#and i’m going to go out and be proactive and brave about getting it. not take the ‘safest’ or most familiar route

[writingjourney]

Excuse me coming into your inbox and being unhinged, ibi, but I’m possessed by the question of which papa would be the best one to lose your virginity to and I’m curious as to your thoughts 😌

never apologize, that is exactly what my ask box is for!!! <3

let me preface this by saying that virginity as a concept and its social connotations are fucked and not anything the Papas would uphold seriously (doesn't mean they can't be kinky about it). sexual inexperience is important to consider though, so here's some... say, inspiration for how it could go... (mild 18+ but not graphic)

Primo

Something about the taboo of it, at his age, to be approached with such an extreme imbalance of experience. They joke about the Papas deflowering virgins (or, in some prejudiced circles, of sacrificing them) but the reality is that he’s a few decades too old for such things to regularly occur. He’d thrive off it, though, the little insecure glances and hesitant touches, the surprised gasps and shy reactions, all of which he can meet with the steely gaze of someone who knows exactly how to inflict pleasure beyond your comprehension. He’s not above using some little helpers to make sure he can keep going for you for as long as it takes to wear you out. This man is patient, well-aware you need proper preparation before you can even dream to take him, and he is not in a hurry anymore. He’ll grasp those moments when he can and it’s a gratifying experience for the both of you.

Secondo

Very conscious to talk about your limits beforehand. It is rare for him to encounter this, usually he’s spending time with people who are also experienced and know exactly what they’re looking for but in this case (as I think I showed in my fic) he would get a thrill from seeing you responding to pleasures you’ve never even dreamed of, especially knowing that of all the people he’s the one you trust with your body. He knows he is skilled, confident, also surprisingly a little playful with you to ease your nerves, and he’d spend a good amount of time making sure you find your pleasure before indulging himself. Patient as a teacher, but not coddling, he’ll show you where you can go if you’re feeling brave but there is never any pressure to go further. More than likely he will have lube and other little helpers there, just to make sure you’re not in any sort of (unwanted) pain. And because it’s rare he’ll let you explore more of him than he’d usually permit, those hesitant, curious fingers on him he does not dare to push away. It’s almost too intimate for him, really, and he’s going to feel more than just a little possessive of you afterwards.

Terzo

In my opinion, the Papa you would go to if you were actively looking to have your first time and wanted someone you know will take good care of you, but if there are feelings involved? It will be the experience of a lifetime. He is sensual from the beginning, the scene is set, candle-light to make you feel less self-conscious, comforting scents, soft sheets. He calls you sweet names, eases your nerves with a few jests and smiles. It will happen at your pace, he will guide but not as firmly as Secondo would, rather he’d let you come to your own conclusions with just minor prompting. He’ll patiently answer questions, show you the sort of touches you might enjoy and let you explore without expectation. He might tease you a little when you tense, to make sure you don’t take it too seriously, and he’ll show you what he likes to make you feel more proactive in the encounter, to inspire some confidence in you. Learns to read you well within minutes, and he’s creative, playful, very conscious of the trust you offer, it’s an overall perfect encounter that you feel you had just as much part in as he did, even though he subtly led you through it all with that vast treasure of experience he has.

Copia

It will drive him a little bit insane, I won’t lie, knowing that he’ll be your first. He’s aware virginity is a tool of patriarchy but also– fuck. It is hot that you trust him to take such good care of you. A lot of talking will happen, constant question if you are feeling okay, if what he’s doing feels good, if you want more or if it’s too much etc., and it is for his own reassurance more so than your own. He might be more nervous about this than you are to be honest, the sheer horror of potentially ruining your first impressions of it. But through it all you will feel comfortable, because despite the nerves on both ends he does not make you feel inexperienced but rather worshipped, like he wants to make sure that all the stars in the sky are sparkling behind your eyes when he finally makes you come. He is so into you, so so into you, the best thing about it is how heavily he reacts to your body, knowing you’ve never been touched this way before. You’ll feel high on the pleasure you’re providing him, drunk on the reciprocity of it all.

Perpetua

He’d be into it, I think, like really into it. It’s not that he really cares about body counts (in that context lol) but there is something about the fact you’re facing the unknown with him that is just exciting. He’d be frantically trying to make this a good experience, one you’ll want to come back to because he doesn’t do casual, really, and once he feels you he will want more. So he’ll be holding back, give you just enough, at first, but you wouldn’t be here if you were a coward, let’s be honest, he’s not exactly the approachable cute guy from next door. So, he’d be delighted to hear you begging for more once you’ve tasted a hint of pleasure. If you’re responding to it I think he would be a little mocking, not in a mean way, but trying to coax more out of you and make you see how good he feels and how nice it is to let go. “You can take more, baby, can’t you? Let me fuck you harder?” and you’d scream yes because really you can TELL he is holding back. He likes it passionate, he said, well, it will be passionate and there is no way you won’t be crawling back for more.

Soooo, I suppose you can decide now what you’d be into the most, I would be interested to know <3

[sunskisser]

Hey! I love the idea of your Christmas sleepover! So fun!!

I was wondering if I could make a request for ‘cookies’ with either poly!marauders (or just James if it’s easier) taking care of a sick reader?

I hope you’re doing well 🥰

thank youuu i’m so glad you think it’s fun! i hope you’re doing well too 🥰 thank you for the cute request, here are your cookies! 🍪💕

headcanons for poly!marauders x sick reader

Sirius would definitely worry his ass off. as soon as he hears even a small sniffle from you, he’s going into full-on panic mode

he’d be super proactive about it, bringing you blankets and tissues and whatever else you need the minute you ask for it. it’s like he’s suddenly your self-appointed caretaker, your wellbeing his responsibility and your sickness his fault

random but i think acts of service is just how Sirius shows his love. he’ll do anything to help you feel better

he’d try to hide the concern behind quips, like, “You minx, is this your way of telling us that you want princess treatment?” while he peppers kisses all over your face

James would be all over you (in a good way) but he’d also be the one trying to reassure Sirius that you’re fine, when he’s internally panicking the fuck out (but he’s much better at hiding it, the people pleaser)

i don’t know why this has turned into an analysis of their love languages haha but to me this boy is so physical touch!! he would make you lay your head in his lap and brush his fingers through your hair

he would just completely dote on you. like he’s affectionate on a daily basis but this is on another level; with loads of forehead and nose kisses (he and Sirius would compete over who gets to kiss you next)

James would sing you lullabies his mom used to sing to him to get you to sleep

Remus would be the most perceptive one; he’d know exactly what you need to get better (because he knows you and also he’s smart asf)

he’d gently push you to do things which will help you, like inhaling steam and drinking hot soup. when you’re stubborn, he’ll murmur reassurances until you listen, and all the boys would give you kisses as a reward when you’re done

he would sit next to you while you sleep, and stay up all night so he can periodically check your temperature and give you meds

when Sirius tries to sneak you some chocolate, Remus would berate him and then take it for himself. he’d still give you a small piece after looking at your puppy eyes though

he would also coax you into visiting the doctor if it gets bad. James would hold your hand throughout, Sirius would be telling you how brave you are and giving you small kisses, and Remus would go over everything with the doctor when you don’t have the energy to communicate

overall, Remus would just be super responsible for not just you; but everyone. he’d make sure James and Sirius are sleeping well, and (lovingly) force them to take care of themselves too

san's christmas sleepover

[iceyiceice]

in my opinion, being an artist has very little to do about the finished result

just here to yap as someone who has only been consistently, and proactively, practising and learning art for a year to say that being an artist, in my opinion, isn’t really about the end product

being an artist is brave. sitting in front of a blank piece of paper or a blank screen and daring to create is badass. starting a drawing, a painting, a comic strip, a gif, an edit or going out with your camera when you know you probably won’t be happy with the result is not only brave but shows immense commitment to work towards what you want.

the idea that some people are good at art and others aren’t is so silly to me. sure, there are some objective markers about art, for instance, with drawing people there are features that make people recognisable, there’s proportions to get ‘right’ and there’s ways of setting out a page that pleases the eye but if this is the kind of art you’re aiming for, it takes practise. just like building a muscle at the gym.

art isn’t all about these objective factors either, it also about the emotion it illicits, or you may have an art style that isn’t about being “correct” or true to life.

really what i think art is about it actually spending your time, creating, even when you know you’re not where you want to be yet.

no artist that understands this would ever put another artist down, whether directly or indirectly.

i’m tired and this probably isn’t the most cohesive post but i just wanted to share what’s been playing on my mind.

[accio-victuuri]

xiao zhan - iqiyi SBMS interview transcript 🎤

I uploaded the first part of it but it’s like 9 mins long on iqiyi. but here’s the whole Q&A portion. 🤍

hello friends of iqiyi drama, i am xiao zhan!

do you have a character traits of shengyang that you really like?

brave and fearless of difficulties, very positive, very sunny, i think he is very much like the person around everyone. i like this trait in him, like an ordinary person but it’s not just an ordinary person because of his ability in withstand pressure and his longing for a better life, his positive and upward attitude, his positive energy, he won’t be knocked down, not quite like an ordinary office worker when they feel being overwhelmed by the burden of work and life. that’s what attracts me.

everyone said that your interpretation of shengyang makes people feel no sense of distance, like someone you would meet at the subway station after get off work

that’s great. that means i have achieved the goal.

shengyang is xiao zhan in parallel universe. when interpreting this character, do you have a little habit you gave him?

actually, i am particularly afraid that others may say that— xiao zhan is shengyang in parallel time and space because this will make it easy for audience incorporate xiao zhan traits into the characters. but what i’m actually trying to say is — he has some experience in life that xiao zhan once had, similar places but actually when i was acting i will play him more outwardly, be more proactive but actually for myself i am relatively introverted person in my life so when playing him i will deliberately awaken all my positive energy. get up in the morning and give yourself some snail noodles.

the scenes where shengyang and jian bing ate snail noodles, did you improvise that?

right, that was not included in the script. it’s just bai jie is really powerful, because she is natural, very professional, so many times i act with her on set. so this one is actually, i just told her that i said “your mouth is dirty, would you like to wipe it?” so she said “you also have it on your mouth” but i don’t think there is anything on my lips, she said “there…there” so i said “ahh this is my mole” so this is entirely auspicious.

everyone says that shengyang is a “pure love warrior”. what do you think of the relationship between shengyang and jian bing

just like a line from my drama, independent from each other, no guessing, no limitation. i think these two are very independent personalities, colliding together.

when shengyang was pursuing his sister, there was no routine, the main focus is only sincerity. in your opinion which moment shengyang has entered his sister’s heart?

the scene where i took her to the rooftop. i think that was the turning point. although i watched it myself, when reading the script i would also think that shengyang is a bit lacking in vision. just take her with you and shout out whatever he say, make people shout out (out of blue) but i think this is also the characteristic of shengyang. he just very valuable, and if he feels you are unhappy then he will find a way to make you happy. if you think too much maybe it’s not shengyang anymore.

in your opinion, what are shengyang’s advantages in the blind date market?

i really don’t know about this. i have never had a blind date before

for example, he can provide emotional value to others, his work ability and survivability are also very strong, etc..

aren’t you finished talking about this? i think it’s possible that he respects others, i think he will think from a different perspective and then he will respect everyone.

can you share with us the scene where the children are led to shoot the commercial in the rain?

there are many children on site. you act with children together, you can’t put yourself in a position as an adult, if you use such a position to shoot with them, you will be torn apart and the children won’t listen to you. you need to turn yourself into a friend too. i will go talk to them, tell them that so on the set i was one of your big friends and then we will play together on site. don’t put too much pressure on them. i think this a state where the director is very skilled. i think it’s not just for shengyang. for each character the director uses a very beautiful lenses and lighting and then go tell a shoot. so i think this is where director xiao fei is very powerful.

do you have any small movements you designed for shengyang?

actually, sunshine by my side is a drama that flows through life. at the beginning, i was also very nervous when i was taking on this drama because i think how do you want to act as an ordinary person in life and then make everyone feel like they are not acting anymore. this is actually very difficult so the designing small actions is often the instinctive response, so i didn’t specifically say what i want to design but rather take natural reactions in the present moment.

what do you think is the secret that keeps shengyang energetic all the time?

actually, i don’t think there’s is any secret. the secret is to live like every person at work and we do it every day, even during my previous internship, i was also very tired. but when you get home, lie down and think about it. why you have to work, because it’s how life is right? so the next day i had to cheer myself up and then work harder. i see many people saying, why can’t shengyang have a golden fingers, can’t you just open a hook? i want to say, that in fact, most people in real life are like this.

can you share with us a lot of fun scenes with your parents in the drama this time?

actually, i really enjoy every scene with them. i feel very relaxed with the two teachers. the house that built is really like my childhood home, it’s look packed and old but in fact, it’s really comfortable. at first glance, it looks like meijuan and lao sheng really carefully took care of this house, so it would make me play with two teachers in that environment. i am very relaxed, i don’t have to think about many distractions, how am i supposed to act, how do i react. it seems like i live there with my parents. what are we going to do in this scene, we just need to remember one main purpose, many details follow your emotions, just follow the flows. it feels extremely great.

everyone says that shengyang is a cute sandwich snack. is there anything you want to respond to this?

when we were reading the script, including when we were filming, i think this is what happens to every family. including like me, xiao zhan himself. my parents also quarrel, and after the quarrel they would also call me because you can’t see each other at the time so just call each other and you are there to judge. i think, how can i judge this? each of them are sticks to their own view, and would said they had their own reason. so i can only mediate them in the middle, i would said “you guys calm down a bit” and said is it worth arguing over such a small matter, right? actually, it’s just like shengyang in the drama

is there any little wisdom you and shengyang learned about being sons?

just have a sweet mouth. have a sweeter one to coax on both sides.

do you think “romantic” is a label on him?

i think he is a person who is both practical and romantic. for example, he will do his best to create some surprises, like when he take jian bing to the rooftop, send her snail noodle. some of the more life-likes details which may not be as similar as some of the movies and tv dramas we have seen before, scene that creates a particularly romantic and large gift but i think this is actually adding a little bit to life.

is there any of shengyang daily outfits in the drama that you personally like more?

hoodie. because i wear those also in my daily life.

there is a kiwi character who appears frequently in the drama. everyone says that this character saved Shengyang’s life?

when we tried it on before i also asked myself, will this shirt appear many times? but later on we will discuss with the director. actually, we are based on character’s living environment. starting from his family environment and his upbringing environment. i think it’s important not to give everyone a lot of beautiful looks, just to say it add to the clothing design of shengyang because i don’t think it’s practical. in fact, his family background is not really that good. i remember when i used to go to work, i used to wear the most comfortable clothes just to make everyone believe.

this time you are filming in chongqing. did it benefit everyone a lot? what are the local delicacies in chongqing?

i am sending a lot of delicious chongqing food recommendations to everyone. as a result, they are just told me that “you are not longer good at this” this is no longer popular in chongqing now. i said i haven’t been back for a long time and it has already been updated, and replaced . instead, it becomes someone else who giving me recommendations of what delicious now.

snail noodles appears many times in this drama, we would like to ask teacher xiao zhan if he has changed his mind to snail noodle now?

it smells so good. so it was used when i was young and reckless. i think snail noodle is delicious. it stinks and tastes good.

have you acquired any interesting new skills recently?

sometimes i play tennis when i have free time, use my vacation time to go surfing. i think surfing for the first time was really great, it’s very refreshing.

do you have anything to say to the audience who enjoy sunshine by my side?

