Follow Your Passion: A Seamless Tumblr Journey
Yo, I'm about to start a rant, so just bear with me. I absolutely can not stand Demoman's mother. I absolutely can't stand her. Here are my reasons why.
She gave him away at birth until he discovered his bomb making skill, which is part of Degroot tradition. It's like she doesn't actually care for him and cares about the traditions of the family more than her own son.
She doesn't seem to accept the fact that her son is not happy with missing an eye and wants him to lose the other one, despite him obviously (and understandingly) not wanting to. In her words "No Demoman worth his sulfur ever had an eye in his head past 30!"
She never seems to appreciate any of Demo's efforts. As stated back in the "Demoman's Offer" comic during the WAR! update, he makes $5,000,000 a year, got his mother a mansion to live in, was holding down three jobs at the time, and how does his mother react? She berates him. She moans and scowls at him for not living up to the impossible Degroot family standards, despite him doing as much as he possibly could to make her happy.
She seems to think that just because she's his mom that she knows absolutely what's best for him, and doesn't allow him to follow any other dream that doesn't involve around bombs.
At the beginning of when Miss Pauling was getting the mercs back together, Demo was in an extremely depressed state. And the fact that his mother was constantly yelling at him to get a job sure as Hell wasn't making him feel any better. Instead of helping her son back on his feet, she decides to act like her usual entitled self and practically scream out her preaches towards the traditions of the family.
So, while you all are practically worshipping this woman, I am over here, infuriated by her self entitledness and uncaring ways. And I thought that Lana (Sniper's real mom) was a bad mom!
TLDR: Demoman's mother is a ratched old hag, she's a terrible mother, and my poor Demobabe deserves more love. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
ummm.. hello spy šš (original under cut)
I had an old body sketch drawn out so I just decided to draw a perishing demo idk-
It is frickin almost 4 am but @/backgammon-catās banner made me want to make some crappy little tf2 monkeys so have monkeys tf2 fans
monkey 1: orangutan, monkey 2: chimp? monkey 3: a lemur actually, the aye aye, monkey 4: idk anymore i need sleep
should i flesh these out?? should i do that to myself????? tf2 monkey au when?? i see so many furry aus (love them) that this is my version
idk if youve done it yet but i would actually lose my mind if you did an analysis for demo
Aye aye captain š«” Time to overdramatize again!
(Demo's backstory was changed through the years but I'm sticking to the older version because I find it more grounded)
Demoman's story is easily one of the most tragic of all the mercs. Imagine you have been abandoned from birth, your parents simply rejected you for what you are. But luckily you have been adopted by some good people who replaced your parents and made you a relatively happy child.
And then you accidentally kill them. You're 6 years old. How does that feel?
I can't even imagine how a child's brain can't comprehend the idea of being a murderer. It was an accident, of course, they were blown up by a big explosion he created (genius kid found out how to do that, huh?) but still. His parents were dead and he knew it was his own fault. He learned he was dangerous as he is.
How was it like pondering about it in the orphanage?.. "I didn't want this! I want to go back and fix it, I'm so sorry", something like that. But he couldn't go back in time, so being covered in such an avalanche of guilt, he learned he needs to repress himself.
Demo have always had an explosive temper (no pun intended), it was his true nature, pure emotion: if he's happy, it's 100%; if he's angry, it's a full blown storm. If he loves, he loves with all of his heart, and he has a big one.
Living on the impulse, all or nothing, that crucial accident revealed that letting his true nature go will only end up as destruction in the end. Irreparable damage.
We don't know what exactly was happening to him during his orphanage years, but if I'm to guess, repressing everything about him: his interests, his character, his whole nature, was a thing to choose. He thought that he had to become still and quiet as to not to repeat that kind of tragedy ever again. He probably didn't have people to be friends with either, either because people rejected him for his past, or he avoided them himself due to his internalized shame, at least that's a guess.
But everything repressed returns to the surface sooner or later. As a child, living for so long under overwhelming guilt, grief, hate, pain and sadness, under the skies that are almost never sunny in a all-year-long damp and coldness of the Ullapool. Incomprehensibly grey. It was depriving.
He was always fascinated with explosions. He didn't touch it for a long time, but maybe something like seeing fireworks again one day made something inside him tremble... And to remember.
Explosions. Launch... Acceleration... Release. And every time the release happens, his soul fills with excitement, the body feels lighter and shivers go up the spine. Release happens inside his head too, for the explosions make his worries and pain go away for a moment.
He couldn't find another way to release his bottled up emotions, so gradually he returned to make explosives again.
