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twistedtavern · 2 years

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self aware au but with swap boys? have a good day!

SCREAMING. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME

ahem.

I was ABOUT to go into detail about how I wasn't gonna make Malleus the main villain in this, but I just now realized that due to the swap, SEBEK is the villain.

NAURRRRR but why does it make SENSE. Always when I make Sebek quiet, he winds up evil in some way, notably always for someone else’s benefit too, which is weird.

I doubt Swap!Sebek is like as EVIL evil as regular self aware Malleus, he’s just deeply morally dubious. He wants his young lord to be happy, and what would make him happier than bringing him the human whose love he cherishes?

A lot of things would definitely change. Less murder, most likely. Due to the circumstances, maybe the curse of the glass is fixed because the conditions for the curse to be placed were undone? Sebek might have got hit with the curse though (among some others).

I'd say the only one who really gets to be evil here is Swap!Vil (no shocker lmao), and maybe Swap!Cater? I know he’s a bit poor bab in the original au, but if he got hit by the glass and started hanging around the wrong kind of people, I could put the various cut shell-related shenanigans I had thought up in the beginning stages of development to good use >:} Cater as a genuine threat is gonna be interesting! Don't know who else.

But, other than that, I’d have to figure out the plot. Arguably, this version of the self aware au may even be the safest on record, solely because so many people are on the player’s side. I don’t think they’re going to be in harm’s way anywhere near as much as the regular au, given that they have MALLEUS on their side, AND Sebek wasn’t really out here crossing names off the census. A lot that is different is definitely related to the fact that Malleus actively asserted power over everyone else in the game vs Sebek acting almost completely out of the view of everyone else unless he was directly asking for help on something, and not brute-forcing his way into getting it. There is no torture, there are no threats, there is no power structure, there is no cult. There is no malice behind his plan, just some gray morality and determination.

If anything, things go pretty smoothly after the player is brought into Wonderland. There is no immediate chaos, the player just wakes up in Night Raven and is promptly lovingly accosted by the boys, and only a handful of them even know how they got there, much less the player themself. They’re pretty much welcomed into Night Raven with open arms, but I think that’s what would make the few boys who are dangerous even more so, given that they’re confused and blindly trusting those around them.

Given Sebek’s role as the main guy in charge of the plan to bring the player into Wonderland, I think that it should be HIGHLY alarming how gullible he is. The MINUTE one of the more manipulative ones gets wind of what Sebek is doing, the player is in danger.

#swap twst au #self aware swap au

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lovesickeros · 10 months

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☆ even the gods bleed

{☆} characters furina, neuvillette {☆} notes cult au, imposter au, multi-chapter, gender neutral reader {☆} warnings blood, injury, light angst {☆} word count 2.3k

What was justice?

Focalors had asked herself that question many times during the long nights she spends awake pouring over the prophecy of a dead God, words replaying in her mind like a broken record until the sun rose like a blooming flower.

She was the God of Justice, an Archon, yet she herself lacked the answer to such a simple and yet so very complex question.

How does one define what is just and what is not? How does she know that what she believes to be just is right? Is it justice if one being alone may sway the scales of justice on a whim? What justice is there to be found in the cold, watery grave that awaits her nation?

She does not know.

Perhaps she may never know.

What she does know, at least, is that this is not justice.

It is a mockery of it.

She stands before the bloodied, broken body like the judge, her sword held so tightly in her hand her fingers feel stiff, a dull ache adding to the weight of what she's seen. For a long, horrible moment she almost thinks they are dead – something she would have reveled in, only a day prior – before she sees the subtle rise and fall of their chest. Breathing, but barely.

The rain felt heavier upon her shoulders at the realization – she was not sure if it was in relief or horror.

Her nails dig into her palm, mind stuck somewhere between that abject horror and confusion so palpable she swore she could hear the gears in her head turning.

For a long, silent moment as she stares upon the body beneath the heavy rain..she wonders if this is how it all ends instead. If the world itself will simply crumple in on itself and cease – without its heart, it will wither, after all – long before the waters ever swallow her nation whole.

