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nat-20s · 3 years

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fill of @jonmartinweek day 6 prompt- flirting AND jealousy, though much heavier on the jealousy than the flirting. Set in a classic “season 5 jmart time travel bac to season 1″ au

~*~

“Mr. Blackwood-Sims, if I didn’t know any better, I would assume you’re trying to proposition me.”

“Mr. Sims-Blackwood, I would never. For one, neither of us are inclined towards those sorts of activities, for second, we’re both married men. What would my husband say?”

“I believe your husband would say he never specified exactly what you were propositioning, and he would be more than amenable to kissing, preferably sometime in the next few seconds.”

“Mmm, suppose I’ll have to find him and take him up on that, then. If that’s really how he feels.”

“Trust me, it most certainly is.”

Christ, would those two shut up already? Granted, it’s late enough that they probably think they’re alone in the archives, but, still. This is, technically, a work place, and Jon would’ve preferred not to have accidentally gotten an eyeful as he made his way past the open door in the breakroom. Now, the image of (supposedly) a future version of himself sitting on the couch, with (supposedly) a future version of Martin straddling his legs, using one hand to cup his face, and the other to run his hands through that Jon’s longer hair, was seared into his mind, and he hated it. Look, contrary to what people who don’t know him very well seemed to believe, he’s hardly a prude. He’s more than fine with descriptions of physical intimacy, as well as public displays of affection. If he’s being honest with himself, deep down, he doesn’t even care all that much about professionalism, especially considering it is after hours.

But of course, he’s not being honest with himself, because then he’d have to admit that it bothers him that it’s them. He doesn’t know what to call the acrid burning in the pit of his stomach, the too tight ache in his chest, that’s present whenever the fun house mirror versions of himself and Martin are besotted with each other, but he knows it’s there. It doesn’t help that he’s the only one that seems to be bothered by it, the only one that frowns at the flash of wedding rings or the orbit those two always seem to occupy around each other.

Or, no, he’s not the only one. Occasionally, while witnessing the two of them being...the Two of Them, he can’t help glancing over to Martin. Lo and behold, Martin also doesn’t look thrilled about all of this, usually skewing more towards confusion or, oddly enough, resignation. At least, that’s what Jon thinks he sees there, it’s one of the few times where he can’t fully get a read on Martin.

Still, as much as Martin might share in being somewhat perturbed, as anyone who meets their “future selves” should be, Martin doesn’t seem nearly as upset as Jon is. That brings him back to his current predicament of feeling that level of upset, but not being able to determine the root cause of it.

It is not that he’s jealous. It’s not! He does not feel a pang of envy at seeing someone who looks extremely similar to himself loving openly, and being openly loved in return. He doesn’t find his thoughts drifting to the imagined feeling of lips pressed to his temple or arms around his waist or fingers running through his hair. He certainly hasn’t looked down at his left hand and been disappointed by the fact that its bare. He doesn’t even want those things, as he’s been telling himself for a number of many lonely years. One of these days he might even believe it.

Fine. Fine. Maybe, but only maybe, there’s a part of him that’s jealous. Maybe there’s even a part of him that despairs, because try as he might he can’t connect point A to point B, can’t see the steps he would have to take to be like that other version of himself, and he knows his Martin (well, not his Martin, but..) will never look at him like that, will never see him in that light. And, damn it all, it hurts, so if they could kindly stop ru-

Oh. Wait. He can’t hear them outside his office door anymore. Huh, perhaps they-

“Knock knock.”

Startled out of his...contemplation, Jon looks up to find himself looking back. Sims is leaning against the door-frame, with mussed hair, swollen lips, and pupils blown wide. Jon loathes him and wishes to be him in equal measure. In a move he usually would’ve thought more characteristic of Tim, Sims doesn’t wait for a response, instead sitting himself across from Jon and saying, “Figured you’d still be here.”

Trying not to sound too much like he’s speaking through gritted teeth, Jon asks, “Did you now?”

