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perfectlypreservedpie · 4 months

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MacCready Fanfiction Recs (Fallout 4)

hey everybody, nobody asked for this but in the midst of writing fallout fanfic I was feeling a special kind of love for my favorite fo4 fanfics and wanted to recommend them in case you hadn't read 'em. Because they are VERY GOOD and writing fanfic is hard, so you gotta give props to those who sweat for your comfort fics.

I'm gonna recommend my top three finished fanfics, and then two more bonus fics that are being updated rn. As a clarifier, these are all Maccready fallout 4 fics. so. keep that in mind.

im tagging the authors and also anybody who wants to join and share their favorites too!

3. THE FATHER(S) AND THE SON(S) on ao3 by @sirmanmister

I'm going to preface this rec by saying this: there is Fanon MacCready. There is canon MacCready. And then there is ascended!whatBethesdawishesitWAS MacCready, which exists solely in this fanfiction. The characterization of Mac is so well written. He is snarky, he is vulnerable. He desperately wants to grow up but doesn't know how. He has the most sick character arc in this story!!!

It's not a romance but instead a coming of age story where the sole survivor becomes a de-facto parent to Mac. The heart of the story is about how to raise a child while you're still trying to grow up yourself. The apocalypse setting lends itself well because the Wasteland is a place where NOTHING is beautiful, but the way that M!Sosu and MacCready care for their sons is beautiful. Which makes it special and worth fighting for.

As a fun fact, I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy for class a week after finishing this fic and I was thinking about this fic the whole time because the themes of fatherhood during an apocalypse hit a lot of the same beats. Maybe my professor would kick me in the teeth by comparing fic to McCarthy, but @sirmanmister YOU ARE MY CORMAC MCCARTHY <3

2. WORKING CLASS HERO on ao3 by @bluegrasskitty

This is the kind of fic you take with you to toilet, to work, in-between classes. It will suck you in. AND THERE'S A SEQUEL TOO YOU GUYS‼️

The sole survivor in this story is the model for the Nuka Cola girl. You know the hot lady in the spacesuit? SHE HAS A BACKSTORY. AND YALL IT MADE ME WEEP. During some point of the story, I sort of stopped rooting for MacCready to be the narrator and just wanted Nora Cabot to take the reins. When I tell you I think of this oc every two to three business weeks. She's an incredible leading lady. I can't look at Nuka Girl posters in the game without thinking of Nora Cabot, my beloved.

the sequel IS SO FIRE. It's the best reimagining of 'what happened after the institute blew up' that I've ever read. im gnawing at the bars of my enclosure actually.

A VERY GOOD PLOT TWIST I CANNOT MENTION TO NEW READERS BUT IF YOU'VE READ IT YOU'LL UNDERSTAND. AND IF YOU UNDERSTAND DM ME I HAVE TO TALK TO SOMEBODY ABOUT IT. HHh.

The amount of world building that @bluegrasskitty puts into this story is insane. They ARE Beth Esda.

As a fun fact, I didn't know that radchickens were canon in fallout. I thought it was a plot device made up by this author to excuse the ability to make cake in this book, but radchickens ARE real. When I was playing Far Harbor last year, I found radchickens and thought that @bluegrasskitty manifested them into existence because they had that kind of power.

that being said, I still think this author has that kind of power.

1. Atom Bomb Baby on ao3 by @starlightwrites

I think you dropped something....my jaw.

fellas. fellas. this is my comfort fic. You ever had a comfort fic? Something you come back to at least once a year to reread to feel something? the fiction equivalent of chicken noodle soup? this is what Atom Bomb Baby is to me. this is peak literature actually. if I ever figure out book binding, im doing this one first.

Plot wise, it's a retelling of Fallout 4's main story through the perspective of MacCready. But (and im wheezing as I say this) it's also so much more THAN THAT.

this fic author understands that MacCready is not a womanizer but is in fact a touch starved loser. and they are CORRECT.

MacCready spends the entire fic like 'uuuhhhh I dunno about this one, boss!'

ITS BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS RAHHHHHH

it also has a nostalgia feel to me too, because reading it gives me the same feeling as what it was like to play the game for the first time, years ago. maybe it's because I've read it so many times over the years, but reading it feels so satisfying.

The author spends 10 chapters at the end solely dedicated to an epilogue. I wish more stories did this. They go through the wringer in this story, and it's so deeply satisfying to see how cleanly everything gets wrapped up. MacCready and the Lola work really well together as a couple, so it's awesome to see how they work together after the battle is done.

6 out of 5 stars.

BONUS FICS !! aka fics that are still updating! I squeal with joy when I get an ao3 email about these: 1. Best Laid Plans on ao3 by @druidgroves - Georgia Tate is an incredible character and sole survivor! She was a teacher prewar, so it's really fun to get her perspective on the world. She cares a lot about education and libraries and I find her really relatable and endearing. It's a cool thing for a character in an apocalypse to care about! It also makes for fun tension with Mac, who's written as a pragmatic survivor. A great take on familiar characters and their dynamics. - And It's a great slow burn! I'm really enjoying reading it. 2. Long Time Running on ao3 by @twosides--samecoin - If you've ever thought that Med-Tek was too convenient an option for Duncan's cure, this fic was written with you in mind. - RJ goes to Canada and im obsessed with it. - If you're interested in fallout lore, specifically the bit where the U.S annexed Canada and wished that there was more info about that, I would highly recommend this fic. Twosides--samecoin put in THE WORK. The world building they do to explain Canada's side of the Great War is so fun!!! its genuinely such a thrill to read!

I'm tagging the authors who I mentioned, if you all have favorite fics (fallout or otherwise, I'd love to hear em!) Thank you for making good art!

#fanfic recs #fallout 4 #fallout fanfiction #rj maccready #MacCready #maccready x sole survivor #the father(s) and the son(s)#working class hero #atom bomb baby #best laid plans #long time running #thank you for making good art!!

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pyjamaart · 6 months

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Breaking Bot (read more for some rambling about mega man fully charged)

Mega Man Fully Charged has been on my mind again lately, which made me realize that there's literally a robot named Chemistryman who worked as a chemistry teacher. Not using him as a Walter White stand-in would be a criminal offense.

I'll have to admit I started getting back into Fully Charged again after seeing some asshole on twitter complain about the character design for the hundredth time. I just can't stand that kind of negativity. I swear to god, Fully Charged is like the Sonic Boom of the Mega Man franchise. Personally, I really enjoy the FC designs. I've probably said this before, but I feel like the redesigns give some of the more forgettable robot masters way more character. Like, do I care for Classic Drillman from Mega Man 4? I mean, yeah, I do, but I wouldn't care as much if it wasn't for his Fully Charged incarnation.

I also really enjoy most of the original robot masters. I already talked plenty about Blastowoman and why I love her so much, but I want to talk about the others this time.

Take for example Chemistryman. Comparisons to Walter White out of the way, I feel like his character was a really fun idea. God knows I had teachers who put me to sleep back in the day. For me, it wasn't chemistry though, it was my economics teacher. I always compared her to a story teller at a Christmas market who would read children stories out of her big fairy tale book. Only that in reality, it was stuff like the minimization/maximization principle. Most of my notes for that class were incomprehensible chicken scratch, because I just couldn't keep my eyes open. In the end, I slept through like half her classes, lol. But I gotta say that I still always got a B or higher in the end. Somehow. I thank god every day that I never have to step foot in a school again.

I really wish Chemistryman got a little more time to shine though. Two episodes is just way too little. I would gladly take three more episodes with him over those gross Gutsman episodes. I know I love talking about wasted potential with this show, but I wish there was an episode that focused on Chemistryman outside of the school setting. I get that his whole character is "boring, bitter teacher", but I'd really like to see what he gets up to when he's not trying to force children to listen to his chemistry lectures. Like having Aki try to talk him into going into retirement for good. And then he tries to find hobbies for him so that he doesn't bore himself to death. I can see him getting into building model ships or something like that, lol.

Now that I'm already writing up a storm again, I might as well talk about some other headcanons I have about the FC bots. Since Woodman was in sleep mode for 30 years after the war ended (I don't know where I got that number from. I rewatched his debut episode, but the exact number doesn't appear anywhere. Oh well, let's just pretend this is canon, even if it isn't.) we got kind of a Shadow the Hedgehog type situation on our hands. All of his friends and family got to live their lives in this new, peaceful world of harmony between robots and humans, while Woodman spent 30 years powered down in a bush or something. Completely forgotten about. Like, why didn't they go look for him after the war ended? I don't think Aki and Suna wandered that far into the forest for their school assignment. If you really think about Woodmans back story for a moment, you realize how fucked up it actually is.

Now my explanation for this goes into heavy heavy headcanon territory. When Suna calls the principal about Woodman, he warns her that Woodman is dangerous and to get away from him immediately. Now why would he say that? The principal also calls him "ruthless" in that same explanation. What I think happened back then was that Woodman actually planned to assassinate the human armies leader. (Possibly Sgt. Night?) The leader of the robots caught wind of his plan and put him into sleep mode himself, since he and Dr. Light were on the brink of finding a way to end the war peacefully. In my mind, this leader is the FC version of Swordman. Don't ask me why, he was just the first guy I thought of. And then it just stuck.

I know this makes Woodmans back story even more fucked up, but I just love putting my favorite blorbos through hardship. Don't even ask me about my headcanons for Drillman. They'd actually put me in prison.

Now all this culminates after Woodman is reactivated by Suna and Aki. Finding himself alienated from all his former friends and comrades (Maybe the other Mega Man 2 robot masters?), what was he supposed to do? He couldn't spend the rest of his life isolated (and homeless) in the forest, could he? And this is where season 2 could have delivered. But I'm done whining about that. If Capcom doesn't deliver, I gotta write my own season 2. Simple as that.

Anyway, getting back to Chemistryman, since he's pretty old, I imagine that he was already working as a teacher when Woodman was still around. Maybe he even was his teacher at some point.

And since I love having my favorite characters interact, I also thought of a scenario where Drillman wanders into the forest out of frustration over his miserable life, only to meet Woodman by coincidence. In the end, Woodman helps him work through his daddy issues and his body dysmorphia, while Drillman helps Woodman reintegrate and manage this (for him) completely new world of peace. Another great headcanon of mine is that Chemistryman is actually Acidmans father. Just because I think it would be funny. And as Fully Charged has confirmed: robots in that universe do indeed have parents. (Flashback to the time I drew Dr. Light beating the shit out of Drillman's father)

Speaking of Drillman.... For being one of my favorite Mega Man characters of all time, I haven't drawn him nearly enough. That will probably be my next project.

This might also be a great time to tell you that I've never watched Breaking Bad before, lol. Everything I know about it comes from RTGame's Stardew Valley playthrough and the RTVS Half Life parody.

Sorry for all the yapping. But if I don't talk about robots at least once a day, I might die. This is a serious condition.

