#Sacrament of Matrimony

[catholic-saint-tournament]

While we wait for our final four to come down to the last two, here's another fun poll! Choose your favorite sacrament.

If you don't know what they are or need a refresher, click here.

[pink-fiat003]

If you had to pick one area where Christianity is better than Islam, what would it be?

View on marriage. In Islam there’s too much focus on the contract aspect and allowing the man to be married to multiple women at a time, promoting carnal desires. Marriage is seen as the natural, automatic vocation. In Christianity different vocations are respected - especially celibacy, not just marriage, and follows the concept of two becoming joined together as one. No polygamy, no sex slaves in heaven, no divorce. It’s a sacrament. You are joined until death. I feel more respect and dignity in that.

Here’s one of my favorite sources on the main differences between marriage in Islam and Christianity: https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/marriage-christianity-vs-islam

[ominouspositivity-or-else]

*The Eucharist is the body of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.

**God is bound to these sacraments, meaning he always gives grace through them when they are done, but he is not bound by these sacraments, meaning that God can do literally whatever he wants and can of course go around them and provide grace in other ways.

***7 sacraments, listed: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Confession, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.

Feel free to add nuance in the tags or talk about why you find the teachings strange! Let me know if there's anything utterly baffling that I didn't include!!!

Also please remember to be respectful!!! Not everyone knows theology like you might!!!

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

Of Lust and Sex on Tolkien lore: Sauron x Galadriel in “Rings of Power”

Many fellow fans have complaint there’s a trend among the Tolkien fandom to de-sexualize Galadriel, but folks, this is not exclusive to her character. This is, actually, an on-going theme on how many see Tolkien’s world and work, in general, and it runs deeps.

There’s this weird headcanon that, just because Tolkien was catholic and a “gentleman”, the world he built is somehow devoid of sexuality or sexual matters, and asexual in itself. Nothing wrong with that, except we have countless examples of “sexual stuff” happening in the legendarium, from characters lusting after each other, to actual sexual assault. Just because Tolkien didn’t write explicit sex scenes (let’s say like George R.R. Martin, who devoted himself to try subvert Tolkien) doesn’t mean is not there. Not everything needs to be “in your face” meaning explicit.

Firstly, Tolkien cared enough about sexuality to write several essays on the matter, namely about the Eldar sex culture and customs. It’s clear that the Elves try to be the “perfect Catholics” on his lore, and this reflects on their views of sex = marriage, premarital sex is frowned upon, repression of sexual desire, adultery is unthinkable, and divorce is forbidden. The Eldar sex culture is purity culture in a nutshell. And it reflects Tolkien’s own views on the subject:

Later in life when sex cools down, it may be possible. It may happen between saints. To ordinary folk it can only rarely occur [...] Faithfulness in Christian marriage entails that: great mortification. For a Christian man there is no escape. Marriage may help to sanctify & direct to its proper object his sexual desires; its grace may help him in the struggle; but the struggle remains. It will not satisfy him – as hunger may be kept off by regular meals [...] No man, however truly he loved his betrothed and bride as a young man, has lived faithful to her as a wife in mind and body without deliberate conscious exercise of the will, without self-denial.   [...] Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament [Marriage].... There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves upon earth, and more than that: Death: by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man's heart desires.  Tolkien Letter 43

In Tolkien lore, there’s a strong connection between sex and morality. This is clear on the most iconic romances on his legendarium: Beren and Lúthien, Aragorn and Arwen, etc., which follow the medieval tradition of Chivalric romance: adventures of knights, courtly love, codes of honor and chivalry, trials and tribulations in the pursuit of love and glory.

“Courly love”, in the European tradition, is a highly idealized portrayal of human romantic relationships, that emerged in the medieval courts of the continent. Is a form of ritualized love between a knight (Beren/Aragorn) and his lady (Lúthien/Arwen), characterized by restrain, discretion and devotion.  Tolkien himself talks about this, as well: 

It idealizes ‘love’ - and as far as it goes can be very good, since it takes in far more than physical pleasure, and enjoins if not purity, at least fidelity, and so self-denial, 'service’, courtesy, honor, and courage. Its weakness is, of course, that it began as an artificial courtly game, a way of enjoying love for its own sake without reference to (and indeed contrary to) matrimony. 

It’s clear Tolkien sees the lustful side of relationships as something sinful, but does this equal “evil”? No, because his characters (including the Elves) and the legendarium are complex, and this is not a pure Good vs. Pure Evil world, as Tolkien says himself: 

Some reviewers have called the whole thing simple-minded, just a plain fight between Good and Evil, with all the good just good, and the bad just bad. Pardonable, perhaps (though at least Boromir has been overlooked) in people in a hurry, and with only a fragment to read, and, of course, without the earlier written but unpublished Elvish histories. But the Elves are not wholly good or in the right. Tolkien Letter 154

For Tolkien, is more about being on the “right side of History” (let’s put it this way) than being an immaculate hero. His characters are complexed and nuanced:  

There are also conflicts about important things or ideas. In such cases I am more impressed by the extreme importance of being on the right side, than I am disturbed by the revelation of the jungle of confused motives, private purposes, and individual actions (noble or base) in which the right and the wrong in actual human conflicts are commonly involved. If the conflict really is about things properly called right and wrong, or good and evil, then the rightness or goodness of one side is not proved or established by the claims of either side; it must depend on values and beliefs above and independent of the particular conflict. A judge must assign right and wrong according to principles which he holds valid in all cases. That being so, the right will remain an inalienable possession of the right side and Justify its cause throughout. (I speak of causes, not of individuals. Of course to a judge whose moral ideas have a religious or philosophical basis, or indeed to anyone not blinded by partisan fanaticism, the rightness of the cause will not justify the actions of its supporters, as individuals, that are morally wicked. But though 'propaganda' may seize on them as proofs that their cause was not in fact 'right', that is not valid. The aggressors are themselves primarily to blame for the evil deeds that proceed from their original violation of justice and the passions that their own wickedness must naturally (by their standards) have been expected to arouse. They at any rate have no right to demand that their victims when assaulted should not demand an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth.) Similarly, good actions by those on the wrong side will not justify their cause. There may be deeds on the wrong side of heroic courage, or some of a higher moral level: deeds of mercy and forbearance. A judge may accord them honour and rejoice to see how some men can rise above the hate and anger of a conflict; even as he may deplore the evil deeds on the right side and be grieved to see how hatred once provoked can drag them down. But this will not alter his judgement as to which side was in the right, nor his assignment of the primary blame for all the evil that followed to the other side. In my story I do not deal in Absolute Evil.  Letter 183 

This is why, in "Rings of Power", Sauron can be in love with Galadriel and still be the villain he is. Tolkien doesn’t deal in absolutes, and Sauron is not pure evil, either.

