#spy x family clear file

[xxscarletxrosexx]

Addressing Watermarks on Official Merch Scans -- A Post Made to EDUCATE

I never thought this would need to be addressed, but I think to ignore this would do me injustice as someone who works in education. This message, at its core, is to educate, not attack anyone in particular.

I used to think how silly it was that people used watermarks on pictures and art, but after spending decades in multiple fandom groups, I learned that people are simply too lazy to find the source and credit accordingly and/or want the glory/validation that comes from claiming that particular art/picture as theirs.

I've had a picture stolen once, too. It was a picture of a mannequin that reminded me of Slender Man. I posted it on a public social media app just for laughs, and somehow, that picture ended up becoming a small meme. It WASN'T a huge meme, but it made its way to a niche of Slender Man memes. I haven't received credit for that picture and probably never will. The reason is that this picture was taken over a decade ago, so finding the source would be difficult for me to scroll through the app. Furthermore, I can't show proof that I have the original picture since it was from an old phone that I no longer owned. I had the picture backed up on an external hard drive, but it was deleted when the memory got wiped when I was dealing with a virus. Ultimately, I'm not here to air out my grievance for this picture, but I take it as a lesson to myself that I should be careful next time if I want to post a picture on the internet.

This now brings me to the present-day issue: why did I watermark my scans?

As you read from my previous experience, it's because people DON'T credit or share the source.

I am very much aware that this particular design of the Forgers is very rare to come by. The official art was posted by the official website, but it was never addressed again (I know because I am dying to have acrylic stands of this design). As of today, I tried to look for this specific design and the following images showed up when I spent the past 10 minutes scrolling:

If you were to click the link for the merch (middle image), you would find that the website is unavailable. So, yes, to find this design on a merch was INCREDIBLY lucky on my part. Now, I wasn't expecting to find this at Waku Waku Park, nor was it my mission to find this specific art during the duration of my trip. It just so happened to be at the shop. To my knowledge, other official SxF merch--other than the Waku Waku Park merch--supposedly changes. I compared my experience with two SxF moots who went in December (Ikebukuro/Tokyo location) and 1 week (Osaka location) before me, and they both don't recall finding this design during their visits to Waku Waku Park (I mean, justified because it's been ages ago). As a result, this makes this merch all the more difficult to find.

Technically, I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the merchandise when I was at the shop. I was approached by a store clerk after I had already completed taking pictures of every merch available at the shop. She was limited in her English but crossed her index fingers and told me: "Pictures prohibited." I have not, nor do I plan to, share merch pictures, hence why I edited to the clear file folders to show proof that I was there.

The reason why I am so hell-bent on having my watermark on MY PICTURES and MY SCANS is because of the amount of time, effort, and money I invested into getting it.

Just to give you guys an idea of how expensive it was:

$1,500 was spent on a 9-day round-trip ticket to Japan.

$180 was lost to an overnight night bus from Tokyo to Osaka that I didn't end up riding due to rushing and booking the wrong date. I was not allowed to cancel or refund.

$100 was spent on an airplane ticket from Tokyo to Osaka.

$90 was spent on a shinkansen (bullet train) from Kyoto to Tokyo (we took a fast metro ride from Osaka to Kyoto).

$100 was spent on a last-minute B&B in Osaka.

$50 was spent on Waku Waku Park tickets that came with merchandise (I paid for my friend's ticket as well as my own).

$12 (est.) was spent on purchasing this clear file folder.

Over $350 was spent on purchasing merch from Waku Waku Park alone.

$60 was invested in purchasing a scanner just to scan a high-quality image of this clear file for my friend, and anyone else who'd appreciate seeing this product.

To share how much time and effort it took to get to purchasing this:

My friend and I weren't able to book events for the trip despite purchasing our tickets 2 months in advance. Our jobs and schedules prevented us from meeting up and planning out places where we'd like to visit. As a result, many of our planned trips were booked days before we went, such was the case with Waku Waku Park. We literally bought the tickets the night before.

The flight, night bus, and shinkansen tickets from Tokyo to Osaka and from Kyoto to Tokyo were purchased the day before we bought the tickets, which was during our bus ride trip to Mount Fuji.

When purchasing tickets for Waku Waku Park, my SxF moots recommended I purchase online or at Lawson--I did the latter. For whatever reason, I just couldn't purchase the tickets online, so I went to Lawson and found a machine that sells general tickets to the public. I recall this experience being so frustrating because they did have an English translation option for the homepage ONLY. Once I clicked the platform that sold Waku Waku Park tickets, all text went back to Japanese. I couldn't read it, so I had to contact my SxF moot (who was fortunately still in Japan and went through this experience like me AND could read and speak in Japanese) explain to me what I was looking at. I also used Google Lens to help make sense of whatever I was reading. I probably spent over 10 minutes trying to figure that shit out until the shop clerk finally came over to see if he can help me complete the form and check out my purchase (poor kid didn't know English but we somehow managed).

