#and then only really yielding with the realization that they're totally going to do this shit anyway

[cephalog0d]

Okay, but like. There's the whole joke about Bruce recruiting children to be his sidekicks, but honestly there's only really one that fits that.

And it's Jason. And the whole story there is, frankly, unhinged. Aaaaand then he died.

(I'm specifically talking about "first post-crisis origin stories" here because Jason and Dick, in particular, have both had multiple major retcons and revisions over the years, and some of them dramatically change how things happened.)

Like okay. Going backwards, you've got Duke who joined/led a whole Robin-based gang at a time when Bruce wasn't even Batman. You've got Damian and Cass, who were both literally born into the world of masks and capes and heroes and villains, so they weren't ever really not going to be part of it. Steph might have taken inspiration from previous heroes but she made her own identity and repeatedly refused to stop involving herself in the vigilante lifestyle. Tim, obviously, basically strong-armed Batman into letting him be Robin, despite Batman's protests.

Dick's a little more complicated just because there's so many versions, because that's what 80 years of comics and multiple universe reboots will do, and there's kind of a general trend that earlier pre-crisis versions were more of Batman being like "hello, child, would you like to be my sidekick" and later versions have leaned harder and harder into the idea that Dick was absolutely going to do this anyway, regardless of what Batman had to say about it. But even in the first post-crisis version, the flashback in Batman Year 3, Dick says he wants to find a way to keep people like that from hurting others again. When Alfred questions Bruce's offer to train him, Bruce says that Dick should learn to do things the right way if he's going to do it. It's not hard to extrapolate that, much like later versions of the origin story, Dick was going to get himself into this one way or another. (Batman (1940) #437)

And then there's Jason. Whose backstory has also had a lot of (sometimes major) revisions over the years (remember when his adoption was, like, some kind of Joker-originated long con? Fucken Nu52, man). But the original post-crisis version is pretty straightforward. Steals Batman's tires, gets caught and sent to Ma Gunn's Secret Criminal School, intervenes when Batman goes to investigate, immediately gets offered the chance to be Robin based entirely on that.

Which is itself kind of unhinged. That Bruce saw this kid who was living on his own stealing tires and went "Hey you would make a good Robin" as his very first instinct.

But if you've never read Jason's post-crisis origin, or it's been a while, it's honestly even more unhinged than that because that arc starts with Dick getting "fired" as Robin specifically for the reason that he got shot by Joker and Bruce freaked out about how the Robin identity has too many enemies and therefore Dick, a legal adult with approximately a decade of training and experience, should not use the identity anymore.

(And it's specifically about the Robin identity, in this version, because when Dick says he's not going to stop the crime fighting thing Bruce's response is basically "I know and I didn't expect you to". Honestly I could also say a lot about this version of the Robin/Nightwing transition vs. later ones and how this one definitely feels like the Heavy Hand of DC Editorial in the fact that they had no contact for so long afterwards, because the interaction really doesn't feel like it warrants that in this case compared to some later versions, but that's a whole other too-long ramble.) (Batman (1940) #408)

And then a few weeks later Bruce turns around and picks up a random kid, a literal child, and goes "Hey you would make a good Robin!"

And I think a lot about how fucking wild that is. And it's not like the people writing just didn't notice. Dick's big argument with Bruce when he finally comes back to Gotham and meets Jason isn't about the fact that Bruce took in another kid, or even necessarily about Dick feeling proprietary over the Robin identity, the thing he's angry about is that Bruce said it was too dangerous for him, an adult, someone who has trained with Batman for a decade and was already highly physically trained before that for his whole life, to be Robin, and now Bruce has turned around and painted that target onto some random new kid. He pushes, repeatedly, trying to get Bruce to justify himself and this absolutely irresponsible decision, and Bruce gives a lot of answers about how Jason was on a bad path and needed this outlet and eventually just admits that he missed having a partner. (Batman (1940) #416)

And like. Dick's right, is the thing. He is 1000% in the right in this argument. If he can't be Robin anymore because of the danger, how in the hell is it anything like a good idea to hand it over to someone way younger, way less trained, way less experienced, and expect that that wouldn't end in tragedy?

And then it did.

And yeah, Bruce, it is kinda a lot of your fault.

