothing more.

But when it came time to sign the marriage papers, Gwaine found himself adding on a new part to his name – one that made him completely and utterly Merlin’s.

Gwaine Emrys.  Not too shabby sounding if you asked him.

However, thinking back to that moment when Gwaine chose his new name, he never could have predicted what would transpire because of that choice. Most everyone in Camelot knew Merlin, and most knew Gwaine was his husband and a knight.  A mundane, magic-less knight.

But, there were still people who did not know Merlin on sight, especially in the outer villages.

In hindsight, Gwaine supposed they should have realized mix-ups like this would occur.

“Everyone! He’s here!  The great and powerful Emrys!”

The faces of the villagers lit up, and they all turned to Gwaine with broad smiles – cheering and clapping with the belief that the great sorcerer was among them, and all their problems would soon be solved.

Oh dear.  

This would take some explaining to do.

~~~

65 - Selkie Gwaine

I remembered this one having more - whoops

Okay so this file has a grand WHOPPING total of 43 words, so I shall just use a description I already wrote lol

OKAY SO I'm uh, not sure how this is going to start

But I think the basic set up to start will be that Merlin+Gwaine+the others are all living in a seaside village.  Merlin and Gwaine are good friends, and often hang out

Somehow I'll establish that Gwaine never talks about his past - he's referenced a couple things, but he never goes in depth, and Merlin's never heard him mention going to visit his family.  His dad's dead, but other than that Merlin doesn't know what happened to them (So actually not too different than canon alksdjfasd)

I think just...one night a storm's coming in.  And Gwaine's just...sad.  Maybe it's an anniversary, or maybe it's his mother's birthday, but point is Gwaine's just being all melancholic That night the storm comes in, and as Merlin's on the beach doing, uh, Something, he spots a figure sitting in the shallow waves

And Merlin, upon closer look, finds it's Gwaine

Merlin is of course ASLKDJFLKAJSDFLKJASDF "GWAINE WHAT ARE YOU DOING"

Gwaine doesn't move (I'm trying to decide if he's inebriated at this point too but idk), and Merlin approaches him, to get him out of the water before he drowns, gets struck by lightning, or gets hypothermia, ya know? And I just have this idea of Gwaine, when Merlin gets close, is all "Can't you hear it singing?"

Merlin's all ???

Gwaine: "The ocean.  Can't you hear it?"

But point is Merlin grabs his arm and is all "Come on we need to go" and at that Gwaine gets up and follows

So Merlin gets Gwaine back to his house - Gwaine just seems out of it this whole time so he's probably inebriated oof - before Merlin gets him out of his wet clothes, gets a fire going And of course he's a bit 😳 at the idea of cuddling for warmth with Gwaine (because this is me lol) but point is he's certain Gwaine's going to get hypothermia if he doesn't

So they get all comfy and go to sleep aslkdjfjlaksfjklasdf

The next morning they wake up and Merlin's just "Do you want to tell me what that was all about??"

And Gwaine just sighs

"I'm not human, Merlin

"I'm a selkie"

~~~

77 - BODY SWAP

Merwaine Body Swap AU.  Pretty self explanatory I think

Merlin looked into the mirror.

He expected to find two Merlin’s staring back at him: himself, and the figure with his face next to him.  But instead, he found one Merlin standing to his right side -

And Gwaine, taking the place where he should have been.

“W-what?” Merlin breathed, before reaching a hand up to his face.

The Gwaine in the mirror did the same.

Merlin’s breathing grew ragged, and he ran his hand over his face - feeling his cheeks, his nose, the scruff covering his jaw.  While there had been mornings he’d desperately needed to shave before, there had never been anything like this.

The most damning thing, however, was when he moved his hands to the sides, and found long hair there - brown and curled, and definitely far longer than Merlin had ever let it grow.

And it finally began to sink in what all this meant.

If - if he was in Gwaine’s body, and the figure with Merlin’s face thought Merlin had stolen his -

Merlin turned to the person next to him.   

The figure with Merlin’s face was doing the same thing Merlin had been, running his hands over his face with a shocked expression, as if unable to believe what he saw in the mirror.

Then he slowly turned to look at Merlin, that shocked expression still there.

“Merlin?” the figure asked.

“Gwaine?” Merlin responded, stomach sinking at this confirmation of who it was that was truly standing next to him.

They stared at each other for a moment longer.

Then they screamed.

[rainythefox]

Nightfall (CH.15)

Synopsis: Pre-Resident Evil 1, slight-AU/Canon Divergence. Claire Redfield comes home to visit her  brother Chris for the holidays but gets caught up in a dangerous game of  cat and mouse with Albert Wesker, the Captain of STARS, after stumbling  upon dark secrets. She can’t call the law; Wesker is the law, and she  can’t tell Chris. She is trapped…Claire/Wesker & Slight Chris/Jill (There’s Wesker & William Bromance too lol). Rated M for smut, language, violence, adult content.

AO3 Link

Chapter 15:Infatuation

Claire was awake when she heard Chris getting ready for work, but she stayed in bed. She didn’t join him for breakfast or a cup of coffee. She didn’t see him off. She just turned over on her side, away from her door where the hallway light creeped through underneath. She had endured a near sleepless night of tosses and turns, the aches in her muscles a stinging reminder of what she had done.

She must’ve fallen asleep for a couple of hours because she awoke to sunshine peeking through the curtains. The sun was out, reflecting off the snow that blanketed the city. Claire got out of bed and did her usual morning ritual: dressing, brushing her teeth, hopelessly trying to come up with a way to escape her grim situation. Funny how that last one had snuck into her daily routine. Her new normal apparently.

Claire made herself toast and orange juice for breakfast but barely touched it. She tried distracting herself with the newspaper, but there wasn’t anything interesting to read in Raccoon Times.

Umbrella Corporation opens new distribution center, creates 600 new jobs

Mayor Warren promises more funding for local orphanage

Kite Bros. expands Downtown travel with new subway tunnel

Clock Tower Plaza puts up traditional Raccoon City Christmas Tree

Even though Chris left her his truck again, she didn’t want to go anywhere. Where would she go? See a friend and potentially drag them into her situation? Try and get help from someone else that was under Wesker’s boot or on his payroll? Raccoon City seemed like an illusion now, a cesspool of collusion and extortion. As though the rose-colored glasses she had once viewed the city in were ripped from her eyes to expose all of the red flags and blood she couldn’t see before.

Besides, she felt bad for the fight she had with her brother last night. Despite Chris overstepping boundaries with his overprotective nature, he was just concerned for her. He knew she was hiding something and was worried. The Redfield siblings only had each other, for nearly nine years now. Chris had sacrificed time and time again for her, to make sure they could stay together, to make sure she could go to college, always making sure she had what she needed over himself. Even when Chris’s behavior got him discharged more than once, he always put her first.

