#i did not use the nice new canonical casual because i did not feel like pulling up a reference for it LMAO

[infernaltenor]

simple rule

[rise-my-angel]

Heart of the Great Wolf

8 - Reunion of New Enemies

Pairing: Jon Snow x F!Baratheon!Reader (Slow Burn), Robb Stark x F!Baratheon!Reader

Length: 6.5k

Warnings: angst/hurt comfort, strained parent-child issues, implied off screen smut, casual nudity, secret relationship, canon divergence

Notes: Short chapter, but it felt important to keep this one self contained. Previous Chapter Here, Series Masterlist Here.

You could’ve fallen asleep with how relaxed you begun to have felt. Perhaps you should’ve, given the time of night but some days these were the only moments the two of you had to yourselves now. The only times he could be this close and comfortable with you without any doubts. With each cut along an edge of your hair, it was followed up with Jon gently running a hand through the locks to clean out any mess left behind. Leaning down toward your ear, his voice was low and raspy, “Am I putting you to sleep?” 

A breathy laugh left you as you opened your eyes once more, the fire before you still burning hot and the fur draped across the floor beneath you soft. “You make me feel good, what can I say?” You two were beyond the point of knowing what such words did to him, especially in the quiet solace of night when the only ones awake were the both of you. 

Jon’s hands stilled in your hair for a moment before a shaky breath glid across the side of your face. You still made his heart pound no matter how used to it he thought he should be by that point. You were soft and honest with him, quiet without ever being uncomfortable and yet you still tested the self control he knew he needed to maintain. Running his hands through your hair once more, he sighed loudly. “I’ve barley touched you.” 

“I know,” Not a teasing smile on your lips, just a genuine one. “But it doesn’t take much with you, does it?” 

You hadn’t gone that far, but you both were more then old enough to know that the waters you were treading in were threatening to drown you. Gentle kisses, and fleeting brushes of hands turned into nights where the only thing that kept you innocent was Jon’s own will power. Moments where you’d end up in his lap as his own back was sat up against the headboard, and his touch greedy and kiss rough and passionate. Your fingers would rake through his long curls and the second you pulled, he’d groan low and deep into your mouth, his hands on their own accord would drag you down to press more firmly onto his hips and feel smug once more at how much the feeling of his covered cock pressed against your core would make you shake. 

But there was also moment’s like this, where he would kneel behind you on the furs in front of his fire and trim your hair for you, just because you had mentioned it getting a bit long and he simply wanted to do it for you. 

“You say that as if I’m not the one who has to watch you walk around in your gorgeous dresses giving everyone that beautiful smile that drives me up the wall.” No one tested his self control more then his own burning need for you, you were relaxed and enjoying his company and gentle touch and here he was behind you telling himself not to hoist you up and throw you onto his bed. 

“I thought we were having a nice, quiet night together, Snow.” He made it so easy to indulge in the lightness and laughter he pulled out of you. You could feel him finishing up the ends of your hair as he freed both his hands and ran them down your shoulders. Sending a shiver across them and down your arms. 

Pressing his chest firmly against your back as he rasped into your ear, “I promise it’ll be nice, and you’ll be quiet as long as I keep your mouth covered, right?” Using his hand to turn your head back as he leaned more over your shoulder, fully intent on covering up your own inevitable gasp with his kiss. 

The sight now however, was similar but reversed. The night was late still, and the room was warm and comfortable but the positions were reversed, you knelt on the edge of the bed doing the trimming, and the wolf was that of another. Your mind, fully present on the Young Wolf and none other. 

Both you and Robb were shamelessly undressed. Having taken you more then once in the hours prior you both stayed awake. A mixture of nerves that kept you unable to sleep, and also a deep need in your stomach that yearned to be close to him. Bare chest pressed against his back as he sat with no shame to cover his cock sat heavy between his legs. 

“Are we attended a diplomatic meeting between kings, or am I taking you to gain my fathers blessing over dinner.” You smiled warmly at the playful roll of his eyes you could catch. 

Robb’s voice and accent thick still quite thick as it tended to be after fucking you. “Either way I’d prefer him not thinking I look like an animal.” Pausing, he turned his head to the side to run his blue eyes up and down the marks along your neck, “Though I might have left a bit too much proof of that anyways.” 

Gently you ran one of your hands over the scratching facial hair over his jaw before pressing a soft kiss to his waiting lips before brushing against them as you spoke. “Your lucky he’s not going to be able to see the rope burn around my wrists. Or he might think you’re just a wild wolf whose dragged his sweet daughter into his den to ravage like a brute.” 

You hated how much you told yourself not to give up and move to climb on his lap. Something in your chest these past few days felt as if you were desperate for Robb at every instance. “Aye, but that’s not so far from the truth, really.” 

One more kiss to his lips, “No, I suppose not. Now keep your head still before I accidentally cut your ear off.” Forcing him to face forward, you squinted your eyes at your work, spotting the small areas that hid, still needed to be trimmed down to match the rest. 

A smirk came easy to his lips, “You can’t cut my hair without risking screwing it up, is that it?” 

Pursing your lips in a playful pout you paused in your work to nudge his head forward from where your fingers held it at, “You’re the one who asked me to do this,” Your voice higher in exclamation pulled a laugh from Robb. 

Once more turning to look at you, as he leaned up to press a kiss to where he could reach at your jaw, murmuring deeply. “Aye, I’m kidding. Who knew my wife was such a sensitive little thing.” 

A huff came from the giant mass of fur near the corner of the room, as the laugh from you both awoke him. Grey Wind glancing up at the pair of you like the direwolf couldn’t decide between going back to sleep and watching you like a hawk. Even with Robb’s orders to keep an eye on you, it was as if the wolf was becoming more possessive about letting others near you then his master was.  

A wave of nauseous nerves passed through you as you finished up, putting everything aside as you ran your fingers freely through his curls, feeling him lean back slightly into the touch. You swallowed heavily, sliding them down to run over his shoulders and across his chest to keep him pressed against you. Robb’s own hands coming up to grasp on onto the arm across his stomach. 

“Everything’s in place, right?” You weren’t tying to doubt him, but the anxiety hit more and more.

Robb’s own confidence giving you a tiny bit of relief. “They’ve been given their instructions, and I’ve made it quite clear they are to be followed exactly as I laid them out.” You nodded against him before slinking down to rest more with the side of your head pressed into his. “The men that they have, once we push them back, he won’t have enough to come up behind him in time.” 

Troops consolidated, and words of their ships preparing you had only a short window to make this all work but Robb had been clear and strict about not deviating from it. Even if this meeting ended as you worried, you’d have the advantage over both armies. 

Stannis Baratheon was planning on sailing his fleet to take King’s Landing and fortunately for the Northern army, you knew your father, you knew Kings Landing, and you knew the man by his side that could lead them there unscathed. Days before, the lords all gathered around as Robb laid his plan out as you provided the details that filled in the gaps.

Lord Karstark had asked how you would know these things, but you were calm and cool in your answer as well. “We both spent time in Kings Landing, and we both spent it doing the same job. Meaning I know there’s only once place that he has a chance to breach the walls.” Looking at a layout of the area surrounding King’s Landing you had laid out a path from Dragonstone to two spots along the shore. “His backups will come through here, and they won’t have enough men to stop them if we draw Tywin’s forces away.” 

Word had been sent to the Riverlands and it left the men in confidence at how well you and Robb worked together. There was no question, even if after tomorrow you still had an enemy in Stannis, there was far less chance of such a long and gruelling war path against him then against the money and manpower of Tywin Lannister. 

So far this war had been between Tywin and Robb, and now the later was the only one who could divert attention away from the capitol to force a loss from the Lannisters. 

Now as the night was dark, you pressed a kiss to Robb’s neck, his arms reaching back to pull you closer to him. “You really think he could be responsible for your uncle’s death?” 

Eyes closing you sighed deeply. The last image of him being discussing the very plan that now got him killed, just as you warned. Only you had mistaken the thing to be his killer, to be that of the consequence of war itself. Not whatever old powers were whispered about. “The priestess with him, some say she whispers orders in his ear and uses her fire magic to make them come true. A year ago I wouldn’t have believed a word of that.” 

“A year ago I wouldn’t have either.” 

Neither of you knew what to say about it, but you both new something was happening between Robb and Grey Wind that no normal man should be capable of. But the more it happened, the more it was like both wolves became just like the other. Grey Wind looking at you with a more possessive wolf pack kind of protection, and something that edged Robb just a little closer to an animal if pushed. 

The night before you and the small group that went with you, Ser Alton Lannister had returned, proving what you and Robb knew would be the answers. The pair of you sat next to one another, Grey Wind sitting a few feet from you made the Lannister more nervous then he already was. “And what did she say?” 

You couldn’t help but raise your eyebrows at his response, “She admired your spirit, your grace.” More then one had the same reaction, you were sure quite a few number of unpleasant words were being kept out of his recount. 

“And then what?” Ser Alton hesitated, looking at the King in the North with a level of fear that both was unfounded for the situation, and somewhat filled you with pride at how easily Robb matched the reputation the south now painted of him. “If every man were held accountable for the actions of every distant relative, Ser Alton, we’d all hang.”

Swallowing, he spoke this time with a bit more ease. “She tore the paper in half, your grace.” 

“Is this meant to be your shield, Lord Stark? A piece of paper.” 

“She won’t care.” 

No, it wasn’t the fault of a distant cousin for her actions but you felt a pit in your gut that made you lightheaded for a moment. It didn’t matter if what Robb asked for was reasonable and right, it didn’t matter the same when it was you and his father and it wouldn’t matter now. Joffery was the King spouting the hateful and cruel actions, but he still hid behind his mother to do what he was too scared to do. 

Cersei wasn’t scared of insulting Robb Stark, but for all of what you expected Joffery yelled about, you suspected he indeed, was. 

Robb speaking calmly, “You’ve acted with honour. I thank you for it. Lord Karstark, see that Ser Alton’s pen is clear. And give him a hot supper.” 

Roose Bolton speaking up, “His pen is occupied, your grace. The prisoners from the Yellow Fork.” He shared a look with you as he whispered low enough for the Lannister not to hear, “Too many prisoners.” 

As you send a warning glare to watch his mouth, your eyes shifted down to the low growl of Grey Wind that caught his attention off guard. Your hand reached down, running your nails over his ears and letting the growl simmer back down as your eyes met with the nervous looks of Ser Alton. You didn’t blink as you ran your hand over the King’s Direwolf by your side. 

Southerners begun whispering that Robb’s men would eat the flesh of the slain along with packs of rabid wolves together and you had no doubt that is precisely what he’s heard. You wouldn’t call what Grey Wind does eating, but certainly the Lannister forces had found more the enough men torn to shreds by a great wolf that some level of fear was warranted. 

Robb addressing Lord Karstark, who didn’t share the same discontent about the prisoners and certainly not in the company of guests and council. “Have the men build him a new pen. But him in with the Kingslayer for now, and have your boy, Torrhen, watch over them.” 

You weren’t quite sure if giving Jaime Lannister company was a gift to the man who always had something to say, or an amusing punishment for Torrhen who would no doubt spent the night telling him to shut up as he had a new companion to talk at.   