#megaman #mega man #mega man fully charged #acidman #acid man #chemistry man #chemistryman #im just gonna add my essays under the read more from now on hehe #the funny crossover you never know you needed #i am very normal about the fully charged bots #should i also tag woodman and drillman? eeeh no

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romanoffsbish · 2 years

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Paper Rings

Elizabeth Olsen x Fem!Reader

…and Broken Promises

—•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•—

The moon is high, like your friends were the night that we first met. Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet, now I've read all of the books beside your bed... The wine is cold like the shoulder that I gave you in the street. Cat and mouse for a month or two or three now I wake up in the night and watch you breathe.

—•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•—

Lizzie groaned when the beeping in her mind didn't subside, it only increased in volume, breaking her from the dreams she was having. More so the vivid memories of your whirlwind romance on replay for her, to only be followed up by hopeful imagery her mind's manifesting.

From the early days where she met you at a party thrown by Scarlett Johansson—Marvel's resident party girl, there had been so much going on that night, it'd been an event thrown to bridge the gap for the incoming cast, such as herself, Aaron Taylor, and you—Y/N Y/L/N.

Elizabeth had been a huge fan of yours after she saw you too loved the indie film genre. Your movies were her guilty pleasure, so she had been a little bummed out to find you'd never even heard of her until a week prior. Awkward was an understatement for the both of you, she was gushing to you over the film you just finished shooting, and you were too enamored by her beauty to really engage.

That night you'd looked her up, falling down a rabbit hole of all things Elizabeth Olsen, she was stunning, and her acting was next level. Everything was going well too, until you stumbled into an article about her boyfriend. Your laptop was slammed closed as soon as your silly hopes were crushed, it was only a new crush, but the way she flirted with you all night long had left you feeling a bit hurt after.

So you went to set the following month with an urge to ignore her, and for the first few weeks you managed to do it well. Then at a craft table after a particularly long day she found a way to corner you, her eyes were sad when they found yours, and it was clear to you that it was your doing. So, in the name of professionalism you agreed to eat with her in her trailer, because maybe you had misinterpreted her intentions at the party, but once she leaned in to kiss you it was clear you were right, and you folded.

Lizzie frowned when you resorted to yelling obscenities afterwards, but once she caught the word boyfriend in the mix she was quick to scream it was a tabloid falsehood; she was single, and only wanted to not be if it was you who was going to ask her out. She was smooth, you took the alluring bait, and the rest is a long, sorted and disgustingly sappy history.

—•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•—

Kiss you once 'cause I know you had a long night. (Oh!) Kiss you twice 'cause it's gonna be alright. Three times 'cause you waited your whole life. (One, two, one two three four!)

—•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•—

"Baby...," your groans of displeasure took Lizzie back to the present moment, she reached over to turn the alarm off, then she rolled onto her side so she could pull you into her warmth., "Thank you baby.," she chuckled softly at your sweet words uttered with the grumpy tone.

Elizabeth allowed you to snuggle into her for a few minutes, but it wasn't long before the next alarm was going off besides your head., "No..."

"Unfortunately, yes my love.," she giggled, her body shifted to turn it off, then with gentle precision she shifted you onto your back so that she could hover over you with a smile., "We've gotta get to set soon honey.," she placed a wet kiss to your cheek, her eyes sparked with joy when she could feel as the muscle twitched beneath her lips as you did your best to fight off a smile., "Come now, we'll save time by showering together.," she winked, then sauntered off before you could stop her.

She squealed however when you jumped up, and pressed her into the bathroom doorway in a matter of seconds., "Not so fast little Olsen.," she glared at you but you only smirked back., "What's my morning time rule, hm?," a silly smile overtook her face as she thought it over.

"Nothing comes before snuggles and kisses.," she repeated the words you've prompted her with for many years now., "Not even Marvel.," you tapped her nose softly., "Exactly.," then in an exaggerated manner you pouted your lips.

She huffed just as dramatically as you as she leaned in to capture your lips in a kiss, it was soft, and slow, just the way you loved it most. Getting to feel her close is all you’ll ever need, which is why you whine every time it’s brought to an end., “Baby, we have to get going, I’m not being late and facing Kevin’s stare once again.”

No amount of sulking or pouting brought her back to you so you reluctantly got in the shower to get cleaned up. A permanent scowl was on your face, and Lizzie made it her mission to bring your smile back, so as you were climbing out she jumped into your slippery arms and pecked your lips repeatedly until you smiled.

“Get dressed, and meet me downstairs in ten.,” and with a final kiss she was leaving you to get herself ready without the distraction (you).

“Are you ready to go love?,” she looked over to you from the front door with the keys in hand., “I’m right behind you baby, I’m just getting our coffees, and lunches.,” you came around the corner with two satchels and tin thermoses. The dirty blonde allowed you through, then locked the door behind you before climbing into the drivers seat and taking off in a rush.

—•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•—

I want to drive away with you

I want your complications too

I want your dreary Mondays

Wrap your arms around me, baby

—•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•—

“Marvel making us work on a Monday is a war crime.,” you grumbled from beside the far less grumpy woman., “Love, it’s just another day.”

Elizabeth snorted when you loudly huffed and shifted to face the window instead of her, her hand was quick to reach across the divider and gently settle into yours to rest on your thigh. The action was simple, but the way in which this woman cares for you so tenderly on the regular is anything but, she’s just so patient, incredibly kind and lest we forget beautiful.

She was everything you never knew you needed until you finally had her, and there was no way in hell you were ever letting her go now.

Truth be told you were ecstatic for today’s events. While Paul B and the crew over at WandaVision keep Lizzie busy you’ll actually be on another set. Lizzie believes you’ll be on the set of Loki, as that’s normally the case, but the production is actually paused for your sake.

Scarlett, Robert, and all the rest of the original gang will be there as well, setting up what you call the “After Elizabeth says yes party,” and you’ll be there to help them until lunch time when you plan to walk Lizzie down memory lane, and then you’ll drop down on one knee and ask her to be your blushing bride.

After sharing a smattering of kisses you finally parted ways with the promise of a 12pm lunch. That gave you exactly three hours to make sure everything was up to snuff, you weren’t really worried because you gave the reigns to Scar, and she’d yet to disappoint you with parties.

“Well if it isn’t the lady of the hour!,” Downey yanked you into a sweaty embrace and you wretched dramatically., “Unhand me you filthy cretin.,” you swiftly moved into the arms of the others, each one wishing you well until you landed in the arms of Johansson, who’s smirk was nothing if not teasing., “Tell me Y/L/N, how do you plan to ruin the proposal?”

“I’ll have you know my plan is foolproof.,” you groaned and the blonde chuckled., “And yet, I see you still finding a way to muss it all up.,” she reached forward to tussle your hair, and you squealed while jumping away., “Don’t mess up the look Johansson!”

“Oh jeez, please say you’re joking, this is how you plan to propose?,” she scoffs., “In a pair of sweats, and with your hair lazily combed out?”

“Lizzie loves my messy hair and sweats.,” she shook her head., “You’re hopeless, but worry not, I am here to save the day—trust in me, and you’ll be engaged in no time.,” she winked, and you deadpanned., “The Black Widow helping with my proposal… Something about that doesn’t seem very promising.,” she cackled, and pulled your reluctant form alongside her.

Even with your protests you allowed the woman to guide you to her emergency supply of suits, and after a few tries you settled on the sheer white top, with the deep green suit set.

“Good luck Y/L/N.,” she slapped your shoulder, then sent you off with a genuine hug.

A chorus of well wishes followed you out the steel doors, along with a smattering of nerves that had settled deep in your stomach.

“Woah, am I going to get to see you in this on the big screen?,” you smiled shyly, and Lizzie pulled you into her embrace swiftly, her lips pressed to yours just as fast., “I missed you.”

“I missed you too baby.,” you wrapped your arms around her, hugging her properly., “Now, are you ready for a trip down memory lane?,” her brows furrowed, but the nervous look in your eye told her not to tease you just yet.

Lizzie had no clue whatsoever where you were taking her, but when you ended up in her old trailer she smiled at you knowingly., “Our first kiss?,” you nod, then pull her to the couch, and began to unpack your premade lunches. The two of you ate in a comfortable silence, the only thing on your mind was the next destination, and her mind was curious, but she chose to trust the process instead of questioning it.

Once you walked her passed a few sets, talking about the scenes that strengthened your bond, you eventually stopped by the pond in the lot. This was the spot that you asked her to be your girlfriend after a few months of talking, and now it’s where you were falling to your knee.

“Aww, love, this is where you—.,” she turned around with a reminiscent smile that fell into an expression of shock at the sight of you.

"Elizabeth Olsen, I have loved you for as long as I've known you. The immediate infatuation blossomed into the purest of loves I've ever experienced. I never want to be without this—without us, so please do me the greatest honor of my life and say that you'll marry me."

The starlet was in hysterics when you opened the velvet box, the ring was perfect, but it was really your nervous smile that sealed the deal. As if you had anything to worry about after half a decade together, she thought it was adorable, and that didn’t really help your nerves much as she admired you in lieu of answering.

“Baby?,” you began to gnaw on your lower lip, and a wave of guilt passed right through her., “Of course I’ll marry you baby.,” she stepped forward, her hand linking with your free one., “There’s no reason to doubt that, my love for you is unwavering, so please, slip it on baby.”

You wasted no time pulling the jewelry from the velvet box, you smiled up at your now fiancée, then just as you went to slip the ring on her finger it all went to shit. Your fingers were slippery, and so the ring fell from your grasp, and before you could recollect it a seagull swooped in and stole the jewelry.

“Oh my god.,” Lizzie gasps, watching as you were now chasing a seagull around the parking lot, all of your friends giving their spots of hiding away as most keeled over at the sight.

“Please tell me you’re getting this.,” Lizzie asks Scarlett as she sneakily approaches from the side., “Every last second of it, don’t worry.”

The good friends watched as you scaled a trailer in an attempt to catch the bird, it was almost taunting you by having not flown away, but as soon as you nearly had it in your grasp it did just that, taking your ring off into the sky, and leaving you in a bit of a soured mood.

Your lip trembled as you approached your lover in defeat., “I’m sorry, this was supposed to be perfect, and I messed it up.,” she shook her head, immediately throwing her arms over your shoulders, and sighing in relief when yours wrapped securely around her waist.

“I like shiny things.,” you frowned at her words, the reminder of the loss was too soon., “But I'd marry you with paper rings.,” you raised your brows in obvious question, and she smiled., “Uh huh, that's right.,” her soft lips pecked yours., “Darling, you’re the one I want.”

You melted into her, the genuine glint in her viridescent eyes enough to settle your feelings of inadequacy here., “I love you honey.,” she pressed another kiss to your lips., “Nothing is messed up, because in the end I don’t need a ring to know I want to be your wife, all I need is you, safely in my arms; your love is enough.”

“I love you too baby, now let’s go party!,” she giggled behind you as you pulled her into the room that Scarlett, and the boys put together.

—•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•—

I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this.

—

Darling, you're the one I want: in paper rings, in picture frames, in dirty dreams.

Oh, you're the one I want

—•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•~~~~~~•—

“That was so embarrassing.,” you whined, your fiancée giggled as she cuddled up to your side., “What part?,” she couldn’t help but tease you.

