#robert.. son 😂

[bobbie-robron]

I know what me mum’s like. How she buries stuff and… I just wish I could do more to help her.

21-Mar-2019, episode 1

[papa-evershed]

RJC’s Best Looks™ as chosen by: anonymous

Hutch (The Ritual)

Martin Evershed (Ackley Bridge)

Thomas Barrow (Downton Abbey)

Saul Silva (Fate: The Winx Saga)

Alex (The Attendant)

Kevin O’Dowd (The Level)

[mircsy]

I feel like this may be opening a can of worms based on your page but uhh… who is Diomedes???

Was he a soldier in the Trojan War that Odysseus fought with that was gay for Ody? Lol

Ahahaha, no worries, I wasn’t aware of who he was either until I joined the EPIC Writing Server

So in short (as much as I know about him):

We need to go back until his father, Tydeus, actually. Tydeus was one of the Seven against Thebes, favored by Athena, and like many of that seven he lost his life in that war when Diomedes was (most popularly) 4 years old. Diomedes vowed revenge, and around the age of 14 he gathered the sons of the Seven against Thebes, they became the Epigoni (there is a lost epic about this story, why did it get lost…😭) and successfully conquered Thebes.

Before or after the Epigoni (don’t try to set up a timeline in Greek myth) he became the king of the city Argos. HOWEVER, he spent more time at wars then at home (with his wife Aegialia), or at least that’s thought.

Yes, he went to Troy to fight (whether because he was bound by the oath, or just because of fame and glory is unclear). He is said to be one of the youngest warriors but with the most experience, he was the third best among the Greeks, mostly because of Tydeus Athena favors Diomedes as well (she’s always so strict with him, like, c’mon Athena, he’s doing his best), which kinda connects him to Odysseus. If you read the Iliad, 95% of the time they are together. They go on a night mission together to steal horses, when the Trojans break through their defence and Diomedes gets shot in the foot, Odysseus covers him until he retreats, on another mission near the end of the war they steal the Palladium together and Odysseus betrays him and-

Ah… Too many stories for one blog… If anyone wants to share more, please feel free. (I’m looking at you @still-mourning-polites /lh 😂)

But here, this is one reason they are shipped like heck. I couldn’t decide, which translation to use, so here’s Robert Fagles’ (first pic) and Emily Wilson’s (second pic) of the Iliad, Book 10, when Diomedes has to choose who will accompany him on the mission

[autumnrose11]

"Her family had of late been exceedingly fluctuating. For many years of her life she had had two sons; but the crime and annihilation of Edward, a few weeks ago, had robbed her of one; the similar annihilation of Robert had left her for a fortnight without any; and now, by the resuscitation of Edward, she had one again."

~ Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

😂😂😂😂😂

[megsironthrone]

A Secret Heir?

Based on this request: Hey if it’s something you are up too maybe one where Arthur Dayne had a secret daughter, she has his sword skills and somehow she end up in winterfell when Robert is here, they all recognized her as the true heir of Arthur and she end up with Robb stark ? Maybe with her by his side he would be able to survive 😂 

Here you are! I apologize for the wait! *Familiar Characters are NEVER mine!*

Warnings: Slight angst and fluff. It's a little shorter than my usual fics.

Pairings/Characters: Robb Stark x fem!reader, Robert Baratheon, Eddard "Ned" Stark.

You could feel the king's eyes on you as you trained. He'd been doing that since he arrived in Winterfell. Whenever you glanced over at him, his blue eyes were riveted on you, but he spoke quietly to your guardian. You weren't exactly sure as to why and that bothered you. Still, you said nothing to the king himself. You didn't want to embarrass Lord Stark. Not after he'd been so kind to you. But then you heard him say something that surprised you.

          "I swear, she reminds of him each time I watch." Your brows furrowed and you turned to look at the king. As you opened your mouth to ask, you saw something from the corner of your eye. You rolled your eyes before blocking Robb's blow. "Come on, Stark. You should know better than that by now." Robb chuckled, earning a smile from you. The two of you went back to training and you resolved to speak to the king at a later time.

          You wouldn't get the chance to speak to the king for many days after over-hearing his comment, but the words stuck with you. Who could you possibly remind the king of? Your father, perhaps. "What is on your mind, my love?" Robb's soft voice reached your ears. You smiled at him. You weren't sure when you'd fallen in love with Robb, but you would be thankful every day that he was in your life loving you.

          "Something the king said. I remind him of someone. A man, I think. But I'm not certain who I could possibly remind the king of. Probably my father, but I never knew the king new my father." Robb hummed in thought as his arms wrapped around your middle. "Perhaps we should ask Father." You hummed a little. You hated bothering Lord Stark with such trivial matters. Then again, he was soon to be your goodfather so perhaps you could, just once.

          "My Lord?" you called out when you saw him again. The older man stopped and turned to you with a smile. You approached him quickly with Robb on your heels. "What has you both in such a hurry?" Robb merely pointed at you. "Lord Stark…Who do I remind the king of?" Ned's lips turned down into a frown and you could see he was hesitant to answer.

          "Please. Is it my father? Does he hate my father too?" Lord Stark looked taken aback by the fierceness in your tone. "Y/N, love," Robb stated quietly, but Ned cut him off, "I do not hate your father, Y/N. I respected him, but I fear you will hate me if you knew the truth. The king does not hate him either, though he does not know that you are the daughter of-"

          "Ser Arthur Dayne," the king's booming voice cut in, making you jump. You curtsied. "Your father hid you," Ned explained, "Because he was a knight. He was never allowed to marry and was never meant to have children while his vows were still being honored. That's why-"

          "That's why I'm a bastard and always will be," you replied, "I knew my father tried to protect me, but I never knew why." You glanced at Robb. Now that your true parentage had been revealed to the king, would Robb still be able to marry you? He was the son of a lord and you were a bastard.

          As if reading your mind, the king snapped out, "Don't look so glum, girl! Just because you're a bastard now doesn't mean you always will be." Your brows furrowed. The two older gentlemen simply stared at you as they waited for you to catch on. Robb chuckled lightly and wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you to his side.

          "The king can legitimize you. He could give you a title or whatever else is necessary to ensure our marriage is legitimate." You glanced back at the king with wide eyes as you silently begged him to consider it. He laughed at your expression, something you noticed he loved to do. "I think, given who your father was, you'd be a good Lady of the Winterfell in the future. I already see the most infuriating parts of your father in you, but Ned here sees the best parts of him." Without another word, the kind walked away.

          "So, we can still marry?" you asked Ned softly and he smiled. "Yes, you can still marry. Between us, Robert has a soft spot for a real love like yours and Robb's. He would do anything to keep two people so in love together, including legitimizing you simply so you can marry."

          Ned's words seemed to be law because, before you knew it, you and Robb married two nights before Ned left with your goodsisters to King's Landing. Robb was thrust into the position of acting as Lord of Winterfell in Ned's absence and you were right by his side, ready to offer whatever your new husband needed from you.          

And when Ned was executed and war began, you were right there, fighting alongside Robb. You vowed that death would be the only thing to separate you and Robb. With the skills your father taught you, you were determined to keep you both alive as long as possible. Nothing would take Robb from you. Not war. Not the Lannisters. Not the Freys. You were your father's daughter after all.

(a/n: I hope you like it! I really could not figure out how to end it.)

Forever Tags: @fizzyxcustard @brewsthespirit-blog @etherealpotter @line-viper @frozenhuntress67 @cd1242 @gruffle1 @smalltownbigheart @supernatural4life2022

Robb Stark Tags: @multi-fandom-imagines8 @silversprings98 @i-padfootblack-things

[pluckyredhead]

☕️ what if I want the rant about ollie cheating now (or whenever you're up for it)

Oh good, because I mentioned it as bait and I'm glad someone took me up on it. 😂

CW: Sexual assault.

Yeah so here's the thing: Ollie has definitely canonically cheated on Dinah at least once, maybe twice depending on your definition. But the idea of Ollie as a serial cheater and womanizer comes from a story where he is raped. Which uhhhh is absolutely NOT cheating.

So for nearly 30 years, Ollie had exactly zero love interests. The closest he came was Miss Arrowette/Bonnie King (Cissie's mom), who appears in exactly 3 stories in the early 60s where Ollie only regards her as a pest...but in a 1969 issue of JLA where all the Leaguers bring dates to a carnival, he brings Bonnie because up to that point, she was literally the only woman he had interacted with besides Wonder Woman.

Also in 1969, he meets Dinah. Within a few issues, he's declaring his love:

Note that there's nothing to indicate that Ollie knows Bruce is stalling for time. He's just down bad.

