#this was mostly just an experiment i chose to do when i realised everytime i felt weird about female characters in a comic i'd check and

[gouinisme]

i started almost exclusively borrowing graphic novels written and illustrated by women at the library and it's 1) made me realise how few there are 2) made me realise even more how shitty the characterisation and design of female characters is in most stuff made by men 3) led me to scour the aisles for hidden gems i wouldn't have picked up otherwise so i do recommend

[freddiekluger]

i love the "mike seeing the ghosts" idea SO much in general, so i've interspersed the main cap headcanon with some ones for the other ghosts- i love mike sm so thanks for requesting!!!

it started as a tickle in his throat, but come evening mike comes down with a serious chest infection. alison drives him to the doctor's in time to grab some antibiotics, but they've got a function at button house this week so for the most part alison has to keep her distance- can't afford for both of them to get sick, especially considering how many repairs, decorations, and vendor meetings still need to be sorted. mike pops a couple tablets before passing out.

the next morning, alison has to go out to run some errands, so mike finds himself stumbling to the kitchen for breakfast the next day. julian's already there, doing his trademark lunges while listening to the horse racing (it's become his ritual whenever the races are on- he's insufferable otherwise, so alison lets him keep the radio). they share a nod, and it's not until after mike sits down with his cereal that he realises he's just nodded at a dead politician with his balls out. between that and the phlegm in his chest, it was a rough start to the day to say the least.

after he gets over the whole "ohmygodicanseedeadpeopleholyshit" (and at least one reenactment of the hospital scene from the sixth sense), along with greeting the various ghosts he encounters on his way back to bed, via the loo (both him and mary got quite a shock when she "peeked on him at privy"), mike collapses onto the bed.

a pillow over his head, mike lets out a few substantial groans before hearing a cough that, surprisingly, doesn't come from him. he slides his head out from under the pillow and sits up to see a greying, slightly awkward figure in period military dress standing in the doorway. he assumes this must be the captain.

captain:

mike: hi?

captain: oh, hello. i was just on my way back from my morning run* and mary mentioned that you can, well, see us now.

mike: yep. [coughs] that's pretty much the deal. not sure why though

captain: oh that'll be the antibiotics you've got there. strong stuff, eh? anyways, i thought i'd stop by and say hello. hello

mike: hi. i would say nice to meet you, but [a coughing fit ensues]

captain: ahem, quite

[silence]

mike, holding up a video game casing: well, i was just gonna play this, if you don't mind?

*this is technically true. the captain is indeed, on the way back from his morning run, except his morning run finished half an hour ago, and he's been waiting for the right time to introduce himself to mike. unlike thomas, he doesn't expect anything to lead anywhere, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to be alone with the rather handsome buffoon.

mike's holding one of those war themed combat games, the kind with a vague plot but mostly battles and button mashing. the captain's temporarily distracted from staring at mikes arms, and starts quizzing him about the game itself. by the time the loading screen is done, mike's already gotten the impression that the captain doesn't want to leave for a few different reasons, and it's not like you have a WW2 army captain of hand to help you work out strategy every day, so they pretty quickly end up teaming up- long gone are mike's days of button mashing (or, mostly long gone. "sometimes it works!"). the only condition was that the captain had to stop calling mike 'michael'- mike said it reminded him of his grandad too much.

- the game has moments where your character can romance any of the other characters, regardless of gender- mike's a dirty player, the captain gets rather awkward when mike decided the best way to achieve his immediate goal is to seduce all relevant characters into giving up troop information, and mike would be lying if he didn't find it at least a little bit entertaining to watch