Sims gives a lackadaisical shrug. “With any luck, you’re not going to become me. I not sure you can become me, at this point, diverging paths and all that. However, we do share the first 28 years of our lives, and I certainly didn’t believe in the concept of a work life balance, so why would you?”

“Is there something you wanted?”

“Yes, actually. I want you to ask out Martin, your moping is getting insufferable, and considering how much of our misery has been entirely outside of our control, you shouldn’t put up with what is in your power to fix.”

Jon blinks. Jon processes. Jon stammers. “I-what?! I am not, you can’t just-. Martin doesn’t even like me, and if you really were the same person as me, you know I’m not all that keen on him either.”

“Uh-huh. Is that why you can’t stop thinking about his hands?”

“I do no-”

Sims puts a hand up in surrender, though the smirk doesn’t entirely drop. “Sorry, sorry, I know that’s rather unhelpful. What I mean is, you’re already loved, right now, as you are. No, that love is not coming from Martin, but it could be,t because he doesn’t dislike you. He doesn’t know you, because you have done everything in your power to make sure he doesn’t. You also don’t know him, even though you’re interested in him, because you’ve been trying not to be. It’s stupid. Get to know each other. It’ll probably work out.”

“I...is that how you did it? Because this seems like an objectively terrible idea.”

Sims snorts. “God, no. It took a coma before I was able to untangle my own feelings. The whole point is that you won’t have to take the same looping, painful path that I did.”

Jon wants to reject it outright, almost does, and yet. “Fine.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yes, really. Why?’

“Nothing, just. We’re usually a more stubborn on these sorts of things. I was expecting more of a fight.”

“Mm. Normally, I would be, but I’ve been forced to watch two rather obvious proof of concepts waltzing around in front of me, and agreeing will hopefully get you the hell out of my office.”

Sims studies him for a moment, then a surprised smile spreads on his face. “All right then.”

Jon makes a dismissive hand wave, and Sims obliges, and he spends the rest of the night trying not to think about what he’s agreed to.

~*~

The next day, about half an hour before the end of the work day, Jon calls Martin into his office. From his tight shoulders and carefully blank expression, it’s clear Martin very much does not want to be there. Great. This is going to go so well.

Jon gestures for him to sit, Martin does, and he dives in. “As we both now know, I don’t have the ability to fire you. In all reality, even though I am, on paper, your boss, I truly don’t have any power or authority over you.”

Martin leans back in his seat, letting a heavy pause fall between them before saying a stilted, “Okay?”

“So, I want you to know that I am about to ask you a question, and you have complete freedom and choice over your response, without fear of any negative consequences. Alright?”

“Um. Sure.”

Jon takes a breath, slowly lets it out, and bites the bullet. “Would you like to get dinner sometime?”

Martin stares. Then he squints. Then he studies. “Oh. Jon, you...we’re not them, you know that, right?”

“I’m aware.”

“So..why?”

Jon lets out a sigh, and tries to gather his thoughts in a way that makes sense to either of them. “Well, though I myself have some trouble with the concept, they’re not..entirely removed from who we are, and there’s enough foundation there that I have reason to believe we might...get on? Maybe we don’t, maybe we end up being friends, maybe we end up like them. That’s already enough to pique my own curiosity, but, alternate future versions of us aside, I mostly would just like to get to know more about you, and I’m hoping you might like to get to know me better as well.”

Martin’s shoulders relax, and he chews on his bottom lip for a moment before replying, “Okay. Yeah, why not?”

“Oh. Oh! Great! Does this Saturday work for you?”

“Works perfectly. Let’s give a shot.”

The first date is..fine. A Bit of a mess, but fine. The second date, however, is the best Jon’s ever been on. It’s so wonderful, in fact, that he doesn’t even mind when he catches Blackwood passing a fiver to Sims the day he can’t stop smiling at work.