Anyway, Ollie and Dinah are soon in a committed relationship and remain that way for over 20 years. Starting in the 80s, various writers introduced a couple of brief relationships with other women in Ollie's pre-Green Arrow past, but that's not cheating either - he dated them before he knew Dinah.

Then in 1987, DC introduced Shado, a Yakuza assassin and the best archer in the world, better than Ollie. Ollie and Shado have an immediate and intense emotional connection, but he is in a committed relationship, and neither Ollie nor Shado even vaguely hints at him leaving Dinah for her.

But then Shado shoots Ollie (long story), and then nurses him back to health through his injury-induced fever and delirium. And a little while after that, she turns up with a son, Robert, who looks a lot like Ollie. Dinah is suspicious, so Shado tells her that Ollie didn't cheat on her: Shado had sex with Ollie while he was delirious and thought she was Dinah, and Ollie has no memory of it and has no idea that Robert is his son.

To be clear: this was rape. The story doesn't treat it like rape, and it's clear the writer didn't understand that it was rape. To this day, no comic has acknowledged that Shado raped Ollie. In fact, when Ollie finds out about it years later, he's happy, because he wanted a biological son (this was pre-Connor).

(My feelings about Shado are complicated. I think she's a really interesting character, and I'm loath to discard her because of this one incident that was not intended to be interpreted as rape, but I also think it's really important that we acknowledge that it was rape because our culture is not good about consent. I think we can hold multiple ideas in our heads at once, like "Shado is interesting and cool" and "this is a fucked up story and male survivors should be supported and believed.")

The original comic also didn't treat it as cheating, but subsequent writers did. It didn't help that in the early 90s, there was a scene where Ollie (canonically in the back half of his 40s) is kissed by a college-age girl named Marianne who has a crush on him, and kisses her back. Dinah caught them and eventually broke up with Ollie over it (among other reasons). I think this is one of those things where some people would consider it cheating and some wouldn't, so YMMV.

Ollie was then killed off and replaced by Connor, and Connor's book was written by Chuck Dixon, who really hyped up Ollie's legacy of sluttiness (citation needed, Chuck) in contrast to Connor's virginal but definitely totally heterosexual purity. (Lollll sucks to suck, Chuck.)

Then Ollie was brought back. And as much as I love Quiver, the story that brings him back, it absolutely depicts what happened with Shado as Ollie cheating, which: NO, KEVIN SMITH. IT WAS RAPE. (Interestingly, Dinah seems to consider what happened with Marianne to be cheating, while Roy does not.)

This was also at the start of the post-9/11 era, where there was a real preoccupation with depicting heroes as deeply flawed, dishonest, and generally harmful, with feet of clay - just generally fucking up and being assholes pretty much all the time. (See Identity Crisis, Civil War.) And so Ollie then definitively cheated on Dinah, having sex with Black Lightning's niece Joanna, who was almost immediately murdered by a supervillain afterwards which was also largely framed as Ollie's fault because superheroes ruin everything. (And because Joanna was a triple threat of female, Black, and sexually active, so she HAD to be fridged.)

Dinah dumped Ollie again, and the way Ollie was talked about in the comics - and outside of them - rapidly escalated, with basically every character constantly describing him as a cheating horndog who couldn't keep it in his pants. This dovetailed with Ollie being portrayed as worse and worse in flashbacks around Connor's conception and birth - originally he didn't even know about Connor, then he knew but lied to everyone, then he was actively cruel to Connor's mother, etc.

I think the peak (or nadir) of all this for me was when Dinah told Babs she was marrying Ollie and Babs shrieked that she couldn't because Ollie was a CHEATER who had "fathered Connor with that Shado woman!" Um, Connor's mother is Sandra Hawke, Connor is a good 15 years older than Robert Jr., Ollie had not even met Dinah at that point, and I don't remember who wrote that issue of BoP but if you can't tell the difference between two entirely different Asian women, you're a racist hack.

Thanks to the New 52, this is all pretty much in the past (the New 52 had entirely different Green Arrow problems, including him being raped again but a completely different woman).

But in conclusion: yes, it's canon that Ollie has cheated on Dinah. However, he only cheated after getting a reputation as a cheater when he was in fact a victim of rape. Before that, he was a horndog, but specifically for Dinah and Dinah alone, and he was faithful. And I'm glad that the discourse on this has shifted so much in the past decade or so, because Ollie has done plenty of things we should blame him for, but this wasn't one of them.

[valiantstarlights]

[Loving You is Cherry Pie] How It Started

Featuring doting father Alpha!Hob (43) and his son, recently presented Omega!Dream (20).

Not me looking for something appropriate(?) to post on Father's Day and finding this in my notes. 👀

The title is from the song, "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga. While it could mean that loving someone sweet is as easy and enjoyable as eating cherry pie, knowing that Lady Gaga is allergic to cherries changes the meaning of the lyric drastically.

CWs: Aside from the dead-dove-ness of the premise, there's also toxic family dynamics (Dream's mother and her side of the family) and all the unfun stuff that goes with it, like verbal abuse, gaslighting, etc.

Important: This is (hopefully) going to be a series of non-linear oneshots. Maybe even a series of 'what if' oneshots. Who knows what I'll do? Certainly not me. 😂 Oh, and because this is an omegaverse fic, it's going to be on AO3 for public consumption. Anyway, Happy Father's Day, everybody! 😉

--

The Missus

"Talk to your son, Robert."

"And a very good morning to you as well, Nyx. May I ask what happened?"

"I merely requested, very reasonably, I might add, for him to call you 'Father' instead of his childish nickname for you, and he slammed the door in my face and called me a bitch."

"I see nothing wrong with Dream calling me 'Papa,' though?"

"You see nothing wrong with it. But everyone else is telling me how they think Dream is a spoiled, immature--"

"Everyone else, huh?"

"Yes! Look, I'm just concerned because the boy's birthday is coming up, and everyone on my side will be at the party, and--"

"Wait. A party? Nyx, you know Dream hates parties. And--"

"(scoff) That's your argument? 'Dream hates parties?' (laugh) And so what if he does? It's a family tradition--"

"Be reasonable. Dream is going to be presenting on his birthday, and he's overwhelmed enough with crowds. What more when--"

"Destiny is an introvert as well, and he did admirably at his presentation party. And besides, we both know Dream is just being dramatic, so you need to stop encouraging him. He's almost of age, Robert! He needs--"

"You're right. He's almost of age, and I think it's high time for you to start treating him like he's an adult who can make his own decisions. Have you even asked him what he wants to do on his birthday?"

"(scoff) Lock himself up in his dorm room and read his silly books, no doubt."

"So let him do that."

"Not a chance in hell. The party will be good for him. And besides, when was the last time he interacted with the right sort of people? Ever since he started at that no-name university you stupidly let him attend, he has been meeting all the wrong sorts! No wonder his attitude is becoming worse. He should spend more time with his cousins, especially the twins, who always ask when they'll see him next."

"Ha. Right."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Are you kidding? You know Desire and Despair are only asking when they'll see Dream next so they would know when they'd be able to bully him again."

"Bully-- How dare you! The twins are absolute angels!"

"Yeah. Because knocking Dream unconscious and locking him up in a closet in the attic for almost an entire day when he was nine years old is absolute angelic behavior. If I hadn't found him--"

"My god, when are you going to let that go? It's been…what, a decade? And the twins have already apologized. You were there. You saw that Dream has already forgiven them."

"Okay, one, the twins did not apologize. You made Dream apologize to them, and he only did so because you threatened to throw all his books out of the house."

"That is not--"

"No. You know what? I'm not going to argue about this with you anymore. Dream is going to decide what he wants to do for his birthday--"

"He is going to alpha the fuck up and go to his own presentation party that MY family is so graciously throwing for him--"

"--and you can decide whether or not you want to support his decision. Goodbye. (hangs up)"

--

Dream

"Hey, baby. How are you?"

"…Good."

"Everything okay? How'd you do on your paper? That was due this morning, right?"

"…I am not calling you 'Father,' Papa."

"(sigh) I never said you had to, baby. But you can see where you went wrong, yeah?"

"No."

"You called your mother a bitch."

"She is a bitch. And a hundred other worse things. She's lucky I stopped at bitch."

"Dream."

"Fine. I will apologize to her. For you."

"Good boy. And speaking of, your birthday is coming up."

"I already know what I want."

"If it's hardbound volumes of the complete works of Shakespeare--"

"(laugh) I know you hate him, Papa, so I won't torture you and make you buy things related to him for me."

