#brandon x cat

[shining-m00nlight]

Am I the Asshole?

Catelyn thought she and her husband were happy in their marriage. But Brandon telling her a story brings out insecurities and a lot of questions.

Catelyn snuggled up to her husband a little bit out of breath from their activities. Brandon laid on his back, having a satisfied smile on his face. 

“That was great” he mumbled into her hair.

“It was,” Cat agreed. 

Brandon had always been good at this part of the relationship. Even if Catelyn didn’t like to think about where he got the practice from. 

“You never believe what Ned told me today” 

Ned was Brandon's little brother. Cat had never actually met him. He lived far away since he had been a teen before Catelyn and Brandon started dating. It bothered her a bit. It’s not just that she didn’t know Ned, she knew almost no one in Brandon's family well despite the fact that they were married for a year now. 

She thought that she would meet them all properly with wedding planning and at the wedding and then get to know them after. But that never happened. Brandon and her had married in Las Vegas. He had convinced her to go on this trip with him and some of his colleagues. When he won quite a bit of money, drank quite a bit of liquor he had been on a high and asked her to marry him right this moment. Catelyn also had drunk more than she would have usually had agreed. 

She would regret this decision when she woke up the next day releasing what they had done. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be married to Brandon. She loved him but she had also always dreamed of a big wedding. She had wanted her father to walk her down the aisle. She wanted to hug her sister and brother, when they congratulated her on her wedding. He wanted to dance with her father and her uncle at the reception. And she wanted to meet Brandon’s family and felt like she was becoming part of them due to the marriage. But thanks to their dissection to elope in Vegas she missed out on all of it.

She had met Brandon's father twice, once before and once after they married. Cat thought he liked her when she first met him but the second time it was clear that they disappointed him. Just like they did her father. Catelyn felt awful. Still she had hoped that she and Mr Stark could build a good relationship with each other but that never happened. Catelyn had never been over at the Stark manor again. She wasn’t quite sure if that was due to Mr Stark or Brandon. 

Catelyn never understood why Brandon seemed to have a lack of interest in getting to know each other's families. He had reluctantly agreed to have dinner with her father once after their wedding. It had been a disaster. If Rickard Stark showed that he was disappointed that they didn’t have a proper wedding, Hoster Tully showed that he was angry. He also put all the blame on  Brandon. Catelyn had tried to tell him that it was just as much her direction as it had been Brandons. Her father hadn’t believed her, sometimes she wondered if she even believed herself. When they left her fathers house after Brandon and her father had gotten into a screaming match Brandon had said he would never be doing it again. And he has stuck to it to this day. 

Because of that Brandon had never met either of her siblings. The only sibling of his that she had met was little Benjen. He still lived with his father, so when he met Mr Stark she had met him. He seemed sweet but Catelyn didn’t know much more about him than that. Lyanna, Brandon’s sister also still lived at home but had had no interest in meeting Cat. According to Brandon she was being annoying about not having been at the wedding. 

So when Brandon mentioned one of his siblings Catelyn was immediately super interested and trying to soak up any information about Brandon's family to maybe use it if she ever got to meet them. Because Ned didn’t live close by, he was the sibling Brandon talked the least about so Catelyn immediately perked up. 

“What did Ned tell you today?” 

“He was talking about his friend Robert. Well technically he was complaining a bit but that is because Ned can have a bit of a stick up his arse. He said that he started to be in an open relationship with his girlfriend.”

Catelyn frowned a bit. Why was Brandon telling her that?

“Apparently Robert always had trouble sticking to one woman and when he met his current girlfriend he didn’t wanna cheat on her so he went to her honestly and they opened up the relationship. Isn’t that interesting?”

"Mhh, a bit I guess. But I also find it sad not being happy with being together with one person. Don’t you think?” Catelyn asked. She was getting a bit nervous why Brandon was telling her this story of some friend of his brothers that she didn’t even know.

“Nah. I don’t think it is about that. I think it is just about fun, keeping things interesting.”

"Interesting? Can’t you just keep it interesting with one partner?”

“Yeah, I mean if you try enough. I guess you could.” Brandon said but didn’t sound so sure. It furthered Catelyn's nervousness.

“Why are you telling me this Brandon? I don’t even know this Robert or even your brother by the way. Are you telling me you are bored with our marriage? Or our sexlife?” she wanted to sound casual but the way Brandon reacted she guessed she wasn’t really successful. 

"Jees Cat chill out. I didn’t mean anything. I just told you something. It doesn’t need to have some deep meaning. And if you think I meant anything by it, maybe you should think about why.”

“So you do find our sexlife boring?!”

“Omg, Cat!”

“Well what did you mean then?”

“You know what? Doesn’t matter.” With those words Brandon turned around quickly, turning his back to Catelyn and pushing her unceremoniously to the other side of the bed. 

As Brandon was falling asleep Catelyn laid next to him getting more confused by the second. Brandon was definitely trying to tell her something right? Otherwise he wouldn’t have said she should think about it. But what else could he have meant? What was a story about a guy that started to be in an open relationship was supposed to tell her? Was Brandon bored with their sexlife? Their marriage? Or maybe just her? Did he want an open relationship? She couldn’t believe that he would ask that of her. He knew her. She wasn’t the type of person for an open relationship. She did not want her husband to be with anybody but her. But maybe he really just meant that their could be more excitement in their life. 

Catelyn didn’t see herself as a particularly boring person but she did like her routine. She thought she and Bradon had fallen into a nice one the last few months. But maybe this was exactly what Brandon didn’t like. Maybe she could try making their life a bit more interesting. And maybe that should include their sexlife. Here too they have a certain routine. It was not quite as routine as their day to day life but Catelyn knew that before her Brandon had been with a lot of girls, so maybe he was missing it.  

When she finally fell asleep, she fell asleep with thoughts of how she could make her marriage better.

[ladycatofwinterfell]

hey guys do you think ned’s experience with being an outsider from a different place contributed to him building Cat a sept? Winterfell had no sept for her as the Eyrie had no heart tree for him

[emilyskinners]

dan & blair in gossip girl 5x19 "it girl, interrupted" // brandon & grace in the fosters 5x09 "prom"

[dr3adlady]

I have edited and added the illustrations above to my shop. Check them out if you're interested.

[kifkay]

Winx & Specialists Dynamics that are so Precious to me

it makes sense that in the show, winx and their non-boyfriend specialists don’t interact much. but!! i’m very insane about codependent found families, and I want them all to love each other. so here’s my take on some tet-a-tet dynamics:

rare pairings:

Musa & Timmy: childhood frenemies. they used to go to the same middle school on Melody, and as type-A tweens do, had an intense, “you’re the only person I match myself to” kind of rivalry. they lost contact after Timmy moved away, chilled out considerably, reconnected in Alfea and had a wonderful banter-filled friendship since. because of how fast they slotted back into a friendship, some of their classmates genuinely thought they were siblings.

Tecna & Riven: got up from a rough patch. from “I dislike you but we both love Musa, so we have to be civil” to “you have more depths to you than I expected” to “now that I understand you, I can’t help but admire certain things about you” to “bitch, you are the only person who is as weird and clueless as I am, ARE YOU READY TO GO TO THE ARCADE AND ANNIHILATE KIDS FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES”

Flora & Brandon: little sister, older brother vibes. of similar temperaments and views, they enjoy spending time over a cup of tea — talking about everything and nothing. it’s therapeutic, almost.

(no one in the group knew that Brandon and Flo were good friends. once, when the two had to team up during a mission, Bloom couldn’t even finish saying: “it would be a good opportunity for you to get to know each ot-“, before the specialist-fairy duo were re-creating the most complicated and choreographed hand shake ever. jaws were on the floor.)

Aisha & Brandon: they are sporties, and they like doing sport things together! they don’t talk aside from exchanging brief encouragements and advice while out, preferring to spend their time in companionable silence. sorta like those dads who never talk to their buddies, but somehow have the strongest and longest bonds ever?

Helia & Bloom: artist besties. Bloom drags Helia out on picnics, where they practice observational drawing (and tiktok trends that Bloom desperately wants to reenact but none of the winx are good at arts); Helia responds by taking her out to see art museums in Magix. it’s a fun dynamic of Bloom being the bubbly gold retriever, and Helia being her black cat.

Tecna & Sky: they didn’t have much of a relationship until year 4. somehow, they both got really, intensely into weaponsmithing and built a joint workshop. they found that they enjoy working alongside each other and value each other’s insights. sky goes to tecna when he needs frank, un-sugarcoated advice, and tecna accompanies sky on hikes and other spirited adventures, for “bonding activities” (because he told her she doesn’t get out of her comfort zone enough). it’s a relationship of deep mutual respect.

Sky & Stella: childhood friends. they knew each other as children and enjoyed playing together (which is how Stella also knew Brandon pre-Red Fountaine). at least, until Stella was unofficially banned from Eraklyon because shenanigans, and they lost contact. they still jokingly call each other “My Lady” and “My Lord”.

Stella & Nabu. Both are flirty and extroverted people, who enjoy the spirit of showmanship. They have a friendly rivalry going of who can fluster the villain of the week the fastest.

canon bf-gf dynamics (dating in canon, open to interpretation otherwise):

Bloom x Sky: liked each other since the first meeting; bonded over being the friend group moms. (on unrelated note: bloom gentle parents her friends, while sky goes all exasperated cig mom on his team and repeats things like: “you better go to sleep right now, or so help me Dragon I will take away your Owl pilot privileges-“)

they are not the most outwardly affectionate couple of the winx, yet they are so wordlessly devoted to each other. sky will follow bloom to the ends of all dimensions, when she gets a calling from powers as mystical as she. bloom will always believe in him and see him as his own man, unlike the many who see him only as his father’s son. they were entwined by fate, long before one had met the other; yet, there’s the trust, the respect, the faith so strong — that could have only come from friendship forged and tested by fire.

Stella and Brandon: the hottest power couple; sole reason behind 60% of all student fairies/specialists/witches queer awakening.

they banter all. the. goddamn. time. these dorks are speaking a whole different language.

they are also most comfortable in each other’s company, being able to be their genuine, less polished selves. stella and brandon are both performers bred and born, playing the roles of a noble princess and a knight. it’s nice, to have a safe reprieve from all that acting.

Aisha and Nabu. their love was one that sneaked up on them. their distance, set by a discomfort at the idea of an arranged marriage, bridged as they transitioned from being reluctant comrades to friendly rivals to unwilling friends to best friends to “if someday the moon calls you by your name, don’t be surprised — because every night I tell her about you”

Tecna and Timmy: partners in crime, ride or die, sunny faith in each other — even when the other person doesn’t believe in themself. I have a whole post about them, go read that ;)

Flora and Helia: they are so. they are. they-

icons. the most romantic couple, the one that sets the standards, the one that gives their friends advice. they are extremely attentive to each other’s needs and tender with each other’s feelings.

flora can recite helia’s poems in her sleep, and trace his drawings with her eyes closed. helia brings mielle presents every time he stops by. flora has tea with helia’s dad every other tuesday; she keeps note of every time helia and saladin are supposed to meet up, to be able to whisk helia away after and distract him from his troubles. helia knows how to care of flora’s plants, and sends her lovingly assorted gift baskets semi-regularly.

