#bren was the leader

[redstrewn]

He is such a fucking idiot but oh look i want to worship him anyway

[august-undergrounds]

Mormon Doctrine of Blood Atonement and the Law of Vengance

Blood Atonement: This part of Mormon doctrine has now been denied by church leaders and practitioners, and denounced as a lie spread by detractors of the church. However, many official church texts, mainly those created during Brigham Young's presidency, state this belief explicitly. It refers to the idea that, although Jesus Christ's blood has atoned for the sins of the world, there are certain crimes against God that not even Christ can redeem. In this instance, that person must have their blood shed upon the earth so that they may not be subject to eternal suffering in outer darkness as a son of perdition.

"... Brigham Young, taught that in a complete theocracy the Lord could require the voluntary shedding of a murder's blood - presumably by capital punishment - as part of the process for atonement of such grevious sin." (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Daniel H Ludlow, Brigham Young University)

While this quote states that the sinner's blood must be shed voluntarily, it does not appear to be a requirement, as seen in the execution of John D. Lee folowing the Mountain Meadows Massacre, of which Brigham Young was quoted as saying during an interview:

[Correspondednt - "Do you belive in blood atonement?"

Brigham Young - "I do, and I belive that Lee has not half atoned for his great crime. The Saviour died for all the sins of the world by shedding his blood, and then I belive that he who sheds the blood of man wilfully, by man shall his blood be shed. In other words capital punishment of roffenses deserving death, according to the laws of the land"] (An Interview With Brigham Young, from Deseret News vol. 26 no. 16)

Other crimes against God that may call for blood atonement are apostasy (denying the church's truth), theft, and fornication, although sodomy and adultery are not included. It is important to note that this practice was intended to be instituted in a state run by the Mormon acting as the head of the government. Brigham Young was once close to this theocracy during the early days of the Mormon church in the Utah Territory. The pre-existing church heirarchy and leadership quickly assumed positions of power, with Brigham Young serving as the Utah Territory's first govenor, where he exerted incredibly influence over the people. In Young's ideal world, he could govern his church and prosecute those deserving of capital punishment through the arm of the law, thus implementing blood atonement.

Examples of this include the diary of John Doyle Lee, who was present for meetings between Brigham Young and The Council of Fifty (a group of religious leaders in a legislative body), as they drafted a plan for the State of Deseret (the proposed name for the modern day state of Utah). On March 3rd, 1849, Young was quoted as saying "...Suffering infernals, thieves, Murderers, Whoremongers & every other wicked curst to [exist?], through mercy to live amoung us, adding sin to sin, crime to crime, currupting the morals of the People when their Blood ought to floow [sic] to atone for their crimes. I want their cursed heads to be cut off that they may atone for their Sins, that mercy may have her claims upon them in the day of redemption."

Additionally, Brigham Young promoted decapitation to atone for the supposed sin of White Mormon men intermingling with Black people. He said, "If a man in an unguarded moment should commit such a transgression, if he would walk up and say cut off my head, and kill man woman and child it would do a great deal towards atoning for the sin. Would this be to curse them? no it would be a blessing to them. — it would do them good that they might be saved with their Bren. A man would shudder should they here us take about killing folk, but it is one of the greatest blessings to some to kill them, although the true principles of it are not understood" (Speech by Gov. Young in Joint Session of the Legislature, Feb 5th, 1852)

Both of these quotes mentioned above paint a clear picture of what Brigham Young was intending to do with the Utah territory. There are records of him doing so along with the Council of Fifty, which are recorded in John Doyle Lee's diary as discussing decapitating a man and how to "dispose of him privately". Although they eventually let this man live, decapitiation as a method of execution was instituted in Utah until 1888.

Another important part of the doctrine of blood atonement is it's relationship to the murder of Joseph Smith Jr, the first prophet and leader of the Mormon church, and his brother Hiram Smith, at Carthage Jail, Illinois. This assasination occured both because of political strife (Josph Smith was running for United States President, among lesser state-centric conflicts with authorities, mostly about polygamy) and a rejection of Mormonism by the people of Illinois. Following his death, Brigham Young was instated as the new prophet of the church, upon which he began teaching the idea that Joseph and Hiram's blood cried out against God for vengance. This sparked the institution of the oath of vengance, as part of the endowment ritual (one of the highest ceremonies preformed in Mormon temples, meant to give all members the key words, signs, tokens, and ordinances needed to return to God's kingdom).

Oath of Vengance: This was an addition to the Nauvoo endowment during a time where many church members yearned to avenge the murder of their most beloved leader and prophet. The original oath reads as follows: "You and each of you do covenant and promise that you will pray and never cease to pray to Almighty God to avenge the blood of the prophets upon this nation, and that you will teach the same to your children and to your children's children unto the third and fourth generation." While some members interpereted this as a prompt for prayer alone, others took it to mean a personal responsibility to kill those involved in the martyrdom, should the situation arise. This part of the endowment ceremony was taken out in 1927 during the intitiution of the church's Good Neighbor Policy. These are not to be confused with penalty oaths, which describe the participants agreement to being slit ear to ear, disemboweled, detounged, and have their hearts split open if they revealed the secrets of the church and their endowed vows to others. (may make an infopost on this one too)

Other notable supporters of blood atonement include Jedidiah M Grant, who wrote the statement below in the Deseret News on March 12 1854.

["It is their right to baptize a sinner to save him, and it is also their right to kill a sinner to save him, when he commits those crimes that can only be atoned for by shedding his blood. If the Lord God forgives sins by baptism, and there is another law that certain sins cannot be atoned for by baptism, but by the shedding of the blood of the sinner, query, whether the people of God be overreaching the mark, if they should execute the law to save such. They could do it sucinctly. We would not kill a man, of course, unless we killed to save him."] (Deseret News, vol. 4 no. 20)

It is important to mention that, although there is clear evidence of the doctrine being preached, the Mormon church made a firm stance that it had not actually practiced this doctrine yet, although it would do so soon towards covenant breakers. They also preached that current sinners who would likely need to atone by their own blood should repent as much as they could while alive, so that eventually their sins would not be so greivious as to require their deaths. Blood atonement was framed as an act of both mercy and love, rather than a deliberatly violent act. Two notable reported victims of blood atonement are Thomas Coleman, a Black man who was murderd by Mormons for his relationship with a white woman, and Rosmos Anderson, a Danish Mormon and willing participant who was sentenced for adultery. (I will make a seperate post about these individuals and other people killed).