When my friend and I arrived in Osaka, we had forgotten to book a B&B since we knew that there was a high likelihood that we'd stay overnight. I purchased a 1-day Osaka trip pass, assuming that we'd be able to go to every place offered on the list, but nope, my friend crashed after Waku Waku Park. As a result of booking so early in the morning, we were fortunate to have found a B&B that was ready by 1 PM (?) maybe 3 PM (?). I can't remember other than the fact that when I requested if we could come early, they told me we couldn't come until check-in time. So, we went to ATC Gallery (Waku Waku Park) with our luggages (fortunately, they were light but it was a nuisance to have carried it around). We were also fortunate that ATC Gallery, when arriving to the building via metro station, had a locker that could fit our luggage--so thank goodness we didn't have to carry it during the exhibit.

We learned that once you exit the exhibit--which means you exit the merch shop--you are NOT allowed to come back in. Even, when your companion was still inside, you couldn't go back in. My friend left the merch shop since there were no places for her to sit and wait for me. So she stepped out of the shop. Apparently, there are gates with workers preventing people from re-entering. And so, when I experienced problems with my card, I called my friend to have her lend me her credit card. That's when we experienced that problem. The officer was kind enough to allow my friend to hand me her card so that I could pay for my haul of merch. But imagine, if we both left the shop to go to a store to withdraw money? There was no Lawson store nearby so we'd have to take the metro and find one, buy a ticket, return to the venue, go through the exhibit AGAIN (I probably would have to repeat playing the minigames, collecting stamps, and having my photo taken out of courtesy rather than rushing through the exhibit), and then finally arrive at the merch shop. But considering the time we entered the park around 1:30 PM and spent 2 hours in the park, I believe that it would have ended with a very tight schedule (the park closes at 6:00 PM) and a very unhappy companion.

In conclusion, removing my watermarks means you (the watermark remover) discredit me and disrespect all of my time, effort, and money I invested just to get a high-quality scan of this clear file just for you to enjoy looking at and most likely saving it to your collection of SxF images. You are also a THIEF for not only stealing my scanned image and re-uploading my scan with a horrible cut and my watermarks removed with AI, but also for the fact that you DID NOT pay for a round-trip ticket to Japan, you DID NOT pay for your own ticket to Waku Waku Park, you DID NOT purchase this clear file yourself, and you DID NOT spend money on a scanner to get this high-quality image to post on the internet.

I know that this is MY SCANNED image of the official art because I can see ghost texts of my watermark between Loid and Yor and near Anya's finger and Bond's forehead. I can see the residual cut off of the weird light-blue scan found near Loid's head. The most obvious is that the red leaf between Yor and Loid was horribly "removed" by AI (dear, I use AI to edit out people from my photos, it doesn't take a trained and perfectionist eye to notice something looks fucked up).

Below is an example of me using AI, and this is not how it should look without people. There was a clear pathway behind the people but AI decided to cover it with grass. Keep in mind that to arrive to THIS AI edit, it took me over an hour to repeat the removal process since AI's edit is RANDOM every time. I am an extreme perfectionist, so I tend to waste hours on end to find AI edits that look convincing (I'm not gonna bother putting a watermark on this because my face is there).

Furthermore, as far as I'm aware (at this current time), I know that my scan is the only one that has resurfaced this image. The official merch image of this design is quite difficult to find and reference. I would've sourced it by now if I had already found it, but I've spent 6 hours writing this entire post as is and still couldn't find it.

The person who shared the removal of my watermark on Twitter/X was unaware of the importance for watermarking scans and had been cooperative by taking down her original post. I have provided a post to my scans on Twitter/X here, and a link to the original source found on my Ko-Fi shop. I currently have no beef with her, nor am I attacking her with this post. What she had presented to me was an opportunity to educate.

If you're looking for official merch that do not have watermarks slashed across their products, then your best bet is to find them from official merch websites and/or official merch images. Obviously, they want you to purchase their products. Second, they have the legal rights and trademark (TM) to flex that they own it, so I highly doubt anyone would go out of their way to edit an official work and claim it as their image.

My experience alone confirms that had I not put a watermark on my scan, I would have definitely gotten this scan stolen. As far as I'm aware, my scan is the ONLY ONE (at this current moment) that pops up in Google searches. It pops up via Tumblr from @yumeka-sxf Spy x Family miscellaneous collab scans - part 3 post.

