#and then after that i have a council meeting at church

[surienza]

If I can play devil's advocate re: church teaching on the death penalty, I have often seen apologists and pop theologians make that claim (which you put succinctly I must say) that the Church changed discipline about the death penalty:

in such a way that it was clear that the death penalty still was not considered intrinsically evil, but the social conditions have changed enough that there are sufficient available alternatives that to make use of it is no longer justifiable.

But I have never seen an official church document actually say quite that. In fact, Pope Francis's Address to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization (2017; bolding mine) says:

It must be clearly stated that the death penalty is an inhumane measure that, regardless of how it is carried out, abases human dignity.  It is per se contrary to the Gospel, because it entails the willful suppression of a human life that never ceases to be sacred in the eyes of its Creator and of which – ultimately – only God is the true judge and guarantor. [...] In past centuries, when means of defence were scarce and society had yet to develop and mature as it has, recourse to the death penalty appeared to be the logical consequence of the correct application of justice.  Sadly, even in the Papal States recourse was had to this extreme and inhumane remedy that ignored the primacy of mercy over justice. Let us take responsibility for the past and recognize that the imposition of the death penalty was dictated by a mentality more legalistic than Christian. [...] Here we are not in any way contradicting past teaching, for the defence of the dignity of human life from the first moment of conception to natural death has been taught by the Church consistently and authoritatively.  Yet the harmonious development of doctrine demands that we cease to defend arguments that now appear clearly contrary to the new understanding of Christian truth. [...] It is necessary, therefore, to reaffirm that no matter how serious the crime that has been committed, the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and the dignity of the person.

This document is cited in the recent CCC revision of 2267, which says:

Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good. Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption. Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”, [Francis, Address to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, 11 October 2017] and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.

It seems to me that the Church is unequivocally affirming that the death penalty is and always was intrinsically evil ("per se contrary to the Gospel") and that its prohibition is due not only to more effective systems of detention but also to the "new understanding of Christian truth" in which there is an "increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes", ergo: "the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person".

And maybe here is where I get lost and find it hard to agree with a lot of Catholic apologists and theologians that rely so heavily on the inerrancy and infallibility of the Church, because this is or at least appears to be an instance of contradicting past teaching. Despite Pope Francis's apparent assertion to the contrary, the direct teaching of the permissibility of capital punishment was sustained throughout most of history, such as in the Catechism of the Council of Trent (and Lateran IV depending on how you translate "exterminatis haereticis"), and famously in the bull Exsurge Domine - which, by the way, I personally think meets all the criteria of infallibility as defined in Pastor Aeternus -; and while some apologists may explain away Exsurge Domine by invoking complicated caveats and necessitating precise formulae to deny its infallibility, it is much harder to explain away the bulk of past instances in which the Church implicitly or explicitly approves the death penalty, which is perhaps why many apologists will say that the Church did not change the teaching that capital punishment is not intrinsically evil in order to avoid that contradiction - despite the fact that Pope Francis, and the CCC revision following, very much did indicate the contrary (appunto: "per se contrary to the Gospel").

(By the way this is not a criticism of Pope Francis's teaching on the death penalty - I generally agree with it and I don't particularly care whether it is or is not a contradiction of past teaching.)

lol I love when straight catholics are like if the church affirmed homosexuality i would leave bc she'd clearly be wrong and it'd undermine fundamental catholic doctrine cus like. I do somewhat get it. it'd certainly put a question mark over simplistic ideas of church authority. it does undermine credibility of the church and perhaps even of Christianity as a whole.

but also. the idea your faith is actively resting on not affirming gay people and would be destroyed if you discovered it was otherwise - that gay marriages would annihilate whatever else you found in Christianity that's good and life giving and meaningful - that feels a bit personal lol. and it's functionally saying 'I think lgbt peoples suffering is not just a sad fact of life but necessary for my own faith to exist; you need to be alienated from God so I can have my certainty Im doing the right thing'

[v-tired-queer]

Me: *hasn't slept in about 20 hours* 🎶 Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride 🎶

Also me: *pours a cup of coffee and adds an unholy amount of sugar* 🎶 Ain't nothin' gonna slow me down, oh no, I got to keep on movin' 🎶

[nicksolemnlyswears]

hi! i just saw the ask you answered about leaving aemond out and i giggled.

if i may offer an idea, what about if reader finds out where aemond goes to find comfort (the brothel) and is upset because she thought differently of him but maybe he confesses what he actually does there (tittie suckin and therapy) and she offers aemond her own comfort. maybe reader looks more like their mother and it's exactly what aemond wants/needs. he's such a broken boy with horrible mommy issues.

this is not me at all telling you that you NEED to write a fic about this. i just had this idea jumbled around in my head and i don't know how to write it myself. 😂

thank you for your fics. they are truly wonderful. 💜

pairing: aemond targaryen x hightower!reader

word count: ~8.3k

warnings: 18+, cursing, spoilers of s2 of hotd, talks about brothels and prostitutes, fingering, p in v, lactation (milk play? i don't even know what i did), nipple play, slight mommy kink (or a lot depending how you see it), talks of infidelity, slight somno, riding

a/n: it's funny that this ask was sent cause i had something similar in mind. so this came super easily to me. i added some fire to the reader cause after ep 4 of hotd i was so angry at aemond (and still am). i can't believe he did that to aegon (he's my boy of the season) not to mention what he did to queen meleys and queen rhaenys. i'm not sure if i'd be able to forgive him. @heybank i hope this is somewhat like what you had in mind!

it came out a little longer than expect but nonetheless i hope you all enjoy! also aemond is stubborn in this fic but an equally stubborn reader and i love her for it. the reader and aegon are lowkey besties because i only want the best for him lol so don't mind that. i am ecstatic for the next episode and see the fall out of ep 4.

do you know the struggle i had to find aemond's whore's name. omg most difficult part of this oneshot.

after this fic i think i need to go to church and confess. i'm sure the priest will douse me in holy water and make me pray a hundred holy marys or something.

enjoy!!

It slipped out in the midst of their endless teasing and banter. The one secret Aemond never wished for you to find out. You're strong enough to know about the others; you recognize who he truly is at his core: an ambitious, envious man, but this one secret? This one he prayed you never knew about.

Aegon and you had been indulging in the sweet wine imported from High Garden. A delicacy that made your head fuzzy and your body loose. After finding you strolling all alone through the gardens, he insisted on drinking with you. If someone were to appease him by complaining about matters of the council, it would be you.

Those meetings drag on for hours on end on multiple occasions during the day as ravens fly in to share news of the brewing war. It robs you of your husband's attention and robs Aegon of his will to live as they tell him what to do and say, completely ignoring any input he might have—as idiotic as it may be.

You meet your distant cousin midway, complaining about how boring the meetings are and how uptight everyone is, including your husband. You offer the new King honest advice disguised as flippant comments, hoping he'll accept it even if he thinks of it as his own.

"It's not like I'm the only one who indulges in the pleasure of the street of silk. Every nobleman loves to get their cock wet by those whores," Aegon mumbles as a response to being reprimanded for his escapade late last night with his guards.

The charitable King paid for the villager's drinks and entertainment for the night. It was a prosperous night for the brothel. The 'ladies' will do just about anything to get coin. Who says the King doesn't aid his subordinates in need?

You stifle a laugh with the back of your hand and shake your head at him, "Yes, but you're the King now. It's not about laying with a commoner. It's about security. There are people who would do just about anything to gain Rhaenyra's favor, including hurting you, Aegon…"

Reasoning with Aegon is a challenge. His mind spins in ways you will never comprehend, but you try to keep your cousin safe while appeasing the council.

If Aegon values something, it's his life. If he knows there is danger out there, he will hold back, even if it's for a night or two. Her duty as his friend is to keep reminding him of all the danger lurking in the dark corners of the silk street.

"I suppose you're right, dear cousin. Guess we'll have to bring them here," he laughs as he thinks of the pandemonium it will cause. "I'll have Thalia and Margery or perhaps Dorothy. Hell, why limit myself? I'm the King! The guards can have their pick of the lot, Aemond will have his old reliable, and Lord Lannister can have the beautiful Sarah."

Aegon tips his goblet, drinking the last drops of wine to quench his dry mouth, failing to notice his slip-up.

Aemond's name sends a burning chill down your spine, and your mouth turns to cotton as it dries up. As you repeat Aegon's words, your heart promises to break out of your ribcage. Surely, you misunderstood his words.

"Aemond's old reliable?" You laugh to keep Aegon at ease. Grabbing the pitcher of wine to fill both of your cups, urging him to drink more and get his tongue looser. He won't remember your interrogation by morning.

"Ah yes, the first woman he fucked. Thanks to me, might I add. He still loves to visit her. I'd say her tits got him all enamored."

Just like the women in court, Aegon prattles on and on about everything he knows about Aemond and his whore. Including how he found him laying with her just last night—naked as the day he was born, blue sapphire glinting freely under the candlelight.

Blinding hot fury courses through your veins, lighting you up in flames from the inside out. Aegon will assume your reddening face and chest are from the wine and his vulgar words. There is no use in correcting him as you urge him to continue talking.

By night's end, you are equally as drunk as Aegon. The Guards escort you both to your respective chambers, watching amusedly how you argue with Aegon about whose dragon is strongest, Sunfyre or Dreamfyre. In reality, you were plotting which sibling would aid you in yelling dracarys in Aemond's direction.

You wish the alcohol would make you forget, but the sad truth is you will remember every single detail. The pounding headache you'll have in the morning will be a painful reminder of the secrets spilled over red wine.

For a fortnight, you sit and think about the valuable information Aegon shared with you. Anger burns ardently inside of you as it has nowhere to go. As a lady of the court, you're not allowed to train with the men, and as a Hightower, you have no dragon to channel that anger through.

If your fury were to be caused by any other reason, you'd find release in Aemond's arms. His aching cock stroking your drenched walls fervently. His sweaty skin sticking to yours. His fingers digging into your curves to find purchase. The low tone of his voice in your ear whispering words you'd never dare repeat and shamefully make you peak around him.

The thought makes you sick. How many times has he fucked her in such a way? Is it different? Does he let go and fuck her harder as he's not afraid she'll break?

Thinking is your worst enemy. As you imagine every possible scenario, your insecurities rise from their hiding spots. Does he love her? He laid bare with her; he must feel something if he allowed her to see him in such a vulnerable position.

The memory of the first time he took off his eyepatch in your presence pains you. So many conversations and stones of trust had to be set to get to that point, yet he did it with her. A common whore that dares ask for coin to please him with her presence.

You are different from the other ladies of the court who accept their husbands sleeping around with unknown women. You are jealous and territorial, something Aemond knew when you married. Under the eyes of the seven, he swore that his loyalties lay solely with you.

Alas, all men do is lie. Not even the noblest of men can be trusted. All you asked for was a good husband that would not embarrass you. How foolish of you to believe Aemond would be it.

Your fury grows and manifests as you observe Aemond and his whereabouts. It's hard to keep your anger at bay, but he's too busy plotting with Criston Cole to notice your withdrawing nature and emotional distance.

Visiting his quarters nearly every night tells you all you need to know. In that fortnight, you find him missing a multitude of times. There's no doubt he's in the brothel. Where else might he be deep into the night as the world sleeps?

When you ask about his location, the guards hesitate and stumble over their words. They try to save their necks by lying because the Prince continues to slip from their grasp time and time again. They are not as skillful at lying as your husband.

Having had enough, you wait for Aemond's return in his quarters. A goblet of wine is balanced between your fingers. The red liquid swirls along the rounded goblet, mimicking how your anger swirls around you.

You observe the map laid out on the wooden table. His plans are incredibly different from Aegon's. You pity the King as his most trusted advisor and Hand do as they please behind his back.

You've barely drank the wine. The goblet is merely a distraction from your fidgeting hands. You do not need the courage it provides; your anger fuels your intentions.

Old stone rumbles and sets behind you. Turning on your seat, you find Aemond emerging from one of Maegor's tunnels. This is how he sneaks out so damn easily.

"Wife," Aemond greets, keeping his composure, but his tense posture reveals shock. Your husband tends to wear a relaxed stance in your presence. You're the last person he expected to be waiting for him.

"Husband," you reply. The word is bitter on your tongue.

"What brings you in so late? You should be resting," Aemond speaks, taking off his cloak and approaching your seated figure.

Your eyes lazily move up to meet his. "Rest," you chuckle humorlessly. "I haven't been able to find rest in weeks."

"Does something ail you? Should I call a maester?" He asks, giving you a once over. Other than the dark circles around your eyes, there seems to be nothing out of place.

You're still you. Beautiful copper hair that easily identifies you as a Hightower flows down your back, and big brown eyes that resemble his mother's look back at him, although contempt has replaced the unconditional adoration that typically resides there.

His worry sickens you. His existence is an annoyance like a pebble in your shoe. You've harbored this anger for too long, and simple distaste can quickly transform into hate.

"Where were you?" You ask, raising an eyebrow. He's not going to get out of this. He must face the consequences of his actions. You will not live in bitterness while he runs around doing as he pleases.

"Conducting some business for the King." Aemond tilts his head, observing your posture and the set of your eyebrows. There's an electricity around you that shoots warning signs at him.

"Where. Were. You?"

"I'm afraid it is none of your business," Aemond says with a sharp exhale. He steps away to avoid your glaring gaze, unbuckling his sheath and setting it on one of the many desks that litter his room.

"I didn't realize we were keeping secrets from each other." The goblet's thud on the table is as loud as your unspoken fury. Wine splashes on the map like blood will spill in battle.

"There are always secrets. I have them. You have them," Aemond answers, leaning back on the desk.

Your hands smooth down the fabric of your dress as you stand. Finding his calculating gaze, you say, "So that's what you call your whore over at the silk street? A secret? I thought her name was Sylvi?"

Aemond freezes, and his muscles tense. You can't possibly know. He's entirely still as if the action would stop time and give him a chance to come up with an explanation, a lie. "I do not know what you speak of," the hesitancy of his voice unveils the cruel truth.

"Spare me the lies, and do not treat me like a naive maiden, Aemond. You know how much I loathe being made a fool," you snap loudly.

Aemond takes three long strides to reach you. Reacting, you take a step back but have nowhere to go. He doesn't touch you, but Aemond towers over you as he glares back. "Who told you? Was it Aegon?" He hisses.

"Please," you scoff. "The maids talk, the guards talk, husband. It was only a matter of time. Did you think I'd never find out? Are you truly that dense, Aemond?"

Your glare is sharp enough to cut him. He fell in love with that look when directed at others, but now that it's looking straight at him, he finds it's the one thing he might hate most.

All people around him have looked at him like that at some point. Aegon. Daemon. Jacaerys. Alicent. All except for his sweet sister and you, his beloved wife.

That look alone makes him regret stepping into the brothel many moons ago.

You should've never found out about Sylvi. It was meant to be a fleeting moment, but the war takes a toll on everyone, including Aemond.

Alicent's disapproving attitude towards him after Lucerys' incident led him to the whore more times than he can count as he sought the comfort Alicent never gave him and he craved.

"What is it that whore gives you that I do not?" You maintain eye contact as your chest presses against his. Your stubbornness will not let you back away from this argument. You deserve an answer.

You thought you were a good wife. Because of you, Aemond has two sons. You provided male heirs, a nobleman's dream. You warmed his bed whenever he asked and even when he didn't. You confided in him. You chose him.

"Talk, damn it. Your scheming plans won't get you out of this one," you yell, slamming your fists on his chest. Picking a fight is the only thing you have left. You want to scream at him until your voice turns raw.

"There is nothing to say. She's a quick fuck; that's all she is," Aemond seamlessly lies, grabbing your thundering fists. His thumb rubs over the back of your hands, hoping the calming gesture will tame your anger.

"A quick fuck? I could've been queen if I tolerated Aegon's quick fucks. The option was right there, and I chose you because I stupidly believed you'd make a better husband," you scream as your cheeks turn an unbelievable shade of red.

"Wife, please," Aemond pleads as you remind him.

The choice to wed you was not his to make. It was entirely yours. Each night, he prayed you'd choose to marry him. A woman of incredible smarts and hypnotizing beauty deserved to be with a man who acknowledged those attributes, not a blundering man like Aegon, who would only use her for her body.

"Do not touch me," you spit, tearing your wrists from his grasp and pushing him back with all the muster you could gather. "How dare you try to touch me after you've laid with her? After you fucked her? You repulse me."

Tears threaten to spill from your eyes as you spew your words. Aemond stands there, taking it all of your fury—he deserves it. What you hate the most is that he does nothing to defend himself, as if all of your words are the maddening truth.

"It was not my intention to hurt you," Aemond swallows as tears fall down your cheeks.

"These tears do not stem from hurt. They are from humiliation. You embarrassed me, Aemond. Do you know how many hours I've spent praising you in front of the other ladies of the court, speaking about how perfect of a husband you've been these past two years?"

Your pride might be bigger than his, and he's done the worst thing he could ever do— wound it. Such a prideful woman will only forgive him if there's a good enough reason and with lots of begging.

At his silence, you push past him and reach for the door. "I've made my duty as your wife and given you two sons. Do not expect more from me. Go to your little whore and see if she'll perform the wifely duties you asked from me." With one more glance towards your husband, you slam the door.

It is no mystery why Aemond is in a mood from that night forward. Guards stand straighter with him around, Aegon's so-called friends keep quiet, and Criston Cole bears the brunt of it all as Aemond calls him to spar. Each passing day becomes more brutal.

You have stayed true to your word and kept your distance from Aemond. You've never felt as far away from him as when you sit by him during meals. You no longer place your hand on his thigh when Aegon throws jabs at him or smile his way when he says something worth admiring.

If you must address him regarding the children, you do so but with a straight face and without awaiting his answer. The Red Keep has turned grey as you no longer pull him through the halls between duties to find a dark corner to kiss or touch him. Fleeting moments he truly cherished.

He's losing you, and he doesn't know what to do to fix it. He's sure that you will never look at him the same if he comes clean with the truth. It will burn whatever thread is left of your marriage.

"Aemond, what's the matter?" Alicent asks. They're in her quarters discussing one of the many plans to prepare for war, and yet he's not paying attention.

"Nothing," he says softly, eyeing the map in front of him. We should send our men to the east."

Alicent tilts her head and sits across from him, studying him closely. "Is this about your wife?"

The glint the young Hightower carries is missing. Her constant search for Aemond throughout the day has ceased abruptly, startling Alicent and Helaena. She rarely mentions him, only speaking about him when asked, and even then, her words have bite.

Alicen believed her son could do no wrong regarding his wife. Aemond adored you. He pinned after you from the moment it was announced that you were searching for a husband.

Alicent was hesitant at first. Marrying inside the family was a queer Targaryen custom, not a Hightower one, yet Otto insisted. Another Hightower in the Red Keep meant more power. He pushed you to marry Aegon while Aemond asked Alicent to consider him instead. She left it in your hands. It was only fair that you made the choice of who you shared your life with.

Aemond is silent momentarily, "She's upset with me." His words are short as he avoids talking about the subject.

"What did you do?" Alicent sighs disappointedly, leaning back on her chair. Why must her sons ruin all good things in their lives?

Alicent's reaction causes him to close back up just as quickly. Yes, it is his fault, but his mother's lack of faith is disheartening. Once upon a time, Aemond would've confided in his mother, but recent events have severed that trust. "My marital problems are none of your concern."

"Then how am I to help you fix this?" She asks in a knowing tone. Alicent feels the weight of her house on her shoulders. She's responsible for keeping everything together.

"I don't recall asking for your help, mother." Aemond ignores her judging eyes, moving the metal pieces around the map. He was here to make war plans, not talk about his feelings.

"Very well," Alicent clears her throat, moving farther away from her son. The gods are punishing as each one of her children drift away from her.