“The seagull!,” you shrieked as if it was obvious, and so she chose to leave the drunk karaoke out of the conversation for now., “Oh, yeah, that’s going to be hilarious for interview season.,” your eyes widened., “Oh my god…”

“It’ll be okay my love.,” she kissed your cheek before nuzzling her face into your neck., “The story will be one we tell our kids one day, and they’ll laugh at you the same way we all did.”

“You’re the actual worst.,” you tried to shimmy away from her giggling form, but she held you too tight, and really your efforts were weak from the start., “Yeah, maybe I am, but there’s no turning back now, you’re my bride to be.”

“Lucky for you I don’t want to.,” you rolled onto your side and softly pulled her closer., “I can’t wait to be an Olsen.,” she beamed at the name drop, then she placed an excited kiss to your lips, “Don’t forget the many babies!”

“Oh yeah, how could I? Can’t wait to have mini you’s running all around this big old place.”

“Tiny you’s too!,” she yawned., “I want it all.,” her snores were the next thing you heard, and after a few minutes of just silently watching her breathe you slowly began to slip away too., “I want it all and more with you, goodnight love.”

———

2,622 Words

💕Kaitlyn 💍

#elizabeth olsen imagine #elizabeth x you #elizabeth x y/n #elizabeth x reader #elizabeth x fem!reader #elizabeth olsen x female reader #elizabeth olsen x reader #elizabeth olsen x y/n #elizabeth olsen x you #elizabeth olsen #elizabeth olsen fluff #wanda maximoff x reader

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kittyball23 · 1 year

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A Broppy Wedding (a Trolls fanfic)

Summary: Two movies, two specials, and two shows later, the time has come for two Trolls to come together in the way that only true love can make happen 💙

A/N: What better way to celebrate Broppy Day than to write out the Broppy wedding!💕 I've been wanting to write this for a little while now, but finally made myself go through with it after it was requested by adapotatathegoat_27 on Wattpad. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!😄

__________________________________________

“Is this really necessary?”

Branch’s question was answered with a hearty laugh from his brother John Dory. “Oh, Branch, of course it is! How else are you gonna look fly for your wedding, hmm?”

“It’s not ‘looking fly’ that’s bothering me,” Branch replied. “It’s the fact that I can get dressed on my own!” Branch groaned as John Dory completely disregarded his words and kept tugging the blue Troll’s pants up from behind him, trying to get the rims fully over his hips. And, given that John Dory was their band’s ‘leader’ (a title that had been self-appointed by JD himself), their other brothers had taken his cue and were doing their part in assisting their youngest bro to get ready. Spruce was touching up a very nice-looking, iridescent vest for him, double and triple-checking to make sure that there were no nicks or flaws with it at all. Clay was shaking up some cans of hairspray, his eyes set on Branch’s crop of rich blue hair. Floyd was sifting around some cabinets, seeming to be looking for something in particular, though none of the other brothers knew what exactly.

Branch appreciated the help, but he had to roll his eyes a little bit at it too. “Guys, you do know that just because I was called ‘Baby Branch’ doesn’t actually mean that I still am a baby.”

“In our eyes you will be!” John Dory chirped in reply, finally getting Branch’s pants in place. He stepped back a sec, eyeing his work, and then wolf-whistled. “Hoo-boy! The rump’s looking on point, bro!” Suddenly, before he could help himself (and before Branch could utter a “Don’t you even think about it!”) John Dory had stooped down and given him a firm, playful smack on the rear.

“OW!” the blue Troll cried, rubbing the affected area with his hands and shooting his giggling oldest brother an annoyed glance. “I hate it when you do that…”

“Well, whether you hate it or not, JD’s got a point,” Spruce chimed in with a sly look on his face. “Nothing to be ashamed of if your girl’s gonna like it.”

“WHOA, now, easy going down that train of thought!” Branch exclaimed, blushing heavily.

“Pfft,” his purple-haired brother scoffed. “You know I’m right, dude.”

“Yeah, Branch!” Clay piped up. “And once she sees your abs, she’s totally gonna faint!”

“I don’t have abs,” Branch said,confused, and then narrowing his eyes at the lime-green Troll.

“Sure you do,” Clay protested, pointing at his chest. “Right there! Look! It’s a little bit, but they’re still there.”

Branch still felt a blush burning in his cheeks. Would Poppy appreciate it if he really did have them? The tantalizing thought of having her run her fingers down his chest, outlining the possible muscles that were there made him dare to take a peek and see if Clay was right. But before his eyes could even process anything upon looking down, Clay’s hand shot out and chucked him under the chin.

“Oh! Made ya look!”

As Branch heard his lime-green-haired brother laughing, he felt silly for falling for the oldest trick in the prankster’s book. But Branch couldn’t be sour - this was the happiest day of his life, and so he laughed along with Clay… at least, until the Troll began to crazily spray his hairspray bottles at Branch’s head.

“Easy, bro, what the heck!” Branch sputtered between coughs. “What’s the deal?”

“Gotta look spiffy!” Clay reasoned. He went to spray again, but Branch shoved his hands away.

“Whoa, whoa, uh-uh. Too much, dude. Just because you spray yours a lot doesn’t mean I want mine the same way.”

“I don’t spray mine a lot,” Clay said, but instantly proved himself wrong when he took the sprays and spritzed them into his wild hair instead.

Spruce waved his hand and was coughing. “Dude, Branch is right - spray overload! Why so extra?” But then he paused and realized. “Ohhhh, wait a minute, I see what this is about.” He grinned at Clay, who was suddenly starting to look nervous. “You’re trying to impress your girl! Viva, am I right?”

“What?” Clay said, playing dumb. “Naw, you’re wrong. I’m, uh… I’m just trying to look good for the wedding, obviously.”

“Mmm-hmm. All I can say is, you better get ready to pucker too, sucker,” Spruce riffed, cracking up at Clay’s paled reaction to that.

“All right, all right, but enough about you,” Spruce said when he’d calmed down (which was more than could be said about the nearly-fainted Clay). “This is about Branch, remember? Now, let’s get him all set up!” He carefully grabbed the vest for Branch and began to bring it over to his little brother, but had to stop in his tracks when he found that his other little brother had beat him.

Floyd, who was as quiet as he was emo, must have slipped in while Spruce was embarrassing Clay. He stood before Branch, holding his blue brother’s jaw in place and coming at him with something in his other hand.

“What the - ? Floyd, what are you doing?” Spruce asked, very confused.

“Oh, just a little touch-up for his face,” the magenta-haired Troll assured, then got back to work.

But that wasn’t so easy with Branch backing away and looking suspicious. “Um, what exactly are you doing?” Then his gaze focused in on the object that Floyd was holding and he recoiled. “Is that lipstick??”

“Don’t be silly, Branch,” Floyd said. “It’s glitter. Cherry-flavored!”

Floyd came at him again, but Branch backed himself away even more.

“No… sorry, Floyd. I’m not putting that on.”

“Oh! Well, if you don’t like cherry, I’ve got other flavors too. Blueberry, grape, strawberry, pineapple - “ Floyd rambled, until he was stopped by Spruce.

“What I think Branch means is that he doesn’t need any enhancers, if you catch my drift,” the purple-haired Troll said, nudging Floyd.

John Dory nodded to that. “I know that’s right. His girl went to town with him the day he proposed, no balm required!” JD shouted, making Branch dazed at the memory of how he and Poppy had kissed… and kissed and kissed and kissed after she’d agreed to become his wife!

Floyd looked pensive, but then he nodded. "Well, alright. You're looking great so far, Branch." Then, he leaned over and gave his little brother a quick hug. And Branch, having not been one to ever turn down a hug from the magenta-haired Troll, hugged back.

"Aw, how cute," Clay teased, but soon found himself being hauled over to the pair by JD, with Spruce being tugged on the teal Troll's other arm. Suddenly, all five Trolls found themselves enveloped in a great big group hug.

“Whoa, whoa,” Branch said, as he found himself being squeezed on all sides with no escape. “It’s not Hug Time!” To showcase, he lifted up his left arm with the silent Hug-Time watch.

“Yeah, but we just thought you could use one,” John Dory replied with a grin. The hug continued for another second, and then the boys released each other, getting back to the prep right away.

Spruce was able to grab Branch’s vest again and came around to start putting it on him, slipping his brother’s arms through the holes while Branch just let him (seeing that it was no use continuing to put up the argument that he could dress himself).

“All right!” the purple-haired Troll said when he was finished adjusting it. “Now, go on.”

Branch was confused. "What?"

“You know," Clay said, helping out. “Flex your drip!" He tried emphasizing by making a record scratch noise.

Branch wanted to shake his head. They wanted him to model the vest? He shrugged. Whatever. He made a simple turn so he could see all sides of it, but the purple-haired Troll wasn’t satisfied.

“Come on, Bitty B, you can do better than that!”

Branch grumbled a little, but then got an idea. Feeling a little playful, he made a dramatic turn, flashed a charming smile, and opened up the vest a little to show off his chest (a chest that, as Branch was able to sneak a peek and notice, did in fact have a slight hint of abs!). It was a move that Spruce had done in his youth as a teen, and he of course instantly recognized it and beamed.

“Now we’re talking!” he cried, and high-fived Branch.

JD, however, was looking a little skeptical. He cocked his head to the side, and tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Hmmm… maybe we should’ve gone with the glitter diaper instead…” he said to the others.

Branch’s eyes grew huge at that. “You had a glitter diaper designed?!” he exclaimed. Then he shook his head adamantly. “Aw, no. No, no, no, no, NO. N-O. Absolutely not, you are NOT making me go out there wearing that!” He had already suffered an embarrassing performance wearing a diaper that was far too small for him when they were singing to try and save Floyd. He would NOT undergo that again!

John Dory laughed, along with the rest of the brothers.

“Bro, we’re playing with you,” Clay said, still giggling, “you’re not gonna do that, come on!”

Branch let out a sigh of relief. “Oh… thank goodness!”

__________________________________________

Meanwhile, it was not that much of a different story happening in the bride’s room.

Poppy had been singing to herself all morning, her mind in bliss, and her body buzzing with joy. Not too long ago, she’d been a mere bridesmaid - but now, she was the bride herself!

And as a bride, there was plenty to do to get herself prepared to look her most magnificent. Luckily, Poppy was in good hands. She had lots of great help in the form of her friends. Satin and Chenille, of course, had been the ones to create her dress as they had for every wedding that occurred in Pop Village. Poppy didn’t know how they managed to do it - each dress was always so unique, it impressed her! The Pop Queen’s variation consisted of a beautiful creamy color, laced and frilled at just the right places, with an elegant silky train that ran far behind her.

In putting it on, she found that it suited her perfectly, and Poppy had to stop herself from jumping around in happiness so that she wouldn't wrinkle it up. In the present moment, the fashionista twins were helping her apply a few light touches of glittery makeup on her face. Smidge and Legsly were grabbing the jewelry, and at Poppy's hair was her sister Viva, poufing it up and adding colorful extensions.