And if people can’t wrap their head around nuanced and complex ideas, it’s not Tolkien's fault, really. This concept that “evil can love” (and it doesn’t make it any less evil) is absolutely fascinating to me, because I wholesome agree with this. Folks have this idealized notion of love (even Tolkien himself talks about this), like it’s only valid if it’s Beren and Lúthien. When it’s not. “Lord of the Rings” is meant to reflect our “fallen” world; and, in our world, tyrants and dictators can love, and have families, and still be genocidal monsters. Their ability to feel romantic love has no direct connection in how they treat their subjects. This is why Tolkien says that “good actions” on the wrong side don’t excuse it nor make it any less evil.

This is not “Harry Potter”, and Sauron is not “Voldemort” that can’t never “know love”. Tolkien was a college professor at Oxford, a renounced linguistic, the father of the modern fantasy genre, and a classic of World literature, he would never write just a basic concept.

This leads me to the idea that “Elves are not wholly good”, and that, they too, can be sinful, and that doesn’t make them “evil” (= on the wrong side). We see this with Galadriel in Tolkien legendarium; not only she commits the sin of pride, and greed, but also lust.  

In "Unfinished Tales", Tolkien tells us: Celeborn was the lover of Galadriel, who she later wedded. In Letter 43, Tolkien defines what he means by “a lover” (in general): “engaging and blending all his affections and powers of mind and body in a complex emotion powerfully coloured and energized by sex”.

So, it’s safe to assume that Galadriel was having sex with Celeborn before they were even married (premarital sex). Probably that’s why he had no quarrels with the wild John Boorman script of her and Frodo f*cking in the middle of the woods.

Galadriel doesn’t care about the Eldar sex customs, because, of course, she doesn’t, she's above that, being Noldor royalty and her own authority. Which makes sense with her “repentant sinner” character arc in the legendarium, actually.

Because, as Tolkien, told us: “in The Lord of the Rings the conflict is not basically about 'freedom', though that is naturally involved. It is about God, and His sole right to divine honour” (Letter 183). And “sin” is considered a transgression against divine law (aka God); an offense against religious and moral laws.

Tolkien was religious, but he wasn’t a Catholic priest, and he was well aware that women have sexual desire, and some are, indeed, promiscuous and have no problems acting on it: “You may meet in life (as in literature) women who are flighty, or even plain wanton — I don't refer to mere flirtatiousness, the sparring practice for the real combat, but to women who are too silly to take even love seriously, or are actually so depraved as to enjoy 'conquests', or even enjoy the giving of pain – but these are abnormalities, even though false teaching, bad upbringing, and corrupt fashions may encourage them” (Letter 43). Pardon the language, but Tolkien was, after all, a man of his time. 

The “Higher Beings” Nonsense 

This is one of the occasions I completely disagree with Charlie Vickers when he calls Sauron a “higher being”. He probably means it in sense he’s a Maia, a demigod or an angel in Tolkien lore, but his use of words can cause some confusion. Sauron is, in no way, shape of form, an “higher being” (in the Christain sense): he’s a literal demon, a satanist, a follower and a servant of Satan himself, in Tolkien legendarium. Demons exist in the lowest frequencies of existence in Christian theology.

Tolkien makes this very clear on his letters: Melkor/Morgoth is Lucifer/Satan on his myth, he straight-up calls him “diabolus” (Letter 153). It should be obvious enough on his entire character: he’s the one who corrupts God’s creation and is the symbolic archangel/Valar (like Lucifer was). Him being dragged in chains and imprisoned until the end of time also parallels a biblical event.

Sauron is the chief satanist demon in the lore, the #1 servant and follower of Morgoth/Satan: Satanic rebellion and evil of Morgoth and his satellite Sauron; in which Evil is largely incarnate, and in which physical resistance to it is a major act of loyalty to God (Letter 156).

And here, too, there’s a weird attempt of de-sexualizing these characters (mostly Sauron) in the Tolkien fandom. Despite the fact almost everyone recognizes the Christian inspiration here, and the Devil being seen as the creator of all kinds of sexual depravity, deviation and promiscuity in the world (according to Christain faith); the same way Morgoth was responsible for "corrupting" Arda. Apparently, sex had nothing to do with this corruption, according to some. Odd, to say the least, when Tolkien gives us descriptions of “indominable lust” on both characters (Morgoth and Sauron).

Them being magical and demonic creatures might indicate they have the ability to control whenever they want to reproduce or not. We know from the lore that Morgoth bound himself to his physical form because of his non-stop corruption of Arda. 

On Note 5 (“Vinyar Tengwar”) of “Osanwe-kenta", Tolkien writes: 

The things that are most binding [to Valar and Maiar] are those that in the Incarnates have to do with the life of the hroa itself, its sustenance, and its propagation. Thus eating and drinking are binding, but not the delight in beauty of sound and form. Most binding is begetting or conceiving.  We do not know the axani (laws, rules, as primarily proceeding from Eru) that were laid down upon the Valar with particular reference to their state, but it seems clear that there was no axan against these things. Nonetheless it appears to be an axan, or maybe necessary consequence, that if they are done, then the spirit must dwell in the body that is used, and be under the same necessities as the Incarnate. The only case that is known in the histories of the Eldar is that of Melian (...)  'The great Valar do not do these things: they beget not, neither do they eat and drink, save at the high asari, in token of their lordship and indwelling of Arda, and for the blessing and sustenance of the Children. Melkor alone became at last bound to a bodily form...' 

This might suggest that Morgoth became bound a physical form because of his “great lust”. "Begetting and conceiving” might, indeed, mean more than just standard reproduction, because Morgoth did “begot” with creation and mastery of several races and creatures. However, the only other example of a Ainur (in this case a Maia) getting bound to a physical form in the lore is Melian, when she became pregnant with Lúthien (after reproducing with her Elf love, Thingol). 

* Trigger warning: Mentions of Sexual Assault *

Then we have the fact that Morgoth might have been a serial r*pist. In “Myths Transformed” section of “Morgoth’s ring”, Tolkien has Morgoth r*ping Arien, the Maia who ruled the sun, and was “the most ardent and beautiful of all the spirits that had entered into Eä with [Varda]":  

. . . afire at once with desire and anger, [Melkor] went to Asa  [The Sun] and he spoke to Arie, saying: 'I have chosen thee,   and thou shalt be my spouse, even as Varda is to Manwe,   and together we shall wield all splendour and majesty. Then the kingship of Arda shall be mine in deed as in right,  and thou shalt be the partner of my glory.'  But Arie rejected Melkor and rebuked him, saying:  'Speak not of right, which thou hast long forgotten.  Neither for thee nor by thee alone was Ea made; and  thou shalt not be King of Arda. Beware therefore;  for there is in the heart of [Asa] a light in which  thou hast no part, and a fire which will not serve thee.  Put not out thy hand to it. For though thy potency  may destroy it, it will burn thee and thy brightness   will be made dark.'    Melkor did not heed her warning, but cried in his wrath:  'The gift which was withheld I take!' and he ravished Arie,  desiring both to abase her and to take into himself her powers.  Then the spirit of Arie went up like a flame of anguish and wrath,  and departed for ever from Arda; and the Sun was bereft  of the Light of Varda, and was stained by the assault of Melkor.  And [the Sun] being for a long while without rule . . . grievous   hurt was done to Arda . . .  until with long toil the Valar made   a new order. But even as Arie foretold, Melkor was burned   and his brightness darkened, and he gave no more light,   but light pained him exceedingly   and he hated it.    Nonetheless Melkor would not leave Arda in peace . . . 

