#joan rambles

Mike: Best Friend’s Older Brother. Think about this. It feels right doesn’t it? He’s mature, a bit emotionally aloof, holds his professional relationships in high esteem, and very protective. Imagine you’re best friends with his younger brother and quietly pining after Mike, but not doing anything because you’re younger than him and you don’t want to damage your relationship Matthew (his younger brother). Years pass and *gasp* he sees you for the first time as a viable romantic prospect, and precedes to pine. And pine. And pine. He could just be coming back from Ranger school (jacked af, this is important), but lacking human connection. You could be moving back to New York for the first time since childhood and Mike offers to reteach you the ropes. If you’re a fan of jealousy, you could even reconnect when you first start dating another member of the squad. I want to see Mike bottle up his feelings forevvver and accidentally come off as cold and then counteracting it be being quietly vulnerable then go back to being cold until he realizes he is irrevoably in love with you and spills- my favorites are guiltily (because of a miscommunication naturally) or accidentally (because it fills up his mind and his heart so much that it just -slips) 

Peter: Exes. I’ll admit, Peter was a tough nut to crack because I can’t imagine doing anything to mess up his professional relationships or do something wildly reckless/immature even under stress. So when was a time where he wasn’t like that? To see the young, carefree side of Peter. Answer is exes. You knew him in high school, when he was a cocky talented baseball player (he was the jockiest jock to ever jock you can’t convince me otherwise). You knew him in college, still cocky but a bit more focused on his studies (cue a studying montage, late night movie marathons, and helping him *stretch*). You knew him as a ball player, young but still very talented (you could wear his jersey too, I dunno I don’t make the rules). You knew him when he got his injury and when his sister was diagnosed, forced to deal with all of life’s curve-balls (pun very much intended), but still managed to be mature and kind to those around him. And then you break up (messily, maturely, with a bang, or with a whimper). But reconnect when he’s at SVU. For Peter, I think a more equal power dynamic would be better so imagine FBI agent on a special task force assigned to work with SVU or a new ADA who’s there to help the 8th floor. 

Rafael: Enemies Rivals to Lovers. This one practically wrote itself. The witty banter would be OFF THE CHARTS, the teasing and flirting disguised as professional tension slowly leading to greater and greater emotional and professional intimacy- until one day something snaps and you’re making out like your life depends on it. This situation works well with people who are forced to work together, so another ADA would be most obvious choice, but we have other options as well. Think a victim’s advocate (a position in some courthouses to protect the interests of the victim and sometimes help prep them for trial), or a bodyguard (oh I like this one, shielding his body from gunfire?? Going to his house and meeting his mom??), or a stubborn sergeant he has to go on a long road trip with to interrogate a suspect with waaaay in upstate New York. 

Nick: Hooking up to Real Feelings. This one is stolen from cannon, but (personally) I never understood him hooking up with Rollins. It’s not that he wouldn’t date a colleague (he maybe did that with Maria) but that the writers just kinda dropped that gem and didn’t go anywhere with it. It would make more sense if he did it with someone who he didn’t work with, someone similarly professionally minded and didn’t want anything serious. Here I think women and uniform would make an appearance, so someone in the service stationed at a base in New York, an FBI agent with the local field office, or (my personal favorite) a security agent for the UN for an international *flair*. They even could be hooking up, you move, then reconnect when you’re forced to work together in SVU.

Mike: 2 kids (Billy Dominick and August Arthur). After Sonny I think Mike fits most naturally into the dad role. He’ll want to wait a few years until after you’re married, but he definitely wants kids (secretly he’s hoping for a boy and when he finds out, he literally high fives you). Once his son is born, he very shakily cuts the umbilical cord, but once you’re alone with each other and a bit rested he climbs on top of the hospital bed and holds you both. Mini Mini Dodds is named after his dad William -which shortened to Billy- and his middle name is after his godfather. Mike is good for a bit, but when Billy hits the babbling stage (”he’s trying to talk to me, hon! C’mon say “dada”) he totally asks you if you’re ready for another. A year and a half later, August Arthur makes his appearance (you jokingly suggested it, but Mike ended up really liking the alliteration). You love your boys, but you both agree that you’re done.