Musa and Riven. their relationship is push and pull, is joy then sorrow.

it’s all in a drag of a cigarette, in the vortex of a starless night, in the hoarse laughter. “of all the people in the world, why did it have to be you?” she’ll say and smile.

“ I’m afraid we’re doomed, lover,” he’ll reply, faux-casually, and smile back. both of them will know it’s the truth.

their relationship was not built to last, not for the lack of love or try. maybe they were too similar — both headstrong, unbending, bleeding hearts. maybe they were just different enough not to understand their hurts. nevertheless, it was not built to last — but neither of them would ever bring to regret it. love prevails, no matter in what form in comes, or something like that.

[fandomtrumpshate]

Listed Fandom numbers

Want to see how many auctions will offer your listed fandom(s)? At not quite four days into signups (plenty of time for YOU to join us!) the top three seem to have solid locks on their positions ... but positions 4 and 5 are only one signup apart.

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Beyond the top 10 it only takes a signup or two to move up in the rankings. The rest of the list under the cut (110 fandoms makes for a long post) —

21 Avatar The Last Airbender 21 Baldur's Gate 3 20 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star 20 Harry Potter * 19 Supernatural 18 Dead Boy Detectives 18 Dragon Age * 18 Thai BL * 18 Tolkien * 16 Final Fantasy * 15 Star Trek * 15 Locked Tomb Trilogy 14 A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon 14 Stranger Things 12 Critical Role 12 Minecraft Youtubers * 12 The Magnus Archives/Protocol 12 The Old Guard 11 Doctor Who * 11 Merlin 10 Naruto 10 Red, White, & Royal Blue 9 Ace Attorney 9 Haikyuu!!! 9 Hazbin Hotel 9 Our Flag Means Death 8 Boku no Hiro Akademia (My Hero Academia) 8 Buffyverse 8 Check Please! 8 One Piece 7 All for the Game 7 Cosmere - Brandon Sanderson 7 Dungeons & Dragons (TTRPG) 7 Formula 1 RPF 7 Genshin Impact 7 Gundam Wing 7 Hockey RPF 7 James Bond 7 One Direction RPF 7 SK8 the Infinity 7 Wicked 6 Disco Elysium 6 Fullmetal Alchemist 6 Hades (video game) 6 Leverage 6 Persona (video games) 6 Steven Universe 6 The Witcher 6 Tortall - Tamora Pierce 5 Alan Wake (video games) 5 Danny Phantom 5 Legend of Zelda 5 Professional Wrestling 5 Stargate 5 The Murderbot Diaries 5 Trigun 4 Bungo Stray Dogs 4 Call of Duty 4 Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (The Husky & His White Cat Shizun) 4 Grishaverse 4 Hannibal 4 Homestuck 4 Malevolent (podcast) 4 The Maze Runner 4 Mysterious Lotus Casebook 4 Nu Carnival 4 Pokemon 4 Witch Hat Atelier 4 Yuri!!! On Ice 3 Fire Emblem Three Houses 3 For All Mankind 3 Heartstopper 3 Honkai Star Rail 3 Interview With the Vampire 3 Jujutsu Kaisen 3 Mob Psycho 100 3 Percy Jackson and the Olympians 3 The Sandman 3 Spy x Family 3 Ted Lasso 3 The Magicians 3 Queen's Thief 3 Undertale 3 Welcome to Night Vale 2 Captive Prince 2 Justified 2 Miraculous Ladybug 2 Nimona 2 Shadowhunters 2 The Owl House 2 Raven Cycle 2 Top Gun Movies 1 Carmen Sandiego 1 Hetalia 1 Hunger Games 1 Les Misérables 1 Riverdale 1 Rusty Quill Gaming Podcast 1 Wheel of Time 1 Yuyu Hakusho

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[myladysapphire]

The Dragon and the Wolf

Epilouge

You had been betrothed to Cregan stark at the start of the war. He was the noble and honourable stark that he was he supported your mother claim without restraint. So much so your mother saw it fit to betroth the two of you. So when disaster strikes and you and your younger brother are the only two survivors, you a shipped of north in your grief, leaving only Cregan to heal your wounds.

word count: 2,212

CW: MDI, 18+, refrences to pregenacy, miscariges stillbirths and death, happy ending! lots of fluff (all the bad tags where small and lead to a very fluff, not proofread!

Cregan Strak x Veleryon(strong)!reader

Masterlist | series masterlist | previous part |

dividers by @zaldritzosrose

authors note: this epilouge is largely based of cregan starks wiki page, thats why they have a hell of a lot of kids. find it here.

Cregan Stark had been many things, the lord of Winterfell, warden of the north, hand of the king. But most importantly he had been your husband. Married for 66 years before your death in 200 AC,

Your marriage with filled with tragedy and triumphs, but most importantly love.

A love that inspired songs, poems and stories.

Though you and he had your ups and downs, he stayed by your side during your worst and your best times.

And even after years of struggling, years of sadness and tears as your moons blood came, you and he ended with ten children to call your own.

First there had been Rickon, followed by Saera, Alys and Rhaeya, then Mariah, Jacearys, Edric, Lyanna, Lucerys and finally Brandon.

The birth of each of your children had filled your halls and your heart, the ache you had felt after the war had finally been filled, and you had felt whole once more.

You had found the happiness you had been chasing and felt contentment and happiness more and more each and every day.

Your love for each other continued to bloom and grow, love so deep that Cregan himself passed only moons after you, your son Jaceaerys, know as Jace ‘one eye’, becoming the lord of Winterfell after his death, though it was your youngest son Brandon that the stark line continued from.

Your legacy was one that would be remembered even a hundred years after your death, songs were still sung in your honour, halls and castle erected in your name, there was even a castle built in your honour on the wall, after your help in the victory against Sylas the grim.

But where your legacy blossomed still was within the walls of Winterfell, where your kin ruled to this day.

“we have Targaryen ancestry, or one ancestor to be precise” Ned Stark spoke to his children, as he walked them down the crypts of Winterfell.

He speak your name, bowing in respect as he approached your statue, your stood beside your husband Cregan Stark, your hands adjoined in a symbol of your love, a love that had become famous amongst the pages of history.

“she was the daughter of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Laenor Veleryon, the last rider of Silverwing and the last dragon rider in history. “

Sansa seemed giddy as she looked at her, her ancestor a Targaryen princess.

“did she fight in the dance of the dragons?” Jon asked, looking at his ancestors, noting the similarity in your features with his.

“aye, though she played the role of a diplomat more than a fighter, but she is too thank for several victories, even after the war she helped defend the north against wildings”

His children gasped in surprise, eagerly listening to their father recount the tales of you and your legacy.

“did any of her children have dragons?” Jon asked eagerly.

“aye, each child was given an egg, though only two hatched” he looked to the left towards were your children statues stood, “the ones belonging to Lord Jacearys and Lucerys, named after her brothers” he looked down to Jon, the most egar to here of his ancestors, “though it was said they died and grew no larger than cats“

A sound of disappointment left Jon at the news.

“is it true they were so in love that he died of a broken heart after her death?” Sansa asked.

Ned chuckled, “it was said he did, aye”

Sansa let out a small squealed, “imagine being so in love you can’t bare to live in a world without them” she gushed.

“aye, there love is famous” he said looking up at his ancestors.

“can any of you tell me about their children?

Robb raised his hand enthusiastically, “they had ten in total, though it was their second son Jaceaerys, named after her brother who died in the dance who succeeded Cregan…he then died with no children and was succeeded by Lucerys also named after one of her brothers whose death started the dance of dragons”

“very good Robb…but who succeeded Lucerys?”

“there youngest child, Brandon, who we are descended from” Arya spoke up, as she gazed at the sword at your hip. “was she trained with a sword?” she asked eagerly.

“most likely, she was a fighter, a warrior though most accounts was due to her fighting on the back of silver wing, it was said she killed several men who insulted her brother, King Aegon III and was known to have fought several who questioned her mother, Rhaenyra being a legitimate queen.”

Arya seemed very please with this response, as did Robb and Jon as they admired their 4x great grandmother.

At the feet of their statues laid 3 dragon eggs, long turned to stone, and though neither of them noticed at first, as Ned light the lights surrounding their statues, behind them sat the skull of Silverwing.     

A reminder of house Targaryen, and their power even now years after they had been defeated and banished.

And though you had become a stark you were forever remembered in house Targaryen, with your named reused countless times, a holdfast in the red keep named after you, and gardens throughout Westeros grew a rose named after you.

But whilst you had grown a legacy and left an indent on the history of Westeros, you had not lived to do so.

Your life had been one you had ended up devoting to your family, to love and happiness, no care if your section of the history books was a long one or not.

The first five years of your marriage where the one filled with the most hurdles to cross, with fertility issues and you suffering from depression, it truly tested your marriage but the day your eldest Rickon was born, was the day your life truly became filled with Joy.

Your pregnancy had been spent bed bound to nervous to venture out of it for fear of another miscarriage.

Cregan had moved his office to your shared chambers, insisting on spending every moment you would allow with him. His days spent with you, his meals shared with you in bed, he only left when necessary and even then, he was racing back to be with you.

The birth had scared him, his mind remembering the last birth, how you had laboured for hours knowing full well the babe was already dead.

But this time the babe was perfect, a healthy boy you named Rickon after his father.

You watched him grow and as the years passed more children followed, each and every one of them filling your life with more and more love.

You and Cregan grew inseparable, your duties becoming one as you both ruled Winterfell together.

And after fifteen years of marriage, and the birth of you first five children, Rickon, Saera and Alys, Rhaeya and Mariah, your brothers came to Winterfell on their tour of Westeros.

Aegon and Viserys both married with children of their own were more than happy to see you again, years of letters making up for little of how much you missed your brothers.

“Aegon, Viserys” you greeted as you they rode into Winterfell with the pride and fancy house Targaryen always brought.

“sister” they greeted, coming straight towards you, their boyish looks still in full effect despite being adults in their own right, “I have missed you”

“no more than I have missed you” you replied before introducing your family and household to your brothers.

Your sons and daughters presenting themselves proudly, with your daughter Saera pointing out the similarities between herself and her cousin Daena, they could practically be twins. In both looks and nature.

They caused many a problem during their time in Winterfell, with many pranks and havocked caused as they spent their days freeing horses or practicing with Sareas crossbow, shooting apples above servants heads.

Your eldest Rickon spent most of his time with Daeron, many time spent in the courtyard, sparring or exploring the dragon nest Silverwing had left upon her most recent return from Winterfell.