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

To Love Who Wears The Crown Pt. 3

Pairing: Modern Royals: King!Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: none

Genre: Fluff

Summary: You meet the king of Andia by chance when he hosts a ball and he's immediately taken with you, enough to invite you to spend your summer at the palace with him while he formally courts you. Although he's everything you could dream of from the moment you arrive, nothing is ever straightforward in the world of powerful people. Who would have thought that when you tripped over his feet at a dance you'd eventually have to find out what it means to love a king.

***

During your first weeks at the palace, you mostly stumble through getting used to staying there. You usually have to ask a guard to take you anywhere because your attempts to get around on your own end up with you getting lost. Although at this point, you can get from your room to the dining room and back on your own. You always eat dinner with James, and sometimes you eat breakfast together when his schedule allows it.

"Y/n?" Izzy grabs your attention from across the room.

"Yes?" You snap your head towards her from where you're sitting by the window with your sketchbook.

"King James is here, he's asked if you're available to talk to him." She tells you.

"Oh- I didn't even realize someone was at the door. Thank you Izzy." You stand and toss the sketchpad onto your bed. You pull open your large doors to find the king with his back to you but he turns abruptly when you step out.

"Hi." He says.

"Hi, James. What's up?" You ask.

"Well, my counsel meeting ended early so I thought we'd go for a walk or something before dinner." He explains.

"I'd love to." You smile at him. You loop your arm through his and allow him to lead you down the halls.

"How has your time here been so far? I know I'm busy but-"

"Please, you spend way more time with me than I'd expect from a king. Even one courting me." You shake your head. "It's been- interesting. The palace is lovely, but I get lost a lot. I feel like I need a map."

"I'm sure Nat could make that happen. Or at least show you around properly if that would be more helpful."

"Wait you have maps? Or like- floor plans maybe? I don't know how helpful a tour with Nat would be but I could totally find my way around if I had a map or something to follow." You tell him.

"I know we used to keep a floor plan in the library, I'll talk to Nat about getting you access to something to help you get around."

"Thank you James, I'd appreciate that."

"Bucky." He says.

"What?" You frown.

"People closest to me call me Bucky, it's short for Buchanan. That's my middle name." He explains, at this point, you've ended up outside by one of the fountains on the grounds.

"People closest to you, like Natasha?" You ask as you sit on the warm stone of the fountain. The king follows your lead and sits on the edge of the fountain beside you.

"Sometimes- but usually she only does it to remind everyone she respects me but she does not fear me." He chuckles.

"Well isn't that a good thing?" You ask.

"Isn't what a good thing?"

"That Natasha respects you but sees no reason to fear you."

"How do you mean?"

"Well- people will rally unwaveringly behind a king they respect. But people rallying behind a king that they fear, that really just seems a breeding ground for disloyalty." You say.

"I don't disagree with you, but I am curious how you came to that conclusion."

"If people respect their leader, then their loyalty is an active choice they're making because they think the leader deserves it, while if they're rallying behind a leader they fear, well, their loyalty only goes as far as their desire to survive. If an enemy promises their survival and they can have their freedom- a king that is feared would be totally screwed." You shrug. James looks at you for a moment with a small smile.

"I knew you were intelligent but I am honestly a little impressed."

"By the fact that I understand that fear and respect yield different results?" You chuckle.

"You'd be surprised by the types that come through the palace honestly, these perspectives are less common than you'd think." He muses. "Plus, considering you don't have a diplomatic background it's interesting you think that way- you sound a bit like my advisors."

"Oh- I didn't think it was anything notable. Doesn't everyone have thoughts on what would make for a good leader?" You shrug.

"From my experience no, well not thoughts that are like, fully developed." He tells you, his thumb absentmindedly stroking the back of your hand.

"Oh." You hum a bit distracted by the feeling of his thumb against your skin. "Oh wait, before I forget, would you prefer it if I called you Bucky?"

"Truthfully I don't mind when you call me James but it just feels a little formal since my friends often don't call me James so, I just wanted to give you that other option." He explains.

"I like Bucky, I think it's cute." You smile.

"Use it at your discretion then." He shrugs. You nod in acknowledgment.

"Oh- how did your meeting go? I take it things went well since it ended earlier than you expected?" 

"It wasn't anything complex, we hired a new advisor recently." Bucky shrugs

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's Nat's sister apparently. Her name is Yelena."