"Well, that's a relief. Because I was just about to say that I was talking to your mother, and I told her that you're old enough to decide what you want to do for your birthday. So…you know, if you just want to have a pizza party with your closest friends at that gaming cafe you all go to--"

"Oh, Papa, really?"

"I know you hate the Endless's unnecessarily lavish parties, baby. So yeah, really. Consider it an additional birthday gift from me to you. If you want it, that is."

"I…Yes. I would love that. And you will be there as well, right?"

"It's your call, Dream. If you'd rather just celebrate with your friends, I could just pay the gaming cafe in advance and leave you young people--"

"No! I…I would love for you to be there. And you're not that old, Papa. But if you're busy on that day…"

"Me? Busy on my son's birthday? Never gonna happen. I would move heaven and earth and all my meetings so I can share with you all my hard-earned wisdom via dad jokes--"

"Papa--"

"--and now all your friends shall suffer the same fete!"

"Papa!"

"Get it? Fate and fete?"

"…"

"Regretting inviting me yet?"

"…Never. I was just--oh, Jessamy just arrived with our food. Hey, Jess."

"Take-out again?"

"This will be the first time this month. (muffled) Yes, it's Papa."

"Well, just be sure to limit eating take-out meals. I bought you all sorts of kitchen stuff for your dorm so you two could use it for cooking, not for decoration."

"Yes, Papa."

"Don't roll your eyes at me, baby."

"How did you--"

"Ah, hold on. (muffled) Yes, a moment, please. I have to go, baby. But enjoy your dinner and say hi to Jessamy for me."

"Yes, Papa. I'll send you a picture of our food in a bit so you may suffer for your fete joke while you're in your meeting."

"(laugh) Evil. I like it. Well, send away, baby. I'll talk to you later. Love you!"

"I love you too, Papa."

--

Jo

"Hypothetically speaking, if the house is in my name and Nyx barely resides here, can I charge her with trespassing and destruction of property?"

"Jesus Christ. What has the bitch done now?"

"(sighs) Just…we had an argument--"

"Surprise, surprise."

"--and after Dream told her he wouldn't be attending her family's presentation party for him, she has been…"

"A fucking psycho? As usual?"

"Basically."

"How's my cute nephew, anyway?"

"Thriving at university and making friends with equally brilliant people. He was home this weekend, telling me all the updates on his group's DND campaign when Nyx burst in and…well. You know."

"Yeah. And how many times have I told you to divorce her?"

"About as many times as when you pranked me when we were kids. But--"

"No. Dream is almost an adult, and he fucking hates her. There is literally no need for you to suffer her and her crazy family anymore."

"(sigh)"

"You know I'm right."

"You almost always are. So…what, do I need to lawyer up or something?"

"I mean, I already have a list of lawyers for you to choose from, if you're not fucking around anymore."

"(laugh) Hold on to that, then. I'll talk to Dream first and see what he thinks."

"What he-- Hobs, who the hell do you think gave me the list of lawyers?"

"Dream did?"

"…You know, sometimes I wonder if I actually did hit you too hard with that plastic shovel on the head when we were five and you lost all your brain cells that day."

"Alright, that's enough. I think I'm losing more brain cells just by talking to you."

"You can't lose more if you already have none, stupid. But yeah. Think about it. Divorcing Nyx, I mean."

"Been thinking about it more and more, to be honest. But keep that list ready, yeah? Just in case."

"Yep. Bye, Hobs. Tell Dream his favorite aunt says hello to her paleo mushroom bean."

"I still don't fucking understand why you call him that, and why he doesn't mind you calling him that, but yeah, sure. Bye, Jo."

--

Dream

"Happy birthday, baby! I'll see you in a bit. Just gotta get your super secret birthday gift from my super secret lair--"

"Take your time, Papa. And leave the dad jokes at home, please?"

"Mwahahahaha!"

"…That does not bode well."

--

Papa

Papa? (Missed call.) (Missed call.) (Missed call.) Papa, please pick up. I need you.

--

Dream

"Hey, Dream."

"Papa!"

"Dream, I--"

"I'm so sorry, Papa. I suspected, but I didn't really know for sure. I… Do you hate me now?"

"I just need some time to process this. But I'm okay. And no, I don't hate you. This is very much not your fault."

"But…you're not mad at me? I love you."

"…I love you too, baby. I'm just…I needed to breathe for a bit. Sorry for suddenly walking out. How did the rest of the party go?"

"(wet sniffle) It was okay. Matthew ate most of the cake, and I think Lucienne won the most games so she got the chicken dinner crown."

"What do you mean, 'I think?'"

"I wasn't really paying much attention to what was happening after you left. Sorry."

"Oh, baby."

"I just…(quiet sob) I missed my Papa."

"Fuck. I'm so sorry, Dream. I promise I'll make it up to you. We could…I don't know, rewatch your favorite series over an unlimited amount of pizza, or see a Shakespearean play at the Globe Theatre--"

"(wet laugh) But Papa, you hate Shakespeare."

"Yeah, but…I love you more. And I'm willing to put up with that bastard's--ah, hold on. Jo's calling."

"You should take Aunt Jo's call, Papa. I'll be okay."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Jessamy's here. We're rewatching Legally Blonde. Say hi, Jess."

"(muffled) Hi, Mr. G!"

"She says hi."

"Yeah, baby, I heard. So you're sure you're okay over there?"

"Yes, Papa."

"And you don't need anything else? Pizza? Blankets? My secret hot chocolate recipe?"

"No, Papa. All I needed was for you to call me."

"Oh, baby."

"I'm really sorry."

"Dream. You have nothing to be sorry for. And I'm not mad, nor do I hate you. I just…(sigh) It was…and still is, honestly, a bit of a shock. But I will always be your Papa, even if we're not blood-related. Okay?"

"Yes, Papa."

"Alright. I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay. …And Papa?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I still…(deep breath) Am I still welcome to go back home?"

"Of course, baby. You're welcome to come back home any time."

"And…And you promise you don't hate me?"

"I promise. I can never hate you."

"Okay. I love you, Papa."

"…I love you, too, baby."

--

Jo

"Shit. Sorry, Hobs. Jet just landed. Why the fuck were you calling me 27 thousand times? Are you okay? Is Dream okay? What's--"

"Dream isn't my biological son."

"I…What?"

"You heard me. I just found out when he presented as an omega and I reacted to his scent."

"You reacted-- Oh, fuck."

"I had to get the hell away from him as soon as I caught his scent. Calmed myself down a bit. A lot."

"Shit. You're compatible with him?"

"Yes."

"Jesus fucking Christ, Hobs."

"Fucking tell me about it."

"Have you talked to him yet?"

"Yeah. Just now, actually."

"How is he?"

"Worried that I hate him. Or if I'm mad at him. He wanted to know if he could still come home, Jo."

"Why the fuck would you be mad at him or hate him?"

"That's what I thought as well. Because right now? He is the last person on this earth who I will ever be mad at. But that's not what I was calling you about."

"Oh? Dream not being your bio son isn't the reason why you were calling me repeatedly like a fucking lunatic?"

"Yeah. I need you to give me that list of lawyers, Jo."

"Oh, hell yeah. Let's destroy this bitch."

--

The Missus Nyx Endless

We're over.

Excuse me? (Missed call.) Pick up the phone, Robert. (Missed call.) (Missed call.) (Missed call.) (Missed call.) You're acting like a child. (Missed call.) (Missed call.)

Stop calling me. Can't you read? We're over. Done.

And do I get to know why you're so callously filing to annul our marriage a day after our son's birthday, when he didn't even have the decency to show up to his own presentation party?

Yeah, okay.

Well? Go on.

Imagine this, Nyx. Imagine my shock and mortification when Dream, MY son, presents as an omega, and I, his supposed biological father, react to his scent. You know, in hindsight, I can see why you so desperately want him to present as an alpha. Why, if Dream did the 'proper' thing for once and became the alpha you always wanted him to be, then I would never know of your infidelity. In fact, I seem to remember a couple of nurses remarking that Dream looks healthy for supposedly being born premature. But was he really? Or was he born right on schedule? I mean, did you even pay attention in your required Secondary Gender classes? Because an alpha reacting to an omega's scent means that they're not related by blood to them. So yeah. We're over.

(Missed call.) Look, can you just pick up your phone so we can talk like actual adults instead of you suddenly accusing me of infidelity, as if you're some faultless saint who has never lusted after loose omega whores?

Funny. I'll have my lawyers contact you.

(Missed call.) (Missed call.) (Missed call.) (Missed call.)

Yeah, I'm still not gonna pick up and let you scream and gaslight me like you always do. I can fill in the blanks well enough by myself. All those work trips before our wedding? Not exactly rocket science. All I need from you right now is for you to sign the goddamn documents my lawyers are going to send.