As it was, Robb and yourself had set out with some fifty men at your backs including Brynden Tully and Maege and Dacey Mormont to ride up with you, a few at your heels and the some thirty rest of then all positioned around you away from sight. Robb had insisted they spare no chance, doing all he could to cover your back. After Renly, he refused to risk a thing.

The day was windy and a cool breeze fell over the small clearing you were at. Riding up early once your scout had noted where the opposite party were. The quiet among you all was anything but calm, your own heart raced as your eyes squinted in the sun. Your lungs were tight as you considered what you had agreed too. 

The last time you had seen your father was the day he sent you off with the late King’s company to Winterfell, an order and dismissal without any explanation as he left you to handle the lions alone. All without an understanding of why he wouldn’t just tell you himself, but so many secrets later and the man who actually treated you like a daughter lost his head for those secrets. 

He knew it all, and yet he let the war fall onto Robb to shoulder the burden. 

You all braced yourselves as figures appeared from the East, a small party of men on horseback and up to the front were three figures and you needn’t see their faces at all to know who you were looking at. 

On the right, was a figure you felt for. Ser Davos Seaworth, a good man with a sturdy head on his shoulders who saw no issue with telling things like it is without any pomp. Once a commoner from the streets of Flea Bottom, your father had cut off one hands fingers to the knuckle for his years of smuggling and then gave him a title and lordship and land for his rescue. 

Beside him sat Stannis Baratheon himself, his clothes and armour drab and his face hardened and stoic all too much like yourself. He sat tall on his horse but something in him looked more drained then you expected. Like something took a bit out of him and you told yourself to think not of Renly. Your father was a just man and Renly was his kin. Who had he become were it to be true?

But it wasn’t the stern face of Stannis that sent you shivering. On his left, a woman red from her hair to her feet like she was a symbol of fire, and yet as she rode up with the King you felt a cold sting in your lungs. You could barely remember the dreams that seemed to haunt you these nights, but what you did was the bitter cold, a penetrating dark. Figures tall with eyes blue as crystal. Flashes of spirals cut from men played onto the snow hit your eyes as she approached and you felt your heart stiffen. 

Robb could tell something was wrong, something was off with you in more then one way the past few days but he wasn’t so sure you realized much of it yourself. As Stannis Baratheon approached, you were still as a statue beside him, barley giving much indication you were indeed there by the small rise and fall of your chest. 

A fair few feet between you, Robb gave a polite nod to him, “Your Grace,” looking to the woman in red, with another, “My lady.” Whatever was true or not, Robb could see clearly the influence she had in the very way she held herself and such an unquestioned place beside the King. 

His voice was somehow exactly what Robb expected, flat and cold as it seemed detached from much of what gave people interest. He knew it all too well from you, the way you tended to carry yourself in from of his men was much the same. “Lord Stark, rather surprising to receive such a request from you.” 

None of his men said a word, he had already told them. He was here to negotiate a truce, not aggravate what was to be an already difficult opponent. “The Queen Regent and her son received a similar offer of peace terms.” 

“Offer of peace they would never extend to you in return, they have no claims to rule and yet they are at war with you. Peace is a mercy they do not deserve.” 

Robb could note that Stannis was clearly not directing attention towards you, nor was there anything affectionate in your hard stare towards him. Whatever issues he had with his mother now that he was King, he would take all of them over the unloving feeling between father and daughter. “It is, if they had the foresight to back down when the fight doesn’t need to be with my men.” 

You were better at reading people’s intentions quickly, and you’d know your father better then Robb could ever at the moment, but even he could tell what the response was going to be to this, but his own father taught his manners better then to ignore it. “I am sorry for the loss of your brother, your grace.” 

Stannis was quick to shut down what Robb already predicted. “I am too, but for the child he once was not the fool he grew up to be. He was a pretender, claiming what was rightfully mine and it seems he paid the price for it.” 

He could still remember the conflicted shock and hurt in your eyes at the news, and he turned slightly to indicate towards you. “Aye, but still your family. He was your brother, and my wife’s uncle and I know too well that loss hurts no matter what the cost.” 

Finally, he turned to look at you. There was slightly more of a peeking fondness then before, but it was none to be found in you. Robb could already tell the tensity in your muscles would leave you sore later, likely the anxiety in your chest causing you to bite at your tongue to ground yourself. Were you both not on horseback, Robb would have kept a gentle hand on you. Show you more care in just that, in front of a father who barley looked at you until now. 

Your name came off his lips, unemotional as you said and moved none back. “Interesting to find you willing to meet with me, after so blatantly betraying your duty at my side.” 

“Your side?” Your voice was tight, controlled to the point that Robb knew it had little air in your lungs behind it. Glancing from you to the party, he could see the man on the right, Ser Davos glance with much more of a regret that felt open. 

Stannis speaking almost like you were a child. “You are my daughter, which means your duty is at my side as I raised you.” 

“You raised me to do my duty, and then you married me off thinking it could secure you an ally in the North. Which means, now my place is by my King’s side. My duty is to the man I swore a vow to, in heart and battle.” The air between you both was tense, the others in Robb’s party could feel it and the pieces of why you were the way you were, painfully clear. 

His great uncle would remark on it later, but Brynden was surprised that having a father like that didn’t screw you up more. 

“I did not come here to fight, I came here to find any way to a truce. We have no need to be enemies when our true one is in the Lannisters. They’ve wronged us both, your grace.” Quiet for a moment, he told himself to keep tall and sure of himself. Most had spoken of Robb like he was a child, and yet it was his war to fight thus far. 

“You were wronged by the Lannisters for supporting my claim, and then you stole half my kingdom, and my own daughter from under me. The Iron Throne is mine, by right. All who deny that are my foes.” 

The anger in Robb grew more, you warned him your father would be stubborn but knowing and experiencing the hair pullingly frustrating feeling was something else. Call him biased, but at least Robb knew that talking to you was more productive then this, at least you gave him more then that of a stone wall. “The Iron Throne has only existed for three hundred years. The North had been a free, independent Kingdom for thousands of years before your throne’s very existence. My ancestor may have bent the knee to the Targaryeans and their dragonfire, but I am not him. I do not bend so easily.” 

“You think I’ll stand here and accept a broken Kingdom?” 

Your eyes narrowed as you found a more even voice. “Either you accept our independence now, and we help each other, or only cause more of an unsupported North to fight against later.” Stannis and you stared at the other for a heavy moment. 

In a single raise of his eyebrow, your father drolled out, “Your independence? You truly think yourself so highly that you can deny your duty as my daughter, that you can choose your destiny now?” 

Robb’s voice was low, and an air of possessive that was both dangerous and purposely unmistakable in tone. Much like that of wolf leading his pack, protecting his mate with bared teeth. “She is my wife, your grace. My Queen. Which means her destiny lies with me.” 

The silence was rigid. A contest of stares between the two Kings as your own gaze found that of the woman in red. Her voice was light, an accent one Robb was not familiar with with something about the air around her that made his hair stand uncomfortably on end. “If I may, my king,” Her attention guiding Stannis to her for a moment in a silent conversation before he nodded. 

Commanding her horse a few steps forward, “I have seen your fate, a destiny showed to me in the flames, princess.” The slight twitch in both Maege, Dacey, and Brynden were not noticeable enough to anyone, but Robb already knew that he was going to have a handful tonight to keep that from being a nickname thrown at you. 

You glanced at Robb, who was not okay with you going towards her on your own. His head catching that of Grey Wind who circled around the party to take closet steps towards you. The look on your fathers face a curious one, he had seen the direwolf. But the size of it, how silently Robb commanded it and how protective the wolf was as it approached you. It seemed to scratch at a curiosity in Stannis as well, that you did not think twice about the oddity of such protection of a creature that hadn’t before been seen seen south of the wall in centuries. 

Your horses approached the other, you were narrow eyed and paranoid where as she was easy feeling and not at all hesitant about coming close. Grey Wind did not growl as she came close but he stepped forward with a narrow in his own eyes. “Do you believe in the old powers?” 

Neither you nor Robb moved, but you both knew that something was at work that was not of the normal state of things. For either of you in your own ways. You didn’t speak of the nightmares, of the dreams and visions of the bitter mist, the sweeping cold, of blue eyes and a crying infant nor did you connect it to the visions of a lovers past that seemed to also show in the dreams you didn’t remember. 

“I’ve been told you are from Asshai, Lady Melisendre. I imagine preaching such a foreign religion to the people includes a lot of convincing people of the old powers. Most would think that isn’t an easy task, and yet here you stand so close by my fathers side.” She looked closely at you in quiet. 

“The King has seen the truth in flames shown by that of the Lord of Light. He is his chosen, a warrior born amidst salt and smoke. The red comet signalling a rebirth of power that will lead him to his true destiny. One that I have seen you in, princess.” 

To you, it was for a moment as if she could see the ice and blue eyes in your face before it all vanished in her next words as she looked to Robb. “The princess only has one destiny, your grace.” 

She was smart, quite smart. Using formality and a polite manner to endure her words to Robb yet who didn’t buy them. “You are not so far away from that fate, neither of you.” Her attention giving to Robb, who watched you closely before you moved your horse to trot backwards to his side.

Looking deep into your eyes with a pure look trying to find the same visions, it seemed she could see it in your eyes as she claimed in the flames. 

“Your fate does not lie here, princess. The Lord has shown me, you are destined to stand behind your father. The coming of a great war and you will only find your fate there. With your love, with the heart of your Great Wolf at your side, you will stand prosperous in such battles to come. A future written for you already, princess. Your Great Wolf to stand with you and your children together only if you accept the truth that your fate lies behind that of the Lord’s chosen.” 

If Robb felt possessive, then it seemed like you needed at least closeness to remind you of it as you seemed to have moved closer to him then before. “Forgive me, my lady but I didn’t come here to let you speak of magic and visions to my wife.” 

His attention towards Stannis now, “You have a battle to plan for and I do not wish to keep you from that as much as my own. Your daughter asks of you only what I am offering. A peace, we can help one another.”  

It was as if both parties were here for different people. Stannis Baratheon was here to discuss warfare and allegiances with Robb Stark, and yet it seemed like this Melisendre was here to convince you of something you didn’t even understand yet. “You give up this plight of independence, and we can have your peace. Or I will take it by force.” 

Robb was calm, voice deep and rough but with no ounce of doubt. “You mistake me. I’m not offering only a peace or surrender. I did not ask to be King anymore then you did, but we both are here to do our duties are we not?” 

None would know, but that stuck with the Iron fisted King. The rough justness of Robb Stark’s assurance that they are two Kings who do what they do because they must and there is no other option. 

In Stannis’s silence, Robb continued. “We have been dragged through the muck of your southern wars for far too long. The North will not have any seeking the Iron Throne for their King. Not now, and never again.” A pride rippled through that of the Northmen behind him. 

What was Robb fighting for if he gave up now, what did they see in him as a King if he gave up the only thing that truly united his people in centuries? He was fighting for them, for justice of a people that had been used and forgotten for as long as there one leader for seven Kingdoms. None knew the North like that with blood of the first men, and the Starks went as far back in this land before the Andals who sought to wipe them out and pushed the rest to freeze and die. 

“You agree to our terms, and we will help drive the Lannisters from these lands for good.” 

Stannis looked at the one they called The Young Wolf. An unruly sort of people the Northerners were, and yet it seemed they all worshipped the man in front of him. He married his daughter to him, and yet as he sat there he thought both, you were well suited to the Stark boy, and yet it also made you nothing more then a traitor to your own family. 

