#raven x lori

[spookyblazecoffee]

Brett: *tapping fingers on table* Nolan: *taps fingers back furiously* Lori: …What’s going on? Ally: Morse code. They’re talking. Brett: -.-- --- ..- .----. .-. . / - .... . / -.-. ..- - . ... - Nolan: *slams hands on table* YOU TAKE THAT BACK!

[redcoralpot]

hiii! not sure if your requests are open, if so then can you do a TWD Daryl x Walker male reader?

Like Reader followed Daryl & the group & always pops out time to time & Daryl goes to hunt but sees him just watching the walkers eating someone & Daryl sees him making an expiration of descust shocking Dayrl cuz Reader is a walker? Have a great day & take care off uself ^^

Dead Man Walking - Daryl Dixon X Male (Walker) Reader

I had a lot in mind for this request, so I decided to break it into multiple parts/chapters!! <33 If this series gets popular enough, I will post an extended version on AO3. If you have any questions on how the reader’s infection works, don’t be afraid to ask politely! Xoxo

The romance with Daryl will most likely start next chapter! 🫠

Warnings: Blood, violence, implied cheating (Shane + Lori)

Word Count: 1.8K

Your life from before the outbreak didn’t matter anymore, though it wasn’t like you remembered very much of it. Humanity’s civilization had crumbled within a few mere hours, and you had seen the worst of it. 

     At first, you wandered the streets of the city with plenty of others in your same predicament. That life was lonely, and your comrades never seemed to be good conversationalists. As bad as that was, you couldn’t find it in yourself to blame them. Your mouth felt uncomfortably dry after having no water and a hanging jaw for days. Days! You should be getting paid for this. 

    That all changed after a man disrupted this slow, daily routine, charging on a horse around the wrong corner. Was this how modern cowboys acted? Seriously, maybe the water deprivation was getting to you after all. 

     The mob went crazy at the sight, a sudden change from the prior leisurely pace, attacking the poor animal. You could do nothing, even as your stomach lurched, and you decided to focus your attention on the man instead. He was brave to a stupid extent, sliding under a tank as ravenous arms reached for him. The rush forced you forward too quickly as you stumbled over a bag, hitting the ground with a smack. 

     Everyone else was uncaring, focused solely on the target. You have never seen them from this perspective before, and here, you could see many more bite marks and unhealed injuries. And God, it stunk. You were surprised that anyone could get caught by these people, they could probably smell them before they could even see them! Especially the cowboy under the tank, there, for his age. Would he live, would he die? If you had a partner, you would bet on death. 

    Fate apparently had different plans for him, as he suddenly popped out of the tank, smacking a nearby infected hard enough to give him room to escape. Damn, you definitely didn’t want to get in his way. He struggled down the sidewalk, shooting to safety in a closed off alleyway. Part of you wanted to curiously follow him, but the smarter end told you to stay. 

       “C’mon!” A voice shouted from the alley, followed by gunshots. 

-

     Your name tag swung as you followed a group of survivors. The man and his savior had joined it after the drama on the street, and you were curious enough to see where they would head next. Apparently, that was a survivor camp, not too far away from the city’s borders. It was here that you learned the man’s name was Rick, and he had family there. It baffled you that he even thought of risking himself like that with a child as young as Carl. 

      His family seemed to think the same, running towards him and shouting in surprise. From your little spot yards away, you wondered if your family ever made it, and if they missed you just as much. 

       “Dad!” Carl shouted, and the man himself dropped to his knees to hug him. Was Rick crying?

        You felt a little guilty for staring at such a vulnerable moment, so you turned your eyes onto the other members. They were a plenty, diverse group, bigger than any camp you’ve witnessed before. There was one other kid among the survivors, a little girl, other than Carl. 

         This observation session was quickly shut down, interrupted by a gruff alert, “Walker!”

         A what? You? 

        Whipping your head towards the noise, you came to face a crossbow pointed at your face. Ah. 

        “I got it.”

        Your slow, dead reflexes tried their best as you dived behind a tree, but they weren’t fast enough. An arrow pierced through your shoulder, knocking you off course, and into a bush. Using this as cover, you scampered back farther from the camp, praying that this day wouldn’t be your last. 

        “Daryl! Just leave it.”

        “I ain’t never seen one smart enough to dodge before.”

         “Exactly, don’t waste your ammo.”

         “Pff, would’a gotten my arrows back anyway.”

        The shock from the shot dulled as your head produced a light feeling, making you abandon any thoughts of getting up. You sat there, frozen, as the voices faded away. Well, one of them had been paying attention after all. 

         You gripped the arrow, ripping it out in a smooth motion, biting down on your shirt. The taste of dirt filled your mouth, and while you’ve done this a number of times, you had never expected to perform it on yourself. Red trickled down your shirt, making the hole even more obvious. This Daryl was a great man, amazing even. If you couldn’t have a bath, or any human interaction, you at least deserved a shirt without stains or holes in it. You didn’t have any spares!

         Should you still follow this group? They’re bound to move soon, mobs will start moving out of the city and out among the borders. It was suicide if you did, but you found you didn’t care all that much. The world had ended, you had no family, and nothing to live for. A little fun before you died wouldn’t hurt anyone, you decided. 

         Your body felt heavy as you pulled yourself into a tree, pressing yourself against the bark and peering through the leaves at the camp. Here, it should be safer. Their threats were all on the ground, only hunting will bring them to look in the trees. 

         The same gruff voice reached your ears, “And you just left him?”

        “We had to, we had no choice.”

       “Yeah, well, I’m goin’ back to find him.”

       A pause, “I’ll go with you, we can form a rescue group.”

        “Fine.”

        “I’d like to get my bag back, too; it has supplies.”

         Through your cover, you could see Rick choosing different survivors to come with, and you couldn’t help but feel relieved that one of the sharpest was among them. Now that he and his crossbow are gone, albeit temporarily, you feel a weight come off of your shoulders. 

        Before you could dwindle in that bliss for long, a second group split off, significantly smaller than the other. Just two people, a man and a woman, one you recognized to be the mother of Carl. You shifted, trying to get a better view. 

        “We can’t do this anymore, Shane,” the woman started, “He’s back now.”

       “Rick doesn’t have to know.”

       “He’s your best friend, and don’t forget the only reason I did this was because everyone thought he was dead!”

      These people were lucky you couldn’t talk.

      “Lori—”

      “No, we’re ending this.”

      Shit. As the woman briskly walked back to the main camp, you could still see Shane hadn’t moved. He grumbled incoherent, resentful sentences, and you felt like a rat. You wanted to scream at Rick about what you just witnessed, snitching the very details of the things his wife and best friend had been doing. 

       None of the survivors seemed keen on hearing you out, though, so their secret was safe, for now.

-

      You woke up with a start, hissing as you accidentally banged your head on the wood behind you. Sitting up, you heard feet shuffling below you. Not just a pair, however, it must’ve been at least ten. Was it happening already? The rescue group must have led them back to the camp and knew they were coming, surely. 

        Yelling rang through the camp, snarling and the snapping of teeth almost overpowering it. You could see the fire, shadows of the survivors dancing around it, the moves quick and fearful. An arrow flew, gunshots rang, and you could smell blood. Daryl was back, with the rescue team following close behind. 

         “What happened here?”

        “Walkers, a whole mob of ‘em,” stated a rather stoutly, panting old man. 

         Rick asked another question, “Is everything alright, was anyone hurt?”

        …

        “A few, uh, Amy and Ed, Carol’s husband.”

       You weren’t familiar with this Amy, but you weren’t fond of Ed. You had caught him trying to hit his wife, a sweet woman, while she was doing the laundry earlier. Really, he deserved this fate, but it must be concerning for Carol. It couldn’t be easy to raise a child alone in this environment. 

       A silence fell over the group, a moment of mourning for their first losses. You closed your eyes, not wanting to see the fate of the two victims. You knew what would happen, knew it well, as the final shots of the night sounded. 

        “He was bit,” Daryl growled, and with a click, a gun was pointed at him. 

       “We don’t kill the living.”

       “But you can point a gun at me?”

       “You woulda killed him if I didn’t.”

       “What’re we gonna do with him, then? Let ‘em turn?”

       “We have to leave.”

      “There’s nowhere to go, walkers are everywhere!”

     “I know a place, it’s a facility in Druid Hills. If anywhere has a cure, it’d be in there.”

     Shane made a face, “Are we sure ‘bout this?”

    “It’d be protected, a safe place to stay; we can leave in the morning.”

     His tone made it sound final, and his best friend looked unconvinced. Daryl gave the bitten man a final, bitter eye, stomping off to brood alone. As much as the two of you were different, you had to agree with him. The man would only suffer and die in a more brutal way, after all. Alas, the only thing you could do was watch. 

      You watched as the remaining survivors settled into sleep, you watched as Shane grew more agitated, you watched as they packed their things when the sun rose, and you watched them drive away. 

       A few decided to hang back, to go their own way. Silently, you wished them well with the others, and then you watched them leave too. This is where you deemed it safe, sliding down from the tree to slip back onto the ground. With a stick you snapped off, you started your journey to Druid Hills, the bite mark on your left leg aching.  

      And who knows? Maybe they could fix this pesky infection. 

     The signs were still in good shape, and what a blessing they were. You hobbled on, for two days and nights, not catching up to the people of your interest. Halfway through, a familiar face caught your eye, sitting propped under a tree. He gnashed his teeth, eyeing you, clearly not able to get up to reach you. Sighing, you shook your head as you realized what they did. 

      You raised your stick, finally looking down at him with pity, and drove it through his eye. Blood and body residue dropped off the end as you ripped it back out of the unmoving Jim, and you leaned heavily on it again. No matter how exhausted, you continued on your way, determined to be a normal man again. 

-

End of Chapter One.

[cloverfeildsinbloom]

Strawberry Fields pt. 2

{I might have a slight five obsession 🤷‍♀️}

-this one is slightly longer 🫡

{is a Five x Oc but you can imagine yourself 😉}

“Fine you guys can stay, but you have to help out around here. At least until you find whatever you’re looking for.”

That was almost three months ago, Lori had agreed to let them stay after they told her what had happened. And she held them up to their deal, when they weren’t searching they were helping out. Normally Lila would help her in the green house and back garden, while Five did patch work in the fencing and most of the hunting.

Although after the first few weeks there Lila found ways of getting the two alone in the green house, whether it would be volunteering to hunt, or faking a head ache. The raven haired woman saw the chemistry between them and made it her mission to help the younger/eldest Hargreaves to find his happy ending. She had seen him sacrifice so much, put himself through so much, that she decided it was his turn to be happy. Even if she had to play match maker.

Just as she planned that morning, an hour before finishing their scavenging she started complaining about a headache. By the time they got close to what they considered home for the time being she was complaining about it being a migraine, boy was she a great actress too. When they got to the home and Five told the brunette about Lila’s migraine she made her go lay down with a glass of ice water and the promise of being woken for dinner, just as she planned.