Jedidiah M Grant was also quoted as saying the below quote during a sermon titled Rebuking Iniquity on September 21, 1856

["I say, that there are men and women that I would advise to go to the President immediately, and ask him to appoint a committee to attend to their case; and then let a place be selected, and let that committee shed their blood. We have those amongst us that are full of all manner of abominations, those who need to have thier blood shed, for water will not do, their sins are of too deep a dye."]

This doctrine continued to be defended by later prophets, such as John Taylor and Charles W Penrose. However, in a statement issued in 1889 by prophet Wilford Woodruf, the church denied their promotion of blood atonement, saying "We denounce as entirely untrue the allegation which has been made, that our church favors or believes in the killing of persons who leave the church or apostatize from its doctrines." (Manisfesto of the Presidency and Apostles, December 12, 1889) This denial was later restated by church figures like Bruce R McConkie, stating "If by blood atonement is meant the shedding of the blood of men to atone in some way for their own sins, the answer is No. We do not believe that it is necessary for men in this day to shed their own blood to receive a remission of sins." (Letter from Bruce R McConkie to Thomas B. McAfee)

Blood atonement continues to be denied by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, although it is still practiced by some splinter groups today. One final note is that the system for capital punishment in Utah involved the option for either death by hanging or death by firing squad. While hanging did not spill the sinner's blood upon the earth, therefore keeping the sinner from experiencing blood atonement, death by firing squad would, and as such, was presented as a valid option for those sentenced to death in Utah. However, it appears firing squads were less favored then decapitation, which would spill more blood. Death by firing squad was removed from Utah prison systems in 2004, and has now been replaced by lethal intravenous injection. This law was not applied retroactively however, allowing Ronnie Lee Gardener to choose death by firing squad in 2010, the last exectuion of its kind in both Utah and the United States. He cited his Mormon roots for this decision.

[callsign-rogueone]

1-6, 8, and 15-18 for Garrick and Angel?

2-6 and 14-18 for Duchess and Brennan?

Don’t feel pressured to do them all! Just whichever ones of those won’t spoil any of the future posts 💕💕

hi! here’s the ones for Garrick and Angel + a few that another person asked for. I’ll put Bren and Duchess in a separate post 🥰

🏷: 1.2k words (I got a little carried away lol), contains iron flame spoilers and spoilers for their chapters that I’ve already posted.

1. What made them attracted to each other at first?

I think it’s a pretty common experience to look at a childhood friend one day and just go.. whoa. that’s kinda what happened here. I think she realized how strong he is (watching him spar with Xaden? him teaching her to fight?), and he realized how beautiful she is. after a few years of that mutual starry-eyed attraction, and Xaden running interference for both sides, we got our favorite couple.

2. What do they find attractive in each other now?

physical: she’s really into how broad and tall he is, and his physical presence (when he uses that section-leader voice? whew.). and of course, that damn smile of his. he likes how soft and warm she is; her smile, the feel of her skin and her hair, the plush of her body… after she left basgiath and wasn’t constantly working out all the time anymore, she got a little softer around the edges, and he loved it.

emotional: his humor, his kindness and how understanding and patient he is with her; her heart, her gentleness and deep empathy, how amazing she is with kids, animals, and even plants.

3. What would they never want to change about the other one? and 4. What do they wish they could change about the other one?

combining these two. I don’t think either of them would want to change much at all. they fell in love with each other because of who they are, not despite it. but if you really want a straight answer… he might wish that she took better care of herself (not working herself to burnout all the time). she might wish he would stop taking so many risks and freaking her out all the time (when he came back from Samara with that giant scar, she about lost it.)

5. What’s something that could make them break up?

neither of them are letting go of the other any time soon, for any reason, but if you want to get really technical, then like. someone cheating, or him doing something she can’t forgive / a severe violation of her ethics (killing someone in cold blood, etc), but neither of those are going to happen ever, so we’re good.

6. What’s keeping them together?

simply put, they need each other. a lot of their relationship from age 16-17 until now (and for the foreseeable future with this whole venin thing still unresolved) is founded on them helping each other cope with life and all the crazy shit that happens to them. things will look up soon (I hope), but they’re good at finding the little happy moments and savoring them, and they do genuinely love each other.

as @fw-gt once said; “she nurtures and he protects”. he’s doing everything he can to keep her safe (see what I did there?) and she’s that soft, comforting presence and a reminder that there is still good in the world.

8. Do their families like each other?

yes absolutely they did. their fathers both worked closely with Xaden’s, which is how they met as literal babies lol. I like to think that while the two of them weren’t bf/gf yet during the revolution, their parents both shipped it and knew it would happen eventually. her dad 100% would have given Garrick his blessing to marry her. (maybe he did, before he died. maybe her parents’ wedding rings are hidden in his room at Riorson house. that would be wild…)

10. How does being separated make them feel?

we got into this a little bit when they were apart from july-october in Iron Flame. that was really the longest they’d ever been apart, since they were childhood friends and then were fostered together (along with sweetheart! Gare likes to joke that she’s their ‘practice child’.)

getting off the trail and into the weeds here, sorry. but yeah. life just kinda loses its color when they’re apart for more than a day or two, and they both start worrying about the other’s safety, and he worries about her taking care of herself while he’s gone. before he left Riorson house to return to basgiath, leaving her behind, he made sure that she’d be taken care of (bren and duchess and tab were on the case) and he had to call in a few favors to send her those letters.

11. How long can they go without seeing each other before starting to miss the other one?

kinda answered this above, oops, but a few days is the tipping point. angel gets even more withdrawn and tries to busy herself with work or helping others to take her mind off of her anxiety about him being gone, and he gets kinda grumpy and stressed -- not like Xaden-level grumpy, but close. she’s the one who melts that stress away, so it builds up without her. him and X definitely did a lot of sparring when they were away from their girls to help get rid of that pent-up emotion.

15. Is one of them way more invested in the relationship than the other?

no. they’re equally invested, equally in love.

16. How happy are they about their relationship?

oh, over the moon. they’re endgame, going to get married and have kids, zero doubt. I have their kids’ names picked out and everything (keeping that under wraps for now, because I don’t know what I’m gonna do with that yet…)

they’re met with a little eye rolling and joking from their friends sometimes about just how in love they are, but they know it’s all in good fun, and that they must be doing it right if they’re making people jealous lol

17. How good are they at communicating their needs and preferences to the other?

I’d say that this is one of their weak spots as a couple. we’ve established that Angel isn’t great at taking care of or prioritizing herself, largely because she doesn’t believe she deserves it / values others needs more than hers. at this point, Garrick knows her super well and usually knows what she’s too afraid to ask for and does it anyway, but there’s also often a little secret relay that goes on there (Tab to Chradh or the other way around) when things really need to be addressed but someone is being too stubborn to spit it out.