I'm so grateful to have received advice from @yumeka-sxf because she encouraged me to protect my scans having experienced multiple thefts from her oldest scanned images in the past.

TLDR; Don't remove people's watermarks on scanned pictures (especially if they're put on official merch). We have the right to post watermarks on our pictures/scans because we spent ungodly time and effort to find them, spent money to purchase them, scanned/took high-quality pictures of them, and kindly shared our collection(s) FOR FREE for people to enjoy, share the experience, and/or inspire them to purchase one themselves. Unfortunately, the decision to put watermarks over purchased merch is because there are people who are willing to do whatever it takes to edit out credit and watermarks found in corners or in open spaces to claim ownership of the image. I have also seen merchants' product pictures being stolen by other sellers who just happen to have the same product (yes, I'm calling Ebay and Mercari out). That's why there are sellers who take pictures of their products next to their usernames.

If you have read everything until the very end, you have my gratitude. I hope that this post has been educational in helping everyone become aware that watermarks are used to credit people's time, effort, and money to share high-quality scans/pictures of official merch that they purchased. The reason you can see it is because of their efforts to share it.

[gabbyp09]

[yumeka-sxf]

Spy x Family miscellaneous collab scans - part 4

I'm back with more SxF scans! I'm most excited to share the two exclusive illustrations for the movie that came with the blu-ray releases. This first one is from the Toho preorder.

And this one is from Amazon Japan's deluxe edition.

Here's a couple of clear file scans, one from the Nijigen no Mori collab...

...and another from the Anime Extra Mission event from June (the clear file has this sparkle design, not sure that made for effective scanning but I did my best!)

And lastly, here's a scan of the cover illustration that Endo made for the movie booklet that was given out in Japanese theaters when CODE: White was screening. The original version had text on it but the deluxe edition of the blu-ray release came with a textless postcard.

<- Return to Part 3

[immanime]

Spy x Family Clear File

[newmusictodayfan]

Spy x Family Clear File

[noisylovepatrol]

Spy x Family Clear File

[firstelevens]

⚔️ for the sambucky prompts, if you'd like?

great news for anyone who said they wanted more of this fic because [meme voice] somehow the mr. and mr. smith/spy x family AU returned

⚔️ Hidden Weapons

In the three hours since their meeting with Fury, Sam has rehearsed his next conversation with Bucky at least a hundred times. It would be easier, maybe, if they were in the apartment that they've shared for the past four years, but the mission hadn’t allowed for that.

Instead, Sam has spent the past week setting up in an off-the-books safehouse of Natasha’s, close enough to HQ for backup to get there fast but tucked far enough into the woods that surveillance should have a tough time finding them. He’d almost turned down the mission entirely when Fury brought it up: asset development might have been Sam’s specialty, but he couldn’t very well just show up at home with a baby.

He’d refused to be persuaded for almost two weeks, and then Fury had stopped by his desk first thing on a Monday morning and dropped a file on his desk, heavy enough to rattle the drawers. Sam had opened it to find a picture of his husband, only the man that he’d married wasn’t even forty yet, and the picture in the file was from 1957.

It had been a…stressful day, to say the least, and Sam’s only comfort was that Bucky wasn’t in town at the moment. The contents of that file had weighed on him for days. He was sure he couldn’t have looked at Bucky with all that in his head and not immediately pulled him into his arms to make it clear how proud Sam was of him and how loved he was.

It figures that instead of that conversation, Sam gets to have the ‘so we’re both spies who married each other for a cover and only found out by accident’ conversation. Sam’s only comfort is that at least the baby—Jack—is already tucked up in his bassinet, fast asleep. Baby Cass used to be a barometer for stress in any given room, and after how much Sam struggled to put Jack down earlier, he doesn’t want an inevitably tense conversation to make this any harder on such a little kid.

If it weren’t almost eleven at night, Sam would be brewing a pot of coffee. It’s not like he needs any more nervous energy, but it’s the traditional peace offering after he and Bucky disagree over something. Sometimes, it takes a while for either of them to put their actual feelings into words, but neither one of them was ever comfortable with letting anger hang in the air, so it became their shorthand once tempers cooled and space did its thing: a text or a note or a knock on the door, and an offer of a cup of coffee. There wasn’t a more comforting question in the English language, as far as Sam was concerned. For most of his life, it had just been a word, and now a soft, “Coffee?” meant a hundred things, from ‘I’m sorry’ to ‘you’re not alone.’

Maybe it was silly, given that they were both spies, but Sam couldn’t help but feel like that, at least, had been real.

