Simon "Ghost" Riley/John "Soap" MacTavish

Pairing
Pairing:	Simon "Ghost" Riley/John "Soap" MacTavish
Alternative name(s):	SoapGhost, Ghoap
Gender category:	Slash, M/M
Fandom:	Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
Canonical?:	Non-canon
Prevalence:	Popular
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Simon "Ghost" Riley and John "Soap" MacTavish, also known as SoapGhost, is a slash pairing from the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.

Canon

Their relationship is slightly different depending on which game you are playing, either the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (COD:MW2), or the reboot Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (COD:MWII).

In COD:MW2, John "Soap" MacTavish is a Lieutenant and Simon "Ghost" Riley's commanding officer in Task Force 141, which impacts both their characters and their relationship. In COD:MWII, the reboot, the chain of command is reversed, with Ghost being the Lieutenant to Soap's Sergeant in the task force. While much of the uptick in shipping in 2023 came from their friendship in the reboot, many have been shipping them from the start in their original COD:MW2 forms.

Ghost and Soap's relationship in COD:MWII is at first distant, then playful and trusting. Ghost is clearly unhappy with being stuck with the Sergeant at first, but over many missions together he begins to trust Soap, even staying behind to guide him through the massacre in Las Almas in the mission 'Alone'. This is where we see our first true glimpses of their relationship through jokes and conversation over comms between the two of them. After Soap gets out of the mission alive, they continue to work together to stop Shadow Company, a Private Military Group that betrayed them, and a terrorist controlling missiles bound for the U.S.. At the climax of the storyline, Soap is almost killed by the terrorist leader, Hassan, before Ghost saves him.

Fandom

While the pairing is popular simply within the context of COD:MW2 or COD:MWII, it is given depth when Ghost's backstory is brought in, which is detailed in the Modern Warfare 2: Ghost comics. Over the course of 6 comics we see how Simon Riley dons the skull mask and becomes "Ghost" through torture, betrayal, and all manners of trauma. By the time he meets John MacTavish, he is completely untrusting of anyone - a man who 'works alone'. This context adds intrigue to the bond of friendship that grows between Soap and Ghost, and lends fans to want more.

Popularity

Simon "Ghost" Riley and John "Soap" MacTavish is by far the most popular ship in the Call of Duty fandom on AO3, with almost half of all fanfictions in the Call of Duty tag. Larger popularity arose after the increase of fan edits of the two on TikTok in early 2023.

Common Tropes and Themes

• Mental Health Issues
• PTSD
• Disability - Often this trope is a way to force Soap and Ghost out of the military and into civilian life, which makes them face their trauma in a meaningful way, instead of continuing to bury it under military service. Often, the conclusion is that after the hard work to overcome their trauma is done, they can be together in a healthy and full way, without the military on their backs.
• Learning to trust
• Touch-starved Ghost
• During-mission sex
• Babygirlification - a response to the 'gamer bros' anger towards newly revitalized fandom activities, making the seemingly big and strong character of Ghost a soft baby girl.

Notable Works

Fanfiction

• Pattern Breaker - A canon-compliant rework and extension of COD MW2: Reboot, with themes of overcoming trauma.
• all that's said in the low light - An investigation of the traumas of post-military disability, the difficulties of embracing normalcy, and the love that can survive it all.
• Familiar series - Ghost and Soap take their time moving too fast, and Ghost learns to accept what he already knows.

Fanart

• Artist Bluegiragi on TikTok

Cosplayers

• The Inquisitor Ghost on TikTok