#he entrusted it to you. well. that’s not entirely true. technically you volunteered. but how else could you say thank you.

[quietwingsinthesky]

the amount of time i spend thinking about Even carrying the metacrisis doctor’s fob watch is really quite disproportionate to how much ive fleshed out that part of the story in my head

[littlebookreader]

Old Record In A Beat Up Sleeve

For more information on the fic, look here. For the rest, it’s all under the cut.

@cocoa-collabs for the Locked in the Office.

@aaronsciencia this one’s mainly for context. The crossover’s in the next part. Promise. 

 The Interviewer didn’t know where it went.

It was a silly security system, entrusting the keyring to whoever so volunteered.  Who had it last? Who was to take it today?

He didn’t know, and it was driving him crazy.

On the bright side(he instantly chided himself for not having thought of it sooner), at least he didn’t have the chance to be bored, running over the various permutations in his mind.

“It couldn’t have been Alvina, she wouldn’t be this careless.”

“No, couldn’t have been Kozlowski either, he was at the book shop yesterday.”

“Who could it be!”

As he pondered this, he heard a wild knocking at his door. “Come right on in, THIS door is open.”

The visitor gave up, kicked the door with her foot, and promptly plonked a gramophone onto his desk.

“Good Lord, Alvina, what is this?”

“I thought you might know; it was waiting in the foyer this morning.”

He frowned, puzzled, “Wind my up with a key and call me a toy soldier, why bring it up now?”

“Well, I figured, since we’re both bored…”

The Interviewer guessed her intentions immediately, and tried to deflect, saying, “I’m not bored, I’m just running over the list in fact.”

“What list?”

“I may be a whimsical man, Alvina, but I do have a system for who gets to lock up. What bothers me is why I can’t seem to remember who handed the keys over to whom.”

“Have you considered everyone? Even yourself?”

“Now why would I do that? I locked up in ’98, I don’t feel the need to continue doing so.”

“Well,” she began, only to desert that train of thought entirely. “Which ’98 would that be?”

“The good one, what else?”

She cocked her head at him. “As far as I know, they were all good according to you.”

“Hmm, true, but no, I mean the most recent one.”

“Oh, well.”

They sat there in silence for a brief while, a rather unusual  occurrence for the both of them. They seemed to realise this, and spoke up at the same time:

“What songs do you have?”

“What songs have you heard?”

The Interviewer shook his head, and mumbled, embarrassed, “I’m sorry, you go first.”

Alvina smiled shyly, and asked again, “Which songs have you heard on this?”

“Oh, lots. My favourites would have to be the faster pieces, especially those played before the gramophone was invented. They translated well on the vinyl, too.” He paused, reminiscent of a simpler, yet more elegant time, a time of disappearances and good old fashioned champagne, and sighed contentedly.

“The dances were exquisite, not just a way to appreciate the music and rhythm of what was being played, but an actual form of expression.”

Alvina promptly jumped up and sat on the table at the corner closest to him, briefly startling him. He shrugged it off, knowing that they would be there for a long time, and asked, “Do you have a favourite?”

She paused to consider this. “Maybe the swing tunes. They always had a certain sense of nostalgia with my parents, and it didn’t quite feel the same playing them on a cassette or a DVD player.

“Was it for the scratching?” He teased.

Alvina narrowed her eyes, annoyed, but amused. “Well, maybe?”

“You millennials,” The Interviewer grumbled. He made sure not to sound too annoyed or anything, just come off as joking.

“You boomers,” she countered.

He raised a finger. “Wouldn’t I technically count as a Silent Generational?”

“Technically, yes, but since I actually know you, and you are anything BUT silent, I will call you a Boomer.”

He sighed overdramatically, while she stuck her tongue out at him.

Alvina sat up suddenly, startling him yet again (she seemed to be doing that a lot lately), as if struck by a thought, albeit belatedly. “You mentioned faster songs, and I know for a fact that you’re an excellent dancer.”

He wasn’t exactly sure where she was headed with this: “Right.”

“What’s the dance you did to it? I mean, I know waltzes are slow.”

The Interviewer laughed, partly relieved, partly nostalgic for a time long past. “It’s called the gavotte.”

Alvina blinked then said: “I’m sorry?”

“The gavotte.”

“I-I’ve never heard of that one before.”

“Well, then,” The Interviewer leaned into his chair sighing contentedly. “It started with a client, as it always does.”

She hopped off, straightening out her skirt. “This is a story, right?”

“Of course, it’s a shame that Joey and Salvatore have already left, so I don’t think we’re getting any cocoa anytime soon.”

She smiled wryly. “You forget.”

“Forget what?”

“That I used to make the cocoa earlier, before they, ah, arrived.”

“True,” he mused.

It had mostly become a formality at this point, but she asked anyway, “Cocoa?”

“Mmm, my favourite.”

She laughed, then walked off towards the kitchen, while he glanced over at the gramophone. “Here goes, Ozzy. It IS a story after all, and I know how much you love those.”

