#who wouldn't assume they're spying on people

[adreamthatsworthkeeping]

Rule one is if a tech company gives out their stuff for free to everyone it's suss.

[oblique-lane]

Spy tf2 and his identity

Character analysis (or at least my vision on him, if you believe my reasoning)

What do we know about Spy? He's a disguise mastermind. He can pretend to be anyone in order to infiltrate into the scene to do his job - quite literally, stab people on the back. But when he's not in the battle, what is he to his teammates? A suave Frenchman, a gentleman with taste, somewhat a leader.

At least, that's the persona he prefers to show. But is he really..?

What if I tell you that this person never drops his disguise?

For a man who always wears a mask and who's identity being secret is a sacred part of his role in this job, isn't this persona too much to show if it is real? Frenchman, rich, ladykiller... Wouldn't it be too easy to decipher his identity with so much clues provided? Wouldn't it be dangerous?

While Miss Pauling and the Administrator definitely know Spy's real identity, hiding it is a major thing for whatever reason. One could assume it might be because of Scout (obvious guess) but I doubt he's a sole reason. Spy very much enjoys being the Spy all by himself. Do what's the deal?

Let's start from the beginning.

Why did Spy join Mann Co. in the first place?

Let's take this assumption as a fact: people come here out of desperation. They are professionals in their field, yet in their past/casual life there is a pattern of them having difficulties that push them into joining this service. I don't see why Spy would be an exception.

The reason for joining is usually money. Some people question why Spy, a wealthy man from higher society, would join Mann Co. if he has it all already.

Well, probably because he really does not.

Have you ever met an aristocrat? Wealthy people don't get so protective about their expensive suits, they can afford cleaning or a new one. Regardless, rich people don't usually get stingy about material goods, especially if they're mass produced.

At least, not those who were born into wealth.

Spy's defensiveness about his "wealthy stuff", his pomp-ness, disgust and arrogance towards "plebs" gives off a man who knows what it means to live in poverty and who doesn't want to be associated with it ever again.

(Not even talking about his own filthy habits such as not washing his mask and pissing on walls? Jesus Christ)

Dare I even guess that he might be not French at all? His French is so broken. (Although, so is Medic's German, but at least he uses his language much more frequently and in more complex sentences, while Spy only uses French to say some basic expressions, occasionally confusing them with other languages). Definitely not a native.

If anything, he's not giving "rich man" at all, he's giving con man. And that fits my picture perfectly.

So, poor upbringing. How old is Spy? If he's Scout's father (and he was young when he was conceived), I'd say he's no less than 20 years older than him. I'd give him a few more years actually. So, approximately Spy is around 50 at the events of the game (1968-1972). Let's assume he was born somewhere in the 1910s.

Even if he's not French, I still agree that he's probably European. Hmm, what was happening in Europe at the time Spy was a kid?

Oh yeah. The Great Depression.

See my picture: imagine, a child from a lower class family during the Great Depression, his parents were most likely to not take good care about him (both because of the economical situation AND as an echo to Spy's struggles with his own fatherhood). He has to run away from home early and start to make money. Any way possible.

Unavoidably, it leads to crime.

Petty theft, blackmail, scams. Changing identities. Selling low quality products and services. Changing identities again. When older, seducing rich women to stay at their homes overnight, be fed and supported. Running away from the police. Walking into a trap of the mafia, and then joining them as their goon.

In this nightmare of a life he just had to keep pretending to be someone else, someone better and stronger, in order to his ego to not completely shutter. He had to imagine he was an invincible mastermind trickster of some sort, not just a poor boo-hoo victim of poverty who has never knew normal life and care.

And if you pretend for long enough, you become your role eventually... Right?

His true self was long lost forgotten under many layers of new identities. Worse, his true self was never known. And he didn't want it to be known in its ugly and disgusting vulnerability. Narcissism became his lifeline.

It's so much better to be Spy. To be rich and elegant and respected. His ego rebuilt.

[stevieschrodinger]

TW for Eddie getting hurt (but he's okay). And Human Trafficking.

Link to part Two

Steve leans against Carol's desk, "here are your messages, I fobbed off the Times interview - they're going to email you their questions instead." He's listening to Carol, but he's watching, frowning.

There's a man in his office.

"Lunch call with the Singapore office is on. Your suite for the gala is back from the dry cleaners, it's in your bathroom."

"Right, the gala," Steve answers absently. It's a corner office, lots of glass, so it's impossible to miss the man in his office. The man who is calmly, right now, looking at the framed photo Steve has of his parents. It's basically a prop, Steve never got on with them, but that is not the point. Some random guy is touching Steve's shit.

"And my nine thirty?"

"Had to move it, don't worry, they were fine about it."

"Right," Carol's leaning over the desk now, watching the man right along with Steve, "I assume that's why you had to cancel my nine thirty."

"Uh hu," she's tapping her nails on the top of the desk, and she's so fucking infuriating, if she wasn't so fucking good at her job Steve would have booted her years ago.

"You're going to make me ask aren't you??

Carol gives him a massive shit eating grin, "ask what, sir?"

"Jesus fucking christ," Steve sighs, "who is that in my office."

"Not sure," Carol shrugs, grinning because she's pleased she's being such a dick, "security brought him up," she leans over the desk, whispering like she's imparting a secret, "pretty sure they said something that sounded like FBI."

And then she sits down, tapping at her computer and painting her nails or doing whatever it is she does all day. Harassing mail boys, probably. God she's like a fucking shark, but that what Steve gets, he wanted a competent secretary, what he got was a fucking guard dog.

Steve's not complaining. He'd been weary of hiring a female Alpha and then shoving her behind a desk, but it turns out Carol is terrifyingly efficient and fucking fearless, so it's kind of a win win.

Steve stares at the man in his office for a second longer, trying to figure out what the fuck he's done. he wonders if he's somehow accidentally committed major tax fraud, or something. He's pretty sure he hasn't, but the panic spiral is sitting there, looking inviting, anyway.

Steve goes into his office, and the man turns. He's tall, well built, kind of portly with age, maybe, but Steve still wouldn't fuck with the guy. He's not wearing blockers of any sort, so Steve's office now smells of strange, uninvited, Alpha. Great.

"Jim Hopper," he says, extending his hand, "FBI."

"Steve Harrington," Steve replies, even though he's certain it's pointless, this guy knows exactly who he is.

The guy is already producing paperwork as Steve takes his seat on the other side of his desk, "standard non disclosure, Mr. Harrington."

Steve gives it a once over, he's signed enough of these, and been involved with the legal team enough, that he feels confident enough. He signs it, knowing he won't get any answers until he does.

"I'll get right to it, time is tight. I've been working to dismantle an Omega trade ring for nearly eighteen months now. We're almost ready to move, teams are in place, inks drying on the warrants, cells are all picked out."

Steve nods, okay. He knew Omega trade was a thing, a barbaric, highly illegal thing. Human trafficking of the worst form, he gestures for Hopper to continue.

"If we go in now, we will likely get a few of the higher ups, we'll rescue approximately two dozen Omega, it'll be a success." Steve goes to speak, wondering what the fuck this has to do with him, Hopper waves him down, "we've been here before; I've made this mistake once before. If we don't get the people at the top, this thing will grow back in a years time. I want them all."

Steve gets that. His head is spinning a little. He knows things like this go on, you see about it on the news, but it does sound a bit...like a spy movie.

Hopper puts a photograph on Steve's desk, "you know this man?"

And Steve does. They're not what Steve would call friends; more of a good tempered rivalry. And yeah, Steve had Daddy's money, but Tommy had his Daddy's company. They came up at the same time, went after the same deals. Move in the same circles, Steve's known him for years. Steve's disliked him for years, "you're not suggesting Tommy Hagan is...the head of some sort of, human slavery outfit?" Knowing how ruthless Tommy can be, how questionable his methods are...Steve's still struggling to see him as...this.

"I'm not suggesting it. I'm telling you as fact. You've known him a long time, and we have to move fast. The charity gala tonight, you'll both be there."

"Right, sure, but I don't exactly see what I can do about this."

"Hagan moves the...high end product. Very exclusive, very expensive. They keep them at a ranch, just out of state," and that's kind of uncomfortable, because Steve's been to the ranch for a business lunch, so he knows exactly the place Hopper is talking about. And, jesus, Steve had thought at the time Tommy had a lot of Omega staff. A lot of really well behaved Omega staff - at the time, Steve thought Tommy was just being his usual dick self. Just showing off wealth. Fuck, if some of those Omega were actually, like, prisoners- "drop a hint to Hagan, tonight. Tell him you're getting itchy, fancy yourself an Omega. A traditional one, timid. Say whatever you need to say, get yourself an invite out there."

Steve takes a deep breath, nodding. He can do that. He can play that; he might have to wear blockers, his opinion of Tommy is in the gutter on a good day, never-mind this.

"That's all you need?"

