#i rly wanted to write about joker game minatsukicest bc WOW

[chvvva]

The idea is that despite them being very different agencies in terms of methodology and work ethic (if it can even be called 'work ethic') they serve the same country, so we can have them COLLABORATING despite their tensions! Also, since I don't really see Eric as a spy he could be the High Ranking military man the RIS (as a non-governative agency) needs to stay on their feet, to advocate for them ecc.

On the contrary MM is a hidden organization born within the government. you could view it as a secret branch of the military; they're infinitely more surveilled and undergo very specific fight-oriented training before joining. They're the best of the best but one of their teachings is that they can't trust anyone, including their own companions, which is why they're more jaded than the RIS squad.

In the ep 'Coffin', together with Miyoshi's very interesting case a lot of shit goes down with Lt. Colonel Yuuki and a guy in the German Army who's obsessed with him, Wolff. Sort of a cat-and-mouse game. hello Gilbert is that you? (jokes aside some keith/gilbert action in this setting would be really cool i guess, especially if Gilbert is himself a spy for another country and they're trying to catch each other)

Excuse me for moving the focus to MarBran but OK LET'S GO WITH MARIO ENLISTING IN THE MILITARY a few years back, and he obviously isn't high-ranking yet but Eric trusts him enough to send him as liaison. Eric is friends with Keith so he may be trying to manipulate the higher-ups but Mario is this random guy with no connections. they expect him to be super partes.

Now, Mario is the kind of person who would take this role very seriously and really try to figure RIS out. he can't because they all see things so differently from him (justifiably... he received a totally different training lmao) and he's a bit freaked out by the tests they have to undergo. he doesn't even think Bran is right for the job, the military would have weeded him out instantly. and eventually Bran makes it! and he's proved wrong! and he's a bit salty about that!

But they hit it off after actually TALKING to each other and Kaela is lowkey supportive. nobody thinks it's a good idea because Bran will soon be sent to some faraway place to operate and Mario has a lot on his plate too. he surely grows very attached and very Protective. He sees how indipendent and cunning Bran is but he just can't shake off completely the memory of his trainee days

@minatsuki-on-main ok so you were saying Joker Game AU and it’s been torturing me for thirty minutes or so, here’s Thoughts:

-RIS and Market Maker as opposing intelligence agencies

-Kaela and Brandon share a beautiful relationship based on Kaela eyerolling at Brandon’s paranoia but still helping him out when he needed during spy training.

-Brandon may not look like the perfect candidate among the other spy trainees but the core issue is simply getting him out of his comfort zone. Once he does, he’s the most impressive glo up. Aces the final tests and becomes a very valuable member thanks to his skills and his acute tendency to pick up on stuff despite still not believing in himself 100%

-I’m unsure whether Mario would be a trainee as well or just enlisted in the military to serve the country. In the first scenario he and Bran get to know each other during training, but, and it pains me to say this, they’re a textbook definition of slow burn. Personally I don’t see them interacting much at the beginning due to their different personalities so it’s even more impressive how they manage to build such an intimate friendship later on. 

-My mind wants to believe Keith is the spymaster and you literally can’t convince me otherwise. He looks a bit too lazy and stingy to be a spy, but that’s his charm

-Lily. Oh dear. She probably is the most unorthodox spy of the bunch, deemed way too impulsive and direct for the job. Her “think-outside-of-the-box” oriented brain gets her through any mission though, especially the ones that present unforeseen and sudden events (like JG episode 3, France mission lmao)

I can’t tackle everything in a post but this AU is a treasure trove imo. your fault for fueling my Brandon feelings