Alvina returned with the cocoa, at a speed which could probably rival that of Salvatore’s (had she been that fast before?) and returned to her perch.

“Story?”

“Yes. Ozzy was a client once, and a really good friend of mine. He had to a perform a miracle, but for that, he needed to disappear.”

[killthebxy]

Meta on show!Jon leaving the Watch versus how you see it happening for your Jon, and what he feels about the Watch after?

//@zcldrizes

          i’m going to need a deep breath before this one… because this is probably the scene i loathe the most in the entire show, which is saying a lot. so let me start with my watch is ended and why i can never ever envision Jon saying anything like this in the way he did.

          for context, what just happened at this point? the mutiny happened (and in the show, as opposed to the books, it was a thoroughly premeditated event), Jon was brought back to life, and now the first thing he has to deal with —as still the acting lord commander— is the fate of the traitors. which is linear enough, as the penalty for treason is death. with all this, the show is not wrong in assuming Jon feels utterly betrayed and abandoned by the men who are supposed to be his family and brothers, and it’s only human to want to hide under his bed at this point and never come out again. where did the show go so wrong, then? precisely, in the manner which Jon expresses the storm of negative emotions he’s feeling. let me quote what he says to Edd right after the execution, when he hands over the black cloak and Edd asks what to do with it:

wear it. burn it. whatever you want. you have Castle Black. my watch is ended.

          if D&D had the goal of completely butchering everything Jon Snow is in 15 words, wow, props to them. they absolutely nailed it. let me go through this step by step. 

          wear it. burn it. Jon suggesting that the very symbol of the Night’s Watch be burned. this boy (man, in the show, but i can’t look at him and not see that 16-17 year old boy at the end of ADWD) who spent the past couple years of his life trying to restore the Watch as well as he could, who ranged with Qhorin Halfhand, who infiltrated Mance’s camp for the sake of collecting information and return in order to save the Watch. the boy/man who gave up on Ygritte for the sake of the Night’s Watch is suddenly suggesting that his black cloak should be burned. i don’t think i have to add anything else, but — also, remember how Jon held (and holds) Jeor Mormont in such high regard? yeah, that’s Jon basically saying to burn the symbol of the lord commander. a man he saw as a father figure. a man who was betrayed himself at Craster’s Keep and, had he survived it, would have returned to Castle Black and continued caring for his men and leading them and never give up on everything like this.

          you have Castle Black. again, i’m going to bring up book canon because at least book canon knows what it’s doing. and in book canon, Jon does not almost volunteer to take the Wall during Mance’s attack, as he does in the show (and note that one episode in s04 was one of my favorites of all time and was wonderfully well made from a technical and special effects point of view, but alas at expense of matters that reach far deeper) — it’s basically dumped on him by Donal Noye, as he realizes he must go down to the gate and hold it against Mag the Mighty. let me quote: “Jon, you have the Wall till i return.” for a moment Jon thought he had misheard. it had sounded as if Noye were leaving him in command. “my lord?” “lord? i’m a blacksmith. i said, the Wall is yours.” there are older men, Jon wanted to say, better men. i am still as green as summer grass. i’m wounded, and i stand accused of desertion. his mouth had gone bone dry. “aye,” he managed. — does this sound to you like a boy who wanted to be entrusted with any of this? and friendly reminder that at this point he was likely 15 years old, 16 at most? which is, exactly, why he would never use the words “you have Castle Black” in such a banal manner. because he knows what this means — he knows what it’s like, to command a total of 19 castles AND not to mention with winter at their door — AND it’s even more serious in the show, considering Jon went to Hardhome and saw the Night King and witnessed firsthand what that creature is capable of and the power that stands with the armies of the dead. there is absolutely no way Jon would just shove this at Edd to deal with while he walks away so candidly. again, we’re talking of someone who did not abandon his duty not even when that cost him the love of his life, and i’m gonna fight Mr. Daniel B. Weiss and Mr. David Benioff into infinity about this.

          my watch is ended. and here i am, face to face with my nemesis. admittedly, also because everyone knows how fond i am of lord commander Jon, but i feel like, after everything i mentioned in the past two topics, there’s not much left to add. i’m even willing to accept that, in the spur of the moment, Jon might have decided he’s done with everything and doesn’t want to fight for the realm anymore and that he would indeed leave the Watch — and use these words, which are reserved for a black brother after his death. which, in his case, literally happened. i can accept this, whether or not i like it. but, again — it’s all in the way it was conducted. the way Jon says what he says before, and then just… spits these words out. like the Night’s Watch means nothing to him. like he arrived there two weeks ago and nothing major ever happened. THIS is what i cannot forgive the show for, and THIS is my huge problem with this whole thing. because i can accept Jon abandoning the Night’s Watch aka his duty based on an emotional decision when he’s feeling completely lost and alone and betrayed — but i cannot and will never accept him treating the Night’s Watch, the same Night’s Watch that gave him a purpose in life and harbored men such as Benjen Stark and Jeor Mormont and maester Aemon and Donal Noye and Samwell Tarly and Qhorin Halfhand (among others), like it never meant anything to him.