You watched as your children created bonds with their cousins, bonds that would stick even after the tour. Letters exchanged and your sons Jacearys and Lucerys being sent to ward in Kings Landing.

And whilst they were here your sons Jacearys and Lucerys eggs hatched, small dragons, the first dragons born in near ten years.

Jace’s dragon, a soft shade of white shade, easily blending into the snow. He had named the dragon sōna, the Valyrian word for snow. And though the history books would mark him to be as big as a small housecat, he in truth grew to be the size of a dire wolf, and though not big enough to take a rider on his back, he was known to fly the walls of Winterfell before his death, after falling victim to a stray arrow during one of house starks monthly hunts.

Lukes’s dragon had been named icefyre, he had claimed it was who he was, a merge of ice a fire and so was his dragon. With silver scales and a blue flame, similar to the blue flame of your uncle Daeron’s dragon Tesserion. He too grew to the size of a dire wolf, before accompany Luke south to Kingslanding, ending up on Dragonstone where she was killed by the now wild dragon, Sunfyre.

And though when the tour ended, after being extended moons, with neither side wanting to part from the other, the sadness and regret you felt before when leaving your brothers was no longer, as you where more than happy with the family you had in Winterfell. No longer did you dream of the ghosts of your family, wishing them alive, but now you saw them reborn as each of your children.

In Rickon you saw Jace, he was noble and kind, the perfect future lord. And you saw even more of Jace in him as he died fighting alongside his cousin Daeron, after he had been named king and set to conquer Dorne. Dying before his time, a hero’s death.

In Saera, you saw your mother, Rhaenyra. A fierce and defiant girl, egar and pride. She was smart and quick and though as time passed and you began to forget the faces of those you lost, however you looked at Sarea, you saw your mother.

In Alys you saw Joffrey, shy and kind but egar to prove herself. Going out of her way to prove her loyalty and her devotion to house Stark.

In Rhaeya, you saw your grandmother, Rhaneys. Though she was named in honour of bother her mother and grandmother, her grandmothers laugh, and smile shined through in your girl. She was always riding, though a horse not a dragon, she was a warrior in her own right, fighting in the conquest of Dorne, though she eventually chooses to sheath her sword after she found love in the son of Benjicot Blackwood.

Then there was Mariah, sweet Mariah reminded you of Rhaena, though alive and well with six daughters of her own, she reminded you in every way of your sister. With a fierce heart, hidden behind a sweet temperament.

Jace, who had become Jace one eye at the age of six and ten after an arrow pierced his eye during the conquest of Dorne, he reminded you of you uncle Aemond, before the cruelty took over him. He was determined and fierce, though hidden behind a shy demeaner.

Edric, was the very image of Daemon. Though Stark in looks he was the rouge of her stepfather, careless and wanton, so much so he died before all of his siblings after fighting and loosing a duel against the man who would later marry his sister Lyanna, Lynol Tyrell.

Lyanna, Was you. You looked at her and saw yourself, a girl born out of love, a girl desiring love more than anything in the world. A girl who would fight for what she believed in, no matter the cost.

Lucerys, of cause reminded you of Luke in every way he was your sweet younger brother. In looks and nature he was Luke reborn.

The Brandon, your youngest child, a big age gap, born near ten years after Luke. He seemed to be the image of your husband, fierce and wise, a good lord. Though often driven my lust.

Your legacy was fierce, your blood spread through Westeros as you were remembered in the page of history books for all to read.

“the dance of the dragons” Daenerys read, as she was gifted a book of the history of her family.

“not just the dance, Princess” spoke Ilyrio Mopatis. “this book tells the story of your Ancestor” he spoke your name, and printed out the portrait of you that covered the first page inside.

“A whole book dedicated to one ancestor?” Viserys scoffed, “what was she a conqueror?”

“in some ways” Ilyrio started, “she was a key player in the dance, without her diplomacy the war could have been much longer than it had been”

“Really?” Viserys asked sceptically.

“indeed, read for yourself My prince”

And so they read your tale, and you where once more brough back to life.

taglist

@aleemendoza2425-blog @apollonshootafar @zillahvathek @flrboyd @theanxietyqueen17 @leavesmealobe @dark-night-sky-99 @deeeeexx @valyriantargaryenblood-blog @winter-soldier-101 @bunbunblogsblog @clobobo @raynetargaryen2 @justbelljust @sukunassfinger

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to be added to taglist for my other works

[twshipoftheday]

Teen Wolf Ship of the Day, January 2nd

Allison Argent x Lydia Martin

Allison loves the way that Lydia looks at her. She even loves how every so often they are yanked out of bed by a scream and the two of them grab what's needed and go looking for a dead body.

Headcanons under the cut

Allison can't/doesn't drive and Lydia drives her everywhere

Allison does archery with a group and Lydia loves to watch her girl do her sport in a non-life-or-death environment

They ice skate and Lydia absolutely skates circles around Allison

Lydia has a list of date ideas and they go on a date once a week

Lydia and Allison are an incredible team, with Allison's weapons and Lydia's scream. They absolutely solve so many crimes

They both love rainy weather and puddles and jumping around in them. Both of them are working on embracing a more childlike mentality every once in a while

They spend a lot of time together but have hobbies apart from each other because Lydia thinks its probably healthiest for them

For their birthday's each year Allison and Lydia give each other stuffed animals

Allison has been trying to read more fantasy and has gotten really into Brandon Sanderson while Lydia is more of a Terry Pratchett reader

They are looking into getting a cat, names on the roster are; Garlic Bread; Nosferatu; Jimmy Jorts; Lord Tuffington; and Sylvester Tom III

[whoopsyeahokay]

Anxiety Reversed

summary: giftie. Wally is always there when you need him most, everything else be damned.

pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader

warnings: fluff. drabble. insinuated anxiety attack. comfort.

💌 written for @schoolspiritsfan14 based on their comment on Anxiety 2. i hope this fills some of the holes we all wish Wally would fill 😭

bon reading, frens

___________________________🍋‍🟩

Anxiety Reversed

Wally's off like a shot. Helmet tossed to the ground, cleats moving over pavement then linoleum, charging through the halls at speed toward the first-floor girls' bathroom.

Number 36, Matt Wilson, dashed onto the field after a quick break, beelining it to Wally with a summons. He'd seen you stumble into the bathroom from the library, breathing ragged, clearly unsteady, phone clutched in your hand—to call Wally, no doubt, but his phone was on silent in his gym bag in the boys' locker room, fuck.

Now, Wally skids through the door, pushes through the circle of concerned girls who all screech and yell at Wally that he's in the wrong place, get out, you can't be in here!

"Fuck. Off." He drops to his knees in front of you, hands on your shoulders, "Baby, hey, I'm here, I've got you."

Your breathing is short and shallow, body trembling under his touch, and he gathers you in his arms. Shifts. His back to the wall, your back to his chest, his hands cradling your ribs as he helps you breathe in a steady rhythm.

He starts to ramble about plays, about drills, about Coach and his new favorite all-star, Brandon Bowers. He's a dickhead, but Wally has to admit, he's good. Almost as good as Wally himself, though not quite. He tells you about the rat he's sure he saw scurrying out of the cafeteria on his way to practice, big as a cat, evil-eyed and scheming to take over the school.

That earns him a choked, hiccupy laugh, your body shaking for a different reason that puts a relieved smile on Wally's face. When he finally looks up, the crowd of girls is gone, the bathroom empty apart from you and him, and he relaxes further.

He has no trouble telling people where to go, but he doesn't want to piss off people who showed genuine concern, either.

"Thanks, Wally..." You murmur, finally breathing normally, curling up sideways in his arms and resting your head against his shoulder. "I just—"

"You don't need to explain, baby, it's okay." Wally insists.

You do anyway, "I forgot about the History project. Completely. And it's due tomorrow, and it's worth so much of our final grade—" Your words get thin, scratchy, and Wally squeezes you closer.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'll help you, okay? And, at worst, you can ask Ms. Fields for an extension, she's cool like that." He peeks down at you, looks you in the eye with a reassuring smile, "I promise, babygirl, it's gonna be fine."

"But—"

"Nope,"

"Wally!"

"Nuh-uh," He says with finality, "I make the rules. You're not going to fail, everything is going to be fine."

You give him a grumpy look, "Because you said so?"

"Exactly," He says, big, lopsided grin on his face. "Because I said so." And Wally does have the tendency to be right about things like this, so you have to believe him.

You seem to, settling into his arms, heaving a sigh and closing your eyes and letting Wally soothe the tension out of your arms and back for as many minutes as he sees fit.

Eventually, he makes it back on the field. Not to practice. Nah, that ship has sailed, sorry Coach, he has somewhere more important to be. With your hand in his, Wally tells Coach that he's got to go, something important has come up, but don't worry, he's game-day ready and won't let Coach down.

Coach eyes you, but Wally stands firm, dares Coach with his eyes to say anything. About you, about why Wally's cutting practice early, bring it on, he'll argue until he's as blue as his jersey.

When Wally gets you home, he's right on task, outlining the History project, brainstorming with you, helping you come up with what to say to Ms. Fields when you ask for an extension tomorrow.

"I'll be right there," Wally assures, pecks a kiss to your forehead, "Don't worry."

And he is right there, always, every time. Because that boy loves you so wholly and completely, nothing else in the world matters unless you have a smile on your face.

🍋‍🟩___________fin.____________

Anxiety | Anxiety 2

also on AO3!

if you enjoyed this, you may also enjoy Punctuation..

a fluffy, cozy look at how Wally Clark delivers boyfriend-goals when you're on your period and everything sucks.

[shining-m00nlight]

Brothers Pride

This is chapter Two of "It's tragedy that binds us". Ned thinks about how Brandon reacted to their father telling them that Ned would marry Catelyn. It's my dear Theas birthday and this is her gift!! Happy Birthday @ladycatofwinterfell !!!

Here is a link if you want to read the first chapter too.

"Brother!!!" Brandon Stark's voice boomed over the drawbridge of Riverrun. Obviously not caring for etiquette or courtesy, he crashed into Ned to

force him into a hug. Not having expected such an enthusiastic greeting from his brother Ned stumbled back, pulling Brandon with him. The pair of brothers had to try really hard to stay up right and not fall onto the ground in front of the whole staff of Riverrun and the small host of people the Starks had brought with them. If Ned was a person who would easily blush, he was sure he would have.

His brother's hug had surprised him a lot. He was sure Brandon would still be angry with him. He had been when their father had announced that Ned would marry Catleyn Tully instead of Brandon. 

--------------------------Flashback--------------------------

"What? No way am I allowing this!" Brandon yelled at their father after Rickard finished explaining to his sons what he and the new Lady Tully had agreed upon. 

"You will not have to allow anything! As I am your father and the Lord of Winterfell and as such I do not seek your approval but I am informing you about a decision I have made and you two will abide by. And you will do so in a manner fitting to

your station without bringing shame to the family

by yelling about a castel we are guests in!"