Unlike Aemond's mother, you take your duty as a mother quite seriously. Your children are all you have, and you cherish them equally. You refused a wet nurse when you birthed your first, and when the second followed a year after, you proceeded to do the same.

Feeding them from your breast brings a wave of emotion that is impossible to describe. The bond that forms between mother and child is strengthened by this natural action. Why do the other ladies in court not do the same? All they do is gossip and indulge in the luxuries of the keep. They have no responsibilities other than to please their husbands and care for their children.

The loud cries of your youngest filter through the door and echo throughout the halls of the keep. The babe has been incessantly crying for the past hour for no reason. Feeding and changing his nappy did nothing to ease his discomfort, leaving you overwhelmed. Nonetheless, you continue to soothe your child because if you didn't, what kind of mother would you be?

You ignore Aemond as he steps into your chambers, bouncing the eleven-month-old in your arms. He must've followed the cries. "There, there, Baelor," you coo, placing your hand on the back of his head, brushing through the thin strands of pale silver hair.

The babe continues to sniffle and release weak cries. The poor thing is exhausted yet refuses to sleep. He hangs onto his mother's dress and hair, opening and closing his chubby fist.

Aemond approaches you, extending his hands to take him from you, "May I?"

You cannot refuse him. Baelor is his son, and while he seeks the pleasure of common whores you know he adores his sons.

Baelor is fuzzy and complains when he's taken away from your warm embrace, but he immediately settles in his father's hold when he recognizes him. The smell of Aemond's leather clothes offered him the comfort he was searching for.

Baelor missed his father.

"Clearly, you're his favorite," you murmur, settling down in the chaise that faces the fireplace. You're worse for wear. It's hard to find rest when questions remain unanswered, and you've lost the person you love most.

"Only till it's time to feed," Aemond says to lighten the mood between you.

You scoff, removing your jewelry and tossing it on the cushion beside you. "Great, I'm a glorified cow, only used to feed."

Aemond falters, his hold on his son tightening as he curls closer into Aemond's neck. Baelor's soft breaths tickle his neck. "That's not what I meant, wife."

You continue to stare into the fire as tears line your eyes. "I know," you whisper. It's been a difficult day.

Had you not been betrayed by Aemond, you would've sought his attention and spilled all the thoughts running through your mind so he could tell you you were being unreasonable.

He would reassure you that you're intelligent, beautiful, a wonderful mother, cunning, captivating, and a dream come to life.

You're punishing yourself. You decided to distance yourself, and came to the horrid realization that it is much harder than you bargained. You underestimated what three years of always being together would do to you.

Aemond catches on to your apprehension and puts a sleeping Baelor on the cradle the nursemaid left by your bed. He returns to your side and kneels on the floor right by your feet.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes for the first time since that night. It's been a long, difficult four weeks without you by his side. He misses all the little things you did for him.

All the check-ups throughout the day to make sure he's broken fast or slept well. Brushing his hair at night before he takes you to bed and shows you his gratitude. Your eyes meeting his across the room, suggesting he takes you elsewhere for a stolen private moment away from everyone else.

He misses you telling him about everything Baelor and Rhaegar got up to in the day and about every new milestone they hit, suggesting they are as healthy as they can be. He misses the late nights spent tangled together, talking about what the future holds for you both, the idea of having a baby girl for Rhaegar and Baelor to protect.

"What do you apologize for now?"

"For betraying your trust. I made an oath and broke it, and for that, I apologize. It is my biggest regret in life," Aemond says, reaching for your hand. "Please, forgive me."

"Then why do you continue to lie?" You whisper as a tear rolls down your cheeks.

"That's the only truth there is," Aemond whispers breathlessly. You give him a pitiful chuckle and tug your hand away from his despite wanting to hold onto it forever.

Your nose burns as more tears spill from your eyes. Insecurity wrapping you in its arms. "Please, do not lie. Why do you want me to believe you went to the brothel for a fleeting pleasure when I have always been here? Am I not good enough for you?"

Your anger has simmered down to a smoky sadness that envelops you. Aemond is lying to you when you're the person he's supposed to trust the most. If there is a chance of rebuilding this marriage, he must tell you the truth, even if it ruins you.

"Gods, you are everything I wanted and more, my sweet wife," Aemond speaks, cupping your face to wipe away your salty tears.

He's at a loss. He's hurt you, but the pain can be remedied if he speaks the truth. How can he allow you to believe you're not enough when you're the perfect woman. His endeavors in the street of silk stem from his own damaged soul, never yours.

"I am afraid," Aemond confesses, brushing one last tear with the pad of his thumb before he retreats his hands. You stare back at him, puzzled. "It is not what you believe. I have not laid with another woman since I married you."

"Then what is it, Aemond? Because my mind has conjured up the worst of scenarios."

"You will not think of me the same," he says, ashamed, hanging his head to avoid your hurt gaze.

"Is that such a bad thing?" You ask aloud, and without awaiting his response, you continue to speak, "Until you work up the courage to tell me the truth, things will remain the same. No matter how much it hurts."

Standing, you leave Aemond kneeling on the floor to prepare for sleep. You glance over your shoulder and watch Aemond stare deep into the fire. When you step out of the privacy screen, he's gone.

It takes another week of agony for Aemond to come to a decision. He cannot bear having you so close yet so far away. He misses you and greatly underestimates how much happier you make him.

He hasn't been to the brothel since the night you confronted him. He barely spares it a thought nowadays. You are the only person wreaking havoc in his head.

He fucked up his marriage, and now he has to pay his dues, even if it means coming clean about his intentions with Sylvi. It was barely sexual, he hasn't fucked her since he married you, but he couldn't let go of the comfort she provided, and Alicent withdrew.

He's smart enough to know it's a farce. The women in the brothel will do just about anything if it means they are paid. But Aemond deluded himself into believing Sylvi cared about what he had to say and told her things he hadn't spoken to anyone else. She played the part well, giving advice freely and reassuring him with soft touches and softer words.

When the guard opens the door to Aemond's chambers, allowing you to enter, he instantly stands, approaching you to ask for your hand and kiss the back of it.

You raise an eyebrow at him but allow him nonetheless. The press of his lips to your skin sends a spark up your arm and down your spine.

"Wife," he greets, guiding you to sit.

"Aemond," you reply, not quite giving in to his sweet actions. Aemond summoned you with the promise of the truth. That is why you're here.

"How does the day find you?"

"Aemond, please," you plead. You came for the truth, and niceties won't do anything to soften the brunt of his words. Prolonging this won't help anyone.

"Very well," Aemond sighs, gesturing you to sit. His hands remain on his lap where he opens and closes them anxiously. "I met her when I was three and ten. Aegon forced me to the brothel because he thought it was time I…became a man."

You dare not speak as Aemond justifies his actions. You need to know the truth before your nerves consume you.

This is the tricky part of his story. After a brief pause, he clears his throat and continues, "She was far older than I was and offered something I lacked in the Keep. Comfort, solace, familiarity, whatever you want to call it. I continued to visit her throughout my youth, although it wasn't always to find release rather than someone to listen and give me what my mother never could."

Aemond avoids looking at you, afraid of what he might find written on your face. Perhaps disgust, shame, or disapproval.

He owed you the truth, so he spoke about all the details of this affair. How he liked the intimacy of lying naked with Sylvi, suckling at her breast. How she would hold him in her arms and touch him. The advice she would offer. The things they spoke about. How he rejects her when she makes any advances, thinking that's what he wants. He admits that he is completely vulnerable and free for those hours because she will have his side no matter what he says.

"Do you have feelings for her?" Your voice is barely above a whisper. It's terrifying to think he might harbor feelings for her. Such intimate acts easily allow feelings to infiltrate one's being. "Aemond, look at me."

Hesitantly, Aemond meets your eyes. Your face is blank, devoid of emotion that may indicate what you now think of him.

"No, and I never will," Aemond says, swallowing the lump in his throat. He chooses his words carefully, "She was an escape, someone to listen to the tragedy that was my life. She knew what I wanted and gave it unsolicited. I know it is not real, wife, but I was foolish enough to seek more."

The emotion that surfaces in your face is not directed at him; instead, it reflects the insecurities you have about yourself. "Did you not think I could give you what she did and actually mean it?"

Insecurities of his own rise up and make themselves shown, "I thought you would see me as a weaker man."

You're both so young with so much to learn, yet if there is one thing you're certain about, it's the love you share. That love would never make you see Aemond as weak; it would transform that quality he refers to as weak into something totally different and positive.

"You are not weak but a fool," you shake your head, reaching for him. It is your turn to cup his face to force him to focus only on you. "I know of those feelings you hide firmly, Aemond. I spent most of my childhood here in King's Landing. I watched while Aegon and the Strong boys teased you. I was here when you returned from Driftmark without an eye. I heard your cries of pain. You come off as this stoic man to everyone else, the fierce Aemond, but I know the real you."

"I am ashamed." Aemond is truthful. No more lies weight his beating heart.

"Do you swear to never look for her again? That you will come to me instead?"

"I swear it by the old gods and the new. I swear it by the seven. I swear it by my life," Aemond promises. "Will you return to me, wife?" He asks hopefully, placing his hands over yours, afraid your touch will leave him.

"Yes, husband," you nod, pressing your forehead against his.

Your lips find his as the last word you speak is uttered. It's been far too long, and his dragon blood is calling for you. Aemond is quick to react, moving his lips desperately against yours and pulling you to his lap.

He comes to you late at night once there are no more council calls or responsibilities to tend to. It's around that time when he has nothing to busy himself with, and the ache in his chest makes itself known.

It's a constant reminder that he is far from invincible. Pain and hurt live within him, ready to resurface at the most unexpected times.

"Husband." You greet him with a bright smile when he steps into your chambers.

"Wife," he speaks quietly, standing uncomfortably by your door. While he's agreed to come to you in his times of need, Aemond is unsure how to approach the situation.

"What is the matter?" A pout adorns your lips as you walk over to him. It's genuine concern.

Aemond stiffens when you approach him, tilting your head to assess him. You wrap your arms around his waist, searching for his gaze.

"Aemond?" You call to him softly.

"Please," he whispers with shaking hands that he places on your hips. The expensive material of your night shift is soft against his palms.

The tone of his voice and the reserved behavior tell you what he's asking for. You nod wordlessly and grab his hand, guiding him to your bed.

This is unlike those moments when passion takes over and desperate need forces you to tug and tear his clothes away. With patience and delicate fingers, you calmly help him undress.

Unbuckling the clasps of his leather doublet, you slide it down his arms and throw it to the side. The tunic that covers his chest comes off next, exposing the strong panels of his abdomen and the ropes of muscle of his arms. All a result of his extensive training.

Featherlight touches to his skin make his breath hitch as they slide down to his breeches, where you agilely untie the laces. You don't meet his eyes as you do so, giving him some resemblance of modesty, but Aemond watches intently how you treat him with such care.

You gently push him to sit on the bed, where you kneel to take off his boots and socks. Aemond allows his breeches to fall to the ground, leaving him completely naked, except for the eyepatch he wears like armor.

It protects him from the disgusted expressions people shoot him with because of the deformity he acquired as a child.

It never stops hurting.

You've never been repulsed by his missing eye. On the contrary, you're fascinated by the scar and the sapphire embedded in the empty socket.

Reaching around his head, you unclasp the leather and place the eyepatch with the rest of his clothing. You offer him a delicate smile while placing your hand on his cheek, and he leans into it.

Your touch on his raised scar eases the pain.

Withdrawing from him, you tug in the lacing of your night shift and shrug it off your shoulders to uncover your body. You had promised to offer him the same care she did in that wretched place.

The bed is covered by pillows and blankets to protect you from the cold of the incoming winter, and you mentally thank the maids for preparing the fire before they left you to rest. You lie over the furs, extending your hand towards Aemond to welcome him in.

Aemond's timidness is present, but he pushes it to the side as he climbs onto the bed and settles across your lap. Your skin is soft and warm against his, and your soft curves, molded to accommodate his children, bring him comfort.

As you brush through his hair with your fingers, you gently untie the band holding half of his hair up. You massage the silver tresses, his scalp prickling from the release of tension. He hums quietly, enjoying the feeling of your fingers on his hair.

"What troubles you, my Prince?" You finally ask.

Aemond's head rests on your shoulder, his breath hitting your collarbones. One of your hands rests upon his back, drawing figures across the expanse of it, feeling every bump and curve of his spine and muscles. The other grasps his hand, pulling it to your lips to press a reassuring kiss to the palm of it.

"That title. Prince." He murmurs sadly, taking a deep breath.

That familiar scent of oils invades his senses. It's a smell he remembers from his childhood when Alicent still cared for him. In turn, his body relaxes, and he closes his eyes momentarily.

"It is a stepping stone in the hierarchy," you reply, recognizing what he implies. Aegon does not have what it takes to rule a kingdom, while Aemond years to sit on the throne.

Aemond reaches up to grasp at a strand of copper hair. The same shade as his mothers. He twists it around his finger while shifting to make himself more comfortable. "I thought all of my achievements would be more fruitful," he ponders.

It seems that ruling a kingdom falls on the eldest male heir, even if they are not fit to rule. Aegon sits on the throne, yet the rest of the council rules on his behalf. This puts the Targaryen name to shame; the fool barely speaks High Valyrian.

"Patience is key. Aegon shows no signs of changing. He will be his own downfall," you respond thoughtfully. You hate thinking about Aegon in such a way, but it's the truth. He wants to prove himself so badly but goes about it all the wrong way.

Copper hair leads to naked skin the same shade as his mother's, and for once, he can imagine himself in his mother's embrace. It brings tears to his eyes as he curls further into you, and his nose brushes against your skin.

With the pillows propping you up and Aemond curled on your lap, you press a kiss to the crown of his head. Your touch runs all over his skin, from his face to his feet.

Aemond continues to speak his mind, and you offer the perfect responses to his dilemmas, calming him when his emotions get the best of him and tears spill from his eyes.

He should've come to you sooner. You're a high-born lady who knows much more about life in court. There were always warning signs with Sylvi. She tried to manipulate him into thinking about the common folk and their ailments more than once. She would never understand that while House Targaryen is at war, there is no space to think about the well-being of its subordinates.

When silence ensues, Aemond allows himself to look up at you. You're serene as you hold him close to your body without an ounce of impatience. The resemblance to his mother is there, but he got something much better.

He got a woman who loves him unconditionally, flaws and all.

Lacing his fingers with yours, Aemond closes his eyes and melts further into your touch. You hug him close and whisper your affections. This is how it was always meant to be.

That night, Aemond sleeps in your chambers. It would be wrong for him to leave after you've treated him with such tenderness. You are no simple whore from the street of silk. You are his wife, and as such, you are meant to be treated with utmost respect. Something he had failed to do but no more.

Breathy whines, wake him before the sun rises. Recognizing your voice, he wakes, looking at his surroundings for any danger. When you whine once more, he glances over at you.

You squirm in your sleep, seemingly uncomfortable. Something bothers you, but your exhaustion prevents you from waking. One of your hands reaches for your chest, and another whine spills from your lips.

Aemond's eye is drawn to the action. He reaches for the sheet covering your body and pulls on it to find the cause of your discomfort. His breath hitches, and his cock aches.

Your breasts are swollen and tender from being filled to their capacity, causing beads of milk to leak from the stiff peaks of your nipples.

Aemond briefly remembers you mentioning how Baelor has been fuzzy lately, and Rhaegar is getting older and doesn't seek you as often for food, yet you continue to produce copious amounts of milk. He has been blessed with a perfect wife and an excellent mother who produces enough sustenance for his children.

Aemond's pointer finger traces a path down your neck to your left breast. They are calling to him as his finger follows the curve of your breast up to your puffy areola and tip of your nipple. A slight press to the taught skin prompts more fluid to leak down your sides, and you hiss in discomfort.

Bringing his finger up to his lips, he licks the whitish liquid. Perhaps it's a mistake, as he's left wanting more. Aemond uncovers the top half of your naked body and leans over your chest. With one look towards your beautiful face, he wraps his lips around the plush flesh of your breast.A surge of liquid fills his mouth.

You have the sweetest milk he has ever had the pleasure of tasting. Aemond moans at the saccharine taste. It is so much better than the farce he had in the brothel. This milk comes from his wife, who nurtures his healthy sons.

A loud, sultry moan spills from your lips as some of the pressure is alleviated. You're now between sleep and awareness. Your hand cradling the back of Aemond's head.

Aemond's cock is painfully hard as it presses against your thigh. He's been driven into a frenzy, your milk serving as an aphrodisiac. His hand brushes against your inner thigh to answer a rising question.

Careful fingers find your wet slit, proving his theory right. He's not the only depraved person in the room. Your body is responsive to him even in altered states of consciousness.

Your cunt is absolutely drenched, making it so easy for Aemond to push a finger in. It's enough to fully wake you from your slumber. "Ah, Aemond." You throw your head back in pleasure.

It takes you a second to take in the entirety of Aemond's actions. The pleasure coursing through you, overwhelming your senses. A loud moan tears through your throat at the realization that Aemond is not simply teasing your breasts. Aemond feasts on your aching tits.

"Have your fill, my prince," you beg as that ache in your chest is pleasingly soothed.

Aemond is eager and rough. The light stubble of his jaw sends a current of electricity down to your cunt where you clench around his fingers.

"My Aemond, good boy." He responds to the praise why sliding another finger into your tight cunny. The slick sound of your arousal accompanies the suckling of his lips.

You squeeze your other breast to alleviate the tightening discomfort and drops fall on your hand. Drawn to it, Aemond switches, and you squeal as his teeth scrape the sensitive skin of your nipple.

Aemond ruts into your thigh as he quickens the pace of his fingers intruding on your cunny to part through your walls. The vibration of his quiet moans stimulates your swollen peaks.

If this is not heaven, he doesn't wish for it.

Your fingers tangle in his silver hair when you arch your back to offer yourself to him. His eye meets your hooded gaze and sets himself to give you whatever you please. His thumb circles your pearl expertly, and he curls his digits to hit your spot more firmly.

You cry in pleasure with your hips, riding his fingers until you come with a shudder and his name on your lips. Your walls clamp down on his fingers hard enough it is hard for him to retrieve them.

Aemond rises from your chest and pinches your cheeks with his fingers that remain coated with your slick, prompting your mouth to open. A stream of your milk falls from his mouth to yours as he gives you a sweet taste.

You believe another orgasm rips through your body as his lips press against yours to share a sweet tasting kiss. His tongue invades your mouth, allowing you the pleasure of tasting yourself on his tongue.

"Please," you beg for him, spreading your legs wantonly.

One to indulge his wife in all pleasures, Aemond pulls you on top of him, "Take what you desire."

His cock is fully erect and begging for attention. The tip is swollen and flushed a deep pink as it leaks pre that beads down his shaft.

Aemond acknowledges you've reached your limit when his beautiful wife, who adores worshipping his cock on her knees, grabs his length and sinks onto him without a preamble.

"Go on, my love, you can take it," Aemond hisses as you try to lower yourself to take all of him. His hands grip your hips tightly, urging you on. He swears your walls continue to contract from your previous peak.

"Aemond, husband," you moan lewdly. Your hips tentatively begin bouncing on him, and your tits follow to Aemond's delight.

He's mesmerized by them and how they continue to leak. Aemond mouths one more aggressively, teasing your nipple with his tongue, nipping at the surrounding flesh to leave his mark. His hand massages the other, allowing droplets to fall down your abdomen and onto your cunt.

"My perfect wife, such a good mother," Aemond mutters, praising you, "Pretty tits always full and her cunny always wet."

You hold onto Aemond's strong shoulders, your nails leaving marks across his back. Your hips grind on him deliciously as your clit rubs against his pelvis.

"Aemond, please," you beg, quickening your pace. You're on the verge of yet another delicious peak. "I want another." You'll have as many as he wants as long as he treats you with this much attention.