So, yes, Tolkien really had the Devil r*ping the Sun... Can this be a parallel Sauron and Galadriel’s scene in “Rings of Power” Season 2 finale? When Sauron ravishes Galadriel's soul using Morgoth's crown? Since Sauron said he would make Galadriel a “queen as fair as the sea and the sun”, in 1x08? No quite. But more on that later.

Then we have the infamous Lúthien episode. There is an on-going debate on Morgoth’s intentions in this scene, but, in my opinion, and taking in consideration the incident with Arien, the “since he fled from Valinor” bit might indicate his intention was, indeed, to r*pe Lúthien. 

Then Morgoth looking upon her beauty [Lúthien] conceived in his thought an evil lust, and a design more dark than any that had yet come into his heart since he fled from Valinor. Thus he was beguiled by his own malice, for he watched her, leaving her free for a while, and taking secret pleasure in his thought. The Silmarillion [Lúthien dances for Morgoth on his Dark Throne, before she puts him and all the host of Angband to sleep with her magic singing]

Tolkien comes back to this “evil lust” Morgoth felt for Lúthien on several works:

…Yet I will give a respite brief, a while to live, a little while, though purchased dear, to Lúthien the fair and clear, a pretty toy for idle hour. In slothful garden many a flower like thee the amorous gods are used honey-sweet to kiss, and cast then bruised, their fragrance loosing, under feet. … A! curse the Gods! O hunger dire,O blinding thirst’s unending fire! One moment shall ye cease, and slake your sting with morsel I here take! In his eyes the fire to flame was fanned,and forth he stretched his brazen hand.Lúthien as shadow shrank aside. ‘Not thus, O King! Not thus!’ she cried. … …And her wings she caught then deftly up, and swift as thought slipped from his grasp, and wheeling round, fluttering before his eyes, she wound a mazy-wingéd dance… The Lay of Leithian, The Lost Road and Other Writings

“Nay,” saith Melkor, “such things are little to my mind; but as thou hast come thus far to dance, dance, and after we will see,” and with that he leered horribly, for his dark mind pondered some evil.  Book of Lost Tales vol.2

Then Morgoth laughed, but he was moved with suspicion, and said that her accursed race would get no soft words or favour in Angband. What could she do to give him pleasure, and save herself from the lowest dungeons? He reached out his mighty brazen hand but she shrank away. He is angry but she offers to dance. Commentary to the Lay of Leithian (The Lays of Beleriand)

Almost every servant of Morgoth either came to resent him or were absolutely terrified of him. The most notorious case being Sauron himself, as he went into the hiding after his spectacular defeat in Tol-in-Gauhoth (at the hands of Lúthien and Huan, the Hound of Valinor), probably to escape being punished by Morgoth.

“Rings of Power” already had Sauron talking about the unbelievable tortures he endured at Morgoth’s hands, and taking into consideration all of this… well, those “r*pe of Mairon” dead dove fanfictions might be on to something here.

Do you know what it is to be tortured at the hands of a god?

Sauron’s entire dialogue in this scene can be interpreted as that of a r*pe survivor, actually: we have the dissociation element of “sometimes, the pain almost became a reward. Became a game"; and the self-guilt of “no, you chose it” (which is something many victims of sexual assault go through).

And then, we have the fact that the “feminization of hyper-masculine Mairon” was a consequence of his corruption by Morgoth, as I’ve already talked about in this post.

Tolkien himself talks about the Christian devil in terms of sex and lust, so it’s odd why the Tolkien fandom plays mental gymnastics trying to equalize Tolkien’s use of the sin “lust” with “greed” (these are two different sins in Christian theology, even though they are connected). 

The devil is endlessly ingenious, and sex is his favorite subject. He is as good every bit at catching you through generous romantic or tender motives, as through baser or more animal ones. Letter 43

Greed vs. Lust in Tolkien Lore

Indeed, Tolkien uses the sin “Lust” in connection with "Power" and "Jewels" (Silmarils/One ring/gold), but this might be a metaphor for sexual temptation, as well. Mainly because of his Christian inspiration behind the whole story.

Some examples of Tolkien’s usage of the word “lust”, that might be interpreted as “greed”:

The oath of the sons of Fëanor becomes operative, and lust for the Silmarils brings all the kingdoms of the Elves to ruin."  "But also they [rings of power] enhanced the natural powers of a possessor – thus approaching 'magic', a motive easily corruptible into evil, a lust for domination."  "Very slowly, beginning with fair motives: the reorganising and rehabilitation of the ruin of Middle-earth, 'neglected by the gods', he [Sauron] becomes a reincarnation of Evil, and a thing lusting for Complete Power – and so consumed ever more fiercely with hate (especially of gods and Elves)."  Now Sauron’s lust and pride increased, until he knew no bounds, and he determined to make himself master of all things in Middle-earth, and to destroy the Elves, and to compass if he might, the downfall of Númenor

"Also so great was the [One] Ring's power of lust, that anyone who used it became mastered by it..."  The Númenóreans attempted to take the Undying Land by force of a great armada in their lust for corporal immortality.

“Greed” is the disordered desire to consume (wealth, power); while “Lust” is the disordered desire to possess (something or someone). Lust is “consumption” and “action”, while greed is “hoarding” and “possessing”. Someone who is greedy wants more and more of something (not necessarily do anything with it); while someone who is lustful wants to do something with the thing it desires.

But “desire” that is not acted upon in Tolkien lore is not sinful, nor it’s a transgression of God’s (Eru) laws.

“The Original sin” (or “The Fall") is central to Tolkien world-building: “The dislocation of sex-instinct is one of the chief symptoms of the Fall [of Adam and Eve]”. And this means is that Lust is the “original sin”, and the gateway to sin, and from where all other sins originate.  

St. Paul writes "cupiditas radix malorum": “the root of all evil is cupidity". This is motivated by the fact that Eve ate the forbidden fruit because "she saw it, was beautiful". This explains why Christians have such a bad view of sex, especially when it’s not restrained by marriage.