#jonmartinweek2021 #jonmartin #jon sims #martin blackwood #tma #the ending is literally 'we wouldn't be compatible without trauma' 'oh bet?'#ALSO GOD THIS IS SO LONG FOR A FICLET HH

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talentforlying · 5 years

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𝘽𝘼𝙎𝙄𝘾𝙎 ,

full name. john constantine. pronunciation. jon con-stan-tyne. nickname. con job, conj, conny, johnny, bastard, england. height. 6′0″ age. sixty-five, but demon blood in his veins makes him appear younger. physically looks around his early forties. zodiac. taurus. spoken languages. english, latin, french, greek, spanish, hebrew, some sanskrit, basic knowledge of some ancient languages, hellspeak.

𝙋𝙃𝙔𝙎𝙄𝘾𝘼𝙇 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙎 ,

hair color. blond, with flecks of grey. eye color. electric blue, like the clearest water. skin tone. just a few tones warmer than pasty white, with odd tan lines that are even whiter. body type. lanky and lean, with decent muscle definition but not a lot really there. softer in the stomach and thighs, well-defined back muscles, strong calves, broad shoulders that tend to be hunched forward, strong forearms, delicate hands. accent. liverpudlian northern english, with some welsh intonations coming off of his mother’s side. dominant hand. ambidextrous, favors his right. posture. he tends to hunch his shoulders up and forward when he walks or sits, often slumping or slouching when he sits and favors crossing his legs to manspreading. when he’s performing magic, he still has a slope to his spine, but his legs are square beneath his hips and his shoulders are down. scars. missing his left thumb, which he cut off himself during a period of magic-induced insanity. large vertical scar cutting across his left cheek from a knife attack. cigarette burn at his hairline on the right side of his forehead from a goon who’d kidnapped him, and small similar circular burns around the hairline by his temples from electroshock therapy. burn scars from his right hand to his right elbow from plunging it in a vat of burning oil as a test of truth. various scars on his palms from rituals, several on his arms from various creature attacks, various across his body from fights and knife wounds. tattoos. his entire back and most of his upper arms are covered in tattoos, mostly arcane sigils of protection, clarity, and focus. there’s also a tattoo of a pine tree on his right asscheek that was a form of revenge from swamp thing most noticeable feature. eyes and hands. his eyes are like looking into hell itself. his hands are artist’s hands.

𝘾𝙃𝙄𝙇𝘿𝙃𝙊𝙊𝘿 ,

place of birth. merseyside, liverpool, england. hometown. merseyside, liverpool, england. birth weight. about 9lb. birth height. about 15 inches. manner of birth. was removed with his dead twin from his mother during a crude, botched attempted abortion ( not by her choice ). she didn’t survive. first words. “no”. he was a stubborn kid. siblings. one older sister, cheryl masters née constantine. seven years his senior. parents. thomas constantine ( father, deceased ), mary anne constantine ( mother, deceased ). parental involvement. his mother died when he was born. constantine’s father was an abusive drunkard who lived his life constantly in and out of prison, forcing john and cheryl to frequently live with their aunt and uncle and a few other relatives. cheryl more or less raised him until she got married and left the home, at which point john’s father got worse, and john eventually ran away at the age of 14.

𝘼𝘿𝙐𝙇𝙏 𝙇𝙄𝙁𝙀 ,

occupation. mage, dabbler in the dark arts, exorcist and demonologist. current residence. london, england. a decent flat downtown. close friends. chas chandler, his niece gemma ( sometimes ), zatanna zatara ( sometimes ), swamp thing ( sometimes ). relationship status. off-and-on but mostly single. his lifestyle has a tendency of driving away or killing the people he attaches himself to, he’s more or less resigned himself to it. financial status. complicated. he tends to use magic and illusion to gamble his way into cash when he needs it, so frequently has some on hand, but doesn’t actually have a steady job or way of making money besides that. driver’s license. he doesn’t have one and doesn’t want one. criminal record. frequent brushes with the law, ranging from teenage delinquency to breaking and entering charges to fraud to being wanted for murder. was convicted of murder in england in the newcastle case and sentenced to ravenscar asylum. was charged with murder in england after the death of his landlady but the charges were dropped. was convicted of murder in america but was subsequently acquitted. vices. sex, booze, dark magic, arrogance, sentiment.