18. How good are they at respecting each other’s boundaries?

ooh, boy, another fun one. Garrick respects her refusal to harm others unless absolutely necessary, and it’s one of the things he loves about her, but it can also strain things at times; they’re going to a war college, where everyone is armed and dangerous and a lot of people don’t like the Tyrs. this also threw a major wrench into him training her to fight, which I’m currently writing about for another of their chapters. but otherwise, when a boundary is drawn, it’s kept in place and not crossed unless deemed necessary. both of them are act-now, apologize-later people when it comes to matters of their partner’s safety and health, especially Garrick re: angel overworking herself. he’s not afraid to pick her up and physically remove her from a situation lmao

my og couple <33333 I need to sit down and plan out the rest of their story this week. I’ve been neglecting them :( ⚔️🌿🥰

[pnchinbeez]

Guys I been feeling ideas recently

And one happens to involve jedtavius

So basically ig for if the ever make a show (the show idea has been popping up on my timeliness alot) I need an episode where a different museum goes on tour and end up at the natm museum (I forgot the name soyeah) I believe it would be funny if they had most of the same human exhibits but a little different like

Wax figurines jed, octy, and the Mayan leader guy ig idk

Instead of teddy you have like jfk (he was consider one of the nicest u.s. presidents)

Marco polo as an famous explorer

King tut or cleo would be a cool one for their pharaoh, I lean towards tut because I feel like a snarky and sarcastic 12-13 yr old would be amazing

Maybe we could get calamity Jane? Idk shes cool (she's the most famous frontier women ever basically, put her name in Google and no joke what shows up is probably what happened, also fun fact I was named after her!!)

Also because we have lancelot in the one movie I feel like we would need one of these three arthur, merlin, or Guinevere, maybe bother merlin in arthur idk that idea needs to be thought of more on my side

Instead of dexter we could have miss baker the squirrel monkey (the first monkey to survive coming back from space) but I think have laika the dog the first animal to go to space,one because I live her and it's so sad what happened to her (search up Brenning Davis's "Fist Dog In Space" IT will make you cry) but also I just think it's such a cute idea in general

Miniatures could be Qin Shi Huang the self declared first emperor of China and the guy that made the terracotta army to protect his tomb in the after life and maybe Victorian Era people

I would also like a plague doctor played by Adam Sandler (WE HAVE OWEN FUCKING WILSON AND HUGH JACKMAN, NOW GIVE ME ADAM OR ONE OF THE RYANS) but beggars can't be choosers

Maybe some Greek pottery and the pictures on them come to life like the paintings in the movies

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Instead of a t-rex or dinosaurs like that there could be a prehistoric ocean exhibit like whale bones and fish that swim (was that already in a movie?? I feel like it was , idk)

I feel like cool extinct animals should be on display are

barnary lion: the biggest baddest lion ever its the ones the Romans would fight in the colosseum and are also bigger than normal lions they look bad ass

PASSENGER PIDEON: these guys don't get enough recognition they where the funniest things ever and also one of the best messaging pigeons, then we hunted them to extinction, so yeah

Carolina parakeet: this bird went extinct fairly recently, in the late 1980's actually, they where one of the smartest non domesticated parakeet species out there and they are super cute ( another fun fact when my dad went fishing as a 20 something yr old with his dad in the 90's he swears he say a flock of them in an old tree by the lake they were in , around the Georgia border to North Carolina, pretty cool honestly)

Also the night guard for this group should be played by Jack black, channing Tatum,or ben schwartz

Nicky should be either walker scobell or a (and hear me out ) Tommyinnit with gyed brown hair

Weirdly they both kinda are like nicky I lean towards tom because in the animated movie nicky is very skinny and walker randomly got a bit buffer as of now soooo idk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So basically this story would follow the timeline of the museum got super popular so they go on tour to another one and meet this group but as both the night guards figure out nicky and the other night guard try to warn each other that their exhibits come to life (nicky ahkmenrahs tablet but the other night guards is a curse on the sarcophagus of which ever Pharoah they have) and then all the exhibits meet and stuff and I think that both big jed and octy and little jed and octy to be dating their respective partner,, it would make for a funny scene

Also big jed and big octavius should basically parent king tut if that's the Pharoah because the real jed grew up with about 10 brothers and sister and had one son of his own supposedly. But octavius was recorded to have a daughter Julia the elder (a very fascinating women) that he exiled and was recorded feeling guilty about it and probably died feeling guilty about it also I think they would make a good parenting duo

Jfk and teddy interaction are strictly mandatory

Marco polo and wea

The miniatures from our museum and the miniatures from the other need interactions NOW

lots of jedtavius please and thank you

King tut and ahkmenrah interactions????

I feel like their relationship would be cool uncle and nephew type

The extinct animals go on a rampage at some point (we need cowboy jed and herder teddy )

Miniature escapades and shenanigans as always

And that's it

Maybe I'll finally write a fanfic for this series but idk

[critter-rarepair-reccs]

Happy Wednesday, friends! Hope you're all well. This week, we have seven recommendations for fics that are still being published! As always, you can find them below the cut and if you check any of them out, I encourage you to leave kudoes and comments to spread the rarepair love 💕

Three Card Spread by NephriteKnight (13,298 words, Explicit) Pairings: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss (Shadowmauk), Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Shadowidomauk) Warnings: Accidental Voyeurism

Caleb is in romantic relationships with both Molly and Essek, though the two of *them* aren’t together. Essek is certainly interested, but tries to keep his distance, unsure of if Molly feels the same. That is, until one night while Caleb’s away…

Reccer Says: It’s very sweet!!! Domestic Shadowidomauk is so cute and so is Essek pining over Molly!

Cut Her Out in Little Stars by EchoingArias (7,956 words, Teen) Pairing: Keyleth/Vex'ahlia (Vexleth) Warnings: Anti Half-Elf Racism

While the twins are still living in Syngorn, a summit for leaders from across Tal’Dorei is held. Among the guests is the leader of the Air Ashari and his daughter, Keyleth. Vex is immediately smitten.

Reccer Says: The balance between the sweetness of the twins interactions and Vex’s crush on Keyleth and how awful Syldor and the other elves are is so good and perfectly heartaching.

between earth and sky by floralprintshark (2,536 words, Teen) Pairing: Ashton Greymoore/Dorian Storm (Greystorm) Warnings: None

An AU in which Ashton is earth genasi royalty and is arranged to marry Dorian, the youngest son of the Wyvernwind Clan.