There is lust for the forbidden fruit (the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil that Adam and Eve were instructed not to eat in the Garden of Eden). This is when “sin” is first introduced into the world, leading to their banishment from paradise. The themes here are: disobedience to God, and succumbing to temptation (Devil).

And it’s the serpent that inflames Eve's lust, and "Rings of Power" wasn't even being subtle here (even the OST for this scene is called "The Fall of Galadriel"): 

“Lust”, in his biblical/catholic sense, is the misuse of the body, sexually. The opposite of “lust” is “temperance” and “chastity”. “Lust” is disorderly sexual desire, and the subordinated enjoyment of sexual pleasure (against God’s law). It’s not just promiscuity, but extra-marital sex, as well.

In the Bible, “lust” is thematized by adultery (because marriage is a sacred sacrament, and acting against it, it’s breaking God’s laws, hence being a “deadly sin”). We also see this sin in connection with “idolatry” (one of Sauron’s crimes in Tolkien lore), when characters (such as Solomon) take foreign wives, symbolizing the forsaking of one’s partner for another.

But the catch here is: Eve wanted to eat the forbidden fruit. She wanted to bite into it, it was consensual. She was tempted, and she succumbed to temptation, to lust.

This pretty much goes hand with hand what I wrote on my “Of sin and sinners” post, that made the purity police gone wild. Galadriel and Sauron’s dynamic is not only hyper sexual, but it’s being consummated as well, and that’s why Galadriel gets banish from Valinor.

Sauron ravishing Galadriel using a sharp object parallels another Christian event (demonic version): the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

Beside me, on the left, appeared an angel in bodily form…. He was […] very beautiful; and his face was so aflame that he appeared to be one of the highest rank of angels, who seem to be all on fire…. In his hands I saw a great golden spear, and at the iron tip there appeared to be a point of fire. This he plunged into my heart several times so that it penetrated to my entrails. When he pulled it out I felt that he took them with it, and left me utterly consumed by the great love of God. The pain was so severe that it made me utter several moans. The sweetness caused by this intense pain is so extreme that one cannot possibly wish it to cease, nor is one’s soul content with anything but God. This is not a physical but a spiritual pain, though the body has some share in it—even a considerable share.

This is, essentially, a description of a Catholic saint having an orgasm. The “lorebros” wanted the Virgin Mary that never was, and “Rings of Power” delivered. Iconic. And that probably provides the subtext to this unhinged expression over here:

Happy with ourselves, are we?

So, yes, in the end, Sauron did take Celeborn’s woman as foreshadowed by Season 1 with the “clams” scene in Númenor (1x03). And now that his blood is inside of her, stuff is about to get wild.

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Rogier van der Weyden or Roger de la Pasture (Netherlandish, c.1399-1464) The Seven Sacraments, ca. 1440-45 Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp The 7 Sacraments celebrated in the Catholic Church are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. They are divided into three categories: Sacrament of Initiation, Sacraments of Healing, and Sacraments at the Service of Communion.

[themultifandomgal]

Isaiah Jesus- We’re Getting Married

When I told my brothers that Isaiah and I were getting married, they were not happy. I am the youngest Shelby, as Arthur puts it 'our baby sister'. Thankfully though my brothers came around and now here I stand smoothing down my dress as Esme places my vail in my hair

"You look beautiful YN" Lizzie gushes

"Thank you, but so do you both" I look at Esme and Lizzie through the mirror in front of me

"Ready?"

"Yeah" I smile turning around to Lizzie

"I'll go let Arthur know" she says leaving the room. A few minutes later Arthur knocks the door with his hand over his eyes

"We're all decent you can come in" I tell him. He takes his hand away and I can already see the tears in his eyes "don't cry because you'll make me cry"

"I'm sorry. It's just... my baby sister is getting married"

"Ok no smudging the makeup" Esme says stopping both me and Arthur from crying

"I think Isaiah is waiting" Lizzie places her hands on her hips

"Your right. Come on" Arthur holds his arm out for me to take.

As I wait for the doors to open to reveal Isaiah I start fidgeting

"Don't be nervous"

"I'm not. I'm excited. I love him Arthur"

"I know you do" finally the doors open and in walk Lizzie and Tom, then Esme and John. Then in walk my bridesmaids and finally Arthur walks me to Isaiah who's stood at the end of the aisle looks so freaking good. I notice he's got a tear running down his smiling face which cause me to cry a little. Arthur gives Isaiah my hand then kisses my cheek before taking his seat next to the rest of my family

"Welcome" the priest starts "today we are here to witness the marriage and bond between YN and Isaiah. Are you prepared, as you follow the path of marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do"

"I do" we both respond

"Before we start. Is there anyone here who has reason that these two should not marry?" Thankfully neither Isaiah or I have to be nervous about anyone standing up "since it is your intention to enter the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church" Isaiah and I hold hands

"I, take you , to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life" Isaiah says looking into my eyes. I repeat what he says

"May the Lord in his kindness strengthen the consent you have declared before the Church and graciously bring to fulfillment his blessings within you. What God has joined, let no one put asunder. May the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God who joined together our first parents in paradise, strength and bless in Christ the consent you have declared before the Church, so that what God joins together, no one may put asunder. receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the father, and the son, and the Holy Spirit. Who has the rings?" The priest asks. Charlie steps forward with both of our rings. Isaiah then takes my left hand

"Receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the father, and the son, and the Holy Spirit" he then places the ring on my finger. I repeat

"Now let us humbly invoke God's blessing upon this bride and groom, that in his kindness he may favor with his help those on whom he has bestowed the Sacrament of Matrimony. In the sight of God and these witnesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss" the room is filled with applause while Isaiah and I share a kiss.

It's now the after party at the Garrison and I've changed into something a little more comfortable so I can dance in. Isaiah and I had our first dance then Arthur clears his throat

"Can I have everyone's attention" I take Isaias hand in mine "I'd like to raise a toast to my sister and now brother in-law. Now when you first starting courting I wasn't happy" this makes us all laugh "in all seriousness though, I saw the way YN looked at you and the way you looked at her. It's a love that can't be ignored. I can't wait to see where life takes you both, but no babies yet I'm still not recovered from this wedding" again this makes everyone laugh "to YN and Isaiah"

"To YN and Isaiah" everyone shouts before we all take a sip of the champagne. I turn to my now husband and look up at him

"I love you"

"I love you too" he leans down and kisses my lips.

[lostloveletters]

Sunday Eve (John Brady x OC)

Summary: On a freezing night blanketed with snow, John and Woody know how to keep each other warm.

Note: It’s been in the 80s here, so naturally I wrote a soft, smutty, post-war winter fic for them. I’m sorry if the formatting is weird, I’m posting this on mobile. Do not interact if you’re under 18, terf or radfem, or post thinspo/ED content.

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: Period typical attitudes. Sexually explicit content involving vaginal sex (light breeding kink elements, but I wanted to mention it just in case). Do not interact if you’re under 18.