Five watched through the door way of the greenhouse as the woman hummed to herself, picking the weeds out and caring gently for her plants. He still couldn’t explain the intense pull to her. He knew it could be a timeline thing, her being named Delores and all, but that didn’t explain why he felt so strong about her, especially when he already had his Delores. Was that what would eventually happen again? Was he always meant to leave her time after time? Could he put the woman who was so kind, so soft with him, through so much pain again? He saw the pain Max had put her through. The fact that she couldn’t even look at him for longer than three seconds when they first got here showed that. Hell, she still wore his ring.

The sight of her turning to pick up the watering can caught his attention, making him move to pick it up, “please, let me help.” The shorter woman jumped slightly at his sudden appearance, “Jesus, Five you scared me,” her laugh making his heart skip a beat. His lips curled slightly as he apologized, “I’m sorry, I just felt bad for letting you do all this without Lila.” Her green eyes met his and she smiled softly, “you really don’t have to.” Shrugging, he picked up the can and started going through the individual plants.

Lori moved to start pick in the ripe ones as she started humming again, finding comfort in his presence. She found Five to be a calming influence, something Max was not. Lila had told her stories of Five that seemed to be a bit different than how he had been, but she also knew he had been through a lot. The stories of their apocalypses and the Commission made her respect him, he had grown to live on his own despite being so young. He also fought hard to get back to his family, something Max did do as well. It made her scared sometimes, they were so different, but a few things made her remember they were technically the same person.

So why did she feel guilty? Her heart skipping around him, the lingering looks, the wanting to reach for him, to feel his skin on hers. Why did it all feel like she was wrong for it? Because she was technically still married, and loved a different man. The ring on her finger proof that Max was indeed still there in her mind. So why did she want Five to pull her close and promise her the future?

Her brows furrowed in thought as she paused her picking, was she falling for Five? No, no, he was just someone who reminded her of the man she actually does love. But how can you love someone who disappeared? Someone who walked out without a thought of trying to convince her to go with him? Her eyes searched the plants in front of her as she tried to concentrate but the thoughts in her head made it almost impossible. So impossible that she hadn’t realized she had stopped humming. Or that Five had noticed and made his way to her.

“Lori?” His voice being so close made her head snap up to the direction it came from. He stood next to her, his hand gently resting on her arm, concern evident in his light green eyes, “everything okay?” She hummed softly before nodding, “uh, yeah, yeah.” His eyes searched hers for an actual answer, unconvinced but not wanting to push, “are you sure?” Her dark green eyes dropped as she nodded again, “yeah, just spaced is all,” raising her head slightly she smiled, “want some lemonade?” The raven haired man nodded and watched her walk out of the glass house and into the main house, his mind also racing in thoughts that made the distance between them harder to maintain.

Trying to catch her breath and thoughts the curly haired woman began pulling out the glasses from the cabinet. Placing them down, her nails gripped the counter and she leaned forward on her hands, her heart beat racing fast than she’d ever felt. She couldn’t love another man, she couldn’t love him again. She had already been there and checked that box. Agreeing she wouldn’t do it again. So why did she want to so badly?

The door creaked open,the sound of footsteps approaching her fast before she was turned around and forced to face a determined Five. His breath hitting her face as the distance between them almost nonexistent. “Tell me you don’t want this either, tell me I haven’t been in your mind like you’re in mine,” his light eyes held her dark ones, showing he meant every words. She took a deep breath as she tried to steady herself, “Five, I- we- Max-“

An angry noise left his throat, “Fuck Max, he couldn’t even take care of the woman that cared for him so much that she left her own family for him. He couldn’t protect you,” his voice stayed leveled as he placed on of his hands on her reddened cheek, thumb caressing her skin softly, “please, let me prove to you I’m not him.” Her eyes closed for a second before she decided to break down her walls and let him in. Leaning into him, the freckle faced woman closed the distance between them. His soft lips met hers with anticipation, his other arm wrapping around her to pull her close as her hands moved to hold him close by his sweater. Fireworks exploded, butterflies erupted, and everything collided.

It was as if this was what every moment led up to, like their souls finally found their other half. The pull was so strong, the moment their lips connected it felt as if it had gone haywire. Their bodies lit up as the others touch held them close. It was like they knew the ends and outs of each other, without having to learn them.

Parting only to breathe before pulling the other in again, their lips met in a frenzy. Hands moving down her sides, Five moved to lift her onto the counter, getting closer to her by standing between her legs. Her hands moved to his hair, tugging and pulling him closer as she felt one of his hands moved along her sides, the other holding her waist close. A sound of content vibrated from her making him smile, his lips trailing down to her neck, quickly finding her sweet spot. Leaning to give him room, Lori moaned at the feeling before her eyes landed on Lila leaning against the doorframe, a knowing smirk on her face, causing the frazzled woman to let out a shriek. Five immediately stepped back to observe her in panic, noticing her gaze behind him his body turned to see the older/younger woman standing with a knowing look.

“I fucking knew it!”

-part 3?

[luv6r]

i definitely forgot how to do this but hey. i'm venus, a 21+ writer looking for partners for discord 1x1s! pretty please read this full post before reaching out — it's kinda strict over here. below the cut we got some rules, writing prefs, and faces. anything bolded is a want, anything bolded & italicized is a favorite. once you’re done, feel free to like this or im me for my discord. thanks!

ground rules

i don't write with minors.

don't bug me for a reply for at least 72 hrs, i do be busy.

some godmodding is ok.

i'm all for mature themes. (3-3-3 writer) um, just don't be weird about it.

don’t come to me with just vibes and expect me to do all the brainstorming, i’ll leave you on read

writing prefs

ship types: m x f, f x f, m x m ; i can play either, but i'm partial to playing the femme role.

tropes: childhood friends to lovers, exes to friends, lovers to strangers, celeb x non-celeb, forbidden attraction, fake relationship, enemies to lovers

media i draw inspo from: here's my musings tag and a link to my pre-established muses. of course, we can brainstorm anything and anyone else!

worldbuilding necessary! i use tuppers and the whole nine — i like development based plots that build on lore.

faces*

bolded = want to play

italicized = want to play against

females

latto, mariah buckles, sabrina carpenter, saweetie, raven tracy, jatavia johnson, sydney sweeney, megan pete, solana rowe, india love, rubi rose, leah halton, brooklyn nikole, ft.gioo, ariana fletcher, madison beer, lori harvey

males

polo g, ja morant, jacob elordi, robb banks, key glock, future, gunna, rudy pankow, duke dennis, 100krob, jalen green, shai alexander, playboi carti, brent faiyaz, jayson tatum, any of them fine ig young men

*this is not an ehaustive list. brainstorming very welcome

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

Hey! I see you talking a lot about ethical x legal animals. Can i ask what animals that, although legal, arent ethical to have? I know you cant list all, but if you can, id like to be informed on the more common ones

Either way, ty!

Hard Pass, Morally Reprehensible To Keep As Pets:

owls, other birds of prey

foxes

raccoons

skunks

coyotes

crows, ravens, etc

slow loris

sugar glider

primates

hot snakes

large monitors

crocodilians

parrots

lions, tigers, bears, or any other wild cat or bear really

prairie dogs

Require A Degree Of Expertise And Husbandry That I Don’t Trust Average Pet Owners To Provide:

Budgerigars and cockatiels

hedgehogs

hamsters

chinchillas

large reptiles or fish

most amphibians

small monitor species

emerald tree pythons or green tree boas

salt water fish

hermit crabs

[thesagedahlia]

Topics on the list:

Celebrity charts *no particular order*

HIP HOP: 51 yrs of [RE]VOLUTION

Draya Michelle X Jalen Green synastry

Mariah the Scientist & Young Thug synastry

ASAP Rocky & Rihanna synastry

Chloe Bailey X Burna Boy synastry

Kanye West x Bianca Censori synastry

Prolific/Infamous figures *no particular order*

Griselda Blanco {the QueenPin}

Anna Nicole Smith {the Blonde Bombshell}

Aaron Hernandez {defamed Football Star, convicted of 1/2 murders before he unalived}

Diane Downs {Mommy Dearest Part 1; convicted of shooting and killing her child}

Andrea Yates {Mommy Dearest Part 2; drowned all 5 of her children}

Edgar Allan Poe {the Raven}

Jim Jones {Jonestown Massacre}

27 Club Theory*

Bonnie & Clyde synastry {Opposites Attract}

Pamela Smart {affair with a minor, convicted of conspiring to her husband’s murder}

Susan Smith {Mommy Dearest Part 3; drowned her two children in a lake}

Candy Montgomery {acquitted for murdering the wife of a lover}

Betty Broderick {convicted of second degree murder of her ex husband and his wife}

Patty Columbo {convicted of murdering her parents and brother, with help from her ‘married lover’ (both convicted)}

Sherri Papini {faked her kidnapping}

Letecia Stauch {Mommy Dearest Part 4; convicted for murdering her step-son}

Lori Vallow {Mommy Dearest Part 5; convicted for killing her children, believing them to be ‘evil’}

‘Killers’ or ‘Victims’?: The Menenedez Brothers {Convicted of murdering their parents, theory on ‘self defense’}

FRIEND OR OBSESSED?: Selena X Yolanda synastry report

More TBA*

[rawiswhore]

Raven x Fem Reader- "Crawl"

On an ECW episode that aired in 1997, Raven was sitting in front of a wrestling ring's corner post like he usually sits with his legs spread out.

As he sat in front of that corner post, you were crawling on your hands and knees in front of him.

You were wearing a babydoll negligee with matching panties under your nighty when you crawled in front of him.

Your ass was a few inches away in front of Raven as you crawled away from him.

Despite that you were crawling in front of him, you were crawling away from him, not at him.

While you crawled, many fans in the audience were chanting "Raven's got a woody!" over and over again, but some were also chanting "She's a crackwhore!" and "she's got herpes!".

90% of fans in ECW's crowd were men, so it was men who were the ones chanting this.

What you were doing was a recreation of when Lori Fullington/Peaches was crawling in a dress in front of Raven while he sat down in front of a wrestling ring's corner.

[lunagb]

A Plague of Sleet and Rot (ASoIaF x The Walking Dead fanfic)

BOOK 2 - A Road of Snow and Grime

Chapter 18: A Traitor's Life

Masterlist

Relationships: Daryl Dixon x Carol, Rick Grimes x Lori Grimes, Carl Grimes & Sophia, Jon x Andrea, Jon x Beth Greene

Summary: A month has passed since Jon Snow awakened on a highway outside of Atlanta and joined Rick Grimes and his fellow survivors. His memories of his death have returned and our alien world is beginning to make a bit of sense. Ever since the loss of the CDC, surviving in the apocalypse has been a daily struggle. The group is on thin ice. Supplies are dwindling. Hope is fading. The dead are walking. And their only chance for life may be a run-down farm, an old man and his daughters.

Chapter Summary: Jon grapples with his decision and Bowen learns a secret.