𝙎𝙀𝙓 & 𝙍𝙊𝙈𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀 ,

sexual orientation. bisexual. romantic orientation. biromantic. preferred emotional role. submissive | dominant | switch | unsure preferred sexual role. submissive | dominant | switch libido. very, very high. has been called addicted to sex. turn on’s. dry humor, dark humor, a good ass on any gender, brass balls, honesty, throws a good punch, gives as good as they get, mouthy. turn off’s. trying to control him, trying to use him to get to someone else, trying to kill him. love language. touching. if he cares, he shows it in little shoulder squeezes or back pats, touching someone’s face or arm or hair or back. he also shows his love in closeness, sprawling out over someone’s lap or resting his head on their shoulder, and in being vulnerable, talking about his past. relationship tendencies. he has two extremes: either it’s a casual fling or it’s a serious relationship. he tends to gravitate towards wanting emotional connections with people, and so often falls into romantic long-term relationships, but he has a bad track record with keeping those because of how dangerous his work is and how no matter what he does, he’ll inevitably bring it home with him. when he’s not in a committed relationship or one has just fallen apart, he tends to favor a string of one-night stands and casual sex.

𝙈𝙄𝙎𝘾𝙀𝙇𝙇𝘼𝙉𝙀𝙊𝙐𝙎 ,

character’s theme song. either ‘blood of angels’ by brown bird or ‘reaper man’ by mother mother. hobbies to pass the time. drinking at a bar, watching football matches, reading anything he can get his hands on, betting on horses, studying new magic, relaxing with his mates. physical illness. none. left or right brained. right brained. fears. needles, dogs, hospitals, drowning, death, being alone, being controlled, losing the people he loves, failing to save the people he loves. self confidence level. outwardly sky high. inwardly, it varies on an intense spectrum. most of the time he’s stupidly self-confident only because if he isn’t then he’ll most likely die, but he frequently doubts himself and his ability to save people. vulnerabilities. humanity, which he still desperately wants to believe in, the people he loves, his own hubris, his own despair. zatanna zatara, kit ryan, chas chandler.

tagged by. @guiltspelled <3 tagging. @whcwashe, @wightwulf, @lxvingdeadgxrl, and anyone else who wants to do it!

#( character study. ) A WALKING PLAGUE OF A MAN.#( headcanons. ) AND NOW I'M JUST LIKE THE BASTARDS I'VE HATED ALL ME LIFE.#long post for ts #PHEW THIS WAS GREAT this got me back into john in a HELL of a way

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empiregalaxy · 7 years

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Why Sansa would make a great Queen In The North

A huge misconception is that the supporters of 'QITN' Sansa Stark only support her due to reasons such as 'inheritance', etc. I personally think it is much more deeper and complex than that. So here I list some reasons why I'm pro-queen Sansa.

1. She's kind I have written in depth about Sansa's kindness. Her saving Dontos, telling Sandor that his brother was 'no true knight', praying for Margaery, helping Sweetrobin cross the bridge, helping the Stokeworths during the Battle Of Blackwater and even helped Lancel, who is a Lannister. I don't know about everyone else, but I would want the rulers to be kind. Although being kind doesn't necessarily guarantee a good ruler, it certainly is a start. Hence why Sansa's kindness is my first point.

Another reason why I love Sansa’s kindness- is that she is kind when other characters fail to be. In A Game Of Thrones, there is this moment:

They all laughed then, Joffrey on his throne, and the lords standing attendance, Janos Slynt and Queen Cersei and Sandor Clegane and even the other men of the Kingsguard, the five who had been his brothers until a moment ago. Surely that must have hurt the most, Sansa thought. Her heart went out to the gallant old man as he stood shamed and red-faced, too angry to speak. Finally he drew his sword.