Renly was a traitor, and now you stood beside the King you chose instead of the one you were destined to stand beside. It was hard to see the future Melisendre told him of as he looked to the King in the North. This wolf was a leader, but Stannis did not seek a leader. He sought an ally and nothing more. 

Speaking loud and with clarity, Stannis looked in the eye of Robb as he spoke his own terms. “Your father lost his head in his support of my claim, and for that I will give you this one night to consider my terms. Strike your banners, come to me before dawn and I will grant you a pardon for your crimes. I’ll even name you my heir, until a son is born to me. Otherwise I shall destroy you.” 

Your voice was much of the name given to you, a Silent Stag but all could hear you loudly. “Think about what you’re giving up father. The north has a King, they will not have you.” 

“You think just calling yourself one truly makes him a King?” 

Raising your head high, looking your father harsh in the eye with no room for doubt. “No. I think his rule as a leader, and the kind of man he is on the inside, is what makes him King.” 

Stannis’s voice was rough. “We shall see. Come the dawn, we shall see.” 

Ser Davos had said nothing, not that you expected him too but the single nod towards you as he turned away on his own horse, you both felt it. If your father succeeded or failed in his coming siege towards Kings Landing, you at least hoped Davos made it through. 

You suppose you had a tendency to fight on the other side of those who didn’t deserve your ire. 

As they rode off, there was a quiet between you all before you spat out. “Can you believe, he loved me once.” No actually, no to all present that was indeed, quite hard to believe. You were the first to turn and ride off, Robb catching up quickly as did the rest follow suit. 

Even in all this, there was a plan to enact. Stannis could deny Robb’s offer of a truce and he would accept that, but it is hard to deny such an allegiance when the Baratheon could not take the Iron Throne without Robb’s help. 

“I’m amazed you turned out as normal as you did.” It was a quiet night, most didn’t say much when you made camp. Brynden realizing that you were far more quiet, more tense and sullen as no doubt things were raw in your heart and told the lot of them to leave the King and Queen be. That anyone would need quiet after dealing with a father like that. 

Robb sat next to you, his hand comfortingly across the back of your neck as he leaned his lips to press against your hair. You glanced up at him with far more anxiety then you wished as you cupped his cheek to find his lips for yourself. The kiss was deep, his tongue gently running across yours as if trying to coax you to let him handle your nerves for the night. He so easily made you pliable in his kiss that it took little effort to have you melt against him. 

Pulling back, he gently nudged your nose with his before sitting back to pull you down into his lap. His hand coming to run through your hair. You were not well, maybe too much was happening too fast and now you had images and words of this red woman running through your mind that it was making you dizzy. It was like the past few days your emotions were all over the place and you couldn’t stop it. 

What slipped from your mouth next was too, something you didn’t think about before saying it and once it was out there you hoped it didn’t ruin anything. “Have you thought about it, children that is?” 

Robb didn’t stop his hands from combing through your hair, looking down he could see your brow furrowed as you sat annoyed with yourself. “As long as they’re with you.” Sitting up straighter you looked at him with a flat expression as he breathed a laugh. “Do you think that’s a joke? Or have I not proved myself enough?” 

Breaking a tiny smirk, you rested your head on his shoulder. “Only that wolves apparently have an appetite more demanding then any other.” 

Robb spoke low into your ear, “Is it what she said that you’re thinking of? About our children?” You nodded but didn’t move or say anything else. Robb relenting to pull you down with him, laid out across his chest as he lay flat. “I won’t lie. I’ve thought about it. I’ve thought about it most nights since our first together.” 

You sighed out as he wrapped his arms warmly around you. You were losing it, truly. Since when were you so needy for Robb’s touch? “From what I remember you thought about a whole lot that night.” 

Smirking at the thought he nodded. “A man would have to be be delusional to not want to see how pretty you look with a baby in you.” He laughed when you rolled your eyes. 

Biting your lip before sitting up, you straddled his lap, Robb’s hands coming to your hips as he looked up at you. “I had a dream about it once.” His brows furrowed in question as you shrugged. “It was many moons ago, I don’t remember much else. But I know I was holding a baby in my arms.” You smiled to yourself, a soft look that was far away trying to recall it. “They had my eyes, but a head of pretty dark curls as he smiled up at me.” You laughed to yourself, “Definitely took after your Stark side more then Tully. If he’s lucky he’d grow to have your handsome looks instead of mine as well.” 

Robb muttering out a protest as he lightly smacked at your ass. “It better be a boy, because if it’s a girl with your looks I’ll be spending the rest of my life chasing off boys then running the North.” You ran your hand gently through his curls, it looked much darker these days like more you lost the summer sun the more the way it highlighted tints of red in it’s direct path went away. “What did we name him?” 

Your face twisted in an amused question as he repeated. “Our dark curly haired boy in your dream, what did we name him?” 

You had a few ideas, some made more sense then others especially as certain events transpired as you lightly scratched at his facial hair. “I didn’t get that far in the dream, but I have plenty of options.” 

“Been thinking about that a lot?” You smiled as you looked away with a flush. “Good, because I’ll give my pretty wife as many children as you have names for.” 

As Robb leaned up to press his lips to yours, that strange feeling of need sparked in your belly once more and it was beginning to be harder to ignore. The idea hadn’t occurred to you before, but as you lay there, Robb’s lips firmly against yours? 

You thought of that curly haired child in one dream at the same time you also recalled the crying of a baby in the darkness and freezing cold of another. 

Across the lands, the one person who truly was stuck trudging through that dark and cold found himself dreaming of the same thing, only he knew what the crying infant was and it haunted him as much as the dreams of you were. 

[pianopadawan]

5 Even More Obscure Navy Imperials

This is a very niche post within an already niche part of the fandom but here are some obscure Imperials who are rarely featured even in the Imperial corner of content creators. The nice thing about these guys is that you can use a canon character but also have a huge amount of freedom.

So, without further ado, here are five even more obscure navy imps to feature in your already obscure imp fics.

(Please note that I am treating "canon" as anything from SW official material, including legends, since there's very little Disney canon for a lot of the imperials.)

1. Captain Xamuel Lennox

Canon Appearance: Empire Strikes Back

Role in the Films: Captain Lennox commanded the Imperial Star Destroyer the Tyrant (gotta love those over-the-top evil ISD names...) at the Battle of Hoth which is the first ship to get disabled by the ion cannon. Lennox's only line in the film is "Good. Our first catch of the day." after being notified of the Rebel evacuation transports passing within range.

Other Canon Info: Lennox fought with Piett during the Battle of Turkana in 1 BBY and did not listen to Piett's advice, causing an Imperial retreat. Piett was very critical of Lennox after the battle and recommended he be removed from command of the Pakuuni Sector.

Lennox survives the Battle of Hoth despite his failure but is later killed during the Battle of Endor.

Content Potential: Lennox has the potential to be another Imperial officer who Piett has a bitter history with. Interestingly, in most of the cases Piett is critical of Lennox, Piett then has a similar failure later on in the same mission. So, I'd imagine there's a lot of resentment between the two with Lennox thinking Piett is a hypocrite and Piett potentially blaming Lennox's actions as a contributing factor to his lack of success. I often read and write about Ozzel as an officer who's an antagonistic presence in Piett-centric fanfiction, but Lennox could be another player working against Piett on that side. If not a full-blown antagonist, he probably dislikes Piett enough and vice versa for the two to have some casual co-worker hostility.

2. Lieutenant Venka

Canon Appearance: Empire Strikes Back

Role in Films: Worked in the tech pit on the bridge of the Executor during the Pursuit of the Millennium Falcon. His only speaking role is when he's agreeing with Piett when the Admiral is ranting about Bounty Hunters. He is also the one to deliver the news to Piett from Captain Needa's Star Destroyer, the Avenger, that they have sighted the Falcon (an announcement which, of course, ultimately leads to Needa's death).

Other Canon Info: Venka is literally a nepo baby in canon. He's Coruscanti and comes from a very privileged background. He is annoyed with Piett for not immediately promoting him after Piett himself is promoted by Vader. He was responsible for organizing the boarding party during the Empire's last attempt to catch the Falcon with the tractor beam at Bespin. While none of this was successful, Piett still promotes Venka to Captain after the chase because he's just relieved to have avoided being choked to death. (That last part is literally the explanation the wiki gives for this promotion. So, I guess Piett was just in a good mood about not dying and giving out promotions, at least according to canon.)

Content Potential: I almost hesitate putting Venka in this post because he's actually been featured a couple of times in imperial fanfiction and there is already fanon content for him. I've really enjoyed what I've seen of him so far and I feel like there's a lot of opportunity to explore his interactions with other imps, particularly in the context of a privileged Coruscanti background. For instance, is his family rich enough that they're friends with the Jerjerrods and how does this make Venka feel about Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod? Similarly, do they know Admiral Motti's family who we also know are very wealthy? There's also potential to explore the wealth gap with Piett who we know came from an underprivileged background on an Outer Rim planet. We know from canon that Venka was resentful of Piett's promotion and questioned Piett's worthiness of the rank of Admiral. Whether this is due to regional prejudice or just Venka being petty is up to the content creator to decide.

3. Commander Gherant

Canon Appearance: Return of the Jedi

Role in Films: He's seen with Piett on the Command Bridge of the Executor. He seems to be acting as Piett's second-in-command (not sure how that adds up in terms of the ranks, but SW has never been super consistent about that). Most notably, he's the one who screams "Too late!" right before the A-Wing crashes into the Executor's bridge killing him and Piett.

Other Canon Info: Really none except that the wiki says he's ambitious but also anxious... so in, short, very relatable. I feel they describe every single imperial as ambitious, so take that as what you will.

Content Potential: From what I've seen and written, Gherant is mainly featured in angst fics surrounding the Battle of Endor or Piett Lives AUs. He definitely has a logical role there but it'd be neat to see him appear pre-Endor in Imperial fics. And Commander Gherant is one of those who is really open to interpretation because we have so little info about him in either Disney canon or legends.

4. Commander Nemet

Canon Appearance: Empire Strikes Back

Role in Films: Nemet works in Captain Lorth Needa's crew during the Pursuit of the Falcon on board the Avenger. He's in charge of operating the scopes and therefore the first to report to Needa that they've lost the ship when Han hides in the blind spot.

Other Canon Info: Not much beyond what we see in the films. Another very ambitious but also very scared imperial, per the wiki.

Content Potential: On the angst side, I think it would be interesting to see Nemet's reaction to Needa's death especially since he's arguably the one who would feel guilty about it, albeit due to an honest mistake. On a brighter side, Nemet is also really free real estate since we've got so little on him so you can basically feature him however you want.

5. Lieutenant Virar Needa

Canon Appearance: Not in the Films, featured in a book from the legends, X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble.

Role in Canon: Virar Needa is the cousin of Captain Lorth Needa. After Vader kills Lorth, he subsequently has the rest of the Needa family executed to intimidate the other Imperials. Virar is the only one who survives this purge but he's demoted to serve on an orbiting satellite around Coruscant, a job that is viewed by many in the Imperial military as demeaning.

Personality wise, we know that Virar was still very enthusiastic about his job and loyal to the Imperial cause. We also know that he apparently misses social cues and takes joking comments seriously.