Time Frame: Farm Arc - Original Variation

Featured Characters: Jon Snow, Bowen Marsh, Ghost, Mormont's Raven, Rick Grimes, Carl Grimes, Lori Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Carol, Sophia, Dale, Glenn Rhee, Andrea, T-Dog, Edwin Jenner, Shane Walsh, Beth Greene, Maggie Greene, Hershel Greene, Randall Culver,

Warnings: gore, vivid descriptions of dead bodies, child mutilation, graphic violence, death, murder, active combat, descriptions of armed warfare

[Art above is a piece by Art.of.Azrael. You can support them here: https://linktr.ee/Art.of.Azrael ]

Any notes are appreciated!

Jon

It’ll do, I suppose. Jon ran his hand over the tree’s coarse, brown bark. It loomed tall. A hundred branches fanned in every direction. Roots as thick as a man’s arm snaked through a bed of hard, cracked earth. Tall, old and grand – just like a weirwood. Not that it’s like to matter. They won’t hear me and neither will he. Especially not him.

Jon knelt before the grand, old oak tree. One oak of many – of hundreds just like it. Its brothers and sisters formed the forest’s tree line. They gave the old tree a wide birth. As did the bushes and the shrubs and the grass. A grand giant out of place amongst its humble peers. Its leaves were green, not red. Some did have five fingers but, others had six and some had seven. None were shaped like hands. Its bark was brown and coarse, not white and smooth. But it was tall and old. Tall and old is the best I’m like to get.

Ghost watched the tree. His red eyes followed the canopy of fanned branches as they swayed in the muggy, summer breeze. Bloodbeak watched Jon. His scarred eye stared into his, unblinking. Jon had never seen the damnable eye blink. Not once.

Jon drew his dagger and got to carving the face. The brown, course bark parted without complaint. The wood it shielded surrendered to the will of his dagger’s point. Ghost watched him work, head cocked, eyes wide. His ear twitched with every scrape.

“You’re meant to be watching the woods, not me.”

Ghost cocked his head to the other side.

“Oh, very well then – just keep still, boy. Let’s see if I can’t make it look like you. You’re as close as I’m like to find here.”

Bloodbeak perched among the highest, thinnest branches. All at once the breeze vanished. The red morning light danced upon his sleek, black feathers and warmed the pale, exposed flesh of his scarred, unblinking eye. For once the raven said nothing at all.

Two slim ovals for the eyes, a lengthy triangle for the nose and an upside-down arch for the mouth. A child’s drawing stared back at him. Even Arya could have done better than this. Weirwoods looked grim and mighty and wise. The old oak looked like a sad lackwit. 

Jon sheathed his dagger. 

If it’s not to your liking, you can complain to someone who bloody cares. I’m not here to talk to you lot, anyways. 

Jon closed his eyes and bowed his head. Most like, I speak to no one but myself. I’ve felt the cold embrace. I’ve seen what lies on the other side. But… in the small chance that I’m wrong or mistaken or saw a falsehood, I hope my words find you well, Father. 

A muggy, morning wind whistled across the fields. 

What I’ve done – or rather what I did not do – was it right? Did I serve my duty or did I serve myself? Marsh has turned cloak once. Who’s to say he won’t do so again? When things are hard. When things look hopeless. When it suits his benefit. He was a coward; is a coward. Not a man suited to times like this. He buries his head in the snow. He cowers before truth; before hard truths. A man like him cannot adapt to his circumstances. He is a drowning man; like to drag others down with him. Voices whisper these doubts to me, small voices but sharp too. Like needles, they prick me. 

Yet, despite their incessant pricking, I know it in my heart of hearts that Marsh wasn’t mine to kill. Not anymore. Not after my brothers gave me justice. If I had killed him again, there would be no justice in it. What is a second justice if not a murder? I could not kill him. He wasn’t mine to kill. He wasn’t. I pray you agree, Father. These sorts of things; questions of life and death, of right and wrong – you always knew the answers. I pray that your blood has granted me the sight to see. If you were here, you would have scolded me just now. No doubt. Mayhaps, you are scolding me right now for what I do not say, for those I do not address, but… you did not know the old gods like I did, Father. If you had, you would have no words for them either.

Jon lifted his head. Sap wept from the corners of the old oak’s eyes. Amber rivers ran down its brown, course face. Ghost stared at the amber tears. Bloodbeak stared at Jon and said nothing at all. Not even a mutter. Jon clenched his jaw. It’s not Father. He stood. It’s them.

Your power extends beyond the weirwoods. So be it. That does not make me your pawn. Fuck off to your dead world. 

He turned his back on the old oak and headed back to camp. The wall loomed high. The sun shone red. The muggy air reeked of rot.

Bowen

Bowen pulled at the t-shirt’s collar. Too tight. The shirt managed to squeeze him all over; especially his belly. And mismatched to boot. Fashion meant as little as swords but, it would serve to possess as few reasons to be disliked as possible. He had enough as it was. The icy stares and venomous glares – they all must surely be privy to his greatest sin. It was less than he deserved but even so, Jon Snow had granted him a second life. Best to make it one worth living. For however long this dying world allowed him. What sort of life was lived stooped in hatred and ill will? A traitor’s life. His blacks and leathers might have offered a solution to his appearance problem but, dying of heat didn’t seem like the proper way to honour Jon’s mercy either.

At the very least, the shirt and half-leg trousers were thin and allowed the breeze – as muggy as it was – to come and go as it pleased. Never did Bowen think he’d ever feel such heat again. Even after months of living in it, he found himself bewildered when his sweat didn’t freeze on his forehead. If, only for a moment. I must remember to thank… seven hells what is his name? The one who gave me the clothes. With hair white as snow and a beard to match.

Lump lay in the corner of the tent. Will she help matters? The greatsword was near as large as he was. On a swordsman, she’d inspire trust and reliability. On him, she’d inspire mockery.

The tent flap flew open. Chris’s freckled face appeared. “They’re serving breakfast. You coming?”

“Aye.” Bowen considered Lump.

Chris pushed up his glasses. “Hurry, I’m hungry.”

“Hold on.” Bowen retrieved his dagger from the safety of its shelter beneath his cloak and slid it into its scabbard. Lump remained behind as he crawled from the tent. He shielded his eyes from the glare of the red, morning sun. “A bad omen,” he muttered.

“It’s just the sun. Sometimes it’s red. Sometimes it’s orange.”

“A red sky in the morning is a warning from the Crone, lad – of ill luck and hardships to come.”

“Right.” Chris rolled his eyes.

The boy’s youthful arrogance kept him from his faith. To not worship the seven – gods of a distant world – was one thing but, Chris believed himself above even his own world’s god. A god called God. Regardless of his uninspired name, to abandon a higher power was a fool’s errand. A man needs such power to keep him humble lest he wander too far from the trail of righteousness. As I once did. Chris, however, had not felt true power. He had not felt the Stranger’s cold embrace between worlds or the Mother’s kiss upon rebirth. He knew only what this world had taught him, and this world did not teach much of faith. In time, as he matured and this world healed, he would see true as all men should. He has too. It has too.

Bodies swamped a table made of… plastic. More bloody plastic. Plastic pavilions, plastic cups, plastic cutlery. Plastic this and plastic that. Is nothing in this world crafted by the hands of men? Only the food, it seemed. Well, by the hands of women. Real women. Not girls or savages. Real honest to gods women. As he and Chris claimed two free plastic stools, one of them plopped two bowls in front of them and then her arse on the stool beside him. Her smile almost made him forget about the incessant smell of rot that loitered all around.

“Bowen, right? And you’re Chris? Sorry for not finding a chance for proper introductions yesterday. My name’s Lori – Rick’s wife and Carl’s mother. The boy with the hat.” She offered her hand.

Bowen shook it. “Don’t apologise. It’s quite alright. We all had a lot on our minds last night.”

“Hello,” Chris mumbled before shovelling oats into his mouth.

“You’ll have to excuse him. I’m afraid, we haven’t had a proper meal in quite a while.”

Lori waved him off. “Oh, he’s fine. Boys – they never change.”

“This fine work must be your doing, aye?” Bowen gestured to the porridge with his plastic spoon. Every bowl around the table was filled halfway. They live surrounded by fields yet, they ration their food. Caution or necessity?

“Canned porridge. My speciality.”

It tasted of nothing and felt closer to bile upon his tongue than oats yet, a woman’s hands wielded a certain sort of magic. Bowen swallowed his heaping spoonful and pointed the spoon around the table. “I’m afraid I haven’t had to chance to learn names.”

Lori smiled and gestured across the table at a woman with short hair. “That’s Carol. The boy beside her ignoring his food is my son, Carl.” The lad had a chipper look about him. A good sign. Carol’s hair disconcerted him. Short, like a man’s. A strange custom for a strange land, or madness?

Beside the lad, a young lady with hair of gold tied taught shot him a withering look. “That’s Andrea. Ignore the scowl. She scowls more often than not nowadays.”

“Aye.” The scowl did not falter even as Bowen held eye contact. She is privy to my sin. Mayhaps they all are. Lori’s easy smile remained without a twitch or quiver.

A white-haired, wrinkled man sat at the end of the table. Two women sat on either side of him. They shared the same round faces and fair complexion. “That’s Hershel, the farm’s owner, and his daughters, Beth and Maggie. Beth is blonde. Maggie is brunette.”

“Ah yes, we’ve met. It’s thanks to him I have fresh clothes. I’ve been meaning to give him my thanks.”

“I’ll let him know you’re grateful.”

“Thank you.” Bowen nodded. “So, he opened up his home to you?”

“Yeah… he’s a kind man, helpin’ strangers like that. Is Chris your son?”

Chris choked on his porridge.

Bowen slapped him on the back. “I’m afraid not.”

Lori nodded and gestured to a savage-looking man whittling arrows at the table. Unkempt, tangled hair hung over sharp, rugged features. He looked half a wildling. “That’s Daryl. Best not to ignore his scowls. We picked him up some time ago, him and his brother. Found them wanderin’ the woods and gave them a place to lay their heads. Never been the friendliest folks but he’s been with us ever since.”

“And where is this brother?”

“Gone. Is your story a similar one with Tyreese?”

Good. “Did he find me? Aye. Helped me get my bearings after I, uh… after I-”

“Arrived? After you died?”

“Jon has spoken of our home?”

“He has.”

And of more, I wager. “And you believe him?”

“I’ve believed stranger things. You’ve been with them since the start then?”

“Aye, or since my start. I arrived a month or so after the dead began to walk to hear it told.”

“It must have been hard, surviving in such a small group.”

“Our numbers were a hindrance, aye. Tyreese doesn’t trust easily. No matter how many times I told him there was safety in numbers, he’d never listen.”

“He left people to die,” Chris muttered. “Good people.”

“But not you?”

“No, not me,” Bowen said.

“Really? But, you’re strangers, right? People who knew nothing about one another.”