"Oh so was it like an induction meeting of sorts?"

"Among other things yeah, there's also a girl she's vouched for, Kate. I don't know what to do with her though." He hums.

"What do you mean?" You frown.

"Her skillset is mostly in combat and she's impressive but she's just a kid and I wanna put her where she'll do well but also not in unnecessary danger." Bucky says.

"I see. I mean you could start by having her train with palace guards, see how it goes for her. She's new, you'll learn what works best for her with time."

 "Yeah I guess you're right, I'll figure something out, but do you really wanna talk about my work stuff right now?" Bucky scoffs.

"I mean I don't mind what we talk about really. I'm happy with anything, but if you'd rather not discuss work we can change the subject. I just want you to know you can talk to me about things, and nothing you want to talk about will ever be 'too boring' for me." You say, looking down as you trace lines against the palm of his hand.

"I appreciate it. I'm tired of work stuff for now though. So if you don't mind, I'd rather we talk about something else."

"Of course. What would you like to talk about?" You hum.

"Tell me, what have you been up to today?" He asks.

"Mostly working on some sketches."

"You draw?" Bucky lights up at that, turning towards you as much as he can on the side of the fountain.

"Sometimes, yeah." You nod.

"That's so cool. Will you show me them sometime?"

"Sure." You say. "Oh, I have a question."

"What is it?" He tilts his head and you resist the urge to giggle at the way it makes him look like a puppy.

"Would it be possible for me to have a guest here?" You ask him.

"A guest?"

"Yeah, my friend Monica. We usually spend a lot of time together so I was just wondering if I could invite her to the palace someday to hang out. I'd like to still see her while I'm staying here." You explain with a shrug.

"Oh, of course you can. By all means invite her."

"Really? I can? There's not some extensive protocol to inviting her over?" You ask and he chuckles.

"No sweetheart, there's no extensive protocol. Although, Nat will probably insist a guard be with the two of you while she's here, at least the first time she visits." Bucky muses.

"Considering I still don't know my way around, I'd probably have a guard be with us anyway so we don't end up hopelessly lost." You shrug with a smile.

"Do you plan on inviting her soon?"

"I'd like to invite her tomorrow unless we have plans." You say.

"We don't. Feel free to invite her. She can stay for dinner as well if she'd like." Bucky tells you.

"Dinner? Did you want to meet her?" You look at him with a confused frown.

"If she's as important to you as she seems, of course I want to meet her." He says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Okay, I'll talk to her about it, fair warning; she can be a little intense." You tell him.

"I'm sure I can handle it." He smiles.

"Say that again once you meet her. If I want her to come tomorrow I should call her."

"Would you like to do it before dinner? I can take you back to your room if you want to make that call now." Bucky offers.

"That would be great actually." You say standing up. Bucky stands with you and walks you back to your room.

"I'll see you at dinner my dear." He says once you reach your room. James hasn't used pet names with you often, but it seems that he's beginning to use them more as you spend more time together. Each time he does your heart jumps a little.

"Of course." You nod before going inside.

"Hi y/n, you're back. I thought you'd be with the king until after dinner." Izzy says.

"Oh, yeah, I have to make a call before dinner." You tell her.

"Oh well I'll leave so not to disturb you." She says, slipping out of your room before you can tell her she doesn't have to leave. You quickly find your phone and dial your best friend.

"Oh my gosh, you're alive! I was starting to think I'd never hear from you again."

"Hello to you too." You chuckle.

"Yeah yeah whatever, hello- tell me everything." Monica says.

"That's not why I called you actually."

"So you're not going to tell me how life at the palace has been?" She huffs.

"It's been- pretty good. The place is huge Monica, I mean you've seen it, but there's so much more to it than what we saw at the party a few weeks ago. I get lost all the time, but I don't think I have time to catch you up on everything right now, I was just wondering how busy you are tomorrow?" 

"For you? I'm never too busy. Why? Is everything alright? Just because he's the king doesn't mean I won't kick his ass." 

"Cool it Mon, he hasn't done anything. I just wanted to see if you had time to come around for a visit." You chuckle at her.

"A visit? Like to the palace?"

"Yeah, I told the king we see each other all the time and that I missed you so I asked if you could come up here and he said it was fine." You shrug.

"Shut up!" She gasps.