He knew she could take care of herself. He made sure he taught her all he could. Most brothers were protective of their sisters, but Claire wondered if Chris’s...excessiveness was perhaps a form of PTSD from what happened to their parents. Stepping into that guardian role, he went right into the Air Force, just like their parents. He abandoned a normal future to ensure hers, to keep them together, and to somehow get closer to the parents they had lost.

That was why it was hard to stay mad at him. Even if this time he unmindfully didn’t know the danger he was putting them in with his good, albeit intemperate, intentions.

Claire decided she would apologize when Chris got home that evening. And so, she spent the day trying to be productive, to keep her mind from wandering. She studied for a while, and then cleaned the house for a bit, blasting Queen at high volume. However, no matter what she did, she couldn’t keep herself from thinking about not only her situation, but the man that now had her literally pinned under him. She worried what his next scheme for her would be. But she’d be lying to herself if she denied the excitement that also thrummed through her veins. The strange mix made her queasy.

By the time it started getting dark, Claire realized she had wasted most of her day deep in thought, trying to make sense of it all, plotting for a way out, and maybe spending more time than she’d care to admit thinking about what happened between her and Wesker.

Chris would be home soon, so she started dinner. While cooking, she turned on the television to keep her mind focused, but after a few channel changes, a local news station caught her attention with a caption that filled her lungs with ice.

“Raccoon University professor missing, linked to drugging and sexual assault of multiple students.”

Claire turned up the volume, perturbed, because she just knew which professor they were talking about…

“-ow long has this been going on, Alyssa?” asked the anchor.

The news reporter, a pretty, bob-cut blonde, was quick to answer while standing out in the cold in front of Raccoon University, wearing a white coat and a red suit. “I’m being told this may have been happening for over a year now. The RPD are keeping the victims’ identities under wraps at this time, but I do know there are at least four. Dr. Simon Lowery has been missing for a little over 24 hours, having fled after trying to drug a female student at the open house last night. We have yet to get a statement from his wife, but police are saying she had no idea of his behavior. We’ve heard the same testimonies from colleagues. This is one of those -”

Claire clicked the remote. The TV went black, silent. She stared at the screen, a shocked reflection looking back at her. The news story rubbed her wrong. Lowery was a bad man, she knew that much. He would’ve killed her over those documents, would’ve strangled her in the snow when they fought to keep her quiet over stealing whatever it was she had stolen. But not once did she get the feeling he was like that.

She’d bet money that the news story over Lowery was made up to cover up what really happened. She wasn’t sure if Wesker came up with the story or if it was any of his numerous pawns. Didn’t matter. It proved what she already knew, just like the other day when the news covered that Finley guy’s supposed “suicide” in his car. Just as Wesker had told her before, their fates were whatever he decided. Not just their deaths but their legacies, tainting and twisting them, dismantling and disgracing them, like a true god of death.

The city would never know what really happened to Finley and Lowery, whether they deserved their fates or not.

Claire shook out of her thoughts, a chill running over her as she recalled Finley’s head exploding, blood spraying all over the snow. Why had fate led her down that very same path that day?

A smoky, tangy smell pervaded her nostrils. Dinner was burning! Cursing, she raced into the kitchen to save it. The pork chops were burned on one side but other than that, the rest of dinner turned out okay.

Chris came in not long after she had finished cooking, silently walking over to her spot on the couch as she read a book. The couch shifted when he sat down, and so she looked up from the pages. Still in STARS uniform, her older brother scratched the back of his head, uncomfortable but presenting her an apologetic smile. It was hard to stay mad at him with a puppy-dog face like that.

“Hey…”

“Hey,” she mimicked.

“I’m sorry, Sis. About last night. I clearly went overboard. It’s been eating at me all day.”

“Chris, it’s -”

“Let me finish,” he pleaded. “I know you’re an adult. I know you can kick anyone’s ass. I’m overprotective because of what happened to Mom and Dad.”

She sighed. “I know.”

“But that’s no excuse to act the way I did. I trust you, Claire. And I believe in you. But I get so...obsessed with making sure you’re safe and-and fine that my stupid brain can’t see anything else! I let it get the better of me too much. So, from now on, I’ll work hard to keep myself from going overboard and to trust you more. N-Not that I haven’t trusted you! You’ve never given me a reason to doubt you. It’s stupid of me to act like you have. We’ve always had that unspoken pact that we can tell each other anything and it will always stand.”

Claire shifted uncomfortably in her spot. “A-Always.”

“I love you, Sis. I’m really sorry.”

The Redfield siblings were both stubborn and proud, and so sometimes it was Chris who apologized first and sometimes it was Claire. Although Chris usually gave in before she did. Despite that, this was still pretty soon for Chris to give in, as big as a fight they had. Claire wondered if something happened at work that made Chris come to his senses faster. Maybe Jill talked to him? Wouldn’t be the first time. She was her brother’s best friend, after all.

She decided it wasn’t important for now. She had been ready to apologize to her brother when he got home, and here he was apologizing as well. She was ready to put the whole fight behind them and move on...as best as she could in her predicament anyway. At least Chris had seemingly given up pushing her for answers. What a lucky break! Jill must’ve really lined him out.

Claire hugged Chris. “I’m sorry too, Bro. Love you!”

His strong arms wrapped around her and squeezed hard. For years growing up, it had been the safest feeling in the world. She always cherished it. Soon they pulled away, and got up to eat dinner.

William paced, flipping through pages, catching important details and logging them away at a rate far faster than the average person. Wesker leaned against the wall, dressed in his STARS attire, watching him pace a trench in front of him. Always calm, always collected. How did he do it?!

The cable car shuddered, flicking the light overhead as it rose to the surface. He hated taking this hunk of junk! Normally, he didn’t have to, but they were meeting Irons in the sewers. Perfect place to find the slimy rat.

“No! Goddamn it, no! Why? They said Sheena Island was strictly testing and experimentation! That old bastard is moving my Hunter research there without my consent, and now the Tyrants? Mass production on a prototype? Even if they perfect the Epsilon strain, it’s nowhere near ready for cloning!”

“Are you truly all that surprised?” Wesker asked.

“No, I just…” William sighed. “It’s shit like this that tells me Spencer has no plans to put me on the executive board! If I don’t get in there, we’ll never be able to fulfill our plans! And there’s no way in hell I’m bartering the G-Virus for that spot. It’s my legacy, mine to completely control. He’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers!”