Brandon did not seem as if he wanted to heed

their fathers words.

"Well apparently Ned will not be a guest here for long. Rather he will be the Lady of this castel, spreading his legs to bear little trouts for the Riverlands." 

At that Rickard  Stark struck his son in the face. 

"You will not speak such crudness to me boy! You might think you're a man grown but don't you dare forget who I am and who we are! You will not speak about your family in this manner ever again! Not in front of me and not in front of anyone else. Am I understood?" 

Brandon still frowned at their father but nodded.

"This alliance is important for this family! I will not lose it because of your childish temperament or your hurt ego. Lady Tully's brother is dead, her sister not fit to be the Lady of Winterfell so Ned marrying her and staying at Riverrun is how we keep this ally!"

Rickard Stark ended his speech, looking more at Brandon, then at Ned. Brandon looked back at their father, pouting. The slap his father gave him obviously having bruised his ego more than his body. While it was clear he still wasn't agreeing with his father, he apparently had decided it was better to keep his thoughts to himself. Something that truly only their fathers authority could accomplish, Ned thought to himself. 

The Lord of Winterfell now turned to his second son. 

"You, Ned! You will marry the Tully girl and represent our house with pride here in the south! I know you haven't expected any of this but I am confident that you will be fine and make me proud son." 

Ned nodded: 

"I will do my best, father. I will marry Lady Tully as you command." 

"Good! I knew that I could trust you to do the right thing for our house. Lady Tully will be a good wife to you. I am sure of it. She is smart and capable. I l am almost disappointed that she won't be Brandon's wife but she does live by her house's words. "Family, Duty, Honor" and to her it's her duty to stay in Riverrun and to her it's what's best for her family. Which I have to agree with. 

You might not know much about your future bride, son but you know that she will be a good mother to your children and the rest you will learn in time" 

Ned nodded again. If he was being honest he hadn't really thought about his future wife all too much since his father told them the news an hour ago. He had been too distracted by Brandon glaring at him, as if he was personally responsible for the deaths of Edmure and Hoster Tully. 

All of Ned's thoughts were concentrated on Brandon and on trying to figure out what he would do l or say when their father wasn't with them anymore and how he should react. 

Ned was fairly certain that Brandon was not in love with the Lady Tully. The times Brandon and Ned had seen eachother in the years since Brandon and Catelyns betrothal Ned had never heard Brandon to declare deep love and devotion to the young maiden. He had talked about her beauty, that was for sure but he never talked of deeper, more meaningful things. 

On the contrary Brandon's words had often gotten more crude the more he drank and his descriptions became less and less fitting to be used for a lady of a great house. But of course Ned couldn't be completely certain, maybe l Brandon did love her. Which would mean that he would hate Ned forever. 

Ned was just about to direct his thoughts more towards the young women who would be his wife within the next few days when his father spoke again.

"I think everything has been said for now. I shall retire for the night. Tomorrow we will finalize the plans and the agreement and then everything will hopefully go on smoothly till we depart for Winterfell again. I expect of you to behave properly and go to your assigned chambers soon as well. And please remember that Riverrun and especially the Tully family is still grieving a great loss! So act accordingly. Good night boys" 

This time Rickard Stark didn't wait for the reactions of his sons but turned around immediately and left the study the Tullys had provided them with. 

Ned wanted to follow hoping he could give his brother some time and space to calm his nerves but Brandon had a different idea. When Ned tried to step out of the study the older Stark grabbed his arm and pulled him back in. 

"You can't honestly agree to this" 

He wasn't yelling. it was more of a growl. At least he was aware enough that their father was still so close that he would come running back should the shouts of his oldest reach his ear. Probably not hesitating to correct his behavior again in a less than gentle way. Ned tried to stay calm. 

"It is what father decided. There is nothing for me to agree or disagree with Brandon. Father and the Lady Tully made a decision and we must abide by it." 

Brandon grunted:

"The "Lady Tully" ,he said, his voice dripping with condensation, "the day before we arrived she was still Lady Catelyn or even the Tully girl and now she suddenly is "Lady Tully"

"Because she is Brandon. Because her father and her brother died! Or have you forgotten?" 

The look of guilt flashed over Brandons face but it only stayed for half a second then it turned back to spitefulness.

"Oh come on Neddy you can't tell me your honestly ok with Her and father deciding over your future without even consulting you!" 

It certainly wasn't Neds' favorite thing in the world, knowing that once again other people had made a decision affecting his life forever without as much as a word of warning. But he had the feeling Brandon meant that he would have a specific problem with the word "her" in his sentence which Ned couldn't confirm to him. 

Ned did not see what difference it would have made if instead of Lady Tully, one of fathers bannerman would have been the other party not consulting him on his future or wishes for it. The difference would have been his fathers words after making an agreement but the thing Ned would have liked to have been different, his involvement in the negotiations, wouldn't have changed. 

Not that Ned was ungrateful or didn't understand

his fathers decision. It was a good way to keep the alliance despite the tragedy that had occurred. He also wouldn't dare to complain about being married to the beautiful Lady of a great House but for once it would have been nice to at least been asked if he was fine and not just told he would be. 

He could not voice these thoughts to his hod headed brother though. Duty might have been one of the Tully words but Ned also understood its meaning.

"Again it is not my place to question father and it is my duty to marry for our house and listen to fathers commands." 

The small hope that those words would end their conversation died immediately when Brandon, now a bit closer to yelling and Ned's face, spit out. 

"Your duty is to fuck my girl then huh?!" 

Ned was uncertain what he could answer his brother and tried to think of a response. However Brandon didn't even give him the time to say one word before continuing to get in Ned face to complain some more. 

"It is your duty to get what I have been waiting for, l for so long? Oh I'm sure it was hard for you to take on such hard duty, getting to live a nice life here in the south with nothing to do as you have a wife that will be responsible for everything important in the castle and in the Riverlands. Being able to just relax and enjoy your life must have been such a hard thing to have to agree to."

Brandon didn't seem to see the irony in first accusing Ned in hiding his displeasure at the situation and changing it to accusing him of eagerly wanting it. He just continued ranting. Had Ned paid closer attention to his brother's face he might have noticed the change from anger to something a bit more calculated.

"Though now that I think about it little brother it might become a difficult duty to accomplish for you as I believe pleasing your Lady shall be part of it. From seeing how you interact with the fairer sex I am sure she will be disappointed outside but especially inside the bedroom. Considering she will compare you to me!" 

Ned stood there in silent shocked at his brother's words. Brandon had apparently decided that his words would end their talk as walked out of the room leaving Ned behind. 

Ned still tried to comprehend his brother's words. Did his brother just confess to taking Lady Tully's maidenhead? Surely he couldn't have been this stupid. If their father or worse, Hoster Tully would have found out, they would have had Brandons head. How could his brother have been so reckless?! 

Ned's head began to pain him the more he thought about not just Brandon's words but every word spoken in the last two hours. Slowly Ned's head started to swim and his thoughts overlapped and got out of control. 

In his probably last coherent thought of the day Ned decided it would be best for him to go to bed and deal with everything tomorrow as his father had said before. The next morning he hadn't been quite sure how he had found his chamber but he had been glad he did.

-----‐--‐------------------Flashback End-----------------------

After that day he and Brandon had barely talked. All of their interactions had been short and in the presents of others. The few exceptions were when Brandon would whisper crude japes in Ned's ear, most insinuating that Ned is displeasing to all women by simply standing near them.

Therefor Ned was understandably confused to be

greeted by his brother this way and so he only cautiously hugged him back to welcome him.

"Welcome to Riverrun, brother" 

Ned said as their hug entangled. Then he turned to his father. Though curious to find out what had changed his brother's attitude this drastically, surely time couldn't be the only factor, he could not forget to greet his family properly as was expected of him. He didn't want his wife to think he would scorn duty in the face of family and forget that he represented Riverrun when greeting guests. 

His wife, who had still been standing right next to him when Brandon had crashed into him, was already greeting Rickard Stark. The rest of his siblings standing right beside them. 

On her face a true smile that made her eyes sparkle and could only mean she was already reporting to them how little Robb was faring. Fitting to her eyes, her hair was shining thanks to the sun. 

She was a true beauty, his wife. Brandon had not exaggerated when speaking about it. But Ned had also come to learn that there was so much more about his wife. Things that Brandon either didn't know or didn't think were important enough to tell Ned about. 

Before Ned could further dwell on his wifes many qualities another of his siblings yelled his name and ran into his arms.

[heathermason6060]

Daryl Dixon x f!Reader: Together Apart Ch.3

Warnings/Mentions: Merle being Merle, History of abuse, neglect, strong language, mentions of character death, alcohol and drug abuse, ptsd, shared trauma, reader is cold, angst, fluff, eventual smut, slowburn, angst

Summary: You reminisce on the old days spent with Merle and Daryl.

Notes: This is mostly flashbacks to life growing up with Daryl and Merle, the good ole days :D Merle says some homophobic and probably racist stuff, cause he's Merle

“Dude, just go apologize, holy shit. You're worse than the teenage girls I went to school with.”

“Mind your own goddamn business. S’between me and Merle.” 

“He's got a point. You're acting shifty as hell. What happened to leaving? Huh? We've got Merle back, nothing's changed, these people still see us as redneck trash, can we just go already?”

“Said mind your business.”

Hindsight is a bitch.

You were five years old when you met Daryl and Merle for the first time. Unless your memory served you wrong, it was the fourth of July, and the trailer park was getting together to set off a bunch of illegal fireworks. You were sitting with your family as your neighbors got everything ready, a few of them grilling hotdogs and hamburgers. Your father had brought your mother a burger, which she split with you.

Your father was the only black sheep in your lives at that point in time. Anyone could tell just by looking at him that he didn't belong there, in a dingy trailer covered in blotches of mildew and rust. He was always clean shaven, no tattoos, perfect white teeth. He never smoked, never did drugs, never even drank. Even his name stood out among the Tammys, the Justins, Tuckers, Mandys, the Brandons and the Krystals. He was a Sebastian. He always wore clean clothes, and it was a stark contrast to your mother, who was the whole reason he was there in the first place. 

She was nothing like him. She had a beautiful face, sure, but that was about the only thing beautiful about her. Most of her teeth were yellow from cigarettes and drugs, some of them missing, and the molars in the back had eventually all turned black. She was never seen without a cigarette in her fingers, her nails a different bright color everyday. Her clothes always stank of cigarettes and BO, but despite all of that, she wasn’t all that much of a terrible human. Not until later on.

Your mother loved your father, and he loved her. She loved you too, even if she was mean most of the time, she never hit or screamed at you until he left. After that she took a dark turn, becoming a woman you grew to despise. She blamed you for him leaving, but  you knew the truth, she was the reason. She’d relapsed one too many times and he had enough, he left and he took you with him, but CPS ultimately dragged you kicking and screaming from your grandmother's house back to the prison that was your trailer.