One of the security cameras flashes a warning to the screen that Sam has propped up against the backsplash, and he peers at the feed to see Yelena turning onto the driveway and pulling up to the house. Bucky gets out of the car, then goes around back to grab a duffel and another case—it looks strangely like a large musical instrument until Sam remembers that Bucky probably carries weapons the way Sam does—, and just before she leaves, Yelena hops out of the car and holds a white box out to Bucky.

He tries to wave it away, but she forces it into his hands and then hopes back into her car, peeling out of the driveway with a screech of her tires. Sam watches for a moment longer as Bucky stares down at the box, his shoulders slumping, and then makes for the front door.

Sam pulls it open so that Bucky doesn’t have to juggle the box while searching for the right set of keys. He gets a tight, “Thanks,” in response, then closes the door as Bucky steps into the house, his entire body going tense as he takes in the space.

It’s excruciating, waiting him out, but Sam manages it. After several long moments of silence, Bucky looks around one last time and says, “There’s a baby swing.”

“Yeah,” says Sam, because he can’t think to say anything else.

“You said it took you two days to build Cass’s swing, and there’s a baby swing here, in Nat’s safehouse.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is that you knew about this long enough to buy and build a baby swing,” says Bucky, dropping the white box onto the kitchen island and moving further into the house without a second glance.

Sam watches him move through the space. The duffel gets set out of the way, by the stairs, but the weapons case is left beside the couch. He opens a few doors—hall bath, laundry room, basement—before he finds the coat closet, shrugging out of his leather jacket and hanging it up before stepping out of his boots and setting them on the shoe rack. He seems to hesitate for a moment, his hand on the closet door, before he shakes his head a little and reaches for his ankle.

At first, Sam thinks he’s taking off his socks, but then he watches as Bucky removes not one, not two, but three knives from a holster at his ankle. He sets all three on the credenza in the hallway, then reaches for his other pant leg and emerges with what Sam thinks might be a collapsible nightstick.

Another knife appears from somewhere literally up Bucky’s left sleeve, and when he reaches back to pull off his sweater, Sam assumes that he’s done.

Sam is very wrong: the cozy blue sweater was slouchy enough to cover up the shoulder holster that Bucky had on underneath, and if Sam trips over his own feet at the sight of it against Bucky’s very tight undershirt, that’s because he’s not used to the floors of this house yet. There’s a handgun braced against each of Bucky’s sides and a small pistol on his back. Absolutely nothing about the way that Bucky moved through this house indicated that he was carrying a small armory with him, but there it is, laid out on Nat’s Art Deco themed hallway table.

(He thinks about all the nights that Bucky came through the door and Sam coaxed him into hanging out on the couch with him and Alpine. Sometimes he wouldn’t even bother changing, just kicked off his shoes and hung up his jacket and slumped onto the cushions with the cat between them. Just how many times did Bucky watch The Great British Bake Off with his knee pressed against Sam’s and a dozen knives hidden on his person? And why is the thought of that making Sam feel very warm?)

It’s a close call, but Sam manages to tear his gaze away from Bucky a half second before he turns around, leaving his weapons—and, to Sam’s dismay, the shoulder holster—on the table.

“Where’s the baby?” he asks. Sam recognizes that voice even if he’s never heard it from his husband before. That’s not Bucky; it’s Agent Barnes, and Sam hates the difference.

“Jack’s upstairs; he fell asleep about an hour ago,” says Sam, trying his hardest not to put on his own agent voice. “I, uh- I put his crib in the room that I’ll be sleeping in. I thought it might be easier.”

Bucky’s face softens just a fraction. Sam doesn’t need to say that he knows how Bucky struggles to sleep through the night. They’ve had plenty of 2 AM cups of tea over the years, and it’s hard to imagine that he’d been faking there, too.

“I’ll go put my stuff upstairs, try to get some rest,” says Bucky, his voice a little rough. “We can come up with a schedule in the morning.”

“You’re not hungry?” asks Sam. “There’s food if you-”

“I’m fine,” says Bucky, his eyes flicking over to the box on the counter for the briefest moment. “Grabbed something with Yelena on the way.”

“Oh,” says Sam. He almost says that he made Bucky’s favorite, but then it occurs to him that Bucky’s supposed love of Sam’s cooking might have been part of the cover, too. He’d made such a big deal out of being a clueless cook, but now that Sam thinks about it, making an asset think that you’re relying on them is a textbook way to foster trust and cooperation. He swallows the hurt that tries to rear up and reminds himself that he was lying to Bucky, too. “I’ll, uh- I’ll put the leftovers in the fridge if you want some later.”

“Thanks,” is the response that Sam gets, and somehow that’s worse than anything else. Three weeks ago, if Sam had made extra of Bucky’s favorite food for dinner and stashed it for later, he’d have been hailed as husband of the year and teased for not knowing how to cook for fewer than a dozen people.