Sansa’s kindness is not only just goodness, but strength.

2. She's perceptive & (politcally minded!) There are two amazing essays on this which say it much, much better than I possibly could. Sharing them because they are superb.

The first one is by @turtle-paced and can be found here. The other is by @goodqueenaly and can be found here. Well worth a read.

Sansa is a smart person, and that is a huge thing when it comes to monarchs. I'd like to talk about George R.R Martin's comments about Aragorn, who we all know as a key character in Tolkein's Lord Of The Rings

Ruling is hard. This was maybe my answer to Tolkien, whom, as much as I admire him, I do quibble with. Lord of the Rings had a very medieval philosophy: that if the king was a good man, the land would prosper. We look at real history and it’s not that simple. Tolkien can say that Aragorn became king and reigned for a hundred years, and he was wise and good. But Tolkien doesn’t ask the question: What was Aragorn’s tax policy? Did he maintain a standing army? What did he do in times of flood and famine? And what about all these orcs? By the end of the war, Sauron is gone but all of the orcs aren’t gone – they’re in the mountains. Did Aragorn pursue a policy of systematic genocide and kill them? Even the little baby orcs, in their little orc cradles?

As much as I love Tolkein's world, GRRM's insistence on having leaders who are precise in their methods, are good people AND good rulers is absolutely important. What does this have to do with Sansa? Well, I've made it clear I've found her wise and good. I also think she is well equipped to handle hardships the North would face, because of the following traits:

ability to show mercy (for instance, in A Clash Of Kings she shows mercy to Lancel Lannister). Forget the show rubbish of her wanting blood and punishment, Sansa does show mercy in the course of the series

atttentive to detail. She's good with banners, people's houses, statuses, etc- so she would be able to assess how an action would impact on others. I don't think Sansa is oblivious at all. She's grown alot.

willingness to learn. Not only is she engaged in what other people have to say (Sansa rarely interrupts others). Military may not have a huge role in her arc, but it could be. She could learn battle strategies and tactics. Not saying she would necessarily be on Stannis-level, but I truly believe Sansa would not shy away from learning about battles and war.

It's those three traits that are integral to Sansa's personality that she'd make a great, perceptive ruler. And she’s also has a BS detecter: once Cersei shows her true colours, Sansa figures out how she works

She heard the door open as her maids brought the hot water for her bath. They were both new to her service; Tyrion said the women who'd tended to her previously had all been Cersei's spies, just as Sansa had always suspected.

3. There are parallels with some of the strongest leaders in the series

Good Queen Alysanne Targaryen is probably my favourite parallel for Sansa. Alysanne showed generosity, kindness, good will and tactical skills. She is looked on throughout the series with love- after all, she's the 'good queen.'

Sansa also has incredible respect for her father, Eddard and her brother Robb.

I must be brave, like Robb, she told herself, as she took her lord husband stiffly by the arm.

Yes, I do admire Robb and consider a comparison between Sansa / Robb a high compliment. Robb Stark was a military prodigy, someone who whilst flawed acted with integrity and greatness. He inspired his people. The fact Sansa wants to be like Robb, she doesn't want to be like Cersei or Littlefinger does go a long way.

4. To quote show! Varys.....

The Seven Kingdoms need someone stronger than Tommen, but gentler than Stannis. A monarch who can intimidate the high lords and inspire the people. A ruler loved by millions with a powerful army and the right family name.

I think Varys is being unfair on Tommen (he is young), and Stannis (a very complex character who can't be reduced to not being gentle)- but these words really do fit Sansa.