Aemond kisses up your neck and growls in your ear, "I shall give you as many as you'd like."

Swiftly, he turns you so your back is to the bed. He hikes your thighs up around his waist and snaps his hips fiercely. You first the bedsheets around you as Aemond holds bruisingly against your hips and thighs.

He's close to his own peak as well. Aemond manages to hold back because of all the attention he's giving your tits, but his cock cannot take anymore, especially with how deliciously your walls wrap around him.

Aemond admires his perfect wife. Your hair fans out on the pillows, and your facial expression morphs into one of pure ecstasy as you come once more. Your breasts are less swollen, but your stiff peaks remain puffy and flushed from his attention. Your cunt chokes his cock, knowing exactly what it takes to please him.

His rhythmic thrusting begins to falter, so with a couple more jerks of his hips and a groan, he paints your insides white. "There we go, all for you."

"Thank you," you lilt, biting your lip at the sensation of being filled.

You giggle when he leans down to kiss all over your face, a laugh of his own reaching your ears.

The door creaking open wakes you up, bringing the sheets to your chest, you sit up. Aemond lets the bedsheet fall to his lap, ready to scold whoever dares interrupt his time with his wife.

A small blonde head peaks in, and a big grin unleashes on its lips when he sees his parents. Young Rhaegar toddles into the room, and his head is barely seen as he stands on the edge of the bed. His tiny hands try to grasp the edge, but he's still too small to get himself up.

Aemond reaches over to bring him up, pressing a kiss on his head, but Rhaegar happily crawls over Aemond and falls into your waiting arms.

Aemond's exposed sapphire earns no reaction. In fact, the eyepatch tends to catch his son's attention more. Aemond ensured that when his sons came into this world, he would greet them as he truly is.

You pepper kisses all over Rhaegar's face, and he giggles, squirming on your lap. While Baelor favored his father, Rhaegar was entirely yours. "What are you doing here, little dragon?" You ask him sweetly.

The nursemaid stepping through the open door answers your question, "Prince Aemond, Lady Hightower. My apologies, he scurried away before I could-"

"It is alright. You may leave us," Aemond says, waving his hand to dismiss her. The young girl bows her head, hiding her blushing cheeks, and scurries away without saying another word, aware of the compromising position of the Prince and his wife.

"My sweetest, why are you up so early?" You coo, threading your fingers through his messy hair that sticks up in all directions.

Rhaegar hides his face on your chest, mumbling, "Missed you."

You gasp dramatically, facing the young boy with a surprised expression. "You missed me? I missed you!" Your son laughs and presses a wet kiss to your cheek.

"What about me, little dragon?" Aemond asks, tickling his belly.

Rhaegar cutely shakes his head with a mischievous smile, squealing loudly when Aemond reaches for him and takes him into his own arms to tickle him.

"Mama!" Rhaegar's childlike laugh pierces the air as he asks for your help.

"You're going to get me in trouble," Aemond grumbles, playfully glaring at his son as he continues to tickle him.

"Mama!" Rhaegar repeats, pushing Aemond's hands away and waiting for you to scold Aemond or something.

You watch the interaction with a wide smile. It's nice to see Aemond this calm. "Give me back, my little dragon, or there are no more kisses for you," you threaten Aemond with a furrow of your eyebrows and a pout. Aemond abruptly stops and loosens his hold on the toddler.

Rhaegar laughs and throws himself in your arms, hugging your neck. His giggles never cease. Aemond winks at you and pulls you to lie on his chest.

"How about we go see Vhagar later?" Aemond asks Rhaegar who calmed down to a drowsy state. It's still very early for him to have been up. He must've had a bad dream.

"Sunfyre?" Rhaegar gasps, looking up at his father. Aemond rolls his eyes and nods. He guesses he can invite Aegon so his son can see the golden dragon.

"That's your favorite, isn't it?" You ask him amusedly, although you agree. Sunfyre is a beautiful dragon and much friendlier than Vhagar.

Rhaegar nods enthusiastically as he babbles about the pretty dragon. You lay with your back to Aemond's chest as he envelops you both with his arms.

At that moment, Aemond realizes he feels fulfilled with his little family by his side.

it was not part of the plan to let this oneshot be this long. there is something about the complexity of aemond's character that doesn't let me write something brief.

nonetheless this was a super fun oneshot to write. it took me the whole week because i was so busy but i had been thinking about it nonstop. i think i overdid it with the lactation part but oh well!

if you enjoyed this oneshot please don’t forget to like or comment (i accept aemond's sapphire, rhaenyra's crown, criston cole slander, emojis, words of encouragement, a lot of praise, virtual hugs and gushing about sunfyre and aegon) and if you want more of it feel free to let me know!

-nikki 🖤

[beckyninja]

Rude Awakening

Pairing: Roboute Guilliman x FemReader

Warnings: Sexual content, MDNI

Description: The Reader sends a long awaited message to her home world, only to receive a very unexpected reply.

Plot, lore, and spice in this one folks! (Also, please excuse the very cliched name I decided to use for the Reader's home world.)

This is a continuation of my Guilliman/Reader series. To read the previous parts, check out my Masterlist.

“Transmitting in one minute, Lady Heir.”

Guilliman watched you sit even straighter than before, if that were possible. You’d changed out of the light, flowing dresses he’d grown accustomed to seeing you in these past months, and back into the corseted gown you’d worn upon your first meeting. Your hair was pulled back into a severe bun, your hands tightly clasped on your lap.

Every sinew in your body radiated tension. He resisted the near overpowering urge to go to your side.

“No, Roboute. If I’m to be seen to be acting independently, in the interests of my world, I can’t sit in your shadow.” You’d leaned against him in the Thunderhawk during the flight to your ship, “No matter how I might wish to.”

When he made it clear he intended to be present for the event, and therefore his Ultramarine guards as well, Captain Takahashi suggested they move the whole operation to the spacecraft hangar. Glancing around, Guilliman understood why.

It had been ages since he’d existed in a space not built with giants in mind. Even the towering ceilings of this hangar seemed somehow claustrophobic after the sheer massiveness of The Macragge’s Honor. And that was not the only difference.

Not a candle in sight.

The air still smelled of fuel and chemicals, but the cloying aroma of incense was absent. Captain Takahashi must have driven her cleaning crew hard, for every surface gleamed clean and starkly bright under the artificial lighting.

It all looked so… new. Even the crew, standing at attention in their clean uniforms.

He heard his Ultramarines shifting in their armor and couldn’t blame them for their unease. The differences in culture and technology between your people and the Imperium had never been so obvious. The clash to come….

Guilliman’s gaze returned to you.

You feel it too, the mounting pressure. If we are to avoid bloodshed, you must walk a razor’s edge.

Again, the urge to go to you. His jaw clenched.

***

Your heart felt as though it was about to beat its way out of your chest. 

Strange, how quickly emotions could change. In the days since confessing your family’s sordid history to Roboute, you’d felt… lighter. Unafraid, for the first time in years. 

When he held you, all your grandmother’s torments and scheming seemed insignificant. You were untouchable. Safe.

The folly of such thoughts crashed upon you as you stared at the transmitter. An entire world’s fate rested on your words, on a diplomatic mission no one thought would succeed. 

A diplomatic mission some had done their best to ensure would not succeed. 

Will Grandmother listen to reason? Will the Grand Council? The Military? The Church? 

You squeezed your eyes shut, fighting a rising tide of panic.

Am I leading my people down the path to annihilation?

“Connection established.” The technician’s voice sounded loud in the silence. “Transmitting in ten…”

Light guide me. Protect me against the chaos of the Void.

“...eight…”

Reveal my path and grant me wisdom to protect my people.

“...six…”

Illuminate the minds of those I speak to, that they may see the Truth.

“...four…”

I can’t do this! I can’t!

“...two…”

Your eyes flashed to Roboute. His burning blue gaze met your own. Strength. Courage. Love.

“Transmitting now.”

You lifted your chin and breathed deep. “Honored Matriarch, Grand Council, People of TerraNova, I speak to you today of a new dawn for our people. Six standard months ago, I set out upon a diplomatic mission to propose an alliance with the Imperium of Man.”

Calm settled over you with each word. “I am overjoyed to report the complete success of my mission. Roboute Guilliman, Lord Regent of the Imperium, has accepted our proposal. He has agreed to ensure our continued autonomy in exchange for technology and resources.”

And now for the bombshell.

“To seal this alliance, I have agreed to take the Lord Regent’s hand in marriage.”

***

“... I await your response so that a meeting between the Lord Regent and our beloved Matriarch may be arranged. May the Light, and the Lord of Light, bless the joining of our people. Thank you.”

Guilliman felt pride swell within him as the technician cut the transmission. He strode forward, boots thundering on the metal flooring. 

“You were magnificent, my dear.”

You looked up at him, face pale. “I pray it was enough.”

He reached out a hand, gently taking your tiny fingers in his own, and helped you to your feet. You swayed slightly.

Captain Takahashi appeared at your side, a glass in her hand. “Drink, Lady Heir. You did well.”

Guilliman made eye contact with the Captain as you drank.

She nodded. “I mean it, my Lord. Our leaders will be hard pressed to deny the logic of such a statement.”

He placed a steadying hand on your shoulders. “I have seen diplomats with lifetimes of experience fail to make so compelling an argument.”

“From anyone else,” you murmured, “I’d call that flattery.”

“I am not accustomed to praising the unworthy.”

“I know.” You smiled, face regaining some color, “Still, Void take me! I’m glad that’s over.”

Guilliman chuckled slightly. “How long before we can expect a response?”

Captain Takahashi shook her head. “Hard to say. The message should have been received almost instantaneously, but our leaders will need time to formulate a reply.” She hesitated. “Though, the Matriarch is known for her decisiveness.”

His armored hand tightened on your shoulder at the mention of your grandmother. “I am… eager to meet this woman.”

He sensed your tension returning. “Let us return to The Macragge’s Honor, my dear. We can-”

“Captain!” A shout from the technician drew everyone’s attention. “Incoming communication!”

Captain Takahashi strode to the console. “A recorded transmission?”

“Negative, Ma’am. Live.”

“Oh, Light….” Guilliman watched you wilt once more.

He pulled you against him. “From your homeworld, Captain?”

“We’re too far for a live message.” The Captain’s eyes remained fixed on the screens in front of her. “No. This originates from one of our naval vessels.”

“Lord Guilliman.” Sicarius spoke for the first time since entering this ship. “Transmission from The Macragge’s Honor. Long range scanners have picked up contacts exiting the Warp.”

He faced the Ultramarine. “Details.”

“Five ships of similar make to this one. One significantly larger. Numerous smaller vessels. All approaching rapidly.”

From the scowl on Sicarius’s face, Guilliman knew he expected an ambush. “Have we received any attempts at communication?”

“Negative, my Lord.”

“Captain?” The technician looked toward Captain Takahashi. “Do I answer?”

“Yes.”

Guilliman looked down at you in surprise. You reached up and placed your hand over his gauntlet on your shoulder, your expression determined.

“I will answer, Captain Takahashi. Put it on screen.”

A moment of silence, save for the persistent beeping of the console. “Very well, Lady Heir.”

You tried to pull away from his grasp. “Roboute-”

“No.” He walked with you, hand remaining on your shoulder. “This time, we stand together.”

***

You leaned back against Roboute, partly annoyed, partly grateful. In truth, you felt drained. A mere moments ago you’d wanted nothing more than to return to your quarters on the Imperial ship. Quarters that had rapidly begun to feel like “home”. 

No time for further thought before a figure appeared on screen. It was not who you expected.

The angular face. Hair that curled to his shoulders in defiance of every military regulation. Eyes that never seemed to rest in one place for more than a moment. All familiar, except for the red scar bisecting one cheek.

“Victor?!” 

“Hello, cousin. And, ah…,” his eyes moved behind and above you, “Lord Guilliman, I presume?”

The lack of decorum brought a flush of shame to your cheeks. You felt Roboute’s hands tighten ever so slightly on your shoulders.

“Lord Regent, may I introduce Prince Victor, son of-”

“Another prince, who was the son of a Patriarch, who was the husband of our beloved Matriarch, and so on and so forth. Second in line to the throne of TerraNova. Lord of the Fleet, etc.” Your cousin waved his hand dismissively. “Very pretty, very inconsequential titles.”

Void damn him! He hasn’t changed.  

“Victor, this is-”

“Quite possibly the most powerful man in the galaxy, yes I know.” He grinned, the expression twisted by the scar on his cheek. “And your intended! Congratulations, by the way.”

“An unexpected pleasure, Prince.” 

Roboute had once explained his multiple organs to you. Now, you felt him expand his third lung, giving his already deep voice an inhuman resonance that sent shivers across your skin.

Even through the screen, your cousin couldn’t remain unaffected. You felt a tiny thrill of satisfaction at seeing his cocky smile quiver.

“Unexpected for me as well… my lord. My fleet’s interception of my lovely cousin’s message necessitated this intrusion, I’m afraid.”

You stiffened. “The message? Did it-”

“Don’t fret, my dear. I’m sure our beloved Matriarch is frothing at the mouth as we speak. Unfortunately, she no longer has the power to act one way or the other.”

Dread pooled in your stomach. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, that she’s currently a prisoner in her own palace, cousin. Courtesy of the only other living member of our dynasty.” 

“Conrad?” The magnitude of the disaster struck you hard. “Oh, Light.”

“Clear the deck!” Captain Takahashi snapped.

You heard the retreating of many feet, and glanced up toward Roboute. He stared at the screen, mouth set in a grim line. The Ultramarines likewise remained.

“Victor, perhaps a more private-”

“What’s the point, sweet cousin? Your fiance and his…ah…warriors may as well know what kind of mess they’re about to sail into.” 

***

Guilliman could see why you disliked your family.

The nonchalant mockery dripping from every word this boy said, set his teeth on edge. He showed no regard for the devastation his little speech wrought on you, never once used your proper title. And something in the way he looked at you….

“So, there has been a coup.” He didn’t bother to hide the growl in his voice.

“Indeed.” The boy avoided his gaze. “Grandmother and what’s left of her personal forces are holed up in the capital whilst Conrad, bookish little Conrad, and his army lay siege.”

Guilliman felt you sag against him. “The Military?”

“Apparently they think he’ll be easier to control that dear old Granny, or me, for that matter. And they thought you were dead until a few minutes ago. So they’ve made him their figurehead.” He shrugged. “I don’t really even blame Connie, locked away in that monastery for so many years, he never did learn how to think for himself.”

“The Grand Council?”

“Ran off to the Eastern Continent. Putting up a decent fight, actually.”

You seemed to gather yourself. “So there’s still hope. Wait. They thought I was dead?”

“Oh, yes. Grandmother seemed certain of it. Was almost ready to announce it to the people.” A grating laugh. “I can only imagine her expression when your message came through. I know it shocked the Void out of me.”

Guilliman spoke again. “You called yourself ‘Master of the Fleet’. This implies you have control of your world’s naval forces.”

“Those personally loyal to me, yes.”

“Your mercenaries?” You shook your head. “Victor, they’ll turn on you as soon as you can no longer pay them.”

The boy’s expression turned dark. “They’re loyal, little cousin. Ever since I saved their asses from Grandmother’s order of execution. You can count on that.”

Guilliman didn’t care for his tone. “What are your intentions here, prince?”

He ignored him, darting eyes settling on you. “You need to come home, cousin. Immediately. With me. The people are confused and divided.”

“We need to present a united front.” You nodded slowly.

Guilliman tightened his grip on your shoulders.

“You always were the smartest of us.” Your cousin smirked. “I’ll send a transport immediately.”

Captain Takahashi joined the conversation. “I will gladly transport the Lady Heir on board this ship, my prince.”

“Ah, the ever loyal Captain! You know we all thought you dead too? I appreciate the offer. But we both know my Predator is faster than your little cruiser. And speed is paramount.” He waved a hand. “You can follow along at your own pace.”

“A third option.” Guilliman tried to make eye contact with the prince, but his gaze kept sliding away. “The Lady remains aboard my flagship, and we follow you to your homeworld.”

“Cousin, would you like to explain to your fiance why that won’t work?”

You gave him an apologetic look. “For me to arrive with an Imperial fleet-”

The boy interrupted once again. “It would certainly look like a conquering horde, now wouldn’t it? Unless, of course, that’s your intention.”

“Victor!”

He leered. “It would be clever. Take advantage of our weakened, divided state and swoop in to add us to your collection of worlds. Your marriage to my cousin would give you just enough legitimacy to preserve your image. Assuming, of course, that you Imperials care about such things.”

“I gave my word to the Lady that this would be an alliance, not a conquest.” Guilliman managed to catch the boy’s direct gaze and hold it. “I intend to keep my word.”

He paled and, once again, his eyes darted away. “Well, well. How noble.”

Your hand reached up and grasped one of the gauntlet’s on your shoulders. “Do not make such an insinuation again, cousin.”

A corner of Guilliman’s mouth tipped up at the indignation in your voice.

“Still,” you murmured, “an Imperial fleet, much less the flagship of the Lord Regent, arriving at this time could cause widespread panic.”

And undermine any hope of peaceful compliance.

He never desired unnecessary bloodshed, not even in the days of the Great Crusade. The idea of attacking your homeworld appealed to him even less. Still, to send you alone into the hands of this arrogant princeling… into a war zone….

“Should she agree to this, the future Lady of Ultramar will be accompanied by an Ultramarine guard.”

An astounded murmur from the Ultramarines behind him. Your head snapped up, mouth opening in shock.

The boy remained silent for a moment, blinking. “I…ah… of course. Of course! You want to protect your investment. I understand.” He made a show of peering at the Ultramarines. “I suppose we’ll make them fit somehow.”

You turned back to the screen. “Give me one standard day, Victor. Then send your transport.”

“Agreed. It will be ever so nice to see you in person again, cousin. I’m sure we’ll get this mess sorted in no time.”

The transmission ended.

You pressed your face into your hands. “Void damn it all. Just when things were going so well.”

Guilliman looked down at you. Sometimes he forgot how young and inexperienced you were. You’d learn soon enough.

Nothing ever goes to plan.

***

You stood in the midst of your quarters aboard The Macragge’s Honor, and tried desperately not to weep. 

A fool. I’m a damned fool.

You thought back over the last months. All your life, you’d heard horror stories of the Imperium. Its cruelties. Its fanaticism. How ironic that the best moments of your life so far had been spent here, onboard its flagship.

With him. 

You’d told yourself it could last forever. That all would be well.

Damn you, Conrad. Why? Why now?

You bent to pick a piece of clothing off the floor, only for your corset to tighten further around your chest. Sudden rage filled you.

“Off, get off!”

It had taken two attendants to help you put the thing on. Tears of frustration filled your eyes as you clawed at the hooks and laces to no avail. 

“Void damn it!” 

Behind you, the door hissed open. You recognized the presence even before he spoke.

“Are you all right, my love?”

You didn’t dare turn around, face burning with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Roboute. I just… I can’t….” You sniffled like a child.

“Let me.”

“You don’t have to- ah!”

A wrench and the sound of tearing fabric. The corset fell away. You gasped, catching it against your breasts. Your mind went blank.

A thud behind you made the floor shake. Then, hot breath on your bare back. The heat seemed to spread across your skin, burning away the rage and frustration, until only longing remained.

“Roboute….”

Lips pressed against the back of your bare shoulders. Impossibly large hands circled your hips, holding you immobile. 

“It seems our marriage will be delayed.” His deep voice resonated within you. “But, by the Throne, I will have this.”

You could only whimper in reply as the lips traced across your shoulders, your neck, and down your spine. The hands on your hips slid upward until they met the corset you still clutched to your chest.

Light forgive me.

You let the piece of clothing drop to the floor, and gasped as the hands covered your breasts. 

“So soft.” He rumbled.

No one had ever touched you like this. You whined as he began to squeeze and knead, calloused skin against your nipples sending shocks of pleasure through your body. Liquid warmth pooled between your legs.