Rafael: 1 girl (Mia Olivia). As much as I love Raf, I don’t think this was on purpose. You’re married and a couple years in the condom broke, so your little surprise was born. Rafael was nervous at first, but as Mia Olivia grows older he gets more and more confident. She’s his whole world and he wouldn’t have it any other way. PS: he totally becomes a multitasking pro, whispering his closing argument to her as he walks around and lulls her to sleep

Peter: 1 girl (Pamela Rose). When you married Peter you had an agreement: he wasn’t sure if he wanted kids but was willing to discuss it, you wanted kids but were willing to discuss it. A couple years in after a major child trafficking ring was busted and a bunch of parents were reunited with their kids it got his wheels turning and he put it back up for discussion. You guys weren’t trying, but not NOT trying either. Feeling the waters if you will. Well, the waters were felt and a surprising 10 months later Pamela Rose was born (named after his sister and her nickname is Pam). After they got home from the hospital and you were getting some much needed rest, Pam fell asleep on Peter for the first time and he realized three things at the exact same time. 1. He loved her more than he loved anything in his life 2. She felt right in his arms and a missing piece of himself he didn’t know he had dropped into place 3. She was enough. His family was complete. PS: He totally still has an uncle role in Noah’s life and even coaches Noah’s little league team when he’s a bit older. 

Mike: He goes out ring shopping with his dad (who he’s not letting pay for the ring thankyouverymuch), Rollins (who keeps showing him the most expensive rings in the shop as a gag), and Liv (who doesn’t think it’s a little weird that she’s going ring shopping with her boss and two of her subordinates no she doesn’t). He’s a sappy romantic who doesn’t want to break the bank, so an alternative stone to diamond is going to be appreciated

The ring itself: A garnet ring in a modern setting. Garnet is reminiscent of a ruby without being a total knockoff and original enough to be special (and much cheaper than diamonds). It’s elegant, bold, and traditional- and perfect

Rafael: I think Raf would get a new ring, but reminiscent of the one his mother had. He loves his mother and grandmother dearly and wants to honor them, but the connotations of using his mother’s ring (that only really brought him pain ouch) is a bit much. If Raf’s parents got married in the early 70s late 60s, the most popular ring setting was an emerald cut. But I don’t think Papa Barba would have sprung for such a trendy and expensive ring so a slightly out of date ring would suffice, the art deco style of the early to mid 60s. Plus art deco just seems right for Raf you know?

The ring itself: A modern twist on an art deco style, but just as fashionable as Raf and chock full of diamonds (lab grown like Peter’s)

Peter:. I head-cannon that Peter is the most financially stable of all the guys. He’s worked as a professional athlete from an early age then transitioned to working as a lawyer for the rest of his career (and don’t forget the 5+ years in Chicago before SVU) and has been mostly single the entire time. Since he doesn’t have a family ring, he wants to get you something special, but not too extravagant. 

The ring itself: Simple, but bold. I think he’s an emerald cut kinda guy. It’s lab grown (not to judge but why buy natural diamonds? The chemical composition is the same and it’s impossible to tell the difference. Plus if anyone is snobby about it, you can punch them and they won’t be able to tell the difference either!) so it doesn’t break the bank

Nick: This is Nick’s second marriage, so he more than anyone knows that in the grand scene of things, the ring is secondary. He appreciates subtly and wants to get you something classic, so when you are old it’ll still shine like the day he gave it to you

The ring itself: I don’t think Nick is going to go too adventurous so I thought lab-grown diamonds were a good pick, but a bit smaller than Peter’s. The cable details on the band shows a bit of originality and uniqueness that isn’t completely out of the box.