Bucky makes his way up the stairs, duffel in hand, and Sam finally manages to unglue himself from the floor and crosses into the kitchen to put away the food. He reaches for the white box, assuming that it’s leftovers from wherever Bucky and Yelena ate, but he’s surprised to see the logo of his not-so-secret favorite bakery in the city.

The box is heavy when Sam pulls it towards him, and with a glance back at the stairs—he hears the shower turn on and decides belatedly that he doesn’t care if Bucky sees him, anyway—he slices the tape that’s holding the box closed.

Inside is a cake, but not just any cake. It’s a raspberry mousse cake, Sam’s very favorite, and there’s a little white chocolate disc on top with just one thing piped on it. 

‘Coffee?’

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 6: Accomplice

All confidence and security I’ve accumulated is depleted. The Shelbys have helped keep me safe from the unpredictable world outside, and as the cop pushes me through the ash-filled streets I’m reminded of just how vulnerable I really am. Yet I still keep my head held high and mask my fear with stern eyes. I’m led to what must be the police station and down the hall to a small waiting room with a single desk. The cop shuts the door, closing off what little light there is. 

“I demand to know what’s going on!” I shout at the door. “I will not be imprisoned without official charges! If there is no official complaint then I shall inform the authorities in America!”

“No need for that, Ms. Steenstra,” a familiar voice speaks from the shadows. Campbell steps forward smoking a pipe and I see he’s holding a file.

I tighten my jaw and refrain from yelling again. My state of mind is much more fierce compared to our last encounter. “Hello again, Inspector Campbell.”

He slides the file onto the desk and sits down. “Last time I saw you, you were trying to get home. Scared of Small Heath and all its glory.” He points a finger at me. “I told you to stay away from the Peaky Blinders. Now I’m told you’re working for them.”

Keep calm, Steenstra. Remember what Polly told you.

“I’m a tutor, nothing more,” I say firmly. “I know nothing about their real business so if that’s why you brought me here then you’re wasting your time.” I turn away and face the door.

“If you’re interested, we could set you up for an inside job,” Campbell offers.

Did I hear that right? “You mean… spy? On the Shelbys?” I ask.

“Yes. And if there is any odd behavior then you can report it to me.”

Thomas was right. This man is out to get the entire Shelby family. I can’t be an asset to his cause. Not only because of my feelings for the Shelbys, but also for the loyalty of my employment.

I turn around and stare the inspector straight in the eye. “Maybe it’s done differently in England, but in America we are loyal to our employers. The answer is no, Inspector.”

The man takes a puff on his pipe. “What if certain arrangements were made? You still wish to return to your country, yes?”

The thought of going home is a spark of hope in my chest. But I can’t cave into this.

“Correct.”

Campbell shrugs. “Well, if you decide to join our cause we could arrange for a plane ticket, as well as better lodgings here for you.”

Just as I thought. “If you’re trying to bribe me, it won’t work. I’m sorry Inspector, but I cannot be bought.”

I grab the door knob and find it’s unlocked, no doubt because they don’t see me as a threat. Yet. Just as I start walking back to the front door I hear Campbell call out:

“Be careful, miss. Never know when the wolf will step out of its sheep's clothing.”

But in this scenario, who’s the wolf? I have no desire to be connected to this intricate web of lies and deception. I am in good relations with both the law and the Shelbys, and want to keep it that way.

I make haste to get back to the Shelby house. All previous angry thoughts are long gone and I don’t care if Thomas is still mad at me. Once I close the door I take a deep breath and take in the familiar kitchen. Calm down, you kept quiet. Just stay here and ride out the storm until you can go home.

My invisible mask falters and my eyes start to tear up. In a quick panic I grab a damp cold cloth and head to the living room to sit on the small couch. God, how did I get caught into this? All because I was an idiot and got myself lost!

“Ah, you’re back.”

No. No. Of all the Shelbys to walk in, why does it have to be him?

“Hello, Thomas.” I keep my head lowered and hastily try to block away more tears. “I’d like to apologize again for earlier. My mind hasn’t been very clear these past few days.”

Fate must have a sick sense of humor because Thomas decides to sit next to me. His weight pushes the cushions down further and has me leaning slightly towards him.

“Nobody apologizes to me unless they’ve done something else against me,” Thomas speaks in a dangerously calm voice. “What did you do after you left?”

Fighting my screaming nerves I lift my head up to face his cold eyes. “I was headed to the chapel when one of Campbell’s officers temporarily apprehended me. I was brought to Campbell’s office, where he questioned me.”

Thomas’ eyes flash. “He what?” Thomas grabs my neck, drags me over and pins me against the wall to shout in my face. “Well? What did you tell him? What did you say?!”