John privately wondered if his Californian sweetheart regretted moving to Upstate New York for him when he found her sitting next to the radio in their small living room, bundled up in not one, but two of his sweaters, with a quilt from his grandmother on her lap. Woody’s eyebrows furrowed as the newscaster announced more snow overnight. He figured she would be used to it by then. England was no stranger to snow.

But the way she reacted to their first snow day together brought the magic back into it. She threw her arms around him and pulled him back into bed when he told her the schools were closed, which meant he had the day off of work. They spent half the day in bed, the other half dancing around the apartment and drinking whiskey they’d gotten as an engagement present, all hopeful attempts to mitigate the heating bill while money was still a little tight.

After two days of scattered snowfall, she appeared baffled that it wasn't coming to an end for the foreseeable future. She knew to expect it. Saw firsthand the rush of people bringing their cars into the shop for snow tires and chains. She got the hang of it quickly. ‘You’d hardly know she was from Los Angeles,’ her boss, an old friend of his father’s, had told John after mass one particularly chilly October morning. ‘San Francisco,’ John reminded him, to which he received a shrug in response.

“Ready to head to bed?” John asked. “We’re meeting my mom for lunch after mass tomorrow morning.”

His family adored Woody, especially when she shared her intent to convert to Catholicism. He didn’t know how to feel when she confided later on she was doing it for him, rather than out of spiritual conviction, which he suspected, anyway. He never wanted her to feel as though he were forcing her to do anything. ‘It’ll make things easier for us,’ she assured him.

The part that bothered him just as much was that it did. His family suddenly weren’t making as much of a fuss about them living together. Probably assumed they wouldn’t push their beds together or keep condoms in the nightstand. The monsignor promised them a wedding mass in the spring, the most coveted time of year to celebrate the sacrament of holy matrimony—provided she completed catechism by then. She was on track to, so long as she kept showing up to mass.

“Will the roads even be cleared?” she asked.

He smiled. “We’re used to it here, sweetheart. You’d be surprised.”

She turned off the radio, getting up from the armchair and throwing the quilt over the back of it. He reached for her hand, taking it in his and pressing a kiss to her calloused palm.

Their bedroom was chilly when they slipped beneath the covers together after rushing through their respective nighttime routines, brushing teeth and changing into pajamas. In Woody’s case, taking off one of his two sweaters she’d requisitioned for herself, not having much of a winter wardrobe of her own.

Compared to the Stalags and freezing night marches, though, their drafty old apartment felt like heaven with the radiator buzzing and Woody in his arms. John dreamed about such a moment so many times, he needed to remind himself it was real. Pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, her hair soft and smooth against his lips. She trembled against him, breathing out a soft sigh.

“Sweetheart?”

“Keep me warm,” she whispered, nuzzling her nose against his cheek. “Please, Johnny?”

“We have to get up to go to mass tomorrow,” he gently reminded her.

Woody wanted him morning and night, and in between too, if he could manage it. Far from a complaint, but he was certain he was the only man in the world with such a dilemma as making sure to wake up early enough to sate his love’s desire before getting along with the day. When the topic came up among his coworkers or old college buddies, they grumbled with foreign tales of fiances and wives who feigned headaches or went to sleep early.

As soon as she shifted, better positioning herself to give him a kiss, he gave in. With little more than a glance his way or brush of their lips, she could silently transform her desires into his own, making him ache for it, too.

“Turn on a lamp,” she said, her voice low and husky. “I wanna see you, honey.”

And who was he to deny her? Nighttime could be formidable, but far less so with Woody around, ready to take on whatever haunted him with the determination that earned her the admiration of so many at Thorpe Abbotts. Didn’t care if it meant forgoing sleep or engaging in odd rituals when he needed a hand to reach out and bring him back from the depths. She dove in without hesitation.

So, within seconds of her request, the amber glow of his bedside lamp washed over them. She smiled, fondness and adoration in the gold-tinged forest of her eyes as she caressed his cheek, drawing him in for another heated kiss as he moved on top of her, straddling her hips, plusher and wider since they arrived stateside and received regular helpings of family cooking. Made it hard for him to keep his hands off of her even outside of their bedroom.

He reached down, slipping his hand down the waistband of her pajama pants and between her thighs—warm and wet, he easily slid two fingers inside her. He knew it wasn’t a sin. Not anymore. Not with her. It couldn’t be.

She moaned against his mouth when he rubbed her clit with his thumb. Rocked her hips for more friction.

“I want you inside me,” she said breathlessly, grabbing for his cock, tugging his pants down and croaking out a desperate, “please.”

He buried his length inside her, swallowing the groan that caught in his throat when he felt her pussy squeeze around his cock. Found a steady pace as she pulled him closer, pressing his body against hers, like she was trying to make him part of her.

She cried out for more as her eyelids fluttered shut. “John—oh my god—harder.”

“Look at me,” he demanded, echoing her earlier sentiments, “I wanna see you, sweetheart.”

She opened her eyes, bright and wild in a way that sent a delicious shiver down his spine. His fingers played with her clit, could feel how close she was. He thrust harder, rougher as her moans filled his ears, her voice hoarse as she came loudly, her pussy pulsing around his cock.

His hips shuddered. His brain felt fuzzy, almost lost himself before asking, “Where should I—“

“On my stomach.” She hastily bunched up her sweater just below her breasts, exposing it to him.

His blunt nails scratched gently against her bare stomach, soft and inviting. Tried not to think about it round and full with child, his child, one day when she wasn't so afraid. He recognized the uncertainty that flashed in her eyes whenever someone brought it up. ‘Not until you’re ready,’ he had promised with all the understanding he could manage despite the animal part of him trying to claw its way through. She’d look so pretty, so perfect. She’d be his wife soon, after all.

But it’d be worth the wait. She waited two years for him and didn’t waver. He’d do the same for her the world over. They belonged to each other.

“Fuck,” he groaned, pulling out just before he came, his seed spilling onto her stomach as his orgasm rocked through him. Buried his face in the crook of her neck, her skin warm with a sheen of sweat. Made his mind hazy with the feel, the smell of her intertwining with pleasure until he was spent.

With a shaky breath and equally shaky hand, he reached over to his nightstand, grabbing a handkerchief to wipe his cum off of her stomach. Didn’t need to look at her face to know she was eyeing him like a bird of prey. He threw the soiled fabric aside and pulled down her sweater to cover her again.

She grabbed him by the collar before he could move back to his side of the bed, pressing soft kisses to his neck, the prelude to gentle bites on his collarbones and then lower, and even lower. He took a deep breath, mustering up all of the resolve he could to pull away from her.

“We have to get up early tomorrow,” he said, as sternly as he could manage.