Hopper shifts forward in his chair, "look, you're ideal. On the periphery, you've known each other a long time, but not well. He knows exactly the kind of clout you have, your bank balance, you're the perfect person to do this."

It's not hard to find information on Steve Harrington, he's thirty first on the Forbes 100 list, but clearly Hopper, at the very least, has taken notice.

"How do you know I'm not already involved?"

Hopper snorts, "kid. We know. Also, you just asked me that question, and your balls ain't that brassy."

Steve can't deny it, he shrugs, "so, what else?"

"Get an invite. Go there wearing a wire. Meet Tommy, pick an Omega. You'll be trusted; we will fit a listening device. Hagan's wriggled out of this sort of thing before; evidence like that, there'll be no court in the country that won't convict him."

Steve feels awkward. He knows there's a device on him somewhere; Hopper had taken his phone for ten minutes, and brought it back with a different suit jacket for him to wear.

That had been at half five this morning, standing on Steve's back porch. And as he pulls into the ranch, he has the air con on full blast because fucking hell, he's sweaty when he's nervous.

Hopper had made this sound easy; the ranch is pretty safe. Only a couple of armed guards. Plus, he's Steve Harrington; you can't just disappear a guy like Steve.

Hopper had sounded so certain, the cherry of his cigarette bright in the pre dawn mist. He'd even slapped Steve's shoulder, told him he was saving lives. Steve had felt like a fucking super hero for about twenty minutes, until reality and fucking nerves had swamped him.

But here he is, walking up the front steps to the ranch house, Tommy Hagan grinning big, "hope you brought the black card," Tommy jokes as they bro hug.

Because that's not creepy.

Tommy had given Steve a smirk at the Gala last night, was confident he had exactly what Steve was looking for. Knew, for the right price, exactly what would scratch Steve's itch. Not like he was talking about real fucking human beings or anything.

Steve's real glad he went thick on the blockers; he's certain Tommy would be choking on the scent of his disgust by now.

They bring them in during lunch. Steve sitting, eating fucking cornbread and home made slaw and he just can't. He nibbles, feeling sick with nerves. Tommy doesn't even seem to notice. Steve can't help but stare at him, someone he's known most of his life and now...he's been revealed as something vile and subhuman. Steve has to work hard to keep the disgust off his face.

Something that gets even more difficult when the Omega are brought it and lined up, all wearing the same diaphanous nightdresses regardless of gender. Every single one of them could be a contender for the most beautiful thing Steve's ever seen. Every single one of them could be a model, or something.

They're lined up in height order; the last one in, the tallest, a male Omega. He's limping.

He's leaving bloody footprints on the fancy parquet flooring.

Tommy must catch Steve's face, "the unruly ones need to be disciplined, and that one is more...difficult than most. Refuses to learn. And we don't want to damage the product anywhere that'll be visible, obviously."

Steve has to breathe through his nose so he doesn't throw up. All the Omega are wearing blockers; probably because the scent of Omega distress would be so off putting.

Tommy waves a hand, "get him out of here, he's bleeding on the rug," and the Omega winces, as he turns. he's got lots of shiny dark curls. Everything about all the Omega is pristine, perfectly maintained hair, nails, flawless skin. The smear of blood on his ankle is even more stark for it, and Steve can't help but stare as the Omega gamely takes what looks like a very painful, shuffling step away again.

"Him," Steve says before he can stop himself, "I want him."

The Omega turns back, looking at Steve with huge, beautiful brown eyes. He's hopeful and fearful all at once, and it tears Steve up inside. He wants to buy all of them, get all of them out of here, but knows he can't. If he does anything to raise suspicion he could fuck the whole thing.

At least he has Hopper's word that the rest of them will be out of here by the end of today.

Tommy scoffs, "Steve, come on, have a proper look. Don't pick that one. Get a pretty one."

Steve wants to swear at Tommy because they're all fucking pretty, ridiculously so, "no, he'll do."

"Oh," Tommy laughs, "I get it, just gonna' wreck him anyway, right? That's fair, can always get another," and he's laughing again and suddenly Steve is dragged into a very detailed conversation about how to move funds - from where and to where, which Steve does. It's an amount of money that under any other circumstances would make Steve's eyes water - but in the face of a human being in pain, Steve doesn't even blink.

It doesn't feel like Steve takes a breath until he's on the interstate, the Omega curled up on the seat next to him. No possessions, no clothes, no bag.

Nothing.

And that had gutted Steve as much as anything else.

"Look, uh, hey, you have a name?"

"Eddie," the Omega answers quietly.

"Right. Eddie. So. This is...well it's going to sound a bit wild but...I'm kind of here for the FBI. I mean. I don't work for them, or anything, but...I was...asked, I guess, to get evidence. So don't worry about everyone else, they're getting rescued later so. That's. A thing, I guess?"

Eddie's just blinking at him.

"Yea. Yeah, I guess that's a lot to take in. But we can talk about it...later? Do you have family? Like, shit, do you have somewhere to go? I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to actually like...buy, a person. Couldn't leave you there though."

"I've...I've got an uncle. Haven't seen him for years. I don't...know."

"Right, right okay. We can talk to Hopper about it," Steve spots a drive through, "you hungry?"

Eddie turns and sees the McDonald's, "oh fuck me yes," he breathes with such vehemence that Steve laughs, "I haven't left the ranch for two years, and they never let us eat anything like that, it's bad for our skin. Plus, we have to stay thin and pretty."

That kills Steve's laughter stone dead.

Hopper rubs at his forehead, "you were not supposed to buy a human being."

"I know but-" Steve turns, Eddie standing behind him, which on it's own makes Steve wince. Eddie's barefoot on the asphalt, half hidden behind Steve, still wearing nothing but that scrap of white fabric. It's now a little smeared with the fry grease Eddie had shamelessly wiped off his fingers. Steve hands over his phone and the suite jacket.

Hopper waves him off, "you did good."

Hopper does something to the back of Steve's phone, peeling something away from it, before giving it back, "somewhere I can take you kid? Any family?"

"I only have an uncle, but I don't...it's been years, I haven't seen him since I was little."

Hopper rubs is hand over his face, the rasp of stubble loud, before he lights another cigarette, "I'll have to find you a motel somewhere while we figure this out."

"He can stay with me." Steve's volunteering before he can really think it though, "I've got...a lot of space," he trails off. He did just rescue this Omega after all, he's not just going to abandon him to be alone somewhere. Somewhere that might not even be safe for a lone Omega.

Hopper raises an eyebrow at Eddie, Eddie shrugs, "not like I've had any better offers lately."

Hopper snorts, but he hands over a business card, "this is highly unorthodox, but...I don't care. I've got bigger things to worry about. Text me any details the kid can give you on the uncle. I'll be in touch."

And then Hopper just...drives away. It's maybe an hour and a half drive back from here, since Steve had to go out of his way for this clandestine meeting in an abandoned car lot.

"So is there anything you...want? Need?"

Eddie seems to think about it for a second, plucking at his nightshirt, "I mean, I don't have any cash, obviously, and I heard how much money you shelled out- I mean, do you think you can comp me from the FBI? Man, you didn't even get a receipt for me."

Steve starts laughing first, then Eddie joins in.

At Eddie's request they get milkshakes on the way home.

[sanni276]

Joker Jr. AU but a bit different

I have recently seen and read several Tim Drake AU's where he is Joker Jr. They were all really interesting but I noticed how Tim was (obviously since that's like the main trait of the Joker) always insane in these fics, which has given me the following idea: Tim is Joker Jr. but he is not insane and actually purposefully became him to at as a spy.

Hear me out: Little 11/12-year old Timothy was out at night doing some nighttime photography (*cough* batstalking *cough*) when he witnessed the Joker doing something so brutally sick and wrong (Barbara being shot maybe?) that Tim decided that Joker needed to be stopped and it had to happen soon. Somewhere in that thought process it somehow got into his head that he had to do something.

I am sadly not actually smart enough to explain to you how he did it, but Tim tricks the Joker into making him his "son" and into thinking that he is insane. However instead of bringing chaos and harm upon the people of Gotham, Tim is using JJ as a cover to infiltrate the world of Gotham's rogues and send warnings to the police and citizens before attacks so they can be stopped or at least as many people saved as possible.

Another use of Tim pretending to be JJ is, that he can slowly convince Harley to leave the Joker over time and even better: Joker might take him to Ethiopia where Tim saves Jason. Through Jason's vague memories of being rescued in the last second by a child that was with the Joker? the Bat's finally become aware of the fact that Joker has a child (i imagine that they only heard rumours about it before and they kind of brushed it off since the story didn't really add up or some other excuse like that). They are obviously very concerned but when they finally find Tim and expect to meet a traumaticzed child that has become close to insanity, this happens instead:

*Batman and co. dramatically landing on the roof JJ is standing on*

*Tim turning around and starting to wave exitedly when he sees them*: Hi :)! Omg I can't believe I'm meeting you guys, i am a big fan do you need something from me? Information maybe? That would be no problem although you might have to wait a bit if you need like specific info on a rogue because i would have to investigate first and-

Nightwing: Wtf B?! You told me to come from Blud tonight since I am the best of us with children but I wouldn't touch whatever this is with a ten-foot-pole.