It was something like an addiction. Similar to pyromania, except no one bothered to research this one. At the moment of explosion he could let his anger out, he could scream, he could run around freely, he could sense heat in his chest; he could be himself. As he once was.
Everything was cold. But the explosions were hot.
He thought it was under control, just a little bit of KABOOM after school, but he craved more and more every time, more vivid, more violent...
That's how he lost his eye. (...Was it a subconscious act of selfharm?)
The missing eye was a forever reminder of how deviated he actually was. He learned that he couldn't repress or change what he truly is - a monster. A Black Scottish Cyclops, wether it were his peers who called him like that or he himself, out of misery. There was indeed something seriously wrong with him.
It seemed like the only thing he was capable of is destruction. Destruction is the only environment he's comfortable with. Peace was always so anxious and depriving, and breaking things felt calming, so he figured it must be right.
And then his birth mother came and took him back, "now that's he's a worthy DeGroot". It was unexpected but... Pleasant. So he wasn't THAT worthless after all, huh? Turns out, it was really familial, the destruction thing. At least he found out that there was a reason behind all of this.
His new mom was, saying honestly, pretty cruel with words. She was not at all gentle, she was very strict, demanding and straight up abusive. It was never enough for her no matter what Demo did. She didn't want results from his work, she's just always wanted to mess with his brain.
And for whatever reason... This setup felt right for him. To be thrown around like that, to be humiliated harshly, it felt fitting, it wasn't causing anxiety or anything. He has to be a scapegoat, he had to forget about being a child and to start working as an adult, at the same time somehow replacing a father he still didn't have, but it felt good enough. Confusing relationships felt good enough.
Destruction was his habitat, and his heart could no longer accept anything else.
Cruelty wasn't warm though, just familiar, just an environment to not to go insane. But he craved warmness so badly... Yet every time he would get close to someone and receive a little gentleness and care, it would feel sickening. It felt unnatural, it reminded him of his lost parents and of everything that's wrong about him.
The only warmness his body could accept was alcohol, making him bubbly and comfortable and relaxed. He almost felt normal, happy even. Alcohol heat made him melt, and he felt so fulfilled as if he was in paradise, back to the womb.
Yet after the effect wears off, he feels lonely as ever. Quickly, existing without alcohol becomes pain. Existing at all. He became an addict.
Not that everyone he met rejected him, rather, he subconsciously reached out to those who would be cruel to him. Again, gentleness hurts wether he knows it or not. He's only good in destruction.
Lonely and clingy, ready to overshare, overall mess yet carrying a big baggage of love that has no one to give it to. Maybe because he can't give it to himself in the first place. There's so many issues unresolved because he can't handle them alone, yet there's no one to help since he was already trapped in a closed circuit of self sabotage.
He will keep acting like a party beast, always crazily emotional and overdone upbeat, a simple drunken man who will not be taken seriously that way. Maybe that's what he wanted, to not be seen as deep by anyone for not be reminded of his misery once again.
Seems like we bought that too.
...
The enemy Soldier might be an exception though. The man he really treasures his friendship with turned out to be an enemy; repeating the rule again: it's only acceptable when dangerous. Soldier deeply cares for Demo, however he's not gentle or pitying, he's as destructive and explosive as Demo is, and these two are a very rare perfect combination of destructing each other in the act of love. Both broken beyond repair, soul on soul, forever to be misunderstood by the outsiders. This is something about this relationship that looks like a golden lining.
They will not fix each other, but they sure are going to have a good time!
Could I perhaps get engineer, sniper and demoman with an autistic S/O who got really overstimulated and Is Not Okay? I need,,, for purposes.
Yes, yes you can!!!
Demo:
Demo recognizes that his S/O is overstimulated pretty quickly. The base is always messy regardless of any attempts to clean it, thereās a lot of noise, especially chatter and gunfire during the day and even moreso at night during complaining or celebrating with the entire team.
āYe alright? Ach, who am I kidding, ye look right terrible at the moment, love. No offense.ā
He takes his S/O to somewhere quieter, probably his room as thereās at least some sense of familiarity and homeliness there for he and his S/O.
As someone who needs quiet to focus on tinkering without blowing something up, heās got some ways of keeping the room from just being the equivalent of another hallway thanks to the paper thin walls.
If it still doesnāt help, he sticks by his S/Oās side and refuses to move away for the others until theyāre able to process things more clearly again.
If theyāre stimming to try and release the tension and overwhelming energy of the situation, heāll literally just start mirroring them and stimming as well.
If they need something to focus on that isnāt their surroundings, heās got a large amount of folklore and myths he can talk for hours about instead of whatever jabbering caused them to be overwhelmed in the first place.