Reccer Says: This fic just started but I’m already very sold on it. The worldbuilding has intrigued me, the character voices for Ashton and the Krook House folks are super on point, and I’m very excited to see Dorian’s POV on the whole situation.

The Peacock’s Palace by WhoGroovesOn (59,145 words, Explicit) Pairings: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss (Shadowmauk), Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Shadowidomauk) Warnings: Discussions of Caleb’s backstory

Essek owns a burlesque club in Nicodranas, which Molly performs at. They’re perfectly happy and in love, though one night they want to try something a little different. Enter one Bren Aldric Ermendrud.

Reccer Says: It’s very very hot and very fun. The angst is a delicious side dish to the rest and the plot that’s been building is intriguing!

against all my sins and the candlelight by Solanaceae (13,813 words, Teen) Pairing: Astrid Beck/Jenna Iresor Warnings: None

Jenna Iresor (the Cerberus Assembly member who is secretly a doppelganger) takes an interest in Astrid. Scheming and wizard-speak ensue.

Reccer Says: Probably the definition of a rarepair, and SO good! Astrid’s characterization is on point and the political intrigue is so well thought out and interesting.

Can I See You Again? by lespetitesmorts (5,796 words, Teen) Pairing: Keyleth/Vex'ahlia (Vexleth) Warnings: None

Scanlan drags Keyleth with him to go see a show. Before it starts, Keyleth meets Vex, who happens to be the lead singer and bassist for the band in question. And they both may just fall a little bit in love in that moment.

Reccer Says: It is so cute! Keyleth is perfectly awkward and you can really feel just how hot Vex is lol. And Vex's strategy for finding Keyleth again is fun!

Something Happened On The Way To Heaven by SweetSilentSteps (24,014 words, Explicit) Pairing: Orym/Dorian Storm/Will (Dorymwill) Warnings: Kidnapping

A Dorymwill Ladyhawke AU! Dorian is captured by the Paragon's Call, escapes, and meets a mysterious (and handsome) half-elf with an odd raven companion on the road to Jrusar.

Reccer Says: I've never personally watched Ladyhawke but I am very familiar with the concept and love an AU based on it and this does not disappoint. The drama, the intrigue, the dynamics!!! It's so good. Updates monthly and its 4th chapter just went up so now's as good a time as any to catch up to follow along!

Thank you for joining us this week’s recc list! All the love to everyone who submitted a fic 💕 All enclosed recommendations were submitted by the community via our submissions form, which you can find here. All fic information is as it was provided by the reccer, so it may not be accurate to the author’s intent or the precise contents of the fic itself. Please assume good intent from all parties 💕

Submissions for next week’s list are already open! We’ll be featuring Angst. If you have any you’d like to highlight, you can send them in here. The week after that, the theme is Spring and the weeks after that we’re taking recommendations for Jester Rarepairs and Alternate Universes! Submissions for all of these themes are currently open.

If you want more rarepair fic, check out @cr-summer-wildflowers and their event collections on ao3! If you want some friendship after all this romance, take a look at @critter-genfic-events and their recc lists! And if you’re interested in everyone’s favorite wizards, you can’t go wrong with the lists at @aeor-is-for-reccing !

Thanks all and have a lovely day/night/timezone! 💕

[daggersandarrows]

Before Caleb had the Mighty Nein, Bren had the Blumendrei.

Bren—leader from the beginning. Heart of the group. The favorite. The firecracker. The boy with flames in his hands and tears in his eyes, stumbling down an ever-deepening rabbit hole of power and pain and pleasure.

Astrid—always the smart one. The prodigy. Unassuming enough to wonder how she's ended up with two such wonderful friends, and clever enough to hold onto them.

And Eadwulf—the soul. Forever too sensitive to make much sense to his peers, vastly misunderstood, all bark and no bite. The adopted stray, longing to prove himself beyond sheer intimidation.

Doomed, all of them.

Lost in the woods, children on the pyre.

so uhhh i'm finally posting the drei fic pls read it if you think you might enjoy this kind of thing it's uhhhm dark and polyamorous and a little convoluted and idk i've been working on it for three years pls enjoy

[kikimaymay]

One of the most fascinating issues with the Foreigner series by CJ Cherry is that the alien race/atevi are an autocratic* civilization, but it's because of actual biological impulses that function as a pyramid of sorts.

Despite the (maybe genetic? Definite social conditioning) "follow the leader" aspect of the culture, with a large monarchy/serfdom allegory, Tabini is only in power because he gives the larger population/commoners reason for him to actually stay in power. If the general population hated Tabini, he'd be gone in a heartbeat.

Anyway, I've got a lot of feelings lately about this series and life in general, and re-reading and seeing the sheer stress that Bren goes though like.. almost every day? The man just needs to go fishing a lot more. And maybe fuck Jago a lot more too.

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

Canon Polycule Showdown

Quaterfinals!

(vote for your favorite! check the description if you don’t know them)

[ID: 1. Picture of Bren (aka Caleb), Eadwulf and Astrid, from the Mighty Nein Origins: Caleb Widowgast graphic novel. 2. Picture of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere from High Noon over Camelot. /end ID]

Meet the contestants!

Caleb/Eadwulf/Astrid

Status: Canon (past)

Description: The three of them were childhood friends who all received a scholarship to the Solstrice Academy, and together caught the eye of an influential mentor. Under the guise of nationalism, he groomed the three of them into the role of magical assassins/spies/interrogators. The three of them also entered a relationship as they became isolated from the rest of their peers. After Caleb/Bren had a mental breakdown thanks to some backstory stuff, he was isolated from Astrid and Ealdwulf, who consoled themselves with one another. Caleb ultimately went on to oppose Astrid and Ealdwulf, however, there was still a sense of fondness/missed opportunities/regret for the loss of the relationship between the three of them when they eventually met again.

Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot

Status: Canon

Description: Wild west sci-fi Arthuriana. These three are in an established relationship by the time that Arthur becomes “Sheriff” of Camelot. He’s nominally the leader, but they rule as a triumvirate, ambitions kept in check by one another. When they need to go on a journey to stop the space station they live on from falling into the star they’re in a decaying orbit around, they go together. When it turns out that only one of them can have complete control over the station’s systems (via the GRAIL) they almost have a standoff about who can access that power, but ultimately their fondness for each other is more important to them than their ambitions.