- in between levels, and when waiting for lives to replenish, mike asks cap about his time in the war, and the captain loves having someone to listen to all his stories (even if most of them are second hand). he keeps having to remind himself not to stare, because mike can actually notice his eyes wandering, but of course that just makes him even more aware of it and the cycle of awkward noises and obviously-not-looking continues. alison has let slip to mike that the captain is likely a bit of a bender, and is relatively flattered by the possibility of cap liking HIM (not to mention not wanting to accidentally send him into a toxic 40s shame spiral), so mike just keeps the friendly conversation going to keep cap feeling comfortable. the captain's crush migrates to the left, and by day four or five him and mike really are friends more than anything else- if there's one thing the captain couldn't stand, it would be turning into one thomas thorne, although he still gets a few butterflies when mike compliments his strategy after a tough level. (it's not every day you have the attention of a handsome man who thinks you're a genius- especially when you're dead)

- it warms alison's heart to see the captain having the closest thing to fun he's had since they arrived, and the whole ghost set up works well for her and mike- mike needs the company, and alison can't afford to get sick or fall behind on jobs

- kitty loves mike (not romantically, she just thinks he's neat!), and eventually joins him and cap for their video games. cap was dismissive of her at first (one part possessiveness over mike's time, one part disbelief that kitty could be a good player), but kitty ends up rivalling him when it comes to strategy. after one too many nights locked outside and having to break back in to her own home, she's become an expert at espionage (even if she won't admit her experience was anything other than a fun childhood game.) with cap and kitty helping him out, mike makes more progress in a single day than he had in a week of gameplay. not to mention, kitty could really use the confidence boost from mike's compliments which he gives to both of his gaming partners frequently, although he draws the line at kitty's georgian cough remedies

extras:

- fanny ignores him as overcompensation for Redding Weddy. well, i say ignore, but she's somehow always the first one to volunteer when alison asks one of the ghosts to check on him

- mike considers going down to the cellar to get a look at the plague ghosts. mike heads to the door. mike remembers the sheer amount of skeletons when they dug up the plague pit. mike pulls his blanket tighter around his shoulders and heads away from the door.

- obviously, thomas avoids mike wherever possible. mike barely even knows what thomas's voice sounds like by the time things go back to normal

- mike feels bad for humphrey, and keeps trying to pick his head up and place it amongst the action before remembering he can't actually touch him. he also feels bad for screaming everytime he sees humphrey's body stumbling around. it was in the bathroom one night, and let's just say it was lucky there was a toilet nearby.

- pat invites himself to watch mike, kitty, and the captain as they tackle the final levels together, on the proviso that he doesn't make a sound. pat's rubbish at tactical planning, even if he can plan a mean scouts activity, but he's just happy to watch. it's nice to see the cap really having some fun, and see kitty included. it'll be sad for everyone once mike finishes his course of antibiotics

- thing eventually do go back to normal, and the captain misses mike's company far more than he thought he would. mike's still around, but not being able to properly talk to him is tough, and the captain realised that he was maybe more fond of mike than he convinced himself (mike will still make a thomas thorne out of him yet). mike strangely misses the funny soldier, and the georgian 'battlemistress' (kitty chose the title herself), and alison finds herself constantly passing messages between them. they're currently testing out all the ghost-communication equipment under the sun (within a reasonable price range) to see if they can find a better solution

thanks sm for this one, and so sorry for the delay! i've been battling with hardcore brain fog, so it's been difficult to create totally new stuff with words- hope this was up to scratch

[morethanwords0475]

October TC Challenge

Day 1: How long have you known your TC for?

He has been in the school for a few years already, but I only really got to know him for a bit over a year.

Day 2: What sets your TC apart from everyone else?

Just so smart and humorous and he teaches soo well, authoritative but fun, caring, and lighthearted at the same time. Oh yeah, and he’s, like, actually the best looking male teacher in our school.

Day 3: If you were able to sing a song to your TC, what would it be and why?

Probably Everytime by Britney Spears? I hope he knows how sorry I am for, well, just loving him.

Day 4: What fictional character does your TC resemble?

Aaron Hotchner from Criminal Minds ;-; mostly their physical appearances, and maybe also the fact that they both seem stern and serious at first but are really gentle when you get to know them more.