Bowen winced. “No… Nothing at all.”

Lori gave him a shining look. “I see.”

Lori spent the next few minutes detailing the other members of the group from the dark-skinned man, Theodore, who they called to T-Dog to the brooding, once-leader, Shane. When all was said, they seemed decent people; most held to their God and most had a role to play. Even if they were essentially mere small-folk, Bowen could see the beginnings of something great around him. The Culvers could cause issues left unchecked but their leader had a strong look about him. Surely such a man could keep a fat fool and a few squalling children in line.

Lori left to attend to her motherly duties and Chris wasted no time grumbling. “He wouldn’t let me see her last night…”

“Give him time. She’s his daughter.”

“She’s my girlfriend. We were together for four months before the world fell apart. Four months. She loves me and she’d want me by her side.”

Poor lovesick fool. “Aye, I know, lad.”

“Snow!” The old bear’s raven fluttered onto the table. “Snow! Snow!” Death had had no effect on the creature’s lungs it seemed.

He approached the table flanked by his direwolf, bundled in his blacks and mail – a spectre of the past. Smiles and warm words greeted him as he sat, and a bowl found its way before him almost at once. The lad with the hat, Carl, broke away from his mother and rushed to his side. Jon Snow pushed the hat down over the lad’s eyes and whispered something that got the lad giggling. Not once did his eyes venture Bowen’s way. Plenty of others did though. Andrea and the doctor, Jenner glanced his way. Andrea’s scowl festered and a perplexed smile crossed Jenner’s lips. Were they privy to last night? Bowen felt sick. Had he been granted mercy only to have it dashed by a stranger? The whole camp could want him dead, Daryl, Andrea and even Lori for all he knew. It’s less than I deserve. Bowen’s hands trembled. It’s less than I deserve.

“Sorry to keep y’all waitin’.” However many pairs of eyes sent glares his way, but none remained to accuse him as the table’s undivided attention drew towards a tall man with a salt-and-pepper beard. He sat beside Lori at the opposite end of the table to Hershel.

“Come to make excuses, Rick?” Shane asked.

“If by excuses you mean answers, then yeah, I have.” Rick spoke the way you might to a lackwit child – slow and soft. Shane scowled and crossed his arms. Rick cast a smile upon the table of staring eyes. “Hershel, would you mind startin’ us off?”

“Of course.” Hershel got to his feet. The eyes shifted to the end of the table opposing Rick. “I’ve never been one for keepin’ secrets. How can we love our neighbours if we don’t trust ‘em? But, I kept a secret anyhow. Didn’t start off as a secret. Wasn’t ever intended to be a secret. However, a secret it became. So, to clear the air, let’s set things straight. We are out of basic medicine, that mean antib…” The kindly, old whitebeard spoke and spoke some more. Voices raised concerns and charges. But Bowen heard only noise. Out of medicine? They couldn’t be. Julie was safe. They’d said she was safe. How could she be safe without medicine, without the miracle treatments of this strange land?

“You said she was safe.” He must have spoken louder than he intended for a hushed silence swept across the table and every pair of eyes snapped to him. Even Jon’s, sad, sullen eyes. They were too much to bear.

“Safe! Safe! Safe!” cried the Old Bear’s raven.

“I did…” Hershel glanced at Rick. “And… well…”

“She is,” Rick said. “Or will be.”

“Liar!” Chris slammed his fist on the table. “You’re all liars! You said you’d help her! You said you could save her life!”

Bowen touched Chris’s back. “Calm yourself.” The rage deflated out of the boy. He held his head in his hands, tears brimming in his eyes. “What do you plan to do?” Bowen asked.

“There’s a town a short drive away from here full of all kinds of abandoned supplies. We’ll put together a small group and scavenge for medicine to replace what we’ve used up.” Rick smiled with his eyes as he spoke. “Julie’s going to be just fine, I swear it.”

“On your god?”

“On my God. On my wife. On my son.” Rick squeezed his wife’s hand and found his son’s eyes across the table.

“Fuck that. The little bitch is a goner.” May Culver sported a grin as Chris shot to his feet.

“Shut up! No, she isn’t!”

“Yes. She is. Y’all blind? She ain’t got a fuckin’ hand no more. Don’t get me wrong, her kind can take a lot of hell and all but, not that much.”

“SHUT UP!”

“Or what, little man?” James snapped.

“I- I’ll-”

“You’ll sit down, lad,” Bowen said.

“But-”

“Listen to the man, boy,” Sam spoke a little above a whisper. Some leader.

Chris gritted his teeth and sat, fists clenched. As the pack of fools laughed among one another, Sam did nothing. Even as the whole table shot him glares. Even as the fools mocked Julie’s name right beside him. Instead, he stared at the table.

“Got somethin’ to add, Sam?” Rick asked.

“A scavenge… a scavenge won’t work.”

“Why the hell not?” Andrea snapped.

May laughed. “Cause the mall’s overrun, bitch.”

“So?”

“So…” Sam met her eyes. “That’s the only place you’re gonna find any medicine. Everything else’s been picked clean. By us and-”

“Strangers.” James spat.

Sam gave a grim nod. “Y’all ain’t the first to run through these parts. People have been coming and going for months, taking what they will.”

“And you took from them,” Jon said.

Sam didn’t meet Jon’s eyes.

“It’s a dog-eat-dog world, Snow,” May said. “Ain’t enough to around no more, case you ain’t noticed.”

“Damn straight,” James said.

“Ain’t enough,” Pete said.

The three fools looked to the quiet one, Randall. “Dog eat dog,” he muttered.

“It was our town, not theirs,” Sam muttered.

“That stops now,” Rick said. “We find strangers, we don’t rob them, we help them.”

“We gonna foster the whole world now?” May asked. “We’ll run out of room eventually.”

“Y’all could always kindly fuck off. That’ll make room,” Daryl said.

“Right back at ya, arrow boy.” May grinned.

Andrea shook her head and waved her hands. “Hold on. Screw the mall. What about your stash? Surely you’ve got medicine.”

“Get your own,” May snapped.

“We found it fair and square!” James said.

“Fair and square!” Pete said.

“Fair and square…” Randall said.

“That girl’s going to die, you fucking monsters!”

May sneered and shrugged.

“We can’t give you any,” Sam said.

Andrea got to her feet. “You can and you will.”

May shot to her feet. “Try it, bi-” Sam clouted her ear. She clutched it and fell back into her seat.

“I already gave it all to you.”

“Bullshit.”

“Damn, right bullshit!” James said. “I know you ain’t go much sense Pa but there ain’t no way you’re that fuckin’ stupid!”

Sam extinguished James’s fury with a look. “Watch your tone, boy.”

“Why?” Rick asked. “We agreed on a third.”

“Same reason we don’t have none now. Was hardly any to begin with and I ain’t about to let women and children get sick.”

“No,” Andrea said. “You’re lying. Rick, let me check their stash.”

Rick weighed her words.

“Have I lied to you so far?” Sam asked.

“You said you can control them.” Andrea gestured to the Culver. “Look how well that’s gone.”

“I am controllin’ them.”

Andrea scoffed.

Sam scowled. “I ain’t a fucking liar. Go check the fucking stash, you won’t find nothing.”

“But, Pa!”

Sam raised his hand. James gave him a desperate look but received only a glare for an answer.

Rick nodded. “Go on, take a look.”

Andrea hurried off towards the Culver’s camp.

Pete bristled. “I’m checkin’ once you’re done, girl! If I find even a crumb missin’, it’s your ass!”

“Shut up, Pete. You could do with a few less crumbs,” Sam said.

Pete huffed and folded his arms over his potbelly.

“Is this mall our only option?” Rick asked. “Are you sure?”

“There’s a hundred fucking towns just like this one. Don’t gotta only search here,” Daryl said.

“A shot in the dark,” Jon muttered.

“The kid’s right,” Sam said. “If our town’s been picked clean, so has every other town around here. The mall’s a guarantee. No shot anyone’s stupid enough to go in there. You can see the dead fuckers from the street shambling about like a wall of fucking rotting flesh.”

“No one ‘cept us,” Daryl said.

Jon thumbed his chin. “How did this mall, as you say, end up like that?”

“It was a gatherin’ place,” Beth said. Her voice was small and soft. She stared at the table. “The TV said to go there. Probably the whole town listened.”

“But not you?”

Beth shook her head.

“Never trust a talking head. That’s where it’ll get you,” Sam said. “The place is locked from the inside. Got a big ol’ chain wrapped around the handles. Some bastard must have done it as shit was hitting the fan.”

Glenn shifted in his seat. “It’s thanks to whoever did it that we’ve got less walkers to deal with.”

“Yeah? We can tell them that. Sure they’ll agree with you. Might even let us waltz right in for a little shopping spree.”

“Don’t talk to him like that,” Maggie snapped.

“We haven’t decided on anything yet,” Rick said. “Something like this – this is a decision we all need to make.”

A decision for them all to make? He couldn’t mean a vote. Whatever it was, it got nearly every head nodding around the table.

“Always with the fucking voting…” May muttered.

“A vote?” Bowen asked. “For this?”

“That’s how we do things around here.” Rick nodded to Carol.

The short-haired woman scurried off to the house. She returned with a bowl, scraps of paper and a pen.

“Y’all know how this works. The paper and pen will pass around. Right down a yes or a no. Of course, you don’t have to vote but it makes things easier if you do.”

As the bowl, paper and pens made their way around the table, Bowen couldn’t quite believe his eyes. It was as if there were choosing a Lord Commander all over again, and they all acted as if nothing were amiss. Only Jon gave the bowl a disconcerted look. Just as this world was beginning to make sense, it always felt the need to throw something new at him.

The bowl arrived in front of him and Chris. “Even us?” he asked.

“Of course. You’re a part of the group now. You get a vote.”

“Good.” Chris grabbed the pen and paper. “I won’t let you let her die.” He scribbled down yes.

Bowen did the same.

“I’m going,” Chris said before the bowl had moved even one more space down the table.

“That’ll be Glenn’s decision, son,” Rick said. “If we decide to go at all.”

“I’m going and so is Bowen.” Chris looked at him. “Right?”

An army of the dead. Killer corpses. Death incarnate. “I-” Bowen’s skin crawled. “Well-” Chris gave him a desperate look – a pleading, pitiful, desperate look. The scared look of a boy. Bowen swallowed. “I will.”

“I get you want to help your friend.” Glenn wrote down his answer. “But, no offence, I need people I can trust out there.”

An out. A perfect excuse. No one would bat an eye. Jon’s stare bore a hole through his head. “No. We’re coming.”

“We’re going whether it’s with you or on our own,” Chris says.

“Let them.” Jon wrote down his answer. “It’ll keep as many people familiar with the wall at the wall as possible.” Jon gave Bowen a commanding look. This was his chance. A chance to prove himself. Far more than he deserved.

“Let’s finish the vote before we decide anything,” Lori said. She handed the full bowl to Rick.