I hope everyone can feel the sincerity of our drama sunshine by my side as we want to make a very heart-warming drama, maybe it didn’t have a very catchy plots but it will warms you and give you some strength.

-END.

[daisys-reality]

Hello i saw your post for general reading is open, my question is if i will have sucess in career singing and acting? I have not started

My inicials are SB

Thanks

will you have success with a singing and acting career? 🦾🍎🪃

hello @selene-destiny-201 🤍🌹 I will do reading for you but regardless what I get, remember that this is just based on the current energy. You can manifest the success and happiness you want with any career. Check out the law of assumption if you haven't heard of it before! Now that we talked about that let's get straight into your reading...

Well, to me it seems like a big maybe. I can see that you are able to reach success and stability in a singing and acting career but you would have to make a few sacrifices or rather adjustments for that which I’m not quite sure you're willing to make. I can also see that you have the necessary creativity and the ability to think innovatively. If you were to go down that career path, there are a few potential issues you would have to deal with or things you would need to keep in mind though: 

1) Acting upon your dreams. Having some kind of strategy, being brave and doing some bold actions while having a firm and just mindset. Not losing focus. Seeing the opportunities around you and being proactive.

2) Using your intelligence and being responsible with and committed to your decisions. Also, having to deal with the potential consequences. 

3) Having to deal with conflicting interests and getting pulled in multiple directions (trying to manage your career, relationships, family, health etc.) all at the same time, perhaps neglecting important things (time with loved ones/family) just because of your career - setting priorities will be necessary for a healthier outcome.

4) Having to put in a lot of hard work + being diligent + always willing to learn new skills while also honing your current skills. 

5) You would have to undergo some changes in your work or education (which might not be easy) for the sake of improving your circumstances for the better - So, it will be important to think long term, to keep being ambitious but also patient while enduring the not so successful/hard times.

6) Having to keep going and not giving up even while experiencing crushing failure, burnout, betrayal/backstabbing or other things that bring you to your knees. And also not making yourself into a martyr or being consumed by wrath, bitterness or the desire for revenge because of it!

[coolrahulsarin]

'She's brilliant': Mary Earps inspires girls to choose goalkeeper gloves | Women's Football

New Post has been published on https://bestcustomjerseys.com/shes-brilliant-mary-earps-inspires-girls-to-choose-goalkeeper-gloves-womens-football/

'She's brilliant': Mary Earps inspires girls to choose goalkeeper gloves | Women's Football

D.uring a soccer game at her elementary school’s after-school club, six-year-old Laura Setchfield decided she wanted to go to goal. “I really don’t know why, I just thought it looked like fun to throw myself out there,” she says. After a game of diving for the ball and getting cheers from her teammates when she stopped it, Laura was hooked. “The moment I started playing I was like, yeah, this is definitely for me. I really enjoyed it a lot and basically never looked back.”

Laura, now 17, is a goalkeeper in the West Bridgford Colts women’s first team, the same club English goalkeeper Mary Earps played for early in her football career. “It’s a great privilege to play for a team with that legacy,” says Laura. “To have had the best goalkeeper in the world playing for your club is quite an achievement.”

Earps’ remarkable performance at the Women’s World Cup (and her being named FIFA World’s Best Women’s Goalkeeper in 2022) has not only made her former club proud. “She’s brilliant,” says Jamie Greaves, director of the South London Women’s Football Academy. “When goalkeepers are good, it gives defenders the confidence to be more courageous because they’re not thinking about ‘just blocking the goal, just staying close to the goal.’

“The England defenders were brave at times, and I think that’s because Earps gave those players the confidence to come out and be more proactive against her,” he says. “She has opened the doors for people to see what an exciting position it is.”

Laura in action for West Bridgford Colts in a friendly match against Sherwood, which her team won 4-3. Photography: Fabio De Paola/The Guardian

Earps played in all seven of England’s World Cup matches in Australia and New Zealand, and despite being crowned goalkeeper for the tournament, she was the subject of ridicule and criticism on social media.

“I’ve seen things on social media of people banding together to make the goals smaller and that makes me very angry…just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I can’t defend a goal that’s the same size as the goal. Men’s. We can do just as well, if not better, and we have shown it by winning the Eurocup”, says Laura.

Scott Clay, West Bridgford Colts women’s first team coach and a former goalkeeper, says goalkeepers are often the target of more criticism, and even ridicule, because they are “easy targets” to blame when things don’t go as planned. This is particularly true for women.

“Goalkeepers are absolutely the last line of defense,” she says, “and sometimes it’s a very thankless task… Women are told they aren’t tall enough to give them smaller goals. For me, the beauty of football is that it is so accessible to everyone. The goal is the goal, the field is the field and everyone plays the same game.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Earps has changed the landscape of goalkeeping, he says. “I don’t see how she wouldn’t have inspired a new generation of young goalkeepers. There are many young girls who now ask their parents to give them a pair of goalkeeper gloves”.

When Laura’s team watched the final together, she says she was “very nervous” for Earps, but marveled at the technical skills of all the players. “It must be very stressful… being in goal is a very different position. You’re more alone, so the pressure she felt must have been immense.

Mary Earps in action during the Women’s World Cup final against Spain. Photograph: Damian Briggs/Speed ​​Media/Shutterstock

“Seeing them on the field is very inspiring. It makes us all want to improve a lot. Mary Earps is very skilled at everything she does, even going out to catch centers. That inspired me a lot and I thought, ‘Okay, I need to get better at this.’ I will watch her all the time and see how she does it, because the way everyone does everything is perfect and very well practiced,” she says.

The success of the Earps has given goalkeepers the ability to say, “Look, we can be technically great if we have the right training and facilities,” says Laura. “We’re still recovering from that 50-year ban.”

He adds: “When I started playing in the RTCs (regional talent clubs), the boys trained in the men’s training camp, while I have trained in a quarter field most of my life. At (Nottingham) Forest, I had to change in a bin with broken lights before a game.

“I hope these issues get out there more so that there is more pressure and things start to change and more girls are inspired to play.” When asked if she sees herself playing for the Lionesses in the future, she replies: “Hopefully one day. It would be great”.

#Shes #brilliant #Mary #Earps #inspires #girls #choose #goalkeeper #gloves #Womens #Football

[jackoshadows]

@nogoodsheepstealing-greatgrandma 

I didn’t want to derail or hijack your Dany post, so decided to make a separate post to what I think is an interesting discussion. 

As I have mentioned in some of my earlier posts, I find Sansa to be a confusing mess mainly because the character herself does not introspect, does not think, does not connect dots, does not proactively try to figure things out.

Which is why it’s doubly frustrating that the same hypocrites who are critiquing Daenerys and Jon for their leadership will write praises of Sansa’s intelligence and political acumen when she is the least political of her peers and hardly ever engages in critical thinking.

And honestly, there’s only so much that age can be used as an excuse considering these are characters in a fantasy world where a 10 year old has been elected Lord Commander, teenagers rule as Kings and Queens and marry young. Dany and Jon have decided that they want to be leaders and so I judge them based on their actions and, despite their age, they have done a far better job than the likes of Cersei, Jaime, Robert, Ned, Cat etc. IMO.

One of the opinions I very much disagree with is the notion that Ned’s warning to Sansa or what Maester Coleman tells Sansa is vague and not understandable when, for me as reader, they come across as pretty succinct and clear in their intention. There’s also the fact that these warnings do not happen in a vacuum, there is always context for a character to put 2 and 2 together to come up with 4.

Here's Ned telling Sansa that it's dangerous for the Starks in KL

Father’s mouth twitched strangely. “Sansa, I’m not sending you away for fighting, though the gods know I’m sick of you two squabbling. I want you back in Winterfell for your own safety. Three of my men were cut down like dogs not a league from where we sit, and what does Robert do? He goes hunting.”

“Sweet one,” her father said gently, “listen to me. When you’re old enough, I will make you a match with a high lord who’s worthy of you, someone brave and gentle and strong. This match with Joffrey was a terrible mistake. That boy is no Prince Aemon, you must believe me.”

“I am looking for a fast trading galley to take you home. These days, the sea is safer than the kingsroad. You will sail as soon as I can find a proper ship, with Septa Mordane and a complement of guards … and yes, with Syrio Forel, if he agrees to enter my service. But say nothing of this. It’s better if no one knows of our plans. We’ll talk again tomorrow.” - Eddard, AGoT

To then add context to everything Ned tells her, Sansa herself is witness to Cersei ordering her beloved pet wolf dead, Joffrey's sadistic mauling of Mycah and knowing what Jaime did to Stark men. It's clear to me that it's not that Sansa did not understand Ned's warning about the Lannisters, it’s that she preferred to ignore it in favor of wanting to stay in KL, marry Joffrey and become queen because she imagined herself to be in love with him. It's ignorant self interest, where she deliberately refuses to see the bigger picture of what is happening around her despite knowing all the facts.

Let us take the SweetRobin situation in book 5. Keep in mind that the Maester here is Westeros' version of a physician. So this is a doctor - an expert in someone’s health - talking to Sansa. Surely Sansa should start with the presumption that this man knows more about a person’s health than either she or Littlefinger does, right? When I go to a doctor, I don’t have to be a medical expert in order to take the doctor’s advice right? And we don’t get any of Sansa’s thoughts on Coleman’s competence as a doctor.

When Jon Snow as Lord Commander implements  Jeor Mormont’s defense strategy for rebuilding the Wall it’s because he trusts in Mormont’s experience and knowledge. As much as Jon was opposed to Bowen Marsh’s bigotry, he appreciated Marsh’s skillsets as a steward.

And while Maester Coleman is indeed incompetent and too scared of authority he does care about helping his patients. It’s a sad parallel that Coleman tried to save Jon Arryn in KL (from LF and Lysa’s poisoning ) and failed and now he will fail to save the son  as well. Recall that Pycelle was of the opinion that Coleman could have saved Jon Arryn and that’s why he kicked him out of KL

Tyrion tsked at him. “I saw the tears of Lys among your potions. And you sent away Lord Arryn’s own maester and tended him yourself, so you could make certain that he died.”    

“A falsehood! Yes,” he whimpered, “yes, Colemon was purging, so I sent him away. The queen needed Lord Arryn dead, she did not say so, could not, Varys was listening, always listening, but when I looked at her I knew. It was not me who gave him the poison, though, I swear it.”

The old man wept. “Varys will tell you, it was the boy, his squire, Hugh he was called, he must surely have done it, ask your sister, ask her” - Tyrion, ACoK

Coming back to Coleman and Sansa, from their conversation it's clear that Sansa ignores the doctor's warnings about SweetRobin's health because she trusts Littlefinger to know better that the politics of their situation is more important than SR's health. It’s a case of Sansa putting LF’s guidance and advice above the Maester’s.

Maester Colemon cares only for the boy, though. Father and I have larger concerns” - Alayne, AFfC

Now there can be an entire separate discussion on why Sansa is doing this given everything she knows about Petyr Baelish so far - Lysa’s confession about Jon Arryn’s death, LF being the last person she knows had Jeyne Poole, his role in the murder of Joffrey and framing Tyrion etc. Given that Sansa never introspects on all this we have to assume she is once again deliberately ignoring the truths right in front of her for whatever reason.

This is also why it’s mind boggling when this fandom takes away Arya’s critical thinking skills to prop Sansa up as the smart Stark. At 9, Arya is able to rightly guess that Cersei would harm Nymeria for what she did to Joffrey and drives her away.

Only she kept following, and finally we had to throw rocks. I hit her twice. She whined and looked at me and I felt so ’shamed, but it was right, wasn’t it? The queen would have killed her.” - Arya, AGoT 

When Jaqen has Weese mauled by his dog, Arya is able to connect the dots and deduct that the supernatural is involved. Again, remember she is only 9/10 here.

She had been avoiding the Lorathi since Weese’s death. Chiswyck had been easy,  anyone could push a man off the wallwalk, but Weese had raised that  ugly spotted dog from a pup, and only some dark magic could have turned  the animal against him. Yoren found Jaqen in a black cell, the same as Rorge and Biter, she remembered. Jaqen did something horrible and Yoren knew, that’s why he kept him in chains. If the Lorathi was a wizard, Rorge and Biter could be demons he called up from some hell, not men at all  - Arya, ACoK

So is Sansa gleefully and maliciously having SR poisoned? No. Does Sansa care for SR's wellbeing here? Also no.

I write about how SR is most probably suffering from epileptic seizures in this post and the Maester's solution for this is to keep him as calm as possible. Excitement leads to shaking and seizures, which requires the Maester to dose the child with more SweetSleep, dangerous in the long term. For Sansa however, it is important that SweetRobin show up in front of the lords looking normal - even though the boy has a disabling condition.

So the doctor tells Sansa that to keep SR calm, he would dose him with the less dangerous milk of poppy. Sansa refuses because appearances are more important.

“Good. That is good.” His chain clinked softly as he bobbed his head, atop a ridiculously long and skinny neck. “This descent… my lady, it might be safest if I mixed his lordship some milk of the poppy. Mya Stone could lash him over the back of her most surefooted mule whilst he slumbered.” “The Lord of the Eyrie cannot descend from his mountain tied up like a sack of barleycorn.” Of that Alayne was certain. They dare not let the full extent of Robert’s frailty and cowardice become too widely known, her father had warned her. I wish he were here. He would know what to do. - Alayne, AFfC

No doubt the Maester is scared of LF (And is most probably going to be framed for SR's death by LF), and yet he perseveres to make Sansa understand that it's these feasts/events that's making SR have seizures requiring the sweetsleep.

“Give his lordship a cup of sweetmilk,” she told the maester. “That will stop him from shaking on the journey down.”

“He had a cup not three days past,” Colemon objected.

“And wanted another last night, which you refused him.”