"He even invited you to join us for dinner, so if you promise not to act like a total weirdo- you can meet him when you come over."

"Oh come on! He's pursuing my best friend, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't give him the seventh degree?" She scoffs like it's obvious.

"The seventh degree?!"

"Yeah, I'm way more intense than three degrees."

"Please try to remember he's the king and not some random guy from Tinder." You warn.

"The king is not above reproach."

"Monica please be normal. You have no reason to reproach him." You sigh.

"Is he treating you well?"

"Yes, he's very kind to me."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Tell me how it's been."

"Well we've gone riding, had picnics, sometimes we go on walks together. It's been nice honestly but I won't go into all the details right now, we'll talk about it all tomorrow and you can ask me as many questions as you can fit. It's almost time for dinner and I feel rude keeping James waiting."

"James? You just call him James?"

"That's- his name."

"I mean I know but he's also the king, doesn't everyone address him like- with the title."

"Technically I only have to do that in formal settings I think. He told me to treat him like I would any other suitor." You explain.

"He sounds so sweet I can't wait to hear how your first weeks with him have been. And yes, I will ask you at least a million questions about it."

"I'm sure you will and I'll tell you everything tomorrow. I'm free all afternoon so just ring me when you get here." You explain.

"Alright well enjoy your dinner, I will see you tomorrow." Monica says. You say your goodbyes and hang up, excited that you'll be seeing your friend tomorrow. You make your way down the halls to meet Bucky for dinner. When you get to the dining room he's already there and he stands to pull out your chair for you.

"Did you call your friend Monica?" He asks, sitting back in his seat.

"I did! She said she can come by tomorrow." You beam at him.

"And will she join us for dinner?"

"She plans to yes."

"Does she have any allergies? Foods she doesn't like?"

"No allergies but she doesn't like brussel sprouts and she's one of those cilantro tastes like soap people." You tell him.

"Cilantro taste like soap?"

"Yeah, it's a whole genetic thing, did you not know?"

"No? I've never heard of that. I don't think anyone I know has ever mentioned it." Bucky laughs. From there you launch into a discussion of weird food quirks of your friends and his as you eat dinner. You can only hope he and Monica get along as well as you get along with both of them.

***

Part 3/???

Tagged Users: @calwitch

[iconologist]

Waving my magic forget wand to pretend an entity I knew for a while did NOT happen and I never met them.

It's not like I'm fucked up for that. Not like it ever really mattered I think. I wouldn't know if it did.

At least the only thing that matters to me after the fact is if I'm a fucked up total narc for blocking them cold turkey.

I don't think I am, or ever was. It isn't wrong to push someone out of your life if none of it even had a positive impact on you I guess?

It being the conversations, the relationship. Of which, had no bearings on either side if it could be saved or if it should be.

So all I did was give up.

That's what I've been told to do about my relationship with my own partner or whatever by them.

I think if I told them about my relationship with them but without specifying who they were they would tell me to cut them off to.

Even my boyfriend doesn't think the very onesided relationship with them was good either. So. It's not a big deal. I didn't have much to begin with. So I'm not losing out on much either.

👀 Wasn't that what you were signing up for? With that specific broad genre of being friends with another Dirk?

No...How would I know any better about THIS Dirk's specific intricacies that don't mesh well with mine.

I dunno, I'm writing this at 5:52 AM on a Monday.

I just went to go on tumblr and check my notifications and I saw two messages from him because oops I didn't think I could block them on every blog I have I guess so I didn't and they were talking about "Ok bro" and something about being left with a "broom and dustpan" after I left.

Which I don't get because eh.. Why do you care.

Why'd you care enough to leave some snarky ass comments before you blocked me back on every blog I have.

🫡 Not like I'd have any chance of knowing now. Which is good. I never wanted to unblock him and I never wanted to now.

[4:04 PM] There isn't anything to *sweep* anyway besides me not blocking him on all my blogs because I didn't think to and him making my friend that was also friends with me block me after I blocked him. Or he couldn't of. My friend could of blocked me for any other reason. Without even a chance to explain my side of the story too. I guess they were always just bad friends. Better left in the dust than to rehash diving into that dumpster. Maybe the metaphor just fell flat on me Idk.