“Right.” Rick separated the votes into two piles. Nineteen votes for yes. Three for no. “We’re doing this, then… fine – Chris, Bowen you’ll go with Glenn.”

“And Tyreese,” Bowen said. “He wouldn’t forgive us if we left him behind.”

Rick nodded. “And Tyreese.”

“And me,” Jon said.

“I’ll go too,” Sam said.

“No,” Glenn piped up. “Hold on, no. I’ll bring the other three but not you two.”

“Why the hell not?” Sam asked.

“Aye, for what reason?”

“Okay heroes, first of all, you have three broken ribs. You’re only useful if you can swing a sword. And as for you, Sam. You’re better suited here, making sure things run smoothly.”

Jon grimaced and stared at the table. “Aye… okay.”

“Who then?” Sam asked.

“Apart from Bowen, Chris and Tyreese, I’m taking me, Daryl and Maggie.”

“Hold on now,” Hershel said.

“God, Dad. You can’t say no for me. I’m not a kid,” Maggie said.

“It’s too dangerous, and besides, you ain’t never done anything like it before.”

“I have to! How many times have I gone out huntin’? Huh?”

“And look how well that turned out,” Andrea said. She rejoined the table.

Maggie froze, caught between shock and outrage.

Andrea flashed Sam her scowl. “He’s telling the truth.”

“Always do,” Sam said.

“Hershel,” Glenn said. “I need someone with medical experience out there. Preferably someone with two working hands.”

Hershel flushed. “Then take Doctor Jenner.”

Maggie joined Glenn’s side. “Didn’t you hear him? He said he needs people he can trust out there and, I don’t know if you’ve been payin’ attention lately, I’m the person Glenn trusts most nowadays. That’s what love’ll do.”

Glenn flushed and Hershel kneaded his brown. Hershel has the right of it. Women are not made to face such horrors.

“Fine,” Hershel sighed.

Maggie smirked and kissed Glenn on the cheek. It would seem that Daryl isn’t the only one with a bit of wildling in them around here.

“Well then, that settles that. Best we get to work. The wall ain’t gonna build itself.” Rick stood. “Glenn-”

“Hold on, brother,” Shane stood. “You ain’t gettin’ away that easy.”

“Excuse me?”

“What right did you think you had to keep that a secret?”

“It wasn’t a secret.”

“Like hell it wasn’t.”

“It wasn’t. We only ran out yesterday. Glenn, Lori and I decided it’d be best to tell y’all after the workday so it wouldn’t weigh on your minds in the heat.”

“Yeah, man,” Glenn said. “We were gonna tell everyone.”

“It was never a secret,” Lori said.

“Call it what you will. It was a secret. You lied.”

Rick clenched his jaw. “Again, Shane, we were planning on telling everybody at the end of the day.”

“What’s all this we business, brother? You’re in charge ain’t ya? Every decision is your decision no matter how many people are involved. A leader needs to take charge of his decisions, not hide behind excuses all the damn time. He needs to be decisive.”

“Right… what’s your damn point, Shane?”

“My damn point is this, brother!” Shane looked right at Jon. “When I was leader, y’all would have known right away. Y’all would have known yesterday and y’all would have known two weeks ago. Two weeks. How often does Lori take a count, brother? Every few days. And not once did it ever occur to you to mention we were gonna run out of medicine?”

Voices raised as one to shout over one another.

“Shut the hell up, Shane!”

“When you were in charge?!”

“Look how that turned out!”

“Sit down!”

“Your time’s done!”

Jon’s fearsome glare spoke louder than any shouts. Rick looked about to burst but, a touch from Lori settled him.

Rick raised his hands for quiet. “Normally, I’d say we take a vote on it. But, after all that, it seems a bit redundant, huh?

Shane flashed the group a scowl. “Whatever.” He stormed away.

Jon

In front of the farmhouse, the scavenging party prepared to leave. Atop his motorbike, Daryl whittled arrows. In the pickup truck, Glenn and Maggie reviewed a map. And all Jon could do was stand idle as Bowen Marsh secured their supplies in the truck’s bed.

He was never much of a swordsman, Bowen Marsh. Could he count them? Could he organise them? Yes. But when it came to swinging one, the man may as well have taken a bread roll with him to battle for all the use he’d be. The greatsword made for quite a spectacle against his short, round figure.

Jon opened and closed his sword hand as the party made their preparations; as he stood idle and still. “No one would blame you. There’s no shame in it.”

Bowen secured a strap across the pickup truck’s bed. “And let him go on his own? Him? A scrawny boy? No.”

Chris sat in the rangerover, on the opposite side to Tyreese, two rows of seats apart.

“He has Tyreese.”

Bowen fiddled with the strap. A poor farce. His eyes gave him away.

“Glenn’s as sensible as they come and Daryl’s practically half-wolf. The lad’s in fine hands.”

“I’m going, Jon,” Bowen said barely above a whisper.

Jon crossed his arms. “I’m not your Lord Commander anymore. Far be it from me to tell a man where he may or may not go. But don’t go making a mockery of my mercy by getting yourself killed.”

“I… I won’t.” Bowen refused to meet his eyes.

“Good.” Jon tried to ignore Rick’s stare. He watched him like a hawk whenever he and Bowen were ever so much as in shouting distance of one another. “Do you know how to shoot?”

Bowen’s nose wrinkled. “Aye, I’ve more or less figured out the damnable things. It’s not something I can ever get used to. It’s like wielding a bloody lightning bolt. Unnatural it is. Bloody unnatural.”

“Aye, but useful.”

“I suppose…”

Bowen’s handgun looked like any other. They’d found it in a gutter, covered in grime, mud and blood. After Daryl almost lost his lunch when he fished it from the filth he’d refused to ever touch it again and yet, he’d made such a fuss when Rick gave it to Bowen.

“You want to give it to him?” The look Daryl shot Bowen could have curdled milk.

Glenn couldn't meet his eyes. “Yeah, man. If he’s coming with us, he needs one.”

Daryl spat. “Leave him in the car, then. Ain’t gonna be no use anyways, fat old bastard.”

“No. Everyone needs a partner out there – someone to cover their back. Without him, we’re an odd number.”

“Whatever… he ain’t my partner then. No way.”

“I’ll pair with Chris,” Bowen murmured.

And that was as much as Bowen had said about the situation. Death had done nothing for his cravenness it seemed. If anything, he was more meagre than how Jon had left him, if such a thing were possible.

Bowen gave the wall a bold look. “This was you’re doing?”

“My doing? No. Only my idea. The doing was everyone’s.” The rest of the group filled the air with a cacophony of noise; hacking branches, crashing hammers, whirring drills and a screaming chainsaw. All while he stood about idle, on his errand. Glenn wouldn’t let him swing a sword and Rick wouldn’t let him swing an axe. If they had their way, he’d spend most of his time scampering about, pretending to be useful.

Atop a tree trunk post, Sam paused the swinging of his hammer to shout a command at the lumber team.

“That man.” Bowen pointed. “What is his role?”

“First Builder, if you were to give it a title.”

“You say that as if he has no title.”

“He doesn’t.”

“No title?”

“None we use. He used to be a ‘site manager,’. I’ve come to understand they mean more or less the same thing.”

“Bizarre.”

“Aye. But, ignoring the strangeness, it’s proven useful. Those tools came from a building project he worked on before their world collapsed. Power tools they’re called. They’ve turned what should have been months of labour into mere weeks.”

“Should I even ask how they work?”

“Another time, mayhaps.”

Bowen smiled but, in the next breath, his meagerness returned. The smile shamed him. And so it should. To have shame as a constant companion was a lenient punishment.

“Your man…” Bowen’s voice hushed. “Rick, was it? Who was he before the collapse?”

“A sheriff. Some sort of law enforcer.”

“Who’s law? The king’s? Is a sheriff what they call a knight?”

“No. It’s something different. As far as I can gather, sheriffs hold no legal privileges. They swear no vows. Nothing like a knight. Closer to a gold cloak, in a sense.”

“I see… but he still wielded some power, aye? Even if he is of low birth?”

“Some. How much, I haven't been able to put together.”

“As much as… as much as you did, do you think?”

The question might have been bold if hadn’t been whispered and murmured. “You doubt him?”

“I don’t feel any way about him. I don’t know him. Do you trust him above yourself?”

“He makes them feel safe. Safety, even if it’s an illusion, is what they need right now.”

“But real safety? What of that?”

“You need only look ahead of you to see real safety.”

Bowen looked at the wall as he fidgeted with his hands. “Would that wall be there without you?”

“No, Marsh. It wouldn’t.”

“And… if a similar project were required and… and he hadn’t the strength to-”

“I’d ensure it saw completion.”

Bowen nodded. “Good. Good…” He stared at his feet. His hands trembled. “But… why risk it? What if he were to resist? Why not just-”

“Enough.”

“But, they respect you, aye? They’d follow-”

“I’m no power monger, Marsh. They chose him to keep them safe. They’re safe. That’s all there is to it.”

“Time to go!” Glenn shouted. “Bowen, you’ll ride with Chris and Tyreese in the rangerover!”

“Aye!” Bowen glanced Jon’s way. “I… before I go, again- I must say… thank you. For last night.”

“Speak nothing of it.”

“Aye, of course.”

“I mean it. Don’t ever speak of it to me again.”

Bowen stiffened. “Of course. Sorry.” He scurried off towards the rangerover.

“Bowen,” Jon called.

Halfway in the car, Bowen looked back at him. “Aye?”

“Don’t die.”

Bowen smiled. “Once was enough, I think.”

As they sped off down the road, kicking up rooster tails of gravel dust, Jon spied her glare. From across the farm, as she hacked branches from a fallen tree, Andrea looked as if she might kill him.

[parkerbombshell]

Cobwebs And Strange Radio Show #380

Cobwebs And Strange Radio Show  Mondays 12 noon EST , 5pm BST , 9am PDT bombshellradio.com Archival Shows: bombshellradiopodcasts.com COBWEBS AND STRANGE #380 - Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes (All The Young Dudes, 1973) - The Cult - (She Sells) Sanctuary (Love, 1985) - KEELEY - A Doorway to Another World (Beautiful Mysterious, 2024)* keeleyband.bandcamp.com - Electronic - Forbidden City (Raise The Pressure, 1995) - clipping. - Run It (single, 2024)* clppng.bandcamp.com - The KLF -  Last Train To Trancentral (Live From The Lost Continent) (Solid State Logik 1: KLF Communications 7” Hit Singles 1988-1991, 2021) - T. Rex - Jeepster (Electric Warrior, 1971) - Johnny Thunders - You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory (So Alone, 1978) - The Blasters -  So Long Baby Goodbye (The Blasters, 1981) - Rudi - When I Was Dead (Big Time: The Singles 1978-1982, 2021) - Jim Trainor - Better Than You Do (single, 2024)* jimtrainor.bandcamp.com - Thee Strawberry Mynde - Reflections (single, 2024)* theestrawberrymynde.bandcamp.com - Porter & Hello Seahorse! - Cora (single, 2024)* - Fantastic Negrito - Son Of A Broken Man (Son Of A Broken Man, 2024)* fantasticnegritomusic.bandcamp.com - Thee Sacred Souls - One And The Same (Got A Story To Tell, 2024)* theesacredsouls.bandcamp.com - Ambar Lucid - Get Lost In The Music (Get Lost In The Music EP, 2021) - The Stranglers - Genetix (The Raven, 1979) - HENGE - Ascending (Journey to Voltus B, 2025)* - A Place To Bury Strangers - Plastic Future (Synthesiser, 2024) - The Golden Cups - This Bad Girl (single, 1968) - Flu Flu - Volveras (Furia, 2024)* shorediverecords.bandcamp.com - Father John Misty - She Cleans Up (Mahashmashana, 2024)* - Gut Health - Uh Oh (Stiletto, 2024)* guthealthband.bandcamp.com - Panda Bear - Defence (Sinister Grift, 2025)* pandabearmusic.bandcamp.com - The Armoires - Green Hellfire At The 7-11 (Octoberland, 2024)* bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com - 20/20 - Back To California (single, 2024)* bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com - The Jack Rubies - Phantom (single, 2024)* bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com - Halsey - Lonely Is The Muse (The Great Impersonator, 2024)* - The Howl & The Hum - Same Mistake Twice (Same Mistake Twice, 2024)* - Tilli -  Dreamy (single, 2024)* tilli.bandcamp.com - Stick In The Wheel - Can’t Stop (A Thousand Pokes, 2024)* stickinthewheel.bandcamp.com - Blodwyn Pig - It’s Only Love (Ahead Rings Out, 1969) - Whitey - DON'T BE A CAN'T (ALL YOUR LIFE) (MENTAL RADIO, 2024)* musicglue.com/whitey - Goat - Goatbrain (Goat, 2024)* goat.bandcamp.com - Ed Ryan - Fine Art To Letting It Go (Along For The Ride, 2024)* edryan.bandcamp.com - Ex Norwegian (as X-Dirty Norwegians) - Talk Dirty (Sing Wistle Tunes, 2024)* shop.exnorwegian.com - Aursjoen - Nytår (Strand, 2024)* aursjoen.bandcamp.com - Nymphs - Sad And Damned (Nymphs, 1990)  Inger Lorre (born Lori Ann Wening) - Liam Payne - Strip That Down (Acoustic) (single, 2017) - Mitzi Gaynor - Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair (South Pacific, 1958) - Ka - Bread Wine Body Blood (The Thief Next To Jesus, 2024)* - Miss Mary Jane - Thriller (single, 2024)* Read the full article

[ao3feed-harleyquinn]

The Rubout Chronicles: Beginnings of the Brigade

by AnoneySnufftan For the entirety of its recorded history, the realm has been dominated by the whims of its wickedest women as they've prospered at the expense of the innocent with little fear of punishment. Starting here and now, all that changes with a voluptuous vengeance, courtesy of the leading ladies of Rubout Team Alpha and their soon-to-be-dreaded signature brand of sexy justice through lethal lifeguarding! Words: 45082, Chapters: 8/8, Language: English Series: Part 1 of The Rubout Chronicles Fandoms: Multi-Fandom Rating: Explicit Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con Categories: F/F Characters: Nani Pelekai, Nami (One Piece), Musashi | Jessie, Bouquet (Blue Dragon), Zola (Blue Dragon), Kujaku Mai | Mai Valentine, Chel (Road to El Dorado), Lori Loud, Juniper "June" Lee, Penny (Inspector Gadget), Violet Parr, Clover (Totally Spies), Jessica Rabbit (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Harleen Quinzel, Marie Kanker, Shego (Kim Possible), Bonnie Rockwaller, Sissi Delmas, Kim Possible, Princess Mandie (Fairly OddParents), Raven (Teen Titans), Starfire, Anarchy Panty, Anarchy Stocking, Kneesocks (Panty & Stocking), Scanty (Panty & Stocking), Hello Nurse (Animaniacs), Princess Morbucks, Trixie Lulamoon (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Darcy (Winx Club), Charmcaster (Ben 10 Series), Ty Lee (Avatar), Ami Onuki (Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi), Yumi Yoshimura (Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi), Bayonetta | Cereza (Bayonetta), Belinda, Holli Would (Cool World), Felicia Hardy, Rikku (Final Fantasy X Series), Sylvia Christel Additional Tags: Rule 34, Fetish, Snuff, lotion, Sunscreen, Massage, Execution, Punishment, Humiliation, Sunbathing, Tanning, Ryona, Embedded Images, Crossover, Crack Treated Seriously, Porn With Plot, Oil, Forced Orgasm, Beaches, Nude Beach, Assassination via https://ift.tt/HFxRhXs

[spookyblazecoffee]

Brett: That's ridiculous, Nolan doesn't have a crush on me. Lori: Yes they do. Ally: Yes he does. Nolan: Yes I do.

[beneaththemooon]

Books I came across that I haven’t read:

Silver Sparrow x Tayari Jones

Luster x Raven Leilani

The dangers of smoking in bed x Mariana Enriquez

The final girl support group x Grady Hendrix

Big Swiss x Jen Beagin

Yellowface x R.F Kuang

Knife: mediations after murder x Salman Rushdie

How to end a love story x Yulin Kuang

Getting mothers body x Suzan Lori Parks

Carmilla x Joseph Sheridan

We do what we do in the dark x Michelle Hart

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Dark Knight Of Uva Academy

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/H74amsG by GeneralJaguar Batman is just doing his usual thing, when he's kidnapped by Mew! Now in Paldea with no memories of who he is, Bruce Wayne ventures through the land with the help of Uva Academy. and the Pokemon who decide to join him. As he is doing this, many lovely ladies are looking for him, saying that they and he are betrothed! [Batman x Huge Harem] Words: 5145, Chapters: 2/60, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Totally Spies, アイカツ! アイドルカツドウ! | Aikatsu!, Hazbin Hotel (Web Series), Helluva Boss (Web Series), Ever After High, Monster High (Cartoon 2022), The Owl House (Cartoon), The Loud House (Cartoon), My Little Pony Generation 4: Friendship Is Magic (Cartoon 2010), うる星やつら | Urusei Yatsura, ゼロの使い魔 | Zero no Tsukaima | The Familiar of Zero, Winx Club Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M Characters: Bruce Wayne, Nemo | Nemona (Pokemon), Botan | Penny (Pokemon Scarlet & Violet), Meloco | Mela (Pokemon), Zeiyu | Carmine, Kanzaki Mizuki, Hoshimiya Ichigo, Shibuki Ran, Kiriya Aoi, Shiratori Hime, Elza Forte, Kamishiro Karen, Clover (Totally Spies), Alex (Totally Spies), Sam (Totally Spies), Mandy (Totally Spies), Charlie Magne | Morningstar, Vaggie (Hazbin Hotel), Velvette (Hazbin Hotel), Loona (Helluva Boss), Octavia Goetia, Verosika Mayday, Apple White, Raven Queen (Ever After High), Briar Beauty (Ever After High), C.A. Cupid, Cerise Hood, Madeline "Maddie" Hatter, Kitty Cheshire, Lizzie Hearts, Poppy O'Hair, Holly O'Hair, Darling Charming, Draculaura (Monster High), Emira Blight, Amity Blight, Luz Noceda, Lori Loud, Leni Loud, Luna Loud, Carlota Casagrande, Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Applejack (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Rarity (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Fluttershy (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Princess Celestia (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Princess Luna (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Starlight Glimmer (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Lum (Urusei Yatsura), Benten (Urusei Yatsura), Mendou Ryoko, Mizunokoji Asuka, Louise de La Vallière (Zero no Tsukaima), Kirche von Anhalt-Zerbst, Siesta (Zero no Tsukaima), Princess Henrietta de Tristain, Roxy (Winx Club) Additional Tags: Harems, Pokemon Battles, Polygamy read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/H74amsG

[ogravensimp]

sketch dump time!!

we got:

a damian practise sketch

jericho x raven my sweet comfort ship

raven and black alice(are they on a date? maybe)

and how i think the general public reacts to demon!raven

[firebloodanddragons]

Of Dragons and Lambs - Chapter 1 (Aemond Targaryen x Reader)

Summary: As the realm is about to celebrate the 129th anniversary of Aegon's conquest, a royal raven sent by Prince Aegon himself summons you to court. Afraid something might have happened to your husband, you hastily leaves for the capital. But your arrival is most impromptu. King Viserys is dead and the Greens are plotting Aegon's coronation and soon you are involved in political affairs that go beyond imagination. Wife, Lady-in-waiting, Whore, Confident, Lover ... What are you supposed to be now?

Tags: Romance /  Secret Relationship/ Angst / Canon-Typical Violence / Blood and Gore/ Sex / Targaryen Incest / Explicit Sexual Content/ Infidelity /Explicit Language

Author's notes: After watching House of the Dragon and reading (and annotating) Fire and Blood, here's my Aemond Targaryen x Reader fan fiction. I tried to create a story that respects both what's told in the book and what is shown in HotD and I truly hope my portrayal of GRR Martin's characters is faithful. English is not my mother tongue, so I apologise if there is any grammatical mistake. I hope you will enjoy reading. Chapter 1 mainly is an introduction to the story. The relationship between Aemond and Reader will be explored more deeply in Chapter 2.

(also available on AO3)

CHAPTER 1:  ĀBRAR DOHAERIS

           A loud bang to the door to your chambers woke you with a start. Startled, you noticed the room was in a dimming light and that the soft and pale rays of the sunrise were barely seeping in the space between the velvet curtains the servants had drawn last night. It was early, very early, too early to be woken up. Something must have happened. You sat down and adjusted your night gown hastily before allowing whomever had knocked to come in. Soon your most faithful handmaid, Brunwina, opened the door but she did not dare approach. But even in the distance you noticed her trembling hands.             “My lady, I am so sorry to wake you this early but a raven arrived from King’s Landing.”       “Is it about my husband?” You were quick to ask.     Your lord-husband, Lorys Rosby, had left the castle to go to King’s Landing a few days ago after being summoned by the King’s Hand, Otto Hightower, in preparation of the 127th anniversary of Aegon’s conquest. The event, which was a week of great feasts, dances and tourneys, gathered each year all the lords and ladies of the Seven Kingdoms and for many decades it had been House Stokeworth’s duty to make the royal family’s festive clothes for your seat was famous for its formidable craftsmen, weavers and dressmakers. The tradition was not to your husband’s taste however and he had made it very clear. “My father used to make me bring food to those incestuous pale cunts and now my wife forces me to dress them.” And this is why what your servant said afterward made your heart skip a beat.     “The message carries the royal seal, my lady.”       Seven hells Lorys, what have you done? You thought before reaching for the letter.           As it turned out, he hadn’t done anything (or at least nothing was mentioned in the letter) but the words signed by Prince Aegon Targaryen himself commanded you to come to King’s Landing immediately. “The King requests your presence before the big celebration that is to come.”       And so, you left your father’s castle in a haste along with your handmaiden and your septa and a small chest full of clothes. You arrived to King’s Landing when the sun reached its highest point in the sky. But the man who received you was not King Viserys Targaryen.                     “King Viserys is dead. And your arrival here is most impromptu.” Otto Hightower said solemnly before locking you up in an underground cell with other ladies of your status.         And soon you would realise that the celebration that was to come would to be the anniversary of Aegon’s conquest and that future dance everyone in the kingdom expected would not be a dance of cheerful lords and ladies. It would be a dance of dragons.

           Black did not really suit Prince Aegon’s pale skin or silver hair. The colour made him look sickly and ghost-like, enhancing his dark circles and the hangover still tinting his face in shades of yellowish green. But to Queen Alicent’s proud eyes, his first born looked most magnificent. Only her daughter and her second son, Princess Helaena and Prince Aemond, whose presence had been solicited by the dowager queen, seemed to notice that their brother didn’t look credible in the fine royal attire that had been made for him. However, only the latter allowed his opinion to show through the disapproving frown on his young face and one could easily read young Prince Aemond’s clear thoughts. Had this attire been his to wear, he wouldn’t have looked like a boy playing dress-up.   “You stupid boy!” Otto Hightower growled as he stormed in his grandson’s apartment.     Scared by the noise, Helaena jumped on her seat while Alicent shielded her first born with her slim body. Only Aemond remained composed and imperturbable although a malicious smirk began to appear on his face.   “What has he done again?” Queen Alicent asked.     “Even on a day as important as this one, you had to think with your cock, didn’t you?”         “It seems you like my cock only when it suits your interests, grandfather.” Aegon retorted with a confidence only his mother’s protection could provide.         “What is going on?”       “Your son summoned Lady Y/N Stokeworth to court.”     “Why would you do that? You know no one is to leave or to enter the Red Keep until your coronation.” Alicent explained with a tone that wasn’t as harsh as her father’s but certainly as angry.             “Who’s Lady Y/N?” Aegon asked, clueless and his brother snickered wholeheartedly, drawing the attention of his family on himself.     “I would have never thought you were foolish or lustful enough to do it, brother. But once again it seemed ale got the better of you.” Aemond mocked, choosing his words wisely. He knew where was the line he could not cross.             “What do you know, Aemond?” Otto demanded, his impatience burning in his blue eyes but the one-eyed prince did not care and he kept smirking a little longer, enjoying the family drama.   “Perhaps my sister should leave first.”       Alicent agreed and asked a handmaiden to escort Helaena back to her own chambers. She knew that whatever Aegon had done, it was not in his sister-wife’s best interest. Quite the opposite actually. “When Aegon staggered back to the Red Keep in the early hours after another escapade to Flea Bottom few nights ago in the company of Lord Lorys Rosby, I heard them mention Lady Y/N’s … carnal talents. Lord Rosby bragged so much about it, Aegon replied something like ‘Careful I might be tempted to use her little cunt’. I guess my brother didn’t resist temptation very long.”         Aegon’s purple eyes widened as the flashes of the depraved night Aemond mentioned came back to him.       “You thought you could make a noble married woman your whore? Have you lost your mind?!” Alicent shouted.         “I was drunk. I barely remember sending the fucking raven.” The future king said in his defence.           “Well, you sent the fucking raven and now here she is. ” Otto Hightower growled.       “So?”     “So?” The Hand repeated, exasperated by his grandson’s naivety. “We’re holding in a cell not only the Lord of Rosby but the heiress to House Stokeworth, both seats that are close to the Velaryons for they have been trading for generations and thus close to your half-sister. What do you think is going to be their reaction when they learn of their imprisonment?”   “I think we can use their imprisonment as pressure, force them to join our ranks. I’ve heard that’s what you started doing. After all, we’ve all seen the hanged bodies in the yard.”           “Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys will never join our alliance with if we keep their trading companion in our cells. They will see it a form of aggression. But you didn’t think about that, did you?” Aemond said with a discomforting stoicism. Otto and Alicent looked at him, sitting tall and proud on his chair by the fireplace and for a second they both wished Aemond had been the first-born son for he was smarter and more calculating than his brother despite his hot-temper.     Aegon noticed his grandfather and mother’s thoughtful stare and so he sticked out his chest and spoke confidently. “Make the lady Helaena’s lady-in-waiting.” All eyes turned to Aegon. “My sister is to be Queen. She deserves new ladies-in-waiting, proper ones. With Lady Y/N permanently in court, Lord Lorys will have to serve us to guarantee her safety. The Velaryon will not be able to call them prisoners. In fact, the will most likely believe we treat his them generously and thust they will perhaps consider our alliance treaty with an open ear.”             The plan was judicious and smarter than what the Hightowers would have expected from Aegon. But the idea did not please Aemond who wished secretly his brother had not thought of it.    “What about the marriage pact you mentioned, father?” Alicent asked and Aemond raised an eyebrow. “Do we abandon the idea?”     “We certainly do not. We need to play all our pawns. We need all the allies we can have. House Baratheon must give us their support. We cannot allow them to join Princess Rhaenyra’s cause.” Otto declared. “Aemond! Lord Borros is a proud and ambitious man. Go to Storm’s End right after the coronation feast, flatter that crabby illiterate’s ego and offer to marry one of his daughters. Any of the four will do. Woo her and wed her and Lord Borros will deliver the Stormlands for your brother. Fail—"           “I will not fail.” Aemond blustered. “Aegon will have Storm’s End and I will have this girl.”

            The room was awfully quiet. No word, no whisper could be heard and you could feel the crushing weight of that ominous silence on your small shoulders pressuring you to fall on your knees. You knew you had just fallen into a viper’s nest. And even though the reptiles around you were silent you could sense their six vicious eyes staring. Green, brown and blue. All judging, envying or commanding. What petrifying eyes. They had turned you into stone the second you had stepped foot in Princess Helaena’s chambers and they had managed to snuff out the little self-confidence you believed you owned. But they had not taken your strength away. “There is no need to be shy, Lady Y/N. Surely my husband must have heard of your talents. Otherwise, he would not have made you my new lady-in-waiting.” Princess Helaena’s voice was the softest you had ever heard. It sounded genuinely sweet and yet from another world as if her happiness only existed in a land of dreams she didn’t know she was locked in. But she remained a dragon and there was nothing more dangerous than a dragon. You, the little lamb from Castle Stokeworth, knew that better than anyone. And thus, you would not be fooled by a kindness that was probably just some kind of trap to make you drop your guard. You were not safe here, as any sheep among vipers and dragons would be.           “I have no talent, your grace.” You said as you gathered all your strength to keep your voice and yourself steady. “A lady with no talent? I do not believe it. Surely you know one thing or two. Perhaps poetry.”           You had been raised in a noble house, the only daughter and last remaining heir of a wealthy family of the Crownlands who always saw you as nothing but the only marriage material they owned. The lamb with a golden wool, they called you. So of course, you were a very literate woman. You had to be. In fact, you could remember all the rainy afternoon spent in the castle’s library with your Septa reading historical books, legends and poetry. However, you could not call yourself a poet. “I can read, your grace. But I am no poet.”           “Painting then.” You shook your head. “No, your grace.”     “Sewing? Embroidery? I heard the finest weavers of Westeros can be found in your seat.” The royal woman said as she touched the beige dress you were wearing, not caring about the dirt your day in the donjons had left on the silk.         “It’s true, your grace. But I am afraid my skills do not match Stokeworth’s reputation.”         “You’re too modest, my lady. What about music? I love music.” She sounded childishly enthusiastic. “I am sure you were taught to play an instrument or to sing at the very least.”   You swallowed the little bit of saliva that was left in your dried mouth and looked at the vipers sitting around you: the ladies Lannister, Wilde and Fossoway whose snakelike stares hadn’t left your figure since your arrival. Surely, they would soon let you hear their whistling mockeries.         “I don’t think I can sing, your grace. I stopped when my mother died and…”           The rest of the sentence didn’t find its way out your mouth as the sadness brought back by the thoughts of your dead mother knotted your throat. But Princess Helaena did not notice your grief and with a bright smile she asked you to sing for her. Your eyes widened in apprehension, begging her to reconsider her request. Alas, she did not and the vipers started smirking.             The insisting purple stare of the Targaryen princess made you open your mouth and the fear to see your husband beheaded because of your pathetic mutism forced you to let out a few notes. They sounded terrible, sometimes like a blade scraping a metal shield, sometimes like a new born choking on his cries. But most of all, they sounded awfully miserable, showing the concealed misery that your eyes refused to let out. Although no one had made it clear, you had an idea on why you were here. It wasn’t to keep the Princess company. It wasn’t to entertain her with your nonexistent talents. No, if there was a person you were here to entertain, it probably was Aegon, the man who had requested your presence in the Red Keep. And you knew exactly how the young man liked to be entertained. You had heard the rumours.     “What a lovely nightingale.” Helaena clapped her hands and her sincerity caught you unaware. Should you thank her or simply look down and pay attention to the mocking giggles of the ladies around you?   “The princess complimented you, silly girl. What are you waiting for? Thank her grace. Who taught you manners?” Lady Lannister snarled.         “Yes, of course. Thank you, your highness. You are very kind.” You mumbled as you clenched your fists and the women all laughed at your clumsiness, including the late King Viserys’s daughter but only because she found laughing contagious. But their scornful laughter ceased once a loud and stately voice resonated in the chambers like a cold and whistling gale rushing into a cave. It made everyone except Queen Heleana shake like leaves. “Our brother obviously did not ask her to sing before he requested her presence in court. But then again, I am certain he does not give a shit about her voice.” Those truthful words hurt but you kept your head up while the eyes of the three vipers and the Queen landed upon the slender and majestic figure of Prince Aemond Targaryen. The ladies-in-waiting looked both scared and uncomfortable and their eyes quickly found a certain interest in the embroideries of their noble dresses. And once you dare glance at him you understood why.

There was something truly intimidating and rather terrifying about him, something almost menacing, and it wasn’t the large scar on his face or the leather eyepatch. No, the fear that the young prince inspired came from something else. Whether it was the cold demeanour that kept his head high and his chiselled jawline permanently clenched or the resentful and unpredictable fire burning in his eye, you did not know. All you knew was that the second son of the late King Viserys oozed not only danger but fire and blood. A true Targaryen. A true dragon.     “I am so glad to see you, brother. Are you here to keep me company? I am afraid I have to prepare for this afternoon celebration”         “I just wanted to have a look at the new lady-in-waiting and see what was so special about her to make our wastrel of a brother act once more like a horny fool.” The way Prince Aemond insulted his brother didn’t seem to shock anyone but you. But your astonishment vanished as soon as the one-eyed man approached you and slowly started circling you to scrutinize you from head to toe. He acted almost like a predator walking around a prey except that his eye held no hunger, just curiosity and judgment. A voice in your head begged you to look down but the little courage you had managed to keep since your meeting with Otto Hightower helped you stand strong and when your eyes finally caught Prince Aemond’s purple iris you stared back at him, supporting his look, your strength tinted with a sudden weird fascination.         As you looked at his young scarred face, you wondered what happened to his left eye and what could be hiding under the eyepatch. You had heard rumours. Some said the prince’s eye had been taken by a dragon. Some said he had lost it in a battle against his kin while a few whispered the Prince had been cursed by a witch and was since hiding an eye similar to a dragon’s eye under the piece of leather. You did not know which one to believe, finding them all ludicrous or implausible.         You probably stared for too long because Aemond ultimately frowned in irritation and let out a brief yet annoyed “Mmh” that should have made you look down if not for your sake for your husband’s.   “Unsurprisingly, her reputation precedes her.” Prince Aemond said, without looking away. “She is just a lamb with a golden wool … and a pretty face.”     You raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his words. You never thought your nickname had reached King’s Landing let alone royal ears.         “Don’t make her sing ever again, dear sister.” And with these words he stormed out of the room as swift and determined as he had entered it. “And ask your handmaidens to bring her to the throne room. Our brother requests her presence.”   And when the door shut, you took a deep breath and realized you had been breathless all this time.   What an intriguing man.

           The Iron Throne. Thousands blades taken from those who once dared face Aegon the Conqueror. Thousands blades forged in the fiery breath of Balerion the Dread. Thousands blades before which a young man who’s barely the shadow of his namesake was standing, his silver head waiting for a crown that should never be his.               “I do not like sending a drinking friend in a cell but when the drinking friend in question is sworn to my enemy, I must not treat him like a friend any longer. As you most certainly understood, Lord Rosby, my father King Viserys is dead. But before his death he named me is successor. This throne is mine.” Aegon’s young voice echoed in the room but the man standing before him stood his ground and even dared snicker in silence, unimpressed by the prince’s attempt at being fearsome.             Lord Lorys Rosby was seven-and-twenty. Tall and strong with dark brown hair and eyes as black as charcoal, he was the elder nephew and only male heir of the late Lord Jon Rosby who had bequeathed him the regency of his house a few years ago. Ambitious, the young lord had wed you a fortnight ago in order to unite his house to the Stokeworth’s and hopefully see his seat grow if your father came to die with no male heir.   “Your father once swore to my half-sister, Princess Rhaenyra. But you still can do the right thing and pledge your allegiance to the one and only House Targaryen, to the one true monarch.” His words were not truly his but the Hightower’s. One could easily guess their venom in each syllable.           “I know where my allegiance lies. I only know one monarch, the one your father, King Viserys the Peaceful, chose.” Lorys solemnly declared and the young King-to-be Aegon smiled proudly. “The one my house and my fiancé’s father swore to serve.” But the smirk quickly faded.“Queen Rhaenyra, the first of her name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men. Protector of the Realm.”         The silver-haired prince’s purple eyes widened. He was offended but most of discountenanced.       “I had hoped the darkness of a cell would have changed your mind.”           “House Rosby is headstrong. When there’s a storm, we face it bravely despite the ominous risks. We do not run from it. We’re no cowards who switch loyalty to find a shelter.”                   “You’re going to wish you were one.” Otto Hightower threatened, eager to take things in charge. “Sir Criston!”

The doors to the throne room swung open and Sir Criston in his knight armour entered on the Hand’s order, dragging you in. His gloved hand firmly tightened around your arm, he made you stand a couple of steps away from your husband who looked horrified to see you here.     “You did not lie, Lord Rosby. What you told your future king is true. Your new wife is a lovely flower and she is definitely more gorgeous that the previous one, richer as well. Surely, she is very precious to you. Wouldn’t it be disastrous if something were to happen to her?”           “Don’t you dare touch her!”                 “Aegon is to be crowned king tod—"       “If I want to touch her, I will.” Aegon declared, not caring about his grandfather’s monologue. “What is yours is mine for you are my subjects. Lady Y/N has been my wife’s lady-in-waiting. She will remain in the Red Keep as long as it pleases me. Whether her stay is comfortable or not depends on you and your obedience. Swear me fealty and no harm will be done to her. You will go back to Rosby a free man and I will make sure your son and daughter from your marriage to Lady Lyra Darklyn will have a place at the court and that you receive the payment House Darklyn denied you when your previous wife died. Refuse to acknowledge me as King, not only you will rot in a cell, landless and stripped of all your titles, but I will personally make sure that all the children born from your wife are my bastards.” The proposition as well as the threat made you feel dizzy and you were sure that if not for Sir Criston’s hand still holding you up you would have fallen to the ground. You looked at your husband, begging him to consider everything involved in this bargain, the gifts as much as the traps. You wanted him to ask Prince Aegon to wait a few days for his answer. You wanted your husband to talk to you, to make a decision with. You did not want to see you as a traded good just like your father before him. But what you wanted did not matter.         “Valar Dohaeris.”           Ābrar dohaeris, you mean.

[CHAPTER 2]  

[forever1kay]

My Masterlist(s)

Last updated: 07/28/2023

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Marvel masterlist

Featuring Marvel characters such as the variants of Spider-Man, the variants of MJ//Gwen, the Avengers, the X-men, the S.H.I.E.L.D agents, the Wakandans, the (As)guardians of the galaxy, etc;

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ DC Comics masterlist

Featuring characters from the DC Universe!! Keep in mind I’m not the biggest DC fan, so for now, characters I will write about are limited. Requests are currently closed, but I foresee myself writing about Dick Grayson and/or Kory Anders in the near future ;)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Graceland masterlist (coming soon)

Featuring characters from the USA show Graceland that ran from 2013 to 2015. Characters include José “Johnny” Tuturro, (Paul) Briggs, Paige Arkin, Catherine “Charlie” Demarco , (Michael) Mike “Levi” Warren, and Dale “DJ” Jakes. I will most certainly not write imagines about Lauren Kincaid, she gets on my nerves.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ One Day at a Time masterlist (coming soon)

Featuring all major and minor characters of the 2017 sitcom “One Day at a Time”. This includes but is not limited to Penelope Alvarez, Alex Alvarez, Elena Alvarez, Patrick Schneider, Max Ferraro, Avery, Ramona, Jill Riley, Carmen, Lori, and Finn (etc). Any imagines about the older characters such as Dr. Leslie Berkowitz and/or Lydia Riera will be strictly platonic and/or family imagines :)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star masterlist

Including characters from the 2020 Fox show 9-1-1: Lone Star such as TK Strand, Carlos Reyes, Owen Strand, Grace Ryder, Wyatt Harris, Judd Ryder, Marjan Marwani, Paul Strickland, Mateo Chavez/Probie, Tommy Vega, Nancy Gillian, and (maybe) Gwyneth Morgan. Characters from 9-1-1 include May Grant, Maddie Buckley, Henrietta Wilson, Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz, Howard “Chimney” Han, Evan “Buck” Buckley, Athena Grant, Bobby Nash, Ravi Panikkar/Probie, Taylor Kelly Martin, and (maybe) and Ana Flores.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Disney (& Pixar) masterlist (coming soon)

Including characters from Disney shows and movies, including Good Luck Charlie, Jessie, A.N.T Farm, Let it Shine, Starstruck, Sydney to the Max, Raven’s home, etc. I will also write imagines for any animated characters such as Tiana and/or Naveen, Flynn and/or Rapunzel, Moana, Mulan, Penny Proud, Kim Possible, and so forth.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 80s//90s//2000s masterlist (coming soon)

Featuring imagines of characters from shows and movies that came out in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. This includes Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends, Full House, Boy Meets World, Stand By Me, The Outsiders, 10 Things I Hate About You, Boyz n the Hood, The Wayans Bros, The Bernie Mac Show, My Wife & Kids, Love & Basketball, etc. This list does not include characters from any cartoons, that list can be found below.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Anime, Manga, & Cartoon masterlist

Featuring characters from shows like the Boondocks, HxH, ATLA, Legend of Korra, Seven Deadly Sins, My Hero Academia, Tokyo Revengers, JJK, etc; Yes I do understand that some of these shows might’ve been from the early 2000s, but they are in this category for a reason :)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Supernatural masterlist (coming soon)

Featuring characters such as Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Jack Kline, and Castiel. Minor characters (or characters that were definitely major but weren’t in many episodes) may or may not be included sooner or later, but I’m leaning more towards may not…

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Avatar and A:TWOW Masterlist

This list includes characters such as Jake Sully, Neytiri, Lo’ak, Neteyam, Kiri, Spider, Tsireya, Ao’nung, Rotxo, Grace, Trudy Chacon, Tonowari, and Ronal.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Harry Potter, The Marauders, & Fantastic Beasts masterlist (coming soon)

Including characters such as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Cedric Diggory, Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Regulus Black, Severus Snape, Newt Scamander, Leta Lestrange, and possibly anyone else requested. DISCLAIMER!!!: If I write about Tom Riddle, I’m writing about how he looked BEFORE he looked like a water creature with two cuts for a nose.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Ginny & Georgia masterlist (coming soon)

Including characters such as Georgia Miller, Marcus Baker, Joe, Padma, Zion Miller, and Austin Miller (PLATONIC). Anyone who isn’t on this list are characters I’m not particularly fond of or can’t see myself taking the romantic route enough to write about them, but if you ask nicely I may consider writing a little something about them.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Hawaii Five-O (2010) masterlist (coming soon)

Featuring characters such as Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly, and Kono Kalakaua. Any other major character can be requested and then put onto the list.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Female celebrity masterlist (coming soon)

Featuring female celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Zendaya, China Anne McClain, Raven Godwin, Danai Gurira, Gwyneth Paltrow, Queen Latifah, Salma Hayek, Megan Fox, Nia Long, Jessica Alba, Lauren London, Lupita, Kehlani, Latto, Mette Towley, Sky Katz, Stefflon Don, Kayla Nicole, Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion etc.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Male celebrity masterlist (coming soon)

Featuring male celebrities such as Bryson Tiller, Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Miguel, Odell Beckham Jr, Andrew Garfield, August Alsina, Keith Powers, Chris Brown (possibly), Giveon, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Ludacris, Anthony Mackie, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Tom Hiddleston, Jensen Ackles, Manny Montana, Jack Harlow, etc;

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Non-binary & Gender Fluid celebrity masterlist (coming soon)

Including celebrities such as Janelle Monae, Demi Lovato, Sam Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Amandla Stenberg, and Ruby Rose. Let me know if there’s anyone else you want me to add to the list!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Misc Masterlist (coming soon)

Including characters and/or people that don’t fit into the other categories; including characters from shows I don’t plan to write about often, known people who aren’t exactly “famous”, multi fandom scenarios that don’t have a specific name thrown in there and can apply to anyone etc