“Best not tempt fate, old friend.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“At any rate, your tantrum is premature. With those numbers, the Sheena Island facility won’t be operable for any kind of mass production until August at the earliest. The research team on the Epsilon strain knows that the T-002 will be obsolete by the time it is finished. More than likely a new model is being developed and that will be the one they intend to manufacture. We have time to take this knowledge and use it to our advantage later.”

Birkin snorted. Lately Al’s “optimism” gave him anxiety. "Don’t you think we have our fingers in too many pies already? And toes at this rate. We’re wearing ourselves thin, Al. With too many enemies waiting for us to screw up.”

It was a reasonable concern. Sheena Island’s true motives were still mostly top-secret for now, going by this information sent by Alex. Roth must’ve bought this information from this other cohort of his, and was probably trying to haggle deals with Mueller, Lowery, and Bard. As well as Crawford and Finley. William made a mental note to thank Alex for this later. Wesker may have been a member of the Umbrella Intelligence Division as well, but he meticulously watched his dealings, aware of Spencer’s tabs on him. Alex didn’t have this problem, and so was their go-to source of anything they weren’t privy to.

His partner scowled. “That is such an absurd idiom. Regardless, we are committed at this point. Roth still has our stolen data and the plans for Sheena Island directly affects our goals. You admitted it yourself.”

The cable car shook and screeched, sliding to a halt. The light above the door turned green, and the robotic female voice told them to watch their step and have a good day. No, he would certainly not have a good day! He was having to deal with this and was about to meet a big rat in a stinky sewer. Didn’t the stupid voice know that? How insensitive!

“Yeah, I know. Guess we better be careful how we handle this.”

Wesker and William exited the cable car and walked side by side through the sewer facility. There weren’t many workers, but they all gave them a wide berth, keeping their heads down.

Wesker chuckled to himself, but William heard it over the water pumps and machinery.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just acknowledging that your prolonged bout of paranoia has made us change places. I’m usually the one telling you we need to be careful.”

They were both ruthless and ambitious, but Wesker had more patience and control. And although his back-and-forth stints of paranoia did make him more cautious, Will still hadn’t developed the patience or control that his partner had always had.

If only you knew why...what he’s making me do…

William frowned, rubbing his shoulder and quickly cleared his throat. “Well, no wonder you're so optimistic lately, taking after me. Like a little ball of sunshine!"

His partner didn’t respond to that, and William hoped it wasn’t because he had caught his nervous tic. In case he did, he quickly changed the subject. “So, did you get the kind of reaction out of Ada you were expecting?”

“More or less. I’m still annoyed by how you handled it though.”

“Look, you asked me to bring Claire up in a way to get a reaction from Ada to see if your suspicions were right and I did just that! You’re welcome, by the way!”

They reached the monitor room where they were meeting with Chief Irons. William entered first, and the Chief immediately noticed him, an Umbrella mercenary on each side of him. His pudgy eyes squinted testily and he opened his mouth to start his usual complaining. That is, until Wesker entered right behind him. His mouth quickly snapped shut. Ah, the benefits of having Al around!

Irons glanced around the room, his usual air of arrogance belittled and squashed like a bug. But there was nowhere to run in this room, nothing to protect him. He was at their mercy, but the tough-as-nails Irons wouldn’t be one to break so easily.

He half-laughed, half-snorted, attempting to cover his discomfort. “Now this must be a special occasion if you're both here. Rumor has it when you two are together, someone's going to die...or wish they would."

"Well, funny thing about rumors, Brian," William smirked. "There’s always some truth to them."

It was fun seeing the color drain from his face only to completely flush red like a cherry. He glared their way, fists forming tightly at his sides. "Oh yeah? And how exactly am I on you two assholes' shit list today? Considering all I do is cover your goddamn tracks and provide you with security all hours of every fucking day. Wait, don't tell me, you two have a rehearsed good cop, bad cop routine just for me?" He laughed. "No thanks."

Will nudged Albert. "Damn it, he guessed it! Wait, am I bad cop this time? I forget?"

"I'm always bad cop."

"No fair! We should take turns!"

Irons rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Just get to the point of why I'm here. If we're negotiating new deals, it's a bad time. I'm a busy man, after all."

"Funny you should mention that, Chief," Wesker sneered. "We're done negotiating with you."

The Umbrella mercs pulled their guns on the Chief. Irons froze on the spot, eyes bulging and going to the trained weapons, and this time he turned a bit green.

“Listen, Albert...let’s not get too hasty. Let’s talk like gentlemen. I-I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”

His resolve was cracking slowly, but William wouldn’t count the bastard out just yet. Irons had grown complacent in his position, taking advantage of anything he could get his grubby hands on. William and Wesker had allowed much of this behavior to slide in the knowledge that Irons would eventually get himself into a bind. And that’s where he was now.

“Of course, Brian. I am a sophisticated man, after all. Take a seat.”

The Chief of Police looked relieved at that and pulled out a chair and sat down. The Umbrella mercenaries stood at his back, guns still aimed to the back of his head. William and Albert sat down across from him.

William slid a sealed yellow envelope across the table to Irons. “Open it and take a good, hard look, Brian.”

Irons wiped his mustache, a little sweat forming on his brow. He slowly opened the envelope and sifted through the contents. Each page he flipped through he grew a shade whiter, until he was pasty like a ghost.

“What the fuck is this?”

William leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. “Oh, I don’t know. You tell us.”

Irons trembled in his chair, both from anger and fear. He flushed again, one fat fist crinkling a page and he quickly stood. “You fucking bastards!”

One merc’s gun barrel pressed into Irons’ skull and he quickly remembered his place. He slowly sat down. He sure was sweating a lot now!

“You put yourself in this situation, Brian,” Wesker stated. “You know I keep tabs on you and yet you got sloppy. Arrogant, too, thinking you’d be able to set me up.”

“Your sick fantasies with the mayor’s daughter will be released to the public. Your replacement has already been chosen. You will die,” William continued.

“No! No, please! We can come to an agreement!”

“There are no more agreements to come to, Brian,” Wesker growled. “Just two choices. You can die like William so eloquently stated or you can sell the remainder of your pathetic soul to our cause.”

And unsurprisingly, the Chief went with the option that kept his sorry ass alive. “Deal! You got it!”

“And just so we’re clear. That -” William motioned to the envelope. “- never goes away. This is your last chance. Next time...well...there won’t be a next time. Just you dead and your dirty secrets exposed for all to see. Never forget how replaceable you are, Brian.”

Irons slowly nodded, guarded. “And exactly what are you two going to want me to do for your “cause”?”