Just immature I guess. Getting in the definitive last word. It all yields the fattest and most robustly sarcastic eye roll in existence. And even in saying all of this I can't find anger in my heart of hearts soul. I'm indifferent. If anything makes me annoyed, it's that he dare take up any more head space in my mind ALL day when he isn't welcome there any longer.

The alleged man was important to me, what can I say besides always being deep down a sappy fella with too much sentiment then one guy alone can bare. But NOTHING and I mean nothing could deter my actions on kicking him out of the proverbial cranial cage my mind is because it's already too crammed in there to begin with and nothing he's said had lessened the load any. Which is fine, no one, especially friends, is obligated to do that and help me out obviously, I never wanted anyone to, I never had anyone to do that, not a standard for me. But even when he attempted to(?) it didn't help. The only big take away is that he made me realize I have OCD. Besides that, I also take away that he's too pushy and his persistent criticisms on my fragile sense of identity as a young growing lad were nothing more or less than harmful. Adjacent to delegitimizing my identity as just, me.

The weird thing with narcissists is that you can't tell whether or not there really is something extremely wrong with what they're saying or if you're going crazy because they don't accept any criticisms you make and just start throwing every seemingly reasonable excuse there is at you even if it doesn't work or apply to that specific context, it seems like a genuine lack of self awareness in that area. And the grand verdict is, that I didn't stick around to find out. Because I don't give a damn to speak to the guy anymore. I only think he's more of an asshole for dropping by a message just to get the last word in. The avoidant attached types are like that it seems. Two people I block (one of them been blocked by), one who has confirmed to be avoidant, and one who I highly suspect to be, both stop by to just leave a few last words. One I stayed with because they're a good person, my partner. And one I completely abandoned because they aren't. At least, he wasn't a positive influence. I don't seek after any further back and forth interactions. In my eyes, that isn't a good person. Not a good person to me. Doesn't treat me the way I treat them. And when pointing that out specifically, tossing all the excuses at me as to why he's in the right and how it's fine actually. And if that's the way he behaves in his twenties it's probably too late for him. He's pretty fairly forgettable though, I'll be just fine in a week. Just another screw up in a line of screw ups that enter and leave my life. Nothing more than more warnings to bare in mind for the ill advised keeping search outs for another person in sight to connect with. A big red flag. 🚩

KEY POINT. That was selfish of him. And I have better things to be doing. Better people to be around. Something like that.

I think it's safe to say that he's good as dead to me. Out of sight out of mind.

[7:02 PM] I guess he was right about something though, I miraculously seem to befriend bad people.

[hopelesstvaddict]

Jon and Sansa's relationship is fragile because of Jon's insecurities

[So we're back. Instead of full reviews I think I'm just gonna write about specific subjects that make me pause and think, more than the general episodes]

So we've been treated with Jon's return to Winterfell and his rocky relationship with Sansa resumes. Again. Ain't this old by now ? Perhaps not.

Jon and Sansa are at their most affectionate when it comes to hugs but this second time, Sansa keeps focused on what's important. I don't really understand why Jon would take issue with Sansa speaking up at the council in the Great Hall; she brought up very valid points. Saving the world is important of course but people tend to forget what needs to happen behind the scenes in order to ensure that. I think I'm not alone in this but I also wondered why she didn't take into account Dany's army when preparing all the food storing. While that can be blamed on sloppy writing and it's fair to say that she could have at least entertained the idea, it's also fair to remember that Jon's main idea was first to mine dragonglass and then try to convince Dany to help them. Sansa was not convinced he would succeed; in her mind, Dany would only care about her throne. So far she's not proven entirely wrong. And we also have to remember that Jon didn't send any message to her for a long time and certainly not before he knelt. Probably the last scroll she got was something like 'Hey I'm ok' and then next thing she knew he had bent the knee. So by this time it was already too late to gather whatever food was necessary. Plus I think it's safe to say the entire North brought what food was available FOR THE NORTH ONLY. Obviously there wasn't much and in any case, even if she had been warned she'd have to feed many more, there wouldn't have been enough. Sansa takes care of all this, and all the political stuff - things that both Jon and Dany do not care about and have little regard for. Jon still doesn’t quite realize how much he needs Sansa to handle all of this because he doesn’t realize how important it is. Yet.