Because, try as she might to rationalize it, for every drop of rain that hits her like pins and needles, soaking her down to the bone..the body of the imposter is completely dry. Even the water pooling along the stones dares not to leave so much as a splotch against their ragged, torn clothes.

She remembers the meeting so very clearly, and she thinks she is a fool to not have noticed sooner – the Creator upon their gilded throne, finger pointed in accusation at the visage far too similar to their own. The imposter. She remembers the lilt of their voice as they called for their death as easily as one would speak of the weather – and to no one other then herself would she admit the spark of fear it had ignited within her. Because beneath the divine charade there was a sick enjoyment in the way they looked upon the imposter – like a bug beneath their shoe.

She understands, now.

She had thought that perhaps finally – finally – she could do right by her people, by her Creator, if she rid Teyvat of this..intrusion.

Now she sees herself as what it all really is – blind lambs following the herder.

Perhaps she would be considered a heretic under the eyes of the law – beneath the weight of justice, heavy as the heart that bears its sins. Perhaps this is a mistake, one she would come to regret.

But for now, she sheathes her blade with unsteady hands, the sound making her ears ring – for what she had almost done, what she had already done – as she stumbles like a newborn lamb towards the broken body of..

..What, exactly? Human? Divine? She is not so sure what to call them. Creator? No. The name is bitter upon her tongue, now, burning like liquid flame down her throat.

Where once she had spoken it in reverence and admiration, it felt hollow and empty, now.

Her vision wavers as she kneels down against the rain soaked stones, the rain upon her back growing heavier as she reaches a shaky hand forth – and for a moment, however brief, she feels the weight of expectation, of a title she fears she may never live up to, wash away with the waters that fall from the heavens.

The bruises and blood smeared across their skin are like strokes of a paintbrush, their body the canvas from which such horrid art is created. It makes her ill.

Doubt wavers her composure briefly – her position is already unsteady. She has never been seen as an equal to many of the other Archons. Her own people do not see her as their Archon, but an actor in a grand play that they shall simply toss aside and replace like a broken doll the moment she bores them.

What does she have left to lose?

She reaches out again, her hand settling onto their shoulder and turning them onto their back. She..isn't sure what to do, actually. She's never been particularly physically capable – she tended to avoid fights, even if she oft provoked them – and she was certainly no healer.

Yet what choice does she have but to march on anyway? She is in the heart of the city, it is far more dangerous here then anywhere else..she had little time to make her move.

Fontaine was, after all, a nation founded on the principle of justice. To know an injustice has been made against the most Divine..the entire nation was in a frenzy.

Her eyes dart around nervously, hands clasped tight on their shoulders and her lips drawn into a taut line – someone would notice her absence. One of the Archons would point out her absence in the coordination of the search.

Her options were just as limited as her time – she couldn't just take them out of the city. Security was tight, and as much as she fancied herself an escape artist – Neuvillette could hardly keep her in one place for too long – she doubted she could do the same with the limp body of the imposter in tow.

..The Palais Mermonia it was, then.

Her room had a secret entrance that few knew about, and even fewer would dare to traverse. She just..had to hide them there for a bit and hope Neuvillette wouldn't notice anything different.

Probably.

Still, there was the problem of actually..transporting the body. As grim as it sounded. Her only solace was the fact she didn't have to worry about them catching a cold, at least, and their breaths were still audible, if only barely. So she had to resort to some..unexpected methods.

Seeing the limp form of, well, the imposter – she'd really have to ask for something else to call them when they woke up – stuck in a bubble of hydro wasn't exactly on her bucket list.

Then again, neither was treason.

Well, first time for everything, right?

It wasn't breaking the law if no one else knew about it.

..Neuvillette didn't have to know about it, really. It was fine.

She could, of course, technically try to talk some sense into Neuvillette – he'd listen to her, right? She thought she was pretty close with him..but he was also the one person more obsessed with justice then she was. Such a stickler for the law..so maybe she's breaking a few, it's fine.