“It was too soon. My lady, you do not understand. As I’ve told the Lord Protector, a pinch of sweetsleep will prevent the shaking, but it does not leave the flesh, and in time . . .”

“Time will not matter if his lordship has a shaking fit and falls off the mountain. If my father were here, I know he would tell you to keep Lord Robert calm at all costs.”

I try, my lady, yet his fits grow ever more violent, and his blood is so thin I dare not leech him any more. Sweetsleep… you are certain he was not bleeding from the nose? I must speak to the Lord Protector. This feast… is that wise, I wonder, after the strain of the descent? Lord Robert mislikes strangers, you know that, and there will be drinking, noise… music. Music frightens him”

“Lord Nestor will have no singers at the feast, only flutes and fiddles for the dancing.” What would she do when the music began to play? It was a vexing question, to which her heart and head gave different answers. Sansa loved to dance, but Alayne… “Just give him a cup of the sweetmilk before we go, and another at the feast, and there should be no trouble.” - Alayne, AFfC

Does the Maester explain the science behind how the drug works to Sansa? No. However, I think he makes it clear enough that the drug stays in the flesh and is dangerous to a person’s health.

And again, we know that Sansa understands what the Maester is telling her regarding the SweetSleep -

“Very well.” They paused at the foot of the stairs. “But this must be the last. For half a year, or longer.”

“You had best take that up with the Lord Protector.” Maester Colemon cares only for the boy, though. Father and I have larger concerns” - Alayne, AFfC

Then at the end of this same chapter, Littlefinger has a monologue where he tells her why they are doing what they are doing.

He turned her hand over and lightly kissed her wrist. “So tell me, sweetling—why is Harry the Heir?”

Her eyes widened. “He is not Lady Waynwood’s heir. He’s Robert’s heir. If Robert were to die . . .”

Petyr arched an eyebrow. “When Robert dies. Our poor brave Sweetrobin is such a sickly boy, it is only a matter of time. When Robert dies, Harry the Heir becomes Lord Harrold, Defender of the Vale and Lord of the Eyrie. Jon Arryn’s bannermen will never love me, nor our silly, shaking Robert, but they will love their Young Falcon . . . and when they come together for his wedding, and you come out with your long auburn hair, clad in a maiden’s cloak of white and grey with a direwolf emblazoned on the back . . . why, every knight in the Vale will pledge his sword to win you back your birthright. So those are your gifts from me, my sweet Sansa . . . Harry, the Eyrie, and Winterfell. - Alayne, AFfC

This then leads to the sample TWoW chapter where Sansa as Alayne flirts with Harry the Heir so that they can get married.

So if Sansa expects SweetRobin to live long enough to marry, then why is she seducing Harry for him to offer to marry her when that depends on SweetRobin’s death?!

Which is why the conversation between Robert and Sansa is all sorts of ridiculous because even a sickly little 8 year old SR knows that Harry’s importance in all this depends on his death, Littlefinger has explained to her very clearly that SweetRobin will die and yet Sansa is talking about how his future wife will like his hair?!

If SR is going to live long enough to marry, than why is Sansa trying to marry Harry?

“I hate that Harry,” Sweetrobin said when she was gone. “He calls me  cousin, but he’s just waiting for me to die so he can take the Eyrie. He  thinks I don’t know, but I do.”

“Your lordship should not believe such nonsense,” Alayne said. “I’m sure Ser Harrold loves you well.” And if the gods are good, he will love me too. Her tummy gave a little flutter.

“He doesn’t,” Lord Robert insisted. “He wants my father’s castle, that’s all, so he pretends.”

He does have pretty hair. If the gods are good and he lives long  enough to wed, his wife will admire his hair, surely. That much she will  love about him.- Alayne, TWoW

This is why context is important and the Maester’s conversation does not exist in a vacuum. LF has told Sansa that SR needs to die for their plan to work and WILL die, SweetRobin has told her that Harry is waiting for him to die to get the Vale and the Maester has warned her that giving SR high doses of the drug is dangerous. After all this, how is Sansa going to be surprised by his death? That would be like being surprised when told that 2+2=4.

Six books in and Sansa remains a character who continues to ignore the truths in front of her for selfish reasons. That’s been a consistent character trait for her, from book one to her first chapter in book 6.

So is Sansa actively colluding with LF’s gradual medical poisoning of her little cousin in order for Harry to become the Lord of the Vale? Surely, in the back of her mind she must be aware of what is happening? However, it’s an unpleasant truth, one she does not want to acknowledge and chooses to ignore because it’s more important for her that LF’s plans to get Winterfell for her succeeds.

Does she care for her little cousin’s well being? No. Despite the Maester repeatedly telling her that the drug is dangerous to his health, she thinks the politics are more important.  

Remember in Sansa’s very first POV chapter with Arya and Mycah playing at the Trident and Joffrey showcases himself to be a sadistic ass?

Sansa was shrieking, “No, no, stop it, stop it, both of you, you’re spoiling it,” - Sansa I, AGoT

That’s her primary character trait. She is written as a character who does not want the unpleasant truths to spoil her personal narratives of Joffrey being a good person or Arya being responsible for Lady’s death or Cersei knowing better than her father or that SweetRobin is going to live long enough to marry a wife who will love his hair.

So we can either read Sansa as someone who is incredibly dense, who despite being presented with all the facts before her, still does not understand SweetRobin’s fate - when even 8 year old SweetRobin knows that Harry is just waiting for him to die. Or we can read her as someone who selfishly ignores the truth in front of her because it’s so unsavory and ‘spoils’ her idea of what she thinks is good and right and moral. In that, she knows that SR has to die and will die and yet keeps pretending that he’s going to be fine.

And both of these interpretations are in stark contrast with how Sansa is generally viewed in this fandom as being the smartest, most intelligent, most compassionate, idealistic ‘embodiment of hope’. She’s none of these things.

[curiousb]

The Bingley Family Album: Volume VIII

Here’s one I should have posted earlier...

Straight after graduation, Samuel is all set to start his new life with Nancy, but she has other ideas... She’s tired of being played for a fool, and gives him his marching orders! (It’s the first time I’ve seen @lazyduchess​’s ‘Autonomous Break-up’ mod in action, but it really was about time for these two to call it a day.)

Samuel’s stats:

~ Pisces 8 / 9 / 6 / 6 / 9

~ Brave / Friendly / Never Nude / Social Butterfly / Supernatural Skeptic

~ OTH: Science

~ Favourite Colour(s): Orange

~ Aspiration: Fortune / Popularity

~ Turn-ons / -off: +Well-Liked / +Foodie / -Unique

~ Major: Political Science (3.9)

~ LTW: Own a Top Business

With his personal life in tatters, Samuel moves back home with his parents, just in time to celebrate little brother Nathan’s birthday. Nathan of course has invited his best friend William to the party - quite what William’s big brother Thomas has done that could be the subject of gossip for two small boys, I really cannot fathom.

Nathan’s teen stats:

~ Libra 6 / 8 / 6 / 2 / 10

~ Friendly / Athletic / Neat / Can’t Stand Art

~ OTH: Fitness

~ Favourite Colour(s): Red / Blue

~ Aspiration: Popularity / Romance

~ Turn-ons / -off: +Athletic / +Well-Liked / -Occult

Look, Mr Reaper, why do you always choose kids’ birthdays to show up and take their pet away?! Goodbye, Suki. 😥

Charles and Jane are becoming concerned that Samuel seems to be drifting since graduation. He spends most of his time hanging about at home, in his PJs. Of course they’re happy to have him home, but really would like to see him start being a bit more proactive.

So, he makes the decision to invite a few friends from uni round to hang out. I’m not sure it’s quite what his parents had in mind when they were encouraging him to start making some plans for his life.

He also takes steps to get his love life back on track. Henrietta is supremely unimpressed with his boasting about how rich he is going to be one day (when he can be bothered to get off the sofa).

And Isabella - despite having a strained relationship with fiancé Ambrose - doesn’t appreciate his advances either. Better luck next time, Samuel!

[nequittezpaswrites]

I would love to know more about how you came about developing Diana as an OC. Was it plot first, then character development? Or did Diana help the plot develop?

I’m just so curious!— I often have a hard time getting into OC-centric fics because I sometimes can’t connect with the OC, but I find myself very intrigued by Diana. She’s the type of character I’d obsess over making moodboards and Pinterest boards for. 😂

This is a fun question! I hope you’ll forgive the lengthy response.

What came first was the talent, actually.

Inter Vivos began life as an Aro x OC fic, and I wanted to create a character with a talent which would draw him in, in particular. The idea of a talent for influencing people sprang to mind immediately. Originally, I thought about making Diana a vampire to begin with--but the problem is that any vampire with sense who had that kind of talent would probably do their best to stay well away from the Volturi.

So, the OC had to start out human. She also had to be in a position where she would be noticed by Aro and the Volturi, without being eaten. So she had to stumble on the secret, but there had to be a compelling reason why she couldn’t just be killed or turned right away.

With these constraints, investigating a loved one’s mysterious death in Volterra came to mind immediately as the opening for the story, and it demanded a certain sort of character: someone suspicious enough to worry immediately; someone proactive and clever enough to track her loved one down; someone brave enough to walk into almost certain danger in order to save her loved one; and someone cunning enough to put together fail-safes that would, if not guarantee her safety, at least guarantee serious repercussions if anything were to happen to her.

Diana’s character unfurled from there. The story was initially going to be pretty straightforward--Diana striking the bargain for time, then doing her best to hate Aro as she slowly gets to know him, failing, and ultimately romance ensues. The hybrid pregnancy plot did not exist at all.

Diana’s character shaped the plot very significantly from there. For one thing, she’s a little too similar to Aro to make for good romance, at least in my opinion. They’re both cunning and curious and share a lot of the same values. That made it hard to come up with good conflict beyond “you ate my sister.”

(Aro, for his part, is inherently difficult to write a romance with, because when you’ve seen every thought everyone’s ever had immediately upon meeting them, it’s easy to make judgments about who you like and who you don’t like. I don’t subscribe to love at first sight, but for Aro it does seem likely that he would experience love at first touch. And while I could have written a story where Aro fell in love immediately and had to slowly woo an extremely reluctant Diana, that isn’t the sort of romance I’m interested in writing. Also, CarnivorousMuffin and Vinelle’s meta and fics have convinced me that Aro is mostly gay for Carlisle, and I’m now incapable of shipping him with anyone else.)

With the pairing that inspired the story originally in tatters, I scrambled for candidates to salvage this as a romance. Writing the Volturi is difficult because, aside from Aro, the rest of them have very, very few lines.

I narrowed down the candidates to Marcus and Demetri. Once the hybrid pregnancy plot was involved (which was a natural extension of the political situation), Demetri was out. We get very little from him in canon, but he does come across as very polite and dutiful, and thus not inclined to hit on a woman who is basically royalty and thus above his station. That left Marcus, who already had an edge because while he only says like two sentences in canon, he has a solid backstory from which his character can be extrapolated. And that extrapolated character is different enough from Diana for me to work with.

TL;DR: The kernel of a plot gave me Diana’s character, which then imploded the planned plot and forced me to rewrite the whole thing.

[shihalyfie]

What Crest-related trait do you think is each of the Main 12’s weakest?

Sorry for taking so long on this! I had to really sit down and think about this one really hard, because there's a lot of nuances to unpack and I had to spend some time thinking about it. I really, really appreciate the fact you specified "weakest" and not something like "worst" or "absent" because, really, these kids were all good kids who probably had all of the relevant traits to some degree, it's just that certain ones are stronger than others, or, perhaps a better way to put it, certain ones are ones they prioritize in life more than others.

Full details under the cut!

Taichi: I'm gonna go with Kindness for this one, and in that I mean its more literal definition of "gentleness". Because Taichi's definitely a nice kid who cares about others, but the part about being soft with others (and especially with, uh, certain fragile objects too)...maybe not so much. He mellows out a lot between Adventure and 02, but he's still more on the rough side in general.

Yamato: Faith (or however you want to translate Jou's at this point), not necessarily because Yamato doesn't have loyalty to others, but because the Crest implication has to do with loyalty to things like honor codes and kept promises, which Yamato, who's more of an id-based person, doesn't really live by as much.

Sora: Purity, mainly because of its nuance of being true to one's own feelings and not having malice or subversive intentions, and Sora's the one with the most complicated tendency to not be honest with herself (about herself) or to not really be sure about her own motives for doing things.

Koushirou: Probably Love, specifically going by the literal meaning "affection". I mean, Koushirou loves other people and all that, but his way of showing that isn't necessarily something that you would call particularly doting or in much of a soft manner.

Mimi: Possibly Courage; of course, Adventure is mostly about her gaining more resolve to stand up against difficult odds, but although she certainly becomes better at handling it, even all the way to 02 she'd obviously prefer pacifist solutions and is most emotionally affected by adversity.

Jou: Possibly Friendship. Not because he doesn't cherish his friends, of course! But taking the nuance of Friendship in terms of "camaraderie and choosing to leave things in others' hands when necessary", Jou has the strongest sense of desire to be able to do things independently, sometimes to the point of taking too many burdens onto himself.

Takeru: Purity, no question about it. Kid has an unfortunate penchant for being the most dishonest about his own feelings, to the point it's ambiguous how much he even understands his own feelings in the situation.

Hikari: Hikari is tricky because her behavior varies between when it's something about herself versus when it's something to do with others, because in the latter case she'll be plenty assertive, brave, and proactive, but when it's about herself she suddenly finds herself unable to do anything. Given that, I would say it's arguably Friendship in a sense -- because she struggles with coming to terms with the idea of relying on others and trusting them with her feelings.

Daisuke: Probably Knowledge. I know this might get taken as "because he's an idiot", but it's not meant this way; it's because Knowledge is mainly assigned the nuance of "wanting to know more", which Daisuke isn't really. In general, he dislikes overthinking things more than is necessary, and is satisfied with what he has to work with. Not that he enjoys being ignorant, but he lives by the philosophy of "better to not think about unnecessary things".

Ken: Possibly Hope, as someone who's seen the deep end and is still climbing out of it. I mean, of course, the point is that the 02 group helps him have a bit more of it, but even during Diablomon Strikes Back he's the first to start considering "it's over..."

Miyako: I'd say probably Courage, as someone who's one of the first to emotionally panic and freak out the moment things really look like they're about to go south. Perhaps you could say it's the same reason as Mimi.

Iori: Love. Again, considering that the literal definition of the word is "affection", and Iori...affection...uh...well...yeah. (He's still on his way to figuring that part out.)

