#i feel like most would say scouts ma

[5eraphim]

out of the merc's parents shown in cannon, who do we think would be most likely to hold onto old baby clothes "just in case" the might get passed down to their child's child?

(i really wanna put engie's parents here bc i just got the sense they would, but unfortunately- not shown in canon so :/)

[jevilowo]

I love dates in the tf2 lore. I love knowing exactly when stuff happened. Which makes THIS THING I JUST FOUND a BEAUTIFUL MIRACLE

You've seen this image before, but have you noticed the dates on the prison card thingies? Presumably this is written the American Way (the writers are so american they make Scout and Sniper both call their mothers "mom" despite preferring "ma" and "mum" respectively, as shown previously SEVERal times), so Spy and Scout were arrested on

The 7th of September, 1972.

We can do a lot with this information.

Mann Co was taken over by Grey and Olivia half a month before this: roughly the 23rd of August

Contrary to popular belief, most of the comics have to take place in 1973! Seeing as 6 months after late August is late February.

This also means Scout had to have been born in 1946/7. Not sure about Sniper, I have yet to overanalyse the New Zealand timeline paragraph. I'll get to it eventually.

Medic implies in comic 6 that our mercs have worked together for "at least eight years", while talking about the lore breaking Demo eyeball halloween thing. Assuming the "at least" confusion is over the 1972 Halloween they missed while not working together, the Teufort Nine were hired in 1964.

(I've almost mentally rationalised the lore breaking eyeball as a thing they do at like 4am after regular Scream Fortress shenanigans. Almost.)

Scout claims he has known Ms Pauling for six years. During the War! update, Demoman is unfamiliar with Ms Pauling (he knows she works for the administrator, but thats it), so we can assume that is the point she started working more closely with the mercs, and also 1966/7

I really need to go back to actively working on my timeline instead of passively wondering at 11pm "hey what time of year is it in the comics" and going down a rabbit hole.

Uh if you want to build off this, feel free to, but tell society twas I, the great and nobel Jevil_Owo, who first conceptualised all this.

UPDATE! This post seems to be picking up reblog steam again, so now is a good time to say I was WRONG about the mercs being hired around 1964.

This blog post from 2009 claims the WAR update took place in 1962, meaning the mercs have to have been hired in early 1962 at the latest.

Seeing as Scout would have been 15/16 in 1962, and as that's kind of the youngest one can be hired for just about anything, I'd assume it actually is 1962 they were hired. Ok thats enough I just felt it was my duty as Person Timelining to update people on this Discovery.

[spidrgirl]

MILES MORALES 1610 X READER

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Masterlist: here ➼

Pairing: Miles Morales x sweet girlfriend ᥫ᭡

Synopsis: Headcanons of miles (1610) and his sweet girlfriend who he is absolutely obsessed with and whipped for!

Genre: fluff + slight angst

Word count: 801

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➳ Miles morales loveees quality time with the people who loves, and especially with you. If you arent laid up at his house chilling while watching him play video games, you were probably out exploring the city of New York with eachother.

➳ Miles Morales definitely likes hugs. You know, the kinds of hugs where he can smell your perfume and become so lost in the scent that he'll still be able to smell it when you let go of him. The kind of hugs where your soft and warm body is pressed against his, and he just feels like he's at home.

"can i have one more hug ma? ion wanna let you go yet.." he'll mutter before slowly bringing you closer to him.

➳ Miles morales who is always scouting for you. When he's at school, he's looking through hallways just to get a glimpse of you. during nightly patrols, he swings by your houses and glances into your window hoping to see you peacefully sleeping in the security of your home. When he knows that you are, he finally feels okay.

"Thank god shes alright" He whispers to himself before swinging back around the city.

➳ Miles Morales definitely loves when you plays with his hair. He loves feeling your soft fingers softly massaging his scalp while you tell him all the things you did that day, or just things that you want to do in the future. Whatever it is, he loves hearing it just because *you're* the one talking.

"Mhm, tell me more mama" he'll mumble while slowly falling asleep in your arms.

➳ Miles Morales likes kisses! Kisses on his neck, jaw, or cheeks just make him fold everytime. You can definitely expect makeout sessions to frank ocean or the weeknd playing in the background of his dark room, one of his hands draped around your waist and the other in your hair or cupping your cheeks.

➳ Miles Morales who hates arguing with you. He doesn't like leaving any conversation on a bad note, especially after Uncle Aarons death. He just feels like any moment could be the last he spends with you, so he tries to make the most out of any and every conversation he has with you.

➳ Miles Morales who sometimes has his days where all he thinks about is Uncle Aaron. He comes to your house, enters your room without even knocking with low eyes and a tense body. You immediately rush to him, giving him kisses and multiple hugs while reminding him that his uncle would be so proud of him.

He doesn't say anything in reponse in that moment, but you know he's grateful that he can always rely on you in situations like these.

➳ Miles Morales who sometimes calls you late at night holding back tears, especially when he hasn't had much time to see you because of spidey-business. He constantly goes on mute so you won't hear him sniffling, but you can always tell.

He just misses his sweet girl so much, and feels like he isn't doing enough to make time for her. You always remind him that he's always enough, and forever will be.

"I-I dont know. I just..." he pauses, trying to find the right words to say."I just miss you, that's all. I feel like we dont spend as much time as we should..and its my fault you know?".

➳ Miles Morales who helps you study. Sometimes, you feel really stupid around him. You're smart, but you dont feel like you're smart in the same way he is. It seems like he always knows the answers to everything, while you struggle with answering even the most basic of questions. He reassures you that you are smart, and probably even more so than he is. It doesn't convince you though, so he makes time after school to help you study and do homework with him. Really though, its just an excuse to hang out with you.

"See ma? You aren't stupid. You just need to stop doubting yourself. Podrías ser mucho mejor que yo si simplemente crees en ti mismo." He'll tell you, pulling you in for a hug as he plants soft kisses all over your face.

➳ Miles Morales who gives you the first and last bites of his food. If you have problems with eating, he'll always reassure you that your body is fine just that way it is, and encourage you to eat with him.

"Say ah.." he'll urge, holding a spoon full of the pozole his mother had made just a few hours prior.

➳ Miles Morales will always win the 'i love you more' game. No matter how much you try to argue that you love him the most, he knows that it'll always be the opposite. Its just no topping his love for you.

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#tags #milesmorales #milesmoralesupremacy #milesmoralesfluff #acrossthespiderverse !!

[cheemscakecat]

Scout unspoken character development.

So you remember how Scout was absolutely struggling to work out how to ask Pauling on a date, and didn’t have the confidence he needed to do it properly? In Expiration Date?

*loud silence*

It makes sense that he’d struggle, because dating requires you to be more vulnerable emotionally and that’s like the last thing he ever wanted to do growing up. His brothers saw being emotional as a weakness, and he still thinks like that because those were his role models.

That’s why he didn’t help Spy with the last wishes. He’s still got that mentality that he’ll be seen as weak if he admits that dying in three days bothers him. But if he makes fun of Spy in front of the boys, Spy’ll be the one seen as weak, not him.

To date somebody, you have to admit that you’re attracted to them, if not in love. He can’t admit that part, which is why he tries to be causal about asking Pauling out.

Like, even when he can tell that he made Spy furious, the awkwardness of that emotional situation makes him try to laugh it off and stay casual, not give him pause.

How much you wanna bet that “I’m sorry”, usually said sarcastically or with fake sincerity is the best he’d get from any of his brothers growing up? No discussion beyond that about what the brother should be sorry for, just “I’m sorry” because Ma is making me apologize.

That’s why he just moved on with his request for help, instead of going into a deeper apology and acknowledging why Spy is upset. He doesn’t know how. He doesn’t know that you’re actually supposed to, and he’s not a weakling for feeling that way.

He can’t accept the weakness of being bad with women, even though that’s why he’s in the smoking room asking for advice. That’s why he lies about the ratchet girl at the chicken place, who probably never existed.

What’s interesting is that the only thing he retained from his dad’s training was the dancing, which is an expression of emotions. He started out doing a casual, cheery boomer dance that doesn’t require a partner, with no risk of hurting somebody else if you mess up. But the dance Spy taught him requires you to be careful and move with another person, and is a lot more romantic.

But we know that music is something he loves, to the point that he hopes his favorite musician is secretly his dad.

But that’s not the only important development he makes in this short.

Scout doesn’t know how to respond to that, because if he ever tried to bring up what one of his siblings did to make him upset, they’d just laugh at him or say “I said sorry, what else do you want?”. But he cares about this woman and how she feels, so when she brings up what he did to make him say more than sorry, he can’t just move past it like he normally does.

He got so close to spitting it out! But what we did get is good progress, because he had to be more honest than usual. If she was paying even the slightest bit of attention to him, she’d be able to see what he’s trying to say.

He’s trying so hard, she doesn’t even know. I hope that someday he finds a girl that does like him, because she sure as heck doesn’t.

What’s interesting is that we have voicelines that imply he’s getting less uncomfortable flirting, even if it’s in his usual Scout way.

He didn’t act ready to take his shirt off around her in Expiration Date. That’s Scout getting more comfortable around her. So is him playing her dorky board game that his brother’s would clown him for looking at.