Engineer:
Once he figures out whatās going on, he quickly tries to diffuse things and get his S/O to a place where they feel more comfortable.
Engineer commands a lot of respect, and most of the mercs know not to challenge him when he puts on a genuine serious face and asks for things to be done.
Quiet down, hush now fellas, can one of yaāll get S/O a blanket? Hm? Yeah, they said somethinā to hold would do.
Does his best to balance their current needs with social interaction; since heās aware that taking them out of it entirely might cause them to break down further.
Instead, he lassos in the conversation and quiets things down as much as possible, then reduces the amount of stimuli by sending a glare to anyone making more noise than necessary.
As for sensations, heāll hold his S/Oās hand if it helps, usually with his normal hand unless they prefer the feeling of metal, wiring, and electric circuitry to focus on. Warm or cold, his hand envelops theirs and acts as an anchor.
If anyone dares pipe up about it or anything else related to the situation, heāll keep his cool. That is, until next time they need his help on the battlefield.
Sniper:
While he doesnāt necessarily understand a lot about it, Sniper is still very familiar with needing and wanting his space, where things are just how he wants them. Regardless of if he consciously realizes it or not, he might actually be the best person to go to about it when his S/O is having a rough time and is overstimulated.
At first, heāll probably try things that help him calm down, but if a lukewarm cup of coffee and a polishing kit donāt assistāor taking a hike into the nearest area empty of peopleāthen heāll start quietly asking questions while internally panicking.
He doesnāt want to overwhelm his S/O further, but he also wants to fix or make the situation a bit better for them. Afraid that heāll make it worse, he kind of ends up awkwardly throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks.
Whatever ends up appearing to work first is what he doubles down on, before trying to branch out from there. If his S/O manages to calm down a little, he thinks, then they can help him help them a little more too.
Itās a very slow but sure process, and he gets there eventually. By the time he figures out what works, itās probably far past when they were too overstimulated to function. After that point heāll know what to do and is much quicker and more confident about lending a helping hand.
If theyāre getting overstimulated and itās just the two of them, heāll do his weird too-long-legs thing and hug them to him in a way where theyāre closed off and safe in his arms. Heāll end up a bit flustered about it later, but they calm down a lot more quickly that way since heās able to just shut them off and ground their brain to the hug instead of whatās bothering them. Itās not foolproof, but itās shocking how often it works.
This was a lot of fun to write! I hope I got this right and did well with the prompt, haha. Personally going with what would be nice when Iām overstimulated, though I donāt believe Iāve shut down fully because of it. That must suck a lot when it happens :(
The last one about Sniper is a personal tidbit I think would work really well on me, because I imagine what he does is like a really comfortable tight hug where noises are kinda shut out and the pressure would kinda keep you from moving yāknow?
Itās like the ultimate ācalm the FUāā move and I love it but it also looks like itād be really comfortable ;ā;
Can you write how spy, demo, medic are when they are jealous? (Separate) (tf2 gender neutral s/o fluff)
I think you sent in the request twice, I do tend to see asks though I saw one in there I almost definitely missedāeither way; if it was you please donāt try and send in duplicate requests to get them filled! Not mad, just letting people know for future reference. ^^
To be fair, I just noticed that the other one asked for all support classes! So once again, sorry if it was just a case of two people sending in similar asks.
Demo:
Demo honestly isnāt a jealous person in general!
Heās pretty chill and understanding, not to mention incredibly loyal to friends, family, and a possible S/O.
However, if heās got a mad headache, or if heās sick or unwell, heāll definitely unknowingly become jealous if his S/O is taking care of anyone else.
His S/O is absolutely taking great care of him while heās sick, but the second they start talking to somebody else, assuming heās sick enough to be out of it, would assume heās been forgotten.
Itās mostly a silly thing, though. He doesnāt get mad, he just grumbles a bit at whoever is taking the attention of his S/O away from him.
(This is also because heās like a cat, and his S/O has been petting his hair for a good while, but donāt tell that to anyone else.)
Medic:
If Medic is jealous, he hardly ever realizes it. Heās always a bit too hung up on his experiments, thoughts and ideas to really entertain the idea of his feelings getting mixed up.
Surely heād notice them, but would probably chalk it up to being tired or overworked. Heāll do his best to spend more time with his S/O during times like these.
Heāll find heās not enjoying himself if theyāre at a bar or anywhere social where his S/O is actively interacting with too many people.
Not because heās angry that theyāre enjoying themselves; but because he begins to think that heās not doing enough.