[keets-writing-corner]

Oscar is an underrated badass

Can we just talk about how awesome Oscar is? This post might get long so I’m going to do a cut

Ignoring the fact alone that the first time we met him was right when some rando started talking in his head telling him to go to Haven and Oscar had the audacity to say “Bruh no! That’s crazy!” and it took a while for Ozpin to wear him down, Oscar has done some pretty brave things throughout the show. 

Like, at first they’re pretty small things in comparison to our main protagonists who are out there literally fighting monsters. First thing Oscar ever does (besides having enough spine to tell Magic-Head-Voice NO) is freaking leave his home and entire life behind all on a whim of a voice that his aunt can’t even hear. It’s not until he meets Qrow that all this crazy conspiracy proves itself to be true and that he’s not completely crazy, and that Ozpin is in fact real. Maybe it’s the homebody-introvert in me, but that’s pretty terrifying, especially when you had nothing to go on but the word of some dude you never met before just showing up in his head. 

Second scary thing that again might be my introvert head rearing was when he knocked on the door of team RNJR’s place, and held his ground when everyone was immediately hostile towards him. This boy had heard of huntmen and huntresses, saw a room full of them, all of them standing up aggressively towards him and didn’t even flinch. All he did was, as politely as possible, point out that ummm heyyyy so there’s this blackout drunk dude with me right now and uh maybe put him to bed or something. 

And again, from an introvert perspective, the entirety of volume 5 was an introvert nightmare. Oscar is stuck at this house with people he doesn’t know, talking about things he doesn’t understand. Everyone is friends with each other, and even friends with the freaking voice in his head, EXCEPT HIM. Even scarier, these are all people Oscar idolizes given how he was a bit starstruck being around them initially. Oscar is a polite bean, so he doesn’t exactly make it obvious, but it’s very clearly there. And he sticks around anyways because it’s what he feels is right. 

You heard about picking your fights? Oscar decided that his first real fight would be with a highly acclaimed huntsman who was the headmaster of a HUNTSMEN academy. He just casually decided to do that after learning that Leo sold everyone out. And let’s not forget that it took Ozpin forcibly taking control to stop Oscar from trying to fight a real life Tank-Man. I honestly don’t think that Ozpin was picking Oscar’s opponents for him. 

AND THEN WE GET TO VOLUME 6. Ozpin is being paranoid and vague with everyone, so Oscar decides to put his foot down and literally fights Ozpin while he’s in control in order to help the team. I don’t know how many vertebrae that boy has in his spine, but holy freezing popsicle sticks, Oscar just decided that uh no, he was gonna fight against the man who had lived thousands of years through countless lifetimes, who uprooted his life, and could in fact take control of Oscar’s own body. Like MY BOY WHERE DID YOU GET A SPINE LIKE THAT CUZ I NEED ONE. 

The rest of the volume for Oscar was kind of dedicated to him deciding what sort of person he wanted to be despite that he would soon lose himself to Ozpin, which honestly, that in it of itself is pretty cool, BUT special shout-out to JNR’s reaction and Oscar not once panicking or freaking out. Was he very alarmed and scared of Jaune’s reaction? Absolutely, but he still stood his ground. 

Volume 7, Oscar was kind of hidden in the background for a lot of it, but he still had quite a few moments of “Yeah sure, I’ll give advice to ADULTS, no wait scratch that THE HEAD OF THE ACADEMY AND MILITARY” which is pretty great, but his shout out moment is at the end of Volume 7 (of course) when despite being badly beaten by Neo, being exhausted, and losing the Lamp, Oscar STILL went to go talk to Ironwood alone in the hopes that he’d be able to fix things despite everything Ironwood had done. I’m honestly in the boat that it takes more courage to be optimistic and hopeful in the face of negativity and doom than it does to just be practical. Of course it doesn’t work out, and Oscar falls down to Mantle, and like still never panics ONCE.

And then Volume 8, the literal entire reason I wanted to write this. Oscar gets KIDNAPPED by Ozpin’s violent Ex, imprisoned, mistreated and TORTURED, and how does this boy react? “mmm Imma mess with Ozpin’s ex since we’re here”. And what does that get him? Literally he was already escaping BY HIMSELF when Yang, Jaune and Ren showed up to “rescue” him. Oscar could’ve been the damsel in distress. He could’ve been the proactive damsel in distress that ultimately fails to escape. He could’ve just been spitefully quiet in the face of Salem. He could’ve chosen that in fact, no, he doesn’t actually owe Ozpin anything, and especially not such cold-blooded torture and just give Salem what she wanted (I mean this would’ve been really out of character unless he just cracked or something, but it’s still an option he had). BUT NO. Oscar decides “Screw it, we’re here on her creepy whale. Let’s see how she likes it when I mess with her the way she does with Ozpin” 

Oscar is so self sufficient it’s incredible. But he’s also so full of like small badass moments that have accumulated into straight up heroic moments that I really just want to give this boy a medal and a spa-WEEK cuz huuuuuuuuuu he has not slept since volume 7 and that boy needs those ZZZs

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

Aren't Hogwarts Houses about what you value above other qualities, not so much about what you are? That's why Hermione is Gryffindor: she thinks that being "brave"(proactive?) is more important than intelligence. Like, if you are intelligent but value hard work above "natural talent", you're in Hufflepuff. And yes, people are complicated as in 'some amount of ambitious, brave, hardworking/loyal, smart/creative' but they usually can prioritize what they think is the most important quality.

For reference, I believe anon is referencing my utter lack of respect for the sorting hat. See here, here, and here. It’s no secret that I think the sorting hat is utterly ridiculous and am surprised anyone takes it seriously.

But enough of my anti-sorting crusade.

So, to answer your question, after some thought I’m honestly not sure. I have arguments for both sides of the table.

As you note, rather than be put in Ravenclaw, Hermione is put into Gryffindor. I believe we’re told she’s offered a choice, or it’s so ingrained in fanon that I’m misremembering things, and we can assume that Hermione values nobility and bravery over her thirst for knowledge.

This is true, but at the same time, I’d say Hermione actually is more of a Gryffindor than a Ravenclaw. Hermione is disturbingly self-righteous and more than having a thirst for knowledge has a desire to prove herself and be the smartest person in the room. Hermione does find lots of things fascinating, does a lot of research, and is generally always in the library but it’s often not curiosity for curiosity’s sake. She’s writing a thousand page essay (that was limited to five pages) because she wants to do the best she can on her homework. She’s doing research to help Harry figure out Hogwarts’ Mysterious Mystery. We don’t really see much of her learning for learning’s sake, it usually has a very clear purpose.

We also see Harry’s sorting, which was... weird.

Harry has to beg the hat not to be put in Slytherin. He has to argue long and hard. And yes, he gets the chance to argue, and yes he ultimately convinces the Sorting Hat to place him in Gryffindor but... Harry never wanted to be in Slytherin. He goes in chanting “not Slytherin” the second the hat’s on his head. He doesn’t want to be seen as cunning, ambitious, or any of Slytherin’s qualities. These qualities, in fact, repel him. The hat knows this the instant it’s on his head, and yet Harry is nearly placed there regardless.

To me, that screams that the hat first and foremost will place you on the qualities you possess, and then take into consideration where you want to go.

Further evidence of this is that most students are under the hat for a second. They don’t get a chance to voice their opinion or say what they want to be. Now, obviously, a lot of them have places they want to go and people they want to be. Draco Malfoy is sent to Slytherin because anything else would be a catastrophe, same with most the people in Slytherin. On the other hand, Draco fits in very well with Slytherin (just because he’s not good at being cunning doesn’t mean he doesn’t constantly try underhanded ploys).

Now, that said, we do see some diversity of thought in the houses. Neville desperately wishes to be noble and has to grow into leadership, at first he feels much more like a Hufflepuff. You have Luna Lovegood who is a true blue Ravenclaw in every way clashing with all of her roommates who seem to be people who just wish to be seen as smart out of the box thinkers. 

So, point being, I could be wrong, it could be about where you want to go and what you truly value vs. who you are. Maybe Harry’s sorting was so here because he was suffering from Tom in the Brain.

Though, given that Harry’s class is pretty much an even split among the houses, the sorting hat’s going to have to do some arranging to make sure the class is balanced. Given that Hufflepuff’s often... looked down upon, I suspect there are people who end up there even if they value intelligence more than hard work.

But who really knows.

That said, I still do think the hat is designed first and foremost for a human mind, which Renesmee does not have. So... she honestly could cause the hat to explode.

[fairycosmos]

hey, i have a sister who struggles with addiction. she moved out from our parents to my place when she turned 18, so that she could have some space and that her highs and lows wouldnt affect our younger siblings that much. but shes been going through a hard time for quite long now, which causes her to treat us around her like complete shit. her behaviour led into a pretty bad argument, which led to me driving her to our parents in the middle of the night cause i couldnt mentally or physically handle the shit she was giving me anymore. after that night, she never returned to mine and told our parents to pick her stuff and move it into a new apartment that she got for herself (which locates in the same building as her friends who she uses substances with). she hasnt reached out to me at all, even though we have been around each other and i cant bare to approach her either, cause im still upset and hurt. my mom said that shes already prepared to lose her. i heard from her friends that shes told them that if she goes unconscious, theyre not allowed to call the ambulance or try to help her. i am worried sick to my stomach everytime i think about her and i feel so powerless. my parents just say that theres nothing more we can do, she goes to psychotherapy and shes under the social services but still i feel like we should do something more to help her or to stop her from destroying herself. im so sorry if this message makes you feel uncomfortable, but since ive followed you for quite awhile and i know your experiences with these things, i would appreciate if you could help me with this situation or at least try to give me some advice, how to cope with these feelings that come from loving your sister that struggles. i dont want to lose her.

hey, i am so sorry to hear this. there's a lot i could say and a lot i want to say but can't really articulate. i don't think there's any one size fits all advice for such a complex and heartbreaking situation. i guess i'll begin with what i'm sure of, and that is that your boundaries and feelings are justified. addiction literally rewires your brain and perception of the world beyond recognition, to the point where the only thing the person cares about is their vice. it's just total tunnel vision, selfishness denial and violence on top of selfishness denial and violence. being around ppl like that, especially a loved one, is beyond exhausting, it's its own special kind of hell. like screaming at a brick wall. it's totally understandable that you had to take a step back after falling victim to her erratic, manipulative and abusive behaviour. the drug use explains it but it absolutely does not excuse it. you're really brave for putting your foot down and prioritizing your own mental stability when it all got to be too much. know you never have to regret that. having said that, it's possible for two conflicting feelings to coexist and for them both to be (for lack of a better word) valid. she's your sister - of course you're worried, of course you're terrified for her. of course you love her even while feeling like you hate her, at times. it's alright to let your emotions be illogical, to just weather the storm and let them pass through you. write it down, talk to your loved ones, maybe consider speaking to a therapist or hotline over it. it's perfectly normal to need that support and talking through your circumstances may be illuminating/lead to some personal revelations regarding how you want to approach this. ultimately, you're angry because you care. after a while i was like that too, with my sister. although i tried to let her know that i was more worried than frustrated during our conversations, sometimes i still couldn't help the internal rage. all because i wanted her to wake up to reality and for her to be okay - i didn't get her thought process at all, didn't get her version of the world. and i felt so fucking powerless because she just strayed so quickly from her path, despite what she was telling me, despite her being relatively fine mere months prior. despite us being best friends and on good terms. it's a headfuck, and you don't have to know what to do, you don't have to have anything figured out. just try to focus on what you need, today.

the hardest thing to accept is the fundamental truth of the situation, and that is that you can't fix this for her. can't love her out of it, can't enable her out of it, can't fight her out of it. all you can do is be there for her emotionally while still maintaining the appropriate boundaries necessary to preserve ur own mental wellbeing. it's completely okay if you need more time - i know you said you cant bear to reach out to her at the moment, which makes total sense. but since you sent this message and i can still see that you're beyond concerned and it's only getting worse, maybe you could consider calling her or sending her a text or meeting her for coffee when you're ready. just to let her know you haven't stopped thinking of her. and that you care about her so much, that when/if she's ready to get help you will be with her every step of the way. even if shes battling addiction for the rest of her life. if she screams at you, if she breaks down, if she ignores you for what you say - fine. but at least she'll know on some level that she is not alone, and at least you'll know you did what you could with what was in your control. also about her being under social services - is there any way you could get in touch with them, maybe explain that youre still worried about her and that you think she needs a higher level of care, maybe ask them if theres anything proactive you can do in collaboration with them to maximize the help shes getting? i dont know how it works where you are, that might be a no go, but i just thought i'd mention it. i'm sorry, i know it's a disappointing answer, but i really don't realistically think there's any other. there's only so much of this that is in your hands and so far it sounds like you've done and are doing everything possible to stay sane while looking out for her. i really really hope something clicks for her and that she starts to listen to you and her loved ones soon, that she begins to approach recovery out of the genuine need to get better. but it really does have to come from within her, all you can do is encourage it. im sending you both so much love. i know more than anyone how fucking stressful it is to have to wake up to this every day, and i'm so sorry. if you need someone to talk to, my inbox will always be open. you deserve peace in your own life, too. take care x

resource one

resource two

resource three

[quirkwizard]

Could we get the ideas you had for adding two more arcs before the Paranormal Liberation War arc for the heroes' side? I would've liked for the war arc to have at least been pushed towards near the end of 2nd Year cause I feel like U.A. is a character in itself that's been pushed to the wayside, but I'm always happy to hear more of your ideas :3

I mean that seems like a pretty extreme jump in the story, especially since the villains are being a lot more proactive then before, but I can still talk about my ideas. I already talked about my first arc idea with the villains here, so I will be focusing on the heroes for this one.

So the story arc that I wanted to do is during the period of time between Izuku joining the Endeavor agency and the actual war itself. I feel like there was a missed opportunity to see three sidekicks develop, both as heroes and as allies. This would especially be the case with something like Bakugou and Izuku. Because to me at least, it didn't feel really earned that Bakugou tried to sacrifice himself for Izuku. While Bakugou has been getting better, it always seemed like the social gap between the two has still been pretty large. I feel like giving them more time on panel with each other, working together and saving other people, would let us see more of that development. Same goes for Endeavor and Shoto's relationship and just Endeavor as a whole.

Another bonus is that it would also give us time with certain heroes. One of the issues I had with the War Arc was that there was a lot of character deaths on the side of the heroes, but no one we really know. I mean we saw one of the top heroes get erased, and we knew next to nothing about him. So this would give us a chance to expand upon them and make us care more about his passing. So I would put Mr. Brave and Midnight in this arc as well. Maybe Izuku could unlock a Quirk here as well, giving us a little more breathing room when it comes to these advancements rather then just hitting us one after another with them. Because I think one of the problems is just how fast Izuku got these Quirks, especially in the last few chapters. It would give us more time to adjust to this and let the Quirks stand out rather then being introduced so close to each other.