Content Potential: I personally find Virar's story sympathetic. He's trying to keep his spirits up after a massive personal tragedy while also facing the end of the war and the destruction of the military alliance he's sworn his life to. Similarly to Lorth Needa, I think there's a lot of potential to create a sympathetic Imperial character and build on the contrast of someone being a decent person on a personal level but working for a sinister organization. Besides that, Virar is a good character to feature if you want a tie in to one of the more mainstream Imperials without having cameo overload with too many mainstream imps in the same place at the same time.

[lizaluvsthis]

To love and what-not?

-New fixation because I said so-

I am now having thoughts if Smg4 either is having a hard time for himself and with the fact that also involves smg3 by his side. And maybe trying to keep their friendship stable and not going beyond that line?

Smg4 is really REALLY trying hard to keep his attachment with other people work out fine. Ever since after the arc he still can recall "who knew you could play an antagonist so well!"

He had scars healed right after his arc from IGBP which was the one we had seen it worst, but coming to him realizing about PV who has been the one behind all of that?

Man it sucks. He had every right to be angry and bash that TV's head up to the sky.

Because he thought to himself that he's already the worst from all of his friends, so what else there is to try and fix even tho it's all been damaged?

But ofcourse smg4 didn't know that it wasn't his fault- it was PV's fault. But since it's hard to believe it- he let pride and enviness consume him to get what he ever wanted.

This causes four to back up for a bit because he doesn't trust himself for being open due to those things he and his friends went through because of one simple mistake. (Nice- butterfly effect)

He may hide that from us but we've seen him hurt plenty of times, like how he hides it.

Wondering if he's that oblivious enough or he already knows due to three being a tsundere when he's around. What if right after that search history he had from "what does a tsundere mean?" Maybe him finding out three has a crush on him?

Maybe it worries him that he might hurt three even more because of his struggles so that he casually plays it off as friends.

Maybe this is more than just saying no? Even tho they're cosmical partners they're in a mutual bond. Because last time we've seen for Smg3 he never took a shower.

(Meaning he might had that possibility due to his fall of depression getting a bit worse that he didnt even bothered to take care of his own body)

Since our boys are not healthy at their physical and mental state- I am a hundred percent sure that they're still dealing with their own problems still so it takes them for a while.

Maybe in a coupls of seasons? When will this be canon? No one knows, maybe because it's "not their time" yet.

Not just yet they're not. But maybe just maybe.

Since three is his friend he meant so much already and he doesnt want to lose him too. And three doesn't want as well as for just "crushing on him" because of his decisions.

Three doesn't want to make it obvious which he wasnt sure but to four I think he's to oblivious to know but there mightve been a possible chance he DOES know but doesnt say anything about it.

And maybe if so he doesnt want to tell four just yet to find the right time that he does and probably wont even at all anytime soon thinking it'll pass.

Just saying SMG3 fell first, but SMG4 fell harder.

And three just wanting to just pull out that "if we're in good conditions I'll just wait for the time until he does it first. For now I'm not gonna mention anything" BECAUSE THREE DOESNT LIKE TO RUIN THIS BOND BETWEEN HIM AND HIS CLOSE FRIEND-

two of them have been through SO MUCH- you can even tell out much of a person SMG4 is like to lose a friend that meant everything to him. (Adds to the point he saved THREE back when a baby just TOOK him away)

Like how the comparisson faced over to three seeing four get taken away, he didn't even hesitate to get him back he LITERALLY CAME BACK FOR HIM

and to four seeing three GETTING TAKEN AWAY- you know what he did? The same exact thing. HE CAME BACK FOR HIS FRIEND. AND NEVER SAID ANYTHING BECAUSE HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO EVEN SAY- (left from more dialogues three just says to four then a "baka" at the end-)

Maybe four is new to this feeling? Of what it feels like to save a friend? Maybe its more than that? Maybe its how he remembered that time when three was the one who saved HIM without hesitation during igbp.

Maybe his head wasnt responding correctly because he had been constantly staring at SMG3 while he speaks- maybe he's been sent with mixed feelings? Mixed signals? Between the two?

I just- I just UGRGHHHHHH THE URGE...

[escapetothelake]

dale & robert for the ship asks?

thanks for the ask!! i had so much fun writing this :) some of it isn't exactly canon compliant, and therefore it's kind of a happier au

who made the first move: robert was pretty aloof with dale at first, and of course, the earliest interactions they had involved dale arresting robert, which doesn't make for a good first impression. however, dale was still kind to/patient with robert, and genuinely wanted to help him figure out what happened to laura. after robert published false accusations, dale read it and decided to meet up with robert, where they got to talking, so i guess you could say it was dale.

who kissed who first: robert did, in a moment of passion.

who started the relationship: oh boy. both of these guys have intimacy issues, so this would be quite the slowburn. despite being a pretty amicable guy, dale kind of distances himself from getting too close to people due to his trauma. robert is more open to it, but still reluctant due to the rough ending of his relationship with laura. i could see robert initiating once dale's put himself out there.

who remembers things: robert keeps a calendar and notes to help him remember things. as busy as he is, dale never forgets the important things, but sometimes trivial things slip his mind. for instance, despite liking to be prepared for whatever he may encounter, he often forgets items as he leaves the house.

nicknames for each other: dale calls robert "bob" or "rob" on a casual basis, but "honey" or "sweetheart" in private. robert often calls dale "detective", "darling", or "my guy".

who is more likely to pay for dinner: dale makes bank as a detective. robert was unemployed for a while, but some time after he published false accusations, he decided to become a full-time author. therefore, dale paid most of the time in the beginning of the relationship, and it continues to be that way, especially because robert does many of the household tasks.

who normally cooks: dale's mother taught him some nice recipes, but cooking often brings back sad memories of her. robert likes to cook, so he usually does it.

who remembers anniversaries: robert, with the help of his calendar. dale also always remembers (though sometimes at the last minute).

what would they get each other for gifts: robert's more of an acts of service kind of guy, so many of his gifts are doing things that make dale's life easier. if he wants to get an easy material gift, he can spring for some good coffee, fancy cigars, or a new shaving kit. dale's more of a gift giver, and he likes to take robert out for a drink or get him a new book. sometimes he'll bring home food or flowers.

most trivial thing they fight over: robert drinking milk straight from the carton. he forgets he's not single sometimes.

how often do they fight: not very often—they're usually both pretty chill—but that doesn't mean they don't fight. most of the fights are caused by dale not caring for himself, dale's alcoholism, and their mutual anxieties over various things. due to their trauma, both feel a need for control, which can also create conflict.

who uses all the hot water: both are used to taking quick showers because they have to get up for work, but robert loves a nice long bath every once and a while.

who calls up the super/landlord when the heat’s not working: dale. detective work has made him great at talking with people on a professional basis. of course, he has to make the call before robert tries to fix it himself and gets injured.

who leaves their stuff around: dale tries to be tidy, but when he gets very invested in a case, this often goes out the window. robert used to be very messy, especially after his breakup with laura, but being at the facility taught him that a clear space is a clear head.

who remembers to buy the milk: if dale's out, he'll do it. sometimes robert drinks straight from the carton. it drives dale bonkers.

who controls the netflix queue: robert watches more tv, but dale really enjoys putting his feet up and enjoying a nice documentary after a long day. i'd say both.

who steals the covers at night: robert usually sleeps perfectly still. dale likes to hold the blankets as though they're a person, often bunching them up and hugging them in his sleep, which leaves robert bare sometimes in the middle of the night. he runs a bit hot, though, so he doesn't mind all that much.

who cusses more: i think dale would, oddly enough. mostly when he's frustrated.

who does most of the cleaning: robert.

what’s their favorite non-sexual activity: relaxing at home. sometimes they just cuddle on the couch and read together.

who’s the cuddler: robert. he's a huge romantic. dale doesn't often initiate cuddles, but i'd say he needs them a little more.

who’s the big spoon/little spoon: big - robert; little - dale. that's often how it goes, but they switch from time to time depending on who needs to be held at the moment.

who’s more dominant: they're both switches imo

who is the dirty talker: robert does it more, but dale... that voice... 😳

what do they do when they’re away from each other: robert has separation anxiety, but he copes with it by doing mundane household tasks, going for walks, or writing. dale.. also has separation anxiety.. but he deals with it by sinking himself into his work.

what would they do if the other one was hurt: dale has anxiety regarding injuries, but he knows minimal first aid due to his job, and can therefore keep a level head when he focuses on doing that. robert would also panic, but i see him as a very protective individual who would stop at nothing to ensure dale's safety.

a headcanon: dale often gets very wrapped up in his work, and therefore sometimes forgets to take care of himself in basic ways, even such as eating and drinking (beyond pot after pot of coffee). after extensive therapy, robert learned to care for himself, and he sometimes imparts this knowledge onto dale. however, telling him "you need to get some rest" doesn't always work, and can even frustrate dale sometimes ("these cases aren't going to solve themselves, robert"), so robert chooses to care for him in more subtle ways. when he left the facility, he decided to preoccupy himself with new wholesome activities such as cooking and cleaning, and he utilizes these skills to keep dale's space clean and bring him a warm sandwich when he's up late at night. these efforts certainly do not go unappreciated.

[bananami]

haikyuu characters as taylor swift songs (the break ups)

a/n: time-skip canonically exists and that's what i'm clearly using

in honor of the eras tour starting up, here are some t swift songs that would encapsulate what a break up with certain haikyuu characters would look like; i only did a few because this shit took some tiiiime ok

i'm gonna hurt myself with this one.

masterlist

would've, could've, should've

"god rest my soul, i miss who i used to be" "give me back my girlhood, it was mine first" "and now that i'm grown i'm scared of ghosts, memories feel like weapons, and now that i know, i wish you'd left me wondering"

the effects of a break up with him lasts longer than you would like, following you for months after and even into the relationships you try to have afterwards. everything reminds you of him. if loving him meant you were left feeling like this, you would've rather never loved him at all. the break up with him literally breaks you.

-oikawa, atsumu, suna

midnight rain

"he wanted it comfortable, i wanted that pain" "i broke his heart 'cause he was nice, he was sunshine, i was midnight rain" "and he never thinks of me"

you're the problem. he was the nice guy that you should've chose, but you didn't. years of bad relationships had scarred you for the worse. the problem was that he was perfect, too perfect, and you were broken. better to run while you still had the chance, you convince yourself it was inevitable and he was just too nice to end things. you would ruin it for the both of you, he would find better.

-hinata, bokuto, suga

cardigan

"you drew stars around my scars, but not i'm bleeding" "i knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss, i knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs" "i knew i'd curse you for the longest time...i knew you'd miss me once the thrill expired" "i knew you'd come back to me"

it's a constant game of back and forth that you grew sick of. you were done being a second choice. there are a lot of regrets after the break up, but you get over it faster than he does. it takes longer for him to realize it, and by that time, you've moved on. he's texting you, begging you to take him back, blowing up your phone with voicemails, sending flowers to your work. eventually you block him. you still love him, but you choose yourself this time.