You have to remember, Scout is the youngest and considered the runt of the litter by his stupid siblings. He acts like he likes the way his arms look in Meet the Scout and talking to Spy in the smoking room, but he’s always comparing himself to other guys. He wouldn’t take that shirt off around most people, is what I’m saying.

I hope someday Scout goes through the character development he needs to find a real girlfriend that likes him. [And also not rely on physique as a tool for flirting].

[jermer10]

TF2 relationship hcs + miss pauling

suggestive, gn reader | silly romantic hcs

drabbles under the cut :P

Scout:

- the most emotionally immature out of all the mercs, also the most inexperienced with dating so he can get pretty jealous over stupid things - a demo flirts with you? dead. a medic pockets you for too long? whoops didn’t see that enemy sorry medic. god forbid another scout even breathes in your direction - ironically he used you to make Pauling jealous and eventually realised he actually likes YOU (fake dating trope my beloved) - non-stop rambles about you to his ma, when she meets you she’s already calling you her child in law - dates with scout usually consist of going to baseball games or getting lunch together, he’s pretty simple and won’t plan anything too extravagant unless it’s an occasion (with spy’s help ofc) - not huge on pda, will hold your waist or sling an arm around your shoulders on occasion, in privacy however he is HUGE on physical affection he loves you sm <333 - stroking your hair and running his fingers along your back, kisses on your neck, throwing in a couple of cheesy pickup lines here and there - pretty much only refers to you with pet names, “doll, babe, toots, handsome, etc” he’ll only use your name when he’s emotional or during intimacy

Soldier: - the most dense man on god’s green american earth so unless you’re similar to zhanna, chances are he won’t even bat an eye at you. you need to be batshit and violent for this man to notice you first - wakes you up at 5am sharp every morning for “training” (forcing you to workout with him whilst he yells at you….lovingly?) expect to be buff as hell after a couple months because his routines are intense - “DROP AND GIVE ME 20 CUPCAKE” “GOOD JOB SOLDIER. HERE IS A KISS FOR YOUR HARD WORK” “PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN SWEETHEART” - his kisses are really rough, he lifts you up into the air and spins you around or dips you and it’s genuinely super sweet, he enjoys picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder as well :3c - he has no jealous bone in his body, only random accusatory statements towards anyone who shows kindness towards you and it deters them enough for soldier to never have to worry - dates with soldier usually consist of working out or going to war museums, will never plan fancy dates so that’s all up to you - does not care about public or private affection, he will makeout with you anytime, anywhere and is unapologetic about it, much to everyone else’s dismay - “EUGH! GET A ROOM YOU TWO!” “AFFIRMATIVE, WE WILL MOVE TO THE LIVING ROOM”

Pyro: - i hc pyro as being aroace so a romantic-platonic relationship between you guys would be more mushy and cute than anything else - going out on ice-cream dates and buying matching colouring books and seeing how differently you each colour the same scene - cheek kisses no matter where you are is a must!!! holding hands around the base, tapping on each-other when bored and to show affection <3333 - the other mercs have no fucking idea what your relationship is but none of them care as long as you’re keeping pyro in check - you’re the first and only merc to see pyro without their mask on, one of the most tender moments shared between you and something that they treasure - pyro doesn’t get jealous, but they will harm anyone who makes you uncomfortable, no questions asked - cuddle buddies!!!! you guys can be seen lying around the base in a sleepy huddle, i can see demo joining and medic or engie tripping over y’all 😭 - they are super attentive of your needs and compromise despite having trouble feeling romantic or sexual attraction, as long as you enjoy it, they enjoy it

Demoman: - more of a flirt than scout is, and that’s saying something. demo will chat you up at any time of the day, whether it be in the privacy of your bedroom or straight up on the battlefield - has died MULTIPLE times because he just cant keep his eye off you, he makes mental notes of how attractive you look while bashing an enemy spy’s brain in and uses it later (WINK) - a solid 80% of your relationship is shared in silly drunk moments and the other 20 is rooted in insecurity. demo being jealous? likely. demo being scared of you leaving him for someone with two eyes and their head on straight? definitely - there are nights where he feels completely sober just holding you in his arms and acknowledging that you’re here and you love him, warts and all - SUPER BIG ON PDA!!! he wants the entire world to know that you’re his, also super big on cheesy nicknames “beauty, my love, handsome boy/beautiful girl/gorgeous partner” - messy kisses, lazy cuddles, dragging his fingers along your body feeling every dip and curve <3333 even if the affection seems half assed, his heart is devoted to you - offhandedly mentions you to his mum after dating for a year or so, to which her response is to slap him upside the head for not telling her sooner and then asking about grandbabies - you’re demo’s rock, if you asked him to go sober for you he probably would. he adores everything you do, words are unnecessary just look at his face

Heavy: - the stern and silent type, he generally doesn’t show public affection towards you unless it’s to protect you or to calm you down - in private he is the most gentle merc, holding you close to him and stroking your hair, playing with your fingers and mentally squealing at how cute and small they are compared to his, rubbing your back with his palm - he is a man of few words, but it’s pretty obvious that he is completely enamoured by you just from the way he touches you and how his gaze softens when he sees you - would plan the most personal dates, things that he KNOWS you would enjoy doing or seeing just so that he can see you smile up at him - “Любимая (darling), Дорогая (dear), Любовь моя (my love)” are the most common pet-names you’ll hear him calling you, he’s a more traditional guy - heavy is not a flirty man, he’s too blunt and would rather say what he means in the most direct way possible. thaaaat doesn’t mean he discourages you from flirting with him however - his family is extremely weary of you to begin with, heavy doesn’t talk about you much and so they’re going to be on guard (despite the fact that he could crush you with one hand if you did have malicious intent) - after a while though they warm up to you and consider you apart of the family- baking with you, teaching you how to hunt bears, making bearskin clothing, cooking the bear meat, talking about marriage and children, ANYTHING they can do to include you

Engineer: - it’s tough dating engie - he’s either working or passed out from the exhaustion of working, so you never really get quality time with him - he still takes every chance he can get to show you a good time, whether it’s cooking dinner with you or writing songs for you, he is much more romantic than he leads on - “darl, darlin, sweetheart, honeybee” sweet and simple names that roll off the tongue - the merc most inclined to shower with you. not even in a sexual way, he just enjoys the calm heat of the water and how intimate it is to share such a space - creates devices to make your life easier; need a new weapon? no need to buy a faulty mann co one, he can build you anything you want. need your very own kitchenette so you the other mercs can’t keep stealing your food? he was already drawing up the plans a week ago - the type of guy to bring you breakfast in bed every morning, putting on some slow romantic music and peppering your face with kisses to wake you up - always keeping tabs on you in battle, making sure that you’re safe and unharmed (despite knowing that you can respawn he still hates seeing you hurt) - the least jealous man to exsist, he is completely secure in himself and knows that if you didn’t wanna be with him, you simply wouldn’t

Medic: - another workaholic over here, it’s a mission getting him away from the operating table, or his desk right next to it - quiet, soft moments are few and far between, but when you do get them they are spent in each other’s arms lazying around the base - medic isn’t the romantic type and would likely just take you out to a traditional dinner or would want to teach you how to perform certain medical procedures on dates - don’t get him wrong! he loves you entirely, he just doesn’t see the need in being overly romantic with you, his way of showing love is letting archimedes anywhere near you or letting you lie on the operating table while he finishes up his paperwork - his pet names for you include “schatz (treasure), maus (mouse), meine taube (my dove)” - will pocket you 1000% and the other mercs HATE it - they have to strategise a way to keep you separated from eachother during battle - it wouldn’t matter if you were invincible or on the verge of death, this man would protect you to the ends of the earth. that being said he is also a massive shithead, will tickle you randomly or poke fun at you when you’re in a bad mood. its sweet. usually - in that middle ground of jealous but also chill af, he will only really become jelly if you’re flirting with someone else, but if they’re flirting with you he does not care unless you’re uncomfortable

Sniper: - simultaneously the most chill and anxiety ridden person on earth, the way he can go from 1 - 100 in five seconds should be studied - it takes him a VERY long time to actually warm up to you, let alone DATE you, so be wary that you’re in it for the long haul if you want this man - the first 6 months of dating are torturous for the both of you, he is far too nervous to touch you and instead of telling you this he will literally just ignore you, but once you start being physical he is one of the most touchy mercs - you will have to be the initiator in most situations until he becomes more comfortable with affection, this man has spent most of his adult life in a van isolated from society so its no kidding that he would be awkward with you (even though he adores you) - “love, babe, darling, honey” generic nicknames, if he’s feeling more comfortable he’ll use “sweetheart” or “roo” if you’re getting on his nerves - he doesn’t do dates. like sorry to burst your bubble but he would consider eating dinner together in his van or even just having a bath together a date - extremely jealous but will never admit it and it is VERY obvious. this could be said for most of his feelings though and reassurance is all he really needs - will spy on you using the scope on his gun during battles, killing enemies who might try to sneak up on you <3