That fourth of July was one of the last good memories you had with your parents. Your mother had been clean for seven months, and she looked stunning that night in her pink sundress and purple nail polish. She brought you a freeze pop and you ate it like it was a gourmet dessert, sitting beside her on the grass as you watched your neighbors set up the fireworks. 

When you finished eating you went to play with the group of kids, they would end up becoming your last resemblance of a friend group, a pair of girls your age and a handful of boys. One of the older boys made a rude comment about the DIxon brothers, and you decided to introduce yourself. 

Merle was about sixteen then, maybe seventeen, but he treated you and Daryl like you were the same age, something you deeply admired about him. You threw rocks at beer bottles behind their trailer, and you smoked your first cigarette there, hacking your lungs out, much to their amusement. Merle bragged and showed off his father's gun and crossbow collection, and soon after that their mother shooed you all out of the house like stray cats. 

You wished you could say the three of you became thick as thieves after that, but truthfully you didn't have many memories with them. To echo the point, you weren’t really friends. Just people with similar situations that lived near each other.

You took a deep drag of Daryl's cigarette and pulled away from him, holding it in your lungs. 

He didn’t say anything, and neither did you. You sat in silence, your legs hanging off the bridge you sat upon, sharing one of your last cigarettes. 

You turned a spent shell casing over in your fingers as Daryl flicked the butt into the river below. It was Merle's bullet casing, you knew that, the three of you had been on that bridge a few days prior when he let off a few shots into a small group of walkers. It was small, from the little .22 pistol that he’d borrowed from you. He’d never given it back, and it pained you to assume it was most likely still in his waistband, stuck to his rotting corpse until some other survivor came along and took it. 

“C’mon. Let's get back.” Daryl grunted as he hopped off the ledge and slung his crossbow over his shoulder. This was the only thing he said to you for the rest of the day, and for a while after that. 

Once you had said that your odds of survival were higher when there were more people around. World views change fast, apparently, because when the prison group took in the Woodbury citizens, you felt more at risk than when it had been a group of ten. 

Though you always despised the word ‘outcast’, it was the only word good enough to describe your place in the prison. 

It was easier when Merle had been there. It was only a few days but it was nice, you found yourself making an effort to hang out with him more, something he secretly appreciated. There wasn't anyone in his life anymore that enjoyed spending time with him, aside from Daryl. But some days it felt like not even his baby brother wanted to be around him. 

“You know how to fish?” You had asked him one evening as the two of you walked back from a supply run mostly empty handed. 

“Do you know who you're talkin' to sweetheart? Course I know how to fish.” 

You sat on the riverbank as he dumped his fourth trout into your bucket of water. You had caught one small catfish, and that seemed to do wonders for his pride, it gave him another thing to brag about doing better than anyone else in camp. 

“Little asskickers gonna have her first taste of good ole American fish tonight.” Merle laughed proudly, wiping his hands on his pants. 

“I don't think babies can eat fish. I don't think they can eat anything but formula.” You commented and stood from your spot, pulling in your makeshift fishing line. 

“A lil’ fish can't hurt.”

“No, seriously. I don't think she can have any.”

“Psh.” He muttered and picked up the bucket. “Useless fuckers. Can't eat, can't speak, can't walk, hell.”

Before the outbreak, you'd spent the most time with the eldest Dixon brother. Only to buy or trade drugs, occasionally getting high together, but it was still time spent in each other's presence. He very much enjoyed doing speed and teaching you things, normally how to shoot different types of guns, or just sitting in some random person's house listening to his rants about racism, homophobia, whatever he felt passionate about that day. 

“It just ain't natural, and I said, you couldn't pay me a cold million to touch one of you shitlickers. Yessir.” He was laughing then, amused in his retelling of some high school escapade that you weren't really paying attention to. Merle could be tasteless at times, and it was of no interest to you, you were enjoying your expensive high and there was no way in hell you were going to ruin it by getting into an argument with someone like him. 

You must've dozed off, because the long, drawn-out yell of your name had your heavy head lolling back up to see Merle a foot away from you. A grin split onto his face and he slapped your shoulder. “C'mon. Got a hot date, wouldn't look too good bringin’ your ass around. Get up. C'mon now!” 

Maybe you should've stuck around, cause he ended up getting a nasty case of gonorrhea from her. About a week later you found out from the man himself, standing in front of the coolers in your local gas station. They didn't sell gas anymore, too expensive, but they didn't lose any customers. 

“Should'a known a bitch that ugly would be crawlin’ with it.” He cursed, hiking up a six pack of beer on his shoulder as he followed you to checkout, his little shadow following behind.

“Told ya. Just didn't listen.” Daryl muttered, swiping a pack of cigarettes to slip into his back pocket. 

“Yeah, well, that's cause you don't know jack shit about women. The hell would I listen to you for?” 

“Even I could've told you that.” You spoke around the SlimJims between your lips as you handed the cashier a crumpled up ten dollar bill. She said nothing about you obviously being underaged and buying a cheap bottle of wine, everyone in town knew about your mother. “That's what you get for being a dick to that poor kid.”

“You talkin' about that-” The noisy chime of the bells above the front door covered his derogatory choice of words. 

“Those men, yeah. Don't know why it's so hard for you to leave people alone.”

“Cause it's America sweetheart, ain't no place for that kind of degeneracy here.” 

You bit back your quip concerning the women he surrounded himself with and looked to Daryl, who was too busy flipping through an obscene magazine to notice.

You weren't the model student after your father left. Most days were spent by yourself in the surrounding woods, fucking around until the buses prepared to leave. On the rare occasion that you had company, it was usually the senior you bought drugs from. He was weird, overly gentle with a very soft voice, something about him extremely off putting. 

Maybe things would've been different if you had been friends with Daryl back in school. He had only gone for a little while, using any and every excuse to get out of that house, even if it did include going from one prison to another. You weren't sure when he dropped out (technically he didn't drop out, he just stopped showing up), but it was right around the time Merle was out of prison. 

They left their father then, moving from couch to couch, and eventually ended up staying with another dealer you were vaguely familiar with. 

“Holy shit, look at you!” Merle whistled playfully after realizing it was you that had just come through the door. 

“The fuck? Merle?” You could barely recognize him. He looked so different from the last time you saw him, hardened by the months in prison. Daryl looked different too, he'd started growing some facial hair and looked a bit larger as well. It had been about a year or two since your last encounter, so it was to be expected. They stood up from the couch they sat on to greet you, Merle offering you a hit from his glass pipe, which you declined. 

“Nah, you know I never liked that shit.”

Merle snickered and held his lighter flame under the glass orb. “Right, right. Forgot you were too classy for crystal. Only the,” he tapped the side of his nostril, “for you.”

You caught up in the dealer's living room, some guy named Jesse, and enjoyed your purchases. You were happy then, for a few reasons. Jesse's shit was a lot better than what you were used to, so you found yourself a new reliable source, but also because you got to see Daryl again. You got to see him laughing, joking, no black eyes or busted lips. You got time with them as they were, before the world changed. 

You found yourself missing that time, watching as Daryl flung dirt over his shoulder into the grass behind him. It was the present, and you were sitting beside the hole he dug, too hungry to help. You'd forgotten to eat breakfast that morning and it was too early for lunch to be ready, whatever it was Carol or Beth had fixed up for the prison members. 

“What do you think Jesse's up to?” 

Daryl squinted against the sun to focus on you, momentarily pausing his digging. “Who?”

“That dealer you guys used to stay with. Beanie guy.” 

“Oh, yeah. Shit.” He grunted and stretched his back, happy for a break from grave digging. “Hell, I don't know. Probably dead.”

“You think? He seemed pretty tough to me.”

Daryl laughed abruptly at that. “Guy was a prick, but he wasn't no ‘tough guy’. Would go straight to usin’ guns instead of fightin’ like a real man.” 

You would never discover the fate of Jesse, but the decision to bring Daryl's mind back to wander in the past did wonders for bringing the two of you closer once again. 

To everyone's surprise, including you, Daryl dealt with his brother's death far better than you had. You'd expected he'd want to leave after that, go live alone and shut out everyone else. He didn't though, he cried a few times, sure, he got distant and chose to only keep you as company, but while you were still angry and grieving, he was laughing and forming bonds with the new group members. 

You weren't too sure why Merle's death had devastated you that much, the two of you weren't exactly best friends. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was one of the only two things keeping you connected to your past life, even though it was awful, it was better than the constant looming threat of being eaten by dead people. As shitty as your mundane life was, it would have gotten better, one day you would've been stronger than your mother and you would've stood up for yourself, put an end to the physical abuse, and if you were lucky you could've been able to leave and find your father and brother. 

Now Daryl truly was the only bit that remained, not counting material possessions. 

The same went for Daryl as well. The difference between you and him though was that the loss of his brother turned into a good thing. He was no longer a shadow of another human, no longer basing his ideals and opinions on said human. While you dealt with the pain by using Daryl as a crutch, he used it to find out who the unbiased Daryl was, abandoning the ‘Merle Dixon’s kid brother' persona. 

@ophelialaufey @carlgrimesgfofficial @theskinniestjackson-denny @dilfish-daydreams @my1fx

[claymoresword]

Come Out And Haunt Me

Cersei Lannister x Catelyn Tully Stark

Summary: When her raven goes unanswered, queen Cersei Lannister decides to pay the Starks a visit herself.

Wordcount: 2.4k

Disclaimers: omegaverse, alpha!cersei, omega!catelyn, cheating, angst & fluff, robert baratheon does not exist

Note: hi! so i initially only planned to post this on Ao3 but I've decided to share it here as well

honestly not sure what this is i just had a random burst of energy one night and decided to write it lol

to all 2 of you who clicked on this, welcome! hope you enjoy <3

The parchment clutched tightly in her hands, Catelyn skims the letter once more. As though dwelling would make a difference to the words already etched into the page.

An egregious insult.

Nine years; Catelyn had been forced to wallow in the harsh and cold North. Nine years and she had just managed to find a sort of peace amidst her sorrow.

Ned no longer insists on sharing her bed and her children, aside for Rickon, have all outgrown her attention.

She is finally comfortable.

Perhaps even happy.

Now the queen intends to summon her to King's Landing– like a dog.

The alpha is as bold as she is cruel.

I am not meant to be Hand any more than Cersei is fit to be queen.

Catelyn traces the crimson seal with the pad of her thumb, a war raging within her.

It is a cruel jape, even after everything, she still yearns to be in the alpha's presence once more.

To thread her fingers through golden curls, look upon delicate features in which time has certainly only made more beautiful.

Catelyn scoffs at her own feebleness, she harshly wipes the tears that have already began drying upon her cheeks.

This is all folly.

The omega allows her eyes flutter shut for a moment; she banishes Cersei from her mind.