"EEEEE!" she squealed at the girls. "Poppy is gonna look soooooo FANTAST-AMAZING!!"

"Tell me about it," Satin said, leaning back to check on the eyeshadow application. "Branch is gonna - "

"DIE!" her sister Chenille finished.

Satin looked at her, shocked. "I was gonna say faint, but geez!"

Poppy blushed. "Oh, I mean, I don't know... you really think he'll like it that much? I'm just me..." She shrugged, her cheeks red.

"Uhhh, YEAH we're sure! He'll be over the moon! No - scratch that - he'll be over the galaxy!" Viva exclaimed. "And if you don't believe us, take a look for yourself!" She ushered Poppy over to a standing mirror, and the Pop Queen had to gasp. She really did look stunning, with her deep fuchsia hair piled upon her head in a ponytailed bun of sorts, and the jaw-dropping gown, and her face dolled with just enough makeup to not be over the top but to be soft and appealing. It was a work of art in itself. She glanced over at the girls. How did they do it?

Viva put her hands over her heart. "Oh, Poppy, you're so lucky to have someone who loves you so, SO much!"

Poppy giggled. "Thanks," she said, then looked at her sister slyly, "but don't sell yourself short, either."

Viva paused. "Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me, you know what I'm talking about," the Pop Queen said, smirking now. "And he just so happens to be my fiance's brother."

"Wh-what? No, uh, Clay? He, um... he's..." Viva stammered, but eventually just gave up, her cheeks growing warm. "He kinda does like me, huh?" she asked, twirling a strand of her golden hair between her fingers.

"Oh, come on, anybody with two eyes can see that," Smidge replied, her voice gruff but a little smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She and Leglsy came over to Poppy and began to put on a couple of adornments on her - including a necklace, some bracelets, and pearl earrings - to finalize the look.

"Aww, Poppy, I think I'm gonna cry!" Legsly said, wiping away a tear.

"Already?" Poppy asked in awe.

"Already," the familiar voice of her friend Bridget answered. The Bergen was just outside the dressing room, due to it being too small for her to fit inside, but she was still able to get a clear view of the bride in all her elegance. "Don't you remember how many times I cried even before my wedding with Grizzy started?" She laughed, and so did the other girls.

"I guess you were a little bit of a mess," Poppy admitted.

"A little? Tell the truth, girl, I was a LOT of a mess," Bridget giggled, "but, I managed to pull through it. And so will you, Poppy." She leaned down and presented her finger, which Poppy came over and high-fived.

The Pop Queen took one last look at herself in the mirror, and let out a breath she’d been holding. This was it. She clutched onto a bouquet of her favorite pink flowers and nodded her head once, resolutely.

"All right," she said, smiling widely. "Let's get this wedding started!"

__________________________________________

It was a dream come true.

Poppy felt like she was floating on air, as though she was having an out-of-body experience. This felt so unreal. But it was real. The fantasy in her mind of what her wedding day would be like had continued to change throughout the years. At first, she’d envisioned just her friends of the Snack Pack being there - Guy Diamond, Smidge, Satin, Chenille, Legally, Biggie, and Cooper. Then she’d envisioned Bridget, Gristle, and the Bergen Town residents also being there. Then the Trolls of the Troll Kingdom. And now, the actual day of it, all of them were there plus her sister and BroZone! Poppy didn’t know how she hadn’t fainted already from the shock of it all!

Branch, awaiting patiently at the altar, had to stop himself from rocking back and forth on his heels. He was incredibly nervous. He felt like he was going to barf. And pass out. And pee his pants all at once. But one quick peek over at Floyd, and he remembered his brother’s words, right before they’d exited the dressing room. They were simple, and straight to the point.

Don’t worry about it. You’re gonna do great. Everybody who came here is only here to support you guys. This is the happiest day of your life. Don’t stress it, and don’t overthink it, okay?

Branch took a deep breath and released it. Okay, he answered in his head.

Finally, the moment had come.

Bells chimed in a melodic fashion, and all the hushed, excited whispering that had arisen in the awaiting audience of Trolls and Bergens went quiet, replaced by silent, beaming smiles.

Tiny Diamond, appropriately re-titled as the Flower Man, once again made his round down the aisle, flinging the petals and pretending that he was on a catwalk with the way he paused to pose a couple of times.

And then came Poppy, arm in arm with her father, Peppy.

Branch’s heartbeat quickened, the palpitation in his chest so intense he swore he could feel it reverberating throughout his entire body. It felt like the moment was lasting forever, with the way that time was crawling to an incredibly slow pace as she was guided down the aisle, sweetly strutting. It gave Branch enough time to remember everything that had happened between them, both good and bad. When they first met. When he’d rejected her invitations and she’d try to become his friend. When they’d gone on their journey to Bergen Town, and had their first real hug. When he’d apologized to her for her for his past behaviors in his gray years. When they’d sang and danced together everyday in Pop Village. When they’d gone on their journey across the Troll Kingdoms during Barb’s World Tour. When they’d argued, and then made up. When he’d confessed his love to her, and she’d confessed right back. When they’d gotten ready for Bridget and Gristle’s wedding. When they’d gone on their wild journey to save Floyd and retrieve the brothers. When he’d proposed to her, and she’d accepted…

Before Branch knew it, Poppy was right in front of him. She hugged her father, who looked between her and Branch with nothing but pride. Peppy then went off to seat himself among the other guests. Unbeknownst to Branch, the same memories were flitting through Poppy's mind, and she could barely contain herself with the smile that spread across her face. It was an infectious one, and he had to smile back at her, his nerves going away.

His gaze was so fixed on the beautiful Pop Queen that he hardly realized that there was anybody else up there at the altar, until he heard a throat clearing. He turned to look, and was surprised to find that Cloud Guy was the officiate!

“You!” Branch exclaimed. “I thought Mr. Dinkles was going to wed us!”

“The little guy’s license expired,” the cloud explained. “But mine’s still good to go!” Cloud Guy flashed the card at him, and Branch rolled his eyes. Well, I guess as long as he can make Poppy my wife, he supposed.

Without further ado, Poppy and Branch faced each other, cheeks warm and eyes bright.

“Friends, from all over the Troll Kingdoms and even beyond it, I think we all know why we’re gathered here today…” Cloud Guy said out loud, “but in case you don’t, we are here to celebrate in a lovely matrimonial event the marriage of my two bestest buds in the whole world. This awesome-sauce girl, Queen Poppy” - he paused, making finger-guns at her and allowing the folks in the audience to cheer - “and this guy, Dumpy Diapers!”

Branch heard a few snickers, and he frowned a little, glaring at Cloud Guy. The cloud stifled a chuckle, but quickly made to correct himself.

“Hehehe, just kidding - this here’s my friend, Branch!” he announced, and then the crowd cheered. “Seriously though,” Cloud Guy said in a whisper, “I think you woulda killed it in the glitter diaper.”

“No way!” Branch grumbled, but then had to chuckle a little bit at the thought of anybody getting married in a diaper.

Noting his good mood, Cloud Guy continued, turning to Poppy first. “Sooo… Do you, Queen Poppy, take Branch to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” Cloud Guy recited the words quite skillfully at her, surprising Branch. Perhaps Cloud Guy wasn’t such a bad choice as officiate.

Poppy, however, wasn’t as surprised. She had already had full confidence that their friend would be able to help them on their big day. And now that she was asked the question, her breath hitched. Did she want to take Branch as her husband? How was that even a question when she knew in her head that there was only one possible answer that it could be, an answer that she wanted to SCREAM out over and over until she was out of breath and her throat was hoarse, because that’s just how excited she was!

Somehow, she reeled herself in, took a deep breath, and managed to speak calmly.

“I do.”

She smiled, her eyes hooding as the effects of love began to overtake her for the Troll she’d just accepted to be hers.

Branch swallowed when Cloud Guy turned to him with a gleam in his eye. “And do you, Branch, take Poppy to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

The question repeated in Branch’s head, the details playing like a movie reel of what this meant and what was to come.

Do you, Branch, take Poppy to be your lawfully wedded wife…

He imagined waking up everyday seeing her gorgeous face, being by her side, telling her how much he loved her, and she telling him how much she loved him…

… to have and to hold…

He imagined having her in his arms, hugging her, kissing her, taking her to heights she didn’t know existed, and him neither for that matter…

… in sickness and in health…

He would be there for her in her lowest points, supporting her, making sure that she had everything she needed and that she was satisfied…

… until death do you part?

The effects of time would come onto them eventually with their aging, but it would never extinguish the love that burned inside of him for her.

“I do.”

Branch smiled at her, and he could tell that there was no longer any trace of that “it would be WEIRD if we got married” feeling left inside of her.

Cloud Guy nodded his head and proceeded. “Well then, by the power that’s invested in me, I now pronounce you to be…”

Everybody leaned forward in their seats, eager, anticipatory, nearly shaking from excitement as they waited for the next words that would come out of the cloud's mouth.

"... HUSBAND AND WIFE!!!"

Poppy felt fireworks explode within her. Branch felt like he could fly. The audience began to clap vigorously in unison. Cloud Guy had barely started to say "You may kiss the bride" (only managing to get "You may k - " out) before Poppy had already leapt at Branch and had her lips locked firmly on his, hands gripping him possessively around the back of his neck. Branch kissed her back, not wasting a second to deepen the connection and pull her impossibly close against him. His arm wrapped around her waist, the other around her back, the two of them smiling and swooning into each other, lost to the world and lost only in each other (they were married for crying out loud!).

Though, the world was still very much around them. And it had been thrown into a frenzy of celebration!

The Snack Pack, the Bergens, Viva, Peppy, Branch's brothers, and all of the guests who'd come from all over the Troll kingdoms brought the noise on with a symphony of claps and whistles and cheers.

"My sister's MARRIED!!!" Viva screamed, bouncing around all over the place.

"My daughter's married!" Peppy shouted next to her, bopping in a celebratory jig.

"Man, Bitty B's all grown up!" John Dory exclaimed with a huge grin. "WOOO!"

"He's a married man now," Spruce cried out, incredibly proud of his brother.

"Congratulations, BRO!" Clay yelled out to Branch, pumping his fists into the air.

Floyd was also incredibly pleased with the turnout, but was expressing it in an entirely different way from his brothers. "I'm SO happy for him," he whimpered, teary-eyed. "I'm just so, so, SO happy!" He broke off, sobbing in an uncontrolled manner. The magenta-haired Troll couldn't help himself. The way he remembered Branch, he was that same little Trolling who had confided in Floyd for reassurance and guidance upon performing, and in other matters when they were young. The same little Trolling who had an endearing baby voice to match his cute face, and sang so adoringly onstage in his diaper and white shades. Branch was no longer little - he had an adult voice, an adult maturity, and was able to do adult things like, as had happened now, get married! It was no wonder the tears had started for Floyd and refused to stop.

Just like Poppy and Branch, who, in a replica of what had happened when he proposed, couldn't stop with the smooches. Definitely not, not with what had just happened. Not with knowing that they were husband and wife, best friends, and lovers, all rolled into one.