Batman (ignoring his son): Hello Timothy (yeah they figured out his identity), we are here to rescue you from the Joker and bring you home to your family.

Tim: Rescue me? Why would you have to rescue me? *whispering to himself* and my parents have found out i'm not at drake manor? I am going to have to check they're travel plans again.

*Bat's sharing a concerned glance*

Jason: I know this is hard to understand for you and you must be so scared, but Joker is very dangerous. We can help you. You are safe now and you don't need to defend him.

*Tim looking at them with a confused Pikachu face*: Ewwww, I would rather drop my camera off a roof than defend the Joker. I think we are having a little misunderstanding right now.

Tim, completly convinced from his Hero's greatness, just assumed that the Bat's knew about his existence, who he was and that he was only pretending to be a rogue. Why wouldn't they? There the best detectives in the world after all!

He then procedes to explain to them how he is literally the perfect spy, since his parents wouldn't even really miss him if he died and he already made contingencies that would assure all the data and evidence he has on people would be automatically deleted.

The Bat's leave that rooftop not only without Tim, but also somehow even more concerned than before.

In conclusion: Give me an AU that is just Tim my sweet-summer child doing the most reckless shit that is somehow atually very helpful for everyone while the Batfam is just desperatly trying and failing to convince Tim that he has no obligation for what he is doing and that his sacrifice would not be worth it (during the many encounters they have, Tim slowly turns out to be the perfect adoption bait and I think we all already know how this is going to end.)

This is literally my first ever tumblr post or post about the batfam so I hope I did this the right way and this was somewhat possible to enjoy. Please tell me if i made any mistakes since english isn't my first language and feel free to write fic's using my idea!

[iminyourwallsbabe]

Hey I'm back with more arcane thoughts and they're sad! Because god forbid we catch a break in this fandom, right? Anyway (spoilers ahead)

MEL DOESN'T HAVE FRIENDS :(

I know that's gonna sound crazy. You're probably saying, "oh but she's so cool and lovely" and I agree but I really need y'all to think about this. Who does she talk to for any reason except political intrigue? Nobody but Jayce and Viktor. You could make an argument for Lest but she was also spying for her, so we don't know the nature of that relationship. It may very well have been another political thing.

Now I just wanna say upfront that I don't think any of this is really her fault, I mean you've seen how the council is and she probably doesn't know anybody else in Piltover. I mean think about it, she's a whole princess, her life IS politics. Her existence is political. Anyone she knew before her exile is probably a noble of some kind and it's very hard to remove politics from those relationships. That's probably how she ended up on the council to begin with. Jayce and Viktor are the only people who aren't nobility that she talks to. Jayce is a part of a family that was only just starting to gain significant wealth and respect, he's new money. Viktor is from the undercity. All of his money is coming from whoever's paying for him to be there. They're the only people who exist outside of the politics of the council. They're also dead now.

So let me summarize and put it in perspective. Mel lost her brother, was exiled from her home and whatever relationships she had there (which was probably with a whole bunch of nobles), went to Piltover and became a politician, thus becoming surrounded by nobles once again, she then had to kill her mom, and the only people who didn't want anything from her and didn't pressure her are now space dust. Let it sink in.

It makes this scene right here just that much sadder. She's really doing it all on her own now. Once again, her whole life will revolve around politics and there's nobody to give her a break. Nobody she can trust enough to be vulnerable around. She has more power than ever before but I don't think that's ever what she wanted. She knew she'd get it, I don't think this was a surprise, she knew she didn't have a choice.

I'm also thinking about how she didn't even have time to process her grief. They just cleaned up the aftermath of the war, which took a few weeks if not a month. They're probably still wondering what happened to Jayce and Viktor, did they figure it out yet? Can they even figure it out? She's probably still waiting on that news here. She probably already assumed they were gone in some capacity. That must be hurting her like you wouldn't believe, especially considering that she and Jayce never officially ended their relationship. They got separated, argued a little bit but made up, and then just went to war. There was no time to break up even if they wanted to, and honestly I'm not sure that they did and I'm saying this as a Jayvik truther. And don't even get me started on the guilt she probably feels about her mother. That could be a whole other post in itself.

Anyway, point is, Mel needs a hug so so badly oh my GOD

[solid-white]

Character analysis of Engineer but I'm heavily assuming things:

Majority of people assume Engineer takes on a fatherly role for the team, and it makes sense! He calls people son and even cares for the Administrator when she's sick, he also heavily supports the team when they need it.

But the thing that people get wrong is that they think he's sane when I'd argue he's the MOST insane person on the team, and incredibly intimidating at that.

Medic can be easily assumed to be the most insane person on the team, he's obsessed with scientific progress, has the intelligence to think outside the box, and he's also strong when compared to the rest of the mercs physicality. But he also has moments where he clearly cares for everyone in his own way, he wouldn't have made the rest of the team invincible nor would he have played the long con with the classic mercs if he didn't care. He also doesn't have ANY taunt voice lines.

Pyro is also one of the more insane mercs; they're fully aware that they're killing people; why would they close the present box and just blow bubbles at it? Medic wouldn't see it happen and it doesn't make sense when put into Pyro's perspective.

But again, they don't have any voice lines that involve mocking someone, they also deeply care for the mercs AND despite how they're introduced, everyone knows they don't mean TOO much harm.

So with all of that out of the way, I'll get straight into the analysis. The reason why I claim Engineer to be the most insane and intimidating one is because of his voice lines and his introduction in meet the engineer.

At first we assume he's calm and chilled out because of the way he speaks, he's soft-spoken and doesn't yell as much as the rest of the mercs. But then there's moments like this, where he smiles when someone's arm is shot off by his sentry.

And this when it zooms out and the campfire is actually Sniper on fire.

His voice lines also give way to just how intimidating he can be towards the team. At least with the rest of the team their taunts are for the most part tame/playful in a way that makes it seem like they're playing around, but with Engineer? You have lines like these:

Unlike Soldier who isn't fully aware of himself most of the time and kills because of his militaristic values, Engineer's arguably the one in the team who gets the MOST joy out of killing people (and is fully AWARE of it), he's a """loose""" cannon when compared to everyone else. Add his god complex and intelligence on top of that and if TF2 were a different genre, he'd be a terrifying slasher serial killer.

That isn't to say he doesn't care, he acts serious when it comes down to it:

Spy gets praise for trying to give everyone their last dream they wish to fulfill, but Engineer was the one who brought it up. Respectfully at that.

So while he gets the most joy out of killing, is intimidating, and has a severe god complex, he's also the most caring one and wants the best for everyone.

So no, he isn't the most sane merc, but he IS a """good""" man (I'm using good loosely since he's a serial killer). Although not as """good""" as Heavy when compared.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Since you were asked what were your favorite hp fics, how about your not favorite hp fics? 🙃

https://www.tumblr.com/hollowed-theory-hall/760514932420820992/what-are-your-favourite-harry-potter-ships

Or ships you are against hahaha and what short reason?

I'm assuming you meant ships and not fics, and that you really want me to get controversial, huh.

So, like, I wouldn't call it "against," as I have nothing against people shipping anything, and I don't even mind seeing some of the ships on this list on occasion. These are just ships I don't personally find compelling (some of them I can find objectively compelling and are just not to my taste), so it really isn't "against", more like not my cup of tea ships.

Also, ship whatever you ship, I really don't care what anyone else ships, and these are just some of my subjective opinions. So, in no particular order:

1. Hinny

I talked about my dislike of Hinny plenty, and I have a substantial "anti hinny" tag on this blog, which I will refer to here (and the tag here, if you're interested)

2. Drarry

I talked about Drarry here. Drarry is a pairing that has so much going for it, I wish I could like it, but I find Draco's canon character annoying, so I can't ship him with Harry who's my favorite and gets only the best from me when it comes to shipping. So, it's a not my cup of tea thing.

3. Linny

Talked about them here. I just never got the impression Ginny truly respects Luna, and that sucks for Luna and this relationship.

4. Wolfstar

So, this is, I guess, a big one to say I don't particularly like, and I'll give a bit of my reasoning.

My canon-loving self can't get behind fanon Wolfstar at all. They're not even actually the characters, and as Sirius is one of my favorites, I really dislike his fanon version. Additionally, as I mentioned about Drarry, I can't really be invested in a ship where I don't feel about the characters the same way (that's a me thing), and as I love canon Sirius but am very critical of canon Remus, that also stops me from ever really liking this pairing.

But even if we ignore my own opinions about the characters and talk about canon Wolfstar — I'm not a fan.