As for what I have the plot be, I would have them go up against a group of people who believe in what amounts to Quirk Superiority. Like a more extreme version offshoot of the MLA, they believe that Quirks are what make a person. That Quirkless people are a genetic setback and your value is based on how strong your Quirk is at birth. Why a group like that? Because I think it would be interesting to see these four character tackle something like that ideologically. Bakugou developed a toxic mindset because of how good his Quirk was, going on to bully Izuku because of that mindset. Endeavor had a similar mindset at one point and Shoto is the result of that mindset. So I just think that there would be a lot you could do with that. There are only two real issues I see with it. One is that it may be too close to the Overhaul Arc and two is that I can't exactly think of a lesson about heroes Izuku can learn from this arc like he did all the other ones. I'm not saying all of them need to be based solely around Izuku, just that seems to be a trend.

[jackoshadows]

 “You,” Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, “will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be Knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon.” - Eddard, A Game of Thrones

My featherbed is deep and soft, and there I’ll lay you down, I’ll dress you all in yellow silk, and on your head a crown - Arya, A Storm of Swords

“Aegon has been shaped for rule since before he could walk. He has been trained in arms, as befits a knight to be, but that was not the end of his education. He reads and writes, he speaks several tongues, he has studied history and law and poetry. A septa has instructed him in the mysteries of the Faith since he was old enough to understand them. He has lived with fisherfolk, worked with his hands, swum in rivers and mended nets and learned to wash his own clothes at need. He can fish and cook and bind up a wound, he knows what it is like to be hungry, to be hunted, to be afraid. Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that a king must put his people first, and live and rule for them.” - Kevan, A Dance with Dragons

----------------------------------

So this is an essay of sorts on my speculation/theory that Arya is going to end up as a leader of the North by the end of the series. I will split this into several parts:

Arya and leadership

Arya and Northern leadership

Arya and Nymeria

Skillsets

Importance of being a Warg/Skinchanger

Succession

----------------------------------------

Arya Stark and leadership

“Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.“  - Arya, AGoT

Arya has always been a leader rather than a follower. Just like Jon at the wall, she initially chafes at having to follow orders instead of doing what she thinks is the right thing to do. Despite Gendry and Hot Pie being older than her, she’s the one giving the orders and making the plans. She manipulates or forces characters into doing what she wants – getting Gendry to leave Harrenhal and forcing Jaqen to help her free the Northmen.

Arya took the lead, kicking her stolen horse to a brisk heedless trot until the trees close in around her. Hot Pie and Gendry followed as best they could. From time to time Arya glanced over her shoulder, to make sure the two boys had not fallen too far behind, and to see if they were being pursued - Arya, ASoS

Like most of our protagonists, Arya is ambitious and interested in being an active participant at the top. She wanted to become a King’s councilor and build castles. That entire little speech that Varys gives about the ideal candidate for ruling fits Arya to a T.

Arya has gone hungry, scrubbed and cleaned, cooked and kept house, sewed and mended clothes, bound up wounds, been hunted, been scared for her life – and done all this with limited protection. Just survived on her wits. Arya can wield a sword, is fluent in several languages and has studied with a Septa.

We also see war torn Westeros and the suffering of the smallfolk through Arya’s eyes in ACoK and ASoS. It doesn’t matter if it’s Stark or Lannister, the smallfolk suffer the same – Septon Meribald’s ‘Broken Men’ speech in AFfC embodies what Arya observes. After Arya frees the Northmen using weasel soup and Vargo Hoat betrays the Lannisters, there are reprisal killings, torture and rape enacted by Stark bannermen and the sellswords. The smith, Maester and the head maid are executed for merely serving Tywin – something on which they had no choice. Gendry points this out to Arya and she feels guilty for her part in all this.

“I hate this lot worse. Ser Amory was fighting for his lord, but the Mummers are sellswords and turncloaks. Half of them can’t even speak the Common Tongue. Septon Utt likes little boys, Qyburn does black magic, and your friend Biter eats people.”

The worst thing was, she couldn’t even say he was wrong. The Brave Companions did most of the foraging for Harrenhal, and Roose Bolton had given them the task of rooting out Lannisters. Vargo Hoat had divided them into four bands, to visit as many villages as possible. He led the largest group himself, and gave the others to his most trusted captains. She had heard Rorge laughing over Lord Vargo’s way of finding traitors. All he did was return to places he had visited before under Lord Tywin’s banner and seize those who had helped him. – Arya, ACoK

"It’s not a village, it’s only black stones and old bones. “Did the Lannisters kill the people who lived here?” Arya asked as she helped Anguy dry the horses.

“No.” He pointed. “Look at how thick the moss grows on the stones. No one’s moved them for a long time. And there’s a tree growing out of the wall there, see? This place was put to the torch a long time ago.”

“Who did it, then?” asked Gendry.

“Hoster Tully.” Notch was a stooped thin grey-haired man, born in these parts. “This was Lord Goodbrook’s village. When Riverrun declared for Robert, Goodbrook stayed loyal to the king, so Lord Tully came down on him with fire and sword. After the Trident, Goodbrook’s son made his peace with Robert and Lord Hoster, but that didn’t help the dead none.”

A silence fell."  - Arya, ASoS

"Wolves, she thought again. Like me. Was this her pack? How could they be Robb’s men? She wanted to hit them. She wanted to hurt them. She wanted to cry.” - Arya, ASoS

The smallfolk in the Riverlands are caught between the Starks, Tullys and Lannisters with no good choices. And on the ground level, Arya sees this, understands this and acknowledges this. Her actions benefited house Stark and no one else. She understands the cost of war.

Arya is also very keen on justice. In that she not only thinks that characters deserve justice, but she wants to actively participate and deliver justice. She considers the execution of Dareon from the NW as a just one.

Dareon had been a deserter from the Night's Watch; he had deserved to die. - Arya, AFfC

“Guilty!” Arya shouted with the rest. “Guilty, guilty, kill him, guilty!” …

Arya could only think of Mycah and all the stupid prayers she’d prayed for the Hound to die. If there were gods, why didn’t Lord Beric win? She knew the Hound was guilty… - Arya, ASoS

Her father beat her so often and so brutally that she was never truly free of pain or fear until she came to us.”

“Did you kill him?”

“She asked the gift for herself, not for her father.”

You should have killed him.“ - Arya, ADWD

Arya drew back from him. "He killed the slave?" That did not sound right. "He should have killed the masters!" – Arya, aDwD

---------------------------------

Arya and Northern leadership

I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned’s little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks. - Hugo Wull

The North has famously never had a female leader in House Stark. So is it possible for valiant Ned’s precious little girl to become the first Lady Stark to lead the North?

In terms of personality, Arya resembles some of the other female leaders/members of Northern houses. She is bold and forward like Lyanna Mormont and Wylla Manderly. She has trained with the sword and learned how to use a bow and arrow. She proactively engineers her own escape like Alys Karstark. Characters like Ygritte and Alys remind Jon Snow of Arya.

Arya venerates Ned Stark. She follows his advice as much as Robb, Bran and Jon do. Even more so. She executes a NW brother for desertion. And that is important for the Starks.

I should kill them myself. Whenever her father had condemned a man to death, he did the deed himself with Ice, his greatsword. - Arya, ACoK

The blood of the First Men still flows in the veins of the Starks, and we hold to the belief that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. - Bran, AGoT

“The Starks do not use headsmen. Ned always said that the man who passes the sentence should swing the blade, though he never took any joy in the duty.” - Catelyn, ACoK

“Rickard Karstark, Lord of Karhold.” Robb lifted the heavy axe with both hands. “Here in sight of gods and men, I judge you guilty of murder and high treason. In mine own name I condemn you. With mine own hand I take your life. Would you speak a final word?” - Catelyn, ASoS

The pale morning sunlight ran up and down his blade as Jon clasped the hilt of the bastard sword with both hands and raised it high. “If you have any last words, now is the time to speak them,” he said, expecting one last curse. - Jon, ADwD

Arya is one of the Starkiest Starks of the whole lot. She is also the only Stark to actually have the Stark look. She is stubborn and determined to do things the Stark way. She often uses her father’s advice to guide her way.

Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. “Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.“ - Arya, aGoT

Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father’s table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms.- Arya, AGoT

Whenever her father had condemned a man to death, he did the deed himself with Ice, his greatsword. “If you would take a man’s life, you owe it to him go look him in the face and hear his last words,” she’d heard him tell Robb and Jon once. - Arya, ACoK

Now there are theories that it is future Bran who was communicating with Arya through the weirwood at Harrenhal, but she does gain strength from her father’s words when she prays to the Old Gods.

Gooseprickles rose on Arya’s skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father’s voice. “When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives,” he said. “But there is no pack,” she whispered to the weirwood. Bran and Rickon were dead, the Lannisters had Sansa, Jon had gone to the Wall. “I’m not even me now, I’m Nan.” “You are Arya of Winterfell, daughter of the north. You told me you could be strong. You have the wolf blood in you.” - Arya, ACoK

And while Arya is travelling incognito, GRRM keeps her connected to the North, house Stark and the Northern plot. She starts her journey from KL with a NW brother Yoren. She’s disguised as a boy like Danny Flint, Manderly requests a song about brave Danny Flint at Ramsay’s wedding with ‘Arya’. In the Riverlands, Arya’s plot intersects with her father’s bannermen, she participates in the capture of Harrenhal for house Stark and is there for Roose Bolton’s war council. She meets both Roose Bolton and Aenys Frey – our antagonists in Winterfell facing off against Stannis in ADwD. She meets Robett Glover – who is currently in White Harbor - when she lets him out of the dungeons. She gets Jaqen to help her father’s men.

“Vargo Hoat’s come back with prisoners. I saw their badges. There’s a Glover, from Deepwood Motte, he’s my father’s man. The rest too, mostly.” All of a sudden, Arya knew why her feet had brought her here. “You have to help me get them out.” – Arya, ACoK

Arya looked. She knew all of her father’s men. The three in the grey cloaks were strangers. Arya, AGoT

Twin towers. Sunburst. Bloody man. Battle-axe. The battle-axe is for Cerwyn, and the white sun on black is Karstark. They’re northmen. My father’s men, and Robb’s. - Arya, ACoK

Harwin?” Arya whispered. It was! Under the beard and the tangled hair was the face of Hullen’s son, who used to lead her pony around the yard, ride at quintain with Jon and Robb, and drink too much on feast days. He was thinner, harder somehow, and at Winterfell he had never worn a beard, but it was him—her father’s man. Arya, ASoS

“I bet there are Winterfell men too.” Her father’s men, the Young Wolf’s men, the direwolves of Stark. - Arya, ASoS

Arya is also involved in betrothals/marriage – first to Elmar Frey and then married off to Ramsay Bolton to hold the North. As a side note, her connection to all these bastards is indeed interesting - Elmar Frey, Ramsay Bolton, Gendry and Jon Snow. Is GRRM trying to say something here?

We now have the Northerners and Freys that Arya sees in Harrenhal transposed to Winterfell and ‘her father’s men’ rising up for Arya Stark.

Now, we can speculate and assume that these Northerners would have done the same for the other Starks, but that’s not the point here. In the books, GRRM has written this story to revolve around Arya. The mountain clans are marching for ARYA. The Northern houses are fighting alongside Stannis for ARYA. When lady Barbrey Dustin points out the anger of the Northmen at the treatment of ‘Valiant Ned's precious little girl’ she is talking about ARYA.

GRRM has Stannis wanting to rescue Arya for Jon. He has Mance trying to rescue Arya for Jon. He has Jon breaking his vows and dying trying to rescue Arya. A large part of what drives this plot forward is that it’s Arya, and her special relationship with Jon Snow influences a lot of what is happening south of the wall. The story only happens this way with Arya in the North. And that’s why it’s Arya’s story and not that of any other Stark. Superimposing this or that Stark in place of Arya to make a case for why they would be leader of the North makes no sense. GRRM writing in the marriage of Arya Stark to hold the North makes the case for why Arya is important to the North.

So, Arya has actively helped free Northmen in the Riverlands, engaged with important Northerners and Freys at Harrenhal and drives the plot to take down the Boltons in the North. With her leadership skills, her ability to wield a weapon and fight, looking like Ned, following in Ned’s footsteps and advice, her fierce personality, her loyalty to bannermen, her desire for justice and to help the weak and powerless, her huge direwolf - she would be like the Kings in the North of yore.  I think the Northerners will be fine with Arya Stark being the Stark in charge.

------------------------------

Arya and Nymeria

“What if the wolves come?” “Yield,” Arya suggested - Arya, ACoK

The direwolves are an important part of the books, and an important aspect of the Starks.They are as much a part of the Starks as Dany’s dragons are a part of her. They cannot be ignored as unimportant pets who will end up serving no purpose.

“He is part of you, Robb. To fear him is to fear you.”  - Catelyn, ASoS

Ghost did not count. Ghost was closer than a friend. Ghost was part of him - Jon, ADWD

“Part of you is Summer, and part of Summer is you. You know that, Bran.” - Bran, ACoK

“Wolves and women wed for life,” Haggon often said. “You take one, that’s a marriage. The wolf is part of you from that day on, and you’re part of him. Both of you will change.” - Varamyr, ADWD

You have five trueborn children,” Jon said. “Three sons, two daughters. The direwolf is the sigil of your House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord…The direwolf graces the banners of House Stark,” Jon pointed out. -  Bran, AGoT

“Roose Bolton has Lord Eddard’s daughter. To thwart him White Harbor must have Ned’s son … and the direwolf. The wolf will prove the boy is who we say he is, should the Dreadfort attempt to deny him.“ - Davos, ADWD

GRRM has mentioned several times that they are important.

The Lannisters are always likening themselves to lions, for example, and their motto “Hear me roar” speaks of a certain way of looking at life. But I think for the Starks it goes a little bit beyond that, especially in this generation, with these direwolves. It’s more than just a handy metaphor with them - GRRM, interview

"Wolves have been part of European folklore, of which America's descended, going back thousands of years. In Rome, Romulus and Remus -- there's always been this relationship between wolves and men." That relationship is seen time and again in Martin's series, and it's one that will Martin says will continue as the last two books are eventually released. Arya's wolf, Nymeria, in particular, will play an important role. "You know, I don't like to give things away." says Martin, a grin spreading across his face. "But you don't hang a giant wolf pack on the wall unless you intend to use it." - GRRM interview

The direwolves are important especially for Arya whose theme is ‘The lone wolf dies but the pack survives’ and there are constant mentions of the pack in her POV chapters. Nymeria is an alpha, a leader of her pack like Arya is a leader of hers.