And that they would be together, with their family and friends, forever!

__________________________________________

A/N: I know Branch would also be going through coronation, but I wanted to focus more on the wedding aspect of it. Once again, Happy Broppy Day everyone! 😘

#trolls #trolls 3 #trolls band together #broppy #branch trolls #poppy trolls #brozone #john dory #spruce trolls #clay trolls #floyd trolls #viva trolls #king peppy #cloud guy #dreamworks #fanfiction #kittyball writes #gib me their wedding dreamworks #100+

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tobiasdrake · 6 months

Text

Well, as long as we're rafting the temporal streams, might as well head back to Dormont. Got some errands to run in the past.

I'm like 98% sure you're trying to flirt with me but you're too nervous to actually go through with it. Would you please just finally ask me out so I can rock your evening?

Look, be glad I was tasteful enough not to go for the other pun.

My guy, what could possibly compel you to think I'm not comfortable with basic human conta--

...you know what, that's fair. I guess I do go out of my way to minimize any and all possible exposure of physical features, don't I?

Anyways, go on and get out of here while I chat with my Lemonfriend.

Oh, I've always liked you. I'm just also creeped out by you. Two things can be true.

...huh. If I can die here in Dormont, then... that does make things easier. I was planning on throwing myself on a Tear once we got into the House since you said I can loop forward as well as back, but dying here in town would save me some time.

Oh shit yes. I'd love the ability to call you and chat about what I'm seeing while the rest of the crew looks at me like I've lost my goddamn mind.

Especially since the ultra-secret fourth sign is making a phone shape out of your fingers and then talking on it. That's hilarious.

This.

This is it.

This is the key to killing myself in Dormont.

...

I should probably wait until I've finished up here.

ISA

I didn't realize you come up here after we're done. I don't have anything else to talk about but it's great seeing you up here.

Didn't accomplish as much here as I expected to. But at least we can take another crack at that desk drawer.

Okay between this and the rock switch, I no longer have any confidence in my own ability to do my job. It's distressing that each setback thus far has been the fault of a bad d20 roll on the primary reason that I'm with this party.

Ha! Rock trap for the Rock key. I get it.

Really? They're frozen in time right now but I am looking for a book. You think they might have set it out for me in advance? That would be awfully nice of them.

Oh shit. There was a person in town who sometimes thinks they have a sister but can't recall where they moved to. That shit got super weird. This has to be related.

No idea how it's related to our current mission. But. It's gotta be related.

Always trust in the puns. The puns are life. The puns are the secret of the universe. Those who do not heed their wisdom face the ultimate punishment.

So the Rock Key was in a room guarded by a huge rock and the Paper Key is in the library. I am. Kind of. Terrified. Of where the inevitable Scissors Key will be found.

And one Star Crest. Well. *heavy sigh* Shit.

Gonna have to temporally save-scum this one.

Can't argue with that. Isa's my brofriend-maybe-more so his vote automatically weighs more than anyone else in this--

................

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

Okay. It's okay. We can work this out mathematically.

Isa, as previously noted, is worth a million points because he's a precious slab of adorableness who flirts with me in the cutest ways imaginable and I'm super feeling it.

Mira, meanwhile, is worth half a million points because she's also awesome and cool and she's our wonderful team leader and I adore her.

Bonnie is worth infinity points because they are a child whose hopes and dreams we are responsible for and I don't want to let them down.

However, Odile is worth zero points because she's mean to me and sometimes makes me want to cry. I still haven't forgotten that crack, Odile. Even though you have because it was in another time loop.

If we add them together, then Team Beauty is worth a million and a half points, but Team Age is worth infinity points.

However my sign is Scissors, and the shape of Scissors forms a multiplication symbol, not a plus symbol. Which means that Team Beauty is actually worth 500,000,000,000 points while Team Age is worth 0 points.

Thus, the objective and entirely unbiased answer is that Team Beauty wins.

I'm sorry, Bonnie! But math never lies. We must go south. It is our destiny to go south.

I know you will. It is my destiny to have a future filled with spuds. I accept my fate, but I do not apologize.

#in stars and time #drake plays in stars and time

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kalixora · 2 years

Text

Man's best friend

Soap x reader

Reader has three military-trained dogs, each with a distinctive set of skills.

Note: I've never played any of the games, so please excuse any inaccuracies. Due to the use of Google Translate, any languages displayed may potentially be incorrect.

(PICTURE NOT MINE)

“DAMN IT YOU MUTT GIVE IT BACK!” Running down the hallway, Soap shouted.

Price raised his brow as he glanced around the corner. He then saw a dog, and not just any dog. It was your dog. Price chuckles before whistling, attracting the dog's attention.

“There’s a good pup, what’s all the fuss about MacTavish?”

Soap huffed pointing at the dog, “Fucker stole my book.”

“That so?”

“Captain you can clearly see it in its mouth.”

Price nodded, “This it has a name you know.”

Soap scoffed, “How the hell am I supposed to know which damn mutt this is?”

“You need to start showing your team mate some respect, after all this ol’ girl knows your name quite well lieutenant,” Squatting down to the dogs' level and giving them soft pats, Price advised. "You've had your fun, Ravage, but you have to return Soap's belongings; we don't want to have to tell your mother now do we?"

Ravage whines a bit then drops the book at Price's feet, Price brags the book and hands it back to Soap. "There ya go mate."

"Thanks boss-" After again shaking his head, Soap said, "You best pray none of your drool got on any of my pages lass." He says to Ravage. After leaving, Soap returns to his room, where he shuddered at the slobber on his fingertips and opens the book to examine the pages.

Thankfully, none of the pages were tampered with. His most recent drawing, which was of you, was on his most current page. It wasn't finished yet, and there were a few smudges, but they might be fixable. Huffing, Soap grabbed his pencil and sat back at his desk.

He started drawing again, this time spacing out, remembering all of your facial expressions and features, from the way you grinned at him and the others after a successful mission to when your dogs mastered a new trick.

When you were originally introduced to the team, you were a little out of it, and you didn't have your dogs then, so he initially thought it was strange that you had three dogs instead of one like most other soldiers. It took them three days to reach to base, and you were overjoyed.

You even went brazen with Ghost while you two were comparing dogs, showing off your them off.

Ravage was the youngest of the three, and she was the fastest and had the finest sniffer of the three. Laserbeak was the middle child, but not much older than Ravage. Laserbeak was the most daring of the three, and you took him on more missions because he could deal the most damage. Finally, Howlback, his personal favorite. Howlback was the oldest and most playful; he was perfect for overnight excursions since he could sleep all day and be awake all night. Because to this, he has saved Soap numerous times.

He wondered what you would have been like without them, if you were still in your bubble. When you were with your dogs, you smiled more; they never failed to make you happy. He had to admit that he occasionally envied them and questioned whether he could accomplish the same. It seemed as if they were also members because of the way you interacted with them, took care of them, and watched out for them.

He adored your smile the first time he saw it, the day you smiled like that at him. It was your finest self-portrait.

He hummed, putting up his book for a better look, it was beautiful, you were exquisite.

Soap strenched a little then decided to head to the mess hall and get something to eat. He walked out his door stopping dead in his tracks, there was Ravage.

Again.

"What do ya want now?" Soap asked raising his brow.

Ravage whined then laid down looking up at sound in doing so. Soap tilted his head in confusion, did she want to use the bathroom?

"What gotta take a shit?"

"Did you just ask Ravage if she had to take a shit?" Gaz said as he and Ghost rounded the corner. "I don't know what she wants," Soap remarked.

"She's probably asking for company," Gaz speculated.

"Why don't you take her?" Soap inquired.

"I would, but I can't get sent out on another mission," Gaz grinned.

Soap turned to face Ghost, who simply shrugged. "You'll be fine Johnny, suck it up."

"After all, dogs are a man's best friend," Gaz added as him and Ghose walked away.

"Okay, tell you what, I'm gonna grab something to eat and you can sit there and watch how does that sound eh?" Soap sighed, shaking his head.

Ravage barked, sat up, whirled around in a circle, and barked at him again. "What the fuck is it?" Soap quipped, crossing his arms.

Ravage charged forward and yanked the bottom of Soap's pants, causing Soap to yell as Ravage let go and raced away. Soap after her, and she ran directly into the Captain's office. Soap stormed in, huffing.

Ravage sat next to Price as he smoked his cigar, gently petting her head and complimenting her before turning to look at Soap. "What the hell, Captain?"

Price grinned, "I told her to get your daydreaming arse in here, now, your getting sent out to help Soundwave, something came up."

"Is she alright?"

"I don't know, Laswell can't reach her, she's gone dark from what I understand," Price added.

Soap nodded, "Ay, so what about the mutt?"

"She's going with you."

"The fuck..."

“Ravage is the best luck you’ll have at findin’ Soundwave. Take her and go. Understand.”

Soap nods, “Yes sir.”

. . .

“I don’t doubt your skills dog but I know that we both care about Y/N a lot, so let’s do this and find her,” Soap said as the came off the plane. Ravage barked butting her head against Soap’s leg.

(Ngl Idk if I'm gonna finish this and I don't wanna delete it)

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thegamingcatmom · 28 days

Note

Hello <3 Listen I've started playing re8 and i've had my first encounter with the Dimitrescu family and I am here wondering why the hell didn't I play this sooner so I could obsess over this even sooner, but oh well. So I know you're cooking up a story where they meet the Denalis and I was like walking through the castle and my mind started asking questions. So ofc I imagine you don't wanna give away details of your story because then you wouldn't be able to tease us with lil spoilers and where's the fun in that, right? ;P So instead lemme write down what came to my mind and ask your opinion on that, let's dive into my delulu-land vision XD Tbh is nothing like super elaborated bc you know just rnadom throughts that came to mind so bear with me bc it probably makes 0 sense ok? SO it made me think like in a more kind of "modern" set up, where the Denalis are already vegetarians, they've lived a veeery long life, yk kind of like things are in the Twilight movies/books. In my mind it was like for X reason they were moving from Denali to another place to live, be because the Volturi, bc they had been exposed and therefore they need to gtfo before shit hits the fan (I blame the drones if that's the reason tho) IDK it could be literally any reason, it is unimportant. They somehow end up finding the castle, they meet this vampires who are like super different from them (In my mind I think is cool they can eat human food and sleep and shit eve n though perhaps they don't need it so I'd probs keep that for all vamps in any possible story but that's out of the question XD) and they ofc live very differently from them, the castle ofc doesn't mantain itself, so they have ppl working there for them and they probs dispose of them as soon as they stop being useful, they drink human blood, they make a game out of their hunts and seem to enjoy the pain they inflict before actually drinking the blood. Meanwhile the Denalis started drinking animal blood to stop killing the humans they slept with (With other reasons in the mix too but in the end it was to rpeserve human life) and they've lived away from humans, living in secret and all that shit, like is two complete different worlds they live in. Now all that to make this questions: Say Lady D offered them a place to stay in the castle for reasons unknown bc I hadn't actually thought about it tbh, I don't think she'd mind if they kept their boring vegetarian lifestyle, but they have a choice now to keep it or instead go back to human blood, which honestly seems more tasty and the better option, do you think they'd take it? Would they agree and stay in the castle? Would they leave? Idk f there would be any consequences if they decide to leave though, and in case of staying what about the coven itself? I mean Tanya's the leader, but it matters little I think her title in the castle bc I am not sure if Lady D gives a duck about it honestly, it's her castle after all(?) And final question I promise: How do you think they would adapt to this "new life" in the case they accept Lady D's offer of staying? You think someone might have more of a hard time with it? Will they talk/argue about it among themselves? Consider their options? I have a feeling that Tanya would not take any offer without speaking first to her coven, they are family after all and whatever they do will affect all of them, so yeah. Also this probably makes no sense as I stated before, it was a bunch of random thoughts that I poorly put together so yk don't feel like you gotta answer to all that nonsense XD And I still have not finished the game, just barely started it so idk, perhaps I'm missing some important lore, or something is inadequate, anyway thanks for reading my delulu-bible and for recommending me to go play the game <3 <3 Have a nice day :D

...Oh?