[piigeonss]

I know for sure that you can't help all families from Gaza that want to be evacuated from here but at least you can help those who come across your life. You have no idea how mentally and emotionally tiring this is. Asking for help is not easy. But when thinking that the price is my family's life and getting out of here safely, it just pushes me more and more to do this until i reach my goal, be able to attend my university abroad and achieve my doctoral degree dream after awarding prestigious PhD fellowship. Please donate and share to support us standing at this hard time. https://gofund.me/d597b8e2

Unfortunately i myself can’t donate because i am a minor and do not have access to gofundme.com

THIS HAS BREN VERIFIED BY @/90-ghost

PLEASE DONATE IF YOU CAN AMD REBLOG IF YOU CANT

[ridenwithbiden]

The son of a notable conservative activist was found guilty of 10 felonies for his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 riot, which includes bashing a Capitol Building window, the Justice Department announced Friday.

Leo Bren Bozell IV was found guilty of assaulting a police officer, destruction of government property, obstructing a preceding and other crimes. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors allege Bozell led rioters up the stairs of the Capitol Building, bashed a window, entered the Capitol and made his way to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office and later led a mob to the Senate floor.

His father is Brent Bozell III, who founded Media Research Center, Parents Television Council and other conservative media organizations.

Bozell was identified via online tips to the FBI, and was arrested in February 2021. Investigators said witnesses recognized his sweatshirt — emblazoned with the insignia of his children’s rural Pennsylvania private school where he was a basketball coach.

Prosecutors claimed that the defendant also helped organize the “Stop the Steal” rally in front of the Capitol which preceded the riot. In a pretrial filing, prosecutors said he was “a major contributor to the chaos, the destruction, and the obstruction at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.”

His attorneys denied that he took part in any violence or assisted in taking over police lines during the riot.

“In fact, video evidence will show that Mr. Bozell assisted in some small way law enforcement officers that he thought could be helped by his assistance,” attorney William Shipley wrote in a filing. “[Bozell] was — for the most part — simply lost and wandering from place-to-place observing events as they transpired.”

More than 1,100 people have been arrested in relation to the Jan. 6 riots, including nearly 400 on charges of assaulting a police officer, the Justice Department said.

The longest sentence — 22 years — for a Jan. 6 defendant so far was handed down to former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio earlier this week. Proud Boys member Ethan Nordean and Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes are tied with the second longest sentences — 18 years — for their role in the insurrection.

[theofficersacademy]

Happy October! This year, TOA won't see the return of its annual autumn mini-event, so members who wish to make their own Halloween fun this season are more than welcome to! However, we have a more important announcement to make...

Saying Farewell to Mod Bren

Bren is one of TOA's original founders, but after four years, they have decided to step down. Their art and lettering has become iconic for TOA's events over the years and will remain immortalized in the blog's archive. They will also remain within the community as a regular member.

Now Introducing... Mod N!

N, a longterm member of the community, has agreed to step up and fill Bren's spot. He has had a couple weeks of onboarding already, so we believe that he will do phenomenally in this position. Please give him a hearty congratulations, and look forward to what we have in store for you in January!

Housekeeping:

Current Month in TOA: Harpstring Moon

In place of Midsommar, we will be re-running TOA's advice box near the end of the month.

Thank you again to everyone who submitted and voted on our anniversary mission tasks! We've added new prompts for the skill points with the most votes. Check them out here!

REMINDER: Please delete your title posts when starting new threads. Keeping them on your blog makes it harder for the mods to check your activity at the end of the month. These title posts do not need to remain on your blog in order for the thread to be valid, and you can in fact delete them from the dash as soon as you save them to your drafts.

Game Liveblogging channel: Members are now allowed to create threads for their liveblogging experiences, and we encourage you to do so if you know that you will be liveblogging a game for a while.

Mentor signups are open! Please sign up if you’re interested in helping a newcomer get acclimated to the group. Of note: it is now a requirement to be 18+ in order to apply to be a mentor.

And don't forget to take a moment to fill out this month's feedback form! Please do not submit blank forms.

Other

October Mun Birthdays: Rua (2nd), Dewa (2nd), Alina (4th), Mirae (11th), Red (13th), Soji (14th), Emm (14th), Cody (16th), Queen (18th), Nicolai (25th), Audrey (30th)

October Muse Birthdays: M!Byleth (2nd), Lilina (4th), F!Corrin (4th), Alcryst (15th), Merric (16th), Deirdre (16th), Ashe (17th), Reyson (19th), Lloyd (20th), Selkie (20th), Elincia (23rd), Farina (25th), Ayra (27th), Thrasir (31st)

First-year mun anniversaries this month: Kusa (16th), Chuu (21st), Nik (24th)

Second-year mun anniversaries this month: Sage (18th)

Fourth-year mun anniversaries this month: Nat (2nd), Key (4th)

First-year muse anniversaries this month: Valter (7th), Ares (16th)

Second-year muse anniversaries this month: Ethlyn (10th)

Muses who have been in the group for a solid year will also be granted an Academy Brooch to put in their inventory. It doesn’t do anything. It just lets others know your character has been around the block. These characters are also granted a new opportunity to change houses if they wish to do so.

- The House Leaders

[sjsmith56]

Setting Things Right - Chapter 15, Lord Buchanan

Summary: The attraction between Lady Yelena and Silas Brenson is noticed. After learning that Silas’ mother has been kept in indentured servitude for more than 20 years, Buchanan is tasked with investigating the brother owner and rectifying the situation.

Length: 5.3 K

Characters: Lord Buchanan, Lady Yelena, Silas Brenson, Bren, Amanda (Silas’ mother), Arnim Zola, Jarvis.

Warnings: Frank talk about sexuality, birth control, illegal indentured servitude (slavery).

Author note: Bucky Barnes image in banner by Instagram artist Nixakimbo.

<<Chapter 14

🏞️ 🪙

In the aftermath of the battles at Falcon's Eden Vale and Buchanan's Rocky Woodlands, the King gathered his closest advisors and made some decisions regarding the disposition of Dreykov's and Pierce's lands. He assigned the administration of Dreykov's lands temporarily to his younger daughter, Yelena, with the assistance of her older sister Lady Falcon. Knowing that Yelena would refuse a title because of how the marriage laws were written the King made known his intent to change the laws so that Yelena would be Baroness of the Ancient Mountains in her own right. At first he was unsure of what to do about Pierce's lands until the Sorceress informed him that the young woman who had refused to be married to Dreykov, then had asked for asylum in the Queen's Guards was Pierce's own daughter, Isabella.