“You will still perform your normal duties for Umbrella, and only report to me,” Wesker explained. “But if William and I tell you to do something, you do it. Even if it goes against your orders from Umbrella.”

“Fine.”

“William will be taking over as your handler. You should thank him. It was my intention to kill you tonight and he convinced me otherwise. If he asks you to perform in the circus, I expect you to clap your flippers and balance that ball without any disinclination. Do I make myself clear?”

Irons ground his jaw and stiffly nodded. “You always do, Albert.”

William sat up a little straighter, a haughty grin spreading. Albert’s protectiveness of him always gave him a feeling of empowerment, feeding his ego, and made a darker part of himself more bold, more ambitious.

“Don’t worry, Brian,” Will said with a fake, friendly smile. “You do a good job and stay on my good side, I always pay really well, way more than Al does.” He added a postscript after seeing the Chief’s interested grin. “Get on my bad side, however, and you’ll be my newest experiment...just ask Lowery.”

The Police Chief’s relief was short-lived. The mention of Lowery’s name struck something in him. He scowled, stiffening once more, looking between the two partners in crime.

“So you two were behind what happened at the university?”

“Oh yes,” William bragged. “Which is partly how we found out about your little attempt to set up Albert.”

“Which brings us to our next order of business, Brian,” Albert added. “Who was with you when you met up with Aaron Roth?”

Irons shook his head, hands on the table, still aware of the guns at his back. “Look, Lowery and Bard paid me to keep their business dealings hush-hush. I think they were trying to coerce Mueller into selling key information on his project in exchange for getting some crucial research going down on some island.”

Will sighed. “Don’t make Al repeat himself, ya idiot.” He snapped his fingers. “His name? Who is he?”

“S-Some bigshot from Europe who works on this island. He’s partners with Roth, buying and selling research within Umbrella and other companies. Goes by Stefan Bennett, but I couldn’t tell you if that’s his real name or not.”

When Will glanced at Al, a subtle flex in his shoulder was all he needed to read him. Bennett wasn't anyone known to them.

"Where are they hiding out?"

Irons shrugged. "Don't know. I'm only being paid for their meetings. Bennett will be at Bard’s annual Christmas party. I don't know if Roth will be there. He acted like he had other plans."

Like selling my research, the bastard...

"Then I suppose a meeting with Nathaniel Bard is in order," Wesker announced, sunglasses glinting under the fluorescents as he looked to William with a dark grin.

William returned his partner's smirk. "Yeah...It's party time."

(photo by IsmaelUchihaSan)

It was the perfect day for Jill to be off, or not have her shift until the evening anyway. Late morning, while Chris was stuck at the RPD, the girls enjoyed a light brunch and lattes at a quaint coffee shop before doing some last minute Christmas shopping.

Claire always enjoyed hanging out with the older woman. They had a lot in common and Claire was always learning something new with her company. She often found herself wondering if her oaf of a brother would ever romantically ask Jill out. It seemed like everyone could see it but them. Then again, perhaps they didn’t pursue their feelings because of their careers. Claire didn’t know the policies of STARS, but there might be restrictions there.

The two of them picked up Claire’s gift she had bought for Chris and took it over to Jill’s house. The box was tall and rectangular, about the size of a small adult. Though bulky, it wasn’t as heavy as it looked, and with each of them on one end, was able to carry it easily into the home.

They were greeted by Jill’s overly affectionate golden retriever, Bella. Claire flopped onto the floor to properly greet the fluffy, blond dog. Jill giggled at the sight.

“Hell of a guard dog, ain’t she?” Jill joked. “She’ll lick you to death.”

Better than getting my throat ripped out by Wesker’s dog…

Claire pushed aside that unpleasant memory and stood back up. Hard to believe that was only a few days ago. Her hand was already a lot better, but her ankle still hurt like a bitch.

They carried the box into Jill’s other bedroom that doubled as an office and home gym. The STARS Alpha member’s house was a three bedroom, two bath. She assumed the third bedroom was a guest room, but Claire wasn’t sure. Chris’s house was a bit bigger, with three bathrooms. They had their own in their bedrooms and then the guest bathroom in the hallway.

“Thanks for keeping this here for a bit, Jill.”

“No problem. I guess my home is the popular choice to hide gifts. Chris has yours here as well. I’m just waiting for Barry to ask to keep the girls’ gifts here, as if they don’t have enough space in that big house of theirs.”

“Well, you know how Moira is. She gets into everything. They can’t hide any gifts from her! She’s gonna be a handful as a teenager!”

They laughed and returned to the living room, Bella trailing behind them. Jill fetched them some water and the girls took a load off on the sofas.

“The punching bag was a good thought,” Jill declared. “I know Chris has been wanting one.”

Claire nodded, smiling as she watched Bella carry around her favorite plush duck toy. “Yeah. He’s been really wanting to start bulking up more. Although when we were playing on his guitar last night, I realized he needs a new toolkit for it. So I might have to go pick up one of those as well.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you play too. Why haven’t I got to see you play yet? I’ve watched Chris lots of times.”

Claire shrugged. “I guess we just never think about it when I'm visiting.” The Redfield siblings didn’t mind playing guitar in front of others, but they cherished playing together, reciting notes and melodies their father had played for them when they were young. “Chris told me you played piano? I need to see that!”

Claire didn’t get the piano at all. That was entirely different from the guitar.

Jill softly laughed. “Yeah. It’s ingrained from childhood. Had the meanest instructor ever. Chris jokes that playing the piano won’t ever do me any good, and suggests I learn something else.”

“He’s just jealous,” Claire joked.

Jill laughed at that. “He totally is. You know, I’m happy you two reconciled so quickly. Chris can be so stubborn sometimes.”

“He can be, but I’m not one to talk. Whatever you said to him, it must’ve worked. So thank you for that. I know he’s just trying to look out for me, but it gets old. I’m an adult and can take care of myself.”

The older woman furrowed her brows and shook her head. “It wasn’t me.”

“Huh? It wasn’t?”

“No, it was the Captain.”

Her heart flipped, twisting her lungs to where she choked on air before she could take a drink of her water. It took all in Claire’s power to keep a straight face and feign something catching in her throat. “I’m sorry?”

“The fight you two had upset Chris a lot, affected his performance when we were doing some training. I guess Wesker picked up on it. Apparently, they took a long lunch together, and the Captain helped Chris get his head straight. At least, that’s what Chris told me later.”

Claire was completely freaked out by that information but hid it, wiping her suddenly clammy hands on her pants. She drank half of her water in one gulp and squeezed the bottle so hard it crumpled in the middle.

“O-Oh, I figured it was you.”