But he was also pretty devout, as much as he tried to keep his worship private – with Focalors around, nothing was really secret. Maybe she could get him to settle down long enough to prove it.

..How was she going to prove it?

An exaggerated groan escaped her lips as she led the bubbled imposter – she really wished she didn't have to resort to that, it would be a lot a more awkward to explain then dragging the body around – through the winding streets of Fontaine. She's just glad she's already memorized the entire city like the back of her hand..and a little dramatics went a long way. People listened when the Hydro Archon spoke, and she was suddenly very, very glad for that fact, even if they treated her more like a mascot then a God.

And partially because she, maybe, just a little..stole a few documents detailing the layout and a little personal exploration of her own – but what Neuvillette didn't know couldn't hurt him!

After what felt like hours, though was really no more then half an hour at best, she'd managed to drag herself – soaked to the bone with rain – and the conveniently bubbled imposter up through the secret entrance and into her room.

The perceived safety, as flimsy as it was, was..comforting. Until she heard the rustle of fabric, the clearing of a throat and the pop of a bubble as she, in her surprise, popped it – and then the thud of the imposter hitting the floor.

She felt a bit of regret about that part, at least, wincing.

"Lady Furina." His voice was as sharp and cool as she remembered it always being – like fresh spring water, she'd heard it described. Soothing. It did not feeling very soothing right about now.

She turned sharply on her heel, a forced smile tugging at her lips on reflex, every muscle in her body tensed – she probably looked like a wet cat right about now, soaked with rain, but that was the last thing on her mind.

"Do you mind explaining what, exactly, you did?" Not what you're doing, she notes – what she did. He was mad. Oh, she was really in for a scolding now. She twiddled her thumbs, laughing weakly, though it quickly dies out at the awkward, tense silence.

"Well, you see – it's rather complicated! I can– I can explain." Her attempts to diffuse are met with a raised brow and the sharp tap of his cane. Every single thought is plagued with the urge to run, but the unsteady breathes of the 'imposter' keep her rooted in place. "Well?"

She was sweating bullets, her nails digging into her palm as she scrambled for any excuse that could warrant her not getting hauled off and scolded thoroughly at best – she was coming up empty. How was she supposed to prove that the 'imposter' was very much not what the 'Creator' said they were? Their unconscious body was doing no one any favors, certainly.

"The Creator is lying," She blurts out, immediately regretting her impulsiveness when she feels the sudden weight of his stare – the piercing hues of his eyes that remind her just who is the strongest between them. It is not her, she knows. It never has been. "You can see for yourself! Don't you trust me, Neuvillette–?"

Her voice is cut off by the sharp click of his cane as he strides across the room in only a few steps, his height making her feel like a child about to scolded. She hated it, but she grit her teeth through the exchange. She reminded herself that this was for the sake of the 'imposter' and any affront to her ego was..tolerable.

To her credit, too, she didn't immediately lash out when she saw him poke at their body with his cane, turning them onto their back – she wanted too, though. She considered it, but the thought was quickly shot down when his stare turned back upon her, and she felt frozen in place again, her tongue a heavy weight in her mouth.

Yet she couldn't shake the sudden tenseness to his shoulders, his brows furrowed and a distant look to his eyes. It was..haunting, in a way.

She knows it well, she realizes. The realization and acceptance, the crumbling of every solid foundation you've ever known – leaving you to flounder in the waves, alone and afraid.

The gentleness in which he picks up the limp body surprises her though, his cane set aside. The rain howls like a horrid storm outside, but she cannot focus on anything but the furrow of their brows, the soft noise that escapes their lips.

"I trust that you know that this must stay between us," His voice is soft, like the gentle lap of waves against the shore, as he sets their body down against the bed, his hand lingering against their cheek with something almost like reverence – and if her eyes do not deceive her, affection. "Lady Furina."

She does not hesitate to agree.