The scene that stood out the most takes place during Jon and Arya's reunion in which Jon tries to dismiss Sansa. Live reaction: Ok so we're back to this 'Jon-putting-down-his-sister' nonsense? At first view, it's quite infuriating to see Jon acting this way and it's hard to believe these two ever found a way to unite and effing retake Winterfell. But once you stop and think about it, this little exchange yields so much to analyze.

As many pointed out, Jon likely tries to revert to a childhood joke he shared with Arya when they were younger and used to diss their sister together. Fair point. Siblings often side against one another. But that shows several things. Jon has been away from Arya all series long and he doesn't realize yet that she's not his little baby sister anymore. His conversation about Needle further proves the point. In any case, Arya is having none of it and supports Sansa. We're all here for this.

Here Jon seemingly tries to diminish Sansa's intelligence. But he knows that she really IS smarter than everyone else. He knows it. So I think part of what's going on here is that Jon works as the embodiment of the last part of the general audience who still thinks that Sansa is useless and this scene was written for Arya - a known fan favorite - to dismiss this and assert her support of Sansa - to really drive home this idea. The scene with Tyrion (another fan favorite) serves a similar purpose.

Narratively, beyond Jon dismissing Sansa yet again, this reads as another instance where it's more about Jon than it is about Sansa. Several times Jon has confronted Sansa about her asserted cleverness - and all those times, she's been right - and each time it boiled down to Jon's lack of self-confidence and the need to prove himself to his sister. When she told him that Ramsey was more devious than what he thought, his first reaction was to boast about his military achievements. When she told him to be smarter than Robb and their father, his reaction was to half-jokingly dismiss her offer of counsel. This essentially is a version of him saying 'Yeah she's smart but so am I and I wish she saw it too'

This ties closely with the rest of the exchange where Arya tells him that Sansa is defending the family. Pay attention to what Jon says next - specifically the choice of phrasing it.

There is so much to draw from that line. He doesn't say 'She's my family too' or 'she's our family' or 'I'm your family too'. His choice of words means 'I, Jon, am part of Sansa's family too'. That singles out Sansa as Jon's focus for discontent. He could have said 'I'm your family' or just 'I'm family too' and that would have included Bran and Arya as well. But no, Sansa alone is who Jon focuses on. This shows that he still has some unresolved issues with her - even after all that happened between them. After two seasons of her repeatingly validating him, her saying out loud 'You're a Stark to me' he still doubts HER in particular

Perhaps that boils down to her behavior towards him when they were children since this comes up again later. A seemingly random bit of conversation but one can't help but wonder why this was brought up again. Jon and Sansa weren't close growing up and Jon is a deeply insecure person, being a bastard and all that and it's understandable that he would have a hard time letting go of all these presumptions when they all but defined his childhood. She was the sole of his siblings to make him feel like he didn't have a real place in the family (to make it very simple), hence why he doesn't have a problem with Arya or Bran. Yet.

But how can Sansa change that ? A girl can repeat her support for him so much and reassure him all the time but really it's up to Jon to get past childish jabbing and accept the woman his sister has become and that she's genuine in her concern towards him. That she's changed.

'I'm her family too' is another way of saying 'I'm part of her family too so why is she always antagonizing me/fighting me/disagreeing with me?' Jon still thinks Sansa doesn't consider him family and she's the last one not to in his mind.

The choice of words also emphasizes the 'I'. Rather than say 'she' and put focus on Sansa alone, the use of 'I' brings the sentence back to Jon and puts the spotlight on him as well. 'I am part of her family too'. As if he's saying it out loud and repeating it so that perhaps his thick brain will finally accept it. This is a clever exchange that foreshadows the existential/identity crisis that he's going to go through no later than before the end of the episode. Which renders Arya's 'Don't forget that' quite unsubtle. This will be Jon’s final storyline, the resolution of the one problem that defined him at the beginning of the story.

This need to gain Sansa's approval is driven further in the scene the two of them share later on (another candlelit setting). We have yet to see Jon interact with Bran or Arya but Jon is decidedly different with Sansa. Perhaps that's because they're the eldest. Perhaps that's because they're closer in age. Perhaps that's because they are the leaders of their House. Perhaps that's because they went to war together. In any case, Jon is wary, unsure and insecure about how she feels about him. He doesn’t look to Sansa the way he affectionately looks to Arya or Bran. A smile is rare when he interacts with Sansa. He yells, they don't see eye to eye, he feels like she belittles him, he feels hurt and at the end of it, this :

This is him asking her for reassurance. Asking for a clear answer. 'Please trust me. Please tell me that you support me'. He craves her validation. After he all but dismissed her in front of Arya. Why go see her? Why take her intel so close to his heart then ?