A small pout made its way onto her lips before she relented with a slight smile. “Alright, honey.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”

He turned off the bedside lamp. “I love you too.”

Heat radiated off of her as she curled up against him. He stroked her hair, tongue between his teeth as he tried to fight off the urge to indulge her—and himself. She always took a while to fall asleep, even when he was convinced he tired her out.

Slowly, his hand drifted lower until he found the thick, cuffed hem of her sweater and slid his hand up it, playing with her breasts, rolling one of her nipples between his fingers.

A pleased hum came from her throat before she gently taunted him. “You just said—“

“You’ll make me extra coffee in the morning to make up for it.”

Her laughter tore through the darkness as he pulled her on top of him with a wicked grin.

——

John woke up before Woody. He almost always did. She could sleep until nearly noon if he let her, which he did sometimes. Usually, though, around ten in the morning, after already being up for a few hours on his own, he’d find himself missing her and coax her awake.

He rolled out of bed, pulling on his old flannel robe before the frigid morning air could bite him too hard. He nearly winced at the loss of body heat, sparing a longing glance to Woody, still curled up under the covers.

Shuffled over to the bedroom window and pulled back the thick curtain, something he had to put up when they realized how much of a draft it let in otherwise. All he could see outside was white. The whole block was covered in a thick blanket of fresh snow—including the roads. He sighed in relief, something he’d surely have to confess the following week.

John hurried back to Woody’s side, eager to relay the good news to her. “Hey,” he whispered, stroking her cheek. “The roads haven’t been cleared yet.”

She smiled, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him back into bed. “Thank god.”

[celestiamour]

Hello lovely if ur requests are open could you do a Peter pevensie x reader at there wedding? <3

ft. peter pevensie x f! reader — the chronicles of narnia

╰₊✧ being nervous on your wedding day┊0.5k words

setting: the golden age contains: slight angst? established relationship

➤ author's note: sorry if you wanted a gnreader, i didn’t read it properly and jumped the gun >_< it’s also so short because i don’t really know how to write weddings, but i thought this was cute

peter hasn’t trembled like this in years, not since school in england and not since preparing for his first battle. he never needed to tremble ever since becoming king, never second-guessed announcing his executive decisions when he had his hand-chosen board of advisory and his siblings backing him, never unsure about the direction he swung his blade in, never questioned if you were the one he was destined to spend the rest of his life with.

yet his hands still shook as he nervously fidgeted with his buttons. susan reached out to help him out, tilting his chin up to remind him to keep his head held high before helping him fix the little details in his appearance to perfection. edmund chuckled at the sight of his older brother being so anxious, reminding him to chill out and that this was his wedding, not an emergency to discuss peace negotiations— he’s seen him calmer during times of war outbreaks. lucy was helping you prepare, but they wondered if they should call her over to work her magic on him.

it wasn’t the question of whether you would be a good wife and queen, it was if he would be a good husband to you. as high king, he’s an extremely busy man, to the point that he’s shocked he could even find the time to start and develop a relationship. he’s extremely grateful for your patience and understanding when he didn’t have the time to spend with you or he had to cut a date short, but he had no idea if that would change with the marriage. he means, even he would be pissed off if you were barely with him after the sacred sacrament of matrimony, nothing is stopping you from feeling frustrated when he inevitably has to flake on you sometimes because of his royal duties. 

and both of you already had the talk about wanting to start a family, but would he be a good father, or would he be one who was constantly absent and would only show up at the end of the day when they were about to sleep during the most formidable years of their youth?

he’s standing at the altar with his mind racing, barely even listening to the music playing and watching you gracefully walk down the aisle arm in arm with mr tumnus. your dress is a gleaming white with pearls embedded into the fabric, a bouquet of flowers in hand and tangled in your hair, the most beautiful sight he’s ever seen. it’s slightly dizzying to experience something that’s been in planning for over a year and has been playing nonstop in his daydreams, but when you finally stand next to him and he lifts the veil to see your familiar face and smile, he feels all of his worries melt away.

the love in your eyes tell him all he needs to know, that you’ll be there by his side through thick and thin, that you knew he would do a good job as a husband and father, and that you weren’t worried about anything at all. he doesn’t find himself anxious for the rest of the ceremony, now filled with optimism and hope for the future, he finally relaxes and fully enjoys one of the best days in his life.

[talonabraxas]

"The Holy Spirit is the Fire of Pentecost or the fire of the Holy Spirit called Kundalini by the Hindus, the igneous serpent of our magical powers, Holy Fire symbolized by Gold..." - Samael Aun Weor, The Perfect Matrimony

The Church of the Holy Spirit

The church of the Holy Spirit is the church of Thyatira; this is the church of the heart. The priest who demands payment for a wedding ceremony commits a tremendous sacrilege, because a wedding is a ceremony that concerns the Holy Spirit, a wedding is a mystery of the heart; therefore, to make of the heart a business is same as to make of the Holy Spirit a business.

Those who make of the sacrament of marriage a commerce, profane in a horribly way the mysteries of the Holy Spirit. Love must not be bought nor sold because to do such thing is to commit a serious crime against the Holy Spirit.

“Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men.” - Matthew 12:31

The one who commits suicide sins against the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit gives us life through love and sex.

When the soul of those who take their physical life by their own hand is reborn again, they get a pleasing life in their new physical body, yet they die against their will; this is their punishment.

The Judas-like person who betrays the Master, sins against the Holy Spirit because of his ingratitude, since the love of the Master abides in the church of the heart and the fires of the heart control the Kundalini. The Kundalini develops, evolves, and progresses according to the merits of the heart.

So, the ascent of the Kundalini is very slow and difficult; because, each vertebra demands certain conditions of sanctity; this is the terror of Love and Law. Thus, one single seminal ejaculation is enough in order for the Kundalini to descend one or more vertebrae. Afterwards, it is very difficult to recover the lost degrees related with those vertebrae; this is the punishment for the weak.

The man is one column and the woman is the other column of the temple of the living God. The two columns of the temple of the Holy Spirit are terribly divine. The man is the expansive principle, the woman is the attractive principle; the key of redemption is found in the union of both. Love is nourished with love; the kiss is the mystical consecration of two souls who adore each other. While in the supreme trance of love we forget about the theories of men.

The sexual act becomes the consubstantiation of love within the psychosexual human realism. Man is strength, woman is sweetness.

Peter has the keys to heaven. Peter means rock, that rock is sex, and Sexual Magic is the key of Heaven. Upon the rock (sex) we must edify the church for our “I Am.”

Self-realization is impossible without the magic of love. Whosoever learns how to love will be transformed into a God; Sex is the philosophical stone, the cubic stone of Yesod. Man and woman sexually united become as Gods. It is better to love than to theorize.

Goethe said, “Every theory is gray, and only the tree of the golden fruits of life is green.”