"Well– well of course!" She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning at the feeling of her wet clothes clinging to her skin, a heavy weight that feels like it's dragging her down. "Just what do you take me for?"

He doesn't deign to respond.

It only makes her fume more.

Not that he seems to notice, unbuttoning his heavy outerwear and tossing it on the bed, rolling up his sleeves and focusing on the injured– er..yeah, she really needed a new name for them. Calling them imposter felt wrong.

"So long as you understand, then we will have no problems." She huffs again, pouting and puffing up her cheeks, sitting down on the other end of the bed with only an occasional glance towards him as he worked at peeling away the ragged clothes and examining the injuries marring their skin.

She suddenly felt out of place.

..What was she supposed to be doing?

As if noticing her sudden quietness, Neuvillette sighed, his back turned to her though his attention very much falling upon her. She really hated the feeling like she was being dissected whenever he looked at her. It was unnerving. She doesn't know how anyone else handles it..

"If you are so eager to do something, Lady Furina, then please have something brought up for when our..guest awakens. They will need to recover their strength."

Finally! Something she can do. She perks up, her heels clicking on the floorboards as she darts out like a bullet, unable to stay still for so much as a moment.

Neuvillette, for his part..

Feels an odd sense of serenity as he stares upon the troubled features of the..guest. A peace that lessens the burdens upon his shoulders, the weight of a nation upon his back.

He cannot hear the rain, anymore.

..It must have stopped.

#sagau #genshin sagau #self aware genshin #genshin impact sagau #self aware genshin impact #fic tag #imposter au #focalors #furina #neuvillete #a family can be a dragon an archon and his 300 other children who reverse adopted him #u date him its a package deal sorry #u now have like 300 children g-dspeed #also tagged spoilers on neuvi's part bc its kinda a spoiler??? sort of #also this can be read as platonic or romantic on neuvi's part #can u tell i like focalors btw :)#also gonna be swapping between focalors/furina bc SOMEONE sent me a theory and it sent me spiraling im gonna be ill #u know who u r and ur days r numbered #can be read as romantic between reader & neuvi but only bc i know focalors rubs it in his face she found the actual creator first #anyway can u tell focalors is my fav pt2 i wont shut up abt her its terminal atp #focalors..................#anyway *doesnt post fr months. randomly drops a 2k word fic. leaves and doesnt elaborate*#starts out v serious ends v silly #wrote this in one sitting im gonna go pass out now gn

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paper-starz · 1 year

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HELLO I AM BACK!! AND I BRING YOU WALLY DARLING!! Everyone’s favorite puppet! He’s honest, sweet, polite, a bit naive, and very forgetful… but aren’t we all!

He loves going about the neighborhood and talking to his dear friends (he loves them all so much!) But is it just him or… are they acting strange?

Howdy usually hides under the counter when Wally comes in (maybe he’s playing hide-and-seek?)

He’s sure that Frank and Julie are friends, but they barely talk to each other. He tries not to say anything about it.

At least Sally and Barnaby are still themselves! (Kinda, he doesn’t get Barnaby’s new jokes…)

But they really don’t like to go near Home!

At least Poppy’s a bit more happy (a lot less frazzled too)! He loves telling her all the things that he learned in the neighborhood!

But is it just him or does she watch over the other neighbors a bit too closely? (Then again, he likes staring too! So how could he judge?)

At least Home is mostly the same! At the end of a long and beautiful day, Wally loves to tell Home about what he did and what he had learned!

Home is always happy to listen.