And if I don't?

Gee, I don't know. I mean, it's not like my family owns an entire media company and has a lot of connections. Surely I wouldn't destroy you and your family's image, right? Because you've been such a good wife to me and a good mother to Dream, and you have never, not once, cheated on me with another alpha. Kronos, was it? What? Nothing to say? Fucking thought so.

--

Bean

"Aunt Jo?"

"Yeah, Bean?"

"Thank you for earlier."

"Nah. I should've fucking decked the cunt years ago. Glad I got to do it now. Seriously, don't mention it. It was my pleasure. How's your cheek?"

"Papa put an ice pack on it as soon as he could. Mother didn't draw blood, but Papa hasn't calmed down yet. He's calling even more people as we speak."

"Good. Keep that ice pack on your cheek. I'm coming over in a bit. Just gotta finish up here. You want anything?"

"Maybe vanilla ice cream for me and fish and chips from Cain and Abel's for Papa?"

"You got it."

--

CEO of Gadling Corporation Annuls Marriage to Estranged Wife

Robert Gadling, 43, annuls marriage to wife, Nyx Gadling (nee Endless) on grounds of infidelity prior to their marriage. (more on page 6.)

--

Lucienne

"Hey. I just heard the news. You okay?"

"Yes."

"Dream."

"I'm fine."

"But?"

"I don't like that I have to go by Dream Endless now. But I'm glad I don't have to see anyone from that side of the family anymore. I don't like that people whisper about me everywhere I go. But Papa doesn't hate me and I'm welcome to stay with him for as long as I want. It's a mixed bag, but I actually prefer this to how it was before."

"I mean, obviously. I met your mom once and all I could think of was hitting her with a chair. No offense."

"None taken. I wish you had. That would have definitely made last year's Halloween party more exciting."

"Alas. I was too worried about getting arrested in my Uhura costume. You were dressed as Morticia Addams, right?"

"I was. Mother was supposed to be Morticia, but she claims her costume shrank in the dryer and so foisted the costume on me. She went as the Bride of Frankenstein instead. Something about being the wife of a monster."

"Yikes. Thank god your dad had a late meeting and didn't arrive until after she had passed out from drinking most of the alcohol in the bar."

"...Mm-hmm."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Dream."

"It's nothing, Lucienne. I just remembered I have a paper due on Monday that I have yet to do, what with all the...drama."

"Oh! Yeah, of course. Sorry for suddenly going off on a tangent. I really just wanted to see if you were okay."

"And I appreciate you calling to check up on me. Truly."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll leave you to the tender mercies of your academics then, Dream Gadling."

"Thank you. I much prefer that name over the one I have right now."

--

Papa

"Hello? Papa?"

"Hey, baby. Is everything alright? It's one in the morning."

"Yes. I'm safe in my dorm. I was just thinking…Can I still call you 'Papa?' Or do you want me to call you something else now?"

"'Papa' is fine, baby. I mean… (pause) Yeah, I think it would be strange if you suddenly called me 'Robert' or something."

"You don't have to sound so disgusted with your own name, Papa. I think 'Robert' is a perfectly lovely name."

"Aww, thank you, Dream. (paper rustling)"

"Are you still working, Papa?"

"Ha. I wish. No, baby, I'm looking through profiles right now."

"Of employees?"

"(sigh) Of omegas."

"Omegas."

"Yep."

"…"

"You there?"

"Why."

"What do you mean, 'why?' For marriage, of course."

"Marriage."

"(sigh) Yes, Dream. Marriage."

"You and Mother just got your marriage annulled barely a fortnight ago."

"Yeah, well, your Papa's not getting any younger, and the Board is breathing down my neck trying to get me to get married again."

"What do they care?"

"Well, baby, it turns out that I don't have an heir yet."

"What do you mean? Am I not your heir? Did you not raise me to run the company competently one day? I'm good at the job, Papa. You know I am."

"You are. And I said the exact same thing to the Board. But they still want me to have a biological child to inherit the company someday. You know. Far into the future."

"So you have to marry again. And have a biological child with your new omega spouse. Children."

"Look, Dream, it's not like I'm having the time of my life right now."

"And me? Am I…Am I expected to just step aside for this new family of yours?"

"Baby, no. You're still my heir. Even the Board acknowledges how brilliant you are. But--"

"But once I have outlived my usefulness, I will be replaced by someone who shares your blood."

"Dream--"

"I'm suddenly feeling drowsy, Papa. Good night. (hangs up)"

"Shit."

--

Dream

No one will ever be able to take your place, Dream. You are my son, no matter who your biological father is, and I will always love you. (Missed call.) (Missed call.) (Missed call.) Can you please at least let me know if you're safe? I'm getting worried.

I'm safe.

Okay. That's good, baby. Thank you for letting me know.

--

Jessamy (Dream's roommate)

Jessamy? Is Dream alright?

Hey, Mr. G! I mean, yeah? He's quieter than usual, but he's going to classes and eating and sleeping normally. Is everything okay?

Not sure, actually. Look, can you please keep an eye on him?

Yup, sure thing! Anything in particular you want me to look out for?

Just strange behavior, I suppose. The two of you have been roommates for a couple of years now, so in a way, you know better than I do what to look out for.

--

Eleanor

"I'm sorry. I don't know what has gotten into him."

"Hey, it's okay. It's totally understandable that he'd be very protective of you."

"It's just… I've never seen him act like that before. He's usually so well-mannered."

"Seriously, Robert, it's fine. Sure, he glared at me the entire night and interrogated me like I'm a criminal, but given what you both have been through, I get it. If I were in his shoes, I would totally do the same thing."

"I don't think you would 'accidentally' spill a glass of red wine over another person's clothes, though."

"Pssh, please. I have 'accidentally' spilled many an alcoholic drink when I was in uni as well. Granted, I spilled them mostly on handsy alphas."

"I'm really sorry."

"And I really don't mind. It's a dress, Robert. I can get it dry cleaned. If anything, Dream has provided me with the perfect excuse to go shopping."

"You don't have to be so understanding about this. He was a right little hellion tonight."

"Trust me, I've dealt with worse. Oh, hold on. (muffled) Oh, thank you, Chris. I just got home."

"Good. Great. I'll see you soon?"

"(laugh) I'll see you during our business lunch on Monday, Robert. And don't worry, it will take more than a glass of 'accidentally' spilled red wine on my dress to scare me off."

"(relieved sigh) Thanks, Eleanor."

"Ellie. You've dabbed enough napkins on my person to call me Eleanor."

"Ellie, then. Good night."

"Good night, Robert."

--

Dream

"Dream. Care to explain your behavior tonight?"

"Not really."

"Dream."

"Robert."

"…Okay, I'm going to give you time to calm down, but I still expect that explanation from you. And an apology to Eleanor."

"…"

"Dream."

"(hangs up)"

--

Jessamy (Dream's roommate)

Um, Mr. G? Dream came back yesterday at around 3AM, and he was really hungover this morning. Please don't tell him I told you.

Alright. Thank you, Jessamy.

--

Dream

"I said no, Corinthian."

"…Corinthian?"

"…Papa."

"Anything you need to tell me, baby?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Right."

"…"

"Well, I just called to tell you I won't be home this weekend."

"Understood. I am to let no one in, and all exterior doors must be locked at all times. Should an intruder somehow get past security, I am to hide in the safe room first and call you and/or Aunt Jo second."

"(sigh) Dream…"

"Is there anything else?"

"I miss you."

"…"

"We've barely talked since I started meeting with potential omega partners, and when we do talk, I get the sense that you'd rather do anything else than talk to me. What do I have to do? I feel like I'm suddenly doing everything wrong where you're concerned."

"If I ask you to stop meeting with other omegas, would you do it?"

"Baby…I have to."

"Then there's nothing left to talk about."

"You know you're one of the most, if not THE most important person in my life. I want you to be a part of this decision too. Anyone I choose must also have your approval."

"And if I choose no one?"

"(sigh) Baby…"

"You say I'm important to you. But--"

"Hold on. (muffled) What? Now? Goddammit. (sigh) Listen, baby. I have to go. But I'll call you later, okay? Just before my plane leaves, as always. I hope you answer. I don't like leaving on a plane without talking to you beforehand. You're my good luck charm, you know?"

"Fine. What time shall I expect your call?"

"(muffled) Yes, it's Dream. Just one more second, Ellie. What was that, baby?"

"Nothing. I said I'll pick up when you call. Is that Eleanor?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. We're both attending the same international conference, so I invited her to just fly with me on the jet."