Spy: - spy is by far the MOST romantic merc out of the bunch, will take you out on date nights every week, intimacy regularly, affectionate both in private and public, etc he is the dream - in saying that he is also a player, he needs a partner who can keep him feeling fresh, and someone who is just as cunning as he is - will intentionally try to make you jealous in order to get a gauge on the kind of person you are. he is entirely mind games babe and will play it off as if he doesn’t care about other people trying to flirt with you (he wants to kill them with his bare hands) - he is either going to be obsessed with you or mildly attached, there is no in between and it will be strikingly obvious which it is - often refers to you as “mon amour (my love), beau/belle (handsome/beautiful), mon bébé (my baby)” - most likely enemies to lovers, if you’re good at your job he sees you as competition, if you’re not he sees you as a nuisance, either way you’re initially a problem to him - but then he starts to wonder: why can’t he stop thinking about your skin? and the way you say his name? and the way you bashed that sniper’s brains out? he is smitten without even realising it - occasionally cloaks and follows you around to keep you safe from enemies, but mostly sticks to trying to win the match

Miss Pauling: - if you thought engie or medic were bad you have NO idea with pauling, she quite literally has one day off a YEAR - and you bet your ass she is spending it in bed all day cuddling with you - doesn’t use pet names, she’ll either call you by your last name, or some nickname variation of your first name. she called you “babe” once and cringed so hard she couldn’t even look at you - as much as she doesn’t want to put you in any danger, she LOVES bringing you along for missions. she gets to finish earlier and spend time with you, its a win-win situation - coming home from work and eating dinner with you is the highlight of her day, she could be completely exhausted and yet you bring life back into her with just a smile - yes you had to “fight” scout for her and there was absolutely no competition, he didn’t even know you two were together until she rolled her eyes and kissed you in front of him (he was surprisingly supportive) - she’s far too busy to be jealous, if someone was flirting with you she wouldn’t even notice until it escalated and the person was on the floor with you standing over them triumphantly - she dreams about being able to go on museum dates with you one day, but for now bubble baths, dinners, and morning kisses are all you both get <\3

[ndostairlyrium]

okay, major spoilers + me being very critical and rambly so feel free to dodge

who is this person?

what mess, specifically?

why is Harding the only one that gets mad?

how did they think this cutscene was a good idea?

I deliberately chose the smug / angry option to have a legit "stay at your place kid" reaction from her, because I think one of the things that unites all the Inquisitors is that they cared. They fucking cared and were taken advantage of. They were treated like a pawn from the beginning, and they fucking subverted it. What is the mess she's talking about? Being there when it was needed the most? Stopping a legit apocalypse? HOW DID SHE MAKE THE SOUTH VULNERABLE OMG she fucking strengthen it!! It was at its lowest and I'm betting that without the Inquisition it would have been destroyed entirely, even without Corypheus. And she shouldn't need fucking scout Harding to tell a kid to shut their mouth, if that was the real Inquisitor, he would be on the floor crying for mum

We stopped Mages and Templars from mauling each other, and possibly revolutionized their relationship. Prevented Grey Wardens to self destruct and (possibly) helped them to raise their numbers. Put an end to the stupidest civil war in history. We picked the most influential cult leader in the south (the ma' thing had me screaming like, out of everything you could say the Divine has done for the struggle, you're telling me that this is all she can bring to the table? Just reassure Harding she's safe, like, why are you bragging?). Not to mention all those war table missions that are *useless*, like idk, mediating between Ferelden and Orlais? Just to pick one. But everything is inconsequential, apparently. "Hey, Ferelden and Orlais are finally working together in an united front against the Darkspawn" <- that would have been SO COOL

Morrigan being like "she worked hard these past 10 years" is the cherry on top, really. Basically all the hours spent planning my worldstate are limited to "upsidupsi things are bad, have a statuette" with the grey hoodie like an influencer that sold molded lipsticks to their followers. Do I really need someone to reiterate that she's awesome? Can't you show me instead? Are they really recommending the fucking inquisitor??

Give me someone BIG, someone that wears the struggle, with travel clothes, eyebags, dirt on her fingertips, a battered prosthetic. Tell me visually that I'm talking with someone that's leaving the battlefield (with tremendous costs because, like, one of your generals is kilometers away) to bring help and ask for help. I really hope that statuette is worth the costs in lives, because if that statue is a fucking mcguffin I'll scream. In this cutscene she looks more like one of those generals they use for recruitment posters rather than an actual person and I'm mortified for her

Dude, I'm fuming. Fuming. This is fucking ridiculous.

What she should have answered: "Who the fuck are you to judge, and where is Varric? I need to talk to an adult." / "Leave Harding and go do something constructive"

Ankh, they did you so dirty oh my GOD

Do you know how many more interesting scenarios could have been exposed if we had kept some of our decisions?? I guess I'll stick with the "I'm incompetent" version, not that the other options are better...

This meeting could've been an email

[prac-ticalproblems]

suggestion based off your post asking for suggestions: what do you think all their favorite albums would be. mind you they’re in the late 1960s so like it would be an album they liked so much they would save up and buy the record. lord knows music was an arm and a leg for 10 tracks. I’m thinkin engie might be into Johnny Cash, definitely bein into At Folsom Prison and probably also Townes Van Zandts self titled album when they came out in 1969. Scout would probably be a Chuck berry fan. I can also see him knowing how to dance to 40s big band music because his ma used to dance with him in his brothers in the living room as kids but he would be embarrassed about that one. Soldier would HATE the Beatles. and I have no idea about everyone else.

You. You get it. I’m gonna squeeze you. /pos

I love this ask so much I am going to do 60’s AND make it regional and Historical! Because we are syncing brain waves rn. (With a little bit of karaoke headcanonz)

1960’s music w the mercs

Medic - I believe that Medic is a very chaotic music lover. He has a background of classical in some way, with his fascination for it in the game and it’s bled outward into loving loud booms and the thrill of it speeding up.

So maybe some early forms of rock? Especially if it’s Peggy Peter’s. He sings like shit though.

Heavy - I’m not going to lie, this immediately came to me. Heavy loves pop. Heavy loves a bouncy little jig that he can play while cleaning Sasha. He probably got it from his sisters. I also believe that he has a very strong sense of political beliefs about his country so pop that has a message.

Definitely Edita Piekha. 100%. Lovely vocals from the gods. A little rattling, but He is a perfect bass.

Scout - HE WOULD LOVE CHUCK BERRY. That man hums ‘My Ding-a-ling’ as he showers. Absolutely.

He has Sex Bomb tattooed, but I’m sure his favorite Tom Jones song is actually It’s Not Unusual. He screeches when he sings instead of singing higher.

Demo - I see him being into much older songs for his age (he’s like nearly 30) just because of the way his mother raised him. I think he’s got an older soul than he thinks. So 1940’s swing and soul. Strong believer that he has more than a few albums that he cherishes, but most of them are from his mom.

He cries every time he puts it on though, just to let the feelings out. When he’s drunk, he sings terribly, when he’s sober? Probably still a little bad but he doesn’t know his range and doesn’t care if he’s tone deaf.

Pyro - I have personal ideas about Pyro that makes me think he is a huge Jimi Hendrix fan. I refuse to explain or elaborate as I will be here all day.

All Along the Watchtower. He bounces whenever it’s played.

Sniper - Jazz. I know it’s an easy answer, but it’s also THE RIGHT ONE. I think he’s very much a “nod his head and listen” type of music lover as a posed to “can’t stop moving” sort of guy.

He also probably prefers wordless music, for focus, and lyrics in music when he’s alone. (He is dancing in his room when no one’s around.)

Soldier - FUCKING HATES THE BEATLES. I’m almost tempted to say the only thing he listens to is music about WAR. But he’s probably into punk music. But I’m sure he fucks up and listens to anti war songs instead of actual war songs. So he’s accidentally listening to ‘hippie music’. No one has the will to explain it to him.

His favorite song is probably Gene Stridel - What do you win when you win a war. But only when he’s more self aware, more aware of his situation. It comes and goes. Soldier refuses to sing the song, ever. But it’s close to his heart, even if he sometimes doesn’t know why.

Spy - secretly a hippie. Definitely into Yé-yé, a type of french-ized version of British pop/exotica (like THE BEATLES.) He shows Soldier his music taste and it sends him into a rage. I think he takes pleasure in it.

Especially Baroque Yé-yé. Very Spy feely. Also Scout’s mom has probably shown him some Josephine Baker, and he likes it. Sings in a snooty little voice but it sounds pleasant enough. He thinks he’s the best singer in the team. (it’s heavy)

Engineer - GOD, you’re so right. Johnny Cash is the most fitting for him. I feel like he’s definitely a music sharer and taker. He carries songs from the people who he loves around with him. I think his mom loves Tammy Wynette and it’s crossed over to him.

Rip, you stupid fuck, you would have loved Poor Man’s Poison. He probably does that thing where they end off words in country with like a howl, instead of just ending the sentence.

[rayclubs]

Mahlzeit,

ok since I´m a firm believer that every merc is a perfect combination of smart and stupid, I feel comfortable saying that everyone is wrong about engineer.

like no he isn´t the only one who would be capacle of realising the benefits of a union. he´s very much unable to see it because he definetely gets too tunnelvisioned as soon as his work is involved and everything not directly linked to his tasks is unnecessary.

Malzheit!

Okay, real, but do you want a TF2 political affiliations post? Because that's how you get a TF2 political affiliations post.

Scout:

The most susceptible to propaganda after maybe Soldier.

Cares about celebrities way too much and therefore is unable to recognize the utmost necessity of taxing the rich.

Probably believes in the American Dream or something.

Would not start a labor union but would join one because while dumb as a baseball, he at least understands that his ma worked really hard to support him and his gajillion brothers growing up, and that's kinda unfair and all that. Or something.