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sweetmugs · 7 months

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this is mainly for archival purposes, incase my computer dies at some point lmao

but i did draw them! all of em! so they get to be posted

(btw, this does NOT mean im going to start swap!hlvrai again, but i am currently kinda hype focusing on and off it at the moment, so you get some arts)

#myart #doodle #swap!hlvrai #hlvrai #half life vr but the ai is self aware #hlvrai gordon #hlvrai benrey #hlvrai tommy #hlvrai bubby #hlvrai dr coomer #hlvrai forzen #hlvrai darnold #hlvrai gman #hlvrai fanart #barney calhoun #he's also in this au im sorry all half life fans #its been so long since ive tagged things #dont think i like it lmao

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ladylunora · 8 months

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i turned my “imagine if instead of benrey being the only character on the science team to not be a scientist was the other way around with him being the only scientist in a group full of guards” shitpost doodle into an actual au… i call it “HLVRAI job swap au”

also i won’t go over every scenario on this au (you can ask me if you want tho) (also aside from these characters everyone else stays the same, jefferem and josh were scientists tho aaaaand gman does swap jobs too but i won’t reveal anything yet you’re gonna have to wait for me to make more doodles of this au) because its still pretty much the same as hlvrai but they swap jobs but if you wanna know how the res cas happens i wrote it bellow

gordon’s a regular security guard doing his job guarding the test chamber, and this scientist benrey is the one who’s gonna do the test experiment in the test chamber… he shows up without the hev suit to do it though just his lab coat, and gordon follows him insisting that he has to put on the hev suit, and benrey just tells him he’ll be fine because that he is not human and he definitely knows what he’s doing and “dude you don’t even have a passport and you’re wearing an orange shirt you’re the one suspicious”, gordon tries to tell him he spilled coffee that morning on his blue shirt and “wait passport?? WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT WE DON’T EVEN NEED OUR PASSPORTS- DOCTOR BENREY YOU CAN’T GO IN THERE WITHOUT THE SUIT” when they get there gordon calls reinforcements (bubby, coomer and tommy) to help him with this fucking guy but they assume benrey knows what he’s doing, anyways gordon and benrey get into an argument while benrey is trying to do the experiment, they both end up pushing the cart too fast fucking the whole thing up and the resonance cascade happens

#hlvrai #half life vr self aware ai #gordon feetman #benrey #tommy coolatta #dr coomer #bubby #hlvrai forzen #darnold pepper #this probably has a lot of typos #hlvrai job swap au

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qhazomb · 5 months

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well the HLVRAI fandom seems to be coming out of hibernation, and i see other people reposting/reblogging their older fan stuff, so i figured i might as well, too.

in which Gordon and Benry swap bodies and neither of them enjoy it. shenanigans ensue. and body horror. and Benry vogue-ing while in Gordon's body. among other things. what kind of things? just read and find out!

#hlvrai #half life vr but the ai is self aware #nhlvrai #gordon feetman #benry #benrey #hlvrai au #body swap #fanfic #ao3 fanfic

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bacchuschucklefuck · 18 days

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you get riz gukgak so well 👍👍

thank u!! he really kinda is all of my favourite character things rolled into one package (negotiation of principles/investigator-truth seeker-negotiator with reality and the narrative/obnoxious character whose narrative reward for participating in the story is getting to be even more authentically obnoxious/deeply and hauntingly aroace

#not art #everything else abt him is also compelling so Im just eating well while crying over here #the aroace part I believe from the bottom of my heart the moment he bribed a girl in freshman year First Day Of School to eavesdrop for him #In The Girl's Bathroom. like the decision itself isnt far off from a lot of noir stuff trapp's character in mentopolis did the same #but the supreme lack of awareness of what that decision says abt you in a social setting. now That's aroace #the only reason I dont read him as agender too is bc he didnt straight up waltz in there lmao #honestly bouncing off of that I also thinks folks sometimes downplay or buff off how cringe riz is... but its my favourite thing on earth #esp. in tandem with the Everything else abt him. theres an insistence in the genres he pulls from on the greater good and losing #ur real self in the work and being maybe strange but above all The Guy Who Gets The Job Done. and riz pushing the limit of that is awesome #like as a character I feel like some of it is like yeah I do get the job done. if it kills me even. how Strange do I get to be #or is it just being strange in a domineering and mysterious magnetic way. I will be cringe actually deal with that for my service #this and the part of his character that's yknow. Living While Goblin. that's a deeply compelling dynamic to me #anyways uhhh once again typing huge paragraphs abt this guy lmao. this happens forever I let it #anyways for the reason of spy theming and information dealer if u do class swap AU I propose bard!riz #u know. what is disguise if not a sister to stealth (<- extremely transgender sentence to say)

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winterjackal · 2 months

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how to hug an alien: a guide

#swap frenrey sorreeyyy #benrey hlvrai #benry hlvrai #gordos feetman #gordon freeman hlvrai #swap au #frenrey #hlvrai #half life vr but the ai is self aware #art

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egglandart · 5 months

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(GIF)

I know I live in a video game. And I know Benrey’s name isn’t really Benrey.