"...I see. I have to go to class now."

"Oh, of course. Sorry for keeping you. Have a good day at school, baby. Love you."

"(hangs up)"

--

Papa

Ppa help In eed you Ith urts

[sugdenlovesdingle]

You know that scene in Emmerdale's Aaron and Robert are having that hushed little married couple argument about letting Faith in the house (she's trying to move in), we'll I would love something like that for Buck and Tommy 😂.

Like maybe Eddie or Madney just won't leave and they're having a quiet argument in the kitchen about who's fault it was that they're even there in the first place 😂

Oh i can definitely see it happening with Eddie. They invited him over for dinner or something to cheer him up and then expect him to just go home after, only he's had too much to drink to be able to drive and drunk!Eddie gets all melancholy and Buck is torn between wanting to Be There for his best friend and wanting to get naked with his hot boyfriend.

I don't know if you meant it as a fic prompt but this happened:

----

"What do we do? He can't go home like this." Buck said quietly, one eye on Eddie slumped over on the sofa.

He'd invited Eddie along when he mentioned going to Tommy's to cook for him, knowing Tommy wouldn't mind, and the evening had been nice. Only one beer with dinner turned into a lot of beers during and after dinner, and Eddie moping and talking about how his life was a mess.

"I know, he's had way too much to drink." Tommy agreed, having joined Buck in the kitchen under the guise of helping him with dessert.

"Maybe I should call him an Uber."

"He'll pass out in the car and they'll leave him on the curb. And that's the best case scenario."

Buck groaned and dropped his head on Tommy's shoulder.

"I hate it when you're right." he stepped a little closer and wrapped his arms around Tommy's waist, letting out a content sigh when the other man's wrapped around his shoulders and he pressed a kiss to his temple.

"Maybe he'll just pass out on the sofa soon and we'll get him a blanket and some aspirin for the hangover tomorrow, and we can go upstairs." Tommy said hopeful.

"Tomás!" Eddie called out from the living room. "You still owe me a rematch from our mu-my-mui our sesh the other day! Let's go big man! I can take you!" he stood up from the sofa and almost lost his balance.

Tommy winced.

"Maybe I should go make sure he doesn't get himself killed falling through the glass table."

Buck tightened his grip on Tommy's waist.

"Not yet."

"What're youtwo doing'nthere?" Eddie had stumbled into the kitchen. "You're making out! In secret!"

"No, no, we weren't. We're just... standing here." Buck said, wishing Eddie would go back to the living room and give them five minutes of peace.

"Uhuh... that's what me and Shannon used t'do. And then, and thennn... there was Chris!"

"I don't think there's any risk of that happening for us." Tommy said, amused.

Eddie considered his words for a moment and then nodded.

"But Buck likes kids! He's like... the... baby whisperer. He... he... can talk to kids... you know? You need to give him a baby. Do you hear me Tomás? You gotta give Buck a baby."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Hey Eds, do you want to crash on the sofa tonight? It's getting late." Buck offered.

Eddie frowned.

"No. No. Noooo. I'll just... go hooome. To my big... house... with no-one in it... because my son went to Texas... bcuz I screwed up."

"Nope you're staying here." Tommy insisted. "Or else Evan and I will be worrying about you all night and wondering if you made it home in one piece." He reluctantly let go of Buck and gently steered Eddie back to the living room.

"You don't have to worry about me!" Eddie announced, a little too loudly. "I'll be fiiiine!"

"Yeah, well, you can be fine on my sofa for tonight. Humour me." Tommy told him. "Evan, can you get the blanket and pillow from the spare room for him?"

About an hour later, Eddie was snoring on the sofa and Buck followed Tommy up the stairs to the bedroom. He let himself fall forward onto the bed and buried his face in Tommy's pillow, not turning around until he felt the other man's hand running down his spine.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled, deciding to bury his face in Tommy's chest instead.

"What for?"

"Ruining date night..."

"Evan..." Tommy started and waited for Buck to look at him. "Nothing's ruined. You wanted to cheer your best friend up because he's going through a tough time. What's so bad about that?"

Buck gave him a one armed shrug.

"It's not exactly the romantic night we planned..."

"No... but we have plenty of opportunities for romantic nights together. I wouldn't be able to enjoy it anyway if I knew Eddie was home alone feeling miserable. And I know you wouldn't either."

"I suppose not." Buck agreed. "And the hangover he'll have when he wakes up will be plenty of payback." he joked and they both laughed.

[fandominstability]

Athena can just see how much he doesn’t want this medal

Bobby, baby 😭😭😭

Madney and Henren cuteness at the ceremony, bless 😭

Evan you leave Ravi and his food alone

“I assumed he was dead” “only in our hearts” CHIMNEY PLEASE 😂😂😂 (no but I agree, fuck gerrard)

“Whenever I see some filth, I think of you” chimney han, funniest man alive

YES MADDIE AND ATHENA INTERACTION

Fuck off councilwoman

“Sadly her heroics didn’t extend to my son” bitch HE REFUSED CARE stfu

Mara is smiling and having fun and hanging out with her big brother and TALKING, god I love this for her

I’m sorry, your WHAT NOW MR NASH?

Not the point, but Athena’s little finger thing when she held her hand out for Bobby to take? The most adorable thing

Eddie Diaz, you messy, messy bitch, why do you have this bitch out on a boat in the middle of the city in broad daylight

Not Kim being an actress

Not Athena faking an emergency with one of Amir’s patients to get him to come up there 😭 a whole family of messy bitches apparently

“Nash doesn’t seem like the impulsive type” “normally he isn’t” says the woman he impulsively proposed to 😂😂😂 (which I fully supported, this just made me laugh)

This has nothing to do with anything, but Athena’s nails look so good

NOT THE SLOW MO CALL WITH THIS SAD ASS MUSIC, ROBERT WADE NASH I SWEAR TO GOD

MOTHER HEN BOBBY SO HELP ME WE’RE NOT FUCKING DOING THIS

He’s parenting them all one last time, I am chewing glass

TURNING OVER COOKING DUTY TO BUCK SOMEONE SEDATE ME

GIVING EDDIE HIS PRAYERS BOOK HELP

“My work here is done” NO THE FUCK ITS NOT

Oh god Buck is meeting Kim

“She’s not my girlfriend” okay Eddie

Eddie “messy bitch” Diaz

Wilson-Han family night together??? I fucking love this???

Finally someone recognizes something’s going on with Bobby

Fuck you Olivia Ortiz, I know you’re fucking with Henren’s adoption

Oh you finally told her about Shannon, that’s good I think?

I had to pause in the middle of Eddie and Kim’s convo so here’s my “live blog” up to that

[drakaripykiros130ac]

I am just curious about one thing:

If the greens believe that they are right in all aspects when it comes to the line of succession, why did they have to grab onto power using secretiveness and deviousness?

Aegon got himself the name “usurper” because his dear mother and grandfather plotted behind closed doors to crown him, while keeping Viserys’ death a secret.

If they truly believed they were in the right, they would have publicly announced Viserys’ death, allowed Rhaenyra (as the king’s chosen heir and eldest child) to return to King’s Landing in order to mourn her father. And then, the greens could have used the time to present their case to the Council as well as people: that according to tradition and old Westerosi laws (which Lords can easily change), the King’s eldest son, meaning Aegon, is supposed to succeed him.

Why didn’t they do that?

Why did they imprison Rhaenys?

Why did they let Viserys’ body to rot in his room without anyone knowing?

Why did they kill a Lord who was on his way to Dragonstone in order to inform the Heir and daughter to the King that her father was dead?

I’ll tell you why: because all they care about is grabbing power for themselves and House Hightower, they used Viserys for their own gain and shit on his memory. They don’t give a damn whether or not they are right, especially not Otto. And yet the smell of hypocrisy in that family could be sensed in the whole Realm. “Honor and decency”, was it? 😂🤦‍♀️ Let’s not get into how many people they killed up until now to secure “honor and decency”.

And they probably knew that the chance for them to succeed and crown Aegon by doing the right thing would have been slim. Especially with Rhaenyra in King’s Landing. As Princess of Dragonstone, Rhaenyra was supposed to stay on Dragonstone and rule there, until the time came for her to take over as Queen. And the Greens took advantage by installing their men and beliefs in King’s Landing, while Viserys was gravely ill.

So, supporters of the so-called team green can spare me their weak arguments.

The beliefs of Team Black may not be supported by old Westerosi laws (which can be changed by the Lords who made them), but they are definitely morally right.

And of course, honor and decency will prevail when Rhaenyra and Daemon’s line continues the Targaryen dynasty while the Greens are all wiped out.