I just don't think they work. Like, I can see them having sex during OotP, but I wouldn't call it a healthy relationship. I can see it because they're the only Mauraders left, and neither of them is in a good mental space. Like, I can see them getting into a messy situationship because they're depressed and they miss the dead, and this could be super interesting, but it isn't the form Wolfstar usually takes.

I mean, both of them were James' freinds first and each other's second. James was the most important person to Sirius, but also to Remus, I think. Like, James was the one who held the Mauraders together. Sirius would not have befriended Remus and Peter without James, I guarantee it.

I mean, it's telling both thought of the other as a traitor and potential spy during/after the war. And I think, even during the books, they never really got over it, they just kinda cast it aside.

Like, it's mostly that I can't get behind how Wolfstar is portrayed in the fandom, even when the characters stick closer to canon. I just don't see this as a good relationship. I think, if they were to get together as adults, it would be so much messier. And I can't imagine them getting together as teens during school, since, I think at that point, the interest in each other wouldn't be there. I never saw them as each other's first choice. Like if they had to choose which Maurader other than themselves to save — they'd both choose James.

It might also be my Prongsfoot agenda speaking, but, like, you can't tell me Sirius "it's been 14 years and there wasn't a day I didn't think about your father" Black wasn't in love with James Potter since, like, day 1. I honestly believe in the canon books, Sirius was in love with James (not the other way though, I think in canon it was one-sided, but James did love Sirius, just not romantically).

5. Jegulus

I need to talk about this, I guess. Like, I probably wouldn't have minded canon James being shipped with Canon Regulus (although, I'm iffy about that too, becouse James likes having "the best" and according to Harry and Slughorn Regulus is just a downgraded Sirius, so why would James go for the seemingly "lesser" Black Brother when Sirius is right there and more than willing.) But the fanon version of both of them are just really not for me.

Neither of them actually feels like the characters they are supposed to be. Like, they kinda remind me of the fanon portrayal of Percico (Percy x Nico, from Percy Jackson) back in the day (haven't been in the PJO fandom in years, so I don't know what they're up to now). Like, I think fanon Jegulus is a Percico variant, and I wonder what the Fandom overlaps is.

6. Harry x Cedric

I can get behind the idea Harry fancied Cedric a bit in 4th year. It makes sense, I understand Harry, Cedric is hot, Harry's hormonal, of course, he'd have a bit of a crush. I just don't think they would make an interesting or particularly good couple.

Like, the fact Cedric dated Cho for as long as he did tells me he would not have gotten along in a relationship with Harry. Becouse Harry and Cho are very different people who look for different things in a relationship. I think Harry would find Cedric frustrating as he found Cho if they actually tried to date or got a chance to get closer.

7. Snape x any of the golden trio

Again, no hate, just, this one is really not for me, and I never really wanted to read it.

8. Bellatrix x any of the golden trio

Same as above.

9. Vernon or Petunia with anyone other than each other

I just don't think anyone else (except maybe Marge) deserves it. I can get behind Petunia cheating on Vernon with Marge.

10. Bellamort

I talked about it here. And I just can't get behind it. I don't find them particularly interesting, I don't think Voldemort was interested in Bellatrix romantically in canon (they might've had sex), and I don't think he particularly respects her while she's obsessed with him. So, I don't find them (be it canon or fanon) compelling to read about. The fact that Bellatrix would be easy for Voldemort to be in a relationship with doesn't mean it's a good thing, I think Voldemort should struggle in a relationship. The most interesting Voldemort ships push him into a character arc, and Bellamort doesn't do that.

11. Ron x Lavender and 12. Harry x Ginny

I feel like canon speaks for itself, but I wrote a bit about Harry and Cho here.

13. Most Dumbledore ships.

Mostly becouse Dumbledore is a character I'm not usually interested in shipping. I'm interested in Grindledore because of its impact on Dumbledore's character, but, he's just not a character I want to read a romance about. This is my personal opinion.

---

I have a lot of other ships I'm indifferent towards. Like, Snape with either Lucius or Narcissa, or Pansy x Hermione, I'm not a big fan, but I don't dislike them, just indifferent.

I'm also sure I missed a bunch, but I tried to hit the big ones I don't like. Though, even with some of these, if the summary is interesting I might read a fic with them.

[rose-riot-johnson]

Hello!! Can I plz request Kanto! Mikey x reader where he meets her for the first time and becomes obsessed with her? Like maybe the reader accidentally stumbled across their meeting area whilst walking home and some of his members tried to scare her off but she just beat them up and then looks at Mikey with boredom and is like "keep your dogs in place" before walking off home and things can go from there. It's ok if no tho! :)

Hi anon😃While I did have to think about how to write the fanfic about Mikey and reread the request a few times before writing it, this request does sound fun to write in general and I have written about Mikey before, so I definitely will try writing this fanfic about him😁👍I also did see hints about what gender you would like me to write the reader as, so Female Reader it is😃👍I have also looked up "Kanto!" through google in different ways, so hopefully I will be writing this fanfic about "Kanto! Mikey" well, anon😁👍

*This fanfic contains 1 or more long paragraphs😅

♥️Mikey Is Impressed and Obsessed With You♥️ ((Adult)Kanto!Mikey, aka, Manjiro Sano x Female Reader)

Genres: Mutual Gang Member Confession Fluff (Warning ⚠️: Stalkerish Behavior, Language(?), and Violence

On your way home from the gym, you accidentally stumbled across a meeting area. Some of the gang members told you to go home. Some tried to threaten to as their attempt to scare you, because you being in the meeting area.

A few minutes later Mikey made it to the meeting area, as you asked, "Are these people your friends? As he's grabbing one of the beaten up gang members by the front of this shirt. He replied "Yes... They are... I'm curious about why are you asking me this, why did you beat my gang members up and how you were capable of beating them up? ", as he's impressed about the fact you beat them up. You replied back, "You need to keep your dog's in place then! I was on my way home minding my own business when these friends of yours are telling me to go home and threaten to beat the shit out of me! I'm hoping they're not assuming that I'm a spy for another gang, because I haven't even been in a gang yet... I actually learned how to fight from some of the videos I saw and I guess going to the gym paid off honestly...".

Before you were able to leave the meeting area, Mikey said, "Before you do leave... Let's introduce ourselves and I do have an offer for you... Just atleast hear me out, then you can leave...", as you stopped walking then turned around, as you introduced yourself, "My name's (Female Reader Name)...". "Who are you? And what do you want with me?", you asked. Mikey happily replied, "Just call me Mikey... Anyways I'm impressed you were able to take out all of my gang members the way you did, so... And you were right... It was my fault... I should have known an accident like this would happen... I will keep them in place... Especially Kenny... Would you like to join my gang, (Female Reader Name)?".

You were surprised about what Mikey said. You were also hesitant at first for how the rest of the gang members were acting, before you beat them up and Mikey finding out about it, however you decided to accept Mikey's offer to be a new member of his gang and went home. After you got on your way home, Mikey scolded the rest of the gang members (as gently as he possibly was able to) about how he felt it was their fault for being in a situation of getting beaten up and they should have waited until he gotten to the meeting place to handle the matter of you being here in the first place, instead of getting mad at you about it, so it wouldn't of happened the way it did. The rest of the gang members (especially Draken) were shocked that Mikey scolded them, not just for being beaten up, however also for how they approached you and not waiting for Mikey to arrive on how to approach you.

After the incident, Mikey developed a huge crush on you and became very obsessed with you. His daily routine has been involving from finding out where you lived, to following you around from where you live, to anywhere you go, to when you go back to wherever you live, and is doing so in a sneaky way, because he wants to know a whole lot about you. One day you caught on to him be sneaky about following you around and stalking you, as you said, "I know you're following me, Mikey! If you wanted to know more about me and go anywhere with me, you could have asked or atleast let me know you're doing so!", before Mikey decides to show himself to you, while blushing.

You then asked, "Is there something you wanted you ask or tell me, Mikey?", as you continued, "You didn't need to stalk me or follow me without me knowing, you know... I wouldn't have mind you keeping me company...". Mikey then asked, "Before I confess, would you like to go out with me on a date?". He then continued, "You see... Eversince what you did to the other gang members for approaching you the wrong way due to them misunderstanding that you went in the meeting by accident, I have became impressed and I began to like you alot... I been feeling more about you than words can describe... I also love how capable you are with fighting, even tough I haven't witnessed you fight yet... You just seem like a cool kind of cutie... Anyways, (Female Reader Name)... How do you feel about me... Be honest!".

Before you were able to answer, a group of enemy gang members made their attempt to ambush both you and Mikey. Despite of you and Mikey being completely surrounded, both you and Mikey have fought the enemy gang members well, especially protecting yourselves, while protecting eachother and one shot wailing the whole enemy gang, full force. Once all of the enemy gang members ended up being outcold in the matter of minutes, you have been thinking about what he said and thinking about your answer for him.