          so… tl;dr — while i am admittedly miffed that the show made Jon abandon my favorite role for him and the one i personally believe suits him best, what really bugs me beyond words is how he was portrayed as someone who doesn’t give a crap about honor and duty at the end of the day, and D&D are gonna do this over my dead body turned to a wight.

          now, as for the second half of your ask — and jesus, i’ve already rambled so much but i am not done yet! as for the way i see this moment happening, and basically how i have headcanoned and re-written this train wreck, i think it’s best if i use excerpts of one of my threads with @longmayshereign-cersei — because i’ve written it happening and i’m quite happy with the way it turned out. and i think it’s easier to understand if it’s done from Jon’s POV, so here we go:

         Othell Yarwyck and Bowen Marsh had been loyal and served the Wall for long years, whereas Alliser Thorne himself had been master-at-arms since the days Jon was still wetting his swaddling clothes — as so often he’d been reminded of, while still a recruit. and Olly… Jon did not wish to think of Olly, lest his resolve fade like the light in his eyes that cold, dreadful night. at the end of the day, all four of them had committed treason — and there was only one penalty for it. he owed it to the rest of the garrison, and to Tormund’s men just as much, to punish crimes as they ought to be. no matter how the mercy left in his heart, which somehow had evaded the blow of the knives, pleaded for him to act otherwise.

         Longclaw cut through that rope as easily as if it was made of butter, and the bastard turned around to watch the others’ final moments — he owed them that much, as well. come to think of it… this had been the simple part. the true abyss of doubt and questioning began now, and within the next minute he had the crucial decision to make: where to go from here? what would have his father done? uncle Benjen? Jeor Mormont? maester Aemon? none was left around to guide him… and none would ever have experienced returning from beyond the grave, more than likely. Jon was alone in that, much as he was alone in everything else. Valyrian steel returned to the sheath, he approached Edd and made a brief pause to strip the black cloak that had accompanied him through the seven hells and back in the past few years.

        ‘ the men of the Night’s Watch serve for life… though our vows say nothing of what shall come beyond that. but i cannot stay where my own brothers see me as unfit for command. ‘ simple words, and quick. as quick as the blades that had buried into him one after the other, as though wanting to make him into a cushion for daggers. now there would have to be a new choosing, and perhaps Edd would manage to lead till such a moment came… likely, Cotter Pyke or Ser Denys Mallister would finally have their turn. it didn’t matter to Jon, nothing truly mattered at this point. ignoring the looks and mumbles of bewilderment now spreading throughout the yard like wildfire, he slowly climbed down the wooden steps to head for the armory.

          all in all, what i did was to treat the Night’s Watch with the respect it deserves. the Watch is not 3 men + 1 boy who made wrong decisions, it’s so much more than this — it’s an 8-century-old brotherhood sworn to be the shield that guards the realms of men, and which continues to be regarded as a place of honor by the Starks even nowadays. again, even when Jon decided to leave, he wouldn’t piss on everything that happened before — and, the way i see it, he left because he honestly saw himself as unfit for the role of lord commander. it wasn’t out of pride or out of a flight of fancy, and it wasn’t even because (as well, but not only) he felt betrayed. it was because, in his current very fragile state of mind, he believed it to be the best way out for everyone, including the Night’s Watch itself. and i headcanon that he would have stayed a few days longer in order to help Edd organize everything and to send ravens to Eastwatch and to the Shadow Tower to inform them and even to start planning the choosing — but meanwhile Sansa arrived and so did Ramsay’s letter, and the gears of fate led him in a different direction. not because he’s the glorified savior like in the show, but because he’s a humble tool used to bring salvation like in the books.

          finally, the way Jon would think of the Watch after this… i think i’ve answered this already in the past paragraph — despite his experience, he is intelligent enough to understand that he cannot blame an entire brotherhood for the mistakes of a couple persons. you know, like in episode 1 of s07 he so clearly states: i will not punish a son for his father’s sins. honestly D&D, you had one (1) job. Jon still regards the Watch as a place of vital importance in the defense of the realm, he stills regards the black brothers as deserving of respect and praise because he KNOWS how they live and what they do. and to conclude this: i also headcanon (and i do have a plot with @wolfqueennamedstark where this happens) that, should Jon survived the Battle for the Dawn, he would decide to go back to the Wall, if the brothers would accept him, to help rebuilt it (with or without the Wall itself, because last thing we know undead Viserion was having the time of his life) and to restore it to its former glory and honor — and to ensure that never again the realms of men would allow for the Long Night to repeat itself. either as lord commander or, in threads/plots where Jon marries the queen and becomes king consort (and the Small Council has to drag him by a leg to sit the throne and hold court, because he loathes that dreaded thing), he visits the 19 castles often and sends plenty of real knights there and always makes sure they lack for nothing. because the Night’s Watch is far too important in Jon’s identity for me to allow it to be cast away like a trashbag for the sake of cliché writing and commercial heroes.

^^^ and bonus points, because Kit agrees with me.