Soldier:

Can be convinced to do anything. Seems to have political affiliations, what with his anti-communist shtick, but really it's just whatever. If you sit him down and explain the actual communist ideas and how what he's actually against is dictatorship, he'll listen to you. Might take some time, but he will.

Would not start a union but would assassinate the president.

Pyro:

Mmmph?

I don't even know. Anarcho-transhumanism.

*lights self on fire and fights the cops*

Engie:

Okay I have THOUGHTS

He is a bit of a utilitarian, I think. What with him solving practical problems and all.

Graduated into the upper middle class and can't see past that because his mind is 99% the digits of Pi and all that.

Hasn't voted once in his life.

Probably actually has some misguided beliefs about labor exploitation due to being American. Like Pauling, has one vacation a year and leaves his phone on in case someone needs to reach him in an urgent work matter.

People bring up his hand as if it were the result of an OSHA violation, but like. No. He did that. He did done cut it off himself. It doesn't count.

Everything he builds is an OSHA violation.

Heavy:

Was a pioneer. You know, that Soviet thing? Kinda like an American boy scout, but with more propaganda. He got better though.

He'd be a bit wary of unions but I think he's educated enough to recognize the difference. It's just a subconscious bias, is all.

He wouldn't start a union because, while educated, he's not diplomatic. Much like Engineer "I'll break you in half" TF2, he's more used to killing the authorities than to legally opposing them.

Also his father was a revolutionary. And died for it. So yeah. Maybe he wouldn't be quite so eager to follow in his footsteps.

Demo:

I actually don't know much about labor unions in Scotland but I think Demo would be a union man.

Like. His father killed the queen for a nickel. I think the man knows enough about oppression and workers' rights to be angry about that.

Explode the rich.

"But Demo, you are rich!" - "Aye..." *killbinds*

Medic:

Already in a union.

Not politically aligned but LOVES shoplifting.

Sniper:

Individualism on main.

Would not start a union because he hasn't talked to a human being in seventeen years.

You ask him if he wants to start a union and he stares into the void for five minutes before quietly asking "...like ants?"

Can't sign up because he can't write. Why do you think he calls his parents instead of writing letters?

Actually scratch that. Can only write upside down.

Spy:

Supports whatever suits his interests.

A corporate until the labor union is strong enough, then switches sides and becomes an avid proletarian.

Also individualism on main and that's why he and Sniper get along.

Nothing like avoiding your best friend.

I don't even know. None of them would start a union actually. Medic would do it for fun. Demo would do it as a dare. Soldier would do it by accident.

[miintsprigz]

Hey there!! Can you write something about the mercs reactions to a GN!Reader showing signs of toxicity towards the mercs and them confronting them and rebuilding their relationship together. It would be really cute :3 especially with scout (I just think he's a soft boyo lololol)

Not gonna lie to ya, this one was a challenge for me, I even asked to have it proofread. It’s not often I see a prompt like this. I really like it though—I don’t think we see repairing relationships and changing toxic behavior enough. It so often gets shut down, and while unfortunately there are times where you must separate, sometimes you can work on it!

So thank you for such a raw and real prompt, Anon. I appreciate you, and I hope that this meets your expectations and makes you smile.

GN!Reader who shows some toxicity from previous relationships

Song used for inspiration: Heart To Heart by Mac Demarco

Characters: Scout (TF2)

Warnings: uh, I don’t know—there are implications of past relationship trauma here (toxic behavior is sadly often learned from previous toxic relationships), so please be wary of that. Also, this may be considered a somewhat “difficult conversation”, but I promise you it ends well.

_

You sat on your bed, staring at your feet as they dangled just above the floor. A fast heartbeat pounded in your ears, you swore you could feel the blood coursing through every part of you.

Jeremy had said that he…wanted to talk to you. He wasn’t always the most conscientious of the connotation of his words. As soon as terror flooded your face, he had immediately clarified.

“You’re not in trouble, I promise! Geez, now I know how Ma felt…no, but it’s somethin’ serious…somethin’ important, ya know?”

That still left a good bit to the imagination.

So as the Scout finally made his way over to your room, you felt sick to your stomach. You still got that trademark knock on your doorframe.

“Hey. All set?”

Ready as I’ll ever be. Which is not at all.

You nodded your head, feeling the beginnings of a lump in your throat.

You felt the bed sink just a little as he sat down beside you—light as a feather, always, even holding still.

“I’m sorry that I made a whole big deal here but…well, it is a big deal to me.”

You truly thought you knew what was coming. You’d heard it before, out of people’s mouths, in the things they didn’t say, and echoing for years longer in your own mind, after the people voicing it were long out of your life.

“…you’ve had enough of me?”

“What??”

Genuine shock filled his voice, you could feel him go rigid.

“No. Absolutely not. That…that’s not even a thought in my mind, (Y/N), honest.”

Out of the corner of your eye, through quickly blurring vision, you saw a bandage-wrapped hand reaching for yours. You felt frozen, distant. Giving you a moment to move if you wanted to, he placed his hand over yours gently.

“Could ya just take a breath, babe? Please.”

You did just that, the sound rattling painfully. Why couldn’t you get through things like this without getting so emotional…

“I am not goin’ anywhere, okay? You know I love you, right?”

“…yeah.”

“…does it…not feel that way sometimes?”

The question sort of brought you back a bit, out of the haze of dread that conversations like this thrusted you into.

“…m…maybe…?”

“Yeah. I could kinda tell.”

Oh no. “I’m sorry—”

“It’s okay, don’t worry, lemme just explain a bit here—”

His fingertips brushed the back of your hand. A few tears escaped your eyes, but somehow, the gentle touch grounded you a bit.

“See…I forget stuff a lot. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed. You know it, I know it. And I know it’s not good. But sometimes, when I do that, even if it’s by accident, it feels like ya kinda…shrink back? Or if I tell ya somethin’s goin’ on… Ya get quiet, even after I say I’m sorry, and…I just worry.”

He fidgeted a little, trying to sit more upright.

“And so…Spy talked to me, the other day. He felt bad revealin’ it—ah, who am I kiddin’, the guy loves this stuff—that you said I’m… really loud. And I’m sometimes too… in your face?”

You could feel your face flush as you remembered what you had said. Part of you was mad at Spy for telling Scout, he surely knew this was sensitive information…but…

“He said he told you that you should tell me to cut it out…and it seemed ta him like ya thought I wouldn’t do anything if ya did.”

You looked up to find that he was already looking right at you. He didn’t look angry. Not anywhere. But surely he must have been…right?

“…was it somethin’ like that?”

Slowly, you nodded your head, feeling your shoulders go stiff.

He looked down at his hand, still over yours, and looked back up at you worriedly.

“…I think ya might be doin’ it now. And I might be too. Do you want me ta move back?”

“N-No!!!”

Jeremy’s eyes went wide, blinking quick, before his mouth went taut on the edges.

“…are ya sure that ya mean that?”

You went to reassert that yes, yes you did…but you knew that you didn’t mean that. The contact had helped at first, but it was too much right now. Slowly, you shook your head.

“…yeah. See, (Y/N), this is why I wanted ta talk.”

His hands folded together, pulling away from you. You couldn’t look at him anymore, staring down at your lap through a veil of tears.

“Ya can look down if it helps ya. I know this is kinda…scary, I guess? But just listen to me, please.”

You nodded, and did just that.

Scout took a breath, and it felt like he was weighing each word.

“You want me to feel at ease when we’re together, right?”

You nodded again. His voice was so soft. The normally bombastic and energetic speed and volume had been dialed down. So careful. Very unlike how he was with the others.

“Yeah. I want you to feel that way, too. And if that means that I gotta knock somethin’ off, I’d like you…ta let me know, ya know what I mean?”

A slightly nervous laugh sounded from him, and you were beginning to see what he was trying to say.

He did forget important dates—you knew he didn’t mean to, but it hurt. And as much as you loved seeing him happy and excited, the volume and the physical contact could be extremely overstimulating.

“I’m not angry at you at all, by the way. I never wanted you ta feel like that. Maybe other people have gotten mad at ya for, for tellin’ em you didn’t like stuff they did. But I won’t. I promise ya that. And you know how stubborn I am about promises.”

A slight smile came to your face, even with how hard you were trying not to cry.

“…did people do that to ya, (Y/N)? People ya grew up with? Or other folks ya dated?”

Your lip quivered, and again, you nodded your head.

“Oh…I’m sorry, baby. That ain’t right. Not at all. You’re never gonna get any of that with me, and if you do? You tell me. Don’t hold nothin’ back, okay? Cuz that’s the last thing I’d ever wanna do to ya.”

Feeling bold enough to look up again, in spite of basically falling apart at this point, you caught a switch between the most serious you had ever seen Scout…and possibly the most adoring look he’d ever given to you.

“…I love you so much, (Y/N). I don’t know if I’ve ever loved anyone so much. I’m tellin’ ya all this because I love ya! You’re such a sweetheart—you’re always lookin’ out for me. Very few people have done that, so it means everythin’ ta me.”

You exhaled softly, a muted laugh, and that seemed to perk him up even more.

“And I don’t just love what ya do, I love everything you are. The way ya smile, the way ya make jokes, the way ya sing…it’s all so…so good, baby. You are so good.”