Wringing the letter in her hands as she rises from her seat, Catelyn storms towards the hearth, eventually feeding the crumpled parchment to the fire.

Cersei Lannister; ever delicate and enchanting. The worst person Catelyn has ever met, once the love of her life.

This is what it has come to; for all of her sins, the Gods see fit to mock her.

═══════════════════════════════════════════

A month has come and gone since the queen sent a raven, and Catelyn is content with the knowledge that Cersei has taken her silence for an answer.

She will not go to King's Landing. She cannot set eyes on the queen once more– for the omega is certain she will not survive it.

"Brandon Stark! How many times must I tell you? No climbing." Catelyn exclaims, she watches her son descend clumsily from the roof.

Bran appears unfazed by his mother's warnings, as always. A genial expression covers his features; the careless joy of a young boy.

"I just saw hundreds of people riding down our road." The boy exclaims amidst a grunt, hoisting himself off the parapet before finally landing on his feet in front of his mother. "I saw a large wheelhouse, with horses.. and men in armor."

"It must be your uncle Benjen and his men who have come to visit your father again." Catelyn decides, but her son pays her no mind as he continues.

"They were carrying crimson banners, with a lion–” Catelyn's expression falls at his son's words. Suddenly she senses a gnawing in her belly, as though she might wretch.

"What did you say– about the banner?" The omega asks as she grabs her son by the shoulder, urging him to look up at her.

"It was crimson, with a yellow lion." Bran repeats as he stares at his mother.

"–Lannisters." Maester Luwin emerges, overhearing their exchange. "Is it possible the queen has come to Winterfell?"

The man asks as he searches Catelyn's expression; she has gone quiet, all colour drained from her face.

"My Lady.." Maester Luwin then attempts to coax a response, with a light hand on Catelyn's forearm.

It restores Cat to her senses just enough to muster a single sentence. "Please, inform my Lord husband. Tell him, the queen is on her way."

═══════════════════════════════════════════

Catelyn smooths out her gown for the dozenth time, not having been given much option or time, she was forced to don a dark blue gown, one that her Lord husband often insists match her eyes.

Although the dye on the fabric has now faded, and the sleeves wrinkled– but it matters not. Most of her dress remains covered by her sheepskin cloak.

Nearly all of her dresses always are. The weather in the North does not warrant beauty, only practicality.

Catelyn breath catches in her throat as she observes the queen's approach. Cersei leads the assembly on a gold and white palfrey, she halts infront of the gates before dismounting her horse with grace.

It is no secret that the years have since done its work on them both. The queen is no longer the young woman she had served at court, the same way Catelyn is no longer a girl of ten and five.

Cersei wears a few wrinkles around her eyes, yet, her beauty remains as ethereal as Catelyn remembers it to be. More than anything, the sight of the alpha makes her ache; she has no choice but to focus her gaze elsewhere.

“Winterfell is yours, Your Grace.” Ned declares after placing a chaste kiss on the back of the queen's hand.

He remains kneeling on the ground as Cersei studies him. She regards him with a piercing emerald stare before instructing him to rise.

“I hope you can forgive my sudden attendance, I have rather urgent business with your wife.” The queen avows, not appearing to be sorry at all.

Whilst Ned is visibly taken aback by Cersei's declaration, any doubt or query he may have on the matter– he keeps to himself.

The Lord of Winterfell steps aside as the queen swiftly turns her attention towards his wife.

“My queen.” Catelyn greets the golden haired woman with a curtsey. The omega only manages to hold Cersei's gaze for a heartbeat before once again, willing herself to look elsewhere.

The alpha moves to reach for Catelyn's hand, but as though just only recalling the importance of propriety, she stops herself.

Cersei is not given a chance to do much else before her wife falls in next to her.

Taena smiles brightly as she envelopes Catelyn within her embrace, without much warning. “Cat, it's been far too long!” The Myrish woman exclaims.

Catelyn feigns a smile of her own, out of courtesy, she embraces the queen consort in return.

“You are just glowing.” Taena states as she breaks away to look at her. Catelyn soon feels a hand upon her cheek.

The omega wears a bashful expression; one that is just as contrived as the other woman's attempt at a compliment.

She gently pries Taena's hand away from her face. “You are far too gracious.. you look well yourself, Your Grace.”

Taena sighs, as though she wishes for Catelyn's words to be true. “Oh, please, I look a fright.”

“We have been travelling for weeks.” She adds, and the glare Taena throws at her wife calls attention to the barely concealed asperity within her tone.

Yet, Cersei only smiles in return, no doubt her way of retaliating to Taena's grievance is to simply ignore it entirely.

She addresses Ned instead. “My Lady wife and I hope to lay in a proper bed tonight.”

“Of course, Your Grace. We have rooms enough to accommodate you both.. and your children, if it please you.” Ned states curtly as he ushers the queen through the gates.

“Good, I look forward to seeing your castle.”

═══════════════════════════════════════════

After a busy morning, Catelyn had decided to lock herself away in her solar for the remainder of the day. In truth, aside for a desperate solution to escaping the queen and her lady wife– solitude was also the only way Catelyn could avoid Ned's incessant questioning.

Of course his confusion is warranted, and her husband means well, to be sure, Ned always does– but Catelyn cannot stand to lie to him anymore.

-

As the lady of Winterfell sits by her window, she manages to get a view of Bran and Arya, currently playing in the yard; their direwolf pups by their feet.

The queen’s children have since joined them. Tommen and Myrcella are no doubt every bit like their mothers, both with emerald green eyes of the Lannisters and olive skinned like their Myrish mother.

The sight of their children playing together strikes Catelyn as something that was painfully ironic. In fact, it was nearly amusing, in a rather bleak way.

Lost in her thoughts, the omega fails to hear the latch on the door behind her.

The oak doors open, and soon shuts. It is only when Catelyn notices shuffling behind her that she turns around to inspect the cause.

“Are you hiding from me?” Cersei asks. with her question, she tilts her head slightly. The same way she used to when they were mere children together.

The sight unsettles Catelyn in a way she does not care to acknowledge. She scrambles to her feet, hugging her robe around her slender frame.

"Your Grace. I- no, I'm just not well." She tells a half-truth and she prays for a miracle.

Catelyn hopes, stupidly, that the other woman will decide to leave her alone, without much interrogation.

"Are you ill?" Cersei asks, as expected, approaching her.

The alpha's tone of genuine concern only makes Catelyn want to weep, but she shakes her head, forcibly suppressing the urge. "It must be something I ate." She lies.

"Oh, then you must rest.” Cersei suggests in response, a smirk tugging on the corners of her mouth.

The omega's brows furrow at the sight. She mocks me. Catelyn observes.

The lady of Winterfell decides she no longer possesses the will for feigned courtesies. All she has the strength to do now is stare at the other woman, unamused.

This works to unnerve the queen slightly, as though thrown off balance, Cersei clears her throat.

The alpha averts her gaze before resting her hand on the hilt of her longsword, assuming a confident stance once more.

“Have you given any thought to my proposal?” Cersei finally states it plainly, and Catelyn scoffs in response.

The alpha possesses just enough audacity to appear confused by the other woman's reaction. “What?”

“Stop that. Don't pretend as though you have given me a choice.” Catelyn hisses, and she watches as Cersei opens her mouth to retaliate, but she swiftly cuts off the attempt.

“If that was true, you would not be here.” Cat challenges and Cersei merely shrugs, unconcerned yet dignified.

The queen always does so in a way that managed to make others seem small, inconsequential.

It was infuriating.

“Come to King's Landing, serve as my Hand.” “and you should take Sansa, our daughter will do well in the capital.” Cersei renders aloud as she advances forward.

Now standing close enough that Catelyn can smell the lavender oil in her hair.

“Such beauty shouldn't stay hidden up here.” Cersei continues, reaching up to caress the omega's cheek.

Catelyn stiffens and then sighs involuntarily against her touch. Once again she feels the urge to weep, to scream. The omega wants to lean in and kiss the other woman, to feel her warm embrace.

Instead, she slaps her hand away, bristling. “Don't. do not do that.”

“and don't call her your daughter.. as if you have ever been a sire to her.” She mutters, a scowl covers Catelyn's features as she tries to slip past the alpha.

Although Cersei quickly catches her by the arm before she can go far at all, forcing a proximity between them once more.

"You know that I regret– I regret how it all ended between us.” The queen utters, her voice low, only for Catelyn to hear.

The sincerity in which Cersei speaks her sweet words does nothing to douse the rage within her.

Years of longing and wanting for a woman that has no regard for her honor, no respect for her feelings. Cersei has been nothing if not careless with her; with her heart.

Catelyn does not believe a word the alpha says– she cannot allow herself to.

“Do you?” She challenges, her jaw clenched in anger.

“Nine years without a word from you.. not so much as a raven.” She adds with a raised voice, though Cersei appears entirely unfazed by it, this time her arm slips around Catelyn's waist.

“Don't touch me.” She tries, attempting to wriggle out of the alpha's hold, but it is no use.

"I missed you.. I wanted to write to you, I truly did.” Cersei reveals, cupping the other woman's cheek once more.

“I just thought–”

“What?” Catelyn provokes, unsatisfied.

“You thought what?” Despite herself, she feels her eyes begin to well with tears.

“You told me you loved me... I gave myself to you, and then you chose her.”

Cersei own expression shifts at the other woman's declaration. She wipes away the omega's tears with the pads of her thumbs tenderly.

“I had no choice.” The queen insists, her tone gentle and sincere– almost vulnerable.

“I assume you are happier.. with your husband.” Cersei alleges, and Catelyn feels the urge to laugh in her face.

“How could you possibly think that?” She questions, and Cersei acknowledges the mistake she had made, at long last.

“Forgive me.. I never meant to hurt you.” The queen articulates, threading her fingers through auburn locks.

Catelyn allows herself to lean into the other woman's touch, her brows still furrowed as she speaks. “Well, you did. You broke my heart.”

The omega attempts to shove Cersei away once more, but still, she refuses to budge.

The alpha is stronger, and far more determined.

“I know, I am sorry.” The queen says again, this time she boldly kisses the shell of Catelyn's ear.

As the omega continues to try and fight out of her hold, Cersei kisses her again, this time further down, her tender lips meeting her jaw.

Catelyn shivers at the sensation, just as instinctively, she rests her hand on the nape of Cersei's neck.

“I'm sorry.” The alpha mutters once more as she kisses the corner of Catelyn's mouth.

This time, she does not fight the urge. Catelyn turns her head, capturing the other woman's lips with her own for a real kiss.

As their mouths moved against each other with aching familiarity, Cersei's hand shifts to the small of the omega's back, causing the other woman to lean further into her.

They kiss for what feels like an eternity; only breaking apart when both their lungs clamour for air.

Catelyn's face burns from the intensity of the moment, she soon wraps both her arms around the other woman properly, concealing her face in the crook of Cersei's neck.