-osamu, ushijima, kageyama

exile

"i think i've seen this film before, and i didn't like the ending, you're not my homeland anymore, so what am i defending now" "i can see you staring honey, like he's just your understudy" "you never gave a warning sign (i gave so many signs)"

the fallout is slow, you've fought and broken up so many times recently that it's no surprise this last time. what is surprising is when he sees you with someone new, looking happier than you ever did with him. he thought it was like every other time, he thought you'd get back together. the confusion on his face is clear, the anger is quick. how could he have missed the resentment growing within you? he'd never stop trying to come back into your life. sometimes you'd let him back in. every time, you'd regret it.

-kenma, akaashi, kita

all too well

"you kept me like a secret, but i kept you like an oath" "maybe we got lost in translation, maybe i asked for too much, maybe this thing was a masterpiece 'til you tore it all up" "you call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest"

it's perfect until it's not. the worst are the conversations toward the end of it all. he's hurting you, but he won't let you go, sacrificing your happiness for his comfort in a dead relationship. you cry loaded tears and he makes barren promises. the break up isn't even the end of it. you can't escape him, having to share your friends with one another and working so close to each other. you want so badly to be over him, but the wound rips open at every reminder of his constant presence in your life. he won't let you go completely, but he won't ever love you the way you deserve.

-kuroo, iwaizumi, sakusa

[verdemoun]

If it hasn’t been mentioned before how did Sadie die in the canon timeline before getting timewarped and how was Jake found? I think they are super interesting considering how they weren’t even married for 3 years yet before the events of the first mission (they were married in September and the game starts in May) Also another random question but did any of the gang bond over the different instruments they played (ex Sadie-Harmonica, Pearson-Accordion, or Javier-Guitar) and speaking of Javier did he ever learn electric guitar? [Sorry if my bombarding you with questions is annoying or overwhelming I’m just very hyper fixated on Rdr2 and love this au <3 /lh/pos]

pls never apologise i love asks my inbox is officially empty again rip so to all pls feel free to send any more questions about timewarp or my general rdr2 addled brain.

Sadie makes me so sad esp in the epilogue she literally makes the comment i wanna die like she is such an incredible character but she is so defeated by losing her husband, and then finding the gang only to lose them as well. After Micah's death she didn't even have revenge to live for. Also being at John and Abigail's wedding? As beautiful as the day was and as happy as she was for them, being reminded of her own wedding, everything she lost, how much she loved her husband. I think that the passive suicidality/recklessness she was putting into bounty hunting would've caught up with her really quickly and she was shot and killed by some unknown outlaw she was trying to bring in no later than 1908.

Jake bless was very much not someone anyone thought to look for fortunately with living with Sadie in such an isolated area he's a proper survivalist and just lived camping on public land doing odd jobs like farm work where he could to earn some cash for basic necessities and was just rolling with it. He's very laid back go with the flow type guy who was not nearly as panicked about waking up in modern era as he should have been.

It's completely stupid how they ran into Jake Adler. The gang were in public talking too loud about 1899 and he casually walked up to them like oh hi were you guys also magically teleported 100 years into the future after dying??

Kieran was terrified of Jake and expected some sort of retribution for being an O'Driscoll like literally shuffling to hide behind other members of the gang terrified but they actually ended up being besties because Jake knows loads about gardening and homesteading and they got to bond over 'fuck Colm O'Driscoll' and just being gentle souls they vibe so well.

Gets a new cabin away from everything and starts rebuilding his homesteading life so everything is perfect for when Sadie comes back.

It's so obvious how Jake and Sadie's dynamic worked the second they met Jake Adler. He is the sweetest, most disgustingly soft man to ever exist. He has bi wife energy. If he had survived instead of Sadie, he would not have made it in the gang. He gets emotional over the idea of using pesticides to keep bugs off his tomatoes. He is malewife extraordinaire and cries at least once a week about missing his wife who he is nauseatingly in love with.

He went with them to get Sadie obviously and the gang were a little nervous how he would respond to bounty hunter more ghost than people living weapon that is the Sadie Adler they knew? Plus this is post Micah's death so they heard ALL about that as well. Sadie Adler is terrifying. How could such a delicate marshmallow man handle it?

It is immediately very obvious that that's just Sadie's personality. It is exaggerated but very much just how she's always been she could say the most threatening violent comment with the coldest scowl and Jake's just there like wow that's my wife isn't she amazing <3 <3 <3

He is not at all surprised she became a bounty hunter and murderer she was always capable of it he just asked her nicely not to kill people so she didn't but she was always that one thing away from becoming the woman we know and love. Also how quickly Sadie goes from cold scowl to smiling affectionately kissing her husband like he is her squishy soft rock.

Also Sadie is very much bisexual being in a relationship with a man does not erase that Jake has always known and is very supportive every night he gives thanks to the women who fumbled Sadie Adler so he could marry her. Gender roles are not welcome in their relationship hell gender as a concept doesn't belong in their relationship they both wear skirts on hot days and Jake wears lipstick more often than Sadie does. Sadie pegs.

She met him at the stables he was working at, picked him up like a stray cat and said we're married now. She proposed to him and he cried. Finding someone who complimented her in every way was a once in a million and she never moved on from that. He enjoys the domestic chores she loathes, never questions or raises an eyebrow at her wearing pants or wielding a gun. Both of them happy to move into the middle of no where because neither one of them wanted their dynamic being scrutinized like they are happy being in their own world regardless of era.

The gang are still in awe of how well they balance each other out. There was divine intervention in them being so perfectly made for each other let alone finding each other in canon era it's so much clearer how they seemed so lost and distraught being apart. Why Sadie was still mourning and talking about Jake in 1907 when she had lost him for longer than she'd known him at that point. Two people could not be more perfect for each other.

SECOND POINT

Sadie starts playing harmonica again now that she has her Jakey back. And Jake, who in a similar way stopped playing when he didn't have his Sadie his amore, gets another violin (this is a hc that I will die defending let him play fiddle while Sadie's on harmonica little homesteading country music losers). Charles also plays harmonica and it is very 'same hat!!' when they realize. Teach each other songs too.

Javier plays around with electric guitar but is an acoustic purist, but because Isaac plays electric guitar they have great little jam sessions together. Javier loves having someone who asks questions and wants to learn guitar like Isaac is pretty good by the time 1911 gang arrive but he is so happy to also have someone who likes guitar as much as he does and he can learn from. Rip Isaac's friends trying to keep up 'hey you up for crime this afternoon' 'no sorry i'm going to go play guitar with my stoner mexican uncle. his autistic boyfriend who is also a stoner is making soda bread!'

Uncle gets a banjo again and also a ukulele because he thinks they look goofy.

Also Sean plays jaw harp? Fun character fact. Lenny also forgets this fact and can be found walking around the house looking for whatever bug is making that weird buzzing noise and turns out Sean couldn't sleep and was just boinging along with his jaw harp.

Gang bonfire nights go wild on the jam sessions. Little southern orchestra with the banjo, two harmonicas, a fiddle, a jaw harp and guitars all going.

[hakucho-art]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

question: what r three things you like about ur art? and what is ur current fav art piece of urs? <3

also bonus touken headcanon: they’re in their married era, but still new relationship, and while they’ve more comfortable — kaneki still seems hesitant sometimes when he reaches to her, in initiating any sort of skin ship, like he’s unsure of howwhen. Touka finds it endearing and kind of laughable considering they just had a blow ur mind sex like an hour ago, but here kaneki is looking so unsure of how to put his arms around her shoulders. This man is ridiculous. God she loves him.

But sometimes — he catches her completely off guard. They’re were doing smth… idk, making coffee??? And Kaneki makes this voice pitched with alarm and touka bends over to see him fumbling with this amateur thing she KNOWS he can do with his eyes closed and is like wow… Kaneki??? Did you get off the bed on the wrong side???? What is wrong with you. But it turns out it was all a plot for her to give him a cheek kiss without her knowing.

Touka blinks, as she just registers where her lips where and looks up at kaneki who has this big silly smile that says “gotcha” and gives her butterfly in stomach…

URGH I LOVE THEM… they’re so cute (also forgive me if this is out of character. I am out of touch)

You're out of touch... I'm out of tiiiime....

THANK YOU BELOVED AHHHH 💕💕💕

OKI OKI, first the questions sjdvjw

Three things I like about my art

Hmmmm lately I've been feeling more happy with my coloring! I feel like finally I've kind of understood what I'm doing and feel more experienced with it. I also like how my sketches look, sketching is always my favorite part and making some cleaned sketches with pencil again has been really nice uwu. And I like how I draw faces! Lately they have been more simplistic but generally, I do like them.

Your favorite art piece?

UHHH, actually a piece for a zine so I cant post it here yet but my current favorite touken piece of mine are these two (because im indecisive)

The left one because for once I properly colored them (usually I get lazy with my touken pieces since theyre very indulgent wjvdjwhd) and the other because I adore the style there a lot, especially how kaneki looks🥺 definitely want to try using it more!

NOW TO YOUR SWEET HEADCANON AHHHH, you never disappoint with the touken fluff wjvdjwvdjwvdhwh♥️♥️😭

FIRST OF ALL, mischievous kaneki is ADORABLE and we need more of him. Here and there he can be a little tricksy, especially when he wants to get back to touka because she so often does little pranks and messes with him hehe

Kaneki not knowing how to approach casual intimacy while they fuck everyday is so funny and canon 😭💕 touka is just as ridiculous, kaneki calls her cute and she gets a massive blush as if they havent been dating for MONTHS.

Also, I didnt fully understand the last part. So kaneki tricked her into giving him a cheek kiss or did kaneki give her a cheek kiss 👀 either way, its adorable because kaneki making silly little pranks that are basically just kisses and snuggles orz. Kill me with the fluff, HELP. Touka feeling a little Bad because his pranks are so innocent and loving while he suffers a little when she pranks him JWVJDDVJD

[glitterpensupremacy]

Alright, you all voted (in spite of my prediction) and so I am more than happy to deliver!

Adrien MTS

His character notes are organized into four categories:

1. General info

2. Personality

3. Key relationships

4. Planned character growth

(This post may be a bit long, so the rest is under the cut)

1. General Info

I‘ll start with the biggest overall changes:

Adrien now has an equal importance to the story as Marinette (they are both the main protags of the show). This is because MTS has certain relevant plot lines that wouldn’t work with Marinette as the POV character. For example, the Agreste family backstory heavily impacts him and his life, so making Marinette the focus doesn’t work. This change was also made because duality and balance are major thematic motifs in the show, and having two MCs was one of the best ways we could implement this idea. (Also he’s just a fun character to write plots around!) On average he and Marinette would get equal screen time, but it fluctuates depending on the particular story (ex: he has a slightly smaller role in season 2 since he has less of a connection to Lila, a major antagonist in that season).

We are also not using the SentiAdrien plotline. This is due to it not being confirmed as canon at the time we began conceptualizing MTS, so we didn’t include it. And now the story doesn’t have room for it and all all the other aspects of the series that are more integral.

2. Personality

Adrien, while still trying to be nice to most of the people he meets, is a lot less mild mannered than his OG counterpart. A bit like the OG show’s S1 Adrien, only slightly more chaotic. He’s generally cheerful, enjoys making jokes (mainly as CN) and trying new things, and affectionate with his loved ones. Freedom is very important to Adrien, and he’ll often go to great lengths to try to hold on to it. Sometimes Chat Noir tries to put on a bit of a “tough guy persona”, but often melts at the first compliment or gesture from his partner.