A home with playful children, a good garden, and a good wife are more valuable to a man than the cluster of theories from all the spiritualist schools of the world; a strong, loving, pure, and noble husband is more valuable to a woman than all the libraries of the world, because with the sacred fire of the Holy Spirit we become as Gods, yet, with theories we just become intellectual scoundrels.

Blessed be love, blessed be the beings who adore each other.

[myremnantarmy]

For a Christian, it is not sufficient to get only the civil contract, because it is not a sacrament, and therefore not a true marriage. Spouses who would live together united by only a civil marriage would be in an habitual state of mortal sin, and their union would always be illegitimate in the sight of God and of the Church.

-Pope Saint Pius X, on Matrimony

[hutchersonsgurl]

The day I say I do Mike schmidt part 2

Paring x female reader with Mike Schmidt

Ps listen to the song while you read this to get into the mindset

No edits yet

---------------------------------------------------

You are walking down the aisle with your dad this is the happiest you've ever felt Abby is walking just a few steps ahead of you she is the flower girl

You lift your head and you see your future husband is only a few inches away

Mike walks towards you and offers his hand you take his hand with a smile on your face

You stand in front of each with love in your eyes

"We are gathered here today to join Yn and Mike in holy matrimony. " the pastor says "Now I believe the bride and groom made vows they'd like to read to each other" the pastor continues

Mike pulls out his paper and looks at for a minute but then he puts it back in his jacket pocket

" I don't need to read off a piece of paper to tell you how much I love you. Yn you have brought so much happiness and love not only in my life but Abby's as well I love the way you scrunch your nose when your mad at me for stealing your French Fries at a restaurant I love how caring and loving you are to abby and I each everyday I didn't really think it would be possible for a guy like me to find love but you came into my life and proved me wrong I love you so much yn I promise to love and cherish you and annoy you as much as possible till we die old together I Mike promise to cherish you always, to honor and sustain you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, and to be true to you in all things until death alone shall part us part. " mike says sliding the ring on your finger

You can't help but have a tear in your eye you loved this man so much there wasn't enough words in the dictionary to say it all.

" Wow, that's a tough act to follow you say wiping a tear from your eye when I first met you I was babysitting Abby while you were at work and what can I say she stole my heart you say giving Abby a wink and turning back to mike Mike I love how much of yourself you give to me and Abby even when your tired from work you still push sleep aside just to spend time with us I love how protective you are I know that you'd go to war for Abby and I and we'd do the same for you I love waking up to the sound of your voice each day I love the morning cuddles I love the eye rolls you give us when Abby and I pick on you you truly are on my mind from the moment I fall asleep to the moment when I awake. I never had a doubt that this is the love I feel for you and to be honest, nothing has felt so right you are truly are my best friend and my whole world the best part of my day is falling asleep in your arms. Mike you forever and always have your name on my heart I yn  promise to cherish you always, to honor and sustain you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, and to be true to you in all things until death alone shall part us." You say sliding Mike's ring on his finger nothing felt more special than in that moment you and Mike both say I do

Now let us humbly invoke God's blessing upon this bride and groom, that in his kindness he may favor with his help those on whom he has bestowed the Sacrament of Matrimony. In the sight of God and these witnesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride

"Don't mind if I do "mike says as his mouth crashed into yours

We're finally married you say kissing mike back

"Now your stuck with me Mike Schmidt " you say with a smile

"Wouldn't have it any other way Mrs. Schmidt

Abby runs up and hugs you both

"I'm so happy that we are a family now," Abby says with a smile

"We've always been a family" you say you hugged Abby and Mike joined in

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Ngl I had a lot of fun writing this let me know if you want a series of this or another part

[eternal-echoes]

"This love is uniquely expressed and perfected through the appropriate enterprise of matrimony. The actions within marriage by which the couple are united intimately and chastely are noble and worthy ones. Expressed in a manner which is truly human, these actions promote that mutual self-giving by which spouses enrich each other with a joyful and a ready will. Sealed by mutual faithfulness and hallowed above all by Christ's sacrament, this love remains steadfastly true in body and in mind, in bright days or dark. It will never be profaned by adultery or divorce. Firmly established by the Lord, the unity of marriage will radiate from the equal personal dignity of wife and husband, a dignity acknowledged by mutual and total love. The constant fulfillment of the duties of this Christian vocation demands notable virtue. For this reason, strengthened by grace for holiness of life, the couple will painstakingly cultivate and pray for steadiness of love, large heartedness and the spirit of sacrifice."

-Gaudium et Spes, PASTORAL CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD

[benihana-circumcision]

i said my hail maries and fulfilled all the sacraments i can fulfill without death or matrimony and so God in all Her glory spared me from estrogen-induced phallic atrophy and said, "rejoice and be glad"

[sexylil-doll]

Everyone was busy. People walk here and there, run here and there to prepare things while you on the other hand are sitting in front of your vanity table, clad in your favorite black satin robe, staring lifelessly at your reflection while waiting for your make-up artist and hairstylist to arrive. 

It was your wedding day, yet you don’t feel anything. You’re not even excited or happy. When the make-up artist and hairstylist arrived you were still in your position, stilled on the chair like a statue. 

Everyone had done their jobs, from your hair, down to your face and the only job left for you to do was to change into your beautiful wedding gown. The mannequin that wore your dress stood on the left side of your bed. It was a very beautiful dress in the color of Ivory with sparkly glitters and flower shaped bids that complimented the dress well. 

No matter how beautiful and elegant the dress is, there’s no excitement inside of you to wear and feel the soft fabrics of the dress just like what other brides mostly do. Your heart aches upon remembering your late lover, the one you want to marry. 

As the church bell rang, the big double oak doors opened as Sunghoon walked down the aisle towards the altar. He looks so ethereal while walking on the aisle, so handsome like a real prince. No matter how happy he is right now, he can’t help but feel a pang of pain inside his heart remembering your cries last night. 

Hearing you cry from sadness and pain because of the death of his brother Park Jongseong, your late lover, the one who truly promised to marry you in front of everyone. His brother was the one who should marry you, but because of unexpected events here he is, standing right beside the altar while waiting for your arrival. 

When the church bell once again rang, the double doors opened as you stood at the foot of the door, wearing your beautiful ivory wedding gown that suited you well. Despite the veil that hides your face, Sunghoon can see clearly the pain and sadness in your eyes. How puffy your eyes had become because of shedding too much tears. 

“Now let us humbly invoke God’s blessing upon this bride and groom, that in his kindness he may favor with his help those on whom he has bestowed the Sacrament of Matrimony.” 

Throughout the ceremony, Sunghoon’s eyes were settled on you. It never once leaves your figure to look at the audiences or other things, but you. No matter how happy he felt inside, he can’t help but to think how selfish he is for letting you marry him even though it was a loveless marriage. 

“In the sight of God and these witnesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss!” 

