bakerstreet | Got a weakness

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[meme] shipping

Got a weakness

"you're my weakness" meme
A SHIPPING MEME

You're a strong person, perhaps physically, perhaps mentally, perhaps both. You're brave. A steel rod of a backbone means you face your enemies with little hesitation, doing the job no one else wants to do. That kind of intestinal fortitude is commendable. You have a purpose. You have a mission. There is something about you that people want.

And you have a weakness.

Maybe nobody knows it or maybe everyone knows it, but your weakness is the person you're in love with. Yes, in love. Someone like you can be in love, whether you've admitted it to yourself or not...or to them. More than anything, you want to be with them and keep them safe from harm. Sometimes, you just can't. It's more dangerous around you than with you.

Whether you're together or not, you should hope that no one with an axe to grind with you knows that this person is your blind spot...

HOW TO PLAY

Comment with your character, preferences, whether you're open to smut or no, etc.
Be sure to mention if you'd prefer to play the one with the weakness or the "weak spot."
Reply to others.
Use the RNG or not.

PROMPTS
ship

First Meeting: You've never met a person who's caught your interest quite like this; you may not know how to respond to these unique feelings.
With Them Before It Happened: They came first. The situation that drove you to your "destiny" occurred later. You can't just throw away that old life.
Unexpected Savior: You were down and out. They found you and nursed them back to health. You feel indebted to them..and more.
Normalcy is Abnormal: You would never take things like dinner, picnics, dancing, or the movies for granted. Some people can't have that, after all.
Missed Date: Of course, you have to bail out on dates occasionally. Duty calls.
Shown Love: Who could ever care for someone like you? They can. They show you selfless affection
Bad Apple: You’re rotten through and through - except for your genuine love for them.
Light of My Life: Everything in this world seems terrible except for them, you’re beautiful, shining light. For them, you can live.
Something There: Before, you were cruel to them, or they to you, yet now both of you see past that blustery beast (even if one of you was, say, a prisoner);
Keepings Tabs: You have to know that your most important person is safe, or else you just can’t think straight.
Stay Away: For their own protection, they have to keep away from a dangerous person like you. So no matter if you love them of they love you, you have to break up with them for their safety.
Happened Before: The person you loved before got hurt because of you and you swore you would never love again. Still, you’re feeling that way once more, letting those walls down, and the old patterns are repeating themselves over and over.
Important: You’re a king, a lord, a president, a top assassin. People would love to get close to you - or take you out - if they could find the right path in.
Bodyguard: Your mission is the one you love (though you didn’t start out loving them), and the one thing keeping you from keeping them perfectly safe is also them.
Berserk Button: From minor slight to major injury, no one hurts your lover without retribution.
Left in the Dark: They don’t know what kind of life you truly lead. How long can you keep that double life a secret?
Became This for Them: What you are now is all out of your adoration for them. You’ll do anything to keep them safe, even if it means becoming a monster.
Not Accepted: You’ve finally revealed what you are in all actuality to them and the reaction was not positive. They’re repulsed by you or by what you’ve done.
Dynamic Duo: They’ve accepted everything about you, including your mission. In fact, they want to help you fulfill your purpose.
Family: You two have started a family together, so there's even more to lose.
Blackmail: Some sinister somebody is holding the happiness, safety, or wellbeing of your loved one above your head to make you serve them.
Hate Me: It’s not enough to leave them. You have to ensure their safety by making them despise you and never search you out.
Destroy: You know that they could be your undoing, so you'll take them out yourself. You refuse to be weak.
Kidnapped: Your weakness has been spotted and picked at, quite literally. Now, the person you care for is in the clutches of someone who wants nothing more than to see you destroyed.
Bad End: ~~Is it in bad taste to want to name this prompt after a certain comic book character?~~ The worst of your fears has come to past. Your beloved is dying in your arms because of their relationship with you and you weren't able to save them in time.
Placed in Your Life: The one you thought you loved and trusted was only a mole all along. They were placed in order to get you to make certain decisions and never really cared for you.
Happy Ending: You've made it to a safe enough place in your life for you and your love to be stable and settle down.

smut

Reluctant: You don't want to hurt your partner during intimacy, which is a distinct possibility.
Solace: There's only one place where you find comfort about what your true nature is, and that's in their arms.
Manipulation: There's one way to worm into your heart and onto your good side; they know it, and they can make you squirm. That's not always a good thing.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ooc: open to cross-canon/aus.]