Adrien does have the tendency to be very assertive and a tad brash (especially in the first season) because he worries that any sign of weakness will cause others to want to make decisions for him to “protect him”. Similarly, he hates being put on a pedestal, especially when it causes others to dismiss any part of him that doesn’t fit the image they have in their head (basically him being a famous model has greatly impacted how he wants to be perceived with others). He also can’t stand it when people close to him (mainly his father and initially his brother) hide things from him and try to control his actions and behavior.

3. Key Relationships

This is actually only a couple of his relevant relationships, seeing as there are a lot of them in MTS. If you want to know about a specific relationship I didn’t mention (or want more detail on a one I did mention, feel free to send me an ask!)

Marinette: The two start off with a casual friendship, as Marinette doesn’t really care that he’s a model. This actually makes Adrien more interested in hanging out with her, as she’s someone who sees Adrien as a person rather than a celebrity. He doesn’t really see her in a romantic light (or at least realize he does) until toward the end of the show, but still values her a lot. He also won’t be as oblivious as the OG Adrien about Mari’s feelings, and even though he doesn’t reciprocate them (consciously anyway), he appreciates that she actually likes him for who he is.

Ladybug: These two sort of get off on the wrong foot. Partially because of their Kwami’s influence (we may have given them some issues for the plot) and partially because Chat initially thinks Ladybug is a lot like his brother, the two don’t really work together, and often quarrel. He gets very paranoid about her wanting him to go along with her plans (due to his fear of being controlled) and thinks she’s bossy. After the midpoint of the S1 though, they get to know each other better. He learns that she is very different from who he thought she was. Realizing that she’s actually a vulnerable girl trying her best to be a hero and do right by others, causes him to become more concerned about her wellbeing. The two will also start to confide in each other about their insecurities, and near the end of S1, he finally falls in love with her. (He’ll be a lot less outspoken about it than the OG though, due to an incident that happened prior to this.) He wants to be the hero partner she deserves first and foremost.

Felix: The twins were very close growing up, especially the death of their mother and their father becoming more distant, but over the years, Felix began to change. He started to treat Adrien more like their father does, which caused Adrien to feel betrayed by his brother. Initially their relationship is cordial, with a bit of resentment on Adrien’s side, which grows until it reaches a breaking point. The two end up getting into a (somewhat one-sided) fight, that Adrien comes to regret. Fortunately the two end up getting a bit closer after this, before finally resolving their issues in the season finale (Felix learns Chat Noir’s identity, which changes how he perceives his brother, and Adrien realized that there’s been more going on with Felix than he thought after he gets akumatized into Calamity). From there the two regain their lost relationship, and do anything for each other.

Gabriel: Adrien’s feelings about his father are… complicated. On the one hand, he understands how hard things have been for his dad after losing the love of his life. In the other hand, Adrien can’t stand the way he’s acted for the past several years: isolating himself from everyone else, constantly trying to keep Adrien locked away and micromanaged, never just being there for his son, which is all Adrien really wants. On the other other hand, Adrien has a much harder time speaking up to him than he did with Felix (because well, it’s much easier to rebel against your twin sibling than your controlling father), and still wants to see the best in his dad (both because he cares about him and because Felix showed Adrien that change is possible). Throughout the third season, Adrien is able to learn a bit more about Gabriel and even confront him for how he’s treated Adrien (and Felix, but that’s another post). His father even seems like he’s starting to change after this, but… let’s just say something goes wrong.

Nino: Adrien is instantly charmed by his new “best bro”, who tries to teach him a bit more about normal kids work. Adrien tries to inspire Nino to apply himself a little more, at least when it comes to things that are clearly important to him. The fact that Nino likes his jokes definitely boosts his spirits. Adrien does start to worry about Nino after the Bubbler, as Nino’s extreme reaction (seeing as people usually can’t be akumatized unless it relates to a core issue that’s been festering for years) suggests that there may be more to his “cool dude” best friend than he thought.

Other notable Adrien/Chat Noir dynamics (for better or worse) include Plagg, Alya, Kagami, Luka, Chloe, Mylene (it’s a long story), Emilie, and Hawk Moth (he is their nemesis after all).

4. Character Growth

Ah yes, the bread and butter of storytelling. Adrien receives two major character arcs in the series. One principally taking place during season one, while the other is much longer. (He also gets minor, non-arc related growth, but I’m highlighting the most important details)

Arc #1: Adrien undergoes some pretty major changes in the first season. He starts off as the usual sweet, sophisticated, “perfect” Adrien who tries to smile through the loneliness and suffocating rules. When he meets Plagg, he gets a change to show how capable he can truly be, while getting the power to free himself from these confines. He especially loves using his Prime Ability, Wildcat (his equivalent to the Miraculous Ladybugs) to do so. It essentially turns him into an unbeatable fighting machine! Unfortunately, this power is more than a mortal being can handle, and slowly chips away at his sanity, amplifying his feelings of anger and determination to be free. Plagg also eggs him on, warning him that giving up on using Wildcats will make him “weak again”, which will cause him to go back to being helpless and submissive (MTS Plagg and Tikki are kinda jerks at first). He realizes that it’s too much for him to handle in the first midseason finale, and renounces the power. This causes his body to fall into a state of withdrawal and fatigue that takes multiple episodes to recover from. During this time, he learns the value of stability, responsibility, and that he can be empathetic while also not letting others control him. His arc culminates at the end of season 1, where he unlocks the power to purify akuma, understanding that destruction can be used for good when maintaining an inner balance.

Arc 2: The seeds of this arc are planted from the beginning, as using Wildcat caused him to unintentionally become destructive and dangerous, but the episode Copycat is what launches the arc. Facing someone who looks exactly like you, has all of your powers, who you (unintentionally) lead to get akumatized does a lot to a person’s self esteem. Even though he hasn’t fallen in love with Ladybug yet, he cares about their friendship, so fighting an imposter who completely obsessed with her causes him to fear becoming the same way. Naturally this causes him to panic when he does fall in love with her, making him take longer to even admit how he feels about her. (He also struggles after she rejects him, but is more worried about her potentially being afraid of him than the rejection itself.) The New York Special also deals with his insecurities, as he almost quits being a hero due to not wanting to hurt anyone else. Fortunately Felix (who he tried to give the ring to instead) talks him out of it. Finally he manages to overcome his fears in the final season, after he faces his nightmare in Sandboy (that being a Ladybug who believes he’s a monster), and acknowledges that he’ll never be that kind of person.

Conclusion:

Alright, that finishes a (general) overview of Adrien’s character in Miraculous: The Series. To anyone who actually had the patience to read all of this, thank you for listening to my ramble (believe it or not but there’s even more details I could have mentioned!)

Marinette is gonna be the next character I talk about (idk when I’ll actually write her notes out, but she is next) as a planned post. After that… I’ll probably either discuss the MTS love square, Tikki and Plagg’s changes, or one of the fabled Season One trio characters (Alya, Chloe, or Felix). As for now… stay miraculous!

[blysse-and-blunder]

In lieu of a long weekend

sunday, may 19, 2024 ~ 11:30pm

technically tomorrow is a day off but the nice thing about grad school is that means essentially nothing for me, and tonight still feels like a sunday night—but it was a beautiful, mostly work-free weekend up until now

reading i forget now whether i mentioned this in my last ilcb, but last month i listened to the audiobook of jenn lyons’ the ruin of kings, which means that now it’s time for the sequel! started these huge fantasy epics on the recommendation of @booksmithereens, who has yet to steer me wrong—but i will say that upon first getting started, I didn’t especially follow (or care) all that much about most of the world building, especially since trok starts in with a lot of slavery and physical / sexual violence. upon second read-through, because i did go back with the ebook as soon as i finished listening to trok the first time, i think i was able to take more pleasure from the characters’ dialogue—there are very funny moments—and from the originality of certain features of the series’ take on deities and magic. i’m 28% through the audio book of the second novel, the name of all things, and i adore that we’ve got a new snarky editor leaving footnotes and editorializing comments, and that we have a new female pov character who really adds to the (intentionally) one-dimensional view of her we were given in the first one. these are good companion books for when i’m toiling in the hollow knight mines (have i explained how i have hacked boss fights for myself by turning off the game sound and instead relaxing, listening to an audiobook, and just getting to focus on the visuals—the flow state this induces can last for. hours. and has yet to get old), and they are another worthy entry in the dragons/magic/demons/swords/prophecy type fantasy canon.

watching finally finished (screaming, cringing, laughing, etc) season one of the white lotus with g and @hematiterings. all things considered, an easier ending than i feared, weirdly? i lost count of full-body cringe reactions (from sheer gut-churning dialogue, not the way kids use ‘cringe’ these days) at like 10, and then we started season two (which we’ve all seen the first few episodes of) and the counter had to start over at the beginning. still fun though. still fun.

also watched the first three-four episodes of dungeon meshi! which i thought were excellent, but i now have just enough context to be really actually affected by casual spoilers, so i may have to blacklist it here on the blue hellsite for now, and watched episode 4 of house of the dragon this evening whilst folding my laundry. i am holding out for when this show introduces the new lead actresses because I have seen their interview in gifs going around and i would like to see it. so far though, i’m distressed by the politics and bored by the action, as is to be expected from a game of thrones show.

listening hmmm chappelle roan Hot to Go has been stuck in my head for a while now so let’s go with that. initially I thought the lyrics to most of her new album really didn’t live up to pink ping club (see my 2021?2? Ilcb where i went on at *length* about how good that song is) but you know what, we’re capable of admitting when we’re wrong and this is one of those times. H! O! T! T! O! G-O!

playing i got the sharp shadow charm in hollow knight today! Nosk and the enraged guardian have been kicking my ass by turns. i had so much geo I had been carefully carrying around and reclaiming every time i died because millibelle had her career pivot and closed my account 😝 and i finally lost it today. Alas. but since there was nothing i could buy at any of the three vendors i visited, it was all going to end up in the fountain anyway.

making this was a little while ago now, but i finally did it, i made a recipe following a b. dylan hollis video! the coffee loaf from 1959– surprisingly, i had all of the ingredients on hand (including powdered milk?!) and i was so excited by this that I didn’t stop to ask whether i *should* make this caffeinated baked good. recipe worked well, the consistency was great and all, but a single square inch of it and i feel like i’ve single-handedly drunk a pot of strong coffee. this is a me problem, i’ll grant you, but it is amusing to me that i’ve made a cake I physically cannot eat too much of in a single sitting. it is drying out in the fridge as we speak. heart palpitations aside, i am proud of it though.

working on it occurred to me today to look back at the timeline i made for myself at the beginning of the month, and i’m four days past the first deadline on it without having even really touched the chapter itself. blargh. sent two emails yesterday, and two that had been worrying me the day before, and worked a bit on the newsletter today. chipping away at things.

[halestrom]

Director's commentary: Cockblock

Alright, this is gonna be LONG bc I have so many feelings about this story. So also, a read more, for reasons. I apologize in advance, not really.

Also? Spoilers? I guess if you haven't read the fic. Which if you do wanna read it you can find it here

first off, the moment that started it all bc tbh that's how 90% of these fics start. some random ass comment one of us make and it just takes off. (looking at u blank space)

So two things that were very evident for me with this fic was that I fully believe Jake and Bradley are capable of embarrassment, but it is few and far between. Which, don't relate in the slightest. You cannot put either of them in the spotlight and expect them not to ham it up in the slightest. They will take it to the next level, and they will not care. And this is important bc the second thing is:

They are competitive. Becoming a naval aviator is not easy, it's not something you casually fall into. It's something you want to do, and you train and study and do everything you can to get there. And on top of that, canonically they're the best. They were chosen for the mission for a reason and so they're the top of their classes/cohort/wherever they are for a reason.

And we know Jake and Bradley have history so when Nimue mentioned this idea I knew I wanted to take those two reasons and just mush it all up into the most competitive fake dating.

This wasn't going to be awkward romance. This was going to be 'i will fuck you on the floor if it means im winning' kinda romance. They wanna outdo each other, they want to be the best and sometimes that means they get in trouble (ie. the bet in the beginning of the story) or when Bradley fell asleep in Jake's lap and Of course jake would take care of him? Who else would it be?

But also, because they had had this antagonistic relationship that essentially had to be put to the side in order to maintain the belief they were the best it finally gave them a chance to see who the other person actually was with the adversarial nature of their relationship not necessarily taking a backseat to everything they're doing, but actually morphing into something else in the same way we see the rest of the Daggers kind of joking around.

And then it just keeps growing, because they don't really have defenses for each other in this context. Bradley can say the worst things to Jake (you're going to lead someone to an early grave) and it might hurt, but Jake isn't going to shut down over it. And Jake can call Bradley out (ie: the dad comment) and Bradley can get up in Jake's face but the next (whatever the fucking timeline is int hat movie jfc) day they're fine? They know how to be the antagonistic in each others stories, but friendship? A relationship? That's something new.

Especially for Jake, who did have a crush on Bradley but it wasn't something that was holding him back. It was something there, but it never stopped him from dating, and being with people and I would never classify it as love? Not truly because Jake wouldn't actually love someone who treated him the way Bradley and he treated each other, but he definitely would start sinking into those feelings as their fake relationship progressed. He saw the opportunity in the beginning of the story to get close to Bradley, just for fun, not because he's sitting there wallowing and pining and writing sad poems in his journal, but he's not gonna lie and say it wasn't also nice being that close to Bradley and not have an argument.

And then for Bradley, I really feel like the switch from seeing Jake as someone he's competing against, to someone he could be friends with, is in Chapter 4 when Jake makes him dinner, and opens up a little bit more about wanting to make it to Admiral, and how he's wants to get his PhD and he's got a plan. He's got a family who loves him, and he loves them and, unlike a lot of people, understands that while Mav isn't his biological father, he was the one who was there, and so while the title isn't 'Dad' the actions definitely are. So it was the start of a connection bc of Jake's relationship with his stepdad, who, in all the ways according to him, is his actual Dad. Bc he was the one who was there.

And it's not perfect, bc of what happened to Goose vs Jake's bio dad being a Raging Douchebag, but it's a start.

And following that moment is when we start to see them opening up more and more. Jake coming out as gay, not bisexual to Bradley and wanting to go to the gala as a statement. And then when Bradley falls asleep in Jake's lap at brunch, and they have the most minor argument but it's still them so they don't know how to handle it anymore within the context of each other and it just keeps growing and then they're kissing, and having sex and are intimate in that regards, Jake telling Bradley about his Mom, and Bradley talking about his Mom and how much he misses her even then and it's a grief he can't ever close, and it just keeps growing, and every moment is bringing them closer and closer to the edge.

But neither one of them can really toss themselves over it because they have so much history that they still haven't completely dealt with so it's hard, and complicated, esp with these new feelings.

My personal HC for Jake is that he is, while very gregarious, he also keeps things close to the chest, and he plans. And keeps making plans and more plans bc if he has a plan, then he can account for everything. But Bradley is steady, he flies steady right up until the moment he doesn't. and so Jake has a plan. And his plans have plans but for all their relationship looks real to the outside world, to each other it's still brand new because in some respects, it doesn't exist.

They have a relationship yes, but they're not IN a relationship. Not truly and so Jake can't plan for that. But Bradley doesn't need a plan because once he makes a decision, he just goes. And he wanted to tell Jake, he decided he was going to tell Jake and talk to him but talking is hard but it's a good thing he is the unholy product of Carole/Goose with some input from Mav and Ice so he will sing about it. Because he can use someone elses words to talk about it, and it works.

SO yeah, this was a very long winded way to talk about how their relationship morphed and changed because of the dumbass way they had to fake date to get funding, which is the biggest authors handwave of density ever but it was a good one. They couldn't fight anymore because they were faking it, so they, as Jake said early on, had to become friends but the problem was, there was always too much passion and fire for it to be easy, and it could've gone badly for sure. It could've crashed and burned.

But that would mean they would lose, and it's a lot easier to keep your mouth shut about shit that might once have pissed you off and let it slide off your back when you're a hyper-competitive asshole who likes winning. And when you let a lot of the anger slide off your back? Then it's impressive what can grow in it's wake.

And I had so much fun writing it, and I'm so so so glad it resonated with people.

Random other things:

Jake's Mom and his stepdad bc they were the best part of the Prometheus movie: Idris Elba and Charlize Theron

Bradley laying on the couch and lamenting to Mav and Ice is a personal HC of mine that I will never let go of. This man is Dramatic and he will be dramatic about it. Even if Ice and Mav aren't together, he will be Dramatic about it to one of them.

I figured out what songs I wanted Bradley to sing a full three months before I even got to that point. Especially You're So Vain bc I just have the image of all the daggers singing it to Jake in good faith, and before it would've made him annoyed, but now its just friends ragging on friends.

I had a whole plotline I ended up discarding where the Daggers had a BBQ style thing for and Marcus, Jake's Dad shows up and Jake is just like DAD and Payback is like "the fuck you mean Dad" and Bradley's keeping a straight face through sheer force of will alone bc Jake was right, it is fucking hilarious trying to watch people try not to ask, and figure it out.

There was also a second idea where someone asked who's sister that was. And it was Jake's Mom, bc she is young.

I may also write this at some point bc it would also be when Bradley met Jake's parents and he is PANICING bc Jake's Dad is a SEAL.

I am forever enamored of the diea that Bradley is Mav's responsibility 100% and he is like THIS CHILD WILL NOT BE A TEENAGE FATHER and proceeded to give the most horrifying, in depth discussion of sex. Charlie, Ice, Mav, Sarah, Penny. Anyone he could talk to gave him input on it. Plot twist: Bradley got laid a lot in college bc he was respectful, understood consent, knew what the fuck he was doing, and like. Word got around and as a result, he had A Lot Of Fun. But he didn't knock anyone up.

One of the first scenes I had in my head was actually the end of the fic and it was this moment:

“You said you weren’t writing sad poems. Does this mean there are other kinds of poems?” Bradley asked. “Or a journal?” Jake tilted his head down enough to see the smirk curling the edges of Bradley’s mouth, and he used his free hand to pinch his side. “No journal, asshole.”

I'm also very proud of the limerick I wrote

There once as a man we loved to mock Ge was always racing against the clock. We called him Rooster cuz he needed a booster. But mostly, I just really like his big cock.

um yeah. so this is long lol so i should shush. but i have a lot of feelings about this fic and i had fun. so 🤣 HOPE YOU ENJOYED MY LOTR EXTENDED EDITION DIRECTORS COMMENTARY ON COCKBLOCK

[earlgreytea68]

hi there! i just wanted to say that i love your peterick fics so much! i'm new to the fandom and i kinda binged them in three weeks. it was glorious! also i have a tiny question: did pete actually called patrick "trick" anywhere or is it just a fandom thing? (sorry if it was already answered a million times, i've just never heard it in the interviews i've seen, and i adore this nickname and want it to be canon so much!)

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed!

And. re: the Trick nickname. lol. Sadly, I have never seen any evidence Pete has ever canonically called him Trick, anywhere haha. The idea of Pete calling him Trick and other nicknames was a piece of fanon that I picked up on when I joined the fandom and added into my fics. I had come from a fandom where nicknames were huge (Inception) and so it felt very familiar. But I have never actually heard Pete call him Trick. At least the other outrageous nicknames Pete often has for him in fic (Lunchbox, Cookie jar, etc.) come from Pete answering a question about Patrick's nicknames at one point:

so there's at least a little canon behind that, even though I'm pretty sure the whole thing was a joke, as Patrick says:

So I don't think, alas, that we have any actual canon of Pete ever calling Patrick "Trick," delightful though it is. I think Patrick says in a couple of interviews that his family calls him "Rick" for short, but I've only ever heard Pete call him "Patrick." (I know that there is some thought that he called him "Stump" during one of the riffs with Patrick. The way I heard that sentence, Pete said to the crowd, "Are you feeling alright still?" and then turned to Patrick, and I thought he said, "How about you? Are you feeling alright still?" But it's true that he mumbles it a bit so he could be calling him "Stump." But that doesn't come up very often, either. Pete really generally seems to call him Patrick.)

ALL THAT SAID, as Patrick's tweet above indicates, all of the canon tells us that it's Patrick who will call Pete by pet names on occasion. He has canonically called him "Wentz" pretty casually several times, as if he does it fairly often, and I think he's now called him "Peter" in playful consternation a couple of times as well. So we got it all wrong, it's Patrick who's big into pet names for Pete and Pete just goes with "Patrick" all the time.

I'm not going to change my Pete's penchant for calling him Trick in my fics, because I'm fond of it by now and because fanon counts and because it does feel right within the realm of the fic (although I do think I started adding Patrick nicknaming Pete more often once I realized how often he does it). But, at the same time, I have decided that there's something really charming to me, the way Pete says Patrick's name. I don't know that I've heard any other name out of Pete's mouth as often as I've heard him say "Patrick," it feels like he says it a lot, and he says it really nicely every time, I'm very fond of it (I bet Patrick is, too. Especially if his family calls him Rick often, then it actually makes it something special that Pete always calls him Patrick and probably did it from the moment he met him as a teenager still living at home.)

[leomonae]

I can understand why they wouldn't have wanted to leave BG3 fans who are new to the series (which is likely the vast majority of them tbh) feeling confused or overwhelmed by overdoing it, but I really do kinda wish there were more tiny indications of... continuity across the three games. It doesn't need to be huge; I don't need every character to get the Sarevok and Viconia and Jaheira and Minsc and (three of) the Five treatment by showing up in person (please god do not give any other characters the Viconia treatment, Larian, you and WotC really did her dirty), but offhand mentions? Extra lore books? Heroic statues and paintings celebrating a few more of our old heroes, perhaps?

It's awesome that Jaheira talks about Khalid some, and you can find the letter from him! Especially when his death in BG2 didn't feel like it had the greatest sense of closure at the time; I actually really appreciated that, after the pair of them were in my party all through BG1. And I know Minsc talks at least a little bit about Dynaheir, too, even if I don't recall him telling me her actual, like... name, as yet. That is exactly what I would have loved to see more of - little bits of story to cement the feeling that these older characters were a part of this world and had an effect on it in their time. What there was seemed to be largely restricted to the two party members; I remember there was a Firecam something or other when I picked up Minsc, and I squeaked in happiness because Keldorn was one of my favourites to bring along with me! I would have loved more of that sort of casual name-dropping in contexts where it wasn't like you were browsing a museum exhibit of "old companions greatest hits"; that's just showing us they affected the people who knew them personally, not that they had a place and a significant role in the wider world too.