It is not surprising that in Westerosi history, the lines of usurpers ended (Maegor, Aegon II, Robert Baratheon etc.)

#TEAM BLACK

[x-authorship-x]

Can't stop thinking about some sort of Actor AU with Shisui reading for the first time the script of his death and having a whole reaction like, "THAT'S how I die? What?? Suicide, seriously??" talking with Itachi about how terribly written the scene is and arguing that there are so many more ways of him to die better than this! In ways that would make more sense for his character! And Itachi listens to it all while nodding because yeah, Shisui's completely right

*holds your hands and spins you in a circle* ANON, I LOVE AN ACTOR AU!!!❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

this is all so accurate lmao you know that picture from the script reading for game of thrones???

That's the room when shisui yeets himself over the cliff and leaves Itachi's child actor standing there, eye in hand, looking like a whole ass murderer lmao

Okay but can we also imagine an Actors AU for my HOPE AU? Like I'm sorry I'll never leave that series alone but can we talk about this chaos?!

Bonus points if:

shisui being originally his character's stunt double and then something happens and the actor pulls out so Shisui is thrown the script and absolutely kills it (like that story about how Harrison Ford was the carpenter hanging the door when Lucas was running Star Wars auditions etc etc)

Inoichi's actor bringing in his own daughter to play Ino because she's an absolute force of nature

Sasuke's actor is actually played by Shisui's actor's little brother and it's this running joke that he likes Itachi's actor so much more 😂 (ino's actor taking insult to this and wanting her dad to take shisui home with them for real)

Itachi's mother is actually mikoto's actress who was the ideal casting but wouldn't let her son, who did adverts and stuff as a child model, attend the set without her... She makes filming a bit of a nightmare

Kakashi goes full Robert Patterson and starts wildly lying in interviews, his character was supposed to be way more intimidating, like a proper military hardass, but this is what you get when you cast an indie actor who proceeds to wear the strangest face coverings to all promotions (including a paper bag with cut out eyes to "preserve Kakashi's modesty") (the mask was also the actors idea, citing it was mysterious and dehumanising to his character... Only to later reveal it's because he didn't want to take his lipring out)

Kisame spends about 6 hours in hair and makeup every morning and he has to wear one of those huge cgi suits to make him taller (like Beast in live action beauty and the beast) and the struggle to take him seriously is REAL

Kana the crow... Is this huge green lump that shisui has to talk to so seriously, like a bull machine, and Akira is this stuffed green puppet lmao Kakashi please stop doing a David Attenborough commentary impression off camera

Danzo's actor was a huge heartthrob when he was younger and everyone who recognises him is both impressed and horrified at the transformation

Fugaku's actor becomes a meme for being photographed at several rallies standing off with police only to get cast as a Shinobi cop 😂

Sarutobi's actor is the guy they ALWAYS cast to play Old Wise Man (no one is quite sure what he did before he was old enough for these roles)

Tenzo's actor is a famous singer and this is his - very unexpected - breakout role and his fans almost break the barrier at the red carpet when he walks out

Like c'mon this is just 🤌🤌🤌 to me ✨

[brian-in-finance]

I know this is a long shot but has Cait ever been on an EMMY prediction list? Usually she was on the GG. Amazed that she is here even if not in the top 6.

https://variety.com/lists/2024-emmys-lead-actress-drama-predictions/also-in-contention-2/

Thanks for the message, Anon. 😃

Your link includes Variety’s predictions of nominees in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Nominations will be announced on 17 July and the Emmys awarded on 15 September.

Variety included this photo in its story published yesterday, 11 April 2024:

Photo : Robert Wilson for Starz

It’s not a long shot, as you suggest. To date, she’s never been nominated, but predictions lists have included Caitríona’s name every Outlander season. Here are some examples:

The Wrap 2015 / Season 1

E! News 2016 / Season 2

Awards Watch 2018 / Season 3

Spoiler TV 2019 / Season 4

Gold Derby 2020 / Season 5

We Are Actors (Variety) 2022 / Season 6

Variety 2024 / Season 7

Outlander has been nominated four times.

Screenshot: IMDb

Regarding 2024 Emmys for Drama, Variety has published its predictions lists for Drama Series, Lead Actor, and Lead Actress. The lists for Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Directing, Writing, and Casting are pending. Maybe we’ll see more Outlander representation in those five categories? 🍿

Remember… I'm thinking about naming my first son Emmy so I can say I've got one. I want Emmy, Oscar, and Tony - and my daughter Grammy. — Noah Wyle

😂 According to IMDb, Noah Wyle has two children, sons, and neither is named Emmy. He received five Emmy nominations for playing Dr John Carter on ER.

[maid-with-sunset-in-her-hair]

My opinion is that none of the stark children knows what happened to their family before especially LYANNA, like yea they have an idea that both the three died, but do they actually know what caused their death ? No, merely the fact that Bran has no idea about the tourney of harrenhal is really telling and Ned most likely kept a tight-lipped about what happened after the tourney 

Hello! I agree with you that Ned probably didn't tell anyone about what happened before and during Robert's Rebellion, after all, Catelyn didn't know the gruesome details about Rickard and Brandon's murders. But Ned isn't the only one responsible for raising and educating his children, there's also Catelyn, Maester Luwin, Septa Mordane, Ser Rodrik and others.

Lyanna's kidnapping and Rickard and Brandon's murders aren't just personal tragedies for the Starks, they're also some of the most important political events in the last twenty years. Robb was going to become Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, and Sansa was supposed to marry Robert's son and become the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, so they needed to know about Robert's Rebellion to function in their upcoming political positions.

It makes sense that Bran only knows the barebones of the situation, because he's eight years old, but Theon knows about the Tourney at Harrenhal:

But there were others with faces he had never known in life, faces he had seen only in stone. The slim, sad girl who wore a crown of pale blue roses and a white gown spattered with gore could only be Lyanna. Her brother Brandon stood beside her, and their father Lord Rickard just behind. (ACOK Theon V)

Jon probably also knows about Lyanna being kidnapped and raped by Rhaegar, otherwise the revelation of his true parentage will have to include an history lesson 😂

Basically, Robb, Jon and Sansa know the basic historical facts about Robert's Rebellion even if they don't have all the details, Arya and Bran probably know that their family members died during it or maybe that they were killed by the Targaryens.

[bobgasm]

kingpin ⦾ eight

pairing: robert“bob” floyd x ofc!emery young word count: 3263 warnings: pretty mild chap tbh, issues at the casino, digging into emery’s past, meeting with richard, morgan thinks emery is hiding something,

summary: in which emery meets morgan floyd

author’s note: hiatus be damned 😂 i’ve posted two new bob fics and am starting a whole stripper!rhett movement as well. enjoy

seven | kingpin | nine

Bob tapped his fingers on the table as he watched the second hand on the clock slowly tick its way around. He wasn’t surprised that his father had called a meeting, but he was surprised that he’d called it during work hours. It made him antsy having Richard and their closest confidants in the conference room while Emery was next door. She hadn’t been brought up to speed, but most importantly, they weren’t sure if they could trust her yet.

Coyote sat to Bob’s immediate right, as it had been for a long time. His presence always calmed Bob whenever Richard called these meetings. Most of the time they were good and productive, but other times a phone call to Bob for any updates would have sufficed. 

Bob knew what this meeting was about. He was bringing everyone up to speed on Decker’s disappearance. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, sat at the table to Bob’s far left. They had previously served under Richard’s orders, and while the men had grown older and phased out of their roles, they were still Richard’s most loyal men. Everyone else at the table was under Bob’s command, since Richard had been slowly phasing himself out of the business. 

If you asked Bob, he was stalling. He didn’t really want to get out, but Heather had given him an ultimatum. She wanted to retire happily with no more death and bloodshed knocking at their door. She didn’t want to lose her husband before his time, and she’d been patient for years. Waiting for the day their son was old enough to take over, but the day couldn’t come fast enough. Though she hated the idea of her son being the target, Bob thrived in the environment. There had been a steady decline in deaths amongst their men with Bob at the head of the table. 

Reuben “Payback” Fitch flanked Coyote’s right side. He owned a boxing gym not too far away, where Bob liked to spend his early mornings training with Coyote. The men were all close. Young in age and had proven themselves worthy of a seat at the table.

At Bob’s immediate left was Halo, and to her left was the spot typically reserved for Decker. Dominic Decker, who had been their accountant up until recently, but had decided late one night to throw in the towel and retire. Something no one took lightly. 

Even Ice and Mav had understood the process of being phased out. They were still loyal to Richard, but no longer handling a lot of the heavy grunt work, even if Mav would argue to whoever was listening that he was still as fit as the younger guys.