You then, finally, answered Mikey as you said, "You might a pain for stalking me the way you did, however I will definitely go out on a date with you, Mikey... Seriously... I would be more than happy to... Eversince the first time I met you, you seem very cute to me, also... You seem to have made amuch better impression than the other gang members did. You're also the first person who would try to include me, without me having to ask or even hint about being included into something honestly... I also have feelings for you too, by the way...". Mikey was very happy to hear that you felt the same way about him, as he did about him. Before you and Mikey left the where the both of you were, Mikey quickly inspected all of the unconscious enemy gang members wallets, as he said, "I usually let Kenny pay for dinner... It's just that the original plan was that since it's a dinner date, I was going to pay for both our meals for our dinner date... However, there's change of plans, since the enemy gang members got their asses beat in one shot, by the both of us, I figured why not take their money to pay for both of our meals and what will be left of their money after our dinner date, I'm going use to buy you a nice present... After that's what they get for trying to ambush us!", before he smileed at you. You then agreed with Mikey, as you replied, "That's right Mikey! Those bastards deserve it for trying to ambush us, like that... Seriously... They've made a piss poor attempt to ambush us!", before laughing.

After the night of your dinner date with Mikey (And Mikey getting you a nice present you enjoyed very much), both you and Mikey decided to make the relationship (which is your relationship between you and Mikey) official. This became the most fun relationship you and Mikey ever had. Even your and Mikey's gang has improved from your relationship with Mikey.

♥️The End♥️

I hope this Mikey fanfic was as fun for you to read, as it for me to write, my Tumblr Peeps😁👍I also hope I did well with handling things with writing a fanfic about Kanto!Mikey, anon😅😃👍Anyways I didn't mean to take as long as I did with writing this fanfic about Mikey, especially longer than I atleast expected😅My schedule has been busy with changes in plans, and need time to be able to think😅However I honestly did enjoy writing this requested fanfic and attempting to write this fanfic request was definitely something fun to write when it comes to writing fanfics😁👍As for the genre I came up with, because of how you requested the fanfic and how I have been writing it, I figured why not use the genre I came up with for this fanfic, anon😃👍

[prettyboypistol]

how much the mercs would want to hide you dating from the others and how they would act if the other mercs found out/teased them? or how would the others find out? (this is also my first time doing any kind of request sorry if it makes no sense, love your writing!!)

TF2 Mercs x M!Reader|| Keeping "Us" a Secret! +18

As per usual, i'm writing in time-canon

Scout

Absolutely tried his best to keep it a secret and will try his damn hardest to make sure nothing happens to either of y'all if you guys are found out to be a little more than homies.

Everyone's probably figured it out, y'all are shit at subtle flirting.

Vicerally rejects any PDA or affection and gets mad when you try to initiate it where any of the merc will potentially see and will respond with something like "fuck outta here with that!"

Overall he's super paranoid about people finding out he also likes guys and specifically his "best friend". If the team sit him down and are like "son, we are actual war criminals. being gay is NOT the biggest issue here." then he gets a little more lax about PDA, but not by much. It still makes him uncomfortable.

Soldier

He's a bit too dense to keep a secret for too long, probably forgetting that he was the one that wanted to keep yours and his relationship on the down low.

Is one of those confrontationsl types and wouldn't hesitate to beat someone up over teasing him or harassing both of you. Not that the team would go past playful ribbing, but any attack, no matter how small, is treated like a nuclear bomb threat.

Not too bothered or too enthusiastic about PDA, doesn't like overly cutesy acts of romance when people are looking but you two have absolutely been caught fooling around in secluded places around the base. The one who found you told everyone and you never heard the end of it.

You mostly are the one who get the teasings, such as "So, you really do like brains over brawn." or "the sex must be great if you put up with that idiot."

Pyro

Noody really could tell that you two were dating, let alone interested in each other. With how eccentric both you and Pyro were, everyone just assumed that both of you were both extremely touchy-feely, very hippie and free spirit, which Soldier degrades you two for.

Pyro likes PDA like handholding, cuddling, and little bumps while walking. Nothing like kissing or getting sexual in public though, they aren't comfortable with you doing that around people they don't trust in the same way they trust you.

They probably tell Engie first and go into detail about how you make them feel. You treat them like an equal and like an adult, as if they're not just their mental illnesses. Engie supports both of you fully and acts like the supportive dad neighter of you had growing up.

Demoman

Not too concerned as well, but that's mainly because he's drunk when dealing with his teammates. He likes kissing you or smacking your ass and then shrugging and saying it's a Scottish tradition.

Loves grossing out the team with PDA. Nasty flirting, dirty whispers, bedroom eyes, and whenever people try to confront his and your behavior, he laughs and just walks outta the room like "awww, cleaRLY you men haven't drunkenly shagged a man! Be feelin' better than a virgin!" With no elaboration on if you two are actually fucking or if it's a bit.

When the mercs ask you, you give deadpan humor of "no, it's a joke. My mum's gotta good bit of Scot in her."

When it finally clicked for them was when Spy walked in on you two getting handsy on the couch while you were on top of him and hiked up his kilt. You looked at Spy and just said "You've done worse." Spy hesitated, but nodded and walked away.

Engie

HIDES IT SO SO MUCH. THIS MAN HAS SO MUCH SOUTHERN/CATHOLIC GUILT. HE'S EVEN HESITANT IN PRIVATE. He really doesn't like you getting too close to him when the others are around, but will allow drunken leaning against him.

It took both of you literal months to kiss, let alone have sex. He is the most tender and gentle lover known to man, and it's all for you. He protects you a lot more in battle with the excise of "he's defending the intel, I might as well buff him up with a few sentries."

You two hiding your relationship gives him high blood pressure and Medic just knows immediately that Engie is hiding his sexuality- to Medic at least, he's not subtle. With a quick peck to Heavy as a thank you for handing him the scalpel Medic is like "So Engie, do you have anything you're not being honest about?" and he just breaks.

"I'm a homosexual!" "Ja! So am I!"

Heavy

Is really wishy-washy about being open, since nobody would ever mess with him about being gay, but they might mess with you and your job. You're not a merc, just a low-level cleanup crew member! If the Administrator found out... would she kill you? Move you away? Would she even care?

Stealing away little kisses is his favorite thing. When you sneak into his room and you two just snuggle and kiss. He's super hesitant about sex in the beginning, but absolutely loves how you assure him and praise him.

Intinidates your coworkers who make fun of you since you have a good relationship with the mercs and all your coworkers think they're psychos.

Sniper is the one who catches you two- in battle no less! RED is thoroughly beating BLU's ass so Heavy sneaks away to the fence to see you and give you a few... many... uh, a lot of kisses. You hear the bullet break the window near you two before you see it, and Heavy takes it as his cue to leave.

Sniper

Since he doesn't really interact much with the group, he doesn't see a reason to tell the other mercs. All you do is go to his van after battle for "a cigarette and target practice". Sure buddy, you just accidentally tripped and ended up on your knees below a freshly showered Sniper. You two spend most nights together, since you two are the two unsociable mercs.

You two do everything together, since you're the more sociable of the both of you, people refer to Sniper as "your shadow", it's a bit of a teasing nickname that you're fine with, and Sniper's alright with it, since they acknowledge him nearby you at all times.

Doesn't overprotect you in battle, did it once and you marched right up to his nest and told him off. Yeah, he cares about you and you love him for it, but you'll respawn! It's fine!

The enemy Spy saw you tell him off and the subsequent kiss goodbye. He was gonna kill the Sniper, but something just left him feeling weird, so he waited until you were gone to kill him.

Spy

He's pretty open about swinging both ways, his tales of espionage have no limits. You're a high-positioned supervisor, so he initially justified yours and his relationship as job assurance... then easy closeness to relieve the lonliness... then- uh, fuck. He's caught feelings when in an actual relationship he can't run from.

Only likes PDA when he's initiating, very cat-like about it. He is to fluster you with a simple look. He is to give you what you can't reach and accidentally invade your personal space, where your breaths mingle and leave you red faced. Only he is to drive you crazy in public... However, if you wear that crop top again he WILL threaten to fuck you.

Has absolutely the biggest exhibition/danger Kink. Invisibly feeling you up as you're in a meeting. Disguising himself as a stranger and you giving favors. He has offered to disguise himself as an enemy teammate but got put off when you got too into the roleplay and cried out for that merc.

You two are never found out, as Spy is just a charismatic asshole and you are futilly enamored according to the team. Although, Scout has his suspicions after he overheard you and him laughing in Spy's smoking room.

Medic

Probably the most open about the relationship from the beginning, but unlike how Pyro is, he is very obvious that yours and his relationship is romantic and very much sexual in nature. Innuendos. Hands skirting your backside. Calling out to you jovially. It's all painfully obvious... it doesn't help that he is the LOUDEST mf in bed. They heard you before you told them.