I try to choke out a response. “I- I didn’t say anything, Thomas!”

“Why? We never bought you over!” He releases my throat and I gasp for air. “We don’t own you-”

“You don’t have to, Thomas!” I seethe. “I didn’t say anything because A, I honestly don’t know much about the guns. And B, it would be betraying you.”

Thomas doesn’t budge but his eyes soften a fraction. Why must every encounter with him end so violently and not as romantic? I- No. Don’t flatter yourself, Steenstra. There are far more important issues at the moment!

“Really?” Thomas’ voice is calmer, yet still suspicious.

I take a deep breath and put both hands on his chest. “You may not think you’ve bought me, but I still owe a debt to the Shelby family. You took me in. You gave me a job and a roof over my head. If that’s not buying me over, I don’t know what else there is.”

Slowly, Thomas’ hands snake up to grab mine. His breathing has calmed down. He must believe me.

“No one’s this nice, Ms. Steenstra,” he whispers. “You’re not like any other person I’ve met. If you really are this loyal it would be a shame to see you go home.”

I sigh in relief. “So I’m not fired?”

He chuckles. “You always fret about being fired.”

“It’s my first job,” I reply sheepishly. “I’d hate to lose it in such a short time. Plus I really don’t want being fired by the Shelby family to be on my short résumé.”

“You’re fired?!”

We both look over to where Finn is standing, having just entered from the hallway. He’s holding another one of my books, no doubt having finished it already.

“No, Finn. She’s not fired.” Thomas gives me a smirk. “I don’t think she’ll be leaving for quite a while.”

My face falls. “Are you saying you’re going to keep me here against my will, Mr. Shelby?”

He quirks a brow. “You said you owe a debt to us, yes? How’d you like to have your Birmingham experience lengthened?”

I frown. “Meaning…?”

“That you are to stick around until you’ve earned a ticket home and we feel you’ve worked off your debt,” Thomas replies coolly and leans in closer. “Deal?”

A week ago I would have declined on the spot, but the few days I’ve spent here have snatched my interest. Maybe a while longer in Birmingham wouldn’t be so bad?

I smile. “Deal. My only request is that I’m escorted around town in order to not be snagged by Campbell again.”

Thomas tips his hat. “Your wish shall be granted, Verena Nora Steenstra. Welcome to being an accomplice to the Peaky Blinders.”

Accomplice. The word brings a whole new meaning to my job. I’m no longer a simple tutor. I’m part of something much bigger now. It scares me a little, but it’s also rather exciting.

“Yes!” Finn celebrates. “Can we do another lesson now?”

Aw, Hell. I can’t say no to this! My family’s not perfect and neither am I. I was always going to do something drastic someday, and if this is it then I’d love nothing more!

Thomas walks off to the kitchen and leaves me with his brother. You are one peculiar individual, Thomas Shelby.

I smile. “Yes, Finn. Let’s get started!”

[togrowoldinv]

The Godmother

Natasha Romanoff x Female Reader

You and Natasha ask Maria an important question

Note: This fic is a result of a head canon I have for my soft mama Nat family. There needs to be more Maria Hill softness in this world tbh. Enjoy!

Natasha Romanoff Masterlist 1, Natasha Romanoff Masterlist 2, Main Masterlist

Natasha sits on a bench with one of her best friends as she watches her two children run around the playground. She smiles as they help each other scale the ladder and go down the slide happily.

“This is nice,” Maria breaks the silence.

“Yeah? I wasn’t sure if you’d want to come. Y/n was insistent that you would like a day outside of the compound though,” Nat explains.

“I do have to say an invite to the playground was an interesting call from you,” Maria says. Her smile is soft as she too watches the kids play together. “And we’ve had many interesting calls.”

Natasha chuckles and takes a sip of her coffee. It’s a cool morning, but warm enough for a park trip for the first time in a while.

“So, what’s the real reason you asked me here?” Maria skips to the chase.

She, a great soldier and spy herself, can see the way Natasha’s hand fiddles with her wedding ring. A clear sign she has something to ask, but is being careful as to when to say it.

“Can’t get anything past you, Hill. What gave me away?”

“The ring.”

“Damn. I told y/n I needed to wear it on my necklace today,” Natasha says. She’s not upset that Maria read her tell. Maybe she even wanted her to notice it.

“So, what’s up?”

“There’s something I need to ask you. And it’s okay if you need some time to think about it, or even if you say no,” Natasha begins.

She’s nervous but as soon as she sees the subtle glance Maria makes towards the children when she hears a shout, she feels better about what she’s about to ask.