We´re simping for both camps now?

I love how, after having only just reached their section (apparently), this is the result. As in: The Dimis got their sickles hooked in you alright, LMAO.

Can´t say I´m surprised. *cough cough*

Like-

(Simping starts in 3...2...1...)

This was ALL of us when the game was only just coming out and Lady D was revealed in the Maiden Demo. It was madness, lemme tell you. The memes, the art, the fics my god-

The fics were smt else. And they just kept coming. They still do. Lady D destroyed the internet like no other video game character before. People kept dying in game just so they could stick around Castle Dimitrescu for a bit longer (preferably forever).

Like, this was the majority of ppl playing the game:

Lady D: *begins stalking you*

Ethan (you): *heart-eyes*

Lady D: *stalks closer*

Ethan (you): *heart-eyes*

Lady D: *unsheathes her claws*

Ethan (you): *dreamy smile*

Lady D: *takes one giant swipe at you that nearly beheads you*

Ethan (you), barely alive: "...F-Fancy stepping on me too?"

It was truly a time to be alive.

(You should check out some reactions to Lady D on Youtube, especially Markiplier. 💀)

I mean, LISTEN-

I dunno what Capcom was trying to accomplish with The Dimitrescus (they knew exactly what they were doing), but being stalked and hunted down by feral goth ladies and their equally as feral Momma because they thirst for your blood (and hopefully mayhaps other things) is pretty much a dream come true for most ppl. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Capcom, were you even trying? Honestly.

Okay anyhow-

I love your thoughts on this. Especially because it´s a lot more serious than what I originally came up with, lmao. Like, this thing I got cooking rn is pretty much a total crack fic (for now). Yknow, stuff like portals and time travel and whatnot seems entirely possible there, but I haven´t reached that part yet (the explaining part), so it´s still rather unclear how they got to the castle.

Like, it never occured to me that the Denalis might just find the "real" village in Romania (which is where the game is set). But now that I´m reading your thoughts on it, this seems pretty plausible to me. Defo something I can see happening. With that said:

Lemme start by giving some canon info (which hopefully won´t spoil anything for you):

the Dimis aren´t actual vampires

they are what they are because of a parasite aka The Cadou

they need to sustain themselves on human flesh and blood because of it (for survival & to maintain their powers)

Lady D will grow to the point she mutates out of control if she doesn´t (I´ve read that somewhere)

the Daughters are made entirely of flies

those flies will die if exposed to the cold (yet another thing that´s entirely different from Twilight vampires, who can only be fully destroyed through fire)

Lady D has no such "weakness"

the pain they inflict upon their victims is not necessary for feeding

they just enjoy being cruel

they turn their staff into wine at some point

or use them for experiments ("Moroaicǎ")

With all of that said: I totally agree that it´s a clash of two entirely different worlds. But that´s what makes it so interesting.

I also kinda HC that The Dimis see vampires as some kind of role models? In a way? Like, they clearly enjoy this lifestyle (a bit too much), so I feel like meeting some actual vampires - the real deal - would be like meeting a popstar or smt. At least to the daughters. (Dani would swoon.)

Lady D would be a lot more skeptical about it ofc, but there´s no way she would be able to hide her curiosity. I mean, how many beings pose an actual threat to them? Not that many. Which means Lady D would be quite hostile at first. She got her daughters to think of as well, after all. There would be the usual threats of "slice you to ribbons" and such, until she realizes-

There are no ribbons. And there won´t be. Because her claws are actually kinda useless against them.

As are the flies the daughters are made of. There´s no piercing that skin.

That´s never happened before.

That´s when it dawns on them that whatever they´re up against isn´t entirely human. The fact they (the Denalis) lack a heartbeat or the usual warmth is kinda telling as well.

In fact, the Daughters don´t enjoy being near them at all. They´re so cold!

But, you see-

The Daughters might keep their distance (for now).

But Lady D is more than intrigued at this point.

Listen, that woman is a sucker for power. That´s why she´s got the hots for Mother Miranda (MM), after all.

Well that, and because MM is fine af, obv.

(I don´t blame you, Alci.)

Anyway-

If she saw the Denalis wielding their vampiric powers and, yknow, posing an actual challenge for her in terms of brute strength because it´s not every day she meets someone who´s actually able to lift her- (can you imagine?)

Ofc she´s gonna want to get to the bottom of it all. Because she´s also a bit of a nerd, you see. Just like Momma. (They both fine af.) She´s gonna want to study them, write down every little detail in that notebook of hers.

Kate´s power is gonna fill page upon page as Lady D goes completely mad scribbling it all down like-

With that said:

Yes, I defo think Lady D would demand invite them to stay. She´s nothing if not a gracious hostess to those she deems worthy.

As for the Denalis-

Tanya would never make decisions without discussing it with her coven first. Not those that could be life-altering, at least. They'd only stay if everyone agreed to it. And, even then, I'm not sure it would be a permanent stay. I mean-

It's difficult.

I'd say it depends "which" Denalis we're talking. If we take the more deranged ones from my story (The Sisters) then I can defo see them agreeing to a permanent stay in the castle. Human life means next to nothing to them, aside from being their food source ofc. And while they might not agree with everything that's happening in the castle (some of the things going down in the cellar are...tough, even for them), they'd never judge the Dimis for their lifestyle, seeing how they're far from being saints themselves. One as corrupted as the other, I´d say.

If we take the veggie/modern Denalis, on the other hand-

I mean, the sisters killed ppl before. Loads of them probs. Therefore, the Dimis sustaining themselves on human blood and flesh isn't as appalling to them as it would be to your usual human. But it's how they do it (torturing their victims and basically getting the most out of it before they deliver the final blow) that makes them feel...conflicted. Most of their kind (as in: actual vampires) usually don´t draw it out longer than necessary. Mainly because they´ll succumb to their bloodlust almost immediately, sucking their victim dry in a matter of seconds. That (thankfully) doesn´t leave much room for any kind of torture.

With that said-

It´s still difficult, lmao.

I feel like our modern Denalis would defo be intrigued by the Dimitrescus. Then they´d be appalled. Then Lady D comes in with all that charm of hers, laying it on real thick yknow, basically downplaying the things that are happening in that castle full of blood and death. Then the daughters come in with their buzzing personalities. Then the Denalis would be intrigued again. And so on-

And before you know it, years have passed.

That´s the only way I can see our modern Denalis stay in that castle over an extended time period. Cause time works just differently for vampires, yknow. Years are like seconds to them. All one and the same. Doesn´t really matter. Not when you got eternity anyway.

Now, that was pretty much me rambling and fangirling without any kind of order, lol. So lemme try and give some more direct answers:

Would the Denalis switch to human blood during that time?

I think that´s entirely possible. That castle is pretty much filled with human blood - it´s everywhere: In the cellar, in the kitchen, in the storage rooms, in the wine glasses, etc. It lurks around every corner, constantly putting our sisters to the test. It´s like waving a piece (more like a bar) of chocolate in front of someone who´s been living on dry toast. Resisting becomes almost impossible under such conditions.

And the Dimis know that.

Am I suggesting that Lady D and her unruly daughters might try and seduce the Denalis back to human blood by deliberately leaving it out in the open, ripe for the taking?

Why yes, yes I am. That´s totally something the Dimis would do in order to gain numbers (and other things).

Would there be any consequences if the Denalis decided to leave?

As I said before, the Denalis pose an actual threat/challenge to Lady D. Neither her nor her daughters could do much to stop them from leaving, if they decided to do so. Doesn´t mean they wouldn´t try though. Lady D is a narcissist and rejection isn´t something she handles well. Her daughters share that sentiment.

"So you don´t love me?!"

Yup. That´s totally smt Dani would say in that situation. The poor baby.

Anyhow-

The Dimis would probs try to stop them because rolling over just isn´t in their nature. But I´d like to think one of the following things would happen then:

A) The Denalis use their vampiric charm to convince the Dimis to let them go without a fight.

B) Lady D puts a stop to things herself once she realizes the only ones to get hurt during this would be her daughters and herself. (She´d never admit that openly ofc.)

To sum it up:

Even if there were consequences, it´s highly unlikely the Denalis would be affected by them.

Would the Denalis adapt well to their new life? Would they struggle at all?

I think my fangirling pretty much answered that, lmao.

Unhinged Denalis: No problem with adapting. (More like they cba as long as they get their fill.)

Normal (modern) Denalis: Depends on the Dimis´ efforts I´d say. There´d defo be times of struggle and self-doubt. But then there´d also be times of "yknow what, why tf not". It´s a constant back and forth and it really depends on how well the Dimitrescus play their cards.

As for who might struggle the most:

Lemme start by saying Kate would struggle the least. I mean, the struggle would still be there, but she´s never been one to back down from a challenge. She´s also not one to shy away from the unknown - on the contrary: Out of the three of them, Kate is probs the one most likely to go "only one way to find out", YKNOW?? No risk, no fun, and all that. That´s why Cass and her get along so well. Whenever the two of them are together, the whole castle holds its breath.

Tanya would probs feel quite torn because, above all else, she has a duty to fulfill: ensuring the best possible outcome for her coven. So there´d be this constant nagging, telling her that all of this is kinda wrong and that, just mayhaps, it´d be better to haul ass. But then there´s time where she´s actually enjoying herself when she´s having "wine" with Bela, giving each other some advice on how to best handle their younger sibllings and such. That nagging fades for a while then. Until it´s back. But so is Bela. And that nagging fades again. And so on.

Irina would spend most of her time with Dani probs, gushing about finding true love and such. She sees a lot of herself in the youngest Dimitrescu daughter, albeit a lot more...unhinged, lol. They get each other, as crazy as it sounds. It also really helps taking her mind off things, makes her forget what´s going on in that castle. For a while, at least. Until the doubts start creeping back in. Dani notices though, she always does. And she´s always there to manipulate cheer her bestest friend up.

I hope I´ve managed to cover everything. Tbh, that was just me rambling most of the time, hoping it all would make sense along the way, lmao.