"Your Majesty, Pierce's man Coulson, who assumed the rank of Commander, promised to make sure the lands are run well until a new lord is named," said Buchanan. "He can do so for a while longer. If the young lady was of a mind to escape to the Queen's Guard I trust she is of a different nature to her father. Under the new laws she may be suitable to assume control of the lands, with the assistance of a trusted advisor. Since my lands abut Pierce's I would be willing to mentor her."

"That is a generous offer," said the King. "Until I have the opportunity to speak with her I will delay any permanent decision. Coulson may continue to administer the lands until then. As for yourself, what are your intentions? Do you return to your lands or come back with me to escort your lady to your estate?"

"I will send most of my men back," he replied, "and accompany you to the palace. It is time I took my lady wife to our home. I would like some time as a husband before we, as a kingdom, begin to tackle the problem that threatens our world."

"I agree," said the King. "Sam, I trust you wish the same for you and your lady wife?"

"Yes, your Majesty," replied Falcon. "We haven't had a full night together as husband and wife yet though it has been weeks since our marriage."

"Very well," said the King, then to all the Lords gathered he spoke. "For the next month, tend to your lands and your people. Heal your injured. Four weeks from today I charge you all to attend to the palace where I will present the changes to the laws allowing Lady Yelena and the young Lady Isabella the opportunity to govern themselves as men do. We will also begin to plan how we will prepare for the future threat to our kingdom. Until then I bid you all well."

The King rose from his chair and all rose in deference to him as he left the room in Lord Falcon's castle. Other Lords were ready to leave immediately and bade the assembled company farewell. Buchanan and Stark stood before the latter left with his full company.

"You are a born leader," said Stark to Buchanan. "Your suggestions have merit and you do your title honour.  It is evident why the King named you his Right Hand. Whatever doubts I may have had to your suitability as a ruler have been swept aside by your conduct since then. I am honoured to call you friend, if you would give me the same privilege."

Buchanan offered his arm to Stark. "I feel the same Anthony," he replied. "Soon, I will come to see you and your scientific endeavours. Until then, my friend."

They shook each other's sword arms and Stark mounted his horse, next to his commander. Both men tipped their hands to their heads and the older Lord rode off with his company. Buchanan returned to his encampment and ordered most of his men to return to the estate. He advised his assistant commander, Wallis, that he would ride to the palace to escort Lady Buchanan back, expecting to arrive in three days. Wallis nodded and signalled one of the men to bring a white mare forward.

"Here is the mare you purchased for Lady Buchanan," he said. "I rode her myself in the battle and she handled the fighting well. Her saddle is in your tent and I trust your lady wife will enjoy riding her."

Buchanan took the reins, thanking Wallis for testing the mare in battle. The other man tipped his hand then signalled to Buchanan's army to depart. As they left a groom came to take the mare from Buchanan and prepare her to leave on the morrow. As Buchanan returned to the castle he noticed Yelena walking with the young soldier Silas. His tall height and dark looks contrasted with her smaller stature and fair features but Buchanan had no doubt she could probably best the young man in combat. The young noblewoman saw him and hailed him so he waited for the young couple to approach.

"I have a question for you," she said. "Silas' mother has long been indentured to a brothel owner. How do I go about freeing her from that debt?"

"What are the particulars of her debt?" he asked Silas. "By the laws of the land all debts are declared fully paid after a maximum of twenty years service."

Silas' face reddened as he became angry. "That liar," said the young man. "My mother was indentured well before my birth and I am 23. She has never signed another contract to my knowledge but every year when she asks him for her release he refuses, claiming her debt is still outstanding."

Buchanan felt the young man's anger and placed his hand on the warrior's arm. "That brothel owner has broken the law then," he said, "and will be punished if I have to go and arrest him myself. Did you never go to Lord Dreykov and file an appeal on her behalf?"

"Aye, my father and I both did, several times," said Silas, his eyes burning as he fought the tears of anger that threatened to overwhelm him. "He said the brothel owner was well within his rights to demand full payment. My father tried to buy her debt more than once and was told it was more money than he was worth."

"Has he kept her as a pleasure woman that whole time?" asked Buchanan, as diplomatically as he could.

"No, she only bedded with my father and worked in the kitchens after that," he said. "She and my father loved each other too much to be with anyone else."

"Silas, I pledge to you that we will free your mother and any others that brothel owner has control over," said Buchanan. "It sounds like he wished to keep your mother in servitude for her whole life. I am supposed to go with the King to the palace but I will see him immediately and convince him to ride with you two back to the Ancient Mountains. Together we will deal with the man."

While Buchanan searched for the King, Yelena comforted Silas and they sat on a bench overlooking the courtyard. Her fingertips brushed away the errant tears that had made their ways down his cheeks.

"Silas, Lord Buchanan is a man of great honour," she said. "If he says he will free your mother and others, then he will do so."

"It's not that," he replied. "I believed Lord Dreykov and the brothel owner when they said the debt was justified. How did I not know it was against the laws of the kingdom? I can read and write but I know so little. I feel such an ignorant fool."

"If it is any comfort I did not know the law either," she said, clutching his hand. "I wish I had as I would have had your mother flee with us two years ago."

"Thank you," he said, looking her in the eyes, trying not to look at her lips. "If I am to serve you when you become Baroness perhaps I should learn the laws of the kingdom so that this injustice never happens again."

"Then we shall learn together Silas," said Yelena, also trying not to take her eyes from his.

While they comforted each other Buchanan found the King in his tent with King Thorn, who mysteriously had not been at the battle. Before Buchanan could bring it up Thorn brought it up himself when he saw his friend.

"Before you say anything I am sorry I did not arrive in time to take part in the battle," he said. "A most unusual incident befell my company on our way here. I was just explaining to Steven."

"What could keep a King from fulfilling his obligations to help in an insurrection?" said Buchanan, still irritated.

"A tidal bore," said Thorn. "We went to cross the East River short cut at Greenpoint where it is shallow but were stopped by a large tidal bore. According to your archivist Jarvis here a tidal bore hasn't been seen on that river for over eight hundred years since our forefathers built the double breakwater across the delta where that river empties into the ocean."

"Does that mean the breakwater is gone?" asked Buchanan, concerned.

"I don't know," said Thorn. "I sent a company of men to the delta to find out while the rest of my company had to back track and go further upstream past the influence of the ocean. It delayed us for almost two days. I regret I was unable to assist in the battle but I am happy you came out victorious."

"If the breakwater is gone, that is going to cause problems with travel between our kingdoms," said King Steven, running his hand through his hair. "Another problem for us to tackle."

"I came to ask if you would delay our return to the palace," said Buchanan. "But, if it is true about the breakwater that would be your priority."