“I despise you.” The omega mutters, almost petulantly.

Cersei merely lets out a light chuckle at that. A kind of acceptance and forbearance; a quality she truly only finds less of a challenge to display around Catelyn.

“I know.”

[emmalovesfitzloved]

New intro post 🤓

Welcome! I spend all my time in my secret garden, where I dream up ideas for my Love Bomb blog (in no particular order)-

Bare minimum starter-pack to get to know a bit about me :)

1. I’m 26, living in England;

2. My favourite hobbies are reading, dreaming, drinking tea, and obsessing over my dog Jack;

3. I work in the legal profession;

4. My guilty pleasure is reality shows…;

If you like:

• Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb and Of Cats and Closed Doors by the Legendary @tragediegh 🙏

• The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare (specifically TLH, TDA, TID) and @edwinspaynes bonus chapters.

• Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes ITV series 🧐

• Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erickson

• All Souls series by Professor Deborah Harkness

• Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

• Cosmere by Brandon Sanderson

• Dead Boy Detectives (Tv show)

• Daredevil (Marvel Comics)

• X-Men - specifically Emma Frost and the new mutants (my namesake)

Please let’s moots 😇.

(I have also wrote some essays or addressed some commonly asked questions : -) :

• My response to Booktok turning the book community into fast fashion

• Ranking of SHC Novels

• Tessa Tessa Tessa

• Ranking Top 5 SHC Ships

• Wessa is the Best!!!!!

• Magnus Bane is the best Downworlder

• Love letter to @hazure-cyan’s realm of the elderlings mural

I also love to make moodboards for the All Souls universe by Deborah Harkness which you can find: here !

And if you have time please check out my favourite people ever (who are beyond talented therefore deserve your audience probably more then my fandoming - @edwinspaynes (greatest writer to grace fandoms with bonus content) , @hazure-cyan (my pookie and also greatest artist you’ll probably ever meet), @tragediegh the best gem for the ROTE (from her memes, her story, to her witty posts, just everything! Chefs kiss.) @inkedbydave (witty and beyond imaginative and an amazing essayist) @thebitchforjemcarstairs (an academic you’d be lucky to befriend).

Loads of love!

Gorgeous art from left to right : by pandyals_art on instagram ; @spacehero-23 on tumblr.

[fandomtrumpshate]

Listed Fandom Roundup!

Signups have been open for just a smidge more than 9 days. The top 3 listed fandoms haven't changed aside from the numbers going up … but it would only take one more signup to change that.

Good Omens currently has 85 signups to K-Pop's 86 … both trailing MXTX with 116.

The next several spots have shifted around a bit. Sherlock Holmes has moved ahead of both Harry Potter and Marvel, which are tied for fifth. Arcane is now tied with DC for sixth, and ATLA and Baldur's Gate 3 have both surpassed Star Wars. Teen Wolf rounds out the top 10 …

… but it would only take 2 signups to change that …

… and there are four days to go.

See where your listed fandom ranks under the cut.

116 MXTX (works) * 86 K-Pop * 85 Good Omens 63 Sherlock Holmes * 55 Harry Potter * 55 Marvel * 40 Arcane 40 DC * 35 Avatar The Last Airbender 31 Baldur's Gate 3 30 Star Wars * 29 Teen Wolf 27 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star 27 Original Work 27 Supernatural 26 Dead Boy Detectives 26 Dragon Age * 25 Stranger Things 23 Merlin 23 Star Trek * 22 Tolkien * 21 Red, White, & Royal Blue 21 Locked Tomb Trilogy 17 A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon 17 Final Fantasy * 16 Doctor Who * 16 Thai BL * 16 The Magnus Archives/Protocol 16 The Old Guard 14 Boku no Hiro Akademia (My Hero Academia) 14 Critical Role 14 Fullmetal Alchemist 14 Minecraft Youtubers * 14 Naruto 13 Buffyverse 13 Haikyuu!!! 13 Hazbin Hotel 13 Hockey RPF 13 Our Flag Means Death 12 All for the Game 10 Check Please! 10 Cosmere - Brandon Sanderson 10 Hades (video game) 9 Ace Attorney 9 Disco Elysium 9 Interview With the Vampire 9 Jujutsu Kaisen 9 Leverage 9 One Piece 9 Stargate 9 Yuri!!! On Ice 8 Alan Wake (video games) 8 Formula 1 RPF 8 Genshin Impact 8 Persona (video games) 8 SK8 the Infinity 8 The Murderbot Diaries 8 Tortall - Tamora Pierce 8 Wicked 7 Bungo Stray Dogs 7 Dungeons & Dragons (TTRPG) 7 For All Mankind 7 Gundam Wing 7 Hannibal 7 James Bond 7 One Direction RPF 7 Steven Universe 7 Queen's Thief 7 The Witcher 6 Danny Phantom 6 Fire Emblem Three Houses 6 Heartstopper 6 Malevolent (podcast) 6 The Maze Runner 6 Mysterious Lotus Casebook 6 Professional Wrestling 6 Shadowhunters 6 Trigun 5 Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (The Husky & His White Cat Shizun) 5 Grishaverse 5 Homestuck 5 Legend of Zelda 5 Pokemon 5 The Owl House 4 Call of Duty 4 Honkai Star Rail 4 Miraculous Ladybug 4 Nimona 4 Nu Carnival 4 Percy Jackson and the Olympians 4 The Sandman 4 Ted Lasso 4 The Magicians 4 Top Gun Movies 4 Witch Hat Atelier 3 Captive Prince 3 Justified 3 Mob Psycho 100 3 Suits 3 Raven Cycle 3 Undertale 3 Welcome to Night Vale 2 Dungeons & Dragons (movie) 2 Hetalia 2 Hunger Games 2 Riverdale 2 RWBY 2 Spy x Family 2 Wheel of Time 1 Alex Rider 1 Bleach 1 Carmen Sandiego 1 Elder Scrolls 1 HBO War * 1 Les Misérables 1 Rusty Quill Gaming Podcast 1 Young Royals 1 Yuyu Hakusho

Signups are OPEN!

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🎄 RICKMAS 2024 on AO3 - All the fics in one series on AO3

🎄 Nov:2024 - PROMPTLIST

🎄 Dec:2024: 1. December Moon [A1] Colonel Brandon x Fem!OC » A first meeting between Y/n and Colonel Brandon resulting in love at first sight, secret mutual pining, and some miscommunication through body language that leads to a sense of "oh no, what now?"...

🎄 Dec:2024: 2. Secret Watching [B1] Hans Gruber x Fem!OC » When Julie meets Hans at her workplace she's in for several surprises, one being the sudden desperation to be his, to belong to someone despite never having felt like that before. But only good girls are allowed to play...

🎄 Dec:2024: 3. A Treat [B2] Hans Gruber x Fem!OC » Julie manages to keep the attention of the marvellous German. Finding herself in a private room with him, she ends up on her knees with the man who has her wanting to be nothing but his good girl...

🎄 Dec:2024: 4. Darkest Night [C1] Judge Turpin x Fem!OC » When Bad-Luck-Strikken Julianne's carriage topples on her way to London to find a husband at the Christmas Ball she wanders the woods until a certain judge appears... Has her luck changed or turned from bad to worse?

🎄 Dec:2024: 5. Open Doors [A2] Colonel Brandon x Fem!OC » Calliope finds out the truth about why she needs to marry before the year ends... She spirals into a panic attack, feeling the house close in on her she runs away - only to be found by the very Colonel she's been pining for...

🎄 Dec:2024: 6. Wrapped Tightly [OS] Severus Snape x Hufflepuff!Fem!Reader » When you make an illegal potion at school from a recipe found in the restricted section, Severus shows up to save the day - and you - when things go awry. Only, he ends up blue and you end up kissing him. Twice.

🎄 Dec:2024: 7. Quiet Wishing [B3] Hans Gruber x Fem!OC » Julie finds herself wishing to be a good girl only for Hans, the incredible German stripping her bare in every sense while offering new sensations with his hand around her collar-free throat...

🎄 Dec:2024: 8. Never-ending Consequences [C2] Judge Turpin x Fem!OC » Judge Turpin offers Julianne sanctuary for the night and she just cannot help but be captivated by the harsh man out of her reach while she blabbers on about what a black cat she is...

🎄 Dec:2024: 9. Unwanted Solitude [D1] Sinclair Bryant x Fem!Reader » You've been missing Sinclair terribly. Ever since his life turned upside down and he began distancing himself from the world, really. But the dishwasher breaking again opens up for confessions...

🎄 Dec:2024: 10. Lingering Touch [C3] Judge Turpin x Fem!OC » Julianne chatters through breakfast, the stoic judge barely speaking a word while her feelings for the man grows. When the carriage he orders comes with a nice and handsome constable things take a turn...

🎄 Dec:2024: 11. Out Of Reach [A3] Colonel Brandon x Fem!OC » Calliope finds herself in Colonel Brandon's company after being saved by the man from the bitter cold. Now, feelings are being omitted, and she fears all is lost as she pleads for his silence about the state he found her in...

🎄 Dec:2024: 12. Missing Mirth [D2] Sinclair Bryant x Fem!Reader » After years of secret pining, you finally blurt it all out on Sinclair's request for the truth. Realisation hits that you're both in love and there's no time to waste...

🎄 Dec:2024: 13. To Belong [B4] Hans Gruber x Fem!OC » Julie finds out exactly what she's been missing, what her coworkers have been talking about and why they all go crazy for the person rocking their world. Unfortunately, the man rocking her world has to leave...

🎄 Dec:2024: 14. Deceptive Kindness [C4] Judge Turpin x Fem!OC » Turpin finds himself ensnared in his mind by the chatty Miss Brimmer, and when bad-luck-afflicted Julianne is out in London alone she finds herself in danger with the only salvation possible being to run for it...

🎄 Dec:2024: 15. Decorative Obsession [OS] King Louis XVI & Fem!You » You meet the king in the Gardens of Versailles without knowing who he is, but your words end up having a profound effect on him as realisation dawns on you and he grants your wish...

🎄 Dec:2024: 16. Thoughtful Gifts [C5] Judge Turpin x Fem!OC » Julianne finds herself handing over the gift she had managed to keep safe through the night's horror to the judge who saved her - again. But, to speak openly seems an impossible task for both of them...

🎄 Dec:2024: 17. Truthful Longing [A4] Colonel Brandon x Fem!OC » After several fumbled chances to tell each other how they feel, Calliope and Christopher finally spell it out in an array of beautiful words. Despite Calliope's situation, the Colonel wishes to be with her as she wishes for him...

🎄 Dec:2024: 18. Secret Visitor [B5] Hans Gruber x Fem!OC » After a year of longing for Hans, Julie finds herself leaving the club behind as it reminds her of him every single day. However, when she returns home she finds the door unlocked and someone sleeping in her bed...