To which she responds 'You know I do'. Two things to take from this. First, once again she reassures him and reasserts her support and loyalty to him. Second, 'YOU KNOW I do' means 'you already know the answer'. This shows that in her mind, Jon should ALREADY know that he has acquired her undying support - probably against her better judgement. Newsflash : he doesn’t.

Can we stop now for a second and breathe a sigh of relief that Sansa has grown confident enough to be sure of who she is and not question Jon's lack of faith in her ? Thank the Gods one of them has their shit together because if she were like him, this wouldn't go anywhere.

It's possible that her not lashing out at him and instead adopting this quiet, sad behavior is also the manifestation of her own fear towards him - that he effectively abandoned her. For all the tough 'no one can protect me' behavior, anyone is going to be touched to have someone pledge to protect them.

Anyway, Sansa trusts Jon but he doesn't. It's quite interesting that he was the one asking for mutual trust before and yet he is the one in the end who can't totally do it because in his heart, he is still deeply insecure about her. Sure there were some steps made. Ensuring the safety of the North and entrusting her with it was a huge improvement. But still, we see that on a personal level he is quite not there.

The obvious question then is WHY. Why is he still insecure ? And why Sansa in particular ? The beginning of an answer can be found in the relationship he had with her while they were children and how it compares to Arya and Bran. Maybe that's just remnants of that strained relationship.

But if Sansa has changed and for the better and Jon still struggles to accept it, let's just hope that a similar situation doesn't arise with Arya and Bran. Let's rule out the latter since he's all about the zen attitude but we've already seen that Arya is not Jon's Arya anymore and that she will stand beside Sansa when needed. For now, Jon has no reason to doubt Arya like he does Sansa. When the reveal about his parentage comes out, how will Sansa and Arya react ? If he can't handle the thought of one sister seemingly doubting him, what's it going to be if it's two sisters ?

All of this insecurity regarding Sansa - for now - is at least partly in preparation of the drama that is sure to unfold in the next weeks. Jon fears that Sansa doesn't see him as family and now, he has even more reason to be afraid. All the drama that has happened between them for seasons boils down to this deep fear of not being accepted by her and now we're in for the culmination. There will be a lot of fighting, we’re told. Jon will sulk and convince himself that he was right in the end, that he wasn't part of the family and more so, that SHE was right not to accept him. Sansa on the other hand, I suspect, will mainly fight to make him accept once and for all that he is a Stark. That's the passionate fight for her this season. To make her family complete.

Another interesting thing to note - as others have observed - is that the conversation is left unfinished.

Sansa asks if Jon loves Dany and he doesn't respond. Once again, Sansa demonstrates - to us and to Jon - how perceptive she is, how well she can read people, and him specifically. As of now, Jon’s relationship with Dany is still a secret and yet she has figured it out.

What's really notable is that this is a pattern in a lot of Sansa/Jon conversations, specifically the ones where they argue in private. Compare this one to the tent scene in 6x09 or the one in 7x01 right after the council or even in 6x07 when they argue about the men they have. We have Sansa and Jon arguing heatedly then the conversation tones down to soft, sad voices and then it ends before resolution can happen, either because they choose to end it there, someone else interrupts or we simply are denied to see it.

Sansa and Jon have been arguing ever since they reunited. Every season they were pitted against each other as the siblings who fought. Now in the final season, it's still brought up and used in the narrative. Meaning that it means something, that it's important to the story. We saw that Arya and Sansa fought in Season 7. It was tied to their old bickering from childhood and ultimately it was resolved and now Arya stands by her sister. Narratively, a conflict plaguing characters has to be resolved when the story comes to its conclusion. Sansa and Jon’s storyline has been going on since Season 6 now, so their relationship HAS TO come to a resolution, one way or another. And it'll be all about Jon finally accepting that he is a Stark and about him accepting that Sansa has accepted it.

[dp-marvel94]

Again, I'm blown away by the responses I've been getting to this fic. I'm going to reply to @tachvintlogic 's addition above as well as some other people below the cut.