You couldn’t help but smile at that. If he had a tail, it would be wagging. The voices that so often nagged at you that he’d get tired of you went dead silent whenever he talked like this. And in moments like these, you knew he was telling the truth.

“You make me feel like I’m on top of the world. So, could ya give me the chance ta look out for you, too? Cuz I want to. Tell me anything, and I’ll do the best I can to make it happen. I’m always gonna be a little loud, a little clingy, a little…obnoxious. But…you knew that, right?”

Slowly, you nodded, wiping your eyes, your tears having subsided.

“Yeah. And I love you so much because of…a-and sometimes, in spite of those things.”

“See? There ya go!! That was great. May I uh…”

Scout stretched his hand out, and, now wanting to hold it, you quickly grabbed on tight, and tried to pull him in closer. He caught on quick.

“Oh…oh! Okay, hang on…”

Wrapping you in his arms, Scout held you close.

“Is this good?”

You fidgeted a little, then nodded. “Yeah. This is great, Jeremy. Hey…”

“Hm?”

“…thank you. For talking to me. I know it can be hard to talk stuff through with me sometimes. I was so, so scared…that you were just done…”

“I knew ya were, babe. And I hate seein’ ya hurtin’ so much. But, I think…when ya love a person—like, really love ‘em—you’ll do what ya gotta do to make it the best it can be. Even if that means doin’ scary stuff.”

“Yeah…yeah, I think I got it.”

Giggling a little, Jeremy reached for the side of your face with one hand, and you leaned into it, craning your head upwards to peck him on the lips before you curled up against his chest.

“I know it’s hard when ya learned somethin’ one way for years, and now ya gotta…unlearn it, I guess? Honestly, it was hard not ta mess around with the resta the guys when I first got here, cuz I was used’ta it with my brothers back home. But…honestly, I got a different deal with these wackos, so the change kinda works out.”

Giggling at his teasing the others, you looked back up at him, feeling your once racing heart now only aflutter with joy at being in the arms of the man you loved.

“…I think this one works out too.”

“Yeah.”

[marshmcore]

Hooray, more knife party hc shenanigans!!!

Sniper, an absolute loner, workaholic, and a son of seemingly disappointed parents (and awful biological parents) craves validation. He’s clearly skilled and strives for the best with his work and most likely doesn’t get recognized for it. I see that with “Meet the Sniper”, he really tries to sell the cool professional persona, even though he’s being paid to sit for hours and piss in jars before he takes the shot (especially after arguing with his dad on the phone). I can see other mercs not taking him as seriously as he shows to be.

Spy with his aloof, stuck-up, closed-off, and passive aggressive personality, authenticity doesn’t show easily. Even when he attempts to BE genuine (ie expiration date), it’s treated as a joke. 90% of the time he keeps sincerity to himself. I think he has the capacity to care, but nothing and no one (except for Scout’s Ma) is taking it seriously as he would like. I totally see his sincerity in his positive voice-lines.

Those two compliment each other (I can see it go in a “codependency” route lol), and they can start healing when they practice what they need. Sniper would be receptive to Spy’s compliments, because he could use some external reinforcement. In turn, Spy would be able to notice his delight, and realize that someone can appreciate his effort in unmasking the persona his profession made. Also, it would ease up the tension since he doesn’t have to suppress what he’s feeling about someone.

Funni points if it takes Sniper 3 years to realize where all Spy’s compliments are coming from, because he can be an oblivious workaholic like that. And so it forces Spy to be more overt with his compliments. Aaand it makes him want to open up more to him, so it gets challenging (hilarity ensues). AND he becomes more flirtatious so that he gets through his thick skull. Angst points if Sniper never notices or it’s all a farce and Sniper can never-ever trust anyone again or Sniper is simply not interested LEL.

Also here’s what that cropped blurb says:

-If Sniper likes someone enough, and they compliment them, that shit is gonna replay in his mind :)

-loyal dog energy :)

-Aims to impress and please them (after said compliment), if he likes them enough (A LOT)

Edit: I can see these two unmasking whatever persona their careers made when they get closer. As Sniper feels more confident, he’ll show off more of his suave, sax-playing side. Spy will be not only emotional, but also attuned, grounded, and warm. They’ll surprise each other as they go on together, and itll be just a whirlwind of new emotional experiences for the two. ACH HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

[infinite-riches]

My Sweet Johnny Boy

Summary: “You’re gonna pull your hair out, mate,” The voice was soft, slightly deep, dripping in a thick Manchester accent.

“So? Everyone hates it anyways…”

Or: Johnny gets bullied and Simon fixes it (High School AU)

Pairing: John "Soap" MacTavish x Simon "Ghost" Riley

Word Count: 1131

Warnings: mentions of terminal illness, child abuse

A/N: This lovely one-shot was inspired by the ficlet 'What Makes Soap Soap' written by DovaBunny on Ao3!

Shout out to ebi_lal on Ao3 for beta reading this for me! <3

And as always feel free to leave feedback/constructive criticism <3

AO3 Link (if you prefer): My Sweet Johnny Boy

Trying to adjust to a new school in the middle of the year had been torture. Not to mention the heartbreak of having to leave Scotland behind. All his friends, four hours away. All because his family had to move to Manchester. 

His saving grace had been the phys ed class, being able to dump all his pent-up emotions into football, maybe even with a chance to get scouted for the county team. Football allowed him to tune it out. He could cast everything aside and have a moment of peace in his mind.

As always, the other boys had something smart to say to Johnny after class. Most of the time it was about his accent or his worn-out shoes (the MacTavish family not having enough money to splurge on a new pair when his still wore well). Today though… today was different.

It was relentless in the locker room, most of the other Year 12 boys chiming in with something or another about his hair. 

Though he maintained his composure for the most part he couldn’t deny just how deep it cut. His Ma had been diagnosed with cancer 2 years ago, chemo hitting her hard- she had just recently relented and shaved the rest of her hair off. When Johnny said he wanted to do the same, she helped. She made a game out of it, trying to see how many different funny hairstyles she could give her boy- just to see him laugh and smile. Then she gave him the mohawk and they both stopped.

“So handsome… my sweet Johnny boy with a mohawk!” A light laugh left her lips, a sound Johnny would never let himself forget. 

“Think I’m gonna keep it, Ma…” And he had, learned how to take care of it, always made time to see his Ma- let her trim it up for him, made her smile bright every time he visited her in hospital. 

The water poured over him till it ran cold and even then he didn’t make a move to leave. Instead, he sat on the cold tile, knees to his chest as he ran his hands through his hair over and over again, anxiously tugging at the short strands.

The door to the locker room opened and closed, footsteps milling about accompanied by the sound of someone rummaging through their locker. 

Johnny couldn’t be bothered to move, too lost in his own thoughts.

“You’re gonna pull your hair out, mate,” The voice was soft, slightly deep, dripping in a thick Manchester accent.

“So? Everyone hates it anyways…” Johnny bit back another wave of tears, trying to hold himself together.

“I don’t hate it…” The voice is softer now, kind words prompting Johnny to look up, greeted by a stunning set of honey eyes. “I actually think it's pretty fucking dope…”

Simon kneeled before him, a hand outstretched towards the kneeling Scot, the other holding a towel. There was a black medical mask over his face, just like always. The year 13 student had been a bit of an enigma to Johnny. Most of the students called him Ghost, something about how quiet he could be, creeping up on everyone. Simon fit him better in Johnny’s mind– warm, honey eyes, soft blonde hair, the faintest hint of curl to the strands, always slightly tousled, the boy couldn’t possibly be a ghost– maybe an angel instead. 

“You dinnae have to lie-”

“I’m not lying to you…” Simon’s voice faded off, pushing his outstretched hand towards Johnny.

“You must want something then, eh?” Johnny kept himself small, trying to figure out what game– if any– Simon was playing. “Wanna take the piss like the rest of ‘em?”

An abrupt laugh left Simon’s lips. “Be like them? You wound me Scotsman. C’mon mate, get out of the shower, you’re gonna freeze your balls off.” This time Simon stepped over the tile lip, grabbing Johnny and helping him to his feet, gladly handing over the towel if it meant the poor kid would stop shivering. 

Johnny couldn’t shrug off the kindness anymore, caving to the soft hand and gentle eyes before him. After a few minutes, his limbs didn’t feel nearly as numb anymore and he managed to change into his clothes.

“So what’s the deal, with your hair?” Simon was sitting on the opposite end of the bench, fiddling with the straps of his backpack as he listened.

“It’s for my Ma… she’s got cancer… she thought it looked good on me so I’ve kept it… she helps me trim it up every few weeks… even when she’s in hospital…” tears threatened to spill again, desperately clinging to Johnny’s waterline. 

“Fuck mate…” Simon was by his side in a flash. “I’m so sorry man…”

“No need… it’s been this way for a while, dinnae know when she’ll get better…” Johnny’s voice tapered off, lost in thought again.

“I’m sure she’ll get better soon…” Simon paused for a moment, letting the silence hang in the air. “Listen… I’ve seen you around, you’re good at that shit you do in your sketchbook and even better out on the pitch… if those fucks bother you again come find me, yeah?”

“You don’t ha-”

“None of that, I’ll see you around Johnny…” In a flash Simon was gone, living up to his nickname and leaving Johnny reeling. 