“Not this time,” Jill answered. “But it wasn’t without a lack of trying. He just didn’t listen. Not until he had gone too far anyway, the ass. At least Wesker got through to him.”

“Yeah…” she cleared her throat and stood up. “Well, I should get going. I don’t want to take up all of your free time and I have some studying to do. Thanks for helping me pick that up and letting me hide it here.”

It was partially true. Claire didn’t want to take up all of Jill’s day off before she had to go in for night shift. But mostly the recent news had unsettled her and she needed to gather her thoughts on the matter.

Jill smiled, nodding as she patted Bella on the head as the retriever’s big brown eyes stared up at Claire with that duck still in her mouth, tail thumping hard on the hardwood floor.

“No problem, Claire.”

“Stay safe tonight, Jill.”

“You’re not on the schedule...again.”

Ada sighed, crossing her arms and looking at the guard like he was stupid. He was. “I know that. But that won’t matter. William will still see me.”

The guard shifted uncomfortably, studying her suspiciously and then glancing at his list again. “Dr. Birkin is an extremely busy man. He’s been doing important tests all day and asked me to not allow anyone but Mrs. Dr. Birkin and Dr. Wesker entry. I’m sorry, ma’am.”

“I’m here on behalf of Albert. He’s busy at the police department currently. Just give him a ring and you’ll see.”

The guard hesitated, thinking and unsure. Clearly, he was scared to disturb his boss in the middle of his important work.

Ada smiled flirtatiously at him. “C’mon, Johnny. Help a girl out? It’s important.” She winked.

Johnny sighed. “Oh, alright.” He put a hand to his headset. “Dr. Birkin? I’m sorry to bother you, but Ms. Wong insists on seeing you. She says she’s here on behalf of Dr. Wesker.”

The spy didn’t miss how the camera up in the corner of the hallway turned down their way, aiming the attached machine gun right on their faces, blinking red light a far deadlier version of Candid Camera.

“Yes, sir. I understand. Will do,” Johnny said into his headpiece. He nodded at Ada and stepped aside. “You may enter. But please, keep it short. He has much to do.”

Ada waved him off. “Thanks, Johnny.”

She went through the automatic door, was sprayed down again, and strolled through the large, multi-room laboratory. She turned a corner, saw bright yellow and outstretched arms, and, on reflex, kicked the thing away from her.

“Ow!” came a muffled voice.

“Will, you idiot. Don’t sneak up on me like that,” Ada snapped.

The mad scientist pulled the hazmat suit’s helmet off, waddling over to the nearby safety station to strip it off and hang it up.

“I think that’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to scaring you!” William laughed.

Ada crossed her arms, glaring at him. “You didn’t scare me. You didn’t even startle me. You mildly annoyed me.”

“Ugh, you sound like Al. One day I will scare him. It’s on my bucket list. It might get me killed, but imma do it!”

The spy shook her head. “I don’t know about you sometimes.”

Birkin seemed extra...quirky today. He had an extra bounce in his step, grinning, humming as he left the safety station to his main desk. That’s when Ada noticed numerous empty energy drink cans and half a cup of cold, forgotten black coffee.

“How many of these have you had?” He did kind of look like one of those zombies Ada had seen being dissected in the Arklay lab, pale skin and dark circles under his eyes.

“Uhh…” he pondered, counting on his fingers as he twitched and quivered restlessly. “Five? I think?” He flopped down in his chair, shifting it side to side.

Ada leaned against his desk, glancing at the disorganized paperwork strewn about. Her sharp eyes caught many interesting and familiar things: G-Virus, Plant 43, Hunter Beta, Cerberus, NE-Alpha parasite, Lisa Trevor, T-Virus Epsilon. Then her eyes caught the interesting things that she had only seen once and was curious to find out more, now with associated words that intrigued her further: Prototype Virus, Project W, eugenics research, Progenitor, Ndipaya.

She had only a few seconds of absorbing these words before William snatched up the two papers that had anything on it. She watched him open his safe and put them inside, only accessible with a scan of his hand.

Ada acted like none of it interested her. “Five, huh? And how long have you been up, exactly? You look like shit. You smell like shit.”

William lifted his shirt and smelled. “I don’t know, when did Al and I go talk with Irons?"

“That was yesterday morning.”

“Oh...shit. Well, it’s been over 24 hours then.”

“I can tell.”

“So, how’d it go with Mueller?”

“As well as you’d expect. I’ve already relayed the info to Albert. Mueller won’t be a problem. In fact, he’s willing to help if it gets rid of Roth. I guess he feels scammed by the trade.”

William smirked, still swiveling slightly side to side in his chair. “I bet he does. Well, with Lowery no longer having a tongue and Irons and Bard put in their places, looks like we might be able to wrap this up by Christmas!”

Ada rapped her nails on the desk, frowning. “Albert told me the plan. Look, between you and me, I gotta ask...what’s the deal with him and Claire?”

Will chuckled. “What’s wrong? You jealous?”

“In your dreams. It’s just that...I mean, I don’t know the girl,” she lied. “But I thought he was just using her to get to Roth. Why have a fling with her? He doesn’t do that...at least not with just anyone.”

“You sure are a curious little kitty,” William half-joked, half-warned, leaning back in his chair. “What are you hoping to use this knowledge for?”

Ugh, she hated when he was an asshole. Then again, he was protecting Albert and so she should’ve known better. The spy sighed. “Fine. I’m just a little worried about Claire, alright? Can you blame me?”

She knew how Wesker worked. Claire was in way over her head. Didn’t matter how smart and strong she was. Despite being his type, she was still different than most and he did seem to have some kind of soft spot for her. And that is what both bothered and intrigued Ada.

“It’s not like you to worry about others like that. And I can blame you, actually. You got yourself tangled with Al. That’s on you.”

Ada bit her tongue. This wasn’t about her. “And poor Claire got tangled out of her control. C’mon, Will. I’ve helped you two a lot recently. Throw me a bone here. I deserve something in return.”

Will kept a straight face, thinking it over. Ada glared at him. Finally, the Golgotha creator grinned widely and leaned forward. Ada recognized the child-like delight, and knew he was about to spill the beans.

“Alright, alright! I think he has feelings for her.”

Ada laughed skeptically. “Whatever, Will! Tell me for real.”

She had to admit, she had thought something similar a few days ago when she spied Wesker nearly pinning Claire against his car. But she soon dismissed it. He definitely liked her and was attracted to her…but had feelings for her?! That was a little hard to believe.

“I do! He is obsessed, I’m telling you. The girl would’ve been dead a long time now had it been anyone else. He’s given her more chances than I’ve ever seen. He had the chance to pop her brother in the back without anyone knowing and didn’t do it! I don’t think he knows it himself, or he purposely keeps himself in denial, but...there’s something about her.”