“She says there’s this great pack, hundreds of them, mankillers. The one that leads them is a she-wolf, a bitch from the seventh hell.” - Arya, ACoK

Throughout ACoK and ASoS, Arya mentions the wolves in the Riverlands. They appear to be just ahead of her or behind her. In her chapters there are mentions of wolves eating people, of Roose going wolf hunting. It’s almost like the wolves are traveling with her. They even help her escape – the wolf howl giving the signal – from harrenhal. And it’s possible the pack was picking off Roose Bolton’s riders chasing Arya because they were following right behind.

She could hear the sound of her own breath, and the wolves as well, a great pack of them now. They are closer than the one I heard in the godswood, she thought. They are calling to me. - Arya, ACoK

Once, from the crest of a ridge, she spied dark shapes crossing a stream in the valley behind them, and for half a heartbeat she feared that Roose Bolton’s riders were on them, but when she looked again she realized they were only a pack of wolves. She cupped her hands around her mouth and howled down at them, “Ahooooooooo, ahooooooooo.” When the largest of the wolves lifted its head and howled back, the sound made Arya shiver.   - Arya ASoS

Nymeria keeps amassing this huge wolf pack and Arya being a strong warg can sense this

She was no little girl in the dream; she was a wolf, huge and powerful, and when she emerged from beneath the trees in front of them and bared her teeth in a low rumbling growl, she could smell the rank stench of fear from horse and man alike. - Arya, ASoS

She dreamed of wolves most every night. A great pack of wolves, with her at the head. She was bigger than any of them, stronger, swifter, faster. And her brothers and sisters were with her, many and more of them, fierce and terrible and hers. - Arya, ASoS

In her wolf dreams she was swift and strong, running down her prey with her pack at her heels. - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

The wolf dreams also helps Arya connect to Bran, Jon and Rickon. We see Ghost able to sense the other direwolves and Bran trying to communicate with Jon.

Nymeria is a grey wolf and the stark sigil is a grey wolf on a white background.

 “The rain had washed the guard’s blood off her fingers, she wore a sword across her back, wolves were prowling through the dark like lean grey shadows, and Arya Stark was unafraid.” - Arya, ACoK

“Arya had her father’s eyes, the grey eyes of the Starks.” - Reek, ADwD

What’s in a name? I have already mentioned in another post, the symbolism of the names for the direwolves and them being an indication of the future for the Starks. Arya’s direwolf is named Nymeria – a Rhoynish warrior queen who led her people to safety. Something that Arya may well do in the future when the North is under attack from the Others.

More importantly, Nymeria in Dorne changed the customs and rules of house Martell to follow those of Rhoynar and allowed for female rulers. Nymeria herself was the first female leader and was followed by her daughter. Nymeria changed the norm for Dorne and we could see the same happening with Arya Stark in the North.

-----------------------------

Skills and Education

Look with your eyes, Syrio had said, listen with your ears.- Arya, ACoK

Education at Winterfell:

Arya was mainly taught by Septa Mordane and received the same education as Sansa. She would have been taught history and about the Faith by the Septa, she can read and write, and is good with sums. She’s better than Sansa at managing a household. She can ride a horse like a Northman and is an excellent swimmer. She knows some high Valyrian. Besides the Septa, Arya also hangs around Ned Stark when he is teaching the boys. Many of his words of wisdom that she remembers is from when he is teaching the boys. She mingles with her father’s men, the cooks, the stable boys etc.

Kings Landing:

Water Dancing style of swordfighting from Syrio Forel.

Harrenhal:

Being incognito allows Arya to move around like a mouse or the ghost of Harrenhal and observe and learn things. She is privy to Roose Bolton’s war council and listens to them discuss the Northern campaign against the Lannisters. We get the first inkling of the Red Wedding in these chapters between Roose and the Freys.

Arya observes the different people, analyzes their movements and figures out how to approach them.

The night she was caught, the Lannister men had been nameless strangers with faces as alike as their nasal helms, but she’d come to know them all. You had to know who was lazy and who was cruel, who was smart and who was stupid. You had to learn that even though the one they called Shitmouth had the foulest tongue she’d ever heard, he’d give you an extra piece of bread if you asked, while jolly old Chiswyck and soft-spoken Raff would just give you the back of their hand. - Arya, ACoK

And as lords and ladies never notice the little grey mice under their feet, Arya heard all sorts of secrets just by keeping her ears open as she went about her duties. Pretty Pia from the buttery was a slut who was working her way through every knight in the castle. The wife of the gaoler was with child, but the real father was either Ser Alyn Stackspear or a singer Lord Lefford made mock of ghosts at table, but always kept a candle burning by his bed. Ser Dunaver’s squire Jodge could not hold his water when he slept. The cooks despised Ser Harys Swyft and spit in all his food. Once she even overheard Maester Tothmure’s serving girl confiding to her brother about some message that said Joffrey was a bastard and not the rightful king at all. “Lord Tywin told him to burn the letter and never speak such filth again,” the girl whispered. - Arya, ACoK

She aids in the escape of the near hundred Northmen imprisoned in the dungeons and even Roose is impressed enough to make her his cupbearer. And the next time, she conceives of, plans and executes their entire escape all by herself. She plans for the logistics – weapons, transportation, people, travel route, what to wear.  She makes sure she is warmly dressed, takes the map from Roose’s chamber, uses her position of cupbearer to manipulate several men,  manipulates Gendry into escaping with her, takes down the guard and leads them away. It’s an endeavor that showcases her intelligence, cunning, determination, ability to strategize and lead.

Arya also shows a lot of restraint and keeps her secrets. She doesn’t trust the Glovers or any of the Northmen in Harrenhal - and considering the Red Wedding, it’s a good decision.

Their captors permitted no chatter. A broken lip taught Arya to hold her tongue. Others never learned at all. - Arya, ACoK

Arya watched them die and did nothing. What good did it do you to be brave? One of the women picked for questioning had tried to be brave, but she had died screaming like all the rest. There were no brave people on that march, only scared and hungry ones. - Arya, ACoK

On the road Arya had felt like a sheep, but Harrenhal turned her into a mouse. She was grey as a mouse in her scratchy wool shift, and like a mouse she kept to the crannies and crevices and dark holes of the castle, scurrying out of the way of the mighty.- Arya, ACoK

Braavos:

Arya’s education here is not limited to killing for the Faceless Men. She is also educated in poisons and languages. She improves on her high Valyrian and is now fluent in Braavosi and other Essosi languages. She learns acting/mummery. Not showing emotions on one’s face, detecting emotions in another person.

“A man does not need to be a wizard to know truth from falsehood, not if he has eyes. You need only learn to read a face. Look at the eyes. The mouth. The muscles here, at the corners of the jaw, and here, where the neck joins the shoulders.” He touched her lightly with two fingers. “Some liars blink. Some stare. Some look away. Some lick their lips. Many cover their mouths just before they tell a lie, as if to hide their deceit. Other signs may be more subtle, but they are always there. A false smile and a true one may look alike, but they are as different as dusk from dawn. Can you tell dusk from dawn?”

Arya nodded, though she was not certain that she could. “Then you can learn to see a lie… and once you do, no secret will be safe from you.”  - Arya, AFFC

------------------------

People skills

“I will remember, Your Grace," said Sansa, though she had always heard that love was a surer route to the people's loyalty than fear. If I am ever a queen, I'll make them love me.” - Sansa, ACoK

Arya’s ability to make friends wherever she goes highlights her people skills. And Arya is able to communicate and connect with people from all walks of life.

Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody. - Sansa, AGoT

She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms. She used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen. Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their children., Arya, AGoT

Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. “Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.“ - Arya, AGoT

Cat had made friends along the wharves; porters and mummers, ropemakers and sailmenders, taverners, Brewers and bakers and beggars and whores - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

Her girls were nice as well; Blushing Bethany and the Sailor’s Wife, one-eyed Yna who could tell your fortune from a drop of blood, pretty little Lanna, even Assadora, the Ibbenese woman with the mustache. They might not be beautiful, but they were kind to her - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

She’s also loyal to her pack. She doesn’t betray Jon even to her father. She helps free her father’s men. Despite Gendry talking of leaving Lommy or Weasel behind, she refuses. And despite the odds, she tries to help Gendry.

It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that they had Gendry. Even if he was stubborn and stupid, she had to get him out. She wondered if they knew that the queen wanted him. - Arya, ACoK

-------------------------------

Importance of being a Warg/Skinchanger

She was the night wolf, no scraps of skin could frighten her. - Arya, ADwD

Since this is a fantasy series, magic is a big part of the story with a magical existential apocalyptic threat on the horizon. The North is the first bastion facing this threat. Jon and Dany both have magical pets and prophetic dreams. Bran is the 3ER. They are leaders or will become leaders by the end. Arya is a strong warg/skinchanger. Apart from Jon and Bran, she’s the only other Stark to use these abilities so far. As GRRM as indicated, having a direwolf is going to be useful in battle – we are going to be seeing direwolves involved in the battle for Winterfell for example. Arya is able to warg Nymeria from all the way over in Braavos. She skinchanges cats and sees through their eyes, when she is blind. She is deft with a sword, knife and decent with a bow and arrow (she could be better now using her FM senses). She would be an effective fighter to have against the Others and her warging skills could prove useful in battle.

------------------------------

Succession

I’m not a lady, Arya wanted to tell her, I’m a wolf. - Arya, ASoS

And finally we come to succession. This is the hardest part and entirely speculation and we need the next book to get an inkling of where GRRM is heading towards. I am also basing all of this on Hibberd more or less confirming that King Bran on the Iron Throne is GRRM’s ending.

So of the true born Starks, Arya is pretty much last in line. With the inclusion of Robb’s will, we have 5 Starks left. Bran is the rightful heir to the North. Taking him out of the running, leaves Jon, Rickon, Sansa and Arya. Assuming Jon ends up North of the wall – in his dreams the Old Kings in the North in the crypts reject him, maybe foreshadowing that he doesn’t belong in Winterfell - that leaves Rickon, Sansa and Arya.

As for Sansa, again there is a plot significant reason for why GRRM has put an obstacle in her path, allowing for Arya to jump the queue. Sansa is currently married to Tyrion Lannister, a marriage that cannot be easily annulled (With an enemy regime in KL) or ignored like the show did. Robb Stark has most likely disinherited/removed her from the line of succession and named a legitimized Jon Stark his heir and Lord of Winterfell. If he has the support of the Northern houses who want an experienced, older Stark to lead them, Jon Stark could well be the next KITN over Rickon Stark. I don’t think a 7 year old Rickon would object to Jon in charge. So that makes it Jon Stark, Rickon Stark and Arya Stark.

Does Rickon have to die for Arya to become Wardeness of the North? It’s possible Rickon dies, but it’s also possible he doesn’t.  It could be that Rickon does not want to lead the North – by the end of the book, he would be 8 or 9. Of course there’s the argument of a regent doing the job for Rickon until he’s ready. Or, he could just give way to his sister because he wants to. Something similar to Aemon refusing the throne and it passing to his younger brother Aegon.

Or we could have the traditional situation where Rickon becomes lord of Winterfell as next in line, while it’s Arya who is involved in running the day to day affairs. However, that would very much be status quo - with Rickon at WF and Bran down south in KL, it would be men ending up in positions of power everywhere once again, except maybe Dorne. If this happens, then Arya would be a leader of the North, but the Stark line would continue with the male line.  

It’s possible Jon Stark as King could change things for the North. Jon treats the spearwives the same as the brothers of the NW, he respects Val’s abilities, he trusts in Alys Karstark. If Rickon refuses the mantle, it could very well be that Jon Stark relinquishes his position to his favorite person ever, Arya Stark, to be the next Wardeness of the North.  Thus paving the way for Arya Stark to be the first female leader of the North like her hero Nymeria in Dorne.

It would be fitting for the character who introduced Jon Snow to equal rights for women.

“The Lannisters are proud,” Jon observed. “You’d think the royal sigil would be sufficient, but no. He makes his mother’s House equal in honor to the king’s.”

“The woman is important too!” Arya protested. - Arya, AGoT

Could King Jon reverse Sansa’s disinheritance after her marriage is annulled when KL is in friendly hands? Sure. But we don’t know how the Sansa/LF/Vale group will react to Jon as KITN and whether they will mount a challenge in Sansa’s name. And if Jon has to choose between Sansa and Arya as to whom he wants in charge of Winterfell, we know who it is he will think is more capable and will always choose.

I do think Winterfell succession will not be as clearcut as many Stark fans are hoping. Too many factions supporting the different Starks. GRRM loves to write about dysfunctional families and the Starks are not anything special in that regard. TWoW will tell us of whether there will be any kind of Stark civil war.

Is Arya too young for all this? I predict that by the time we get to the end of the books, about 5 years would have gone by. At 14, Arya would still need a regent – one of the many lords of the houses in the North. But I think considering her experiences, skillsets, a huge direwolf, Ned Stark’s wisdom and strong connections to the North, she will be an able leader. As GRRM said,

“[Arya is] older than some of the 40-year-olds in the book.” - GRRM

Either way, whether she gets Winterfell or not, Arya will end up as a leader in the North. Either she rules for Rickon and takes care of the day to day responsibilities or she does so in her own right as Lady of Winterfell/Wardeness of the North. She’s not going anywhere or sailing off on a boat. The show’s ending makes absolutely no sense for a character yearning for home in 5 books after going on the nightmare ‘adventure’ from hell. She will be in the North, in Winterfell, being a leader and continuing Ned Stark’s legacy.  She will counsel her brothers and build and her people will love her just like they loved her father.

So in conclusion, I think there is enough story, character build up, characterization and set up for Arya to go North and take over as a leader of house Stark to face the threat of the Others along with Bran, Jon, Dany and Tyrion.

[hidden-otaku-stuff]

Different but the Same (pt. 7)

tw: A few swears, insecurity, family trauma

Word count: ~5.1k

Rating: R18+/M

Omegaverse AU, Rating: 18+/M

Pairings: Iwaizumi x fem!reader, Ushijima x fem!reader

Summary: An unexpected encounter at the Inter-High tournament tossed you into a whirlwind. Being tugged between two males, two different packs, who will reign supreme in this battle for your heart?

Masterlist | prev | next

ch. 7: battle of the packs

“What’s Ushijima-san doing here?” One of her Omega classmates whispered to her friend, looking over their shoulders at the door. The impressive Alpha took up the entire doorway. Semi had left with Tendou just moments ago. 