The next day Johnny was sitting on one of the benches out front sketching, waiting for school to start when everyone started to speak in hushed tones. His eyes flicked up, pencil dropping on the page as he met Simon’s eyes. His blonde locks were almost completely gone, trimmed into a neat mohawk that closely mirrored Johnny’s save for the slight curl to the strands.

Simon caught his gaze, softly nodding his chin towards the Scot, eyes crinkling as if he was smiling beneath the mask. Simon, being a year 13 had sent a clear message to the rest of the school, leave Johnny alone. 

From then on, Simon was practically Johnny’s shadow. No one gave him shit about his hair or his accent or his shoes anymore. 

Simon watched over Johnny and Johnny brought some much-needed softness into Simon’s life, eventually coaxing the Brit into taking the mask off when they were alone. Broke Johnny’s heart when he saw the scar– Simon’s dad had thrown a bottle at him, leaving behind a deep gash on his cheek– the reason for the mask. 

The boys were inseparable. Over time the distance between them lessened, from opposite ends of the bench to being pressed together, Simon’s lips leaving a soft kiss on Johnny’s.

And Simon was there three weeks later, mohawk freshly trimmed, for Mrs. MacTavish’s funeral, holding Johnny’s hand tight and doing his best to stay strong for his boy. 

[demonir]

I spent all day yesterday with my mom talking abt a lot of stuff but amongst all those things she let me intensely infodump about tf2 for hours and I got to show her a lot of things, here are the highlights of me showing tf2 to a white uruguayan 53 year old woman who’s only game experience is bejeweled

I first gave her a very surface level rundown of the game plot which she found nonsensical the more questions she asked, I showed her the meet the merc vids first and at the end of each I gave her extra info about them

She thinks heavy is interesting and she’d probably like him more if he was put in a normal situation where he’s just a civilian living life, she never made a fat joke abt him so lets fucking gooooooo 👍👍👍👍👍👍

Her feelings on scout are mixed and didn’t like when I said he was one of my favorites, she said I need to like smarter people (this will be her downfall later) she did like him a lot more after we watched Expiration Date and found him and Miss Pauling endearing (she was great at picking up the subtext which surprised me) also asked her what age she thought scout had and she said 19 or 20 😭 then made a joke abt his baby face when I told her his actual age

Engineer scares her a small bit and does NOT understand how he’s my number 1 favorite (it was so hard to pretend I am normal about him in front of her) thinks him playing the guitar with a glove is stupid. I explained to her a bit of the conagher family story and she said that dell basically got the short end of the stick (because he’s tasked with fighting in the war AND maintaining the australium immortality devices when australium ran out) 😭

Thinks sniper is okay, I asked her what age she thought he had and she said 50 LMAOOOOO when I told her his actual presumed age she went “oh damn then I’m doing GREAT for my age”. I went on a huge tangent about the comic’s timeline and plot just to explain to her how he’s not ACTUALLY australian and she got sad abt him :( I did not tell her abt the jarate until a lot later bc I knew it would irredeemably ruin her image of sniper, I explained to her the game mechanic and as I was going to say “it gives the enemy a negative effect” she cuts me off and goes “yeah it makes them die from embarrassment” she also made a jarate pun in Spanish that I can’t remember at all rn I’m so sorry

Did not understand a single thing demoman said in the entire video and I don’t really blame her, her English is not good or that advanced it’s quite strange because she can understand some random complex words but had to ask me what “screw you” means so yeah she didn’t understand demomans accent she did however notice it was the same voice actor as heavy. I told her about demomans background and story and she found it so incredibly strange but wished for him to recover from alcoholism because it’s not good for him 💜 I told her abt demomans charms but she wasn’t quite charmed herself sadly (she did enjoy him in emesis blue)

Like mother like child, the Meet The Spy video was her favorite out of the bunch and she very quickly clocked in on the fact spy is scouts father without me saying anything, she said that from a technical standpoint spy is the most valuable mercenary on the team (goddamn not even the medic got considered) she also enjoyed him a lot in Expiration Date and Emesis Blue, I think hes still her favorite as of right now. Also we watched lil pootis and she laughed SO hard when I told her blu spy divorced blu ma and got with blu engie. She also frowned when red spy left lil pootis in the hallway alone and made jokes about mistreating his grandson

She did NOT like meet the medic or medic himself, absolutely creeped out by him and when I told her medic is one of my favorites she looked at me and went “your concept of what’s “comedic” and “fun” is very wrong and I hope you never get a boyfriend because I’m afraid of what you’ll bring home”….. I don’t know if she was serious or not 😭 I also never mentioned liking medic that way but I guess she fucking clocked me for it anyways. I tried to give her some medic propaganda and she found him tricking the devil to be very funny, I haven’t asked her if her opinion on medic has changed after watching emesis blue tho (I’m very curious to know since it’s a very different interpretation of him) I haven’t told her a single thing about heavymedic because I am afraid of what she’s gonna do with the knowledge of tf2 ships and I’m probably gonna keep it that way. She did seem charmed by the way medic genuinely loves his doves since she’s an animal lover herself

Soldier scared her a bit but mostly confused her, her initial reaction was rejection because of his ultra patriotism, nonsensical lines and violent tendencies however he grew onto her rather quickly to even make it to like second or third place on her list of favorites mainly because I told her about his raccoon sanctuary and the fact he is a great boyfriend (I didn’t tell her abt the naked honey fighting… I’ll show her later) and a great friend to demoman as well (she finds their cross faction friendship adorable)

Pyro absolutely TERRIFIES her she was utterly horrified by the meet the pyro video and doesn’t know what scares her more, the idea that pyro doesn’t know what they’re doing or that they do and do it anyway. I didn’t get to tell her abt pyro becoming a CEO in the comics but I’ll mention it eventually, the interpretation of them in emesis blue probably did not help her be less scared of pyro lmao. Also she thought the baby mercs in the meet the pyro video were oddly adorable and wants one….whatever that means

Overall she said the age of the game shows itself in the videos with their quality and what not and I also told her they were animated using SFM and briefly explained how it’s a free software fans have used for years to make fan content. Also she thinks the blu spy head in the freezer is the FUNNIEST shit ever

Her thoughts about Expiration Date:

She noted how this was obviously more recent because the quality was better

When she saw scout asleep in the van she went “that’s how I sleep”

She picked on a lot of details that I didn’t think she would and actually hearing her thoughts about the video after was rather fun, she did note how scout had used what he learned from spy later on the fight against the bread monster with miss Pauling for example

Nearly screamed when the bread monster ate the dove and let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was ok

Found scout very endearing when he explained he knew girls like Pauling don’t like him

The bit with the bucket made her laugh out loud I had to pause the video because she was curled into a ball laughing

I had failed to explain that they have teleportation technology in tf2 so when she saw the teleporters she loudly went “what the FUCK is that”

Loved miss Pauling a lot in fact before watching this video she asked me if we were gonna see her at some point since I had already spent a while talking abt her earlier

She didn’t have a lot of comments about other stuff I showed her that are worth mentioning but she loved emesis blue! She’s like me about liking weird confusing movies so that part she loved a lot but could do with a bit less violence, at one point whenever the characters were in danger she’d cover her face and go “they don’t die do they?” Over and over again lmao

I plan on showing her more stuff although it’s slightly difficult bc of the language barrier, if y’all have any videos or stuff you’d like for me to show her plz share but be aware of that

[southeofficeworker]

General Blu/Red Spy headcanons

Well, first of all, it feels like BLU Spy is way sassier than his RED version, maybe a little more playful, while RED is on full on arrogant and cocky, much from that they don't show differences. Spy code, I'd say.

So, to general headcanons :

He's absolutely terrified of commitment, he's paranoid to even just have friends. Reason to that? He thinks if he'll open up, people will use it against him, no matter what. And if it's a relationship? It might take years for him to actually open up. While in Snipers situation he's just a little awkward and untrusful to open up at first, Spy is outright paranoid, he might even tell you fake things at first.

Yes, my boy has a lot of red flags.

As for relationship, I'd not be surprised if he pulled no bitches except Scout's ma. Like, he acts all mighty and pro in romantic sphere, gives advices to people(mostly Scout), but that's only because he doesn't want to admit that he never had actual, good and healthy experience in relationships. And in addition, he's an energy matcher.

As for them, about dates? People might think he'd enjoy a luxury, expensive date, yeah? Well, you're right, but he'd also be happy even if you guys will spend some quiet time in his smoking room. And yes, he'll act annoyed at it and complain, but he doesn't mean it, at least most of the times.

He'd try to make the person he dates jealous to see how you'll act. No joke, as i once read, it's either he's too attached, either under attached, no in between. And it's easy to tell which one is truth.

My man does feel like a playboy and a guy who'd leave you for someone younger, but Spy is cautious with relationships, so if it'd come to break up, he'd train his speech in his head before telling you that he wants to break up. If you took if well, you swear you heard a small sigh of relief, if not, he'll ignore your presense till you wont calm down.

For language he speaks? Canonically, French, Spanish and Catalan. But I'd say he also knows either german, either Russian or even both, because he wants to blackmail his teammates, or the enemy team if he'd have something on them, which he does.

Outside the battle, maybe, just maybe he donates to charity or something like it, like come on, man is rich, yes, he's an asshole, but he's not heartless or something, just broken.

He also has a huge soft spot for classical music and art, not like he'll admit it though.