You felt yourself yanked back into a hard chest, only then realizing he’d sunk to his knees. His forehead came to rest on your shoulder. One hand continued to play with your chest, while the other spread down over your belly.

“Tell me to stop.”

“No.”

I want this.

He groaned, and the hand on your belly moved lower, fingers dipping beneath the waist of your skirt and underclothes. You suddenly found it hard to breathe.

“I heard you last night.” He rasped. “I heard you touching yourself, calling my name as you climaxed.”

“Oh, Light!” You should feel ashamed, but his words only stoked the fire within.

“I almost went to you. Throne, I have wanted to go to you every night since the first. Now you are leaving me, and I cannot….” A deep, gasping breath. “I cannot hold back anymore.”

You moaned his name.

“Show me how to bring you pleasure.”

You reached one hand behind you, carding your fingers into blond hair, feeling the massive demigod shiver at your touch. With the other hand, you guided his hand lower, until his fingers met your wet center.

Both of you hissed at the sensation.

“L-like this….”

Spreading your legs a little wider, you pushed his fingers until they brushed against your nub. Your back arched at the sudden sting of pleasure.

He caught on quickly, beginning to rub circles. You ground against his hand, revelling in the wantonness of your actions. Enough with decorum. Enough with following the rules. You wanted him.

You wanted your husband.

“Roboute, faster!” 

He obeyed. And you writhed, no longer recognizing the sounds that came out of your mouth. You heard only his deep, panting breaths against your shoulder. You felt only his fingers against you. Nothing else mattered.

As you leaned back against him, you felt something hard against your rear. You’d felt it before, when he held you down atop his desk. Without hesitation, you rubbed against it, and he let out a strangled growl.

“Yessss….”

His hips began to move. Even as he rubbed you, his massive hand also pressed you back against him. You felt him hard and hot through his tunic. And big. So big. It should have frightened you.

Instead you felt the tension inside you grow tighter. 

“Roboute, I… I…!”

“Give it to me.” He snarled. “Only to me.”

The tension snapped. You opened your mouth, but no words came. Your vision went white. 

Hot and wet and so so good…!

The sudden sting of teeth in your shoulder. A muffled roar. Scalding liquid against your lower back.

And then all was soft, melting warmth. You went limp, and he caught you against him. You felt the swelling of his chest, the thunder of his double heartbeat.

“My love…mine….” He turned your boneless body until you looked up into his sweat-streaked face. “Forgive me.”

You snuggled into his chest. “There’s nothing to forgive, my husband.”

He shuddered at your words. “My beautiful little wife.”

For a moment you stayed there, keeping the outside world at bay.

“Just a little while longer, Roboute.” You whispered. “And then I’ll never leave you again.”

***

Guilliman remembered your words as he watched the transport depart. In the end, only one of his Ultramarines had gone with you. The ship your cousin sent simply couldn’t fit any more.

He hadn’t been surprised when Tarchus volunteered for the duty. He believed, in his own way, the Ultramarine had grown rather fond of you in the past few weeks. And the man was capable. He’d keep you safe.

Still, what I would not give to be the one at her side.

The previous night with you in his arms had been an indescribable joy. Whatever the Ecclesiarchy might have to say on the matter, you were bound to him now. Even if he hadn’t had you fully. Not yet.

He had plans for that. Some customs he couldn’t quite bring himself to disregard. Such as the matter of a ring.

“Roboute, it’s beautiful!” You’d gasped as he slipped the gold and sapphire band on your finger.

“And long overdue. It belonged to my mother, one of the few things I have left of her.”

Your eyes had widened. “Are you sure-?

“I am.” He’d smiled down at you. “She would have liked you, I think.”

“I’ll treasure it.”

“I have added one thing.”

He’d shown you the device embedded inside the band. “Captain Takahashi graciously gave me this. I intend to take my fleet to the asteroid belt her star maps show lies just beyond your system. If you need me, press the largest gem in the ring. A beacon will activate.”

He’d grasped your chin, ensuring you looked into his eyes. “And I will come for you.”

He would, he vowed. Even if he had to carry you off like the barbarian warlord your people thought him to be.

“My Lord,” one of the baseline crew suddenly spoke up, “something’s happening.”

His eyes never left the departing transport. “Yes?”

“One of their fighters seems to be malfunctioning. It is moving erratically.”

“More power to the forward void shields.” Captain Sicarius barked.

A tiny ship, smaller than a Thunderhawk, appeared in the corner of Guilliman’s eye. It twisted and bucked as if the pilot had gone mad. And yet….

The crewman continued. “If it keeps its current course, it will not impact any Imperial ships, my lord.”

A horrible revelation flashed through Guilliman’s mind. “Fire on that ship!”

“My lord?”

“Now!” He lunged toward the hangar opening, as if he could reach out and strike the ship down himself. “NOW.”

He heard the crewmen frantically issuing vox orders, and yet knew they wouldn’t matter. It was too late.

The fighter screamed toward your transport.

“No.”

Your pilot must have seen the threat. He jerked the ship away, but the fighter followed.

“NO.”

Impact.

Guilliman dropped to his knees as all the light left in his life went out.

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[anexperimentallife]

The US far right has been working on their plan since AT LEAST the 1960s, when I was a kid listening to evangelicals talking about their plan to take over the US, and eventually the world. It's called "Christian Dominionism," and it's a fascist ideology which goes hand in glove with the GOP's plans.

Although it was not expressed so much to the world at large, this plan was OPENLY and FREQUENTLY discussed in far right circles. We kids, if we asked about it, were told that it was "God's Will." Ask any exvangelical about it, and they'll confirm. (Part of why I know so much about these dangerous and deluded folks is I WAS ONE OF THEM in my youth.)

And where has that plan gotten them? Well, the GOP recently released a hundreds of pages long document filled with their intentions if they win--including a nationwide abortion ban and a repeal of anti-discrimination laws, among other things.

Trump has already signaled his intent to create a military dictatorship if elected, by repealing laws against using the military against US citizens on US soil sp he can deploy them against dissenters, etc., and if the GOP pick up a few more congressional seats, he can do it. The GOP has already pushed to repeal presidential term limits, and Trump has indicated he'd like to be president for life.

So I'm amazed at all the people who think withholding their vote and letting the GOP win is going to somehow fix things and "push the Dems left."

You wanna know how to push US politics leftward? You're not gonna like it, because it takes actual work beyond stomping your foot and pouting and performatively showing everyone how "pure" you are by refusing to vote.

You have to start the same way the far right did (and again, they've been OPENLY talking about and pursuing this plan since I was a kid in the 1960s, AT LEAST)--they started by getting the most extreme right wingers they possibly could into any position they could. Positions like school board member, police chief, sherrif, city prosecuter, city council member, municipal judge, mayor, governor, hell, fucking dog catcher.

They encouraged far right extremists to become police officers and military personnel and work their way up the ranks to the point at which even the famously-racist FBI reported that major city police departments across the nation were pretty much taken over by members of white supremacist organizations.

In formerly reasonable churches, right wingers pushed for the hiring and training of more and more right wing pastors and mire right-wing theology.

More affluent right-wingers bought local papers and broadcasters, and as their political power grew, they changed laws to make it easier for a single entity to control the news--until now a mere handful of entities own nearly every major media outlet in the US.

And then they used every victory as leverage for the next one, and worked their way up. I mean, there's more, like the capitalization on economic and social anxiety and their inentional exacerbation of same so they could take advantage of it, but that's intertwined with the rest.

Essentially, they got this far because they put the work in.

If the US left is going to turn things around (and if it's not already too late), we've got to do the same, but it takes RESEARCHING and PROMOTING your local and state candidates, attending city council and school board meetings, and shit like that. It's actual fucking work to fix a country.

And then, after you've done all that--and after you've shown up to primaries to try to get any non-authoritarian leftist candidate you can nominated--then you vote for the leftest folks you're able to in the general. If there are no remotely leftist candidates, you vote for the centrist or right winger who will do the least damage.

Again, that's what the US far right has been doing for decades. Taking action. Wherever possible, taking new ground, but when they couldn't do that, ceding as little ground as possible. If they couldn't win, they made damn sure to do everything in their power to try to keep actual decent human beings from winning.

Actually doing the work doesn't have the emotional satisfaction of a grand gesture, but it definitely shows who is serious about making a difference and who would rather let everything burn than sully their imagined purity by voting for anything less than perfection.

Listen, Trump is not going to end the genocide in Gaza--in fact he increased tensions between the Israeli occupation and Palestine. And the GOP will never be persuaded. Hell, they want to let Russia take Ukraine and declare open season on asylum seekers.

The Dems suck. But the GOP is far, far worse, and will do MORE damage, and kill FAR MORE innocents. And if allowed to do so, will make it even harder to change the system than it is now. They've already PUBLICLY ADMITTED that their only chance of victory is keeping people from voting. Don't play into their hands.

Under current circumstances, you know what the Dems are going to do if Biden and a bunch of other Dems lose for not being pure enough? You think they'll be all like, "Oh, no! The left sure taught us a lesson by handing the country to the GOP! We'd better shift to the left!"

No. They're going to sip champagne in their multi-million dollar mansions and have meetings about how they need to move FURTHER RIGHT to win elections, because the left doesn't vote.

And if the US becomes a military dictatorship, most of the high ranking ones will simply take their fortunes and leave.

Yup, it'd sure teach ol' Joe a lesson to force him to spend the rest of his days sipping cocktails on the Riviera.

Look beyond the single battle and think strategically. That's how the GOP keeps gaining power. And refusing to act strategically is why the left is losing. We cannot take the hill we want right now. But if we lose the hills we've already taken, we risk losing the entire goddamn war.

So fucking vote. Work to get every leftist you can in any office you can. And if you can't do that, support the one who will do the least harm.

And if it takes voting for that shitbag Biden to keep Trump and the GOP out, hold your fucking nose and pull the goddamn lever.

[disacurveball]

The Terror characters as an American college fraternity

Sir John: Obviously the president. He’s an upperclassman, but is a junior. He wasn’t anyone’s first pick, but the former President and VP (Barrow and Ross) had to step down after the house gets a hazing investigation opened on it by the college. John isn’t doing a great job of stopping future hazing incidents from occurring. His house name is Puss in Boots (ate his boot while drunk).

Crozier: Very tired senior Vice-President. He has never run for an executive position before, but his situationship Sophia Cracroft asked him to make sure her cousin John doesn’t get arrested. He doesn’t go to house parties after brawling with Fitzjames over the last drops of beer in their keg, and is on mandated sobriety by the college for this incident. His house name is Gallon (nobody ask how much he drinks).

Fitzjames: The greatest Social chair that the brotherhood of Epsilon Tau has ever seen. Every year he hosts the infamous ET Toga party, which gets the cops called on it every year. He secretly is obsessed with Rupaul’s drag race which is why he’s always able to curate the most fire playlists. His house name is Madonna (it’s not a secret).

Dundy: Jock chair, obviously. Makes sure the boys are in good shape. I needn’t say any more. House name is Dundy, because that already is one.

Little: Stressed out House Man. He’s in charge of the physical upkeep of the house. That shit is literally falling apart. There are crushed beer cans everywhere, the floors are sticky, their windows are broken and there is a foul smell coming from all the couches. He’s constantly calling repair men on the weekends and crying when he has to clean up a toilet flood in the basement. His house name is Little because let’s be real, the dick jokes there are immense.

Hodgson: Recruitment chair! He makes fun Canva posters to promote Fitzjames’s parties and makes the house seem like a really fun and welcoming place to incoming freshmen PNMs (potential new members). Will he haze them when they become pledges? Sure. But he’d rather be playing Piano Man drunkenly at 2 am and yapping about linguistic facts at a party. His house name is Hodge Podge, after his assortment of fun facts.

Irving: Treasurer (treasuring the house <3) He was the only one who has experience handling funding before because he did so fundraising for his church. Giving back to the house and being in a supportive all-male environment is a Christian pleasure after all. He engages in hazing of biblical proportions. Part of the college hazing investigation was freshman pledge Magnus Manson being forced to stay in the cemetery all night. His house name is Cherub, obviously.

Jopson: The Secretary! He sends out all campus emails and takes really comprehensive meeting notes. If you need to know anything about house lore or precedent, you go to him, he knows the house constitution inside and out. This was especially helpful during the Hickey judiciary council case. His house name is just Jop because people respect him.

Hickey: Used to be a member of Epsilon Tau, but he got kicked out for being found out as the one who tipped the college off about their insane hazing. He did so because he ran for both President and VP and didn’t get elected to either. He didn’t even get elected when Barrow and Ross had to step down either. That sent him over the edge to the point where he started planting hard alcohol bottles around the house and calling the campus police to find them. They finally caught him when he recruited his friends Billy and Tozer to steal the house’s pong table. This table still resides in his off-campus rental house which he has started spreading the rumor is an unofficial new frat called “Sigma Mu”

Billy: He has never been affiliated with Greek life but joins Hickey’s new frat Sigma Mu as its Vice President. He may have been a vital part in Hickey’s decision to do this. He also unofficially acts as its treasurer and Secretary because he was already Hickey’s roommate in the rental house, so really he has no choice but to keep it afloat.

Tozer: Also used to be a part of Epsilon Tau, but gets kicked out too for helping Hickey steal the pong table, and also getting into one too many bar fights. He’s now the new Social chair/Recruitment chair at “Sigma Mu” and gets Pilkington and Armitage to join.

Des Voeux: Freshman who somehow becomes best friends with Fitzjames and Hodgson and so immediately gets into Epsilon Tau without much hazing involved. Nobody knows he’s the one who gave Hickey’s crew the new door code and info to go steal the pong table. He’s still part of ET but frequents the parties at Sigma Nu because he’s not about to say no to any rager. His house name is Des Hoeux.

Goodsir: Not part of Greek Life but he’s treated like an honorary brother of Epsilon Tau because he’s the student EMT who always gets sent to their house every party and he takes care of their drunk brothers. Somebody asks him for drugs every time he enters the building.

Blanky: Fuckmaster Blanky needs no description. He is a legend that gets past down amongst the brotherhood. Legend has it that Fuckmaster Blanky was a brother who lost his leg while doing what he loved……Recruitment chair will tell this story during initiation every year to encourage pledges to honor the house and be like Blanky.

[corvid-ae]

So you want to listen to Main Range?

Great! I know how intimidating it can be to try and start listening, so I’ve tried to compile a guide to the main story arcs. More under the cut (minor spoiler warning)!

Also known as the Monthly Adventures, it’s a great way to get into the DWEU and definitely one I would recommend. It is also accessible, with the first 50 stories available on Spotify, or available to buy from Big Finish or second-hand fairly easily (or, you know, via less-legitimate means).

Main Range involves stories from the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors, and various TV and original companions. If you are a fan of eighties and nineties Who, then Main Range might be for you! My general recommendations for people are to pick a specific doctor AND companion(s) to listen to and go from there. Although, if you’re looking for a first story to try, why not start at the very beginning (a very good place to start) with the Sirens of Time.

While many Main Range stories are stand-alone, there are also some overarching plots, which are actually very companion-focussed. Trying to understand these arcs and listen to them in order can be intimidating for people looking to get into listening, however its probably simpler than you’d think.

To help you out with all of this, I have done my best to write down the stories that are probably best listened to in order, with a bit of an explanation about how it fits into TV continuity if relevant. The order is pretty easy to follow as it is pretty much just in release order. No, Big Finish did not intentionally try to confuse their audience by releasing stories out of order (okay maybe they did just a little). However I have provided the story number in brackets [like so] for clarity.

Also, to be clear, all of the arcs are self-contained, so seperate arcs don't have to be listened to in the order I've written them down in, unless I've specified otherwise (like with the Evelyn and Hex storyline).

Again, it is not super important to listen to things in order. If you are getting bored with a story or with listening in order then feel free to skip things. Maybe you could just skim the Tardis Wiki page for the plot if you like. To help, I’ve also marked any of the super plot-heavy stories with an asterix. Most other stories, especially ones that I don’t mention here are standalone and can be listened to however you like.

Also feel free to let me know if I miss anything! Happy listening :)

Fifth Doctor:

The Erimem Arc

This takes place after Planet of Fire and before Caves of Androzani, and features the Fifth Doctor, Peri and an original character called Erimem - an ancient Egyptian princess. This is a pretty good arc and one I would definitely recommend. Please feel free to skip Nekromanteia though it’s genuinely terrible.

[24] The Eye of the Scorpion*

[38] The Church and the Crown

[41] Nekromanteia

[56] The Axis of Insanity

[59] The Roof of The World

[69] Three’s a Crowd

[71] The Council of Nicaea

[81] The Kingmaker

[99] Son of the Dragon

[102a] The Mind’s Eye

[104] The Bride of Peladon*

The Key 2 Time

A trilogy featuring the Fifth Doctor and an original companion called Amy which acts as a sequel to the Key to Time. It is set between Planet of Fire and Caves of Androzani. The Fifth Doctor meets Amy again in the boxset Wicked Sisters.

[117] The Judgement of Isskar

[118] The Destroyer of Delights

[119] The Chaos Pool

The Stockbridge trilogy

Featuring The Doctor and Nyssa and set in the fictional town of Stockbridge which was first introduced in the Fifth Doctor’s DWM comics. Knowledge of that is not at all essential however. Set between Time Flight and Arc of Infinity.

[127] Castle of Fear

[128] The Eternal Summer

[129] Plague of the Daleks

The Older Nyssa Arc

This is set between Enlightenment and the King’s Demons and features Tegan, Turlough and an older Nyssa - some years after the events of Terminus.

[136] Cobwebs*

[137] The Whispering Forest

[138] The Cradle of the Snake

[146] Heroes of Sontar

[147] Kiss of Death

[148] Rat Trap

[159] The Emerald Tiger

[160] The Jupiter Conjunction

[161] The Butcher of Brisbane

[172] Eldrad Must Die!

[173] The Lady of Mercia

[174] Prisoners of Fate

[195] Mistfall

[196] Equilibrium

[197] The Entropy Plague*

The Hannah Arc

A very short trilogy featuring the Doctor, Nyssa and another original companion - Hannah - an Edwardian woman. Set sometime between Time Flight and Arc of Infinity.

[185] Moonflesh

[186] Tomb Ship

[187] Masquerade

The Season 19 Gang Arc

Set during the events of Season 19, these stories feature the original gang of the Doctor, Adric, Tegan and Nyssa.

[221] The Star Men

[222] The Contingency Club

[223] Zaltys

[234] Kingdom of Lies

[235] Ghost Walk

[236] Serpent in the Silver Mask

The Kamelion Arc

There’s not much to say about this apart from that these three are probably best listened to in this order? Set between the King's Demons and the Five Doctors (i think) and featuring Tegan, Turlough and Kamelion.

[247] Devil in the Mist

[248] Black Thursday/Power Game

[249] The Kamelion Empire

The Marc Arc

These stories follow the Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa, and an original companion Marc - a man from ancient Greece. It is set sometime between the end of Arc of Infinity and Mawdryn Undead.

[256] Tartarus*

[257] Interstitial/Feast of Fear

[258] Warzone/Conversion*

[266]Ghost Station/The Bridge Master/What Lurks Down Under/The Dancing Plague

[267]Thin Time/Madquake*

Sixth Doctor:

The Evelyn Arc

One of my favourite arcs with some great stories, and maybe where things get a little confusing. This arc features the Sixth Doctor and an original companion, Evelyn - an historian from modern-day England. Set sometime before the Sixth Doctor meets Mel I think.

This arc set up some story aspects which are explored further with the Seventh Doctor’s stories - specifically, the Forge trilogy. There are a few ways you could listen to these but to keep it simple I would also recommend listening to the Seventh Doctor story the Harvest before you listen to Thicker Than Water, and then A Death in the Family once you’ve listened to all the Evelyn stories AND the Forty-Five anthology. This could also be listened to concurrently in release order with the Hex storyline which I’ll outline a bit later.