[Book or show is okay, but Season 8 doesn't exist]

[ up for crosscanon? will au in, if ever :3 ~~book!jon is A+ but i’ve not read the books so i can’t confidently write in that setting welp~~ ]

[What sort of AU do you have in mind? I'm open to things.]

[ I usually AU the Star Wars planets as island nations to the west of Westeros (because ships lol) with the Force being magic (warging and greensight are pretty much Force skills anyway) and the Jedi their equivalent of the Night's Watch. The Skywalkers/Solos are foreign allies of the Starks, so they'd have visited Winterfell on occasion, and would've come to help fight against the White Walkers or the Boltons, or idk provide lightsaber crystals for weapons in lieu of dragonglass or something.

I'm trash for AUs and love a good crossover/canon mashup so I'm pretty open to a lot of things, if you have certain scenarios or ideas you want to play. On the shipping front, she gravitates to serious, broody types and if they knew each other from childhood or something, she would have relentlessly bombarded him with lame jokes while also being able to keep up with him in a fight. Also one of her canon Force specializations is animal friendship so she's a warg in GoT-verse too. ]

[I really like that AU setup. It's clever and it gives us something to work with. So definite yes from me. I do like the idea of him having knowing her since childhood and she having visited the Starks and Night's Watch. I might hold back on the Other's being defeated, since it gives Jon more to brood over.

But I'd love to go back and forth with these two. I'll be a bit slow, just to warn you, because of RL stuff. But if that's okay with you, we could write something up with them.]

[ Awww, thanks! I'm all for him brooding, haha. She could even be a princess by virtue of Leia being princess of Alderaan (nevermind the planet being canonically destroyed) if we want him to continue to brood about social status and his bastardy. Or at the very least she's definitely a highborn, but doesn't care much for titles and things because hey, her mother married a smuggler and her grandfather was ~~a mad king~~ an evil warlord.

I absolutely don't mind slow, because so am I. RL stuff, and there's timezones too. In fact I'm about to head to bed now since it's past midnight here, welp. Anyway, I could write the starter if you want, just let me know your preferences? Season/setting, prose/action, etc? :3

Oh, and I forgot to mention that resurrection is a Force power in the SW EU so that's also something we can use if we want. It's a dark side aligned ability, but, well, she does canonically turn Sith, so. ]

[All of that sounds really good to me. I say we go for it. When you are able, write something up? Season is probably going to be around s5 before his death. Prose or action, I'm easy with whatever. Setting, probably the Wall.]

Sam had slipped the letter among the many others for the new Lord Commander to sign, requesting the Northern houses to offer up recruits to the Night's Watch — a letter to House Solo of the Federation Islands, a foreign house Jon had mentioned in passing was an old ally of the Starks.

It's that missive that brings Jane to the gates of Castle Black several weeks later, though unlike her last visit to Winterfell, she's neither with her family nor bearing the symbols of her house. She's a surprising sight for the men on guard duty: a woman on horseback, alone, wearing pants and leather armor, a sword on her side and a gyrfalcon perched on her shoulder.

"I have come at the behest of Lord Commander Snow," she announces, her accent thick and noticeably foreign. She pulls back the hood of her cloak as she does so, revealing a crown of dark brown hair in a thick braid and striking caramel brown eyes. "Jaisyn of House Solo, Knight of the Jedi Order." Princess of Alderaan, she could have added, but she dislikes the title just as much as her real name; that she's given out any title at all is only so the men would know she means business and hopefully wouldn't keep her out the gates for too long. It is kriffing cold at the Wall.

He could remember Jaisyn as a girl, when she had visited Winterfell. It seemed an eternity ago, another life that pulled further away from him as he faced another battle after battle. That she answered the call though, that didn't surprise him. She always had a sense of honor that so many other Northern Houses (or most Houses of Westeros) lacked.

He was careful not to show his eagerness, holding back as he left his study, going below to the courtyard to greet her. Her horse had already been taken to the stables, while many of the men had gathered to get a look at her. It had been some time since they had seen a woman, especially a beautiful one.