“Y/n and I have been talking and we want to ask you to be the godmother to Ali and Ivan.”

Maria blinks hard once, twice, and a third time. She looks over Natasha’s face and sees no inkling that she isn’t being serious.

“Oh, I- me?” She can’t find the right words. Maria never saw herself as the type to be a godmother. Her own insecurities start to flood her mind.

“Yeah, you. We just think that- Maria?” Nat calls after her as Maria excuses herself to the car.

She walks quickly, cursing herself internally for not just saying yes or that she’d think about it. As she gets in the car, she sits and watches on as Nat gets up to play with the kids.

Natasha panics in her own right and texts you to come to the park. You are working from home, but immediately leave your files behind and drive to the park.

“What happened?” You ask as soon as Nat and the kids are in ear shot.

“She just panicked when I asked her. Maybe I did something wrong, I don’t know. She’s in the car over there,” Nat explains. You catch sight of Maria.

“I’ll go and talk to her. It’s okay, baby. You did everything right,” you assure Nat with a hug and kiss to her lips.

As you approach the car, Maria takes a deep breath. You open the door and slide into the passenger seat.

“Hey,” you greet her, trying to be casual. In reality, Maria intimidates you with how calm and collected she always is during missions.

She only greets you with a soft smile. You can feel her nerves floating through the air.

“You see how Ali always keeps her eyes on her brother when they’re up high?” You think maybe if you steer the conversation in this direction then you can get through to her.

“Yeah. She’s a good protector,” Maria says. She can’t help but grin at the sight of the little girl.

“She is. She gets that from Natasha. You know she never thought she would be capable of being the mom she is, but she’s the best part of these kids’ lives,” you explain. Maria squirms in her seat a little. “And you’ve always been so supportive of me and Natasha.”

“Well it’s not hard. You two are great together.”

“Did you think that when you interrogated me when we got engaged?” You ask. You’re almost serious, but there’s a slight humor in your tone.

“I just wanted to make sure you were legit,” Maria remarks.

“So if I’m legit, then don’t you think that me and Nat thought about this a lot?” You poke at the real issue at hand.

She finally looks at you and she can’t help but soften at the way you’re looking at her. Maria takes note of your body language. Your shoulders are open to her and your hands rest on the center console. You’re not closed off in the slightest.

“I guess I’m just shocked,” Maria offers. “I don’t see myself as the type to be worthy of this sort of honor or responsibility.”

“Maria, I’ll be honest, you scare the absolute hell out of me. But it’s because you’re such a strong and capable woman. I can think of no one better to be the godmother to my children.”

Maria takes a deep breath and looks your expression over. She ponders your words and comes to a conclusion. “This was your idea?”

You nod affirmatively. Maria doesn’t say anything but she opens the car door and steps out. You follow her towards the children and Natasha. They are sitting on a bench as Nat gives them snacks.

“Hi Maria!” Ali sweetly greets the woman.

“Hey kiddo,” she replies. Then, she turns to you and Nat. “Can I talk to you two?”

You nod and take a few steps away from the kids, but are sure to keep them in sight and ear shot.

“I’ve got to admit it scares me, but I’d be honored to be their godmother,” Maria says. The words come out fast like she’s still a little scared to say them.

“Thank you so much, Maria. We’re so happy,” Natasha says. She smiles as she pulls Maria into a hug.

You watch them before Nat pulls you into the hug as well.

“I want a hug!” Your son, Ivan, runs in to join the group hug. Perfectly, he pulls on Maria’s hand and she lifts him up into the hug. Ali joins in too in Natasha’s arms.

“I love all of you,” Nat tells the group.

“We love you, babe,” you reply.

The kids mutter I love yous before running off to play once again. You sit on a bench with Maria and Nat.

And just as the first time she met Natasha, Maria feels like she has a family.

Tag List: @gracebutnotgraceful @i-wished-for-you-too @wandasbb @be-missed @likefirenrain @hehehehannahthings @mythosphere-x @readings-stuff @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @madamevirgo @milfloverslut @mrswidowjohansson @alotofpockets @ggrangerdanger @maia-lightwoood @xxromanoffxx @peanutbutterprincess @karmasgxrl @picnicmic @wandaslittlewhore @exhaustedfangirl @when-wolves-howl @natashalovers @sammi1642 @jujuu23 @the-night-owl-blr @strangegardentaco @avatarsnips @romanoffswoman @natashasilverfox @imthenatynat @sayah13 @rach2602 @cordyandbilliehavemyheart @lovelyy-moonlight @huitzilinthebudgie3 @juicyy444 @youralphawolf72 @btay3115 @red1culous @lenam07 @randomwriter1021 @rightwereyouleftme @natismywife @dumb-fawkin-bitch @natashaswife4125 @karsonromanoff @bookfrog242 @theprinceofmarvel

[digitaltohru]

The Man in the Uniform ch. 8 is up!