He loves kissing you and ruining you when he gets jealous. Playing the protecting and possessive lover is one of his favorite things to do. Yeah, all Scout did was ask where you got your shoes, but to Medic, that's basically asking to sleep with you.

"Darling, can I rearrange your guts?" BEST PICKUP LINE HE HAS. FR. ON GOD. Everyone assumes that you two have fucked on the operating table, they pray that it's cleaned after.

Soldier is the one to walk in on you two. You assume he's going to shout and holler about how you two are a disgrace to the army, but he's strangely silent and just walks out. About 30 minutes later he bursts in again and lectures you about fraternizing.

[tortoise-bearing-cups]

Ministry rambles goooo (because someone reblogged an old comment of mine I never explained and why not, let's speculate a bit on the Ministry)

One of the things I find interesting is that Fudge gets himself in this position of power yet he is so influencable. But I don't think he's just some idiot. I think he has reasons for his decisions, and those reasons are: don't get in trouble.

Take Umbridge. I assume his relationship with her is like keeping a mean dog on a long leash. The leash is short enough that the dog isn't going to bite your kids. But it might bite the people you don't like, because it knows you don't like them, and you can just go, whoopsie! Dogs bite, y'know, it's in their nature, nothing for it. Best case scenario, the dog bites lots of people you don't like and there are no consequences. Worst case scenario, you can just shoot the dog.

So. Percy.

Percy is a very competent, overworking person with no idea what he's worth. I have a few guesses as to why he was allowed to run a department in the first place. His coworkers have their own jobs and may not want to take on extra work, especially if it's so much work Percy barely goes home. (Though he might also have been overworking himself to prove himself, or he may just not have wanted to go home.) It seems kind of strange that none of them are ambitious and want to take advantage--if Crouch was against hiring ambitious people, he wouldn't have hired Percy. Possibly they're all burnt out from failed ambitions already, say if Crouch takes on ambitious people, works them for everything they have, then promotes the next eager young person. (I have worked places like this.)

From outside the department, it may appear that Crouch has the new guy doing everything precisely because no one is going to promote Percy straight to Department Head. If someone more experienced replaced Crouch for months, they might get his job!

(As a side note, I am so, so curious about what Barty Jr.'s instructions were here. How much does he understand about his father's job? Was Percy getting good instructions or getting vague direction and having to figure things out himself? He didn't know about the Second task despite how involved he was with the Tournament, or he wouldn't have been surprised by Ron being there. There's also a lot of room for like, Dumbledore telling Percy that things are handled, and then when Percy shows up no one can see the task and it makes the Ministry look bad, because Dumbledore is not happy about the Ministry interfering at Hogwarts.)

But anyway, Percy and Fudge. Percy's job seems to be following Fudge around attending to him, writing things down, maybe keeping his schedule. (As others have said, he is perfectly positioned to spy on Fudge, oh my god, why would you accuse Percy of being hired to spy on Dumbledore and break with him.)

Fudge is very easily influenced, but again, I don't think this is just because he's stupid. It's blame-passing. His direct influences, Dumbledore and Malfoy, are directly opposed. He can listen to both of them, make what ever decision he wants, then claim that one of them convinced him.

It's not his fault!

Which is how, with Dumbledore gone, you can have Percy fill Dumbledore's role. It's not Fudge's fault that he made that decision, his assistant's information said it was what the people wanted.

(An interesting question is if Percy knows he's being used like this. I don't think knowing would stop him. He is GOING to oppose Malfoy's bullshit and get the result he wants, consequences be damned. And I can only see Percy getting more and more cynical as he sees how the Ministry actually works.

Though ...

What Percy sees is what people are willing to bring to Fudge, a guy who's made his opinions on Voldemort's revival clear. I can see Percy thinking that if there were any proof, it would cross Fudge's desk. But no one is going to bring Fudge information he will just ignore except to get mad at them, and it might take Percy a while to pick that up.)

... which is how we get to the scenario I was talking about, where Malfoy gets in trouble in 5th year and is no longer influencing Fudge. Fudge needs people to give him opinions. Fudge can try to replace Malfoy with another assistant, but unless he's willing to bring Umbridge back from Hogwarts, no one in that office is out-stubborning Percy. He has so many opinions, so many statistics, and he had to explain what statistics even are because the Wizarding World doesn't have them and--

So Percy ends up deciding a lot of things. Why stop him? Fudge has bigger problems, and if it goes bad, he can just get rid of him!

(Also, when Fudge gets punted the rest of the Ministers are like, "You want to do all the inglorious work of running the Ministry while I focus on the war? Sounds good to me!" Which puts Percy in a position to be vital to the Ministry but not seen as a threat, and to fuck with the DEs when they take over.)

[ghostsandfools]

Interesting Stuff From Yesterday's LAES Episode:

DISCLAIMER: I go insane under the cut. There is swearing. You have been warned.

Okay first of all, where are they???? Obviously in a dream, which Lunar says "doesn't feel normal", which is already weird, but they're in a location Lunar's never been in before. Probably not important I'm just curious, like, is it just some random place conjured up by Lunar's subconscious or does Res have him in a specific location for a reason???

Res works for Cetus apparently.

Lunar sees Res for the first time and goes "You don't have a face" and Res goes "Oh, I can assure you, I do." I'm sorry???????????

This is off topic, but these episodes stress me the fuck out. Like, the writing isn't always the best and I've seen people leave the fandom over some of the decisions the writers make. Now, I don't really care about how bad the writing is I'm gonna watch it anyways, but I genuinely get stressed out over the lore, it is an issue. I worry about it on a day to day basis, I think I'm starting to get WAY too attached to these characters.

Res looks so much like Nebula, I mentioned it in a separate post but like seriously, it's not even funny how similar they look. They could be twins, at least in my eyes idk if y'all see it too. Also, I love Nebula and I would NEVER accuse her of such heinous crimes, but the astrals have basically stripped her of her rights and are making her work constantly with almost no breaks and no pay, and from what we've seen Taurus specifically treats her pretty awful, and Res did mention hating Taurus and Leo, so... I mean I wouldn't be surprised if Res and Nebula were the same person.

Res has met Castor and Pollux at some point and thinks that they're "entertaining" so I don't know what the fuck that means but I'm scared-

The order to begin the infection has been given :)

We're all fucked :)))))))

Res didn't want Lunar there??? Lunar says "I shouldn't be here," and Res goes "You shouldn't be, this was a very private meeting," so Lunar can just get dragged into antimatter shenanigans with no say in the matter randomly????? Res didn't even intend for this to happen???????

The fact that Res doesn't care about Lunar knowing is scary. Res doesn't try to hurt Lunar or kill him or get him not to tell anyone, they just don't care. Which is worrying, because Lunar could tell the astrals, and the fact that Res doesn't care about that means that they're already far enough into this plan that the astrals knowing about it will hardly be a setback.

I was thinking, maybe Res stands for Residual or Residue. Because, they said they're made out of dark star power, but they AREN'T a witherstorm, so maybe they're residual leftover dark star power.

THEIR VOICE EVEN SOUNDS LIKE A CORRUPTED NEBULA, am I going crazy here??? Their voices even sound similar, except Nebula's is much smoother obviously, but they both speak the same way, y'know? AM I INSANE??? Like, their voices are different but the way they talk and their enunciation of certain words is the EXACT SAME.

Res being Nebula could explain their inside knowledge about the astrals. I mean, obviously they could just figure stuff out on their own or through Cetus, I'm assuming dark star power entities can probably spy on people pretty well, but it would explain why they already know Lunar and that Taurus is coming to Earth, I'm just saying...

OKAY OKAY OKAY okaay okaoaksyaa SO. Res talks about getting rid of one of the astrals for good, which is interesting. Gemini said that astrals can die, but they usually come back because they're stars and stars will just supernova and reform. But Res says they could get rid of one of the astrals for good and how Cetus would love having one less to deal with. They also say one of the astrals is already out of commission??? Unless I missed something, this is the first time that's been mentioned. I wonder who it is. Probably not Libra since she's a leader, not Gemini since they've been around recently, not Taurus because he's showing up soon, probably not Aries since they're the one who helped Gemini get into Lunar's dreams, SO WHO?!

Res, (with that incredibly sexy voice of theirs~), says that they "Need Lunar" and that he's the "Perfect Catalyst". Which is interesting because like two minutes ago they described themself as a catalyst??? I wonder what they need Lunar for, maybe to get more inside knowledge about the astrals for them?

It is getting more and more difficult for me not to talk about how hot Res is the longer this post gets, they said Lunar was "Ample for corruption~" JESUS RES, JUST KILL PEOPLE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE HOT ABOUT IT, JUST KILL PEOPLE AND FUCK OFF!

WHY ARE THEY BEING SO SEDUCTIVE???? "What I'm going to do to you when I get my hands on you, I'm going to do so many horrid things..." I'M SORRY? EXCUSE ME BITCH??????