[6] The Marian Conspiracy*

[9] The Spectre of Lanyan Moor

[11] The Apocalypse Element

[22] Bloodtide

[23] Project: Twilight*

[37] The Sandman

[40] Jubilee

[43] Doctor Who and the Pirates

[45] Project: Lazarus*

[57] Arrangements for War*

[58] The Harvest (7th Doctor)*

[60] Medicinal Purposes

[73] Thicker Than Water*

[100] 100 BC/My Own Private Wolfgang/Bedtime Story/The 100 Days of the Doctor*

[143] The Crimes of Thomas Brewster

[144] The Feast of Axos

[145] Industrial Evolution

[115] Forty-Five anthology (7th Doctor)*

[140] A Death in the Family (7th Doctor)*

You can theoretically listen to the following before or after Thicker Than Water if you want - they are sort of standalone stories with the Doctor and Evelyn:

[78] Pier Pressure

[84] The Nowhere Place

[108] Assassin in the Limelight

The Charley Arc 2.0

This is best listened to once you’ve listened to the Charley Arc with the Eighth Doctor. Featuring the Sixth Doctor and Charley.

[105] The Condemned*

[111] The Doomwood Curse

[114] Brotherhood of the Daleks

[116] The Raincloud Man

[124] Patient Zero

[125] Paper Cuts

[126] Blue Forgotten Planet*

The Flip and Constance Arc

Featuring the Sixth Doctor and two original companions, Flip - a girl from modern-day England - and Constance - a woman from World War II. Set sometime before the Doctor meets Mel.

[143] The Crimes of Thomas Brewster*

[156] The Curse of Davros

[157] The Fourth Wall

[158] Wirrn Isle

[182] Antidote to Oblivion

[183] The Brood of Erys

[225] Vortex Ice/Cortex Fire

[184] Scavenger*

[204] Criss-Cross*

[205] Planet of the Rani

[206] Shield of the Jotunn

[218] Order of the Daleks

[219] Absolute Power

[273] Colony of Fear

[220] Quicksilver*

[231] The Behemoth

[232] The Middle

[233] Static

[263] Cry of the Vultriss

[264] Scorched Earth

[265] The Lovecraft Invasion

The Older Peri trilogy

Featuring the Doctor and Peri from after she marries King Yrcanos.

[192] The Widow’s Assassin*

[193] Masters of Earth

[194] The Rani Elite

Seventh Doctor:

The Hex Arc

A great arc that sort of starts with Evelyn’s arc. I would not recommend starting this until after you’ve listened to Project: Lazarus, but maybe at least listen to The Harvest before Thicker Than Water (no stress if you don’t want to juggle listening to arcs concurrently). Features the Seventh Doctor, Ace, and an original companion from 2020s London - Hex. Set after the end of Classic Who.

[58] The Harvest*

[67] Dreamtime

[74] LIVE 34

[79] Night Thoughts

[82] The Settling

[89] No Man’s Land

[92] Nocturne

[106] The Dark Husband

[115] False Gods/Order of Simplicity/Casualties of War/The Word Lord*

[120] The Magic Mousetrap

[121] Enemy of the Daleks

[122] The Angel of Scutari*

[139] Project: Destiny*

[140] A Death in the Family*

[141] Lurkers at Sunlight’s Edge

[149] Robophobia (side note: this is our introduction to Liv Chenka who is one of the Eighth Doctor’s main companions from Dark Eyes onwards).

[151] The Doomsday Quatrain

[152] House of Blue Fire*

[162] Protect and Survive*

[163] Black and White*

[164] Gods and Monsters*

[181] Afterlife*

[189] Revenge of the Swarm

[190] Mask of Tragedy

[191] Signs and Wonders

Also at some point before or after the Angel of Scutari you can listen to the following as they are standalone stories:

[226] Shadow Planet/World Apart

[245] Muse of Fire

[268] The Flying Dutchman/Displaced

The Klein Arc

An Arc featuring The Seventh Doctor and an original character, Klein - a woman from 1940s Germany. Set after the end of Classic Who.

[25] Colditz*

[130] A Thousand Tiny Wings

[131] Klein’s Story/Survival of the Fittest

[132] The Architects of History

[175] Persuasion

[176] Starlight Robbery

[177] Daleks Among Us

Klein is also involved in the final story of the Daniel trilogy which spans the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors.

Eighth Doctor:

The Charley Arc 1.0

The best Main Range arc in my opinion. If you listen to anything, listen to this. Featuring the Eighth Doctor and original companion Charley, with another original companion C’rizz in Part 2 of the arc.

Part 1:

[16] Storm Warning*

[17] Sword of Orion

[18] The Stones of Venice

[19] Minuet in Hell

[28] Invaders from Mars

[29] The Chimes of Midnight

[30] Seasons of Fear

[31] Embrace the Darkness

[32] The Time of the Daleks

[33] Neverland*

[50] Zagreus*

Part 2:

[52] Scherzo*

[53] The Creed of the Kromon* (TW for sexual assault in the Creed of the Kromon. Feel free to stop listening after episode one or just read the Tardis Wiki page for relevant plot info)

[54] The Natural History of Fear

[55] The Twilight Kingdom

[61] Faith Stealer

[62] The Last

[63] Caerdroia

[64] The Next Life*

[72] Terror Firma

[75] Scaredy Cat

[77] Other Lives

[80] Time Works

[83] Something Inside

[88] Memory Lane

[101] Absolution*

[103] The Girl Who Never Was*

The Mary Shelley arc

A short arc featuring the Eighth Doctor and Mary Shelley! Yes, that Mary Shelley.

[123d] Mary’s Story*

[153] The Silver Turk

[154] The Witch from the Well

[155] Army of Death

Multi-doctor arcs:

These are mostly trilogies featuring stories which Big Finish probably mostly intended to be listened to together.

The Forge trilogy

Relevant to the Evelyn and Hex arcs - best listened to in conjunction with the rest of their stories.

[23] Project: Twilight (Sixth Doctor)

[45] Project: Lazarus (Sixth Doctor/Seventh Doctor)

[139] Project: Destiny (Seventh Doctor)

The Villains Trilogy

[47] Omega (Fifth Doctor)

[48] Davros (Sixth Doctor)

[49] Master (Seventh Doctor)

The Harvest/TheReaping/The Gathering trilogy

^^^ I’m naming it that because the other name I’d give it would be a big spoiler lol (if you saw me forget the Harvest out of this no you didn’t)

[58] The Harvest (Seventh Doctor)

[86] The Reaping (Sixth Doctor)

[87] The Gathering (Fifth Doctor)

The Brewster Arc

Thomas Brewster is also vaguely relevant to the events of Stranded with the Eighth Doctor but it’s not really important.

[107] The Haunting of Thomas Brewster (Fifth Doctor)

[113] Time Reef/A Perfect World (Fifth Doctor)

[143] The Crimes of Thomas Brewster (Sixth Doctor)

[144] The Feast of Axos (Sixth Doctor)

[145] Industrial Evolution (Sixth Doctor)

The Sorsha trilogy

[165] The Burning Prince (Fifth Doctor)

[166] The Acheron Pulse (Sixth Doctor)

[167] The Shadow Heart (Seventh Doctor)

The 1963 trilogy

These don’t really have an overarching plot as far as I can remember, they were just released as part of the 50th anniversary.

[178] 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men (Fifth Doctor)

[179] 1963: The Space Race (Sixth Doctor)

[180] 1963: The Assassination Games (Seventh Doctor)

The Companions Trilogy

[198] The Defectors (Seventh Doctor)

[199] Last of the Cybermen (Sixth Doctor)

[200] The Secret History (Fifth Doctor)

The Master trilogy

[211] And You Will Obey Me (Fifth Doctor)

[212] Vampire of the Mind (Sixth Doctor)

[213] The Two Masters (Seventh Doctor)

The Daniel trilogy

[237] The Helliax Rift (Fifth Doctor)

[240] Hour of the Cybermen (Sixth Doctor)

[244] Warlock’s Cross (Seventh Doctor) (Klein is in this one if you want to listen to her arc beforehand)

Edit/addendum:

If you’re like me, you’ve maybe been intrigued by Main Range from seeing/hearing other fans talk about some of the excellent stories there are. Personally, when I am struggling getting through a series, it helps to have a specific story or episode to look forward to. As such, here are a few of my personal favourites from the above list that are definitely worth waiting for (at least in my humble opinion):

5th Doctor:

- Warzone/Conversion

6th Doctor:

- Jubilee

- Doctor Who and the Pirates

- Arrangements for War

7th Doctor:

- Afterlife

- Master

8th Doctor:

- Seasons of Fear

- Zagreus

- Scherzo

- The Natural History of Fear

[nerdygaymormon]

Bishops Council

In my stake, twice a quarter the bishops get together with the stake presidency. I typically do not attend this meeting, but stake president invited me to come since one of the bishops had added "counsel with LGBT youth" as an agenda item.

The stake president has a gay son and is fully capable of speaking to this, but I appreciate that he wanted to include the point of view of someone who is queer.

When we got to this topic, the stake president shared a few slides I had sent him earlier based on some research done at Utah State University.

The stake president then spoke about things he has learned as the dad of a gay child. Primarily that it is his job to love, and his son is going to have his own journey. The things he has learned as the parent of a queer child has helped him be a better stake president.

One of the bishops shared that when he was newly called three years ago that I sent him an email with 10 suggestions. He keeps that email bookmarked and has referred to it several times over the years. It helped him understand his role and that he could be confident in meeting with queer individuals and help them feel seen, loved, and valued. Then he read the list while wiping away tears, and I also was moved to tears to hear him share how impactful these suggestions were for him

David's list of 10 suggestions for bishops

All LGBT members need a trusted adult in their life who loves, supports and sustains them, no matter which path they choose.

When someone “comes out” they should be greeted with love, validation and hope, not a lecture on repentance or reminder of the Church’s stance on same-sex marriage  

Create a safe culture for the LGBT person. This could include speaking to youth and YSA about what sort of conversation their bishop would have with them if they come out, that it’s okay if now is not the right time to come out, and there is no shame to the person or their family if they are gay/trans. There's a good chance there's some LGBT people in your ward, even if you don't know who they are.

Don’t use words like “struggling” or say they’ll be “fixed” in the resurrection

Our Heavenly Parents love their LGBT children, we should give them unconditional love and support and recognize they will bless the lives of others

LGBT individuals are more likely to be the victims of bullying and violence than any other minority group in the USA. Be on the lookout for youth or young adults who may be doing & saying unkind things.  

Know the signs of suicide and depression. LGBT people are at much higher risk. It’d be a good idea for youth leaders to have some training in this.

Encourage them to pray and ask if God loves them as they are 

Especially before or after lessons about marriage, say something like “I know there are people in this ward who cannot be married because of same-sex attraction or other reasons. I love you, and the Lord has a plan for you.”

Know that studies show that being active in the LDS church is often detrimental to the mental health and quality of life for LGBT people. For a person’s well-being, they may decide they need a break. Make sure they know they’re welcome to come back.

I then blurted out, "I'm gay, just in case anyone didn't know." A counselor in the stake presidency said, "Duh, we all know you're a happy guy."

Another bishop shared that he has a child who recently came out as trans and is in their first semester of college. This child hasn't fully discussed this with the family but is using this time away to experiment with what feels right to them. He loves this child and wants them to be their best and to be comfortable with themselves and it's taking some adjustments for him to understand and change his dreams for them.

Then my bishop shared that I had given him the same 10 suggestions when he was first called and he feels it has helped him be successful as a bishop to queer youth. He shared an incident that happened recently which involved a young women leader overhearing part of a conversation between two teens. He didn't share the specifics of the discussion other than it was about being gay. The leader was uncomfortable with what she heard and spoke about it at ward council.

Another bishop commented, "Oh yes, ward council, that's the right place to discuss that" as he rolled his eyes.

The stake president said a better approach would've been for the leader to ask the girls to share more with her, to be open to a conversation with them, rather than run to the ward council to share how shocked and uncomfortable she was.

I thought it was a good discussion even though I wound up saying very little. I had prepared some thoughts ahead of time that I could use as reference, and I sent them by email to the bishops (see below).

————————————————————

There are queer individuals who attend our congregations, many of whom aren't out to everyone, and so you speak to queer people even if you don't know who they are.

We are children of God, we deserve to hear good news, to have hope, to feel loved. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen often enough in church settings. People who interacted with Christ left feeling uplifted and that would be a good goal for us.

In 2019, the former stake president said this in Bishops' Council: LGBT individuals are some of the most patient people you’ll ever meet. They’ve heard more hurtful words than most any of us will hear in our entire lifetime. That doesn’t mean they’re immune to the words. There are LGBT members who come to church and they deserve to hear good words, to be welcomed and loved and be strengthened in the gospel.

Handbook 38.6.15 The Church encourages families and members to reach out with sensitivity, love, and respect to persons who are attracted to others of the same sex. The Church also promotes understanding in society at large that reflects its teachings about kindness, inclusiveness, love for others, and respect for all human beings.

Handbook 38.6.23 Transgender individuals face complex challenges. Members and nonmembers who identify as transgender—and their family and friends—should be treated with sensitivity, kindness, compassion, and an abundance of Christlike love. All are welcome to attend sacrament meeting, other Sunday meetings, and social events of the Church

When my bishop was first called, a member of the ward asked me if I thought the new bishop would be safe to meet with and share his orientation. I sent the bishop an email to find out and received this beautiful response:

David, Thank you for sharing this with me. I hope that the Spirit can guide me to treat LBGTQ members and investigators with love and respect. I’m not sure what your journey has been, but I would guess that it has included anguish, heartbreak and innumerable unintentional and even some intentional wounds. As far as I am aware, I am the only person called to be a judge in the ward, and I believe that office is to help everyone come to Christ, not send any away. I may not fully appreciate how or which traditions and traditional phrases may carry messages of exclusion, but I am open to learning a better way. I hope that I can “make the pathway bright” for LBGTQ members and friends. In hope, Bishop

One of the scariest parts of coming out is not knowing how the other person will respond. The previous stake president at a youth fireside shared how he would react if a person met with him and shared that they are LGBTQ.

I would thank you for trusting me enough to share this with me.

If you're willing, I'd like for you to share with me some about your journey up to this point.

I would offer to give you a blessing.

Regardless of whether you accepted or declined the offer of a blessing, I'm a hugger so I'd ask if I can give you a hug.

I'd invite you to come see me again when you want to talk some more.

Questions many LGBTQ+ members would welcome from their church leaders (these come from the fourth option)

What does being LGBTQIA+ mean for you at this time?

What has been difficult about being an LGBTQIA+ member of the church? What's been fulfilling?

What do you want your future to look like?

What do you believe or want to believe?

What revelation have you received, if any, about your path in life?

What's on your mind related to your sexuality or gender identity and faith?

How has being queer influenced your relationship with Christ?

How can we best support you?

Do you feel safe in our congregation? What can we do to make it safer?

Has anyone said or done anything to make you feel unwanted in the ward?

From what you've observed so far, how can we improve as a ward?

How would you like to be involved in the ward?

What callings would you feel comfortable with?

What skills would you like to use to contribute to our ward? 

What else would you like me to know?

Things ward & stake leaders can do (also from the fourth option)

Pray for guidance on how to make your ward safer and more inclusive for LGBTQIA+ members (out or not)

Call LGBTQIA+ members to callings in a range of auxiliaries

Invite LGBTQIA+ members to share their experiences in fifth Sunday lessons, firesides, ward councils meetings, etc

Encourage your stake to call an LGBTQ fellowship coordinator

Speak to LGBTQIA+ members over the pulpit and in lessons (move away from the "use vs. them" mentality; show that we're part of every ward, out or not)

Include LGBTQIA+ members in discussions about ministering and and outreach

Regularly check in with us to see if anyone is making us feel unsafe

Get to know us personally

Wear a rainbow pin or similar thing to indicate that you're an ally

Speak in support of LGBTQIA+ people and help others remember that we are children of God

Ask your ward or stake to start a support group for LGBTQIA+ members, families, and allies (volunteer to help if possible)

Pray for guidance on how to best minister to LGBTQIA+ individuals in your ward

Pray for God to reveal more about His plan for His LGBTQIA+ children

Correct people when they say uninformed or hateful things

Listen to our stories, sit in our pain, celebrate our joy

Studies show that on average gay men (and I suspect this is true of queer people in general) are more creative, have higher IQ’s and higher emotional intelligence, have more compassion and are more cooperative and have less hostility. Of course someone with these qualities is going to bless the lives around them.

We have a stake group for LGBTQ members, and their family, friends and allies, which meets about every other month. For more information, contact me.

[specialagentlokitty]

Daryl x reader - our past lives bleed into the preset

Part 2:

You turned to Rick and Michonne.

“Can we get these guys showered, some new clothes and some food?”

They nodded, and you turned to the BAU team, giving them a small smile.

“Follow us.”

You trailed behind Rick and Michonne, Carol, Daryl and AJ not that far behind you and the BAU behind them.

You stopped outside your house, and gestured to it and the house next to it.

“You guys can split up, use these two to shower and all, Michonne is going to find some spare clothes for everybody and Rick is going to get some food brought the church.”

“Can we talk?” Emily asked.

You turned around, looking at them all.

“Yeah, afterwards we can.”

“Hey (Y/N)? Jesus is asking for you, something about some plans for Hilltop he wants to run over? He’s on the radio.” Rosita said.

You turned to her, nodding your head.

“Yeah I know what plans he’s on about. Can somebody take Negan his lunch?”

“I’ll do it.” Aaron said.

You held your arms around to Carol and she handed you AJ, and you placed him on the ground next to you.

Crouching down, you smiled at him.

“Where do you want to go buddy?”

“Can I stay with Daryl?”

You nodded, letting him wonder off to hold Daryl’s hand, and you walked over to your husband.

“I’ll come find you after.”

“Be at the church.”

You nodded, and you jogged after Rosita to deal with what you needed to handle.

You were gone for maybe an hour or so, having other stuff to do as well and you finally made your way over to the church where everybody else was stood.

Making your way inside, you walked over to Rick.

“Can we trust them?” He whispered.

“Yeah, I trusted them with my life before all of this.”

“Do you still trust them?” Michonne asked.

You glanced over at the group who were anxiously watching you, then turned back to your friends.

“Yes.”

They nodded their heads, and you all walked over.

Daryl had passed AJ to Carol so she could put him to bed, and you both sat next to each other watching as Rick and Michonne interrogated the group.

It lasted maybe half an hour until JJ finally spoke up.

“Would we be able to speak to (Y/N)?” She asked.

“Fine, but we stay.” Daryl said.

“That’s fine, we just wanted to talk.” She smiled.

They all turned their attention to you, surrounded by the council, and you sat down on the bench as you looked at them.

“How did you make it?” You asked.

“We were all at a family event at the park when the notification came through on our phones, Derek was with his family and you were in a different state. Before cell reception went, we’d managed to organise a meet point with Derek and his family, but nobody could get through to you.” Reid explained.

“Yeah, I was visiting my brother, everything went to hell pretty quickly. Rick was shot just before all of this, we thought he died, turned out he didn’t.”

You gestured to Rick who was sat next to you, and then turned your attention back to the ground.

“Been with them since.”

“You’ve been here the whole time?” Hotch asked.

You shook your head.

“No, but the real question is how did you guys make it this far.”

“When we realised what was happening a lot of people panic, there was supposed to be a safe one in Atlanta, but we couldn’t get there, we set up a safe place at the FBI headquarters, stayed there for a while but we had to get out the city eventually.”

You nodded your head.

“We found a small farmhouse for a while, but it was overrun after about a year, then we just kept moving until we came across some people who took us back to the place your brother found us.” JJ said.