"The reason for the delay?" asked the King.

"Young Silas has revealed his mother has been an indentured servant for longer than his 23 years," said Buchanan. "Do not all indentured contracts end after twenty years of service, regardless if the debt is fully paid or not?"

"That is correct," said the King. "Would you go as my Right Hand on that matter? You may take Jarvis with you as his knowledge of the laws is better than my own. Did Dreykov know of this?"

"Silas said his father attempted to buy her debt but was refused and Dreykov upheld the rights of the owner of the debt," said Buchanan.

King Stephen's lip curled as did King Thorn's at this display of abuse against a subject. "Take a half dozen of my men and Jarvis with you," he said. "Shut the owner of the debt down and arrest him. Free the young man's mother and any other servant who has been abused in this manner. By heavens we will restore justice to this kingdom if it is the last thing we do."

As Buchanan left the room to assemble his party, King Steven called after him. "I will tell Ileana you are delayed for a day or two!"

Buchanan went to the commander of the King's men and asked for six to accompany him on the morrow on a matter of justice. Then he sought out Lady Yelena and young Silas. They were walking hand in hand in the garden but immediately dropped hands when they heard his call.

"My lady Yelena, Silas," said Buchanan, with a smile. "The King is unable to attend personally to rectify the miscarriage of justice imposed on your mother. However he has charged me to take six of his men and his archivist to arrest the brothel owner and free all of those he holds illegally. We leave in the morning."

"My Lord, you are a man of honour," said Lady Yelena. She spoke quickly as her face reddened. "Please don't say anything to my sister about what you saw."

"I saw a young couple in the beginning of love," said Buchanan. "That is nothing to hide. As a Queen's Guard you are responsible for your own happiness. I say take it where you find it."

She and Silas both smiled shyly and the young warrior took her hand again. They left to find his father and give him the news. That evening Buchanan stayed in his tent going over the laws of the land. He wanted to be certain that he knew them when he confronted the brothel owner.

"You won't grace my table so I have brought you some food," said a voice.

Turning he saw Lord Falcon, carrying a bowl and spoon.

"Sorry, brother," Buchanan replied. "I wanted to be sure I knew the relevant laws before I left for the Ancient Mountains. Tell your lady wife I did not mean to disparage her table."

"She knows why you're here," said Falcon. "It was her who told me to come out and feed you. She always thought her father was ignoring the laws. Young Silas' charge is proof of it. The two young ones...will you keep an eye on them?"

"Worried that Silas may break her maiden?" asked Buchanan as he reached for the bowl and spoon.

"Natasha isn't," said Falcon, "but I see myself as an older brother to the girl. He is an honourable man but they are both young and may be unable to resist their desires."

"His father tells me Silas is unsullied as well," said Buchanan. "He refused to go to the brothel knowing his mother worked there. He just spent four years in the frontier, with no women, then three years before that in a monastery learning to read and write, again with no exposure to the pleasures of a woman. I will do what I can but I believe what they have begun is true. If they join in the way of men and women he will protect her honour, of that I am sure."

Falcon sighed and sat on a chair across from Buchanan. "I thought you would say that," he said. "Make sure he knows to pull out early then. It's unfair for women but she will be judged if she bears a child before marriage."

"Is the Sorceress still here?" asked Buchanan. "She can cast a spell."

"Nay, she has returned to the palace with the Kings," he replied, then was silent for a time. "That tidal bore business is troubling. It will add days to the travelling time between the two kingdoms. Didn't the ancients have bridges?"

"Aye and roads to those bridges," said Buchanan. "The roads are still visible in some places as are some bridge supports in others. Makes me wonder what happened that all of that was destroyed. It was long before the Mad Titan's time, I know that."

"Perhaps we should be looking at rebuilding the roads and bridges," said Falcon. "A better surface to transport horses and there could be more wheeled carts to transport goods. While we were besieged I had the opportunity to go through Zemo's books. The man spent little on maintaining his lands and much on his pleasure. There is so much in this area that can be useful to other parts of the kingdom. I just have to get the goods out there."

Buchanan smiled. Weeks before his friend was concerned about his birds, horse and sword, in that order. Now he had the concerns of hundreds of people to deal with as their lord. A light appeared high in the castle behind Falcon which drew the other's attention.

"I believe your lady wife is ready for bed," said Buchanan, motioning to the lamp placed in the window. "I don't want to keep you from your pleasure. We won't wait for you to see us off in the morning. Enjoy the quiet morning moments with your lady wife instead."

Falcon smiled and stood up, patting Buchanan on the shoulder in the way that good friends did. Soon after Buchanan finished his bowl of stew and pulled his curtains closed. Undressing, he then pulled on his nightshirt, blew out the candles and crawled into his bed where sleep overtook him quickly.

As predicted neither Lord nor Lady Falcon came out to say goodbye to the party. Buchanan assured the others that Falcon had indicated this the evening before, so none were offended. As his remaining two men packed up his tent to return to his lands Buchanan left with six of the King's men, Bren and his company of 27 men, including young Silas and the Lady Yelena. Bren rode so that Yelena was protected on the one side while Silas rode behind her and Buchanan on the other side. It gave her an excuse to turn her head often and smile at the young warrior as they rode, a movement not unnoticed by Bren who eventually had his son take his place while he rode behind the lady keeping his eye on both. Several hours later they arrived in the land of the Ancient Mountains, which were actually more like rocky hills.

"I often wondered at the name of my father's lands," said Yelena shortly after they found one of the ancient roads that led to the estate. "Do you think they were mountains once?"

"I am sure they were," replied Buchanan. "I believe there were mines of copper, gold and silver all throughout these lands. Did your father not extract the precious metals?"

"If he did it was in secret," said Yelena.

Ahead at a cross roads a rather large building came into view. Two stories tall there was laughter and music coming out of it. Scantily clad women sat in the windows looking out for travellers and spied the company. At first they began to call out to Buchanan and the others but when they saw the Lady Yelena they stopped. Several smiled knowing smiles at that point, while others ran inside to tell the brothel owner that a large company had approached the building. Buchanan directed Bren to order his men to surround the building while he, the six King's men, Silas and Lady Yelena dismounted.

"You shouldn't go in there," said Silas, his hand on Yelena's arm.

"As the one responsible for the welfare of the people in these lands I have the right and the responsibility to go in there," she said, drawing herself up to her full height.

He nodded and stood with her. "Then I will go with you," he said, "to bear witness for my mother."

Before they could enter a small man with glasses came out and peered at the assembly.

"Go away," he said. "You are not welcome in my establishment."