But I… I killed him, and the game bugged out… The save file couldn’t be accessed…

#tw blo0d #tw flashing #hlvrv #hlvrai #gordon feetman #half life vr but the ai is self aware #benrey #hlvrv swap #hlvrai swap au #hlvrv neo #neo bushnell #hlvrv neo bushnell #swap gordon #hlvrv swap gordon

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thecluelessdoctor · 1 year

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H… Hanabee SAS au? 🥺🥺🥺🥺

(Lmao im sorry if the SAS asks are annoying 😭)

:OOO their not annoying at all anon!! Actually no asks are annoying lol.

ANYWAY

She would definitely not understand it as first like- would not compute. 'a... kids show????' she would take it a bit literally and then go searching for actual children because.. shes not all that bright.

After she realizes what they meant she just kinda- stops working I suppose. I mean, everything had felt like they really happened!! Liek- everything with her family, her friends.. it was all a lie?? She definitely has a bit of a identity crisis, but it's soon resolved when she finds a new reason to keep pushing forward. everyone is always so stressed anymore, so, even if they don't want her help, she'll try and make them feel better. Or at least tear them away from their work (the number of times she would grab frank and lift him over her head laughing like a mad man is insane..)

Of course, that doesn't mean she doesn't mess up! Although the burden of her world not even being real doesn't effect her as much as some, she still definitely messes up. She tends to accidentally mention what her and the other neighbors have talked about to Wally, mostly because shes just trying to understand it, ending up in her being punished.

She's probably the second most punished out of everyone in all honesty. She's definitely gotten alot clumsier lmao, so she joins in on Sally's lessons. Though she doesn't like the fact Sally tends to yell at them, spefically Eddie. She's naturally protective, so she might get a little bit protective over Eddie when she does :')

Homes favorite punishment for her was to tear off her wings. But after a while, she just.. gave up on trying to have them fixed all the time. It was extremely painful when they were torn off, so she just.. stopped letting Poppy fix her. Poppy just patched up the holes on her back.

Anytime Wally asks what happened to her wings, she'll (try) and keep a calm exterior and say 'just a little accident, that's all. You know how I am!' and then.. move on. And Wally believes her. Why wouldn't he, his friends wouldn't lie!

Due to her being Howdys cousin (at least that's what she knows..) she trys to take care of him. She doesn't exactly know how to stop Howdy from drinking, aside from force which she's learned isn't the best way, so instead she just.. takes care of him when he's passed out, or deathly drunk. If it's during the day, she'll try and run the shop to the best of her abilitys (she isn't the best to say the least)

She also avoids it when the neighbors collab to try and sleep.. normally to the point we have Mr 'coping very well with my problems' dragging her out of the storage room. Although howdy doesn't even have any fake memories of her, she's the closest thing to family he has.

She tends to avoid the sleepovers not just due to nightmares or night terrors, but she can always feel the stare of that house on her, even more so during the night..

So, like you might think, even when everyone else is finally asleep, she's still awake, looking out the window to Wally's home, waiting for it to stir towards them..

She might be a bit more stressed, but she's still the silly (a little dumb) Hanabee we know

SAS AU belongs to @anonymous-paperbag

#welcome home #welcome home au #welcome home puppet show #howdy pillar #barnaby b beagle #welcome home oc #Welcome home OC Hanabee Wasp #Hanabee Wasp #OC #My OC #Welcome home awareness swap AU #self aware swap au

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