You nodded again, resting your arms on your knees.

You studied them all carefully, and you could tell they haven’t had much interaction with the walkers, or other people for that matter.

Most people had scars, or were covered in dirt and blood when you found them, but these guys were only a little dirty, not a single scar across them.

“We don’t have any spare houses right now, you guys can hide out here, we should have some new houses up by the end of the month. Get some rest.”

With that, you stood up and walked back to your house, dropping yourself on to the couch.

Daryl walked in not long after, sitting on the table as he looked at you resting your head on Carol’s shoulder.

“Don’t take a profiler to see he wants to speak to you.” He mumbled.

You sighed.

“I know, I just… I don’t know what to say to him…”

Daryl scoffed a little.

“Shouldn’t be that hard.”

With that he got up and you groaned in annoyance.

You know Daryl wasn’t actually angry with you, you knew he always had doubts about him being the right person for you.

After all you were a member of the FBI, in a stable relationship, expecting your partners son, and he didn’t even have a job before all this started.

“What do I do Carol?”

“You’ll have to speak to him at some point.”

You groaned again and sat up, pushing yourself up from the couch.

“I��ll go talk to Daryl first.”

Making your way to the bedroom, you got changed and crawled under the covers, placing your hand on the side of his face.

Daryl looked at you, and he closed his eyes again.

“I’m going to be honest with him, I need him to know that what we had before all of this we can’t have that again…”

This made him open his eyes again.

“Why? I thought you wanted to find him and he with him.”

You sighed.

“I did yeah, at first. Then time went on, I realised the likelihood of him or any of them being alive was smaller each day. Then I had AJ, then you were every step of the way. I fell in love with you.”

You leant forward, brushing your lips against his before pulling away.

“I love you, and I married you.”

Daryl opened his eyes again.

“Say it again.”

You smiled brightly, brushing your knuckles against his cheek.

“I love you Daryl..” you whispered.

You leant forward to kiss him again, and he wrapped an arm over your waist, placing his hand on your back as he leant forward.

He pulled away, resting his forehead on yours.

“I love you so much…”

He laughed a little.

“Go to sleep.”

“Come on Daryl, say it!” You whined slightly.

“No.”

“Daryl!”

You huffed a little bit, and went to move, and he tightened his hold around you, pulling you back into his chest.

You placed your hands on his, turning around to tuck your head under his chin, closing your eyes.

You slept until the early morning light filtered through the curtains, and you got up to find Daryl getting ready for the day.

He was sat on the bed, and you sat behind him, resting your head on his back, running a finger along the scars on his skin.

“Where you going?”

“AJ wants to go help build houses.”

You laughed a little bit.

“Course he does. Are you taking him?”

Daryl hummed a little bit, and you let him leant back against your chest.

“Alright, I’ll come find you guys soon.”

He turned his head so he could kiss you before getting up, grabbing his shirt as he pulled it on then grabbed his jacket.

You got ready for the day and made your way outside, heading over to the gate to speak to Eugine.

“We got some movement nearby, I count only a couple walkers.”

You nodded your head, placing a hand on the hilt of your sword.

“Go find Aaron or Gabriel, we’ll go out and clear them. Check the traps while we’re out there.”

He jogged away and you stood there waiting, listening to the sounds of the walkers outside the gate.

“(Y/N)!”

You turned around, looking as Rossi, Garcia and Reid came over.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Are you going out? Is that safe?” Garcia frowned.

“We got some walkers outside the gate, gonna clear them.”

“You aren’t going to just let them pass?” Rossi asked.

You shook your head.

“We’ve got people and coming most days, we need the gate cleared, and if we leave them they could pile up and we don’t need that again.”

“Again?” Reid asked.

“A while back we had a massive horde pile up, they knocked down the wall and got in, we lost a lot of good people that day.”

You gestured for them to follow you, and you showed them the names on the wall.

“Everybody we lost.”

“That’s a lot of names…” Garica whispered.

“Yeah..”

You turned back to the gate, finding Aaron and Gabriel there waiting for you.

“Look, I’ll be back soon. There’s a lookout spot by the gate, Eugine will show you it.”

You jogged away, leaving the safety of the community to deal with the walkers nearby.

You had to dispose of the bodies as well which took some time, but eventually you made your way back inside.

Putting your sword away, you made your way to the far side of the community.

Everybody was there, either helping or just watching as the houses were being built, and you dropped yourself between JJ and Emily.

“Mama!”

You felt a pair of arms wrap around your neck and AJ climb on to your back, and you smiled softly while Garcia, Reid, Emily, JJ looked at you in shock.

“Hey sweetheart, come here.”

You held your arm out and he sat in your lap.

“I want you to meet some friends of mine, from the old world. This is Emily, JJ, Spence, and Garcia.”

He waved at them all, moving to sit in the middle of everybody.

“Hi! I’m AJ!”

AJ rummaged through his pocket, pulling out a photo, and he looked at it, looking between them all.

“Mama tells me about you!” He beamed.

“Aw he’s so cute! I just wanna hug him!” Garcia gushed.

At the mention of a hug AJ looked at you excitedly and you nodded, letting him shove the photo back into his pocket to get up and run and Garcia.

She laughed loudly, holding him tightly.

“How old is he?” Reid asked.

“Honestly we’ve lost track of time now, but he’ll be 5 in the winter. He loves to celebrate his birthday when the first snow of the year falls.”

“He’s so cute, it’s amazing you’ve gotten through all of this with him.” Emily smiled.

“We’ve seen a few kids around, I can’t believe there’s so many. How do you guys keep them safe?” JJ asked.

“Everyone in the communities look out for each other, we protect each other. We teach them everything they need to know so they’re not scared. Teach them how to fight.”

They nodded their heads, and you could see Garica looking at your face.

“What happened?” She asked softly.

You sighed softly, bringing a hand up to touch your eye, the bandage around it, looking at the ground.

“I was stabbed, a long time ago.”

You explained the story to them of the saviours, the person who had stabbed you, what happened to the saviours and about your eye.

You did leave some things out, some things they didn’t need to know and it wasn’t your story to tell.

While you were talking AJ was moving from person to person, sitting with them all.

You finally finished talking, and Garcia was the first to come crushing you in a hug.

“That’s horrible! I can’t believe you went through all of that…” she whispered.

You smiled, placing a hand on her back.

“It’s alright, we always come out on top.”

The other three hugged you as well, and AJ happily joined the hug.

Everybody pulled away, and you sighed a little bit, looking out the house where Rossi, Hotch and Derek were helping with the building.

“Sorry guys, I need to speak to Hotch.”

You got up, and held your hand out for AJ who held it and followed you as you walked over.

“Hey Hotch, can we talk?”

He stopped what he was doing and nodded, stepping away so he could follow you to the side, and you stood just to the side.

“Is everything okay? Are you okay?” Hotch asked.

He went to reach up, and you placed your hand on his, lowering it back to the side.

You never missed the sad look on his face when you did this, and you had to look away, looking at AJ who was playing on the grass.

“I uh.. do you remember when I said I had something to tell you after I got back from my trip?”

He nodded his head.

“Yes, you said it had to be in person.”

You smiled a little.

“Yeah, it was a good thing. Hell, the best thing to ever happen really.”

You saw him furrow his brows a little bit.

“You have a right to know that AJ is your son Aaron, his name is Aaron Junior, I named him after you shortly after I gave birth because I didn’t want to forget you. He knows about you, he knows about everybody from the BAU.”

Hotch’s eyes widened a little bit.

“He’s.. he’s mine..?”

“Yeah… I don’t think it’s clicked yet to him as to who you are. But he’s yours, and I told him all about you, everything I could remember.”

“We.. you and I… we had a son…? Jack has a brother…”

Hotch rushed forward to hug you tightly, and you pat his back a few times before you moved away.

You smiled, walking over to AJ and you gestured for Hotch to crouch down next to you, and he did.

“Hey sweetheart?”

AJ looked up, setting his tennis ball on the ground.

“Do you remember when I was telling you about who your dad was?”

He nodded his head.

“I like the stories about my dad. Are you going to tell another?”

“How about you ask your dad for some stories? This is Aaron, he’s your dad buddy, and he’s really excited to meet you.”

AJ stared at Hotch, and then he got up to hug him, and Hotch held him tightly.

You smiled softly, and stood up, walking over to the BAU who were watching the scene, Jacks aunt brining him to run over to his dad and brother.

“I can’t believe you two had a baby!” Garcia squealed.

“We all knew it was a matter of time. Congratulations.” Rossi smiled.

They all congratulated you, and you smiled at them all.

“So, does this mean you and boss man will pick it back up? Carry on?” Derek asked.

You sighed a little bit, shaking your head.

“I’ll admit I was devastated when I thought I’d lost you all, I never wanted to move on, but it’s been so long since then.”

They all looked at you.

“You found somebody.” Emily noted.

You nodded, smiling a little bit.

“Yeah… he’s a pain in my ass, he’s stubborn as fuck, and rude at the best of times. But god he’s amazing though, he cares, and he always looks out for us, when food was scarce he would always make sure we were fed first. He wasn’t used to relationships so it took a while to get used to. Then when I was recovering with my eye, he spent weeks looking after AJ.”

“The guy from the other day?” JJ asked.

“Oh! The one with the one with the jacket?” Garcia grinned.

You laughed a little, nodding your head.

You looked around trying to find Daryl, and finally you did.

He was walking over with Carol who was holding a tub of biscuits, and he took one of the biscuits.

“Hey kid.”

AJ and Jack looked up, and Daryl grabbed another biscuit, giving them to the boys.

While AJ grinned and latched on to Daryl, Jack looked at his dad a little unsure.

“Get off you animal! Eat ya food!”

AJ laughed a little bit as Daryl tried to walk away.

Walking over, you swept AJ into your arms and he giggled as he ate his biscuit, and you went to walk away.

Daryl grabbed you by the back of the shirt and pulled you back.

“Hey, you forgettin’ somethin’?”

You titled your head back to look at him, and he stared into your eyes.

You turned around, leaning up to kiss his cheek before you went to walk away again.

“No dumbass.”

Daryl grabbed you again, and this time he took your hand and handed you a biscuit.

You laughed a little, and this time he let you go, trailing behind you as you walked back over to everybody.

Hotch was holding Jack, and he looked between you and Daryl.

“Guys, this is my husband. Daryl.”

“Husband?!” JJ, Garcia and Derek yelled.

“You got a problem with that? Let’s go.” Daryl snapped.

You placed a hand on his chest.

“We’ve been married for about a year now, he’s a bit of a hot head but you’ll get used to that.”

Daryl mumbled something from behind you and you looked at him, turning your attention back to your team.

“You need to tell us everything.” Emily grinned.

You laughed a little bit, nodding your head in agreement, and you got ready to follow them.

“No. Doctors office.” Daryl said.

“Oh shit yeah, I need my bandage changed. I’ll come find you guys after.”

You turned around and followed Daryl, shoulder brushing against his, and you beamed a little as you looked up at him.

He glanced down at you.

“Were you jealous?”

“Shut up…”

You laughed a little bit.

You did enjoy winding him up, it was fun, but you would never take it too far.

Daryl glanced behind him, seeing Hotch just watching the pair of you leave, and he slipped his arm around you waist to pull you into his side just to let Hotch know that you were taken.

You were married to him, and he wasn’t about to let someone take away the best thing in his life

[dynafire]

Holy Father forgive him, Gabriel was ready to surrender.

"They are never going to change."

"Tutoring services are required council work," Minos says, leafing through another pile of club budgets and complaints, "And V needs it more than anyone."

"They aren't even trying. Everything I do, everything I say, they find a problem with it. Or worse, they sit there staring at me." Gabe sinks down into his chair, pulling on his face. "Minos, they hate me."

"You're taking this a bit personally."

"They said they hated me. Looked me straight in the face, swore at me, and said they hated me."

Minos shook his head. "I know for a fact you've been told worse by the student body. All of us have."

"I can't help them if they won't even try." Gabriel fiddled with the cross around his neck. It wasn't often he surrendered easily. God give him strength, he'd known since the first day V wasn't going to cooperate. 

Assigned tutors and their students meet in the library after school. All students are notified via their school emails and verbally. It is impossible to miss. Yet Gabriel had sat there for two hours waiting the first scheduled session, sitting, working, checking the door and shared council email, checking his phone for an update from Minos, walking up and down the shelves of books to see if by some chance V had gotten lost, taking a break to pray, checking again, and finally being asked if he was alright by library staff. Not only had V stood him up, they'd made him look like a fool in the process.

The next day they had their first real conversation. Gabriel saw them slinking through the front entrance, bag slumping off their shoulder, wearing a noticeably stained hoodie that was nowhere near school regulation.

"Excuse me," he'd called to them gently. V kept walking,

"Excuse me!" Gabriel rushed up to them, placing a hand on their shoulder. V swung around, jolting out his grasp and turning to glare at him faster than he thought possible, their teeth digging into their lip. Furious and dirty and small, V looked feral to him.

"I…My name is Gabriel, we were supposed to meet yesterday. You never came."

V looked ready to spit on him.

"You need to come to your sessions."

"Or what?"

The words crackled out of their mouth in a strained grasp. Their voice was quiet and husky, barely audible in the morning hustle, and it took Gabriel a moment to discern what they'd actually said. 

"You need to come."

"No."

This astounded him.

"My apologies, I don't think you understand. These are required by school code. If you remain insubordinate the council will have to-"

"Suck my dick."

"Excuse me? Are you aware of who you're talking to? I'm trying to help you-"

"Help yourself!" V suddenly yelled, rushing forward in an instant and shoving Gabriel back with force unexpected for their size. He stumbled, catching himself, and for a second was too stupefied to say anything.

And then he was furious.

"What in God's name is wrong with you? Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

If V understood him, they showed no sign of it. They stood in place, one foot in front of the other, arms raised as if to shove him again. 

Clearly hysterical, Gabe thought, Out of their mind. It wasn't uncommon for the population of this school to behave like wild animals, especially towards the more educated among them. Disgusting, yes, but ultimately sad. They were too obstinate to realize it was their own actions keeping them from a better life. They took it out on whoever was standing nearby, or whoever they saw take real action to better his own life. It was ignorance, plain and simple.

In times like these, when Gabriel found it infeasible to be the patient, caring council member he swore to be, he remembered something he'd learned as a young boy of the church, something that had gotten him through many a temptation or trying time.

Luke 6:27. But to those of you who are listening to me, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

"I'll give you a final chance. Come tonight, after school, to the library, or I'll take this directly to administration with a report of violence. You are one reprimanding away from expulsion, yes?"

Silence. V's eyes flicked away from him, now focusing somewhere to the side. It seemed the two had come to a stand still. Gabriel fought his grin. After a moment V pulled away from him, turning and stomping through the doors, quickly vanishing in a flood of bodies.

Only then did Gabriel allow himself to smile. He had won, reason and diplomacy outclassed blind aggression.

He thought.

When Gabriel came to the library, V was already there, slouching with their phone in hand, headphones leaking out sound, their feet kicked up on the table.

"I'm glad you came," He'd said, pushing their legs off, "I didn't want to get you in trouble."

It shouldn't have been surprising when V said nothing in reply.

"What do you want to start with?"

"...You know, if you took off your headphones you could hear me a lot better."

V rolled their eyes, turning back to their phone.

"Why did you come if you're not going to try?"

Suddenly fuming, V tore off their headphones. "Made me."

Gabe blinked. "I'm sorry?"

V leaned forward in their chair, jabbing a finger at him. "Made. Me."

"I'm trying to help you, you know."

"Don't want it."

"Okay, fine, you don't want my help. Given your childishness, I'm beginning to not want to give it. But that's not our decision to make. The rules say we have to be here and we have to do this. So, let's make this easy, yes? Tell me what you're confused about, what you need clarification on, and you can go do…whatever it is someone like you does."

V looked at the floor, apparently a habit of theirs while thinking. Gabriel studied them, for the first time, truly studied them and tried to solve their little puzzle. The navy braids that covered half their face was only a futile coverup. Over their left eye was an eyepatch, black and paper, that had clearly been cleaner once upon a time, but now was patched with stains and discoloration. Their hair was in disarray, loose pieces and irritated frizzle, clearly their hair had outgrown them and gone beyond their control. Each rare inch of exposed skin, mostly just their face and a bit of their wrists, was covered in scars. Some looked deep, still a bit red, embedded past layer and layer of skin. Some were small and hovered on the surface. Old and new. How could someone do such a thing to their own body was beyond Gabriel. Harming the form God provided you with was sacrilege. The one eye that he could see was a lustrous amber, a marriage of yellow and brown, a tired eye, yes, even delicate.

Gabriel felt a twinge inside of him. And then V looked back at him, and told him to go fuck himself, and the moment was gone.

[queenlua]

this martin luther guy has SO many DRAMA QUEEN MOMENTS, i'm kind of in love

like, okay, here's one: the story of august 22, 1524, aka The Very Public Friend Breakup

THAT MORNING, Luther gave a long-ass sermon at this church in Jena, right

and he spends a lot of time dunking on the "radical" reformers, whom he calls "crazies" and accuse of being in league with the devil

however, in the audience, disguised as a peasant, is his old buddy Karlstadt

who Luther threw under the fucking bus two years ago. basically, Luther went around preaching all this radical reformation stuff, but as soon as the town of Wittenberg got TOO gung ho about it & threatened Luther's buddy-buddy relationship with the reigning Elector, Luther was like "oh man i never meant that TOWN COUNCILS could just DECIDE to remove icons from churches. where did you get THAT idea. i denounce you all entirely"

meanwhile his buddy Karlstadt, who'd collaborated with him!!! on multiple important writings!!! was sitting there like "wtf man i was just going ahead with what you've been preaching the whole time"

& there were a lot of ways to resolve that conflict but Luther decided to just pin all the blame on Karlstadt, and he manipulated circumstances s.t. printers stopped printing Karlstadt's books, etc

so now Karlstadt's had two years to wonder why tf his former friend hates him so much

and after this sermon, Karlstadt writes Luther a letter of "hey can we talk. mano a mano. my feelings are hurt :(" and Luther's like "sure"

so Karlstadt shows up at the inn where Luther's staying, and Luther's chilling in the lobby with a whole bevy of Saxon court officials surrounding him, and Luther's like "yo, just take the seat across from me, anything you want to say to me you can say in front of all of them"

(bitch-ass move!!! what a lil motherfucker)

so then the THROWDOWN BEGINS

The two men argued for a long time, sometimes falling silent. They knew each other well, and their jibes hit home. You "go about in a grandiose fashion, boast grandly, and want only yourself to be exalted and noticed," Luther told Karlstadt. "You must always speak in such a way that you maintain your reputation and stir up hatred for other people," Karlstadt replied. In the midst of these highly emotional exchanges, Karlstadt turned to the audience and declared: "Dear brothers, I pray you, don't pay attention to my harsh speech. Such harsh speech is a matter of my complexion but my heart is not on that account wicked or angry.”