"You came," he said moving to hug her. It might not be dignified for the Lord Commander, but Jon Snow needed this. After all of his struggles and the difficulties, he needed that connection to the past. He had missed the chance with his father and Robb, he wouldn't lose the opportunity with Jaisyn. "The journey wasn't too difficult?"

She looks a little uncomfortable standing out there in the courtyard, but for a myriad of reasons — the biting cold, the unusual attention she's getting, the fact that she's about to see Jon again after so many years. It's been long enough and there have been far too many wars and battles in between that she feels as though it had been a different life entirely. What's he like now? Would he recognize her? Would he be glad to see her? The letter had been all stiff and formal, as could be expected from someone who held the title of Lord Commander; not that it's stopped her from taking a leave of absence from the Jedi Order to travel all the way to Westeros.

When he appears in her line of sight, it takes her a moment to realize that she's staring, and when she does she nudges her bird with her shoulder so she takes off and settles instead on a branch of one of the nearby trees. And it's just as well, because suddenly there's Jon, hugging her, and she brings her arms up and around to hug him right back, something in her that she'd long thought had died flaring back up. She's overcome by a sense of warmth and safety and comfort and home, and though she doesn't understand why, she doesn't question it, either.

"You're shorter than I remember," she says with a quiet laugh, pulling back to look up at his face but not letting him go until he starts making a move to do the same. But then again she'd been a wisp of a girl when she was in Winterfell last, brimming with mischief and bad jokes and a tendency to get down and dirty with the boys at training instead of behaving like a proper lady. She's clearly grown since, though she's still not very ladylike by Westerosi standards, and even with her smiling at him like that, there now seems to be a sort of austerity to her that's so very... Northern. "Aye, it was easier than if I'd come from the South. Will you tell me what the trouble is?"

Because she knows he wouldn't call on a foreign house unless the circumstances were dire enough to warrant it. Robb certainly didn't when he marched South.

"You look the same," he laughed, though it wasn't entirely true. When he knew her in Winterfell, she was smaller and skinnier. She had been more of a twig then, barely a woman, but still hinting at the beauty that would emerge in time. Now, it seemed she was glowing, radiant and warm in the ways he had long forgotten but apparently needed. Little wonder that both Theon and Robb were eager to always have her around during their games, even before thoughts of girls became more prominent, they still were drawn to her.

She seemed more at home here, even if she was nervous. She had always been fierce and strong, similar to Arya, willing to play with the boys and train as ladies usually didn't. He didn't doubt that if he asked her to help train some of the new recruits, she'd knock their heads together easily. It was a quality that he had always found appealing in her.

He lead her back to his office, the room much warmer, allowing him to shrug off at least one layer of furs. "We can talk about that soon." He wants to at least indulge in a bit of reminiscing, a subject that doesn't bring the same level of sadness his family did. "Everything is well for you?"

His laughter fills her with a warmth that the North's frigid air can't overcome, and for once she doesn't mind being so far away from the sea and sun. He's always been the part of Winterfell she looked forward to the most whenever her family had to visit — her friend, her playmate, her confidante, her sparring partner, the one person in the keep who would indulge her jokes no matter how ridiculously bad they were. When they got a little older, he started becoming other things to her, too, although she kept those strange new feelings to herself in fear that it would change things between them.

She follows him to his office, but though it's significantly warmer inside, she doesn't take off her cloak. She also, though perhaps he really wouldn't be surprised, chooses to sit on the edge of his desk, carefully clearing away a small section of it before slipping into the space. "Well enough, I suppose," she answers with a shrug, legs shifting back and forth restlessly. "I joined the Jedi?" It ends up sounding like a question, because she's really not sure if she should tell him, but as always she's hardly able to keep anything a secret from him. Mostly, anyway. Especially when they're together like this, it's like her mouth loses its filter and she just starts twittering away.

Back to the Jedi: "The vows aren't too bad, but..." She ducks her head, embarrassed. "I don't know, I guess I'm just not ready." She peers up at him, her expression soft but turning quite unreadable. She'd always felt conflicted about his decision to join the Night's Watch — which is the only reason she'd even considered joining the Jedi. Not that she'll ever admit it. "How did you do it? I mean, look at you. Lord Commander. In charge of all this." She waves a hand around at this, a proud smile on her face. "And you said we were going to steal Father's ship and become pirates."

He had suffered his own feelings as well, but felt a bit of resentment for what he knew he felt and what he knew was fact. He was the Bastard of Winterfell and not a fit match for a princess. It was more likely that she would marry Robb rather than him, so much like his frustrations about Winterfell, he kept his thoughts to himself. By the time Robb had been killed, Jon was already a full member of the Night's Watch and had sworn off a wife. The feelings from that point were a distant memory and in a past that he kept shut away.

She had always been bold and natural, in a way that Sansa and her friends hadn't been. Seeing her perched on his desk, it was like a glimpse into his childhood. He made no complaint as he shuffled his papers and set them on the other side of the desk. They were nothing important, only more letters begging for help, help that only she seemed ready to give.

"The Jedi is a good fit for you, but what did your father and mother say?" Her question though reminded him of when he first saw the Night's Watch, his confusion and disillusionment. He had a different thought of the order as a boy, but wasn't prepared for the reality. "It took time. I didn't become Lord Commander overnight. I didn't like the Watch at first, not until I made friends. After that, I have been too focused on keeping it running and well stocked to think about a different life."

He smiled though at the memory. "Back when I wanted something for my future and being a bastard on the seas seemed better than in a keep."

She had always cared little that he was a bastard, which had probably come as a surprise in the beginning. She had certainly come to his defense on more than one occasion when they were younger, when some kid had been cruel and bullied him for the circumstances of his birth; she remembered, still quite clearly, how she'd punched Theon Greyjoy in the face once because he'd made a snide comment that was a not-so-subtle dig at Jon's bastardy. It was mostly because of her upbringing, since they were more open to certain things in the Federation Islands — princesses could marry pirates, nobodies could become heroes, women could be warriors and become Jedi.

Which was why she'd been confused when it became a big deal that she spent so much time with Jon whenever she was in Winterfell. One parent or another, but usually Catelyn Stark, would find a way for her to be with Robb instead; back then there had been rumors that a plan was in place to wed her to the eldest Stark brother, something about forging stronger ties with the North in the face of the rising tension in the Islands. In the end, nothing came out of the whispers, but she'd been more devastated that Jon had left for the Wall to join the Night's Watch.

And he was here, still. Sworn until death, sworn off a wife. She still did not know how to feel about that.

"Father didn't think so. He has never believed in the Force much, and the Jedi by extension." The Islanders were pretty open when it came to magic, too; they called it the Force, the power that existed in and bound all living things together. "But he thought the training would do me some good, and the meditation might help with my temper." Anger and pride were things her family did not deal well with, and she had the luck to have inherited both her mother's smoldering fire and her father's cockiness. "They both have been very supportive, although concerned as well about the future of our House." The Jedi did not marry, too, and her brother, older than her by a good four years, had already taken his vows.

Despite the things she'd ended up thinking about, she smiled at him in turn, because a smile from serious, broody Jon Snow was rare and contagious. "Perhaps when your problems here are over, you could take some time off to be a bastard on the seas with me for a while?" A gentle tease, and she hoped he wouldn't take offense. Though the proposition made her face burn with embarrassment all the same — because why in seven hells would the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch even consider abandoning his duties to play out some childhood fantasy with a girl from his past? The idea was so ridiculous to begin with.

Her kindness had endeared her to him, reminding him often of how Arya defended him as well. Both women were on a similar level in his heart, both strong and accepting in a way so many others hadn't. Theon would sometimes mock him when she was gone, trying to confirm that Jon had feelings for her, but he kept his emotions to himself, as he often did around Catelyn. He was often sent away during the days that Catelyn was determined to bring her together with Robb. Still, given Robb's fondness for his brother, the three would always reunited.

Leaving for the Night's Watch had been a relief and a sorrow to him. He had claimed he never cared about having a wife or child, but Benjen was right. He hadn't understood what that might mean, especially after he had learned to love from Ygritte and grown a few years as well. Now he was a man of the Night's Watch and seeing Jaisyn again was both unsettling and painful, however happy he was to see her face.

"Both your brother and you have taken your vows. I'm surprised that they didn't make more of an objection about one of you doing this." But Jaisyn was always minded to do what she pleased, it didn't matter what anyone else might say. It didn't shock him that despite the fears about their House, she would still take the vows.

His smile fell slightly. It was tempting, but since being voted to be Lord Commander, leaving the Wall seemed an impossibility. "I can't." He said softly. "My place is here and my men will need me when the war is over." No telling how many would die at the hands of the Dead, he would need more men afterwards and rebuild whatever was destroyed. It was disappointing, but his desires had to come secondary.

It was true, she often did as she pleased, a trait of both the Islanders in general, as well as Jane's own family. But she adhered to a certain code of honor, one that had been ingrained to her by House: protecting the weak, defending the innocent, fighting injustice, living with honor, striving for peace. It was why she was a good fit for the Jedi — but it wasn't the only reason.

A look crossed her face when Jon mentioned that she and her brother had taken their vows, the expression of someone who had secrets, and who was debating whether or not to tell. For a few breaths she just looked up at him, and then finally came to a decision. "There's no place for me to go but the Jedi," she confided, her voice much quieter. "I... I'm what you Westerosi call a greenseer." She stared down at her feet, embarrassed, kicking her legs idly. The Force might be accepted in the Islands, but not so much in Westeros.

"Oh." She tried to hide her disappointment at his refusal, but she couldn't quite manage it. "Not even for a day? We don't have to go far." It was just like her to not give up at the first 'no', though.

"Will you tell me about the war, then?" If he no longer wanted to reminisce, they might as well get down to business.

His face softened, knowing the sort of stigma she might face in other parts of the kingdoms. A greenseer was more accepted in the North, as it was rooted in their history and with their gods. While she might have felt the Jedi were the only place for her, had Robb lived, she would have been respected among the North...save for those influenced by the South. Given what happened though, it wasn't a surprise that her family looked for alliances elsewhere.

He can see her disappointment and regrets giving it, wishing he could say otherwise. "I swore an oath," he murmured, feeling guilt roil through him. "I will live and die at this post." And with the war coming, it was unwise to even consider anything but what was needed to get his men through this...no matter how much he wanted to be free and sail the seas as they used to whisper about.

"You remember Old Nan's stories?" She had been present at enough of them and goaded for more, as did he. "It's like what she said. We're facing the Long Night, the Others. The dead are marching on the Wall and seem to gather more men the further they go. I had to move the Wildlings south of the Wall to add to our numbers."

Her expression turned serious, though there was a sadness to it, the thought of him having to live and die here in the frigid wilderness of the far North making something within her twist. How cruel a fate, she thought, and that sadness settled under her skin and into her bones. She'd hoped that he would find a better life when they grew older — in secret she'd wished it would be a life with her — and even after he'd left to join the Night's Watch, she'd prayed for that still, that though he would have to give up certain things, he would find others that would make up for them. Friends, brothers. Purpose, honor. For his bastardy not to matter.

She wasn't sure he'd found that life yet. The Wall didn't seem like the place for happiness and purpose.

She said nothing as he refused her one more time, only nodded and made a noncommittal noise. He swore an oath, of course. It wasn't her place to stray him from that, but she could help him through it. With that she pushed herself off the desk to stand in front of him, serious and intent as she listened. "The Others," she murmured, and she didn't really sound surprised. "Some of the Jedi have seen their coming." She had, too, but the visions hadn't been clear. "I shall fight by your side, Jon, yet I fear that might not be enough. Perhaps Mother can send a fleet, or Uncle can spare a few more Jedi. I shall write to them and ask."

And just like that, she believed him. No questions about how incredulous it was for the stories about the Others and the Long Night to be real, or to ask for further proof to his claim.

"What else do you need?"

Had he believed he was worthy of her, he might have pressed for a life together. Between his bastardy and the sense that she was meant for Robb, there was little hope for him to pursue. The Wall was the only real choice before him, and sadly, it was pushed on him too early due to Lady Stark refusing to keep him in the walls of Winterfell. Living and dying here seemed less painful, now that he had several friends and a post that he felt honored to accept. It didn't mean though that in seeing her, he wasn't considering the life they might have had.

He imagined he'd be dreaming of it constantly, the longer she stayed here.

"It won't be enough." He didn't want to be blunt about it, but it was the truth. She had brought men and that had been more than other Houses were willing to pledge, but it would take a lot more. He needed the rest of Westeros to believe. He needed King's Landing to believe, but they lived too far south and they didn't know that winter was coming. "With the way this army grows, we'll be overrun and our own men will be enslaved by them."

He snorted, a bit of good humor on his face despite the situation they were facing. "A dragon? Maybe three? We are managing on food and supplies, but only because we've started growing our own food. We need men, we need weapons. We need firepower to destroy the Others before they breach the Wall."

She only nodded solemnly at his declaration that it wouldn't be enough. Of course it wouldn't be enough, not with what she remembered about the Others from Old Nan's stories, not with what she'd heard some of the Jedi say about them. But she wasn't sure where to get more men, at least not in the numbers she was certain he was considering. They could attempt to rally the rest of the Federation Islands, but they were too far west to care about what was going on in the Westerosi North, and she didn't have the luxury of time to try to convince them.

But then he mentioned dragons, and that made her look at him with interest, head tilting to the side a little as she regarded him. "Do we know where we can get dragons?" Yes, she'd heard about the supposed Mother of Dragons in Essos, but she was pretty sure she could befriend one if she tried. Whether that was intuition or just a bloated sense of confidence in her abilities, well. "Weapons we might be able to help with. Our ships have ballistae. How high up does the Wall go?"

There were stories about the queen who had brought dragons back in the world, but they were a distant reality to him. Maester Aemon had been more occupied with the legends while Jon had been focused on what he could actually do and achieve at the Wall. He joke about the idea, but he hadn't found the energy to try and actively think of a way of drawing the woman here. It seemed impossible, given Westeros's politics and the remnants of the Rebellion. It was easier to write to the nobles of Westeros than beg a woman to put herself at risk for a legend she might never have heard of.

"We're more likely to get men and weapons if we focus on the noble Houses." That was really the only answer. Getting the Freefolk to help and the cooperation of the Night's Watch had been enough of a trial and there were so many others ahead of him. "The Wall goes high, likely higher than your ship can fire. But if we could have ballistas on top of the Wall, it might help."

More likely. Which means he'd not been kidding about the dragons part, even if he doesn't actually think it's a course of action worth pursuing. Although she can understand that, not wanting to waste time chasing legends, especially when there's so much at stake. Which, right now, is everything.

"Will you show me?" The Wall had been an imposing structure to behold, and she's both curious to see how far it really does go, and how they might use that to their advantage — assuming they could actually mount ballistae and other projectile weapons up there.

As for the noble Houses, well... there's really not much she can help with that. The Westerosi are known to be particularly male-dominated, so short of letting herself get married off to obtain men and weapons and supplies in exchange, she's not sure what else she can do for him.

He pulled his gloves back on as he guided her from his office, out towards the courtyard where the elevator was. Her men were apparently settling in, shown some measure of comfort and welcome. Given the grim atmosphere at Castle Black, he couldn't imagine that this was a warm place to be. Beyond the ice and snow, there was a dark overhang, a sense of doom that had long ago infected all of them. Now it meant to spread, even to their visitors, soon to drift towards the whole of Westeros.

Once the elevator gate was shut, the loud screech of the metal gears echoed along the courtyard. Slowly they were lifted up the giant structure. The higher they rose, the more the wind picked up, whipping their cloaks roughly around their legs. He could remember how intimidated he was the first time he stood here, the small bolt of fear that told him that it would collapse under his weight. Now, he felt as certain that it would hold him as the Wall would last under his feet.

"It will take a little while to get to the top." To at least give her a sense of how large this structure really was.

She tugged at her cloak as the elevator made its ascent, feeling the chill seep into her skin and into her bones. She wasn't frightened or nervous, just cold; it was warm and sunny in the Federation Islands nearly year-round, the opposite of the North's long and grim winters, and it had been a few years since she was in the area last.

She stepped closer to the gate, peering down and for a moment just watching with fascination as the distance between them and the ground grew, the elevator taking them higher and higher until the people milling about the courtyard and coming in and out of the buildings became nothing more than dark specks against the snow. Then she tried to peek out to catch the top of the Wall, but all she could see was ice, stretching on for what seemed like miles.

She turned to look at Jon with a sheepish smile, hugging herself and rubbing at her arms as though it would be enough to warm her up. "Must be quite a view, huh."