Day 5: If your TC called you beautiful, how would you react or respond?

Smile slightly awkwardly and say thank you while trying to sound sweet? I would be exploding all over the place in my mind, though.

Day 6: What landmark in the world best describes your TC?

No idea at all.

Day 7: Do you think you’ll stay in contact with your TC after you leave?

Honestly, I don't think so, especially if he leaves first. Remaining in contact with teachers has always been a grey area. Some teachers who have left follow their students back on Instagram, some won't even leave a personal email address. I will probably still ask him and hope for the best. If he says no, I'll just stalk him online (for legal reasons this is a joke). However, I would like to think that if I graduate first, he would be more likely to give me an email. That is assuming that he still teaches me until graduation or we somehow remain a connection before then? I honestly don't know, and I'm terrified of the future.

Day 8: Can you think of any advice for somebody currently crushing on their teacher?

It’s natural, let yourself feel those feelings and let yourself love. If there are friends you can trust, talk to them about it. Write, read, listen to music, cry, work out, find an outlet for your emotions. It’s gonna hurt, so just go talk to them, go see them, treasure the time you have together, allow this crush and allow your tc to have a positive impact on you. It’s truly a remarkable and irreplaceable experience.

Day 9: Have you ever gone somewhere with you TC non-school related?

Also sadly, no.

Day 10: Has your TC ever complimented you? Either appearance or personality?

Again, very sadly, not really. T has complimented some of my work in English, but never exclusively, and whenever he marks our writing he always says something good about it. He did compliment my monologue when I asked him for help, but, really, he kind of had to.

Day 11: Do you have a favourite outfit for your TC?

Too many to chose from! T looks good in anything. For school clothes, I would say his white or dark blue shirts, or a light blue shirt under a dark blue suit, and I absolutely love the vest he wore yesterday. Love his casual clothes, too, even something as simple as a hoodie. I need help.

Day 12: Have you ever cried in front of your TC? How did they react?

He’s not really the type of teacher whom students usually share personal feelings with, and I’m a coward, so no. But... damn, I wish I could go talk to him like that. I have even kind of planned it out, but I might not ever really act on it. And it kills me.

Day 13: If your TC named their child after you, how would you feel?

I basically have the same name as his wife, so it would be weird... but if he actually did, and if I were to be sure that he did it because of me, I would be so honoured, beyond words could express.

Day 14: What has been your best moment with you TC?

Maybe that one lunchtime I got to have alone with him to ask him for help on my monologue, I was right in front of him and he was talking only to me and looking only at me. Or that time when I was staring at him across a crowd and didn’t realise he saw it, and he raised his eyebrows at me. I smiled slightly awkwardly and looked away, but that moment, that smile of his and that expression, was truly only ours.

Day 15: Has your TC ever flirted with you, be it playfully or seriously?

Nope and for all those people who said yes, teach me your ways.

Day 16: Have you ever stalked them on social networking sites? If so, how often?

Yeah of course lol, he isn’t really active on the sites that I can access though, but I check up on it every few weeks.

Day 17: Describe your TC in three words.

Intelligent, gentle, humorous.

Day 18: Do you have any nicknames for each other?

Nah, I want him to call me by my nickname so badly, it’s just my name shortened is that too much to ask for smh (probably yeah tho for the reasons I said before).

Day 19: Have either of your parents met your TC? If so what did they think of him/her?

My mom picked me up after that event T took us on abroad last year, and T also got off there as it was our coach’s last stop so she would have met him. It was in the middle of the night, but she said T looked handsome.

Day 20: Are you or have you crushed on another teacher before? What happened?

I actually have quite a few former tc’s, maybe due to the fact that a lot of our teachers only stay for a few years. Don’t know what it is with me and teachers...

Day 21: Have you ever met your TC’s partner/wife/husband? What was it like?