But what he'll admit that he has a photographic memory, maybe he'll brag about it sometimes. But he's a Spy, so that'd make sense.

He's also an absolute lover of chess, (he prefers it more that checkers, and would never turn it down). And he does enjoy playing boardgames with his teammates, he does complain though.

Plus yes guys, he does 'your mother' jokes, just to annoy people, no more.

[didgeriduwu]

Chapters: 4/?

Fandom: Team Fortress 2

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Scout/Sniper (Team Fortress 2) Characters: Scout (Team Fortress 2), Sniper (Team Fortress 2), Medic (Team Fortress 2), Spy (Team Fortress 2), Scout's Mother (Team Fortress 2), Other Character Tags to Be Added

Additional Tags: Trans Scout (Team Fortress 2), Trans Male Scout (Team Fortress 2), Trans Male Character, Tokophobia Warning, Pregnancy, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mpreg, (i guess it depends on your definition), Emotionally Repressed Sniper (Team Fortress 2), oh god just communicate you fucks, Established Relationship, Situationship?, Spy is Scout's Parent (Team Fortress 2), no beta I have no friends, Medic is a cunt i love him, Scout's Ma is the best, Discussion of Abortion, Unplanned Pregnancy, almost forgot that one

Summary: Sniper and Scout's relationship is in limbo, and neither seems to know if or how to fix it. Unexpected news finally forces a change, but whether it'll be for better or for worse is anyone's guess.

----

Mick met the dawn smoking a cigarette on the back steps of RED base.

He’d gone after Jeremy, of course, once his legs had started working again. To what end exactly, he didn’t know. Didn’t even question. His brain had packed it in some time after Jeremy had left and Mick had just started walking in the cold night air. Instinct drove his steps, drawing him toward the place where he’d feel most safe, where he could find comfort. And so, each stride brought him closer to Jeremy.

But then he’d stepped foot on the back porch and something cruel and visceral had ripped through him. He was there again, at that house on Adelaide Street, stepping onto the veranda and noticing for the first time that something was wrong. A part of him had known, back then, what he’d find when he walked through that familiar door. He knew well the stench of rotting bodies, and he recognised the black clouds of blowflies hanging in the air.

This time, Mick didn’t go in. Couldn’t go in. He knew – rationally he knew – that he wouldn’t find his dead parents in the RED base’s back corridor. They were thousands of miles away, laying where he’d buried them. Mick knew this, he did.

But caught somewhere unsteady between his fight and flight response, Mick wavered. His hands shook. In fact, all of him shook. He felt like his body might crumble under the weight of the New Mexico night breeze. Mick’s brain was skipping like a record; garbled thoughts died before they could fully manifest. All that made it through the noise were two words, echoing ad infinitum: not again.

Not again.

Not again.

He stopped on that front step, and that was where he stayed.

By the time Mick heard the familiar sound of an Invis Watch decloaking, he was more or less fully recovered. He didn’t ask how long Spy had been there, sitting on that step beside him on a bloody hanky of all things to protect his precious suit. He didn’t say anything.

“I suppose it’s true that children marry their parents.” Spy said around a soon-to-be-lit cigarette. “I had hoped at least that Jeremy would have the sense to choose someone more like his mother.”

“I don’t like what you’re insinuatin’, snake,” Mick growled. It sounded more pathetic than fierce, like a wounded kitten. “You n’ I are nothin’ alike, and Je- Scout n’ I aren’t married. Never will be.”

“Où est un fusil de chasse quand on en a besoin?.” [Where's a shotgun when you need one?]

“Wot?”

Spy just sighed, “I want you to look at something.” He reached into his coat pocket and retrieved a cigarette case. It wasn’t the one that housed his spy kit; this one was silver and engraved with swirling feather-like patterns that glinted even in the dim light. Spy flicked it open, revealing a stack of photographs on one side and a few expensive looking cigarettes on the other. He slipped out the photographs and handed them to Mick. “These stay between us, oui?”

Mick mumbled an agreement, studying the first photograph. It was of a woman, dark-haired and pretty with an upturned nose. Her hands rested lovingly over her pregnant belly, grinning widely at the camera. Mick had seen her image before, framed and placed at Jeremy’s bedside, but even if he hadn’t, he would have recognised her from that smile. Her son had an almost identical one, and Mick knew it well. “She looks like Jeremy,” He murmured, before chuckling just a little. “Or I s’pose Jeremy looks like her.”

Spy only hummed impatiently, hands outstretched as if waiting to snatch back his secrets. The man clearly did not enjoy being so exposed, and Mick would be lying if he said he didn’t want to savor that discomfort just a smidge. There was a part of him that was impressed, though, especially when he saw the next photo.

Mick knew Spy was Jeremy’s father – how could he not? – but he’d never expected the Frenchman would admit to it, even indirectly. And yet here Mick was, staring at a foxed and care-worn photograph of Spy standing proudly beside his lover, with their infant child in his arms.

A photograph where Spy was maskless. Mick studied his face, puzzling out the little bits of Jeremy he could see in width of Spy’s nose and the shape of his brow. And the ears. Jeremy had definitely inherited Spy’s ears.

“Don’t look so surprised, Bushman. There is still a face under this mask.” Spy stubbed out the butt end of his cigarette and took out another. “Quite a handsome one, I might add.”

Mick snorted, eyes still on the picture. He turned it over and was rewarded with a year (’46) and a line of text, written in a small, neat hand.

Jean, Gracie et…

The last name was crossed out, and beneath it had been written: Jérémy.

Mick moved on to the next photograph, and the next. Images of Jeremy as an infant, then a toddler, being held by his mother or aloft precariously between seven boys. Jeremy looking furious in the frilliest dress Mick had ever seen. Jeremy a blur on stubby toddler legs. Jeremy holding up a drawing and flashing tiny baby teeth.

And then, abruptly, the images changed. The photos charting the next few decades were candid, taken from afar and sometimes blurry. Jeremy trotting into a school with a backpack almost as big as him, his mother wiping tears from her eyes. Jeremy in a baseball uniform grinning wildly as he reaches home plate. Jeremy behind the wheel of a car, his mother looking panicked in the passenger seat. Jeremy, fist raised, jumping quite literally into a fight.

The final image was familiar. It took a moment, but Mick soon recognised it as the same photo that was taped to the wall of his camper, or a copy of it at least. It was a team photograph, taken right after their first victory on the battlefield all those years ago, and as far as Mick knew they all had a copy. Many of the mercs still sported injuries and torn, bloody clothing, but all faced the camera with pride. In the full photograph, Mick remembered, the father and son had stood to the left, but this copy had been cropped to centre them. Jeremy stood just behind and to the right of Spy, his left hand raised at the elbow with two fingers extended as if to hold an invisible cigarette. His right hand was held at chest height, palm up as if holding an open cigarette case. It was an uncannily accurate impression of Spy, who stood in that exact pose just in front of him, and by the look on Jeremy’s face, he knew it.

Mick had seen the photo countless times, but it was only now with the rest of the noise cut away that he noticed the way Spy’s head was tilted just slightly to the right, eyes on the runner. And was there a hint of fondness there, in that self-satisfied smirk?

For the first time - and somewhat reluctantly - Mick thought about how lonely Spy’s life must be. Mick was private, yes, but Spy took solitude to a whole new level. He lived his life faceless, nameless, and often literally invisible, haunting the halls of RED base like a self-important ghost. What was it like to live like that? Unliked and unloved, keeping pictures of the son you refuse to talk to in the breast pocket of your ludicrously expensive suit. How did it feel to hold the only image of you and your son taken this side of 1960, knowing you had to cut it out of a staff photograph?

It didn’t take long, however, for Mick to remember he didn’t give a fuck.

“Why are ya showing me this, Spook? Do ya want me to feel sorry for ya? Cause I’m not. Ya bloody well deserve it, ya prick.”

“Perhaps,” Spy said, taking a long drag from his cigarette. “But I am not here for me, Bushman. If comfort was what I desired, I’m sure I could find more… refined company from which to extract it. Non. I am here for my son and, if you can believe it, for you as well.”

Mick scoffed. “I doubt that.”

Spy rolled his eyes. “Let me be clear, Bushman,” He spat the moniker with some degree of force. “I do not like you. Nor do I like this affaire de coeur you have been engaged in with my son.”

“Well I’ve got good news for ya, Spook…”

“But - mon dieu! - I am telling you to stay with him.”

It took several moments for Mick to successfully make his mouth work. “Wot?”

“Don’t make me say it again, jar man.” Spy shuddered, which Mick thought was a bit much.

“But why?”

Spy took a drag from his cigarette, then another. Mick had already resolved to repeat his question when the Frenchman finally spoke. “Because, you crétin, you are about to make a terrible mistake – the same one I made thirty years ago - and despite what you might think I am not entirely heartless.” Spy brushed a thumb against his lip, silver curls of smoke still leaking from his cigarette. “I know about the pregnancy.”

“Pregnancy? What the bloody hell are ya talkin’ about?”

“Now is not the time to play the fool, Bushman,” Spy hissed. “You impregnated my son, do not give me any more reason to-”

Mick laughed at that, much to Spy’s fury. ‘Jer is not pregnant, Spook. Where the hell’d ya get that from?”

“Do you really think you can lie to me? I heard your argument last night!”