🎄 Dec:2024: 19. A Helping Hand [OS] Severus Snape x Fem!Reader » After many years you finally decide to go to Severus's house, he's just returned from St. Mungos and you want to give him a gift from the heart but everything turns into a mess before feelings are released into the open...

🎄Dec:2024: 20. Wrongful Perceptions [A5] Colonel Brandon x Fem!OC » Calliope and Brandon are to tell her father of their wish to marry, but things go awry when Calliope's father believes he is forcing her to marry the older gentleman...

🎄 Dec:2024: 21. Heartfelt Confessions [A6] Colonel Brandon x Fem!OC » Brandon heard everything Calliope shouted to her father, standing in each other's arms her father agrees to the marriage and our love-birds finally get to be together after a Christmas Wedding takes place...

🎄 Dec:2024: 22. Shivering Certainty [B6] Hans Gruber x Fem!OC » Hans and Julie must leave her home in a rush, driving for hours, ending up at a roadhouse to stay for the night. Julie doesn't understand what's going on but she knows he is the only one for her and she will go wherever he goes...

🎄 Dec:2024: 23. Eve Of Revelations [C6] Judge Turpin x Fem!OC » Turpin interrupts Julianne's dance with Constable Greer when he realises the only outcome possible is for her to be his. Julianne finds herself in his sturdy grip and there is no other hand she wishes to hold...

🎄 Dec:2024: 24. Christmas Party [OS] Severus Snape x GN!Muggle!Reader » Many years after the Second Wizarding War ended and life has finally been kind to Severus — with you by his side. He finds himself understanding that he is — truly — happy...

Want to be tagged? 💚 You can tag yourself HERE! Or tell me and I’ll gladly tag you! 😍

[LINK TREE for all my places]

☕ Caffeinate me so I can keep on writing! ☕

All donations go towards my writing! 🥰 Thank you in advance for all the support of every kind! 

DO NOT REPOST MY WORK!

[benwalkerupdates]

(hopefully tumblr doesn't kill the quality LOL)

an interview that ben did with brandon voss for a january 2012 edition of playbill while promoting his run in cat on a hot tin roof!

also, full interview transcribed under the cut for anyone who needs it!

Benjamin Walker: A Walk on the Dark Side

After several presidential detours, Benjamin Walker comes back to the classics in Broadway’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

By Brandon Voss

He’s played presidents in the popcorn flick Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and the Broadway rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, but Benjamin Walker now faces one of his greatest challenges in leading a classic Tennessee Williams family drama. Walker, whose previous Broadway credits include revivals of Inherit the Wind and Les Liaisons Dangereuses, stars as tormented alcoholic Brick Pollitt opposite Tony winner Scarlett Johansson's Maggie in the latest revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which officially opens January 17 at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre. The 30-year-old actor-comedian discusses the perils of onstage drinking and how he's found the funny in the dysfunction.

Playbill: You became an action star in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and you’ll next appear onscreen in the HBO film Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight. As you branch out into TV and movies, how important is it for you to stay connected to the theatre?

Benjamin Walker: I started out in the theatre, and I'm never going to not be doing theatre. I love that the best literature is in the theatre, and I love the people in the theatre. I love that the theatre community is a real community, whereas the movie business is a business. I like working in that business too, and I'm inspired by people in that field, but it's the legacy of the theatre that keeps drawing me to it.

You showed tremendous loyalty to the theatre when you turned down the role of the Beast in the film X-Men: First Class in order to transfer with Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson from the Public Theater to Broadway.

That was a complicated decision, but it boiled down to the fact that I was going to regret not being a part of that show on Broadway. When you're lying there dying, those are the things you think about, and I didn't want that particular regret. I try to keep my regrets counted on one hand.

Realistically, that production may not have moved to Broadway without your involvement.

And those are my friends, man. We'd all grown with the show for so long. I was broke anyway, so I figured I could be broke a while longer. No big deal.

Unfortunately, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson closed on Broadway after only 120 performances. Any regrets there?

Absolutely not. We took that show as far as it could possibly go. For that, I could not be more proud of the cast and everyone involved. I had dinner with [composer-lyricist] Michael Friedman a few weeks ago, and he was saying that Andrew Jackson is one of the top 10 most produced shows across the country. There are, like, four productions in Texas alone. That's remarkable. That's where the show should live and probably will for a long time.

What attracted you to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof?

Our director, Rob Ashford, was one of the first guys to give me a shot. We were going to do Brigadoon together a few years ago, but it fell apart. We've since worked together on a number of things, like opening the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas. I adore his work. He inspires me, and I knew that I could learn a lot from him. And Scarlett's not bad either! Based on those two components alone, I'd be interested in doing the play even if it were toilet paper.

Rob Ashford is an inspired choice for this revival, which marks his directorial debut of a non-musical Broadway production. He's a director-choreographer best known for his work on shows like Evita, How to Succeed, and Throughly Modern Millie.

Well, the play's very musical. It is music. It is poetry. It is dance. A trap of the play is to let the movement be worn down slow by the Southern heat, but these people really are like a cat on a hot tin roof — screaming, bouncing, constantly jumping in pain. The need for that physicality is something Rob really understands and is brilliant at pulling out of us.

One sometimes wonders why a particular play gets revived time and time again.

Oh, yeah. It's like, "Leave it alone! They got it right last time."

What is it about Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that people continually want to revisit?

It's about something that's truly timeless and that, because of the human condition, we will struggle with until we're extinct: The need to communicate and our inability to do so. It's also about the need to express love and feel love and how difficult that is. It's about the complexities of sexuality and how that's perceived. And it's about the idea of legacy and the future. A lot of plays only exist in a certain time, and when you watch them you're looking back on that time as if you're going to the Museum of Natural History. But when you read this play, the play's written so well that the poetry of the writing illuminates something about your own time. It's not a pageant of another era. It sheds a new light on your own issues with love and family.

What do you think separates this revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof from others before it?

We're certainly bringing a sexuality and a vitality to the play in a way that I don't think has been done before. We're approaching it in a way that there's real potential for calamity. It's going to be a mess in the way that real life is. These people say what they mean and mean what they say with all their heart, so it's very passionate in the Shakespearean sense. There's nothing casual or lackadaisically Southern about it. These people could pop at any second. But I don't really find it productive to compare productions. I find that dangerous. It's been a long time since I've seen the 1958 movie, and I didn't see the Ashley Judd version on Broadway in 2003, so I don't really know what's different about our production. You'll have to tell me after you've seen it.

Did you not see the 2008 African-American revival with Terrence Howard either?

No, I didn't. I wish I had seen that.

Tell me something interesting that you discovered about Brick during the rehearsal process.

There are definitely some traps for Brick, particularly in the early few pages of the play when he doesn't say very much and he's drinking a lot. So much of his life is about trying to avoid issues, avoid feelings, avoid memories. That can be a trap for an actor, because you're not engaged with anyone, so it comes off as blasé, one-note and boring. It's like watching a boiling pot: You don't know what's going on inside if there's a lid on it, but if you know that it's boiling, you know it can blow at any second. Visually, both pots are almost the same, so you have to have that internal turmoil.

Much of your audience will likely be familiar with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof from the film or from recent revivals. The great Paul Newman famously played Brick onscreen. Do audience preconceptions put any additional pressure on you?

Nah. Screw ‘em. [Laughs] I don’t understand how that's helpful to anybody. Those expectations certainly aren't helpful for the audience. If you're expecting something, looking forward to something, you're going to miss something. It seems detrimental to your experience, and it's also detrimental to our work. But I don't think as many people do that as we think. At least I hope not.

You married actress Mamie Gummer last year. Are you drawing on the new marriage, with all its ups and downs, to enrich Brick and Maggie's relationship?

Luckily, my wife and I don't have that much in common with Maggie and Brick. [Laughs] But yeah, I draw from every relationship. And Scarlett also brings so much from her own life that really creates a lovely chemistry.

Although she's primarily a film actress, Johansson won a Tony for her Broadway debut in the 2010 revival of A View From a Bridge. What’s it been like to work with her?

Oh, she's great. She's classy, she's well prepared, and she's well suited for the part. She's the whole package and the real deal for sure.

What's the greatest challenge in playing your iconic role?

Finding a pee break. I have to keep drinking, refilling my glass, and I'm onstage the whole time! I might need to hide a spittoon in the corner. Other than that, where to begin? Tennessee Williams is the best, but he's certainly the most challenging writer that I've worked on in a long time.

As far as Brick's heavy drinking goes, how method have you been in your research?

Oh, my research on that has been well done for years. I'm typecast, if nothing else.

Brick is leaning hard on the bottle following the suicide of his close friend Skipper, who had confessed his romantic feelings for Brick. There has also been much debate about Brick's sexuality. Do you see him as gay?

Oh, I can't tell you that.

Is that mystery important for the audience?

It's a strength of the play that it talks about something bigger than that question. If you're asking that question on the way out, either I've done my job really well or I haven't done my job at all — I don't know. Human connection is so much bigger than the categories we like to put it in, which almost ruins it. But I can already hear my mom — "So was he gay?"

I assume that you know Brick's sexuality one way or the other when you step onto that stage.

Of course. I can't show up if I don't know that. I can't say Tennessee Williams' words if I haven't done that work. That would be a lazy actor right there. [Laughs] Yeah, maybe I'll just figure it out as I go. Maybe Brick's really in love with Big Mama!

You're also a stand-up comic and host of a variety series called Find the Funny. Are you finding the humor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof?

The more time I spend with my comedian friends, the more I realize that truly funny people are ones with a really deep inner darkness. Brick is definitely stewing over some painful stuff, and oftentimes people can only release that through humor, sarcasm, or being cutting in a way that causes nervous laughter. Tennessee Williams is a funny writer in the same way as Chekhov; if the audience isn't laughing, you've probably missed the point. There's a fine line between drama and comedy that we walk, and life is like that too.

Some theatregoers may compare your performance as Brick with your performance as Andrew Jackson. It's easy to dismiss those characters as having nothing in common, but have you noticed any similarities?

Yeah, actually. They're both very conflicted men at crossroads in their lives, and they have to make huge decisions that will affect the legacy of their families. Of course, the shows are very different. When a cell phone rang during Andrew Jackson, I could just yell, "Shut off your phone, you prick!" I have to get out of that habit.

You were born and raised in Georgia. Did that come in handy when working on your Southern accent for Brick?

My Southern accent's a little different than Brick's. The Pollitts are very high class and old money, but my accent is more country than Scarlett O'Hara. Working with the wonderful Deborah Hecht as our dialect coach, we actually looked at politicians like Jimmy Carter — people who needed this grandness to their language but also had a Southern thing going.

You seem to have lost your Southern accent altogether.

I have to fight it. They beat it out of me at Juilliard. My accent only comes out if I get angry, have a couple drinks, or talk to my mother on the phone. Then you can't understand a word I say.