...Come to think of it, that´s pretty much my writing style. 💀

Thanks a lot for your ask! I really, really enjoyed that mashup. 🥰💋

Have a great day as well! ❤️

#tumblr asks #twilight #the twilight saga #the denalis #denali coven #tanya denali #kate denali #irina denali #resident evil village #resident evil 8 #house dimitrescu #the dimitrescus #lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu #bela dimitrescu #cassandra dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu

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vinecradle · 2 years

Text

10 OMG - the end of an era (✿)

scaramouche x fem!reader

masterlist | previous | next

waiting for kaveh to walk in, you smiled from ear to ear from what you're feeling today. nilou chuckled seeibg you smile, "you've gone so far, yn. though i believe this is just a start for a new page in your story." she spoke.

you soon heard a knock and the door soon opened, revealing the male you all were waiting for.

"ynnn!" he shouted and tackled you in a hug. not expecting it, you both fell down from the couch you were just sitting on.

nilou hurriedly took a picture for memories and joined into the group hug, with layla quickly following after.

sighed, elated from everyone hugging you as you held back tears of happiness. "i feel so free now, and i wont have to worry about what i feel about him anymore. i've moved on, i finally moved on." you choke out and started laughing.

kaveh ruffles your hair, "well, how about it? this deserves a celebration. where do you wanna go?"

you start thinking hard, until something clicked.

"karaoke!!"

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　°

you hugged everyone again once you've reached the dorms, "thank you again for today!! it was so fun screaming so many taylor swift songs, but now my throat is kind of.. at it's limit..." you managed to say.

the tree returned the hug, "my throat's at it's limit too, i mean who can blame me! it's taylor swift. anyways, gotta go now or else my phone would die." kaveh spoke and left.

everyone else soon got inside and yawned in unison. laughing together, nilou spoke. "i guess everyone needs some rest after tonight."

"definitely. good night, you two!"

reaching your room, you took out your headphones and quickly played the song kazuha said he liked, ditto. a song from 1998.

and slowly, you fell into a slumber.

• kaveh's post is him with nilou and layla, in that pic you were finding clothes to wear while they took a picture in your room and nilou's post is a photo of her singing

• i recommend paying attention to good parts' lyrics since it has a connection with this chapter 🫶🏻

summary :: wanting to go back to your dorm from the library, and accidentally leaving a friend's book there not knowing she has the intention of making you give it to someone she's trying to set you up with, a note inside with your number. without anyone realising, the book is in the hands of someone else, and you then wake up to a message from an unknown number.

author's note :: i know i literally just made a new smau not too long ago but i cant believe i already got inspiration for another one 😭 but i cant decide which character i should do for the male lead, i wont be doing alhaitham or cyno because i dont know how to write them for the life of me 🫠

taglist (1/2) :: @aeongiies @hrtswinter @zyilas @cofijelli @stuckinadreamland06 @elyionaa @thenightsflower @ohmyfinggod @mikctp @cherrybeomgyu @raideneiari @sakiimeo @xiaosonlybeloved @simp4bakuh03 @kunikuzushiit bolded cannot be tagged!

#genshin fluff #genshin imagines #genshin impact #genshin impact au #genshin impact smau #scaramouche smau #scaramouche x female reader #scaramouche x y/n #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche x you #high school smau #modern au #kunikuzushi #wanderer #wanderer x reader #omg vinecradle smau #genshin modern au #genshin au #vinecradle

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emiliosandozsequence · 6 months

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what scifi media do you like?

OH ANON I HAVE SO MANY. i'm so glad you asked 💕💕💕 (tagging @gorydean too so she sees 💕💕💕)

gotta start first and foremost with the sparrow series by mary doria russell as my blog is basically just a shrine to it at this point. amazing book and definitely recommend it if you love found family, first contact, trauma, tragedy, and the abandonment of the faithful by g-d. huge massive trigger warning tho. everyone says the second book isn't as good as the first, but i completely disagree. i think they're bitg equally as good as each other; the second book just takes awhile to get to the most insanity inducing parts whereas the first one starts out strong with that and keeps going until the end of the story.

i would have more books to recommend, but i've only just started REALLY getting back into reading after several years of not reading as much due to a variety of reasons (mostly trauma and chronic and mental illness). that being said, i have an insane amount of films to give you to watch instead of books.

gotta recommend my all time fav film (or one of the two anyway), the fountain. most people...don't like this movie because they think it's hard to understand and doesn't make sense towards the end (i had to watch it several times to get it), but please please please watch it. it's a beautiful film both visually and plotwise as long as you give it a chance 💕

sound of my voice is softer in terms of scifi, but still definitely scifi. it's another film that lets you decide what to believe. it's also another film people tend not to like for whatever reason, but i think it's extremely well done and the ending is so 💕💕💕💕💕💕

cloud atlas. very much a story in the same vein as the fountain taking place over different timelines. another beautifully done story about how everything and everyone is connected throughout space and time. ofc my fav timelines are the ones with robert frobisher and sonmi-451. i do also recommend the book, but i liked the film better because of a few of the changes they made.

sunshine is one of my fav films ever and i've loved it since i was in high school and first saw it. it reminds me a lot of three body problem in the sense that antagonist (idk if i would exactly call him a villain even tbh) is using g-d as a reason for the things he's doing. there's a few deleted scenes i wish they'd kept in because it really emphasizes this, but even so, this film is gorgeous in so many ways.

i origins. if u can't tell already i'm a huge brit marling fan and i think this is one of her best stories. again: you get to choose what to believe and you really have to watch the whole film for the pay off, but it is so very much worth it. i think i've actually only ever watched this film once, tho idk why bc it's genuinely one of my favs.

looper is another film that idk why more people weren't into it. the setting is dystopian. i was trying to think of a way to explain it in a few short sentences like i have the rest of the films here, but it's one of those films also that i think going into it knowing nothing is better. the kid who plays the rainmaker is so fucking good too. he's not even 10, but he played that role perfectly.

elysium. EVERYONE KNOWS DISTRICT 9 BUT NO ONE KNOWS ELYSIUM. i stand by my opinion that this film would be infinitely better if diego luna were the main character instead of matt damon, but even so i really love this film. the score is gorgeous. also lmao we for real might be living in this universe soon if elon fixes up that space hotel he wants to do fucking rip

ender's game. the author is a homophobic and transphobic dickwad who actively gives his money to anti-lgbt organizations, so watch this for free if you can (and buy the books second hand), but i actually really enjoyed what they did with this film. a lot of people thought it was too rushed, but also like....ender's game is a very Dense book, so i understand why they did it the way they did it. also the score is amazing.

signs. another film involving g-d and religion seen through the lens of scifi and first contact. this film gets shit on a ton for reasons i do not know, but it's actually really well done. it scared the ever living shit out of me the first few times i saw it tho bc i did Not grow up watching horror.

knowing. another film involving g-d and religion seen through the lens of scifi and first contact (can you tell i have a type of film/media i like???). this film also scared the ever living shit out of me when i first saw it to the point i had to sleep with the lights on, but in all actuality it isn't scary at all (i was just 14 and had never seen a thriller before lol). i really love disaster films tbh, but this is one of my all time favs (next to greenland).

another earth i did not like when i first saw it. i thought the whole thing was kind of pointless and didn't make very much sense, but the more i've thought about it since then, the more i've understood it. funnily enough, i never watched it a second time, but it's brit marling, so i probably will eventually. again: definitely recommend.

lucy. listen i know this has scarlett johansson in it and none of us like her, but this film is good despite her. i thought it was going to be dumb as hell when i first saw it, but i actually ended up liking it so much that it's heavily inspired the next novel i'm planning on writing (a scifi space opera about a girl becoming g-d).

origami. okay this one is difficult to find and you WILL have to buy it if you want to watch it (trust me: i have searched FAR and wide for this film in any other place and vimeo is the ONLY place i found it; it's only $5 to rent on there tho), but it's so worth it. it's worth it. it's one of my fav films and i watched it purely because of francois arnaud and i'm glad i did. this literally is his best work imo.

ink is my all time hands down favorite film. idk if you would even call it scifi, but i love it so much i just wanted to talk about it. it very obviously had zero budget, but they used what little money they had VERY wisely and the result was this beautiful film. the story makes me sob every single time. actually it's quite similar to origami, so if you like one, you'll probably like the other.

tron: legacy is another film that people shit on and idk why. it has The Best religious imagery. like how are you going to top one of the programs falling to their knees in prayer as flynn passes by????? the whole thing seems to be a jesus/judas metaphor anyway and i'm crazy for that shit. gotta mention the score as always because daft punk knocked it out of the park (people shit on the score too and i really don't get why).

thelma. i watched this one a whim with a friend and i cannot recommend it enough. i feel like it was kind of popular on here when it first came out bc it's a sapphic film, but it's also just very good in general. i've seen people get super upset about it also bc their interpretation makes it lesbophobic (which is crazy to me but whatever.

melancholia. i did Not like this movie for the longest time, but then i watched it recently and finally Got it. i guess you really do have to be a certain level of depressed to understand this film, so if you're insanely suicidal and can barely function like me, then i recommend it. you will probably get some catharsis out of it like i did. it is a very Strange film tho.

the creator came out at the end of last year and it was so good. definitely my fav film to come out in the last few years and involves g-d, religion, and AI. the score also in this is great (everybody say thank you hans zimmer. again.). the ending makes me sob so much.

more that i love a lot, but not as much (apparently there's a character limit, so i can't explain why these are my favs too, but it's for similar reasons as above).

the matrix trilogy

the fifth element

snowpiercer

blade runner 2049

as for tv shows, i don't have as many, but i do have a few that i would highly recommend if you like any of the films above:

halo. again: everyone shits on this show, but the absolute TRAGEDY of it is the fanboys hate it bc they suck and are bigots and everyone else who would like it (LIKE MY MUTUALS) refuses to give it a chance because of its overall reputation, so i'm BEGGING YOU GUYS TO GIVE IT A CHANCE.

foundation. genuinely fucking good. so much of what the creators of this show have done to change the story has been for the better. i read the books and they were okay, but the show is so so good. idk when season 3 will be coming out, but hopefully soon (same for halo, which i actually like better than this show).

the oa. i will forever mourn what we could've had with this show. i can't even talk about it without getting choked up. this getting canceled really truly fucked me up.

castle rock season 1. technically a horror series, but this season is more scifi than horror, i think. everything really comes to a head in episode 9 iirc and that episode still makes me crazy when i think about it. i definitely need to do a rewatch.

firefly/serenity. you've probably heard this one recommended before, but there's a reason for that. it's really so good, but g-d and jesus hate me because it too was canceled before it could even finish ONE SEASON. thankfully there's a film that kind of ties everything together, but WE COULD'VE HAD SO MUCH MORE.

i tried to put in some movies that aren't talked about as much on here!! i also have several letterboxd lists dedicated purely to scifi, which you can find below.

holy holy holy (scifi (and other films) involving religious imagery or straight up just about theology

the sparrow cinematic universe (films that are either discussed in the sparrow or remind me of it or that i could see the main characters watching)

but it was my body. it was my blood. and it was my love. (films that i either genuinely believe could be based off of the sparrow or just remind me of it in some way)

per aspera ad astra (scifi films i have seen or heard of. this literally is every single scifi film i remember ever in existence so it's quite long)

also mainstream scifi that i recommend/am obsessed with

interstellar

dune series (wer'e talking about the books here; not whatever the fuck denis villenueve pulled with the films lmao)

district 9

annihilation/southern reach trilogy

ex machina

prometheus

pacific rim

arrival

event horizon

mad max: fury road

nope

mobile suit gundam series (mostly hathaway and g-witch tho)

star wars (mostly the prequel and sequel trilogies)

nausicaa of the valley of the wind

castle in the sky

inception

tenet

high life

aldnoah zero

hanna

real steel

86: eighty-six

this is so much longer than i meant it to be omg. anyway people do not call me the scifi queen for no reason.