She teaches here, doesn’t teach me but I think she knows I exist. I have quite complicated feelings towards her, on one hand I feel the jealousy that just comes with her being his wife and I never really liked her as a teacher, but on the other hand I want her to like and know me, I want to see her, and I’m super sensitive to anyone who mentions her or whenever she’s around, almost like how I am with T. I kind of admire her I guess, T loves her, so she must be the best.

Day 22: Imagine your school is asking students to write an article on student teacher relationships and you’ve been asked to help. What sort of thing would you want to put in the article?

I would say that having feelings for teachers is completely normal and not to feel ashamed of it or anything, as long as it doesn’t compromise their career or your life.

Day 23: How do you imagine your TC’s body to be like?

He is so fit but not like very muscular, just enough so that he’s strong and his arms and legs are so in shape and his body is still slender! His body shape just makes any kind of clothing look 100 times better.

Day 24: What would you do if you found your TC blog which was devoted to you?

Kay that is some extreme imagination, but if it did happen, I would probably a) die a couple of times, b) overthink everything like what if it’s fake and all that, and then go to him and talk about it (confess).

Day 25: Has anybody in your school (students or teachers) noticed any inappropriate or unusual behavior between the two of you?

Lol I barely get to talk to him for anything more than a greeting, but one of my friends told me that another girl she’s close with once asked her if I had a crush on my TC? Soo idk, but I guess if someone knew to look for it, it would be kinda obvious.

Day 26: Has your TC ever said something to you to make you think they may like you?

Nah man all I’ve got is some eye contact and an eyebrow raise.

Day 27: If teacher-student relationships were legalized, would you tell them how you felt?

Like, if he wasn’t married and everything? Maybe? I would probably still be too busy “looking for signs” and stuff because I find it hard to truly believe that he does have any sort of positive feelings for me.

Day 28: What do you imagine your TC doing right now?

Probably working? Or reading the news or working out.

Day 29: Do you ever see yourself dating somebody your own age? Why or why not?

Yeah of course and I have, but I feel like not in the next year or two, at least not until I get over T because as much as I want a relationship, it would be unfair for that person if I am still in love with T.

Day 30: If your TC told you they were leaving, what would you do?

I would be so devastated. Almost all of my previous TCs have left and every time it hurt, but... if he left at the end of this year, I would have spent an hour in T’s class every day for the past two years. I look for him every day and long to just see or talk to him. The scarier thing is that so many people in our school leave every year, so it's actually a possibility. I’m terrified to think about what comes after this year.

Day 31: Describe your perfect date with your TC?

Any date that could ever happen with T would be perfect. Well I imagine an ideal first date with him to be probably in a cafe, and we would just talk about all kinds of stuff. And during that time, it would just be me and him, and we would be completely focused on each other, just enjoying each other’s presence. 

[ruffiorocks]

Glee, season 4 Episode 2!

Ok are you f**king kidding me Will Shuester?!! Brittney is having a melt down, to the point she was about to shave all her hair off and your solution is to get the kids to SING to her?! She needs actual professional help!

Once again Will uses Puck as a reference to deal with Jake rather than treating Jake as the individual he actually is.

The football dickheads are making fat jokes about Marley's mum and Jake is the ONLY one (besides Marley) to stand up for her. Yes he is the one that starts the fight with the other boys but do you know what Will does? He only grabs Jake and drags him out. He doesn't give a rats ass about the other boys, simply leaving them to continue to harrass Mrs Rose! 👏👏 What a great guy Will is right?

Then the worst part!! Jake told Will that Puck didn't even know he existed. So what does Will do? Will takes it upon himself to contact Puck and inform him he has a brother! He invites Puck back to school and drags Jake into the choir room to meet the brother he has never met before?!!! Jesus Christ Will! That was not your place to do that! If I was Jake's mother I would be going ape shit! pretty sure he could be and should have been sacked for that!! Not to mention the traumatic experience that could be for Jake and the impact it could have on him! Will Shuester has just got to be in control of everything, do everything his way and he fails at it!