Ada frowned, thinking it over. William had a point. All of Claire’s stunts to try and fight Albert should have ended with her dead a long time ago. And how her brother had been getting suspicious and snooping around, well, it should have ended the same with him by now.

“You think she reminds him of Anezka?” Ada asked.

Was that her name? Ada couldn’t really remember. She wasn’t around back then and had only heard all the different stories when she came here a couple of years ago.

“Nah...I mean they’re both redheads and feisty, but I don’t think that’s it. Anna jilted him, and besides being a little touchy over it, he’s moved on.”

“Is that really what happened?”

William shrugged. “I guess? No one really knows...not even Al.”

Ada wished she had been a fly on that wall when Anezka was still around. So many rumors and gossip about what happened. She practically disappeared, as though she was only a dream. But Albert remembered...resentfully. Ada knew him well enough that it wasn’t just his ego that got hurt. He actually had cared for her, and he hated that he did.

“Well, Albert’s given Claire all these chances to let her live. You think he will let her go when Roth is dealt with, as he has promised her?”

William scowled, leaning back in his chair. “What do you think?”

The double agent had no idea why, but her heart sank a little. As if she was hoping for something she knew better of. And here she thought her line of work had snuffed out all remaining optimism in her life.

“He won’t kill her. I guarantee it,” William boasted. “As obsessed and possessive he already is of her, she’s stuck. There will be conditions he gives her. I’m sure you know what those would be.”

“You sound happy about that,” Ada pointed out.

He shrugged, but the slight upcurve of his lips gave him away. “I like the girl. Sherry adores her. She’s proven to be quite resourceful and clever. She’ll be handy to have around. Besides, if Al actually has feelings for her, I gotta see where it goes! The geneticist in me really hopes he knocks her up.”

It may have sounded like a dark joke, but Ada knew the lunatic genius was dead serious. “I’m really disturbed by how obsessed you are with your best friend’s love and sex life.”

“I’m just looking out for him!”

Ada would never understand Wesker and William’s relationship. One of life’s greatest mysteries. But what was also another mystery still was why Wesker had feelings for Claire.

Was she the next Anezka?

She parked right down the road. It was already nearly dark, but at least the temperature hadn’t dropped too much. Claire stuck to the recently salted sidewalks, hands stuffed in her parka. Her heart pounded in her throat, and her mind raced with what he could want this time.

Wesker called her while she was waiting for Chris to get off work, summoning her to his house for an “important discussion”. She was anxious for two reasons. One, the last time she saw Wesker just a couple nights ago, they had sex. And two, after learning from Jill that Wesker was the one who dealt with Chris, she wasn’t sure what that meant for her or her brother.

She was queasy, butterflies in her stomach, but she wasn’t about to lose her cool. More than anything, she feared her body would betray her once more, a dark excitement coursing through her blood.

Upon reaching Wesker’s house, Claire spotted a vehicle she didn’t recognize in his driveway. She didn’t get too close to it, but it looked like a ruby-colored Porsche Boxster. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or not about not being alone with the STARS Captain, but she took a deep breath and rang the doorbell anyway.

After a minute of silence, anticipation eating at her, the door opened. Her heart skipped when those familiar grey-blue eyes and dark smirk greeted her. Her stomach twisted, but Claire couldn’t tell whether it was from disgust or excitement.

“Good evening, Claire,” he purred. He stepped aside to allow her entry. “Please do come in. I don’t want you catching a cold.”

She rolled her eyes and stepped inside. “Thanks.”

He shut the door while she looked around. Odin padded over and sniffed her, docked tail wagging slightly. But she didn’t see anyone who could’ve owned the car outside.

Wesker’s hands brushed up her back. The bad thing was Claire realized she didn’t blench this time. No, this time she shivered in pleasure. She inwardly scolded herself as he took her coat off to hang by the door.

“We have much to discuss, dear heart,” he said, one muscular arm locking around her waist and pulling her deeper inside the house.

That’s when the younger Redfield saw a familiar face come into the living room from the kitchen, carrying a full glass of red wine. She nearly blurted Ada’s name, surprised, but quickly bit her tongue, hiding any reaction. Wesker didn’t know that she and Ada had already met personally. And it needed to stay that way.

“I sure hope you weren’t saving that malbec wine for a special occasion, Albert. I helped myself,” Ada said. When her eyes landed on Claire, she was the perfect actress. There was no recognition, no subtle signs given to Claire. “Is this her?”

“The one and only,” Wesker affirmed.

Ada took a long sip of her wine and sat it down on a coaster on the center table before walking over to them. Wesker stepped away while the double agent looked Claire over, one arm crossed and one hand on her chin as she thought. She walked around Claire and even grabbed her arms and lifted them and spun her around.

“Hmm...Yes, I can definitely work with this.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Claire grumbled. Ada spun her around again and grabbed at her hair. “Hey! What’s the big idea?!”

“Hold still, hun.”

Ada withdrew a tailor tape measurer. She measured Claire’s waist, chest, and height, even her arms and legs. Afterwards, she yanked Claire’s ponytail out and felt through her tresses.

“What are you doing?” Claire snapped.

“Taking measurements,” Ada replied. “Trying to figure out what to do with your hair.”

“Why?”

“I’ll explain later,” Wesker stated. His Doberman sat at his side, head cocked curiously as Ada got handsy with her measurements.

“Okay, finished,” Ada announced, rolling up her tape and putting it in her pocket. She retrieved her wine and took another drink. “I’ll have something ready by tomorrow.”

“What ready?” Claire demanded. “What’s going on?”

Wesker’s lips barely curled upward. “Oh, where are my manners? Claire, this is an associate of mine, Ada Wong. She originally was to pick you up at the university. Ada, you know Claire, I’ve told you all about her.”

The Eurasian beauty dipped her head. “Charmed.” Still completely in character, although Claire now saw something subtle in her eyes as she stared at Claire. Perhaps a warning? Or just acknowledgement?

“You too...I guess,” Claire said.

Wesker chuckled, catching their attention. “You do not have to pretend to be strangers on my account, ladies. I know you’re well acquainted.”

Claire ground her jaw, glaring at him. Ada didn’t even flinch, expressionless. Taking another sip of her wine, she shrugged.

“Can’t pull the wool over your eyes, can I Albert?”

“Oh come now, Ada, don’t be that way,” Wesker teased. He obviously sensed something from her that Claire didn’t. He stepped around the agent’s back and, besides her tensing barely, she didn’t look disconcerted. “You knew the risks when you decided to meet Claire behind my back.”