Bob knew the two older men had worked closely with Decker in the past. He also knew that to everyone else present, his seat being empty wasn’t a good sign. Coyote was the only one who officially knew, but had brought Mav and Ice in to try and find him. As soon as Richard arrived to start the meeting, they’d all be brought up to speed.

Bob ground his teeth together as the time displayed his father was now twenty minutes late. Everyone sat in tense silence. He was in half a mind to commandeer the meeting himself, but before he could, Richard entered the room.

He said nothing as he sat, but took a second to nod a ‘hello’ to everyone in the room.

“Where’s Omaha?” Richard asked.

Everyone turned to look at Bob. “Nebraska,” he answered, trying to hide his smirk. “His grandmother isn’t well. I’ll bring him up to speed later.”

Richard grunted. “Very well. Robert?”

“Dominic Decker retired by email almost two weeks ago. Up until then, he was our accountant. Some of you know him better than others.” Bob referred to his men knowing Decker, not Ice or Mav. They knew there was someone well trusted making sure the books were tidy, but other than that, he was faceless to them. Richard and a robert liked to run things differently. “He gave no warning that he wanted to retire, no chance to bring a new accountant in until it was too late. I’ve had to bring someone in who is extremely green to try and keep on top of everything Decker left. It’s too early to tell if she’s someone we can trust, but Coyote is looking into her past. See if there’s anything we can use as leverage.”

Bob nodded at Coyote. “Until I’m satisfied with my results, Bob will be handling any off the book payments personally. Our main priority is to find Decker.”

“Ice and I managed to find that he was heading south and crossed the border into Mexico,” Maverick informed everyone. “He used Richard’s name.”

“Son of a bitch!” Richard erupted, slamming his hand down on the table. “Why am I only being informed of this now?”

“You left me in charge of this,” Bob stated calmly. 

“I told you I wanted updates as soon as you had them!” Richard bellowed. 

Thankfully, no one dared to speak up. Bob stared his father down. “You made the call to let me handle this,” he reminded Richard. “I’m handling this.”

“You’re letting other people handle it for you!” Richard snapped. 

“The more eyes we have trying to find Decker, the better. We don’t have time to waste. Coyote, Maverick and Iceman were acting on my authority. We also have someone tracking his possible movements. Someone Decker has never seen before.”

Bob thought his father was about to blow an aneurysm the way his face reddened. If it was possible, he was sure steam would blow from his ears. “Who?”

“Hangman,” Bob stated. “If Decker’s running from us, we can’t have anyone he knows trying to follow him. Hangman’s the best. He’s already reported that Decker flew out of Mexico using the name Cooper Smith.”

“Where is he now?”

“We believe he’s in Quito, Ecuador,” Coyote replied. “He was seen getting off the plane, but his credit card records show he bought further tickets to Madrid, Dubai and Moscow.”

Richard’s scowl was permanently set on his face, anger blazing in his eyes as he stared at Bob. “Find him and bring him to me.”

Bob had been avoiding the office for most of the day. Since the meeting earlier that morning, he’d tried to keep himself busy with other work. For the most part, it was chasing up overdue invoices on behalf of Emery. Emery, who everyone still believed to be Decker, and Bob intended to keep it that way until the man was found.

Or it had been decided that Emery could be trusted.

Bob hoped that Coyote’s background check proved to be fruitful. He hoped there was something in her past that would make her easy to manipulate to do their bidding. It wasn’t fair, but he was desperate. He needed her brought up to speed sooner rather than later. He needed to make sure everyone was getting paid, not just the legally employed. 

He regretted giving Emery so much free reign, but her credentials meant she knew what she was doing. He had to trust that she would approach him with any queries or concerns, but he hoped like hell there weren’t any. He had left Decker to his own devices for the most part, so God only knows how he organised things. He couldn’t stop the voice in the back of his mind telling him that Emery already knew – that she was smarter than she let on. He had to give her the benefit of the doubt for now. 

At least until Coyote found something they could use against her. 

“What are you doing?” Morgan asked. Bob sighed as he held his phone to his ear, leaning back in his chair and loosening his tie. 

He decided he’d fucked around long enough and should show face at the office. Even if there was only Halo and Emery to show face for, he had to do it. His father was still the Don, the boss. Getting reamed in front of everyone for the way he’d chosen to handle a task that Richard had given him wasn’t ideal. It made him look unreliable. He hated looking like a fool, but whenever Richard called a meeting, Bob was an easy scapegoat.

“Paperwork,” Bob replied blandly. “What do you want?”

“Richard wanted me to remind you that he’s taking mom away for their anniversary,” she told him. He sighed once again and ran a hand through his hair. “I know. It’s not a good time, but mom’s been excited for this trip for weeks.”

“I know. Did Richard say where they’re going?” Bob asked. It would be exactly like his father to suggest they go to Ecuador, since his men recently revealed that’s where they think Decker is. 

“The farm,” Morgan replied. 

The farm was a few thousand acres the Floyd family owned in Montana. Bob assumed their mother suggested the farm, since that’s where they got married. If she had it her way, they’d never return to the city. They’d spend the rest of their days growing old and tending to a few cattle. 

“Maybe mom’ll talk some more sense into him about retiring,” Bob mused, reaching for a pen on his desk and twirling it around his fingers. “It’s growing old, having two people in charge. If he doesn’t go peacefully, you know it’ll be a war.”

Morgan hummed her approval. “I think he’ll go once Decker is found,” she admitted. “I think he feels personally slighted by his…retirement.”

Bob laughed at the distaste in her voice. “We all feel personally slighted by his retirement. Add in the fact that he used Richard’s name to cross the border…there’s no telling what he’ll do if I don’t find him first.”

“Where are you on that?”

“I’ll meet you at Feather’s later,” he replied, blowing out a breath. 

“Bring Emery with you. I’d still like to meet her, then we can talk later,” Morgan replied. “I’m heading over to Dice. We have a high roller I need to keep an eye on. Guy seems to keep winning big. Mind sending Coyote over for a bit?”

“I’ll call him now.” Bob wasted no time ending the call and tapping Coyote from his recents. “Morgan needs you at Dice.”

“Everything okay?”

“High roller keeps winning big. Check the footage and suggest a change of deck, dice or staff, but make it seem like it’s her idea.”

“I’m on it,” he replied. “I’ll keep you updated.”

“Thanks.” A knock at his door prompted him to end the call quickly. “Come in!”

The door cracked open and Bob briefly acknowledged Emery as he tightened his tie again. “Sorry to bother you, Bob,” she apologised.

“No bother,” he assured her. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “I’ve been looking into ways to better secure your current banking system. I need your approval to sign off on a list of approvers for payments. I know it adds an extra step to paying bills, but this way you have an idea of what money is outgoing each week. Right now, it means that I’m loading payments and approving them, which doesn’t fill me with a lot of confidence. I’d feel better if you were the one making the final approvals.”

Bob mulled it over. “What does it entail?”

“You’d need to call the bank and ask for a separate login, as well as request that my login be strictly for loading payments. Once a week, I’d send you a screencap of the payments with a little explanation about what they’re for. It wouldn’t take too long to approve them, depending on how many were sitting there requiring your approval.”

She’d taken a seat by now, one leg crossed neatly over the other. Bob had noticed she’d been in the office a lot more frequently, though he hadn’t felt the need to comment on it. 

“Okay, I think that’s a great idea,” he replied. “Keeps me more informed about our weekly expenses, too. I’ll make the call.”

“Brilliant,” she replied with a smile, relaxing slightly. “That makes me feel better.”

Bob gave her a smile of his own. “Are you free later? Morgan’s still on my ass about meeting you.”

“Do I meet the dress code today?” She asked him, earning a laugh in response. “Yeah, that’s fine. I have time.”

“We’ll head over to Feather’s after work,” he told her. “The girls don’t start until nine. It’s a regular bar until then.” He didn’t know why he felt the need to clarify, but he watched relief flood her features regardless. 

“My sister is going to get a kick out of it when I tell her you’re taking me to a strip club tonight.”

Bob heeded Emery’s advice to contact the bank and go about creating a new login that had to approve the payments. Her suggestion was smart and he wondered if that was common practice. That he’d had too much trust in Decker to ever worry about it before, but then he remembered his father. Richard wasn’t tech savvy at all. Anything that was more effort than a phone call, he was clueless about. Still, it would’ve been a good safety measure to have in place no matter how much trust Richard had in Decker.

It was shortly after five when Bob offered to drive Emery to Feathers, but she politely declined. 