And even besides it just plain being nice to have that, sometimes the lack feels a little... jarring? Maybe I've just missed things, or picked the wrong dialogue choices for them to show up, but, like...

Jaheira, you should be 100% aware of the fact that there's a cure for vampirism; why did you not carve out Cazador's heart, assuming Astarion didn't manage to completely pulverise it in his stabbing frenzy? Gale, you've surely heard of the archmage Bhaalspawn Imoen, right? Didn't she go around constantly pranking your mentor Elminster or some such, after the events of BG2?

Also, given that Jaheira was apparently canonically part of the BG2 party, is Raphael really sure he wants to go getting into a fight with a group that includes one of the people who helped slay Demogorgon and also at least one demigod? Really really, buddy? That seems like a good idea to you? I realise she appears to have been level drained by a significantly more dangerous vampire than the one we were just facing, but still. You know there's at least a 50/50 chance she's got a scroll of Wish stashed away somewhere, right?

(also Mephistopheles is in no way hanging out in the Hells at this point in time, seeing as how I killed him in NWN thank you very much)

[sparrowlovesskittles]

Shadow spoilers under the cut

Review time!

Holy fuck it was SO GOOD.

THINGS I ENJOYED

THE FROG SCENE. My new favourite warriors moment. I need to draw Nightheart with a frog suckered onto his face. Incredible. Nightheart is such a silly goofy guy and I'm so glad he gets to do stupid things each book.

SPLASHTAIL!!!!!! This is a BIG one for me, and ohhhh he was so evil it was so GOOD. We really got to see his manipulative side come out here and I adored it

Splashtail rejecting Frostpaw because it would be weird to date an apprentice. It's a small thing, but it's nice to have a little bit of canon saying hey. Stop.

Frostpaw slowly realising something is Wrong in RiverClan, but still turning to Splashtail because he built up trust between them. It's so clever and dark

Harelight! I like the guy and I'm glad he gets a little bit of spotlight. It's also nice to see him telling Frostpaw that he can help her learn to disguise her pale coat, I feel like I haven't seen that mentioned in a while.

Cloverfoot mentioning how Mistystar decorated her den with shells and feathers!!

Frostpaw getting to girlboss a bit. It was nice! She knows what's right for her and you CANNOT change her mind!

HER ENDING????? OH MY GOD I feel stupid but I did NOT see that coming I was so shocked it was like Curlfeather all over again LMAO. Why did they wait until she was right outside WindClan though. She'll be found and live. I highly doubt they'd kill off their best protagonist on book 3.

The trials! I know they were maybe a bit boring but I actually liked seeing them, AND seeing Berryheart get more and more pissed off throughout the book LMAO. Hilarious how they gave Nightheart a trial he basically already did last book (stealing from the twolegs)

Tigerstar hates socks

Berryheart. She's terrible. It's fun.

Sunbeam is still a pushover. Sure she stands up for herself a bit more now, but she usually chooses to back down in the face of conflict. I'm glad she's kept her personality after getting with Nightheart, which leads me to...

Sunbeam and Nightheart's relationship. I actually thought they were written okay for once. Sunbeam is not so sure about him at first (and is reasonably upset he publicly declared his love for her and decided to move in with her without consulting her first) but we actually get to see her come to appreciate him more. It's not the strongest romance obviously, but for warrior cats, the way it was handled in this book (not the other two) was actually not that bad, and I didn't mind that they stayed together in the end. I liked seeing them spend time together and I liked the way they described each other's personality traits. Sunbeam thinking Nightheart's confidence was attractive, and Nightheart thinking about how he'll miss her cleverness and courage more than anything else. I dunno, I felt pleasantly surprised.

Nightheart realising he was being unreasonable and coming to understand his family's reasons for acting the way they did, and especially the way he reconciled with Sparkpelt! They both got a chance to apologise and forgive each other (and themselves) and it was really nice to see.

Sunbeam saying Blazefire 'broke up' with her?? Warriors never uses this casual language for relationships, especially when they weren't even officially mates to begin with, it was kinda jarring to see but I liked it

THINGS I DID NOT ENJOY

Nightheart's sudden switch back to ThunderClan feels sudden and unearned. He was literally fighting with Sparkpelt and Finchlight earlier in the book and then at some point he realised he was wrong for that off screen. Also I was kind of unreasonably irritated that he failed his last task on purpose lmao

Frostpaw not telling anyone anything. Frostpaw please talk to people.

WHY DID EVERYONE FORGET ABOUT TREE??????? WHY ISN'T TREE MEDIATING??????????????

MIXED FEELINGS

Squirrelstar. While I'm happy Bramblestar is stepping down, I'm not jazzed about Squirrelstar. I like Squirrelflight, but she's been around a long time now and I want someone newer. To be honest, I'm basically waiting for the older characters to die out at this point, and if Squirrelflight's going to stick around for the next several arcs, she's going to become the next Mistystar.

Sunbeam moving to ThunderClan. While I predicted this would happen, and it's kind of fun for now, it means we now have two perspectives in ThunderClan AGAIN. I am begging warrior cats to let go of ThunderClan. Having two POV characters in the same overused clan is not as fun as they think it is. Also, Sunbeam saying 'Berryheart was right about everything' then immediately changing her mind was kinda disappointing. Let Sunbeam have a villain arc.

[nym-wibbly]

Getting Away With It - Supernatural

I wondered if I'd have some big revelation about Supernatural once I saw the whole thing - if I'd get some big epiphany about how it held up for 15 years or whatever.

My main takeaway overnight, however, has been marvelling (while ocassionally grinning crazily at a flashback) at what the creatives got away with just by building up to it slowly. Network TV in the US remains absolutely hogtied by the prevailing moral discourse, and by the money-power of controversy-shy advertisers to be the arbiters of what can and cannot be shown on a syndicated show. Syndication is its own money-slave and it's incapable of fully breaking free, short of the US viewership achieving consensus on both good taste and bad influences.

Supernatural worked its way up from a mythology of isolated urban legends to pull in the occult, then religion. The latter two subjects have been shockingly taboo for telly even here in the arguably post-Christian UK market within my lifetime. The spluttering outrage of the Mary Whitehouse Brigade would've turned to fatal aneurysms watching Supernatural play witchcraft, demonic possession, and angelic lore with equal irony and humour.

The heroes drink so much and live so badly that only their canonical Plot Armour, courtesy of failed-writer God, keeps them functioning as human beings. They're outlaws, criminals Robin Hood-style, defrauding their way to a living because their day job, the heroing, doesn't pay for food and shelter. They pass themselves off as badged figures of authority without difficulty. They never have to face the everyday moral or practical consequences of career-criminal actions that would be the moral backbone of the average movie or miniseries.

Dean routinely has carefree, casual sex with equally willing and available women during his travels, free of consequence and guilt, while the (currently) male angel Castiel occupies the textual role of Dean's love interest/romantic antagonist for most of 12 seasons because that happened to be where the show found the equivalent chemistry. They didn't just let it lie - they upped the ante season after season. That can only mean that the creatives of Supernatural have awesome poker-faces in serious meetings with their network-suited counterparts. ("No homo," they said gravely, sipping coffee and resting one hand half over the scene(s) where Dean takes the role of devastated widower every time Cas gets dead.)

They made everything about free will and standing for what's right. Even some of the sparkier demons got there before their arcs closed, grabbing agency and choosing to serve the greater good, or to act from love, but the angels consistently struggled to do the same. The angels are an unholy mess on Supernatural, opting for largely self-inflicted genocide having been abandoned by God.

Supernatural made God the ultimate baddie then had Lucifer's son - actual son of Satan - kick his arse and replace him. The Antichrist showed up too, but turned out to be a nice kid who caused so little trouble he never returned to the show. Fantasy usually only gets away with that (Christianity-defined) blasphemy shit by cloaking it in not-our-world trappings; sword and sorcery, worldbuilding from the ground up to provide a safe otherspace for questions that half of society in the target market isn't comfortable even asking, let alone answering or turning into casual entertainment.

Supernatural did that too - 14 seasons of slow, epic worldbuilding set in what looks, sounds, feels and tastes like modern America, is a love poem to its land and uniqueness at times, especially under the original showrunner, but turns out in the end to be a fictional world written by a self-obsessed deity who's run out of new ideas and settled for endless reruns with his comfort characters. Our Heroes are puppets and God himself is the bad guy jerking them around. Season 15 pays off that buildup in spades, then wipes the floor with God, leaving him a pitiable irrelevance in the Supernatural America of free will and doing-what's-right.

I've seen the show take a lot of vitreol for being unambitious, and a lot of fans being very unhappy over what the show didn't do or attempt. After my first viewing, I'm just pouring one out for the cunning shit they got away with while the networks who kept the lights on for 15 years were too distracted by the comfortable, mainstream headline of "two marketable white dudes (but no homo) drive around America in a cool car being manly-man heroes" to do anything about it.

[miammey]

Since you seem insightful, do you think canon Jouno would/could ever have a guide dog for when he's not working? I mean, he is blind. He deserves blind rep tbh. Asagiri please give him blind rep because if you don't, I will.

I’m not the best when it comes to figuring out representations, mainly because I am not blind or visually impaired myself, but I feel like it would be nice to see him using either a guide dog or cane when off duty, in a sense using them to rest a bit.

I don’t think he can exactly turn off his other senses, and he probably spent a while training himself to be able to navigate with those (people aren’t exactly born knowing how to do that to the extent Jouno does), but I do think he’d enjoy just having time to rest and not focus too much on his surroundings, instead using whatever navigation device he has to guide him.

As much as I love the idea of him with a dog I don’t think he’d have the time to take care of it, and if he’s needed in the middle of the day for a mission or something it would be much easier and quicker for him to fold up his cane and put it in a bag than take the dog some place safe. (Yes they’re collapsable, idk if all of them are but a blind kid in my high school had a collapsable cane, it was neat)

There are also other ways to show blind representation that don’t include navigation aids. Actually, one that was mentioned by a mutual of mine, who is visually impaired, is that it looked like Jouno had dragged his hand across Tecchou’s back in the anime’s café scene, as if he was grounding himself and his surroundings casually, which I thought was really cool, she said it was something she did and it was nice to see.

Personally, I like those casual bits of representation, Jouno’s used to his lack of sight at this point, and so are the other Hunting Dogs, so they all know his limits, but it would still be nice to see more of those limits, if that makes sense. Maybe later we’ll see more of his disability and his struggles with it.

He doesn’t seem to think negatively of it, he wasn’t hesitant to ask Dazai for the horse’s number or anything like that, and he overall seems very used to his disability. I mean, it’s been over six years since he lost his sight, we’re not sure of when he lost his sight but it was long enough before he joined the Hunting Dogs that he was able to learn a new way to navigate well enough to be of use to the Hunting Dogs.

Overall, I agree that I would LOVE to see more disability rep with Jouno, but I also don’t think we should limit that rep to just navigation aids. Just smaller things like using a screen reader to do paperwork on a computer or to read texts, or using one of those plastic guide things to write his signature, or even just reading the braille on a sign before entering a room, things that can take one or two panels can go a long way