“Ushijima-san? What are you doing here?” (Name) looked up, echoing the other Omega’s sentiment as her eyebrows furrowed at the sight. The bitter scent of jealousy clung to the air as they glared at (Name).

The corner of his mouth twitched. He lifted a bag. “May I eat lunch with you?” She looked at him, then back at her desk where her textbooks were sitting. A moment of hesitation.

“Uh, sure.” She closed the book, placing them back into the bag as she brought out her own bento. “I thought you normally eat in the cafeteria with the pack?” Ushijima pulled a chair to her desk, settling himself into it. He almost seemed too big for the chairs, she noticed. 

“Yes, but you don’t, and I wanted to eat lunch with you.” He opened his bento, taking out an apple as he bit into it. “Were you studying?” 

She carefully chewed a piece of salmon. “Yes, I was. I needed to finish a group-project before we leave for Tokyo on Friday, so I figured I’d do all my individual work during lunch so I had enough time.”

“What is the project on?”

“It’s just a history project on Japanese revolutions, I’m providing the research and assembling part of it into an essay for a presentation since I’ll be missing the presentation.”   

“You are a proactive student,” Ushijima commented, finishing his apple before he opened up his lunch-box. 

(Name) laughed at his comment. “Not always,” she admitted. “But I do have to try harder since I’m going to be applying for university soon.” She eyed her veggies. “I don’t wanna mess up on my finals this semester.”  

“Do you have time to help me study as well?”

She blinked. “Help you? Ushijima-san, I thought you were planning on going pro?” She laughed. “You already have a spot on the national youth team, don’t you?” 

He shrugged, carefully chewing his next bite. “I still would like to graduate with good grades. And after being so invested in volleyball for so long has left...much to be desired about my academic skills.” 

(Name) hummed. “I suppose that’s fair.” She took a sip of her lemon tea. “We don’t have practice on Wednesday, I can tutor you for a bit at the library after school.” She bit her bottom lip; the original plan had been to go to Aoba Johsai’s practice that day, but she really needed to finish this project and that took precedent. 

“That works for me.” 

“So, what does the great Ushijima-san eat for lunch?”

Ushijima looked up, blinking at her. “The ‘Great’?”

“Well yeah, since you’re quite famous in volleyball circles, and exceptionally popular in our school.” She eyed the group of Omegas that were shooting daggers at her. He glanced over, only for the Omegas to fall over themselves in fits of giggles to escape his gaze. (Name) wasn’t stupid, she knew that Ushijima was a highly sought-out Alpha. In fact, most of the volleyball team was. Something about them just simply screamed masculinity and attractiveness. The fact that they were almost exclusively a pack of Alphas probably contributed to the notion that they were ‘supreme’ Alphas, which of course was supported by the fact that the leader of the pack himself was an Apex Alpha. She snorted internally. If only they knew how stupid all those Alphas could get. It wasn’t particularly uncommon for exceptionally brave Omegas to attempt to court Ushijima, only for him not to realize what was going on and point-blank rejecting them. 

“I suppose that’s fair.” He tilted his bento to her. “I’m having hayashi rice.” 

“Ooh, that looks and smells delicious!” She complimented. “Did you make it yourself?” 

Ushijima nodded. “My grandmother taught me.” He gazed at the food for a moment. “I spent a lot of time with her as a child. This is what she’d make me whenever I did well or had a bad day at school.” 

“Your grandmother sounds lovely.” She smiled at him, taking another sip of her tea.

“Would you like to try?”

“Are you sure?” She hesitated. The Omega was all-too familiar with the immense appetite of Alphas, and she didn’t want to take away from his meal.

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure.”

She snorted. “Always the blunt one, aren’t you?”

“Is that bad?”

“No, it’s refreshing.” Her mind wandered to Iwaizumi, who used to leave things left unsaid, assuming that others would know what he was thinking. Granted, after being with him for so long, he’d gotten better with communication. Ushijima eyed her, holding the bento out. “How about a trade?” She picked up her box. “It’s probably not as good as your grandmother’s hayashi rice, but you can try my teriyaki salmon.”

“Did you make it yourself?”

“Of course, you know I love cooking.” A small smile made its way to his face, matching hers; he was familiar with her cooking especially since she had brought onigiri to practice a few times since they had played the college team.

Ushijima nodded, “thank you.” They traded bentos. Behind the mouthful he had was a sense of warmth that he hadn’t experienced in a long time. The type of warmth that comes from care and love that speaks directly to the soul. It flooded all of his senses. Olive eyes glowed as his scent filled the room.  

“This is so good, Ushijima-san! Thank you for letting me try it.” She purred in delight at the explosion of flavor that bathed her tongue. It tasted familiar. A meal you come home to on a windy fall afternoon after being out all day. “I’ll need to get the recipe from you sometime. If you and your grandmother don’t mind, of course.”

Another curt nod as they passed the bentos back. “I’ll teach it to you someday,” he promised. “I enjoyed your salmon.”

“Thank you!” She beamed. “I’ll make you some of my curry next time. That’s one of my better dishes.”

“Thank you for bringing onigiri to our practices.” Ushijima nodded to her. “We all appreciate the effort.”

“It’s the least I can do!” The Omega wriggled happily. “I enjoy cooking and I’m always happy to take care of the pack.”

“What else do you enjoy cooking?”

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Anything really. My parents took me to France last holiday, and I’ve been experimenting with French dishes since then.” Her (e/c) orbs examined the Alpha. “Do you cook often, Ushijima-san?”

“Not particularly.” He closed up his bento, cleaning up. “I do not have time for simple luxuries like that.”

“I can imagine volleyball keeps you extremely busy,” she hummed, placing her empty lunchbox down. She pulled out a bag of cookies. “Would you like to have one?”

“What is it?”

“It’s a strawberry cheesecake cookie.” She bit one, a smile expanding on her face at the flavour. “It’s one of my favorite things to bake when I have free time.” (Name) pulled another one out, handing it to Ushijima. He took it carefully, examining it before nibbling it.

“Why do you enjoy cooking?” 

A melancholy expression crossed her face as she stared at the cookies. “I’ve always liked the idea of being in a pack, even before I presented.” She smiled slightly, a tear trickled down her right cheek. He froze, confused. His scent hummed as comforting pheromones pumped out. The Omegas in the background all keened, leaning closer with eyes fluttering shut as they inhaled. “As a kid, I would follow my mother around the kitchen, learning how to cook and generally just spending time with her. I loved watching her pour her heart out into a dish where you could just taste the love, y’know?” (Name) leaned back in her seat, fiddling with the bag. “My father was terrifying. You never knew whether or not he cared or loved you, and it was more often than not that he was upset.” A wry laugh and a tear escaped her left cheek. He watched with concern, his finger lifting the tear off of her face. She leaned into the warmth of his caress, eyes shutting as she let out a soft sniffle. “It was hard knowing what love was in that household, so I figured I’d make it obvious in all of my actions.” She lifted her face to his, blinking back the rest of her tears.

“I am sorry to hear that.” Ushijima’s hand slipped into hers, squeezing it. 

“It’s not your fault.” She cleared her throat, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “So, why do you like volleyball, Ushijima-san?”

He took another bite, hesitating at the sudden topic change. Ushijima squeezed her hand again, enjoying the soft warmth and hoping that his actions would comfort her. “My father used to play volleyball professionally and taught me as a child. My parents are divorced, and he’s abroad right now. It gives me a connection to him, and I enjoy the sport.”

She giggled, eating another cookie. “I’d enjoy it too if I were as good as you.” 

They sat in a pleasant silence as they finished the cookies, simply enjoying each other’s company as a thumb idly swept over her knuckles. The bell rang, and he let out a gentle sigh. His hand slipped away, gathering his stuff. “Thank you for having lunch with me.” With a slight bow, he got up to leave.

“I’ll see you at practice, Ushijima-san.” (Name) waved before the Apex Alpha disappeared out of the classroom door. 

****

She looked up at the sound of a door opening as the fresh scent of pine drafted in.  “Babe, I’m home!” 

“In the kitchen!” She called, using a spoon to stir the pot. Loud shuffling noises echoed the apartment before warm arms wrapped around her waist.

“What’s cooking, good lookin’?” He pressed a kiss to her jaw, his nose brushing against her neck. 

“You need to stop hanging out with Oikawa,” she replied, leaning back into his embrace. “Just making some ragout. How was practice?” 

“The usual.” Iwaizumi’s warm breath caused sparks of electricity to shoot through her veins. “Oikawa was still practicing when I left.” 

“I see.” She surveyed the pot. “Do you want to invite him over? There’s more than enough food for the three of us.” The Omega turned down the fire, letting the pot simmer with a lid. “Even with your monstrous appetite,” she teased, pecking his cheek.

Iwaizumi grumbled. “I just want you to myself.” 

“Should’ve thought of that before joining such a needy pack!” She chirped, turning in his arms to face him. “He’s your best friend, and I worry about him sometimes.” His eyes glinted as he frowned slightly. “You know I worry about both of you, but he’s an idiot so he ends up with both of us worrying about him all the time,” she chided. He huffed.

“Tch. Fine.” 

“I guess I better stop by the grocery store then,” she made a move towards the sink, only for his grip to tighten.

“Why’s that?”

“To pick up some milk-bread to entice him into coming.”

He let out a faint growl. “Just stay here with me.” Iwaizumi’s arms held her close to him. Her eyes fluttered shut, listening to his heart-beat. “I’ll give him a call and we can cuddle while we wait or something.”

“Aren’t you hungry?” (Name) pulled away, blinking owlishly up at her mate. He opened his mouth to argue, only for his stomach to grumble in response. “We could always eat without him.”

“You know he’s just going to whine about it.” Iwaizumi ran a hand through his hair, annoyance clear in his expression.

“Fine, then help me make some onigiri? You can bring it to the pack tomorrow for me.” 

He laughed, his fingers carding through her hair. “You really are too good to us.” 

“Only because I have you in my life, Haji.” Pine hummed like a freshly lit candle. “Now, go call that idiot of a best friend and I’ll start making more rice.” Iwaizumi released her, stalking towards his back in the living room.

“Oi, Shittykawa. Get your ass over here. (Nickname) made dinner and she wants to feed your dumbass for some reason.” The Omega giggled, hearing his best friend’s shrill cry of indignation even though he was not on speaker. She scooped the rice out of the rice cooker, preparing another pot for their dinner. It was more than common for them to always have freshly cooked rice, especially considering how often she was meal-prepping and making onigiris. It was fortunate that her parents understood her pack mentality, and would finance her grocery habits. Her pack would also typically step up and buy her ingredients or give Iwaizumi money. “Yes now, otherwise we’re going to eat it all and you’ll have to get your own food.” Iwaizumi pinched his nose, eyes squeezed shut. He almost always regretted calling Oikawa, but he knew that his mate would’ve bothered him even more if he didn’t do it. Iwaizumi ended the call, placing his phone onto the dining room table. “You ready?” 

He slipped into the kitchen, surveying the counter. “Do you mind making the eggs? I always like how you season it.” Her lip quivered as she sent him a soft, pouty expression.

“Don’t make that face,” he grumbled, lightly flicking her forehead. “You just have to ask and I’d do it.” He pulled on his Your Opinion Wasn’t in the Recipe apron. She glanced down at her own, giggling at the phrase printed on it: I’ll Feed All You Fuckers. Mattsun had gotten them the aprons as a gag gift one Christmas, but she loved them. 

“You’re the best!”

“I know.” 

She stood beside him, slicing strips of seaweed while he prepared the eggs. Containers of pre-made fillings littered the counter alongside bowls of seasonings and toppings. They danced around the kitchen with practiced movements after years of cooking together. He would reach for some seasoning, only for her to have nudged the bowl towards him already. She would reach for the rice, only for him to scoop out a portion onto the nori. Laughter and music filled the air as they simply enjoyed each other’s presence. 

“I missed this,” she admitted, carefully shaping one of the balls as she sprinkled more furikake flakes. 

 He bumped his hip against hers, tilting his face down so his lips brushed against her forehead. “I’ve missed you.” He placed his onigiri down onto the plate, leaning down to press his lips against hers. “I’m so lucky to have you in my life.” 

The door-bell rang, and she was quick to pop a spoonful of salmon filling into his mouth. “Yes you are,” she winked. Brown eyes widened, as she took off her gloves and apron and skipped over to the door. “Hey, Oiks!” 

“Thank you for having me! Ooh, that smells delicious.” Oikawa stepped into the kitchen, beaming at the tray. “You won’t even greet your guest, Iwa-chan? So rude!” 

“Oi, you’re lucky she invited you over for dinner.” Iwaizumi glared. “Otherwise you’d be hungry and at the gym still.”  Oikawa pouted, opening his mouth to whine more.

“Boys.” The Omega’s eyes narrowed. “Go set the table. And you,” she flicked Oikawa on the forehead causing the male to yelp, “stop overworking yourself. If I hear that you’ve stayed late again and that Iwaizumi left without you, I’m going to handcuff you to him.” 

“Kinky.”

“Oi!” A loud crack as Iwaizumi slapped the back of his head.

“Dinner table! Now!” 

Oikawa joined Iwaizumi at the table, helping him clear it and setting out utensils. “As sweet as she is, I always forget she has a scary side,” Oikawa comments. “She must get it from having you as a mate.”

Iwaizumi’s face darkened. “At least I have a mate.”

“You’re so mean!” 

“Boys!”

“Sorry.” They chorused together. Iwaizumi shoved Oikawa, muttering insults under his breath.

****

“Ushijima-san, that’s not right.” She tapped her pencil on her notebook, surveying the Alpha. He let out a sigh, looking up and blinking with exasperation. 

“What did I do wrong for this one?” 

They’d been sitting in the library for the past three hours, two of which had been spent solely on chemistry. It wasn’t that there was a lack of effort on Ushijima’s side. In fact, he had tried really hard to solve the problems by himself. He would just end up using the wrong formula or accidentally skipped a step here and there which caused problems. “You’re supposed to use this formula instead.” She pointed at the formula sheet she had provided him. He leaned in closer, his shoulder brushing against her back. The warmth seeped through his muscles, her scent easing the tension he felt from studying.

“I see...but why do we use that one instead?” As she opened her mouth to explain, the library doors were thrown open. They both looked up as familiar scents filled the room. Ushijima nodded as his pack-mates made their way to their table. “Hello Tendou, Semi.”

“Wakatoshi!” Tendou exclaimed, only to be shushed by the librarian. “We were wondering where you were.” He sat on the opposite side of Ushijima, leaning into his personal space. Semi rolled his eyes, sending the Omega an awkward wave as he took a seat beside her. They were seated at a circular table.