Ada didn’t say anything to that. Wesker’s dark grin grew a bit more.

“I’m quite curious of your intentions. You’re not the jealous type. And you’re not one to have concern for others. So why so curious about Claire? I know this has nothing to do with what Sergei asked of you.”

Jealous type? Claire glanced between them, not sure what kind of undertones she was reading here. She was missing something, that’s for sure. She could only infer that Wesker was gauging Ada for something.

“I was just curious what you saw in her, I guess,” Ada dismissed calmly.

Cool under pressure. Just like the man testing her.

“And did you figure it out?”

Ada’s eyes locked with Claire’s. “I think so.”

Wesker’s soft chuckle told them he didn’t believe her one bit. “You and William should give up trying to find something that isn’t there.”

Ada didn’t have to say anything. Her smile told it all. She was pleased somehow, as though she read deeper into Wesker’s words somehow. Claire wished she would tell her the secret. And also shake this weird feeling in her chest.

“Am I going to get filled in here on why she needed to take my measurements?” Claire grumbled.

“Yes, my apologies,” Wesker admitted, his full attention on her now, and the younger woman regretted saying anything. “Ada, you may go now. I’ll fill Claire in…” He smirked.

Oh god. Did he just…? Her stomach pitched and rolled. She knew what would happen once Ada left them alone. In his house. It was an instant body verses mind battle.

Ada shrugged and walked away. Claire never wanted someone to stay and leave all at once before. But the Eurasian woman plopped down on one of the leather sofas instead, resuming drinking her wine. Odin left his master’s side to plant himself in front of her, as if expecting Ada to give him attention now that she was sitting down. Claire released a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

Wesker scowled. “Or…make yourself at home.”

“I will,” Ada answered nonchalantly. “I’m not about to let this delicious wine go to waste.” She made a show of swishing the red liquid around in her glass. The wine complimented her burgundy fingernails.

Claire caught the agent’s honey brown eyes as she looked right at her while sipping from her lipstick-stained glass, a coded message for her. You’re welcome…

Claire swallowed mixed feelings and glared at the STARS Captain. “So what exactly are you making me do this time?”

“Relax dear heart, it’s nothing you’re a stranger to. We’re going to attend a party.”

His stereotypical college girl jab aside, it sounded easy enough. But Claire knew better. Whatever kind of party it was, with Wesker involved, there would be danger, deception, and death at every angle…

Claire stared at the mirror, stunned. She wasn’t one to get dressed up, not this fancy anyway. Her red-brown hair was pulled up into messy curls with a few tresses hanging around her face. She had more make-up on than what she was used to. The jade-colored halter dress complimented her hair, eyes, and heels. She was only in the shoes for less than half an hour and her feet were already cramping. How did women wear these things all day?

The two assistants Ada had helping her with Claire were finally finished and departed from the big, spotless, and up-to-date bathroom. They were in Wesker’s living quarters in NEST. The younger Redfield tried not to think about what happened the last time she was here. Wesker and William awaited them in the very same room where she and Wesker fornicated, only having arrived a bit ago while Claire was still being made over.

Ada looked her over one last time, one final judgment for approval. Claire didn’t say anything. She really wanted out of this bathroom, but at the same time, she wasn’t ready for the next step.

Apparently, the crooked STARS Captain had meticulously planned tonight. Chris and Jill were working graveyard shifts while he was off and Claire had to tell her brother that she might would have to stay the night at William’s house babysitting Sherry if her parents had to work all night. All the chess pieces were in place so far. Bard’s Christmas party would last well into the night, and depending on how it played out, they might be there awhile. She could only hope nothing went wrong and would get to return home tonight.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Claire. There’s no doubt about that,” Ada said finally.

“T-Thanks.” She wasn’t expecting a compliment from the older woman.

She looked in the mirror again, distracted. This was a little too much for her, but she had to blend in with the other guests at the party.

“I won’t be surprised if Albert takes you home with him tonight after the party.”

Claire blushed, taken off guard, a near panic in her chest only broken by blood rushing like electricity through her veins. She turned to the double agent, holding her breath. Ada sounded so sure as she looked Claire over. As if she knew something the younger Redfield didn’t. Surely, Ada didn’t know…

“I know what happened between you two,” Ada admitted, reading her mind.

“He,” Claire started to blame her captor, but stopped. Could she honestly say it knowing she had decided to do it? Wesker may have manipulated her into wanting to, but she still chose it all her own, no matter how much she wanted to deny it.

“He what?”

She shook her head. “…Nothing.”

“I told you he always gets what he wants, didn’t I? He’ll make you want it, too. That tongue of his is far more deadly than any weapon he has on him. You have no idea how way in over your head you are, Claire.”

The college student glared at the Eurasian beauty. Was she serious right now?! “You’ve got it all wrong! It was just a one time fling. And as far as the rest of my situation goes, I think I’ve been doing pretty damn good considering!”

Ada sighed. “You’re clever, strong, and resourceful. You’ve handled yourself impressively this past week, but that’s partly why Albert’s so infatuated with you.”

Claire frowned, not sure what to say to that.

“Albert’s hardwired to manipulate and take advantage of anyone and anything he can. You give him an inch and he’ll hook his claws so deep in you, there’s no escape. You gave him way more than that.”

“So what? I’m trapped forever now? Is that what you’re saying?” Dread seized in her chest.

Ada looked to the door, as if suddenly paranoid Wesker and William could be listening in and slightly lowered her voice. “I don’t know. Look…yes, he’s using you to take care of Roth in exchange for your freedom, but William and I suspect that Albert may have developed…”

“What?” Claire urged when the agent trailed off.

Ada quickly shook her head, frowning. “Never mind. Just…keep your head. Do what you must to get Roth where Albert wants him for you and your brother’s freedom. Albert’s got a soft spot for you, he’ll likely keep his word if you’re good. As far as this affair is concerned, I cannot help you. That’s your business. My only advice is that you be careful.”

Soft spot? Where the hell was she getting that? There was nothing soft about that man. Then again, she and William, two people who knew Wesker best, kept saying that, so it had to be true to some degree.

Claire wanted to tell Ada that there wasn’t an “affair”. It was a one time slip up, a mistake, it wouldn’t happen ever again. But she couldn’t even believe herself, so there was no way she would convince the double agent.

“Ok…thank you, Ada. For everything.”

Ada exhaled through a small frown. “Don’t thank me just yet…” She turned, walking for the door and motioning for the younger Redfield to follow her. “C’mon, we have a party to get to.”