Note: Jake may be a womanizer and will later cheat and be a jackass to Marley, plus he is kind of dating Kitty, but mostly in this episode he's pretty sound. He has no issues whatsoever with Wade dressed as a woman taking his hand and leading him to the dance floor. Something that Ryder, who is supposed to be the 'nice guy' will have a HUGE issue with. If I remember correctly Jake even shoots down Ryder when he has issues with Wade. Jake is also the only one who stands up for Mrs Rose!

Will is so unaware of what's really going on with the kids because he's so self evolved that it takes Brittney lip syncing, and being a mess on stage for him to notice that Brittney , who literally tried to shave her head earlier is having an issue. He then yells at her and asks what she has to say for herself? For f**ks sake Will! This is YOUR fault for not addressing the fact that your student is having a break down! You're so self involved and think that singing one song to Brittney solved the issue that you aren't seeing the real problem, to busy congratulating yourself. Will isn't paying attention to his students because he's to busy (probably) breaking the law and contacting estranged family members of his underage students without parental consent and then inviting then to the SCHOOL!!

Sam is actually the only one to really deal with the issue in the best way because he sees what Brittney is doing, but the adults didn't know this, they should have addressed the issue properly.

All we hear about Will addressing the issue properly is Brittney telling Sue he realised there was an issue and it was a cry for help and will tutor her with Emma. Honestly I'm inclined to believe either Sam told Will because Will is quite clearly clueless, or Emma realized because she's always been more on the ball and aware than Will has ever been.

Note: best part of this episode is Jake referring to Will as 'shyster' 😂

This episode ends with poor, wonderful Marley singing 'Everytime' by Britney Spears because Jake is an ass! Poor love!

Conclusion? Will crossed a massive boundary contacting Puck and should be sacked! He failed to notice his student spiralling out of control because he thought singing a song would fix her. He then yelled at her as though this wasn't his fault. He failed to address the fact that Marley's mum was being harrased and chose to focus on traumatizing Jake instead.

Jake is an ass to Marley, BUT he is still the only one that stood up for her mum.

Marley is an absolute angel!!

[goldemas1244]

Rambles of a Spy Main: Ep. 1

I'm not complaining but...

I play on a laptop that's around 10 years old. It's a work laptop. Multiplayer games lag a lot on those kinds of laptops.

This is why I'm just not getting good as Spy.

...

Well not really. You see, there are a few factors as to why I'm not getting good as Spy. Most of them are from myself.

For instance, I rush into the battlefield. Spies are not supposed to rush; rather, thay're supposed to sneak up and stab. Somehow I can never seem to comprehend that.

Besides that, I tend to run into W + M1 Pyros. Hear me out: they're everywhere. They just swing around and set things on fire and, sure enough, I'm caught dead.

I guess that's why Pyro's contracts are the first thing to appear on the contract data. They're easy. 100 points on Pyro? I can rack up 1000 if you want me too because hoo damn they've got some gas!

Also no matter how wonderfully I manage to act like the enemy team, these guys somehow just... know? You know? I'm literally a Scout, running around the battlefield like Scouts do and you know I'm a Spy?

... looking back on that I realise this is mostly because I can't replicate a shooting action. See, everyone shoots. And when you DON'T shoot every two seconds, people are going to find out.

Also they always seem to see me, even in corners. I just can't sneak up on anyone because I have to stay in a corner and wait for their backs. I'm on half a charge and-

Is there something I'm missing about the watch? The first watch you get? As far as I've seen myself play, it's just me in a corner and I'm dead. Does it cover you ineffectively? Is my silhouette shown? Am I having Medic's plus symbols all around me?

Well whatever it is, I have no idea how to trigger third-person. I'm stuck with the first-person view of the Spy.