#ask #anonymous #long post cw

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dduane · 1 year

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In the digital art dep't...

Doing some work comparing renders in Daz Studio's (newer) version 4.21 to the older 4.15, which is where most of my rendering work has happened for the last couple/few years.

But also something else: starting to experiment with skin tone work on the main Middle Kingdoms characters... which I've been putting off because it's been incredibly complex and fiddly (and easy to screw up.). Then I ran across a new Daz-based tool which speeds this business up considerably.

(Adding a cut here because this goes on a little about subjects most people won't need cluttering up their dashes. Warning: contains volumetric- and non-volumetric-handling versions of Daz, character skin color work, complex (and complexion) lighting issues, image comparisons, and the local iteration of the These Two Idiots trope seen up close.

My attention right now is on the main characters, who come in a wide range of shades only casually referred to in the main-sequence books and the interstitial works. And among the core group—the human-born ones, anyway—there's significant variation. Herewiss, being northeast Darthene, is palest. Freelorn, being midlands Arlene with some Steldene ancestry, is darker. Segnbora, coming of people from the southeastern Darthene region along the Steldene border, is darkest of the human three of the Five.

All thee were details that had to go incorrectly depicted until now... because though I had the characters' faces and bodies pretty much sorted out, the skins were all, well, too damn unrelievedly white. And attempting to tweak that without sufficiently sophisticated tools (or enough understanding...) can cause real problems and a lot of lost time.

Now, though, with better tools I can start putting that situation right. Early attempts are inevitably going to be a bit spotty (I only got this tool over the weekend...). But the first few renders have been promising.

Compare this initial render of the Pride Month package "cover..."

to this one (after initial skinwork), which more closely mirrors the reality I see in my head:

(Over on the left, Tom's a bit pale in that run... but never mind. I'll sort him out shortly with the rest of the Young Wizards characters. Sunspark's human skin tone, meanwhile, can be expected to change without notice... especially when they've just seen a look they liked and want to try on.)

The difficulty with the above image is that for various reasons (like hiding the incomplete nature of the city behind them...) the lighting's from either a spring or autumn sunset, and therefore too warm for good clear comparisons. So as another early-stages test I took the version of Freelorn from the above image and repositioned him in one where the lighting was a lot better... at least when rendering in DSv4.15. Here's the "Short King" image from a year or two ago, before the skinchange...

...for comparison to the one I did this afternoon. (Since I was importing it from the laptop to the desktop machine running 4.21, there are some slight changes in camera position and lighting. Oh, and a different set of clothes for Herewiss.)

If the difference looks really subtle at the moment, that's okay. Lorn should be darker than this: Dusty's correctly a bit paler than last time. But it's a start. Further passes will get closer to what I'm after.

...So re-rendered versions of images on the MK website and elsewhere will start turning up with skin tones properly represented. (All this being secondary to cleaning out some of the 30K+ render files that have built up in the machine over the last ten years, and building a new tagging and indexing system for the ones that get kept. Whoopee. But it's gotta be done.)

Meanwhile, back to work on actual writing...

ETA: Meanwhile, no point in getting so caught up in image quality that you forget to move the camera around. Just look at these two idiots. :)

#Middle Kingdoms meta #skin colors #with extra added #These Two Idiots #drooling over each other as usual

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mermaidsirennikita · 8 months

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Hi! Do you have any recs for rly good mafia romance? I'm trying to get into it but my friend recommends the TikTok popular ones that are just....not well written

Yes, but there aren't main. Like. Three authors. Two of which I already liked for other things. (I do REALLY want to read Annika Martin's dark books, which I think are Russian mafia or Russian mafia adjacent?)

I am very picky with mafia romances because a) I was a little ethically eh on reading them for a long time because b) based on where I've lived and what I've studied, I know a bit more about the mafia than your average romance reader I think, that's not a brag it's a nerdery c) a lot of them are based in America, modern, and I've gotta say, that's corny as hell because while there are absolutely VERY powerful criminal organizations mafia-related today, they! Are! Not! V powerful! In! America! The Italian-American mafia took a huge hit in the 1980s that hasn't really let up, and while they exist and they're bad... Tony Soprano ain't doing it like like the Camorra is doing it in Italy, today, y'know? The power isn't there, and when you see, like, the billionaire Italian-American mafia guys in romance today it's too much for me. I get why it's not too much for other people. I suspend my disbelief on MANY CRAZIER THINGS. I just can't with this lol.

(Also, I have a personal issue with Italian-American romance heroes who are like "I'm Italian". Lol no you aren't. You're Italian-American. You're usually Sicilian-American. You are EYETALIAN.)

Anyway, after that preamble of why my recs are limited:

Mila Finelli's Kings of Italy series. Literally some of my favorite books I've read in forever. Set in Italy, though the heroines are from Italian-Canadian extensions (which, like, Canada for sure has a more powerful presence than America, so I'm guessing that was smart research from Mila). I also love Mila's books because while they are crazy, they're not INSANELY dark, and tend to be more on the fun side. They're super, super hot. There are usually good grovels. The heroines are actually pretty bold and, aside from the last one, not virginal (which is an issue in many mafia books tbh). They break down to:

Mafia Mistress--Frankie is traded by her father to a powerful capo, Fausto, ostensibly to marry his son Giulio. However, two issues: a) Giulio is in fact gay b) Fausto ends up wanting Frankie for himself after she puts up a fight. But he doesn't want her as his wife--he wants her as his mistress. His MAFIA MISTRESS.

Mafia Darling--Direct sequel to MM, wherein Frankie and Fausto deal with their various issues, both mafia-related and like, relationship related. I also really love Fausto and Giulio's relationship, it's so sweet and takes time to work on, and it has a culmination here that made me tear up. Heads up: Frankie is 18 and Fausto is 38. I didn't care about this. Do with it what you will lmao.

Mafia Madman--My favorite, best read after the first two but can go solo. Enzo D'Agostino (king of my heart/body and soul as TSwift would say) was one of the villains of the previous books. He kidnapped Frankie, Fausto like cut off his finger and tortured him for a month, and he escaped to hide out on a yacht for four years like a Bond villain. Enzo is... incredible. He is the richest hero in this series because of his "computer business" (????) which @triviareads and I have concluded means he's running Nigerian prince scams and holding the economies of small nations for ransom. He and Fausto have a relationship that I can only describe as "Alexis (Fausto) and Dominique (Enzo) if they were mafia dons". The champagne is BURNT!!!!

Anyway, he randomly sees Gia, Frankie's wild, bratty little sister, and is all "a-HA, a foolproof plan I have just concocted within five minutes to get revenge and free myself from the prison of living on a fabulous yacht IS HERE" so he naturally invites her out for a drink, blows up the bar, fakes her death, and puts her in a cage on the yacht. Sadly for him, the only person who can match Enzo's crazy is Gia, and she starts doing naked yoga (queen of my spirit) and they promptly enter into an intense enemies to lovers back and forth in which ONLY ONE CAN WIN (her).

If you want an OBSESSED alpha... this is it.

Mafia Target--Giulio is back! He's on the run because he's Fausto's son and the mafia is hella homophobic (true). Unfortunately, the world's DEADLIEST SNIPER, disaster bisexual Alessio Ricci, has been deployed to kill him. Unfortunately for Alessio, Giulio is DUMB HOT and so naturally Alessio blows him in a club before Giulio realizes he's out to kill him, and they end up on a tiny Scottish island, trying to kill each other while also being like "let's take a month off of trying to kill each other... to.... do things...."

This is arguably the most outright SWOONY ROMANTIC of the books, I love it with all my heart. Giulio and Alessio have one of those relationships wherein it's kinda love at first sight, tempered by the whole assassin thing, and it totally works.

Mafia Virgin--Emma, the other Mancini sister, wants to be a doctor and is super sweet. She's forced to marry new don Giacomo, who doesn't want to be with her either. And, oh yeah, they have to conceive a baby in six months or less!

This is probably the softest book in the series. Giacomo is not quite as hard as Fausto, Enzo, Giulio, or Alessio. He's like, the thinking man's mafia don (but everyone thinks he's stupid because he's big and fights!!!). And as it turns out, he and Emma are very, very into the whole making a baby thing.

Mafia Brute--This is an m/m Russian mafia novella, about Theo, Giulio's designer friend, who's fallen into a fling with the very dangerous Nikolai. A lot of hooking up on a yacht (again). A lot of very romantic sweetness fringed with violence. A lot of heat. Great!

Ummm I also love Kresley Cole's Gamemaker series! These are Russian mafia books.

The Professional--The heroine is adopted, and finds out the big scary guy who's been watching her is her biological father's enforcer/surrogate son... when he kidnaps her to take her back to said father. They immediately have an attraction, but he refuses to give in because if they get together (she's a virgin) he'll be like, obligated to marry her. While she's not so hot on the marriage thing, she WANTS him. She's a total brat, it's all very teasing and great.

The Master--This one has a billionaire mafia dude order the heroine, an escort on the run from her past. They have this insane hookup, major connection, it's amazing, but then he finds out she was trying to pull one over on him (or was she???) and he takes her captive. Also, there is a chastity belt. This one is amazing and has a fabulous grovel.

The Player--This hero is really more mafia-adjacent because the other two heroes are his older brothers, but he's definitely into some shady shit, and he is OBSESSED. He fixates on the heroine and is another SUPER possessive guy with a dark past. Has one of my favorite sex scenes ever (he fingers her to orgasm in front of a table of other people who are also getting off on it).

Run, Posy Run by Cate C. Wells--In this one, the heroine is the (American but it works here) mafia hero's longterm girlfriend, and she's basically always been around the life and accepts a subpar relationship because he keeps her comfortable and she thinks he loves her. Then, he's sent this video that makes it look like she cheated on him; and she realizes he's like, a sociopath and goes on the run. However... he then realizes that he can't actually live without her, and begins stalking/chasing after her lol. It's actually a good "fix the relationship" book, with an edge of kidnapping and a feeling-less hero learning how to have a feeling. I also really loved the heroine's development.

#romance novel blogging #romance novels #book recs #[cut to me handing out copies of kings of italy books like the book of mormon]#anyway i think sierra simone should write a mafia series #.... lyonesse is p close so far lol

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