Seeing as heās often in his office or in the infirmary performing surgeries, he admits to himself that he probably doesnāt spend as much time with his S/O as he ought to. Theyāre fully within their right to want to be with other people.
He doesnāt assume they want to leave him behind, though. Itās more of a self reflection moment. The more attention he gives his S/O, the more heāll receive in return.
Other folks finally end up noticing Medic when he puts his head over their shoulder with a sharp grin, swinging over to their side of the conversation. A clear reminder that theyāre taken, and a few of the ones that initially appeared to not have bad intent back off.
The rest of the night is spent with the real new friends.
Spy:
Now spy? Heās smart. He has reason. But the second he begins to doubt that his S/O has faith in him or notices that theyāre enjoying the presence of somebody other than him, all reason drops out of the window.
His mind goes into overdrive. Scouring his memories for every single mention of things they like or love most. Drop money on something cool or expensive. Buy a bouquet of flowers. Arrange a fancy dinner or a date.
If he ever suspects somebody to be trying to take his S/O away from him, (and yes, he does trust his S/O and knows that they love him, heās just dramatic), then he becomes extremely open and dramatic in PDA.
Subtlety is the way of the Spy, and Spy is not subtle at all.
Bring them into a slow dance, bring them into a kiss, keep their arms interlocked, say something romantic in French, anything he knows theyāre okay with.
Itās a way of showing himself and others that this person is undoubtedly his. He knows itās ridiculous, but as somebody with trust issues, itās his one way of proving to himself and his S/O that his trust runs deeply enough to do something like that.
His S/O may not have the same issues with trusting other people as he does, but they should understand that his displays of affection are a way of confirming that yes, this is real, no, he isnāt lying about any of this, and nothing could come between them.
This one didnāt quite turn out the way I was expecting, so hopefully this fits the prompt well enough! I honestly just think trust is a big factor in relationships. :]
how would the mercs react to someone they know really well (like family) coming out to them as genderfluid?? ur writing is šš btw
Thank you so much! I hope I wrote this well, if youād like me to make a change or two let me know!
For simplicities sake, Iām going to go with close friend that theyād consider family, knowing each other that well.
Also, the pov changes halfway through and I donāt feel like rewording it; Iāve realized I like doing second person a lot so I hope thatās alright!!!
Scout:
āYou drink gender???ā
Jokes aside, Scout may have a bit of trouble wrapping his head around it at first. For him, it makes a lot of sense, but itās a change that takes time for him to adjust to since he has a habit of speaking before he thinks.
Still, Scout always makes sure to ask their pronouns whenever they show up, and is unabashedly loud and proud whenever gender comes up in conversation.
He constantly makes positive comments that reaffirm whatever they choose to go by for the moment. It can get a bit overbearing at times, but he means well.
Soldier:
Immediately picks them up and swings them in a circle while hugging them. āAFFIRMATIVE! That you are, and I LOVE you for it!ā
Probably the loudest about it, but if they arenāt out yet to certain people, heās surprisingly loyal and will make a vow of silence if it means not outing them if they donāt want to be outed.
However, if someone tries to pick a fight? Itās on. Soldier will send them flying into orbit for the people closest to him.
Incredibly supportive, proud, and energetic about it.
Pyro:
Pyro completely understands from the get-go, even if they canāt say it through the mask.
To show they care, they immediately envelop their friend in a hug and shower them with love and acceptance.
They use crayons to draw their close friend, give them gifts and flowers, and overall do their best to show they care.
Will show up with a fire axe if anyone tries to purposefully misgender their friend or try to instigate a fight. Theyāre yelling muffled insults at whoever dared try and fight their best friend.
Demo:
Gives his friend a clap on the back, with a huge smile on his face.
āTook ye long enough!ā
He always suspected, but didnāt want to ask out of fear of scaring them into deciding to come out too early, or making them uncomfortable.
Obviously, ātook you long enoughā is a lighthearted joke, and heās fully willing to support his friendāpractically a siblingāuntil the very end.
Always asks what theyāre going by today before he ever uses pronouns, and sticks to them from the get-go. If he ever does make a mistake, he immediately corrects it and moves on without making a scene, as much as he breaks over it later out of embarrassment.
Overall, probably the best one to come out to first. Heāll provide a shoulder to lean on when theyāre sad or unsure, maybe even insecure; but will always step forwards in defense of them whenever possible. He knows not to cause a scene unless theyāre truly upset over someone misgendering or teasing them so as not to upset them even more. He will, however, exhibit a cold anger not commonly seen in someone with such a warm and friendly demeanor when it does happen.
If he can cause a scene over it, you bet thereās going to be fireworks.