Returning back to the lag, I have terrible aim. If there wasn't lag everytime I moved, I could've shot more heads than a Sniper with a razorback. If there wasn't such lag, I would've backstabbed more engineers and sapped more sentries. If I didn't have lag, I would probably have survived the multiple occasions I have to spin around in circles to hit my targets.

Which leads me to one of the hardships of being a Spy main: getting encircled.

I have no idea if it's claustrophobia or anything, but these pro players, with their cosmetics and their phlogs, like to encircle me when I fail a backstab.

While I'm trying to shoo off lag, which appears when there's either too much violence on the battlefield or when I'm conveniently trying to attack, they circle around me.

Now, in this case, I'm panicked and pissed. Panic because "Oh Mon Dieu I failed my target's going to eradicate me from the face of the server". Pissed because "NO I AM NOT GOING BACK TO RESPAWN PUTAIN ET MERDE".

And I die. Okay, fine, it's my fault since I'm just repeatedly stabbing them with a knife but do I have a choice?! Sure, the Diamondback, but it's not going to critically hit anyone! Okay, the Ambassador, but crits are gained from headshots (which is impossible for me because lag). Even with either of those, I'll probably just be wasting my time. Guns need to reload. (Looking back I might turn off auto reload).

I also have terrible hand-eye-brain coordination. I don't know about you, but I just can't do much. Hand-eye coordination is just barely manageable, but hand-eye-brain coordination is just plain crap.

You see I work on instinct. And my brain doesn't like that. So, somehow, it shuts down entirely when instinct kicks in and I shoot the ground out of pissed panic.

Where exactly am I going with this?

Anyways, here's some advice from myself, since no YouTuber feels the lag as I do. I'll start with the hardest to practice.

1) Stay on the sidelines. Do not go front and centre (center?). That is the Offense and Defence classes' jobs. You are Support class. You stay out of trouble.

2) When you are close to an enemy, backstab only when the chance is given. Else, use your revolvers for headshots. Stabs may be quieter, but they're also less helpful when you miss (thanks to hitboxes).

3) Do not attempt to copy professional YouTubers. They have a good PC and good experience. You have just been playing (and failing) as Spy non-stop for five hours total in-game and over 40 in reality. Let them play with their trickstabs and matadors. You just follow Rule 2.

4) Keep an eye on your blade. Your surroundings don't matter. When your blade has risen, you are ready to kill. In fact, never take your eyes off of it.

5) Plan in advance. Are you going Offense-Support, Defense-Support, or Support-Support? In short, are you going to be a main part of the battle? Or are you going to be a distraction in the battle? Or are you going to wander around the sidelines looking for a razorback sniper to eliminate?

6) Determine your enemies. O-S, you'l be dealing with Scouts, Soldiers, Demomen, Pyros, and cloaking reliability, as well as the occasional Spy. O-S, you'll be dealing with sentries, their Engineers, Medics, and Heavies. S-S, you'll be fearing Razorbacked Snipers, Sentries, Engineers, Demomen, and Pyros.

7) Prepare loadout based on plan. O-S, you should maintain the Ambassador for quick crits as well as your current Invisi-Watch. O-S, you should keep the Diamondback for quick crits, a sapper ready to pile up those crits, a disguise kit ready for those sappers, and the (future) Cloak and Dagger for longer escapes and less panic. S-S, the (future) Dead Ringer is helpful, along with the disguise kit, as well as the butterfly knife.

8) More of a sidenote: Please be reminded that disguise kits and the butterfly knife are less likely to work in the case of O-S as you will be facing head-on with your enemies anyway.

9) Be reminded that you CHOSE the Spy. You chose it for your own self-control. You will have to fight as the Spy. Embody the Spy.

10) STOP. SAYING. MERDE. EVERY. TIME. YOU. DIE.

11) NO PUTAIN EITHER, FUCKFACE. YOU EITHER LIVE A GENTLEMAN, OR DIE A WHORE.