(yeah that's very much a "im not mad. please don't put in the newspaper that i got mad" moment lol)

Luther taunted Karlstadt with not daring to attack him in public; Karlstadt retorted that it was Luther who was preventing him from doing so. Then, taking a coin from his pocket, Luther announced: “If you do, I will present you with a guilder for it." Karlstadt accepted the challenge, took the coin, "showed it to all bystanders," and declared: "Dear brothers, this is a pledge, a sign, that I have authority to write against Dr. Luther." Karlstadt bent the guilder and put it in his purse. The two men shook hands and Luther drank a toast to Karlstadt. Then they parted.

which is already PEAK bitchy, right, "lmao if you're really so brave, do it, here i'll even give you some money," but it's even bitchier with additional context:

It was a momentous meeting. By bending the coin, Karlstadt took it out of circulation and marked it forever as a token. This was common sixteenth-century practice: Binding marriages could be concluded by giving a coin as a token, while commercial contracts, agreed without paper records, were given force by rituals like the handshake and the drink. Yet the meaning of this ritual was not clear. Luther regarded it as a declaration of enmity, a formal initiation of feud; Karlstadt, as his right to publish.

anyway even though Luther's the one who asked that they duke it out publicly, apparently he gets mad when anyone other than he himself is doing the Poasting lol:

Martin Reinhard published a pamphlet describing the event, so for once Luther did not have control of the propaganda. Luther was furious when he read Reinhard's account, written "to my infamy and Karlstadt's glory," even though the tone of the text was scrupulously neutral. But no reader could miss Luther's contempt for Karlstadt during their meeting, capped by the gift of the valuable coin (gold, no less). And now there was no turning back: Luther's promise to Karlstadt allowing him to publish was on public record. Luther made certain that the author of the pamphlet did not get away with it. Shortly afterward, Reinhard was forced to leave his post in Jena, and when he moved to Nuremberg, he was driven from there, too. Reinhard soon knuckled under, asking forgiveness, but Luther was unwilling to intervene on his behalf.

i swear every other chapter has something like this. am i going insane. goddamn i love this book and this skrunky weirdo

[misguidedasgardian]

I want to steal the bride (4)

4. The Tull between man and maid

MASTERLIST

Summary: Aemond’s mission of showing you he is the right man for you is in motion

Pairings: Aemond Targaryen x BestFriend!Reader

Warnings: cursing, use of “stereotypes”, I don’t want to say “eating disorder” but I do will say inaccurate methods of dieting, extreme dieting even, sex toys! haha, Aemond is a slut, might miss some warnings, but you know what this is about

Wordcount: 4,7 k

Notes: sorry, this is a mess, I tried from my computer, the doc would download so I send it to my phone… IDKsorry

Aemond’s face twisted in so many hilarious ways

You had asked him if you could drive Cregan to the airport, of course you went with him, so, now, he was sitting in the car, waiting for you to say your goodbyes to your fiance, who was straight up eating your face

“That's cool”, he mumbled, again, if a policeman would be close, he would have detained you both for indecency 

“What's he gonna do, eat her?”, he whispered, trying to look everywhere but them, but it was impossible 

“Come on, come on, come on”, he whined, gripping the wheel so tight his knuckles were white. You were eating eachtoher’s faces! how could you breathe?.

You were hugging Cregan against you tightly, you didn’t want to let go of him, I mean, you were going to see him again in a couple of days, but still

“Okay, take a breath, take a breath, take a…”, you finally separated from him, as you heard the last call for his flight 

“Thanks, Aemond”, you thanked him sweetly, looking back at him

“Yeah, have a... great flight”, he said to Cregan, he couldn’t wait until he had you all to himself again

“Bye. Thanks, mate”, he said shortly, to turn back to you and give you a last kiss and a light squeeze on your ass 

“Come on”, Aemond growled, where you into that? according to that weird smile on your face, oh you were!

  

“I love you, Cregan”

“Bye”, he whispered against your lips, “I love you”

  

“Bye”, you said sweetly, and finally let go of him

Aemond hated the way you all smiley and giddy get up in the car again  

“Oh, God”, you whispered, like a teenager in love 

“Need some ChapStick?”, he said, bored, passing the little stick, you grabbed it quickly and put it in your lips quickly 

“Yeah”

  

“So, what church are we going to?”

  

“The Great sept on Rhaenys’ hill”, you said with a wide smile 

You were so happy, you didn’t want to let go of him, you had such an amazing night! Cregan had come back to your apartment all happy, and… motivated… after he learns how to… dunk? whatever that was it certainly spurred him on, and you were thankful for that 

  

“Thank you for coming with me to meet the High Septon”, you said back, smiling at you best friend

“Oh, it's no problem”, said Aemond, happy to have you all to himself again

“He is the sweetest man”, you continued

“Yeah?”, he asked, asking you to continue your story

“Yeah, he married my parents and insisted on coming to Winterfell in order to do my wedding”, you told him excitedly, and he got to sneak a peek at your beautiful face, that always lit up when you spoke about your parents, specially your father

You told him the story as Aemond drove skillfully into town, and sooner that he’d hoped, you were both getting out of the car in the great septon’s parking lot

“Why didn't Cregan stay and do this with you?”, he asked, hoping to find a weak spot

“Well, it was more important for him to go back to Winterfell to petition the Grand Council, so Cregan and I could get married”, you told him with an excited smile

“I don't know, what's a Gran… What's that mean?”, he asked, seriously conflicted

“Well, I'm not Northerner, and his family is kind of, like, you know…”, you said with a excited smile on your face

“What…?”, he asked, stopping in his tracks

“Royalty”, you giggled like you were a little girl finally turning into a real princess

“Royalty?”, he asked, pale as paper, “what is he, like a king?”, he asked then

“No, no”, you dismissed, and he could breathe more freely, “he's a Lord”, you finished before getting inside the great sept through the side door, he only stood there, mouth wide open

“A Lord!?”, he asked to the heavens 

He quickly followed you inside to see you hiding the High Septon

  

“Ah, (Y/N), darling”, he said, hugging you tightly

“Septon Eustace”, you greeted with a smile on your face

“And this must be the lucky young man who's marrying our beautiful (Y/N)”, he said looking at Aemond

“Oh, no. I'm not marrying him”, you laguhed, and Aemond didn’t like how quickly you responded to that 

“No”, he whispered, nodding to the man, greeting him with a handshake

“This is Aemond, my maid of honor”, you introduced, the man now looked at him with an arched eyebrow

“Maid of honor?”, he asked, a sweet smile appearing on his face

“Yes”, he said, embarrassed of his tittle 

“Well, how about that?”, to aemond’s and your surprise, the man hugged Aemond tightly then, patting his back, “we have many gay and lesbian members of the congregation”, he said lovingly, “welcome”, Aemond heard you suffocate a giggle with your hand, and didn’t corrected him, and well, he didn’t bother to either

“Thank you”, he said faking a smile

Fool

“Thank you, Septon”, you said with a smile, as he invited both of you into his office in one of the wings of the HIgh Sept

“So, let's talk about the wedding”, he eased, as he sat down in a long, old, wooden table and chairs

“Okay”, yous aid excitedly

“I need to get some details about you and, uh…”

  

“Cregan”, you fulfilled dreamly

“Cregan. Cregan, yes”, he corrected with a easy smile, “I want to work it into the ceremony”

“Well, it was such a whirlwind, really…”, you said nervously, Aemond watched you closely, aching an eyebrow

“Yes, well, enlighten me”, encouraged the Septon, “tell me about him…”, and you didn’t know what to say! Aemond draw a smile on his face, yours feel blank instead

“(Y/N), darling?”, he called, wanting to laugh, you looked at him wide eyed, not knowing what to say, but he calmed himself, he couldn’t gloat yet

This was his opportunity to explode the fact that you didn’y know thi guy, that you were ruching into things with him… this is it!

 “(Y/N), I think it's important to dig deep here for the vows and tell Septon Eustace all that you know about Cregan”, he said softly, going over the table and squeezing your hand reassuringly, “all that you love about him”, he said simply, “not just the obvious stuff, but those unique characteristics that are Cregan”, he kept going, sinking the knife deeper, “those things that… make you laugh and say, "That's so Cregan.", he said with a “sweet” smile, but you didn’t see the melevolence in it 

“Right”, you drawled, still nervous, like you were being quizzed 

  

“And then, you know, maybe you could get some information from Cregan and emphasize their unique bond”, said Aemond looking at the Septon, “Their shared history”

“Of course”, conceded the old man

“We could talk about love at first sight”, you offered weakly

After all, that’s what you felt with Cregan

When he tapped ont he window of your car, and you saw him for the first time, you truly thought you were done for, it only took one look, to know this man was there to stay, that is how you felt, maybe it was childish, but that is how you felt, but somehow, you couldn’t say it aoutloud, you looked at Aemond next to you, holding your hand, he was being sweet and patient, he was trying, but you knew how much of a cinic he could be, and somehow, you didn’t want him to see this part of you.

Love Slut

He had called you

  

“Well, that's always a crowd pleaser, but…”, muttered the Septon not quite convinced, but then he smiled encouragingly at you, “(Y/N), elaborate”, he begged softly, “tell me more about him. How you feel about him”, he tried, “where did you meet?”

“In Winterfell”, you answered, sneaking a glance at Aemond 

  

“That Old valyrian church”, whispered aemond, loud enough for the bot of you to hear, yours and the Septon attention were drawn to him

“What?”, he asked

“Your first summer in King’s Landing!”, Aemond said, standing up from his seat, “you were dating a guy who worked on the Citadel and he asked you to move in with him”, he said, and you remembered perfectly what he was talking about

“And I wasn’t quite sure”, you completed

“Anyway, that was around the time they were doing excavations outside the city, and they discovered this old Valyrian church with old paintings in them, perfectly preservated…”, he said excitedly, “you discovered the artist that amde them and became obsessed with his painting of this woman, a high priestest, with fire…”, he then turned to the Septon,  “(Y/N) said "That painting captured the essence of that woman better than any photograph”, he finished

“I can't believe you came to remember that”, you whispered, amrvelled, you barely remembred it until now!”

“I also remember that she freaked because she said she felt more passionate about that painting than she did about Mr.... Citadel”, he said triumpahntly, “and she wondered if she ever could meet somebody that could make her feel as passionate as that work of art”, he said looking and smiling warmly at you, you smiled softly 

“That's good. That's good”, the High Septon cheered, writing it on his notepad, “The painting of Old Valyria”, he scribbled, “Now I know why you picked him to be maid of honor”, he said smiling at you, you only laughed nervously

Oh gods…

You couldn’t believe he remembered that! the way you felt, you even thought it was silly, and Aemond remembered it all! how insane was that? 

Could he be possibly leaving his inmature side of him behind him? could he be growing into a more sinsitive… more caring person? 

. . .

“Come on. Who's ready to lose some money tonight? Because I'm feeling lucky”, said Criston entering Aemond’s appartement, with Adamm in tow, but what he found there wasn’t the usual friday night setup…

  

“You guys are late”, chided Aemond entering the common space with a colorful basket on his hands

“How you doing?”, asked Aegon, standing by the diningroom table that wasn’t filled with booze, cards and chips, but with baskets, colorful tuls, bath sponges, candles, soaps and lotions instead. Aegon had a pink scarfed wrapped silly around his neck, and a cool pack for the eyes around his head

“How you holding up, champ?”, asked Addam, entering the room like the sight didn’t frighten him like it did Criston

“I'm stressed”, warned Aemond, greeting his friend with a short hug

“What the hell is this?”, Asked Criston looking around terrified

“(Y/N)'s shower's in the morning”, answered Aemond simply 

“Where we gonna play?”, asked the Dornish man

“We're not gonna play until these baskets get done and everything else never gets done”, said Aemond with a wide smile, putting white colored shred inside a basket

“Don’t worry, we have this party mix to get this party started”, said Aegon, grabing a handfull of colored pieces of a bowl and stuffing them in his mouth

“That's potpourri”, said Aemond shortly as Aegon spitted it out, being choked by the strong flavours and smells 

To Criston’s horror, Addam got by Aegon’s side and started to help out in all the marital shower’s crazyness 

They started to fill the baskets with white chredded paper, and then filled them with soaps, face masks, and other things. criston shook his head, going to the kitchen to find something to eat or drink while his friends kept working

I mean how hard could it be? if he was in Aemond’s palce he would have gone to your apartment and fucked you stupid to make you forget all about that other random guy, Aemond dancing around this was idiocy, even when he had his best guy working on getting dirt on Cregan. He was going to find a smoking gun, and then he was going to be the one to free his best friend from this madness. With a scotch in hand he went back to the diningroom in Aemond’s apartment, to see that his three friends even more into the basket making things

“Oh, this is perfect”, said Addam admiring his first basket he put together, ribbon and all

Aemond and Aegon laughed

“How did you make that ribbon look like that?”, asked the oldest brother as he twirled his around the tull that covered the basket 

“Come on Criston, join in!”, invited Addam when he saw his friend standing there looking like he just saw a ghost

 

“No, I'm not playing with baskets”, said Criston, “It's poker night”

“You put bayberries with serenity”, said Aemond, ignoring Criston and talking to Addam

“You don't like?”, he asked back

  

“No, it's interesting, I always thought it was obvious that bayberry worked best with harmony”, he answered

“Really? I've been putting Bayberry with Sothyros Sunrise”, chimmed Aegon

“That, I like. That's Zen”, admited Addam

“Yeah. You know what I like? I like how you put the bath ball in the center”, said Aegon talking to Aemond

“I like that so much, I'm gonna see your ball and raise you another ball”, continued Addam with bath bombs on his hands 

“It's a Good idea, you should definitely have two balls”, mocked Criston

“Hey, Criston, come and curl some ribbon!”, invited Aegon, thrilling with opened scissors and pink ribbon on his hand

“I can feel my sperm dying inside of me one at a time”, he said angrily

“Shut up and grab a basket!”, Addam throwed it at him playfully

“Come on, it's fun!”, cheered Aegon, Criston threw the basket back and Addam, and grabbed his jacket from the sofa

“I'm going to a strip club to eat some meat”, he said mockingly, “then I'm gonna get into a fight”, everyone laughed as they kept organizing baskets, “Call me when you find your balls, Aemond!”, he said as he was walking towards the doors

“All right, tough guy”, muttered Aemond 

“Or maybe they're in the basket next to the Sothyros Sunrise!”, he said loudly

“Someone's afraid of his feminine side!”, mocked Aegon. Criston flipped them off before he closed the doors behind him

“Look at that... Oh, nice job with the fluffing”, admired Aegon as he put his first basket together

“Look at that, huh?”, said Aegon proud of himself 

“If shedoesn’t fall for you Aemond after seeing this baskets, I don’t know”, assured Addam

Aemond only had one thing on his mind…

All this wedding madness

He found himself wanting it to be your wedding, yours and his….

The thought didn’t scare him anymore…

He didn’t only want to be with you… he wanted…, he took a long breath when he realised it

He wanted to marry you…

So with a smile, and keeping the knowledge to himself, he kept fixing baskets with the help of his friends next to him, that then help him decorate and set things in motion for you and your closest female friends and family, tomorrow

“Get her tiger”, said Addam hugging him as he was leaving late at night, “youa re doing to right thing, proving to her you are changed and want to be with her”

“i know, I only hope it works, if it doesn’t I’m only making things easy for her to marry another man”

“She loves you Aemond, remember that”, he said before lekaving, and Aemond smiled, convinced

You loved him…

He knew this, he just had to make you realise he loved you back, romantically

The love was already there, he just had to ignite it

And get rid of the other guy…

He got only a few hours to sleep before he had to get up and dress to his best, nice pressed shirt in a color he knew it make his featured glow even more, perfectly fitted pants, and black leather shoes, no tie, no jacket, but everything perfectly casual, his long silver hair stylled in a relaxed lose braid that fell over his shoulder, two first buttons of the shirt opened… a cologne he knew you adored… 

He’s got this

  

“Hello, ladies”, he greeted at the door as he opened the door in a calm and welcoming manner, he had to be the perfect host, “you look lovely today”, he complimented as your cousins giggled and entered the apartment after greeting him 

“Aemond”, he heard his name being called and turned with a smile on his face 

“Ah, Walda, how are you?”, he asked warmly

“Good. Everything looks wonderful”, she said sweetly, “this is the best shower I've been to”, she admired with an excited smile

“Really, you think so?”, he asked, excitedly, but your firend only wore a loopy smile on her face, and Aemond frowned worried, “you know what, Walda? You should really eat something”, he said softly, but she shook her head

“No. Aemond, I'm fine”, she assured him, “I'm fine. I'm okay”

“Theres carrots and celery on that table, please”, he begged, she only nodded and walked away from him, as you appeared by his side with a wide smile on your face

“What you ladies go through to fit into a dress”, he sighed, wondering if you ever felt like you didn’t feel as beautiful as you were, wondering if you ever put your health in jeopardy to fulfill men’s and society’s impossible beauty standards,, he really wished you haden’t, you were perfect as you were 

“This pretty much blows your rule out of the water about no women allowed at your place”, you teased with that complicent smile he adored, he sorrounded you iwth his arm, making your body stick to his side

“What good's a rule if you don't break it every now and then?”, he leaned in and whispered in your ear, you only giggled

“I'm very, very impressed”, you kept teasing, “thank you…”, you said softly, looking up at him 

Anything for you

He thought, and he was about to voice it outloud, but he was interrupted by a loud bagpipe noise, breaking all the cool sweet ambiance 

The first part of his plan was in motion

“Listen to that. Bran the Broken party remix, just for you”, he said, as the bagpipes sounded like a seagul being strangled, “Hear the horn? Hear the horn?”, he said excitedly at your horrified face, “It's good, isn't it? Wait, let me turn it up for you. There it is”, he said with his smart watch controlling the gadgets on his house.

The “song” became unbearable, you knew this was traditional northern music, but you dind’t want to hear it right now, you covered your ears as the sound became unbearable and it was disturbing your guests

“It's a little loud”, you comlained to your firend

“What?”, he asked with a smile on his face

“It's a little loud!”

“Okay. I'll turn it down”, and he finally turned down the volume, just as a waiter was passing by witha  tray of the second part of his plan

“Look at this. Try this”, he said snatching a small tartalette. You thankfully received the small snack and took it to your mouth without thinking, but stopped in your tracks with a horrendous taste attacked your taste buds 

“Widow’s wail”, he said proud of himself, “It's pepper, cheese, chopped up baby lamb lung, and cow pituitary gland”, you threw it up in a napkin trying not to raise anyone’s attention, “It's a Northerner delicacy. Cregan recommended it”, Aemond continued 

You were about to say soemthing… eman… to him, when Cersei interrupted everyone   

“Ladies! Ladies1”, she said outloud, “look what just came for (Y/N)1”, she said excitedly, beigning quite a large box in her hands, you inmediatly smiled, as she stopped right by your side and in second you were sorrounded by your friends 

“It's from Cregan, everyone!”, and you laughed when you heard everyone’s “aws” and lovely sighs

“Wait, there's a card!”, chanted Baela, grabing the envelope from the box, “There's a card. There's a card!”, she said weaving it in the air, she opened it up quickly and you only hoped it didn’t have anything dirty on it…

Cregan was a very passionate man…

“It says "(Y/N)", she started witha  wide smile on her face, "(Y/N), my love, this is the extremely rare Northerner, winter rose!", she said as Cersei opened the box and showed it to everyone, and there it was

A beautikful icy blue rose

“A rose?”, asked Aemond, panicking

"They only bloom for four hours before they die.", Baela said, as the flower was indeed in full bloom

“He must have timed this out perfectly!”, admired Cersei as she was looking at Aemondmockingly 

“Oh, my gosh. When we first met, Cregan joked that he would roam the countryside to find me one, and he did!”, you said, finally receiving the box in your hands and admiring the beautiful flower, it was truly breathtaking, and you couldn’t believe cregan had actually done it!

“Sweetheart, that's the most romantic thing I've ever heard”, muttered your gmother

“Thanks, mom”, you whined as she hugged you tightly 

  

“Joan, good to see you. It's been too long”, greeted Aemond, “I think, Easter, wasn't it?”, he tried with a simple smile

  

“Yes. You slept with our maid”, she said with that cinic smile of hers, you looked back at Aemond, surprised 

“She told you? I didn't know she spokethe common tongue”, he said nervously 

You very old grandmother showed up then, with a smile on her face

“This is grandma Pearl”, you presented to Aemond, “You remember Aemond?”, you asked her

“How are you?”, asked Aemond

“Oh, yes. The fornicator”, she mumbled, forwning at him, “That's right”, she said pelased with herself as she walked away again

“Okay”, mumbled Aemond, completely embarassed 

“Aemond, this is awesome!”, congratulated Baela, “It's great”, she admired

“Good, thank you, i’m glas you liked it”, he said with a pelased smile, again, proud of himself

“I mean, This is even better than my sister's shower!”, she said with a wide smile

“Oh, really?”, he teased, this was better than he thought, “It appears to be going well”, he chanted victory, because he could, right?