“Hi, (Name). Sorry to bother you.” 

“Do you wanna go get dinner off-campus?” 

“Tendou, that’s not what we’re here for,” Reon reprimanded, hurrying in through the doors to stop the middle-blocker. “Is it alright if we join you two? We all need to study.” Reon glared at the other two. 

Tendou let out an elongated sigh as Reon plopped his bag beside him, sitting directly across from the other Omega. “Sure,” (Name) smiled. “There’s more than enough room at the table. But I’m not tutoring you guys!” 

Tendou cursed, crossing his arms. “Why not? You’re tutoring Wakatoshi!”

“Because I’m tutoring Ushijima-san, and I don’t want to tutor you, Tendou.” 

“Semi-Semi! I’m not a bad student, right?”

“Tendou, you’re the one who always ends getting us kicked out of here.” Semi retorted, taking a seat beside the Omega as he pulled out his own study materials. Tendou crossed his arms, pouting. “Get your stuff out, Tendou.” 

Tendou let out a loud tch before reluctantly pulling out his pens and pencils.

“I am sorry about this,” Ushijima whispered to (Name), leaning down so his mouth was by her ear. An involuntary shiver coursed through her as she lurched back slightly.

“It’s okay, Ushijima-san.” She cleared her throat. “Anyways, this is what you need to do here.” She copied the problem down on her page, writing out each step and carefully explaining why she was doing such. 

“Tendou, stop it!” Semi cursed, glaring at the red-haired Alpha. She looked up, only to have a wad of paper bounce off her nose. Confused, she furrowed her brow. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Tendou?” The group halted, all looking at her. Semi looked impressed, Ushijima was impassive, a flicker of surprise crossed Reon’s face, and Tendou had an apprehensive look on his face. 

“Having fun?”

She crossed her arms, eyes narrowing dangerously. A shiver crept up Tendou’s spine despite being an Alpha. “And what are you here to do?”

“Distract you guys!”

“Tendou,” she warned. 

He deflated slightly, face darkening. “Study?” 

“That’s right.” She fixed him with a hard gaze. “So, what are you going to do?”

“Pull out my English homework and do it.”

“Well get to it.” Tendou sulked, proceeding to do as he stated. With a satisfied smile, she turned back to the other boys. She blinked. “Why are you guys staring at me?”

“We’ve never heard you curse before, (Name)-san.” Reon commented, meeting her gaze steadily. 

“Yeah, I didn’t know you had it in you,” Semi chuckled, ruffling her hair. 

(Name) batted his hand away from her head. “You guys realize who my Alpha is right?” She rolled her eyes. Ushijima stiffened slightly; all eyes except hers flickered to him momentarily. “He’s always cursing out Oikawa and the rest of our pack-mates.”

Ushijima cleared his throat, leaning down to look at the problem, his wrist brushing against her arm. “That doesn’t sound like a healthy pack environment.” 

(Name) raised an eyebrow, glancing over at the Apex Alpha. “It’s not like he does it to intimidate or fight them. It’s all playful. They’re all fond of one another.” She cleared her throat. “Besides, I don’t think you can talk, Ushijima-san.” Olive eyes shifted up to stare at the female Omega. “Your pack was literally built upon the mentality of who is the strongest volleyball player, not with genuine connections.”

“Hey now, that’s not right,” Semi interjected. She looked at the ash-blonde Alpha. “We might’ve met like that, but we wouldn’t have agreed to be in this pack if we didn’t genuinely like one another.” 

She blinked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be offensive.” 

“I understand where you’re coming from (Name)-san,” Reon added, sending the fellow Omega a pleasant smile. “From an outsider’s perspective, it can seem a bit forced. Just like how we might have a certain perspective about the Seijoh pack due to being outside it as well.” He leaned back. “But, based on your experiences with the pack, do you still truly think that?”

(Name) hesitated a moment. “No,” she admitted. “I do think that there are real bonds between you guys.” Her gaze examined each of the males sitting at the table in front of her. “To be honest, it does remind me of my pack. You guys are playful in similar ways, and I can tell that the bonds between you guys will last.” 

“You’re in the pack too,” Ushijima finally said, his eyes glancing down at the watch on her wrist before raising to steadily meet hers. The other males also eyed the accessory. Tendou’s eyes sparkled. Semi raised his eyebrow, and Reon simply kept the pleasant smile on his face. 

“I suppose I am, aren’t I?” Her gaze was down, staring at the maroon sleeve that sat in her lap from the jacket that hung on her chair. “Anyways,” she cleared her throat, “we have exams soon so let’s get back to studying, yeah?”  

****

“I don’t understand this!” The Beta complained, head plopping down onto his book.

“Kindaichi-kun, let’s start at the top again, okay?” Her pencil tapped against the book, carefully reading the instructions. “They just want you to solve for x, okay? Where do you think you should start?” Kindaichi peeled his face away from the pages, brows furrowed as he stared at the problem. Kumini was across the table, reviewing his English homework. Both first years were Betas. Laughter erupted from her living room, causing her gaze to shift. “Oi! You guys better be studying, or I’m not feeding you.”

“We’re studying!” Makki called.

“Don’t worry (Nickname)-chan! We’re working hard.”

“You’re hardly working, Oikawa.” Mattsun retorted, flicking through his history textbook.

“All of us are working but Shittykawa.” 

“Iwa-chan!” 

“Don’t lie to our Omega-chan,” Makki rolled his eyes.

“Stop arguing and do your work!” 

“Sorry.” They all chimed.

(Name) pinched her nose as she sighed. “I always wonder how you put up with them,” Kumini commented, not looking up from his work.

“Me too.” She replied before she glanced back down at the page besides her. “There you go, Kindaichi-kun! You’re getting the hang of it.” 

“Thank you for helping me!” 

The Omega giggled, ruffling his hair. “Of course, I told you, I’m always here to help.” She stood up, stretching. Her eyes scanned the rooms. In the living room, Iwaizumi was sitting facing her, his back to the TV as he worked on the living room table, pouring over his literature book. Oikawa was sprawled on the chaise sectional, his laptop sitting besides him as he jotted down notes on the notebook on his lap. Makki and Mattsun were sitting down at the table on opposite sides of Iwaizumi, facing each other as each focused on their own homework. She had been seated besides Kindaichi at the dinner table, their backs to the kitchen, with Kumini sitting across from them. Her eyes glanced at the clock, it was already 7 P.M.

(Name) let out a deep sigh, making her way towards the kitchen as she put on her apron. She was scheduled to leave for Tokyo tomorrow during lunch, and would be gone for the rest of the weekend. The Omega pulled out a cutting board, pulling out various ingredients and spices to start preparing dinner. “Do you need any help?” She jumped, looking up to see Oikawa standing in front of her. His elbows were on the counter, his head propped up against his arm.

“Don’t you have work you need to finish?” 

“I finished! Besides, I feel bad that you’re always the one cooking.”

“Yeah, cause we don’t trust your cooking,” Mattsun commented. Another page flip.

“Why did I even ask you guys to join my pack if all you do is bully me,” Oikawa grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting.

“Why don't you help me peel the veggies?” She offered, gesturing to the potatoes and carrots that sat in the strainer in the sink. “Just, please don’t hurt yourself, okay?” He washed his hands, standing by her side. “Don’t want Coach killing me for messing with his setter’s fingers.” 

“Maybe Shittykawa shouldn’t help then,” Iwaizumi replied, walking behind them to refill his water bottle from the fridge. 

“I can do this! Have some faith in me.” Oikawa rolled up his sleeves, washing his hands and grabbing the vegetable peeler enthusiastically.

“I will kick your ass if you fuck up.”

“I have some confidence that he will be okay.” She smiled, pecking Iwaizumi’s cheek as he stood behind her. One of his hands squeezed her hip before he headed back to his homework. 

“Some?!”

“It’s better than none,” she shrugged, washing the rice besides him. 

Oikawa gingerly picked up a potato, peeling the skin off. “Whoops!” He yelped as it shot out of his fingers. 

The Omega gave him a blank look. “Don’t make me regret inviting you over, Shittykawa.”

“Don’t use that nickname too!” Oikawa pouted. “Iwa-chan, don’t teach your mate your roguish ways.”

“I will end you.” Iwaizumi dead-panned, not looking up from his textbook. 

“When did it become ‘bully Oikawa’ day?” Oikawa muttered under his breath, scowling as he finished peeling the potato. The Omega took it out of his fingers, moving back to the cutting board in order to start chopping the vegetables.

“That’s every-day, Oikawa,” Makki retorted, causing Mattsun and Iwaizumi to burst into laughter. Kindaichi stifled his own laughter out of respect for his senpai. 

“Behave yourself in front of your kouhais,” (Name) scolded, scooping the potato pieces into the pot. A smile breached her face as she surveyed her pack-mates. She was used to such banter, and she was glad that the years hadn’t changed them that much. Kumini shut his book, stretching out. The Beta made his way over to the couch, plopping down and curling up into one of the blankets she had laid out. 

Kindaichi’s brows furrowed as he sighed in exasperation. “(Name)-san, I think I need some more help.” Kindaichi called hesitantly, face flushing pink as he avoided her eyes.

“Bring your work over here, Kindaichi. I’ll help you.” Iwaizumi waved him over, making room on the table beside him. “Oi, Mattsun, scootch over.” 

“Thank you, Iwaizumi-san!” Kindaichi scooped his things up, making his way towards his senpai. Her heart skipped a beat as she glanced between the carrots and Iwaizumi and Kindaichi. Iwaizumi really was the perfect alpha. 

Bonus

“Ushijima-san, are you okay?” Ushijima jerked, looking up. Standing in front of his desk was (Name). She placed a sports drink onto his desk. 

He cleared his throat, “yes I am. Why do you ask?” 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “I could smell you down the hall.” Ushijima frowned, sniffing the air. He hadn’t realised that his scent carried so much. “What’s going on?” She slid into the seat in front of him, straddling the seat so she faced him.

Ushijima shook his head. “It is nothing serious. Do not worry.”

“As your pack Omega and the manager of the volleyball team, I will worry. Whatever affects you will affect the pack.” Her face softened. “Please, Ushijima-san? I just want to help.” 

His frown deepened before he let out another sigh. “I am just stressed about school.” 

“School?” Her brow furrowed. “Do you need another study session?” 

“That might be helpful,” he admitted. 

“Do you normally get stressed out about school?” 

 Ushijima bite back a groan. “More often than I’d like to admit.” He took the drink, uncapping and sipping it. She had gotten him his favorite flavor. 

“Is there anything else I can do to help?” Her (e/c) eyes carefully surveyed him as she considered solutions for his problem.

“No, I’m sure I will be fine after a bit of help.”

“Whatever you say, Ushijima-san. If you think of something, please let me know okay?” She swung her legs over the chair, standing up. “Break is almost over, I should head back to my classroom.” As she moved towards the door, his hand shot out to grab her wrist.

“Actually…” He hesitated, a fear of rejection creeping up his throat. “Do you mind scenting something for me?” 

She blinked owlishly at the request. “Scent something?” (Name) looked down at his hand. It was trembling. 

“I find comfort in your scent,” he admitted, averting his eyes as he looked at the buttons on his blazer. “And I think it would help calm me down when I study.” Her face softened. Though scenting things was typically reserved for courting couples or unmated individuals, she supposed she could do the Alpha a favor. After all, she was his pack’s Omega. 

“Of course, Ushijima-san.” She took out a handkerchief from her pocket, placing it gently onto the desk. “Let me know if you need me to re-scent it, okay? Or if you need something else scented.” 

“Thank you, (Name)-san. I greatly appreciate it.” 

She stepped away, a pink flush filling her cheeks. “No problem!” She laughed awkwardly. “I’ll see you later for practice and we can talk about more study sessions then, okay?”

FUN FACTS

💟 The first time an Omega tried to ask Ushijima out, he ended up accidentally closing the door in her face. Another Alpha also tried to court Ushijima, only for him to think it was a joke and he told them off, saying that the joke wasn’t funny.

💟 The first time (Name) had made salmon, she’d accidentally undercooked it and gave her family food poisoning. Since then, she was extra diligent with her food prep. 

💟 Both Ushijima and (Name) were raised to believe that food was the language of love. 

💟 The first time (Name) had made them dinner, Iwaizumi had accidentally eaten all of the food leaving the Omega to make herself some instant noodles. Since then, she’d learn to make four times the portion just in case. 

💟 The Seijoh third-years have a competition to see who could give the worst present to the others. So far, Makki was in the lead.

💟 The Shiratorizawa librarian had placed multiple suspensions on Tendou to prevent him from being in the library. He was only allowed in the library with supervision by Reon or Ushijima. 

💟 The very first person to officially join Ushijima’s pack was Tendou. Semi was the second.

💟 Ushijima actually hadn’t told his pack-mates that he was courting (Name), but the third-years knew him well enough to guess as much

💟 The Seijoh pack has monthly study sessions which Kindaichi and Kumini always go to in order to see (Name). They miss their pack-mother but were too scared to admit it.

💟 (Name) has actually withheld food from the Seijoh boys before. They had to offer a group apology in order to get their ‘food rights’ back.

💟 Oikawa had accidentally burnt his finger-tips when (Name) was teaching him how to make milk-bread their second year. He was put on bench-rest for two weeks 1.5 months before Interhigh. 

💟 Sometimes the other third-years had a competition to see who could make Oikawa the most upset. When (Name) found out, they were lectured for over an hour. They still secretly did it behind her back whenever they had a chance though. She mostly didn’t want them teaching their underclassmen to be mean to one another and would sometimes secretly team-up with Iwaizumi and Mattsun.

💟 Ushijima spends so much time playing volleyball and working out that he sometimes forgets about his homework.

💟 Though scenting is an intimate thing typically reserved for mates, Alphas in packs are allowed to ask Omega members to scent things for them. That being said, Ushijima only asks (Name) to scent something for him and he asks her every week because of “stress”.  

AN: Tons of bonus content this week! I think this is one of the longest chapters I’ve posted for this fic :)  

Taglist: @sawamooora  @kriswu46 @pantasticalcat @shadowkunoichi @awuariyuh @4lfalfagarlic @kuroowh0r3 @sourapplex @pastelpuffbar @cutepet09​ @michelepiekenma @gywjd0131​ @aideen00 @loudpoetry23 @scrappydaisies @chrisrue15​ @aideen00  

(I’m having issues with my notifications, so if I accidentally missed your taglist request, please DM ASAP!) 

Please feel free to message, comment, or shoot an ask if you’d like to join the tag-list!