More beneath the cut:
Engineer:
Wholly accepting of this! Does a similar thing to Pyro where he just wraps his arms around his friend and hugs them tightly; although in a much warmer and softer manner.
Wipes a tear from his eye.
āProud oā ya, real proudā¦ā
Heās humbled by the fact that they came out to him first. Plans a barbecue as a celebration, maybe even buys a few gifts! Itās a huge deal to him that somebody so close to him came out like that, and heās going to make sure everybody else feels the same way too.
He has a metal arm. If somebody fucks with them, he will not hesitate.
Heavy:
Heavy is perceptive. He picks up on it immediately, but like demo doesnāt ask out of respect.
He immediately socks someone in the jaw if they purposefully use the wrong pronouns, or make an offensive joke about his friend.
If itās an uncomfortable comment or joke, he exhibits the same caliber of cold anger, but to an extreme. Seeing as heās like a personal bodyguard in terms of intimidation factor alone, him hovering behind you with a stormy expression is enough to scare most people off.
Is always open to talk to them, and is a great listener. Heās great at offering an interesting subject or topic, maybe a book and tea if they need a distraction from dysphoria or somebody getting to them.
Rather serious about it, Heavy wonāt tend to make light hearted jokes about the topic of gender, instead taking a very open but grounded approach to it.
āIt does not exist. Is too narrow. Little person can use whatever works best.ā
Medic:
āAh! Let me add that to your file⦠I assume no surgery, then?ā
Heās not disappointed by the prospect of not being able to trans your gender, but also gets to work on other ways of affirming your own!
Doesnāt really treat you any differently, but will work on an experiment to let you change your appearance based on what makes you feel best in the background.
Gives you the option of using it, but lets the topic go otherwise unless something is wrong or if you bring it up; regardless of if heās giddy to know if it works or not.
Very chill about this stuff. Heās probably one to the better/best people to talk to about it, but know that he also wonāt provide much comfort as much as he will facts or potential solutions.
In fact, he almost comes across as distant until he suddenly drops a shockingly down to earth suggestion or a really, really good idea to help you out. Nothing too crazy, itās almost uncanny.
Thing is, heās just been dealing with gender problems for⦠His entire life? Heās already far enough along in his own that heās perfected his methods of staving it off.
Even if youāre not feeling dysphoria, (or you are), it doesnāt matter to him as long as you can get through it safely.
Sniper:
It takes Sniper a little bit to get used to it, to be sure. Itās not that he doesnāt care, heās just not used to dealing with the unexpected.
He feels guilty for it being unexpected to him. He sees you as somebody very, very close to him; he feels dense for not noticing it sooner.
As soon as he settles into it, though, expect him to be as loyal as a dog. Any mistakes he silently corrects, and if somebody gets in their way, theyāll be meeting a jar of piss to the face.
Honestly, Sniper probably begins to have some of his own self realizations soon after, but it takes a long time for him to come to terms with that one.
Ends up shyly asking you for advice eventually.
Spy:
He already knew. I mean, what did you expect?
He is, however, surprised that you decided to come out to him first. If anything, heās a bit prideful.
Emotions masked well, he pours the two of you a drink (whichever is your favorite) in a fancy wine glass, and raises his own, offering cheers for the occasion.
Clink!
Definitely calm about it, but tones down his snark temporarily. He knows how nerve-wracking it must be; although there is humor to be found that you voluntarily told your secret to the man who knows just about everything about everyone. Whether or not that trust is misguided, he canāt exactly say.
If you arenāt out to the others yet, or anybody else for that matter, the secret is safe with him. Thereās no doubt that Spy is the best with pronouns, seamlessly switching between preferences depending on whether youāre in a safe space or not.
Itās also the easiest way to know if youāre really, truly safe as well; because his heightened awareness of his surroundings means that he can tell if he might out you even when it seems like the coast is clear.
Even if you donāt care about being out to anybody, Spy makes sure to subtly ask if heās good to use your pronouns in any given situation outside of what you may be accustomed to. He doesnāt slip up once. Not once. Literally neverā
The Spy may be stinky, but words are his forte. He can curse you out in 12 different languages including French but you know damn well heāll use the right pronouns while doing so!
Phew, this one took a while. I hope I did alright on this one! I apologize if thereās any glaring issues or mistakes in this one, I worked on it over the course of what, a few months?āwith lots of breaks in-between.
Thank you to everyone for being so patient! I hope to put out more content sometime in the future, but I know that Iāll likely be slowing down like this as I deal with life stuff and other hyperfixations.
I might make another post with other hyperfixations that I might be up to making headcanons for! Feel free to request those too! :D