So Sam and Tucker... Totally agree. They need to get told at some point. It's definitely going to wreck them, between dealing with Franky's existence and Ghost Danny's return. As for them not being in the picture, well, first I was thinking that Franky was being home schooled or doing it online so that would explain why he's not seeing them at school. But Jack and Maddie keeping them away would also be a factor.

I think generally the Fenton parents would be trying to keep their son's resurrection quiet, so not even Danny's best friends know. If word got out , then people would asks questions. If people ask questions, then someone can figure out what they did. And them not wanting people to find out might be for free of public backlash but... It might also be guilt because they know what they did was wrong.

So speaking of Jack and Maddie, I think I'm noticing some difference in our view of their motivation, which is cool. I tend to write the Fentons as overall good parents who try to do better when they mess up. For me, they fixed Danny's body and made the Prosthetic Soul not out of a fury of mad science or a need for control, but out of deep grief and love for their son. Yes, what they did was definitely, without question wrong. And they know this at some level. But they love and miss Danny so much that they're willing to do anything to bring some version of him back. Because of this, I'd say the memories they used to mold the spirit are less cherry picked to yield an ideal version of Danny and more their son as seen through rose colored glasses. They just lost their son and are grieving so of course, they're thinking about all the things they cherished and loved about him, not necessarily the problems and frustrations.

What Jack and Maddie did is still messed up and them keeping Franken Danny away from people and lying is still very bad and it puts both Dannys in a horrible position. It would be very painful ironic if each thought that their parents really actually wanted the other Danny. So Franky feels like an inferior copy and thinks they'll throw him away once they get the real Danny back. Ghost Danny being, well, a ghost is only a small factor. While neither parent like ghosts, clearly They don't hate and mistrust them enough to throw out their plan to bring back their son. They'd rather have Danny, even if he's ghostly, than not have him at all. And no matter what, both Dannys are ghostly but ghost Danny has the advantage in Franky's eyes because he's the original, their parents real son.

Meanwhile, ghost Danny thinks that his parents would prefer Franky over him since he's at least somewhat human and the ideal version. He's a better son who, at this point at least, doesn't question them and cause problems. This changes of course when Franky learns the truth and it weighs on his relationship with his parents. Oh, abd I do love the irony of Franky actually ended up more like Danny once he realizes he's not actually Danny and starts acting more like himself.

Franky getting his own body! That would involve the boy trying to figure himself out again but it might be good for him. Though my idea with the memories was that he'd keep the ones that he's actively accessed. Ghost Danny does remember his life after all so the memories must not just be implanted in the brain but the soul as well.

And the Danielle comment made me laugh. XD even if I don't think I'd include her if I did a longer version of this story. That'd be a bit too much to keep the Fentons redeemable.

@livmadart thank you! I'm happy that ending was so gripping. The more I think about it, the more that feels like the best ending. Jack and Maddie have to let go of Danny and let him move on. They accept and acknowledge Franky as someone different from Danny but still their son. And Franky still gets to find out who he is while honoring where he came from. Also, I saw the art you made and love it so much!!

@saintly-bovine that's a great idea and one I totally forgot to include. It would be a interesting struggling, having to deal with both of their memories and feelings to integrate into one person. And in the end, you get halfa Danny. :)

@lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks I agree! I love the idea of calling him Franky! ❤️❤️❤️

@friendly-neighborhood-imbecille . I'm glad you liked it. :) You said you were hoping for more and here's more. ❤️❤️❤️

Prosthetic Soul AU Snippet

Summary: Based on @lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks ‘s Prosthetic Soul au. Danny dies and his parents use ectoplasm to heal his body. They create a poltergeist, which thinks it’s Danny, as a prosthetic soul, so their son can live again.

Word Count: 2,062

Also on AO3 and FF.net

This whole idea has been ringing around my head for a while so I finally wrote something. This is based on @lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks ‘s Prosthetic Soul au. In the comments, @kreadstornham mentioned Danny coming back as a full ghost and having to watch. And I’m ecstatic! Just imagine the pain, the drama! This is also kinda based on @tachvintlogic ‘s ideas and the snippet they wrote. This story would theoretically happen after that snippet; the new Danny has figured out that there was something wrong with him but hasn’t yet learned what Jack and Maddie actually did to him. So que full ghost Danny meeting his counterpart and both of them having an existential crisis!

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