Then he felt a poke on his choulder, he turned to see one of the waiters

“Yes?”, he said politely, still basking in his victory

“Missandei would like to know where to set up”, hhe said nervouslyl

“Who?”, he asked

“Uh, the entertainment?”, he seemed nervous and wavering, but Aemond paid no mind to him

“Ah, yes”, he said, this was going to be the icing on the cake, as your eyes sparkled with expectancy, “thank the Gods... I mean, good”, he said pointing at a corner of the room, “She-she should set up over there”, he commanded, nervous, this was going to be the hightest point, you were going to love this.. 

So you all gathered around this woman with exccentric red hair long to her waist, and exxagerated red dress showing her curves…

“Hello, everybody. Hi, I'm Missandei”, she said, standing next to a big coffer, “Good to see you all”, she said inviting everyone to get closer, and you did, with Aemond by your side, “Yeah, come on, right down front”, she said as you all took your places

You looked excited

And Aemond wanted to exploit that 

“This was my idea, you know”, he said, you looked up at him and smiled

“really?”

“Oh, I know you loved her from Baela's sister's shower…”, he said dismissively

  

“Before I start, I'd like for us all to take a deep breath”, you heard the woman said, and you took indeed a big breath 

“She wasn't at the shower”, you said with an amused smile, Aemond frowned 

“She wasn't?”, he asked, terrified

“No”, you said, now curious, Aemond felt someone was watching him and he saw Cersei smiling back at him, a sickening, evil smile 

  

“And now exhale slowly!”, the woman commanded as Aemond’s stocmach sinked 

“Really?”, he asked nervously

“Good job. Good job”, Missandei congratulated, “It's very important to reset our third eye and connect to the primal… inside of ourselves before I present the pleasure aids”, she said with her voice soft as silk

“Pleasure aids?”, he asked, wanting to laugh, but the smile got quickly erased from his mouth when he saw yours, and your horrified expression on your face, as the woman opened the box and you saw…

Dildos

Vibrators…

and things not even Aemond knew what they were for 

No, he thought

No no no no no

“Now… These pleasure aids are best used when in a tantric, meditative state, and today, I'm going to show you, ladies, how to reach your optimal, sacral chakra”, but of course the nightmare continued, “All of these aids are for sale, ladies”, she said looking into her box of horrors, “And... Oh, look what we have here”, she said taking a fabric that it revealed itself to be a… “We have edible panties!”, Aemond swallowed thickly, “you look hungry. Here, snack on these”, she said throwing them at Walda who received them eagerly

NO NO NO NO NO

FUCK FUCK FUCK

  

“Now, ladies, what pleasure party would be complete without… glow-in-the-dark thunder beads”, she chanted, taking out two very long silicon… chains?? what were does?

  

“These are terrific”, your grandmother was curious and she starting walking towards the woman without veing able to be stopped by anyone, to your horror, “and for you ladies today, two for one”, your grandmother receibed the beads, “Do you wanna try those out, princess?”, she teased

“Where do these go?”, she asked, and she put them together and palced them around her neck like a neckale, to your horror

In your bachelor party this would have been fine, funny even…

But no in front of your aunts, mother, grandmother and cousins!

“From casual right into evening wear. Gorgeous!”, chanted missainder as your grandmother seemed terribly happy. “You know what, why don't you keep those? Oh, and they match your earrings”

You couldn’t take this anymore, still tasting the horrible snack Aemond made you ate in your tongue, you walked hastly out of there, feeling ashamed and terrified, and so, so betrayed… You felt like Aemond had mocked you, turned this into a big joke…

He did all the decoratins and all of it just to prank you with this?

What was going on?

Aemond chased after you

“(Y/N), you okay?”, you couldn’t help but sniff, and he grabbed you softly 

“You know that I dreamt of my wedding shower ever since I was 10 years old?”, you said, now more angry than sad, he seemed surprised to see you in that state

“No”, he admitted sadly

“Strangely enough, the image of my grandma Pearl, draped in glow-in-the-dark thunder beads, wasn't part of it”, you accused, he wanted to laugh, and that angered you more, “It's not funny, Aemond!”, you said, and he got serious to see how upset you were, “do you have any idea how important this is to me? And the Bran thing, Widow’s wail?, dildo saleswoman?”

“We-well, just understand something, that Cersei set me up!”

“Oh, please”, you chuckled darkly, “there's always an excuse with you!”, you said angrily, “I never even should've asked you to do this in the first place, you don't even believe in marriage, for the gods’ sake”, he wetted his lips

“You know, I might!”, he said, “I might believe in it!”, you shook your head

“I gotta get back”, you said, walking away from him

Aemond had disappointed many, MANY, women before, but he never thought it was going to hurt like it did now when he disappointed you

If he was going to truly do this, try to win you over, over your fiance, he was going to go all in, he needed to do this for real

taglist! @snh96 @sagelovesreading @toodlesxcuddles @ammo23 @bananzaa @ttkttt @at-a-rax-ia @n4tforlife @spn-obession

[intosnarkness]

How about: 91. “I remember everything.” Kanej

“You have to leave this fucking city.”

Inej is surprised to hear herself cuss. Even the years out at sea haven’t hardened her tongue like this- she curses, sure, at ropes and waves and wind. She doesn’t curse at people. It’s not an effective management technique.

But she has found the end of her patience for this nonsense.

No one really expected Kaz Brekker to live to see thirty. She’s not even sure Kaz, with his bravado and his theatrics that have only gotten worse over the years, thought he’d make it. But here they are, a month from his fucking birthday, and he’s laid up in bed with a bullet hole in his fucking body.

He’s putting on a good show of being strong, of ignoring the pain. But Inej can see the tense muscles of his jaw, the sweat that stands glittering on his forehead, the way he shifts his weight slowly and braces for each move.

“I don’t—” Kaz sighs, wincing as he presses his hand to the bloody hole in his side. It’s been bandaged, it’s been days, but he won’t let anyone call a healer and Inej is going to kill him if infection doesn’t.

“I don’t want to fight about this,” he finishes, and his voice is so hoarse and raw that Inej moves, grabbing the cool pitcher of water from his bedside table and pouring a careful glass for him. She’s used to a certain amount of gravel in his voice, but the pain makes listening to him feel like walking barefoot in the mountains.

“Kaz,” she sighs, using her sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow as he drinks. He barely flinches. Progress. “I know what happened,” she says, meeting his eyes.

“Jesper has a big fucking mouth,” Kaz bites, and he’s not wrong. Jesper had told her. He had told her all about the little skiv who had waited for Kaz outside the Geldstraat tunnel, who had ambushed him as he’d been walking home from dinner with his friends.

And she knows the kid’s name. She’s known it for 12 years, since Kaz forced Pekka to his knees behind the Church of Barter.

Albie Rollins is in Ketterdam, and he’s gunning for the return of his father’s empire.

“I can handle him,” Kaz says, struggling to sit up in bed. Inej wants to press him back into the sheets, make him lie still and see reason. “I walked away from this one.”

She’s frustrated, she’s exhausted, and the man she loves is struggling in front of her. Inej doesn’t know how to get through to him. How she can make him see that if he lets this city kill him, she will never never forgive him.

“And what about the next one?” she asks. “Or the one after that? What happens when you’re forty or fifty or sixty and some little teenager puts a gun to your head and demands you say the name of his loved one, huh?” Inej snaps, her nerves frays. “All the saints hear my promise, when that kid comes and kills you for his brother or his mother or his cousin, I will—”

Inej swallows around the lump in her throat. She honestly doesn’t know what she’ll do. What her plan is. What it could possibly be.

“What?” he’s holding her gaze now, his eyes dark and private, even from her. But he’s listening. He’s actually listening to her. “What will you do?”

“I will set the fucking Wraith on fire and stand in the flames as she goes down around me,” she says, her voice barely a hiss in the quiet room. “I will let the world know that Kaz Brekker was the death of me, and I will find you in the next life and I will never, ever speak to you again. It— if you let this city bury you under the weight of your own gold, I will dig you up and give the gold to the fucking council before I bury you at sea with me.”

He nods once, breaking the eye contact they’ve both been holding. He hears her. He’s not ready to respond, but he hears what she’s saying. She can give him time to think about it.

Inej turns around, her back to him, and scrubs at her eyes with the heels of her hands. She’s not going to cry. Not over something that hasn’t happened yet.

“You know what the difference is?” Kaz says, his voice still strained, but soft. “Between me and Rollins?”

He waits for her to reply, but she doesn’t. She just waits for him to tell her.

“I remember.”

She turns to look at him, cataloguing the far away look on his face.

“I remember every person I put in the ground on my way up. Everyone I hurt. I remember their names. Their faces. I can’t forget them, I’ve tried. So when that kid puts me on his knees and demands I say that name, I promise you, I will say it.”

Now the tears are at the back of her throat, unbidden. She knows he has ghosts, they both do. But it suddenly strikes her just how haunted Kaz really is.

“All of them?” She asks, reaching down to take his hand

He doesn’t flinch away, just lets her lace their fingers together as he nods.

“Trust me,” he whispers. “I remember everything.”

(fic prompts: 1 2)

[eternal-echoes]

So I ask: “Do you think that your past government experience can serve you in governing the universal church?” After a brief pause for reflection, Pope Francis becomes very serious, but also very serene, and he responds: “In my experience as superior in the Society, to be honest, I have not always behaved in that way—that is, I did not always do the necessary consultation. And this was not a good thing. My style of government as a Jesuit at the beginning had many faults. That was a difficult time for the Society: an entire generation of Jesuits had disappeared. Because of this I found myself provincial when I was still very young. I was only 36 years old. That was crazy. I had to deal with difficult situations, and I made my decisions abruptly and by myself. Yes, but I must add one thing: when I entrust something to someone, I totally trust that person. He or she must make a really big mistake before I rebuke that person. But despite this, eventually people get tired of authoritarianism. “My authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultraconservative. I lived a time of great interior crisis when I was in Cordova. To be sure, I have never been like Blessed Imelda [a goody-goody], but I have never been a right-winger. It was my authoritarian way of making decisions that created problems. “I say these things from life experience and because I want to make clear what the dangers are. Over time I learned many things. The Lord has allowed this growth in knowledge of government through my faults and my sins. So as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, I had a meeting with the six auxiliary bishops every two weeks, and several times a year with the council of priests. They asked questions and we opened the floor for discussion. This greatly helped me to make the best decisions. But now I hear some people tell me: ‘Do not consult too much, and decide by yourself.’ Instead, I believe that consultation is very important. “The consistories [of cardinals], the synods [of bishops] are, for example, important places to make real and active this consultation. We must, however, give them a less rigid form. I do not want token consultations, but real consultations. The consultation group of eight cardinals, this ‘outsider’ advisory group, is not only my decision, but it is the result of the will of the cardinals, as it was expressed in the general congregations before the conclave. And I want to see that this is a real, not ceremonial consultation.”

-INTERVIEW WITH POPE FRANCIS��by Fr Antonio Spadaro, August 19, 2013

[whencyclopedia]

Council of Chalcedon

The Council of Chalcedon was called in 451 CE by the Roman Emperor Marcian (r. 450-457) to settle debates regarding the nature (hypostases, "reality") of Christ that had begun at two earlier meetings in Ephesus (431 CE and 439 CE). The question was whether Christ was human or divine, a man who became God (through the resurrection and ascension) or God who became a man (through the incarnation, "taking on flesh"), and how his humanity and divinity affected his essence and being, if at all.

Shortly after Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in 312 CE, an Alexandrian presbyter, Arius, applying logic, had simply taught that if God created everything in the universe, then at some point he must have created Christ. This caused debates and even riots throughout the cities of the Roman Empire. If Christ was a creature, then he was subordinate to God. Seeking empire-wide unity, Constantine I (r. 306-337 CE) called for a council meeting at Nicaea in 325 to settle the matter.

The First Council of Nicaea produced what became known as the concept of the Trinity. This concept expressed the belief that Christ was of the identical essence of God, who had manifested himself in the earthly Jesus of Nazareth. It produced the innovation of a creed that dictated what all Christians should believe. The Nicene Creed was now enforced by the legions of the Roman emperor, and Arianism was condemned as heresy. However, those who sided with Arius continued to incorporate his teachings in their communities. One of Constantine's sons, Constantius II (r. 337-361 CE), was an Arian Christian.

With the beginning of the barbarian invasions in this period, Christians were urged to be patriotic Christians, in line with the Imperial Church. However, the Antiochene and Alexandrian communities continued to debate which emperors had such authority (legitimacy), depending upon their views of continuing Arianism at their courts and other topics. The other problem was that the Council of Nicaea only addressed the relationship between God and Christ but said nothing about his nature.

Struggle Among the Sees

For several centuries, Christian bishops had competed with each other in relation to who had the authority to dictate beliefs and rituals for all Christians. The major sees (dioceses) of bishops were Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. The First Council of Constantinople in 381 elevated Rome above all others (as the site of martyrdom of Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle). Alexandria, which had several Christian schools of philosophy, saw this as an insult to their prestige. Antioch resented it because they claimed their community was the first to be called Christians (from Luke's Acts of the Apostles). Jerusalem was the most insulted, as this was the site of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth and his resurrection. Thrown into this mix were three more heresies that ultimately required more imperial anathemas and dictates: Paulinism, Novatianism, and Nestorianism.

Continue reading...

[thegreatwicked]

Masterlist

I finally have enough content to justify having a master list! Thank you guys for all of your support; it's made continuing these stories that much more enjoyable knowing you're there enjoying them with me!

Unbreakable Bonds: In a galaxy where Anakin Skywalker successfully resisted the pull of darkness, fulfilling his destiny as the Chosen One to bring balance to the Force, the Jedi Temple is abuzz with discussions about the traditionally forbidden nature of attachments. As Anakin assumes the role of a Jedi Master, his decision to ensure Palpatine's arrest rather than execution sets the tone for a new era.

On the way to an impromptu council meeting, where Anakin now holds a seat as a respected master, Obi-Wan Kenobi experiences an unusual sensation. A mysterious connection tugs at him when he encounters a young boy patiently waiting outside the council chambers. Unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, the spotlight is about to shift from Anakin to himself.

As the secrets of Obi-Wan's past unravel, the Jedi Council finds itself thrust into action much sooner than anticipated. The delicate balance of the Force, once maintained by Anakin's choices, now hinges on the unforeseen revelations from Obi-Wan's history. The galaxy is on the brink of change, and the consequences of long-held secrets may reshape the destiny of the Jedi and the Force itself.

Obi-wan/OFC Cressida Vox; Slow burn, friends to lovers, eventual romance, SMUT.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen

After the Storm: An emergency crash landing on an isolated island on an alien planet leaves Hux, and a rebel spy stranded and trying to reach an emergency beacon before the local flora kill them. Hux/OFC Sola Vex; sex pollen, forced proximity, survival, alternate universe, Hux survives, Two shot

Part One, Part Two

Meditations: Amid the summer heat on Dathomir, Maul finds himself unable to sleep, restless thoughts stirring within him. Seeking solace, he attempts meditation, only to be joined by his companion Zeala. As they navigate the challenges of finding inner calm, their connection deepens, and unspoken emotions come to the surface. Together, in the quiet moments of the night, they discover a shared intimacy that transcends words and the boundaries of their world. Maul/OFC Zeala; Alternate universe, Maul and his mate, rebuilding Dathomir, soft lover Maul, but he possessive tho. One shot, SMUT

Bet You Wish You Had Me Back: Some romances burn hot and hard and threaten everyone around them, some burn fast and others smolder perfectly. This isn’t a smoldering story, nor is it a quick fire. They both knew their fire wouldn’t burn long and that the closer they got to it the hotter it would be. Because when fire is at it’s hottest the flame burns white, but the burn was too tempting for it to only happen once. Shane Walsh/OFC Austin Walker; one shot, SMUT, SMUT, SMUT

Mending Feathers: Warren, having escaped the cagefighting underground, seeks refuge in a broken church, feeling crippled and directionless with his damaged wings. During a stormy night, he discovers an unexpected visitor seeking sanctuary in his church. Initially resistant, Warren is taken aback when the visitor reveals the ability to heal and restore his wings. With his ability to fly restored, Warren is free again, but questions arise about the mysterious girl and what lies ahead for him. Grappling with gratitude, Warren contemplates the next chapter of his life and wonders how he can express his thanks. Warren Worthington III/FOC Ivy; one shot, SMUT

Thunderstorms: General Hux takes some rarely used, yet long-accrued personal leave to visit his homeworld, Arkanis, and visit his wife. He arrives amidst one of the famous downpours to find his wife has never experienced a thunderstorm. Shocked, he helps her forget the storm. Hux/OFC Selene Hux; one shot, SMUT! Inspired by Lady in Writing of Tiktok!

Padawan: After disappearing from your Master for thirteen years, the Clone Wars has brought you back to the same planet and a brush with death back into each other's lives. But you’re not his Padawan anymore, you’re a knight, right? No, you’ll always be his Padawan, and he, your Master. My first reader insert, I wrote this for all you lovelies who follow/like/reblog/comment on my stuff. This is for you! Obi-Wan/You/Reader Insert. Master/Padawan, SMUT. SMUT. SMUT. That is all.

Chapter Two, Three

50 Shades of Obi-Wan: A collection of spicy and sweet reader insert one-shots between Obi-Wan and his Jedi lover (that's you) Requests are open.

One, Two

Memories of Chocolate-Laced Kisses: Obi-Wan grapples with the challenges of his new role as a father and navigates the complex and confusing relationship he shares with Cressida. As he confronts the stormy past between them, he finds himself revisiting the night that sparked it all. In the midst of swirling memories, he remembers a time when it was just him and Cressida, finding solace, pleasure, and relief in each other's company. These moments from the past haunt him like dancing ghosts, a reminder of their shared history. Obi-wan/OFC Cressid Vox; one shot, SMUT, SMUT, SMUT.

50 NSFW Character Questions: Not a story but a series of fun, kinky interview-like questions about some of my favorite fictional men/women. Feel free to copy said questions and conduct your own character interviews just tag me so I can read along!

Roman Sionis, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sith Obi-Wan/Darth Solitus, Bucky Barnes

We Were Cursed: Coming soon! Even the perfect fairy tale couple has an indiscretion or two under the influence of a curse, Snow White had a one-night stand with Doctor Frankenstein and Charming was married to another woman. Strange things happen under a curse, which makes you wonder what other Storybrooke residents may have done as well. Jefferson/OFC(Alice) Alice Liddell ; One shot, SMUT

Healing Hands: Coming Soon! Grappling with demons is lonely and dirty work that Jason Todd often does alone, but tonight he needs backup, and in the absence of Batman or his bat siblings he turns to the one person he knows will understand his pain. A kindred spirit, his girlfriend, the Omen. Jason Todd/OFC Wrenna AKA The Omen; One shot, SMUT.

In Service to the Night Sisters: Coming soon! Just a series of one-shots following the life of force-sensitive Zabracks on Dathomir and the purpose they serve; breeding stock. Maul/OC, Feral/OC, Savage/OC; one shot series, SMUT, SMUT, SMUT

50 NSFW Character Questions Pending Characters: Darth Maul, General Armitage Hux, Jason Todd, Quinlan Voss, Victor Zsasz, the Winter Soldier, Soldier Boy

As of right now Unbreakable Bonds and my other Stat Wars content are my priorities but comments and encouragement do help me to know what one shot to work on next, so please let me know what you all think! Thanks my Macabrlings!