“I dunno what ya heard, but Jer didn’t say anythin’ about a pregnancy. There’s no way he is, anyway. I don’t even think he can-” Mick’s voice shriveled up and died in his throat.

“Oh merde.” Spy brought the palms of his hands to his forehead. “Il ne sait vraiment pas.” [Oh shit. He really doesn't know].

Mick didn’t hear him; panic had filled his ears with raw noise. His brain flitted from image to image at a blinding speed, barely lingering long enough to send a bolt of terror through him for each one.

Jeremy fleeing the battlefield, hand clasped over his mouth.

Jeremy choosing water over Bonk!.

Jeremy opting to wear looser and looser clothes.

Mick felt ill. He staggered to his feet, hands clasped together beneath his nose as if in prayer. The urge to flee shot down Mick’s legs, and he rocked unsteadily on his heels.

New pictures – daydreams - filtered through, ones he’d fought so hard to quash for so long: a little house in the woods, a home, a life. And now, in the centre of it, a child.

“No…” He whispered to no-one in particular.

Will it have Jeremy’s eyes?

“No!” Mick lurched toward the door. He had to get away. He had to-

A gloved hand gripped his shoulder. “Arrêt- Wait!” Mick halted his flight, but didn’t turn back, so Spy stepped around to face him. “Ils ne te quittent pas! You cannot get away from it!”

Mick made to side-step him, but Spy seized both of his shoulders in a death grip. His eyes were wide and molten, teeth bared in some kind of sneer. “Listen to me, Mundy!” He hissed. “When you leave a child, they don’t leave you. They stay with you. Always.” With that last word, Spy seemed to almost deflate. His hands fell from Mick’s shoulders.

Mick took the opportunity to flee.

[cheemscakecat]

Um.. No?

So someone wrote a Dadspy fic where Scout knew the entire time and he’s indifferent to the reveal. There were big two things that didn’t feel right to me though.

Scout passive aggressively ignoring and avoiding Sniper after he died in the hallway in comic #6.

For those that don’t want to read this other post of mine, I went over what happened to Sniper in the comics and how that mighta affected Spy wanting to disguise as Tom Jones.

Now Scout wouldn’t think about the fact that Spy saw what happened, but he would eventually be pulled aside by Demoman or somebody and told about Sniper’s situation. Especially if he and Spy had a falling out.

So I can’t imagine him ghosting the poor guy to break off their friendship.

2. This:

“He keeps acting like he always did with Spy. The sick satisfaction he gets every time Spy follows him cloaked and takes a bullet for him in battle, tries to give him little gifts or start conversations only to get rejected with that poker face sliding over his features was thrilling.

But it got boring pretty quickly. Unfortunately, Spy didn’t leave him alone even after he yelled at him to go be useful for once and ****ing creep around the other Scout if he wanted to play follow-the-leader so bad.”

What do you mean you enjoy reaping the benefits of your father taking bullets for you, then rejecting his attempts to do right by you?!

It’s one thing if Scout doesn’t know the extent of how much Spy tries to help him, like protecting him from Joey Murders when his arms were broken in prison. I can see him forgetting the better deeds of his father in the timelines where he didn’t know the truth.

It’s totally different if he knew the whole time, saw Spy putting his life on the line for him over and over, and knew that Spy wasn’t using those deeds to try to force father-son reconciliation.

Like, he did not do all of that expecting Scout to just forget being left behind and let bygones be bygones; he did it because he loves his son. He doesn’t bring any of that up when finally revealing the truth to his son, and he’s left in speechless horror and remorse when he finds out how long Scout knew. So it’s really evil and nasty to take pleasure in hurting him like Jeremy’s been doing.

“Sniper shifts uncomfortably and looks off to the side, most likely to a cloaked Spy. ‘Nah, mate. Just about the… father… thing.’

Scout drops his stuff in his locker. ‘Huh? What about it?’ Of course he knows. Scout isn’t dumb. He sees the way Spy looks more and more disheveled each day, eating less and less, staring at Scout more and more.

Scout thinks it because he is at that age that he would start nagging his family to visit more if he had a normal life. If he had stayed. But he didn’t, so he doesn’t have one to nag. Not outside the base and certainly not inside it. Maybe it finally dawned on him that his only child knows him at a coworker level and wants to keep it that way. That the night he spent with his Ma practically doesn’t mean anything to anyone, not even Scout’s Ma, but him.”

Scout, how do you know that your parents weren’t in a relationship for a few years? You figured out Spy was your dad when you somehow recognized him at 16 in a random diner, so Ma had to have kept a picture or something like that. Ask yourself, would she do that for a random guy that she knew for one night? And would she keep that if he meant nothing to her?

… And he’s really gonna just sit there and watch Spy go into a depression or worse with no remorse. Refusing to go talk to him knowing he’s standing next to Sniper, knowing he’s losing weight in a dangerous way.

That’s not indifference, that’s called hate.

Me personally, I think Scout’s the type to say something really harsh and hateful, but not actually mean it; and that he’d feel remorse for it later. Not prey on Spy’s downfall like he did in this fic. Respectfully.

[thecat-inthehat]

13. Butte

shakes the tin can come get your Ala Mhigan generational trauma and found familyyyy

(873 words)

--

The Peaks were quiet at night, save for the incessant lo of insects and the whistle of wind that wound through the canyons and carved through the sandstone towers. Kicking her feet idly in the air only added to the breeze, the eddies of her winds joining to the soft stone whistles that created soft musical notes. 

“There you are,” a voice said, and Helisent leaned over to see Ingvald at the base of the stone butte she was perched on. He was just barely illuminated by the soft warm glow of the campfire just around the bend, and the cool moonlight above. It made his blonde hair almost silvery, and threw his harder features into a gentle relief. “Mind coming down?” 

“I guess,” she sighed exaggeratedly, and pushed herself off to drop down the thirty five fulms to where he stood. He didn’t even blink at the cushion of air that served to save her from the fall, only smiled at her indulgently. “Something wrong? The path ahead is safe, but if you want me to check it again I can.” 

Ingvald shook his head, the little feather on his swaying with the motion, and he looked faintly amused. “No, I was actually going to ask how you are doing.” 

Hel blinked, opened her mouth, then blinked again. “I’m fine?” 

“Right,” Ingvald said, not quite disbelieving, not quite believing. “And you getting more and more antsy the closer we get to Ala Mhigo, spending longer on each scout, that’s…?” 

“I--” She started, then fell quiet. The crackle of the fire around the bend was undercut by the sounds of people talking, their quiet laughter and Tia’s story resting on the winds. 

“You could join us, you know,” Ingvald said instead. “I’m sure the other kids your age would appreciate getting to know you, and a few of the younger ones were fascinated by how you fly.” 

“I… I know,” Hel said, and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. The stars were pretty tonight, nary a cloud in the sky. “And the second I speak they’ll just hear my accent.” 

It didn’t escape her that they were speaking in common right now, rather than Ala Mhigan. She was still rusty, and her Gridanian accent was near earsplitting when she really tried to talk. Ingvald and Orella didn’t mind it, Orella having been the one to teach her her ancestral tongue, but other Mhigans looked at her oddly. 

Ingvald just snorted. “And how is that different from half of their Ul’dahn accents?” 

“It’s different,” she said lamely, and paced away from him. He was right, like always, but ugh. “At least they got to … I don’t know. Nevermind, that’s… unfair.” 

She didn’t resent her ma. She didn’t. She knew exactly why Irga Wynter had chosen to assimilate into Gridanian culture. It just… 

Ingvald stepped closer and put an arm around her shoulders, gave them a little squeeze. “They won’t judge you for it, you’ve saved their life more than a few times already on this little journey. Nevermind the fact that most of them are, or have been, in a similar situation as you. They get it.” 

She swayed just a little, then leaned into the touch, resting against his chest. “... What happens when we get to Ala Mhigo?” 

“You don’t have to go into the city if you don’t want,” Ingvald said, and rubbed her shoulder. “But I think you’ll like it there, if you’ve never been. Rhalgr knows I barely know where you’ve been half the time.” 

Hel snorted, and sniffled loudly. Ingvald was kind enough to not mention it. “I should, I’ve only been in the city for business. I just… I think about it and I get so locked up and…” 

“Start with something small,” Ingvald said, echoing words she herself had told him when he started learning Red Magic. “Go join the others at the fire, spend some time with your kinsmen. Maybe the rest won’t feel so daunting after.” 

“You’re just saying that,” Hel huffed from where her cheek was pressed into his shoulder. 

“Don’t know until you try,” Ingvald said, and was unable to keep the smile from his face as he gave her a little squeeze. “Go on, can’t hurt.” 

She gave a little sigh that brought all her personal winds with her, ruffling his hair with the force of it and kicking up a miniature whirlwind, but didn’t object. She brought one arm around his waist to give a little squeeze, then pulled away from him. “If it goes bad I’m going to dangle you off the Ziggurat.” 

“That would be so much more intimidating if your nose wasn’t red,” he grinned back. He dug out a handkerchief and offered it to her, which she took. She blew her nose, rinsed it out with a quick Water spell then blew it dry in the matter of seconds, and handed it back to him. 

“Thanks,” she said, and glanced at the glow of the campfire round the bend of the stone. She seemed to draw herself up a little, take a few breaths, then walk forward. “Thanks, dad.” 

She didn’t see how Ingvald’s face froze, and a small, hesitant smile bloom over his features.