How do you turn positive star power into negative star power? Gemini said that when star power is harnessed, negative star power is the result. Lunar does not harness star power, he is basically an astral now which means he's MADE of it. Him using it won't produce any negative star power, which means Res has a way to convert pure, unharnessed star power into negative star power. Interesting. If I didn't have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to my hyperfixations, maybe I could tell you have that would work with stars and dark matter in real life, but I forgot so sorry :D

How many negative star power entities are there??? Res says Lunar will "become one of us". So far there are at least 2, Res and Cetus, but there HAS to be more than that. C'mon. There has to be. The astrals are also interesting, how many of them are there? Obviously there's the main 12, based on the zodiac constellations, but are there more based on other constellations? Are the "Astrals" just what the main 12 are called and any others are considered lesser than them? And then for the dark matter ones, are there 12 to act as dark zodiacs? Or are the less, or worse, are there MORE?

I wonder if Gemini made Taurus and Leo sound more scary as a way to get Lunar to behave himself. All they said was "Taurus and Leo destroy planets", but according to Res, they really don't. They only put planets out of their misery once they've been infected and already basically destroyed.

I wonder if Res did anything to Lunar while he was asleep? They say "you need to wake up" and then Lunar falls asleep in the dream only to wake up in real life, but I wonder if they could've done something to him in that time that he doesn't realize?

It's kinda interesting that Lunar's first thought was to go to Monty rather than Gemini or Moon or waiting for Taurus to show up. I actually have kinda a sweet reason why, more of a headcanon than a theory though. Whenever i have nightmares, my brain kinda goes back in time for a little while, and instead of calling someone I actually trust like one of my friends or my partner, my first thought is to go to my mom. Now, i don't talk to my mom anymore because she sucks, but I really liked her as a kid and when I have bad dreams I forget about all the people i have in my life now and wanna go back to her. And Monty and Lunar used to be so close, obviously Monty knows a lot about negative star power so they're a logical option of who to get help from, but i also think it would be really sweet if Lunar goes through the same thing and that's why they want to go to Monty first, because they're almost like a parental figure to him.

ANYWAYS, that's enough rambling and simping and theorizing and trauma-dumping and going fucking insane for today, if you read this far you have a VERY good attention span. I would not read a post this long, you are a better person than me.

[mathlann]

11 and 12!

From this ask meme! Thank you! (and god...the challenge of keeping this uh, "short")

11: their family life

Saba (Imperial/Church name, "Casimira") was born into one of the more influential of Iocanthos' Ashleen clans. Her mother, Anika, was a distant cousin of the Skull the Conqueror, and the mountain village her family dwelt in thrived as much as any settlement on Iocanthos is allowed to. She's the middle of five, including two maternal half-siblings, Eisha and Varl, and two younger sisters, Veida and Garma. Because of how harsh the planet is, Ashleen clans are very close-knit and cooperative within themselves, raising children communally and sharing family prestige among all members. Saba grew up with not just her siblings, but also a bevy of aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides to look after her when her parents were away. It was instilled in her from an early age that even if she didn't get along with all of her family members personally, she could rely on and be vulnerable with them in ways she could with no one else. That feeling of security is something she sorely misses once she leaves the planet (and her original name) behind to assume the role of Rogue Trader.

Casimira von Valancius is eventually a mother of three: twin daughters Cymbry and Bisera by Vladaym Tocara, and a son, Ezhan, with Marazhai. Having seen the damaging effects the weight of the Warrant can have on a dynasty, Cas was especially diligent about adapting her own Iocanthan social mores to her children's upbringing in the hopes of curbing the intra-family backstabbing Rogue Trader scions are prone to. Across the board, Casimira's expectations for her heirs are exacting, but not unequal, and paired with an openness that cultivates their own sense of autonomy over blindly following her example or imitating each other. By the standard of her peers, this makes Cas an unusually involved parent, something she prides herself in given that she also enjoys the benefits of being close with all three—even if they're not always getting along with each other in turn.

Second one under the cut for length:

12: their romantic life

A certified mess. Cas is someone who is easily infatuated but hard to keep. She likes people who are self-assured and ambitious, but also hates not being a priority. Passion and violence appeal to her—but raise your voice at her in anger at your own peril. She's always ready to receive vulnerability, but is skittish about giving in turn under most circumstances. Actions read far louder to her than words, but what actions she finds meaningful are often hard to understand. Add in her outsider status and deep resentment for Imperial norms and culture, you have a woman for whom building a romantic relationship is like playing Minesweeper.

Tragically, Heinrix is Cas' first experiment with genuine romance. He's intelligent, handsome, constantly spying on her, and she's emotionally drawn to him. They're lonely people, living in identities separate from the ones they grew up with, trying their best in a job that chose them. But those jobs are fundamentally at cross-purposes more often than not, and vast cultural differences often lead to misunderstandings that turn into rows, especially where Cas' decisionmaking is involved. Those cracks only get deeper as time goes on. Heinrix needs time to figure out what he wants, but comes off as inconsistent because he can't keep himself from blurring the lines between his Job and his Feelings. Cas needs assurance, but is so unyielding in her expectations that she can't meet Heinrix where he is. They do reach a genuine middle ground in Commorragh and Cas is able to open up to Heinrix in ways she wouldn't otherwise have. But that calm immediately blows up after Cas brings back her new war trophy Marazhai. The argument that follows is the first nail in the coffin. They both feel undermined and unheard and are too angry to really speak to each other until after the escape. The penultimate blow is struck with that dinner, despite the love confession. Cas doesn't doubt Heinrix's feelings. But she's made it clear where the source of her unhappiness lies, and at that point, if he still chooses the Inquisition over her, she accepts he doesn't find her worth committing to. What finally ends things is Heinrix demanding not to be a casual dalliance when confronting Cas about her closeness to Marazhai. A cooler head might have recognized this as being Heinrix's way of signalling a desire to stay with her. Unfortunately, that specific wording instead brought Cas the closest she's ever been to wanting to maul someone like a feral canid. It.... took a while for them to be on neutral ground again.

Marazhai is who eventually wins out as Cas' life partner, in spite and because of, how mercenary their relationship starts out as. They both read in each other the unfortunate fact that "Drukhari Trueborn" and "former barbarian envoy" speak a mutually intelligible enough language regarding power and relationships to engender curiosity. Furthermore, the lack of long-term expectations lets Cas relax into letting Marazhai take the lead on things. She's not initially attracted to him, and vice versa, but the ego boost of being with him in the way she is appeals to her especially since everything else going on is so out of control. Cas doesn't catch feelings in a legible way, more that, similarly to how Marazhai is testing to see how far she'll go to keep up with him, she finds herself curious about how much he's willing to "invest" in her. Giving him greater liberties with her time and about the Charybdis, actively seeking him out to Feast etc—things that imply greater affinity without necessarily playing her hand. Of course it's easier for her to read his intentions than the opposite, since being a simple mon-keigh makes her actions an expected part of falling under Marazhai's sway, while Cas is pretty sure Drukhari don't usually have their human fling partners brand them. Marazhai's confession is very much a mutual "not playing" realization. The Gremlin Barbarian part of Cas recognizes that Marazhai just handed her a legendary opportunity to humiliate him in a way that no Drukhari would think possible. But, as much as she relishes the sight of his distress at the thought of her leaving, she can't go through with it. Because Casimira is also chasing a very specific high that isn't going to happen with anybody else, and Throne they've played each other but at least Marazhai embarrassed himself with his feelings first. That's really all that matters.

[gatitties]

kinda wondering if you could write wakatoshi ushijima x fem! basketball player reader headcanons where compared to him, she's the social butterfly with her being so cheery, upbeat and optimistic but is a hyperactive person that none can keep up with her energy. (and maybe a tomboy as well) also she doesn't seem to be intimated with ushijima's appearance at all after meeting him?

─Ushijima Wakatosi x fem!reader

─Summary: a confusion makes you meet the volleyball captain with whom you decided to befriend like anyone else

─Warnings: none

just say that they accidentally write basketball player but they referred volleyball player

─ The first time you met Ushijima he mistook you for a boy trying to get into the gym's girl bathrooms.

─ Definitely none of you had a good vision of the other, because he scolded you for trying to spy on the other girls while you were offended by the accusation, you got to the point of telling him that if he wanted you could show him a tit so he would believe you.

─ Luckily for both of us, one of your friends came out asking why you were taking so long to come in, you were usually one of the first to wash up after an intense volleyball practice.

─ Ushijima completely confused there while you rubbed in his face that you were right, of course, you hadn't felt the least bit intimidated by his presence in this little incident you wouldn't on other occasions.

─ The second time you saw him was because he came to apologize for the misunderstanding, Ushijima can be many things and among them a true gentleman who knows how to accept and correct his mistakes.

─ You didn't need much more and automatically 'adopt' him into your friends list than one, they don't have that many friends or two, they're not very talkative.