Claire inhaled deeply, gathering herself, and followed her out of the bathroom. They came into the den, where Wesker and William sat across from each other on the leather sofas talking. They were dressed in posh black suits. Claire berated herself for goggling Wesker. The bastard was so damn attractive anyway, but that suit was hot! She couldn’t believe how much it actually affected her seeing him in that outfit.

The men noticed them and stood up, but their eyes immediately went to Claire. She suddently felt exposed. William’s jaw dropped and he ogled too. The smirk that slowly grew on Wesker’s face as he took off his sunglasses to look Claire over was wicked. More so, it was hungry. He popped William’s mouth shut without taking his eyes off of Claire and closed in like a predator about to sink its teeth into its coveted prey. His eyes entrapped her, an instant, breath-taking spell, and then she was hungry too, felt it spreading through every inch of her body like wildfire.

Ada was right…Wesker would be taking her home with him tonight. And nothing was going to stop him.

[purplecatghostposts]

Fucked Up SAO AU Thoughts: Team Getting To Know Each Other Edition

- As stated before, other than knowing each other’s Twitch Names and knowing well known things about each other, the team doesn’t really know each other

- Before the ResCas (Resonance Cascade), they all sit down and find out the basics- basically the kind of stuff you’d put in an introduction (Name, Age, important stuff, etc.)

- Gordon: Oh, and one fun fact about yourself

Bubby: My fun fact is that I would rather gut myself then tell you a fun fact- leave the ‘Fun Fact’ shit back in the first day of middle school where it belongs

Gordon: ...you must be fun at parties huh

- They don’t all get along right away to say the least. At first Tommy seems to get along with everyone but uh-

- Coomer, upon seeing an NPC that has a similar character model: *Getting ready to punch them* MY CLONE

Tommy, who doesn’t want to kill any of the NPCs: DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE

- Yeah there’s a bumpy road of getting to know each other while also being stuck in a video game.

- Benrey: Maybe we should play uh... One of those party games to get to know each other. Never Have I Ever or some shit

Bubby: Absolutely not

*Not even five minutes later, the team is playing Never Have I Ever. Bubby is sulking but playing along.*

- Benrey: I have a plan to speed the process of the game up

Gordon: I’m all ears

Benrey: Okay, hear me out but first off, we all need to start seducing all the NPCs

Gordon: I am no longer all ears, what the fuck

Benrey: Bro... Bro I said hear me out-

- Tommy being born on Leap Day is canon to this AU specifically for:

Benrey: Wait hold on... So you’re like, five

Tommy: I’m 32

Bubby: *Smirking* Oh sorry, you’re eight, our mistake

Tommy: It doesn’t work like that-

Coomer: Our little Tommy~

Gordon: And here I thought I was the youngest of the group!

Tommy: *Sharply inhales* You’re all dead to me.

*Cue the rest of the group wheezing*

- Benrey of course makes the connection of, “So your last name is Freeman... And everyone wants a feet cam for you... So I guess you could say you’re...”

Gordon, who knows where this is going: please don’t-

Benrey: Gordon Feetman?

The nickname sticks in the group a little too much for Gordon’s liking

- There’s a lot of adjustment issues to being in the game too, everyone has their own major problem with it

- Coomer is heavily worried they won’t make it out- either by dying or that they could possibly be stuck in the game forever (I.E. “If you could be stuck in any video game... What video game would you choose?” Conversation still happens but it’s a bit different). However, Coomer has trouble raising these concerns and instead covers it up by charging head first into battle and having “boundless confidence”

- Benrey has trouble sleeping at night because his dreams are either surreal or he has none at all and Benrey hates that. Benrey attempt to skip sleeping- “We’re in a video game, why do we even need to sleep”- but forgets that it’s their new reality and he only has so much time left before he passes out because of it (This likely happens at the worst possible time). Not to mention, as first person to get down to one life left, Benrey has a lot of anxieties about actually dying that don’t help.

- Bubby is still claustrophobic as hell and given Half Life has a bunch of vents the team needs to climb through, he’s constantly tense but won’t say a word about it because he’s kinda embarrassed about it. To the rest of the group, it’s like Bubby always has a stick up his ass but they don’t know why- is he just always snappy? It takes them a while to figure out but it’s a sudden “OH” moment that finally makes everything make sense.

- Tommy takes the reality of the game to heart and wants to help these poor NPCs who just keep dying or who don’t want to travel too far from where they’re spawned in because they’re scared and it’s just kinda hard. Half Life is a pretty dark game, a lot of Scientists are left behind or stuck in Black Mesa and Tommy kinda has to come to terms with the fact that he can’t save everyone. Tommy has to focus on the people he can save- his team of people who can escape the game. Doesn’t make it any less hard but it helps.

- Gordon takes on a role of Leader of the Team and does everything he can to make sure everyone’s gonna make it out. He stresses when they get hurt and especially when they lose a life and kinda takes it as a personal loss. Gordon so badly wants to escape the game but not without everyone else who’s stuck here. Not to mention, once Darnold and Forzen join the group, two NPCs who only have one life unlike the rest of them, his stress level goes up. He wants to protect them all, even if it means he has to make personal sacrifices

- For each of these, the group decides to sit down and talk about it- no beating around the bush, this is a life or death situation, dammit. And because of it, there’s a bond that forms between them. They gotta have each other’s backs- take care of each other, because who else will?

- Benrey has minor trouble with the Sweet Voice because it tends to flare up when they’re feeling intense emotions and Tommy is starting to pick up on what it means- no- no Tommy do not translate what pink to blue means I beg of you-

- Bubby has similar trouble but with fire. Yeah. He keeps accidentally catching things on fire because Coomer is far too attractive when he’s punching aliens and openly admitting to being arrested for assaulting a homophobe at pride parade

- Gordon’s mildly annoyed with Benrey at first because they keep making jabs at him specifically and calling him Feetman and he just doesn’t really get them at first. But damn, Benrey’s kinda cute and funny sometimes and oh shit they just took of their helmet and they’re kinda hot oh s h i t Gordon likes Benrey-

- Coomer’s trying so hard to flirt with Bubby because he’s exactly his type but they keep sounding like platonic complements and Coomer can’t seem to outright say “Bubby, I have feelings for you” because it keeps coming out with stuff like, “Bubby, I- I think you’re very neat!” so instead he just keeps watching him lovingly set things on fire from afar, oh he’s so stunning, isn’t he?

- Tommy watches all of them fall in love with each other and trip over each other like idiots- ha, good thing he’s not doing that. Though it is really cute when Darnold starts going on and on about potions and is taking with such passion or when Forzen’s eyes light up when Tommy finally manages to show him what a bayblade is and oh gODDAMMIT-

But yeah this team cares about each other a lot and they also mercilessly tease each other like they should