When the priest announced it, everyone inside the church stood up to witness the scene. Sunghoon lifts the veil and slowly inches closer to you. You were expecting him to kiss you yet you felt his feathery kiss on your forehead instead. 

“I can’t kiss you, knowing that you don’t want me to be the one who should do it..” he whispered to you.

When you look at him, you can see pain in his eyes, making your heart swell in guilt as you once again shed tears. 

“I know how painful it is for you to marry  me instead of my brother, but please… give me a chance..” 

With a one swift move, you’re now caged between his arms, as he buried his head on the crook of your neck and cried his heart out. 

“Forget him, and love me, instead…”

[dsudis]

Which Betokeneth Concorde (Dreamling dancing fluff)

I was scrolling through my blog yesterday looking for a fic prompt that would catch my fancy, and instead I ran across this video of people dancing in public and decided to write about Dream and Hob encountering something similar.

Title is from "East Coker" by TS Eliot:

On a summer midnight, you can hear the music Of the weak pipe and the little drum And see them dancing around the bonfire The association of man and woman In daunsinge, signifying matrimonie— A dignified and commodiois sacrament. Two and two, necessarye coniunction, Holding eche other by the hand or the arm Whiche betokeneth concorde.

Dream had been dimly aware that one of the many things he would have to face, as the price of courting Hob Gadling, was his own refusal to dance.

Dancing was one of the most traditional of courting activities, after all. He had never seen Hob dance, but Dream was certain that he would be as enthusiastic for that pastime as he was for nearly every other he had ever attempted.

(Hob had a fixed dislike of rowing, even in circumstances others typically found romantic. Dream was thoroughly charmed by Hob's insistence that he would not trust his life to so small an amount of wood between himself and any body of water, however shallow and placid it might be.)

Still, Dream had not expected the question of dancing to arise on this, their fifth date, while they were crossing the campus of the university where Hob taught en route to a small bookstore Hob thought Dream would like. It was broad daylight, a sunny morning during the summer holiday when the campus was mostly empty.

Dream was focusing intently on not peeking into Hob's very noisy daydreams regarding the bookshop and what kisses or touches might be permissible in the privacy of its winding shelves. It was difficult, when they were holding hands and Hob was so eager, but Dream did like to be surprised, even if Hob had blithely given permission for Dream to "peek" at will.

Dream did not actually notice the thing on the ground until Hob had stopped short a few yards from it; even then what he noticed was the abrupt disappearance of all those intriguing daydreams, replaced by Hob's sudden and consuming interest in something materially present. After another moment, Dream took in the faint sound of music being played from a small speaker somewhere nearby, and a ring of some sort on the ground, and the words DANCE HERE in chalk beside it.

Ah.

Hob looked over at him with an expression of pure joy illuminating his features. "Shall we dance?"

Dream swallowed hard. He had refused Hob nothing within his power since they had begun courting; he did not want to look at Hob's bright, eager face and say no now.

Still, he was what he was, and he could not be otherwise, even for Hob. "I... do not dance."

Hob's excited expression softened--not turning unhappy, but thoughtful.

Dream braced himself to be coaxed, perhaps gently teased. He could endure that, from Hob. And these were early days; even being enticed to something he could not consent to do would be better than Calliope's resigned disappointment in the waning days of their marriage.

But Hob, as he so often did, surprised Dream. His expression brightened again as he said, "I probably should not. For all the time I've had, it's not a skill I've cultivated to any effect."

Despite his words Hob looked toward the circle again, and Dream knew that he did not want to just pass it by. And if he did not mind, if he would give in to Dream's refusal so easily...

"You need not refrain for my sake," Dream said carefully. "If you do not mind dancing without me."

Hob tilted his head and tugged at his ear, a different smile playing at his mouth. "What if I dance with you, even if you don't dance with me?"

Dream tilted his head in turn. "I will not deny you my companionship only because you choose to dance."

"Well then, let's do this," Hob said, catching Dream's hand and tugging him along. Dream stopped short of the chalked words, and Hob kept hold of his hand as he stepped decisively into the circle--which somehow made the music play more loudly.

Dream made himself perfectly still, his arm fully extended and exactly parallel to the ground, only his fingers flexing--and only his fingers were within the edge of the dancing circle.

Hob squeezed those fingers, beaming again with even more excitement than when he had first sighted the invitation to dance. The music was modern, bright and quick, calling for a very modern and energetic sort of dancing, and Dream was not uninterested in seeing what Hob might do in that area; that sort of dancing was close enough to sex to push the boundaries of what they had done thus far in their courtship, and Dream knew that they were both waiting to see who would grow impatient first with taking it slow.

The right kind of dancing might settle that question very decisively.

Hob knew that too; there was a moment when his dark eyes looked even darker, when their usual warmth for Dream gave way to outright heat.

Then he folded forward just far enough to brush his lips against Dream's extended fingertips before letting go altogether. Keeping his eyes on Dream's he spread his arms wide and walked backward in tiny steps. Just before his heel would have crossed the border of the circle, he whirled in place, making his loose jacket flare out like a cape. He stomped and then clapped his hands sharply, a half-beat behind--neither on any discernible beat of the song.

By the time he faced Dream again he was struggling not to smile, mirth glowing in his eyes. Dream kept his own expression as stern and frozen as his body as Hob returned to him in tiny mincing steps that should have been a promenade across the width of a ballroom.

Just before he would have reached the near side of the circle, Hob converted one tiny step to a vertical hop and clapped, once again entirely off the beat of the music and the two motions out of sync with each other.

Dream could not help it. He laughed, throwing his head back and letting the rough-edged ugly sound pour out.

Hob started laughing in startled reaction, and an instant later his arms were around Dream. He whirled them both away from the circle in something that was not quite a dance step as he muffled his own laughter against Dream's shoulder. Dream hushed himself by pressing kisses to Hob's hair and his throat, wrapping his arms tightly around him. They were both nearly staggering already when they collided with a bench, and Hob more or less fell onto it, hauling Dream down approximately into his lap.

"Maybe," Hob said, still holding Dream tight against him despite the awkwardness of their entanglement. "Maybe you should desert me, the next time I get it into my head to dance. For your safety."

"I am made of sterner stuff than you," Dream said, elbowing Hob just enough to make his point. "And I was just thinking that we should go somewhere with a bit more space for you to show off your... moves."

Hob giggled at that, wonderfully absurd daydreams bursting forth from him of breaking out the half-remembered steps of a peasant's festival day dance in a crowded club. Dream had to kiss him for that, and kiss him, and kiss him again while taking full advantage of the way he was partially wedged between Hob's legs.

"I win," Hob gasped, his thighs tightening strongly around Dream. "I win, you--take me home, Dream, we can't do this on the quad."

Dream lingered to kiss him one more time, and then did as his lover bid him.

[This fic is also on Ao3!]