─ At the end of the day you ended up coinciding in volleyball tournaments, he appreciated your passion for the game that he also enjoyed, and sometimes if he could go to see your games.

─ No one can change this thought, but a tireless person full of energy is equal to a libero (most of the time) so yes, that was your position.

─ Ushijima doesn't mind that you're the one who always leads the flow of the conversation, he has Tendou on his team so he's used to it, he's a good listener.

─ He doesn't care that whenever you decide to go for a run or a walk, you stop to say hello to almost half of the students you meet, although if this interrupts the rhythm he will simply put you on his shoulder and continue running with your weight dead on it, you keep waving to people from there.

─ You are Shiratorizawa's personal cheerleader, yes, yes, we all know that they have an amazing band that sings and claps the anthem, but the entire male team will always find you in the crowd, either because of your screams or because you decided to buy a costume of eagle as if you were the mascot of the team.

─ No doubt you and Tendou are best friends after you and Ushijima start dating.

─ There is not much change after that, you continue to behave the same with each other, only now there is more intimacy on other occasions.

─ He respects that you want to catch up with the large number of friends you have just as you know that he has a strict training schedule, but you always make time to be together despite this.

─ Many students question how the most expressive person on campus ended up with the least expressive, they assumed that opposites attract, or rather, complement each other.

[penig]

So we're having a rough summer and I haven't been talking about it because why brood but it's different when you talk about people being nice. So, thumbnail sketch:

We finally (as I've been wanting to do for years) got an estimate on getting the house rewired (pretty sure some of the original wiring installed in 1910 is in use) and partially replumbed (can't use the shower tub because the iron pipes are too clogged), and the paperwork for the loan took forever, and then a high wind came along (on my birthday) and dropped a dead redbud tree on our porch and a large branch on our car, which was totaled, and we had to buy a new (used) car and get a tree service to come out and take care of the fallen wood and trim the trees so no more wood falls, but the cost to take care of the big branch and woodpecker damaged tree in the back yard was more than we could afford with the car business, but that could wait a few months assuming no more high winds come along; and the loan comes through and we get the car squared away and the tree service is scheduled to come and we're starting to breathe again -

And I spy somebody putting what I recognize as a code violation notice on the front gate so I open the door and come out to tell her that if this is about the redbud tree on the porch we've already scheduled the work and she says: "It's everything on the lot. Cut it down to 12 inches. You have ten days" So I point out that most of the tall stuff is legal garden plants that should not be pruned in August, that it's two years since I've been physically capable of doing yardwork of any kind, that the work she's demanding is impossible in that time frame and oh yes, it's August, in Texas, with triple digit temperatures predicted for the foreseeable future and it could very well kill me to try. She thought there might be a local program to help me (No; they're all for structural work) and wouldn't budge. So that was like being shoved back underwater when we'd almost crawled out on shore.

But we put out a call to our friends, and people came over Saturday and did miracles, and almost every day this week somebody has come over (in addition to the people putting holes in our walls and ceilings and arguing over how to run the wires and occasionally turning pale at what they find) to help me in the mornings before the third digit kicked in. We did not, of course prune any of the poor heat stressed legal plants, but great inroads were made on the rest of it, and one friend even cut up the big branch in the back yard and the tree service people hauled it off, along with a collapsed picnic table which they told me, when they quoted the price for this small secondary job, that they would not take.

This morning I could barely move. I'm getting a lot of pain in the good leg as well as the bad leg, and in my back, plus I was just weak with heat and tiredness, and for the first time in almost a year I decided I'd better break out the cane again, at least to take the stairs and walk in the yard to discuss with the friend who came today, the last day before the inspection, where best to put his effort (because it was plain to both of us that I wasn't lifting a finger) in order to convince the inspector that we really had done the best we could and to let the stuff we couldn't get to slide until fall and spring.

And I guess one of the workmen noticed the cane, and noticed that the handrail on the upper staircase had pulled out of the wall on one end (it had been anchored to the sheetrock, not the wall proper; the other end was anchored in paneling and was fine; this happened a couple of months ago and we had bigger worries), and just - fixed it. Because it's certainly fixed now. As is typical in Texas most of the workmen are people I can't even talk to because my Spanish is as bad as their English, so it's not as if we've made friends with them. And I didn't see it done, nor did the foreman know who did it when I brought it up and asked him to thank whoever it was, so it wasn't somebody looking to make points. They just saw a chance to do a small simple thing to benefit a total stranger, and did it.

The point here being that two people - whoever called in the code complaint (seriously, that should be illegal in August, at least for yard code with no clear and present danger) and the city employee who wouldn't listen to reason - went out of their way to force me to focus on the least pressing problem facing us right now at the expense of my own well-being. But they are far, far outnumbered by the people who have gone out of their way to help us, just because we needed help.

So, suck it, cynicism!

[the-way-astray]

why is aldella not a sweet couple tho… just curious. like is that just your personal headcanon or

no, it has (some) canon basis. annoyingly, the line with the strongest piece of evidence is broken up by a page break in my physical copy of unlocked, but it's on pages 187 and 188 (della's registry file). basically, the council speculates whether alden and della might've noticed that alvar was a traitor if they hadn't been so busy hiding shit from each other. clearly, there's some trust issues going on. della was also ordered by the council to spy on alden, and while she didn't actually tell the council anything of substance, it's hard to say whether that's because she truly didn't know (which would indicate trust issues from both alden's side, from not telling della anything, and della's side, because that implies that if she had known, she would've told the council) or because she purposefully hid alden's search from the council. at the end of her registry file, the council mention that she did tell them something of importance (which is redacted), and context makes it seem like it's a secret of alden's. hence the trust issues.

so clearly, they both prioritize their jobs over their relationship with one another. the themes are theming . . . prestige and protecting the vacker family name will always come before strong interpersonal relationships, and the best way to maintain the name is to do what the council tells them. interestingly, della is implied to be the one that's more dedicated (for lack of a better word) to the council, not alden. i have some lore about that (basically that della and other people that marry into the vacker family feel insecure about not being "real" vackers and therefore have to work twice as hard to prove they're worthy of the name; this would push them to try to be the perfect noble, even more so than vackers by birth). but even though della seems to be the one that has a tendency to be more loyal to the council, alden also keeps plenty of secrets from her. it's heavily implied that he never trusted her with the details of his search, not the way he trusted his sons or quinlin. so who knows what other secret projects he never wanted her to know about? he doesn't trust her, she clearly prioritizes being seen as a loyal noble over him, so that leaves them. somewhere i wouldn't necessarily consider wholesome.

but it's also true that they genuinely care about one another . . . we can see this in della's reaction to alden's mind breaking. nothing particularly bad has happened to della (which shannon should consider doing something about ahem) but we can safely assume alden would have a strong reaction to that as well. they are so screwed up . . . i love them . . .

[c0zyrainfall]

Psychoanalyzing the Spy x Family covers: beginning with Volume 1

In the later volumes, there tends to be a lot of clutter on the ground. In 1-4, only Loid has a mess to speak of. This could be because Endo came up with the idea later, or simply because Anya, Yor, and Bond weren't characterized enough yet. He does say that he tends to come up with the story as he goes. For instance, I feel like if we got Anya and Your on the covers now, Yor would have cooking utensils scattered about and Anya could have stellas or something. But I digress.

The designer chair in volume 1 is the Le Corbusier LC2, created by Swiss-French architect and designer Le Cobusier in 1928. Even replicas retail for thousands of dollars. Jeez.

This chair is often used in "office lounges and other professional environments" (Anime Network), and it was mathematically crafted for ideal proportions using the golden ratio, Fibbonaci numbers, and Cobusier's studies on human posture.

So yeah, this makes total sense for Loid. He would sit in a mathematically perfect chair. He prefers when things are rational. This is a logical chair, and he is a logical person.

Compared to other designer chairs, this one is simple. Minimal. If you saw it in the workplace, you probably wouldn't give it a second glance. This could symbolize his"Loid Forger" persona. Not bad to look at, but doesn't want to stand out in a crowd.

The metal bars give off a sense of rigidity. Yes, it's a chair, but it's not necessarily a cozy one. You probably wouldn't take a nap here if you had a choice. He hasn't yet grown accustomed to family life. He's still very much in spy mode. I think, even if he were to be on the cover now, this chair would be a good pick for him. There might be more clutter on the floor, like Anya's toys or something. But this logical, rigid chair would still be his top choice.

As for the clutter on the ground, there's not much to speak of. Like I said, we'll get more into that in later volumes. But he's got some bullets, (night vision goggles?), papers, and a briefcase. What's very interesting to me is the pictures on the ground. We can't really see what they are. I'm going to assume that they're just blackmail pictures/photos of people he needs to know about. But one of them looks like two, young black-haired siblings... Yor and Yuri??? Who knows.

I love the newspaper how the newspaper says, "Watch Out For Spies". Watch out for spies indeed.