Summary:

‘In this job, things we can't control will happen'. Dying, falling in love, dying and falling out of love. Lessons begin to take place, as we learn about Chloe's origins and motivations.

Meet WISE's double agent Sunrise.

-Pretty much an extended version of ch 89-

‘Yuri Briar

Age: 20

Birthplace: Nielsburg, Ostania

Date of birth: August 13th, 1946

General studies up until 1960 then skipped to Berlint University class of…’

Sunrise slammed the file shut, shuddering at the prospect, a little queasy, avoiding the hard glare of her superior. She tried to comb her hair for comfort, only to find emptiness instead of long locks of silky hair. So many changes were happening so fast, that even the sight of someone familiar didn’t help dampen her worries.

“That’s–” Sunrise shuddered.

“Correct”. A womanly voice assured. “Our best agent is currently under the most decisive mission to keep peace between the West and East, right here in Ostanian soil. And this young man, he’s too close to our operation to feel safe without compromising the rest of our operations”.

The younger woman exhaled, her heartbeat rattling, while fixing her posture and clearing her throat, hoping her next words didn’t sound like one of a weakling. Her mentor continued, straight to the plot. “He’s been appointed as Second Lieutenant for the State Security Service two months ago, since he’s proven himself quite capable, and ruthless… Needless to say, it is imperative we keep an eye on him, as you just heard, all our stakes are in this operation”.

Sunrise’s mouth drooped, shocked with disbelief, at all the information that had hit her in the span of two minutes.

“We’re aware that both of you know each other”. Her boss spoke, pointedly.

[xxscarletxrosexx]

A Master Post of XxScarletxRosexX's Spy x Family Merch Collection

Please reblog this post to help me get SxF merch rehomed faster ^^

I'll do my best to update this post regularly whenever I make a new post of my collectibles and/or merch. Statuses of available merch for sale are shown in the box below:

For Sale: Spy x Family Merch Sold Out: Spy x Family Merch Not for Sale: Spy x Family Merch

In case this post doesn't get updated fast enough (or gets lost from different reblogs when changes are made), you can just follow this tag: #scarlykofishop. But the fastest update will be on my Ko-Fi shop and the Twitter/X thread.

Questions/Interests/Inquiries:

DM me on Tumblr / Reply to the post/chat DM me on Twitter/X / Reply to the post

How this happened:

I made a Ko-Fi shop as an intervention for my Spy x Family Merch collection...

Acrylic Stands

SpyxFamily x Ultrizon: Banquet Series -- Acrylic Stands (Part 1)

Acrylic Keychains

Apparel

Bags

Buttons

Clear File Folders

Enamel Pins

Rubber Keychains

Small Figures (typically from gashapon)

Stationery

Wares (kitchen + homegoods)

[gabbyp09]

[yumeka-sxf]

Spy x Family miscellaneous collab scans - part 3

Been a while since I made one of these posts! First up of the new scannable items I got is the adorable season 2 blu-ray box, featuring the Forgers at the resort island!

Speaking of the blu-ray box, if you preordered it from Amazon, you get the below cloth poster featuring Loid & Anya from the cruise arc! I didn't actually buy all the blu-rays, but I did buy the box second-hand, and the cloth poster was included. I didn't think it would scan well since it's cloth, but it ended up looking pretty good! (minus the crease on the left)

Next is artwork I've been looking all over for, after only seeing a low quality version online a while back. I couldn't find any merch with these designs, but @xxscarletxrosexx found a clear file with it and was kind enough to let me post the scan she made 😀 She has a lot of SxF merch available on her Ko-Fi shop here so give it a look see~

Next is a series of photo cards featuring all the SxF characters in gorgeous outfits/poses!

Next is the little activity book from the McDonald's collab from a while back.

And lastly, I was able to scan the below acrylic boards. Most acrylics don't scan well and end up blurry no matter what I do, but these ones came out great!

Continue to Part 4 ->

<- Return to Part 2

[immanime]

Spy x Family Clear File

[nyannyannihon]

[cutesxsherry]

Latest completely unplanned acquisition of spy x family clear file ^^;;

I actually went to MOVIC online store meaning to save the merchandise's pics for safekeeping in the dedicated folder made for them on my PC, but ended up noticing this clear file of Loid was in stock again... And one more clear file! Someone stop me...!!! T_T

My official excuse is : "these are the cheapest merch overall and doesn't cost much to ship either since it's literally just a sheet of plastic" but I've been getting too many of these!

And here are the two others of Yor and Anya :