Strong? I don’t think I even have to explain Sansa’s strength. She’s gone through absolute hell. She also shows ability to challenge characters- even the terrifying likes of Joffrey

"It does not please me," Joffrey said. "Mother says I'm still to marry you, so you'll stay here, and you'll obey." "I don't want to marry you," Sansa wailed. "You chopped off my father's head!" "He was a traitor. I never promised to spare him, only that I'd be merciful, and I was. If he hadn't been your father, I would have had him torn or flayed, but I gave him a clean death." Sansa stared at him, seeing him for the first time. He was wearing a padded crimson doublet patterned with lions and a cloth-of-gold cape with a high collar that framed his face. She wondered how she could ever have thought him handsome. His lips were as soft and red as the worms you found after a rain, and his eyes were vain and cruel. "I hate you," she whispered.

Intimidate the high lords?

"Ah, and what a castle it is. Cavernous halls and ruined towers, ghosts and draughts, ruinous to heat, impossible to garrison . . . and there's that small matter of a curse."

"Curses are only in songs and stories."

That seemed to amuse him. "Has someone made a song about Gregor Clegane dying of a poisoned spear thrust? Or about the sellsword before him, whose limbs Ser Gregor removed a joint at a time? That one took the castle from Ser Amory Lorch, who received it from Lord Tywin. A bear killed one, your dwarf the other. Lady Whent's died as well, I hear. Lothstons, Strongs, Harroways, Strongs . . . Harrenhal has withered every hand to touch it."

"Then give it to Lord Frey."

She's also gentle- see what I wrote about kindness in the first section.

Inspiring the people and being loved by millions?

“I will remember, Your Grace,” said Sansa, though she had always heard that love was a surer route to the people’s loyalty than fear. If I am ever a queen, I’ll make them love me.

Right family name? We learn in A Dance With Dragons, that people are willing to wage war for the Stark name. Sansa takes strong pride in being a Stark.

“She wondered where this courage had come from, to speak to him so frankly. From Winterfell, she thought. I am stronger within the walls of Winterfell.”

Powerful army? Of course, this is where I think the marriage between Harry The Heir and "Alayne" will come in. Remember, Houses such as Royce of Runestone (Yohn wanted an alliance with Robb). Sansa could potentially make use of the Vale / North alliance.

Here's more about the power the Vale wields. We get mention from Robb in A Storm Of Swords about their power:

"The knights of the Vale could make all the difference in this war," said Robb.

George R.R Martin is also quoted from "The Citadel" as saying (as a response to a fan):

Quick question - We have seen all of the seven kingdoms in action in one way or another except Dorne and the Vale. I am trying to get an understanding of the various strengths of the different realms. When Robb calls the Northern Banners he gathers a host of about 18 thousand men. How do Dorne and the Vale compare to this (I don't expect numbers, just general feeling)

I'd say these three kingdoms were roughly equal in the force they could assemble... but the north is much bigger, so it takes longer for an army to gather. And life is harsher there as well, so lords and smallfolk both need to think carefully before beating those plowshares into swords.

The image of a 'perfect ruler' that Varys paints does apply to Sansa. I disagree with the show on many, many things yet a ruler does need to be strong, does need an army yet have gentleness and love.

6. Concluding Thoughts

To me, Sansa being Queen used to be about continuing Ned and Robb's legacy and her being the oldest true born sibling. But now, it's more than that. To me, saying Sansa should be Queen is wanting the best for the North. My attachment to 'QITN' does not just stem from my love for Sansa, but taking into account the political atmosphere of the North, and the need for rulers who are both strong, perceptive and kind.

It also makes alot of narrative sense for Sansa to be Queen. She starts off the series with notions of what being a Queen means, only for them to be shattered by seeing the ugly realities of the likes of Cersei. For her to become Queen, would give her much needed agency.

Wanting Sansa to be Queen is not an attack on any other character like Bran, Arya, Rickon & Jon. Otherwise, it's simply ludicrous and unfair on Sansa. Fandom really needs to stop that toxic way of thinking.

Sansa would be a fantastic queen, and I’m willing to stick by that statement.

#asoiaf meta #sansa stark

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