“I don’t want to have to detour back here to pick my car up when we’ve finished,” she explained. “I’ll meet you there?”

Bob smiled in response, agreeing to meet her there before he headed out. Making the twenty minute drive to Feathers, but traffic saw him arrive at 6:15. He parked his car in the lot and waited at the entrance for Emery, who pulled in a short while later. He held the door open for her before leading her through the club, towards a booth that Morgan occupied as her makeshift office. 

Morgan greeted them both with a smile. “Hi, I’m Morgan, it’s great to finally meet you.”

Emery shook the hand Morgan outstretched towards her and gave her a smile of her own. “I’m Emery, and likewise.”

“Bob, you mind getting us some drinks? What do you want, Emery?” Morgan asked, gesturing for Emery to take a seat. She did hesitantly while letting her eyes flit between the Floyd siblings. 

“Oh, um, I’ll have a sprite,” she told him. 

Bob nodded, turning on his heel to grab it for her. Making himself comfortable behind the bar and pouring himself a whiskey on the rocks, making a vodka soda for Morgan and a simple sprite for Emery. Popping straws in the tall glasses before carrying them back to the table. He took a seat beside Morgan. 

“How’re you settling in?” Morgan asked. Bob was curious to know, too. 

Emery played with the straw in her drink. “Yeah, good, thank you,” she replied politely. “It’s a lot of work to comb through and familiarise myself with again, but I think I’m doing alright.”

“Have you found a place here yet?” Was Morgan’s follow-up question. 

“My sister and I have agreed on a place,” Emery said. 

“Penny’s been helping them,” Bob told Morgan. He wasn’t sure if he’d mentioned it yet, but he knew his sister would appreciate the reminder. 

“She’s great, isn’t she?” Morgan gushed. “She helped me find the location for Feathers a few years back.”

“Yeah.”

Morgan shared a look with Bob who merely sipped his whiskey as the two women talked. Emery wasn’t very forthcoming with information, and whether that was because her boss was sitting next to her or she was more reserved, Bob didn’t know. What he did know, however, was that Morgan was persistent. She had her own unique way of making people talk. 

When Bob had similar issues, he tended to use his fists. 

“What’s your sister’s name?” Morgan continued her interrogation. 

Emery sipped her drink before setting it back on the coaster. “Natasha. Nat.”

“How old is she? Do you have any more siblings?”

“Twenty eight,” Emery replied. “No, just Nat.”

“What about your parents? What do they do?” Morgan tried again. 

Bob watched Emery close herself off. She sat up a little straighter, a hand grabbing for the opposite arm. She pressed her lips together in a thin line, eyes focused on the condensation running down the glass in front of her. 

“My mom’s a waitress,” she revealed. “Never knew my father.”

“Do you see your mom often?” Bob asked. 

Emery nodded. “I try to.”

“That’s good. Family’s important,” Bob said, casting a sideways look at Morgan. “Unless your name is Morgan Floyd.”

Morgan wasted no time hitting Bob’s shoulder. He barely flinched, but the interaction made Emery smile. She relaxed a little, enough to let go of her arm. 

“Excuse my brother,” Morgan told her. “I’d say you get used to him, but you don’t really.”

Emery gave a small laugh and reached for her drink. “Spoken like an older sibling.”

Bob chuckled. “Not wrong there.”

Morgan steered the conversation back to Emery. She asked a few more personal things, like where she went to school, how old she was and the like. Bob was surprised to learn she was 24, but that she had paid her way through college at the University of Southern California. He’d known that from her interview, but hearing it again didn’t hurt. It solidified that she was driven, like she’d said. 

Emery kept things brief. Once she’d finished her drink and spent enough time with Morgan, she made the call to leave. She still had a long drive home, so Morgan bade her farewell and Bob walked her out to her car. 

“Sorry about her, I didn’t think she’d pry as much as she did, otherwise I would’ve given you warning,” Bob apologised. 

“I get it. I’m a new face in your family’s business. She’s trying to build a rapport.” Emery clicked the button on her fob to unlock her car. “You didn’t have to walk me out just so you could apologise on her behalf.”

“The bouncers don’t arrive until eight, when the dancers start arriving,” Bob explained. “There’s some people in the world who’d want to hurt you because they felt like you owed them something. Being a woman in a parking lot of a strip club would’ve been like an open invitation to try something. Goodnight, Ms Young. Drive safe.”

She thanked him, briefly pausing to give him one last look of appreciation before getting into her car. Bob waited until she’d driven off to enter the club and join his sister again.

“She seems nice, albeit reserved,” Morgan said. 

Bob nodded in agreement. “Add in the fact that I asked her to meet my sister at a strip club.” He ran his hand over his face. “Probably thinks we’ve got some kind of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ thing going on.”

Morgan barked out a laugh. “Of course you’d be concerned with the pretty young accountant thinking that. You’re an idiot. I assume Coyote’s running a background check on her?”

“You assume correct,” Bob replied, signaling the bartender for another whiskey. “How’d things go at Dice earlier?”

“Guy paid off the dealer. Split the winnings 50/50. Coyote took care of it.”

Bob nodded. “Good.”

“Keep an eye on her.” So they’re back to Emery, Bob thought. “She’s hiding something.”

“We’ve all got secrets,” Bob reminded her. “Bet the skeletons in my closet are worse than the ones in hers.”

[nrilliree]

tumblr.com/queenvhagar/750950715697086464/my-perhaps-controversial-take-on-the-hotd

Thoughts?

Och, my thoughts? Somethings like this:

Absolutely, but it doesn't surprise me at all that all, literally all, TG characters were juxtaposed with the Starks, the obvious protagonists of GoT, and the TB characters with obvious antagonists. At all 😂 To complete the set, I still miss Vaemond with a crystal heart, who would be our new Ned Stark. And Aemond compared to Oberyn. I can't 😂🤣

The TB comparisons are so nonsense that most of them are limited to "bastard? bastard" and that's where the logic of these comparisons ends, so I'll stick with TG because they amaze me more.

Alicent and Catelyn only have in common that they both wanted revenge for hurting their son. Only Catelyn didn't demand that Tommen be pushed off the tower in exchange for Jamie hurting Bran. Alicent is a woman who abused her power as queen and who couldn't understand that her time was up. Alicent is only a queen dowager, Helaena was already queen, but Alicent still acted like THE queen… just like Cersei did to Margery. Alicent and her son the usurper king inflicted mental torture and threats of mutilation on their highborn prisoner - they treated Aegon III exactly as Cersei and Joffrey treated Sansa. And I can go on and on…

Criston and Jamie are united only by false loyalty to the reigning king. Jamie actually served the Lannisters at heart, and Criston stole the crown by taking part in the usurpation plot. That's all. Jamie, unlike Criston, had some remnants of honor that he tried to rebuild. He himself considered Criston a good and bad man at the same time, but he did not know the exact information. Jamie finally started fighting for his honor when Criston, on the contrary, committed one murder, then another, took part in the usurpation of the throne, the coup d'état, the murders of the lords… When the Kingslayer has more honor than you, you know it's bad.

Otto… well, I've never seen Otto as a second Littlefingier, because Larys would be a better comparison here. However, Tywin, although he pretended to be smarter than he was (remember his words about murdering a dozen at dinner instead of thousands in battle, when in fact the entire army was murdered behind the walls of the castle where the dinner was taking place…?), he still knew how to play the game, make an appearance and gain allies. Otto was fired and replaced by a dunce with a sword without a cross of political experience :)

And… my favorite. Aegon II and Robb :D The only thing they have in common is that they were usurpers. Because yes, Robb, going against the crown and declaring himself king, was a usurper. But apart from that, despite his young age, he was his father's son and there was more honor in him than in the entire TG put together. Aegon II is Joffrey, no matter how much the TGs stamp their feet and deny it. Crossed with Robert. They were both usurpers who their mothers had placed on the throne, hoping they could rule them and quell their sadistic tendencies. Aegon II is a rapist who molested servants from an early age, fathered and abandoned bastards, a drunken, incompetent king who thrived on cruelty. Joffrey ripped open cats and shot innocent girls with a crossbow, Aegon raped such girls and enjoyed watching starving children fighting in filthy holes.

[thatbitchsimone]

To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Spy kids. The humor is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer's head. There's also Floop's nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation - his personal philosophy draws heavily from Narodnaya Volya literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realize that they're not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Spy kids truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in Carmen's existencial catchphrase "Oh shiitake mushrooms" which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev's Russian epic Fathers and Sons. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Robert Rodriguez's genius unfolds itself on their television screens. What fools... how I pity them. 😂 And yes by the way, I DO have a Floops Fooglies tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand.