Oh man thank you so much for answering my ask! I still am into Longmire, and Branch remains my favorite character, and you are so right about people not looking long enough to see what a great guy he is! Now you’ve got me hooked though, haha! What are your headcanons for Branch’s hobbies? What’s his taste in books and music? Does he like scary movies? Dogs or cats? CAN HE SING? (I’m a sucker for a man that can sing) you write for him so beautifully that I just wanna know more haha! Thanks love!
{ You are so welcome! And thank you for sending another one!! I can’t tell you how excited I was to see all these questions for Branch omg :3 Feel free to send anything you want about Branch. I’d love to keep talking about our boy with you! Also, thank you so so much. I’m so happy that you enjoy the way I write Branch ! }
Branch’s hobbies tend to be pretty Wyoming typical. He loves camping, fishing, hunting. He loves to go swimming in different rivers. He’s not a huge fan of swimming pools. He prefers to be out in nature. He, of course, loves riding his mare to clear his head. He used to be a bronc rider before he became a deputy, so sometimes he likes to go visit his old friends who are still involved in the rodeo circuit. And occasionally, he’ll take up the invitation of a ride. He still needs a good rush of adrenaline from time to time. He also tries to volunteer with animal shelters. He hates seeing animals abused or neglected, so when he was younger he loved going to take care of them. His father hated him doing it. He thought it made Branch look weak. Branch never cared what his father said about it, but since he’s become a deputy, he doesn’t have too much time anymore. He’ll do his best to attend an adoption day or donate large amounts during the holiday seasons though. Overall, I think Branch’s biggest hobby is simply to build things. He loves doing things around the house (like putting in a new deadbolt for Cady). Any home improvement project is something he’ll gladly take on. Anything that lets him use his hands. He really wants to learn more about carpentry. He has basic knowledge and can build basic things, but he wants to be able to create really beautiful woodworks.
Branch is a total classic rock guy. It’s the music he grew up with, and he loves it just as much as when he was a kid. He doesn’t listen to country. He doesn’t want to be that much of a walking cliche. He doesn’t really ever listen to new music either unless he just happens to be where it’s playing. But classic rock and sometimes old school funk are his jams. If you want a few examples of songs Branch loves, listen to Leroy Brown by Jim Croce. But Branch loves every song by Jim Croce. ( @peritxetxinvenit I can’t lie, Leroy Brown reminds me very much of Vic xD ). But he also loves songs like What a Fool Believes by the Doobie Brothers. Okay, if I’m not careful I’ll wind up making an entire playlist of songs Branch likes! But for some more recent songs, Branch likes Mr. Brightside by The Killers and Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye.
Now, can Branch sing....? YES. Yes, Branch can sing. And he can sing very well. When he listens to any of the songs I’ve listed above in his truck, omg, does this boy belt it out. One thing that always helps put him in a better mood is to get in his truck, drive down a quiet road, roll the windows down, blast music he loves, and sing along to it. Now while Branch can sing, he never let’s anyone hear him. He’d be mortified if anyone heard. He doesn’t realize that he has a wonderful voice, and he feels like a fool at the idea of people hearing him sing. He doesn’t even hum to himself or silently lip-sing to songs he likes with other people around. He won’t even sing in his own house because he’s worried someone might come to visit and overhear. However, after a couple of beers and with someone he really cares about, they might be able to get him to sing a little tune for them. An aside note, Branch had a couple of piano lessons when he was young, but he hated it and his father never made him pursue it. He can’t play any instruments, though he’d like to learn to play the guitar.
Branch is a very intelligent man, and he’s actually an avid reader. Some people might think of him as the dumb high school quarter back, but he’s not stupid despite loving sports. During high school, he read a great many classic novels. He actually loved them all. It shames him to no end, but when Walt lent him Hound of the Baskervilles in order to chastise him, Branch did indeed take the book home and very carefully read it. He learned a lot from it and thoroughly enjoyed the story. But because his job demands a lot of his time, he doesn’t ever feel like he has the time to read many novels anymore. Branch is at a point where he’d want to get through a book in an afternoon. So he doesn’t read novels or novellas, instead, he reads plays! Plays as old as Oedipus Rex to contemporary plays. He enjoys that they’re quick reads, but he also has a lot of fun making his imagination work to visualize everything. He actually much prefers reading plays instead of going to watch them. And because of his Uncle Lucian’s talent for writing poetry, Branch will always go buy a collection of poetry based on whoever his uncle recommends he reads.
Branch loves scary movies! They’re one of his favorite kinds of movies. Yet as often as he watches them, he’s not often truly impressed by them. He hates cheap jump scares. He loves the old school horror movies, no matter how camp they are. Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Chucky to name a few. All the cult classics that had phenomenal horrifying originals. He never bothers with any sequels. He doesn’t really care much for blood and guts in movies. In fact, he’d like to get away from that once he’s out of work. His favorite kind of horror movies have good characters, strong plot lines, and a sense of unease that builds and builds until it’s intolerable. Though I will say, he’ll never watch horror movies alone.
And here’s a little headcanon near and dear to me that almost ties into the last one. He’s not a coward by any means, but having grown up in close proximity to the Cheyenne reservation has influenced his belief in frightening creatures and spirituality as a whole. While Branch says he doesn’t believe in ghosts or goblins of any sort, he feels it’s best not to push his luck with any possible malevolent entities or cryptid creatures. When Vic Moretti mentioned having her tarot cards read, he actually thought she was pretty brave. He was being honest about never having had them done because he’s a guy in the middle of Wyoming. But I do imagine after that, Victoria would have really tried to get him to go with her for a reading. He would have flatly refused, and it’s because he would be afraid. He’d be afraid of knowing something bad was coming his way and he’d be helpless to stop it. For Branch, he’d rather not see the snake in the grass until he’s bit rather than to know it’s there and know he’s trapped.
And last but not least, Branch loves cats and dogs!!! He never had any pets other than horses growing up, and he doesn’t have one now. He’d really like to have a pet, but he worries he wouldn’t be fair to them by working all the time. But he adores dogs and cats equally. He loves that a dog can go anywhere with him and be an outdoor companion. And when he visits people who have cats, the kitties tend to take to his lap instantly. He loves cuddling with a kitty inside, but he doesn’t like how their fur gets everywhere. And usually it’s so fine that it makes him sneeze terribly compared to dog fur. He likes to think that once he’s Sheriff or even retired from the Sheriff’s department, he’ll adopt a dog and a cat.
{Thank you again for all these questions, my sweet! Please feel free to send in any more you have about Branch. I don’t mind answering anything about him. It all helps me flesh out how I want to write him. I hope this was an enjoyable read, and thank you again for your support of my writing!}