"We will enter, Arnim," said Silas firmly. "Lord Buchanan has been sent by the King himself to arrest you."

"Arrest me?" laughed the man. "I think not. Lord Dreykov will have something to say about this."

"Lord Dreykov is in custody, little man," said Yelena. "I am to be the next ruler of the Ancient Mountains and I say we are closing your establishment."

She attempted to push past him and he grasped her wrist harshly then raised his hand to hit her. Silas immediately raised Arnim up by his shirt so that their faces were level.

"You do not have the right to touch Lady Yelena," said Silas, with menace. "You do not have the right to touch any woman, ever again."

"Put me down!" he screeched, struggling against the hold the young warrior had on him. "What is this about?"

"Arnim Zola, proprietor of this brothel," said Buchanan formally. "It has been brought to our attention that you have at least one employee who has been kept under indenture past the legal limit of 20 years. That is grounds enough for your arrest. We will now question every one of your employees to find out if there are others. Robbins, please hold the man in custody while we investigate inside."

Robbins, one of the King's men took Zola from Silas' outstretched arm and firmly kept his hand on the little man's shoulder as the other King's men, Buchanan, Bren, Silas, Yelena and Jarvis entered. Whatever frivolity had been happening inside stopped the moment the group entered. Many of the assorted women stood up and gathered together. The men, customers, were either outraged or terrified of their wives finding out.

"Where does Zola keep his books?" asked Buchanan to no response. "I ask again, where does Zola keep his books?"

A voice sounded from the kitchen and a woman with greying hair strode out from the heat of that room.

"He has an office behind the kitchen," she said, then noticing Bren and Silas she smiled broadly. "Everything you need to put him away for good is there."

"Amanda, beloved," said Bren, putting his arms out. "At last, we have the means to free you."

She went to his side and he enclosed her protectively. Jarvis and one of the King's men went in search of the office. "Who among you is here freely as a worker?" asked Buchanan.

Two women held up their hands and one man. "So the rest of you are indentured. How many of you have terms of longer than 20 years?"

Most of the remaining women raised their hands. Buchanan wanted to vomit to get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth.

"By law all indentured contracts must end at 20 years," announced Yelena. "If you have been here longer than that he owes you wages for your work. We can calculate what is owed you and pay you before you leave for all of you women are free to go. You are also free to stay and run this establishment yourself, if that is your choice but there are no indentured contracts anymore. If you stay you get a wage that is yours."

"Who are you exactly to be telling us this?" asked one woman.

"I am Lady Yelena Dreykov," said Yelena. "When I accept my title, and responsibility for these lands and its peoples I will be Baroness Romanoff, as I will take my mother's name rather than live another day with the shame of my father's."

There were several smiles amongst the women at this information and one of them, who had been held on the lap of a rather florid man pushed herself off of him with distaste.

"What of those of us just started in our contracts?" she said. "I had no choice in this. My family put me here."

"You may go to the King's palace and join the Queen's Guard, become a woman warrior," said Yelena. "It is what I and my sister did. You will be free to make your own decisions. You may even choose to stay and serve in my castle for I am sure you have other skills. Most women do. Before you leave here you will be paid."

"Those that choose to serve in the Queen's Guard may meet here on the morrow," said Buchanan, "as I return there then. You will need a horse. No doubt Zola has some which you may take as pay in lieu. You may go on foot now but it is a long journey. It is your choice, completely your choice as all contracts are now declared null and void."

Jarvis came out of the kitchen holding a ledger and carrying a box that was heavy with coins.

"My Lord?" he said. "I have the list of those who have exceeded the 20 year limit as an indentured servant. There is more than sufficient money to pay them what they are owed. The first is the cook, Amanda."

Amanda left the security of Bren's arms and stood in front of Jarvis. He counted out 20 gold pieces into her hands which she deposited into her pockets. She stood back with Bren and watched as a dozen more women also received their payouts ranging from 10 to 20 gold pieces. Upon receipt of their money they went upstairs to the bedrooms and came down moments later fully dressed then left, never to return. The other younger women went up and also, down fully dressed. Four indicated they would ride back to the King's palace to join the Queen's Guard. Another four stepped in front of Yelena and asked to work at the castle, acknowledged as Jarvis paid them their due. Buchanan looked at the two women and the man who said they worked there freely.

"What are your intentions?" he asked.

"I don't mind the work," said the one woman, while the other nodded. "May we run the establishment ourselves? We promise not to have indentured servants and will pay the women a living wage. I never liked how that little rat ran the place."

"I will be keeping an eye on you," said Yelena. "Run it honestly and cleanly. If there are any of these men you wish to ban from ever showing their face again say their names now."

Both women looked at each other and pointed out several men. The King's men grasped them by their collars and tossed them out the door. To those remaining Buchanan had stern words.

"Whether you are married or not is not my concern," he said. "If you come here you treat the women with respect. They provide a service and you pay them what they are worth."

The man who had said he worked there freely stood up. "My Lord, I am here by my choice and I do the same work as these women," he said without shame. "Am I to be given the same considerations as them?"

"If this is your choice, then yes," said Buchanan. "Are there enough customers to keep you employed?"

"You have no idea," said one of the women rolling her eyes. "We could do with a couple more like him. He's like our brother as well."

"Very well," said Buchanan. "Continue on here then. Jarvis, has Zola paid his taxes?"

"No my Lord," replied the bureaucrat. "There is also enough to pay those remaining a wage and a stipend to keep the business running. I would suggest that anything left be given in alms to the poor."

Buchanan directed that Jarvis do exactly that and the business was transferred from Zola to the two women and one man who liked the work. Outside a horse had been brought for the brothel owner and he sat on the sorry beast with his hands tied to the saddle. Bren helped Amanda onto his saddle then mounted behind her. She looked at him with love and Yelena vowed to have them married by the next day. Silas sat taller in the saddle as if that were possible considering his height already. He made eye contact with the Baroness and smiled, then nodded his head at her in thanks. Amanda noticed the interaction and murmured something to Bren. He lowered his mouth to her ear and told her about the budding romance. She smiled, saying she needed something from the brothel before she left. Bren dismounted and helped her off. A few minutes later she came back with a satchel and Bren helped her up onto the horse again, then mounted behind her. Together the company proceeded on to the castle where Yelena would live as the Baroness of the lands.

When they arrived the servants assembled out in the courtyard to greet the return of the Lady Yelena. Word had already reached them of the change and the feeling amongst them was one of optimism. As Bren helped Amanda down Silas proudly brought his mother to meet their new mistress.

"Lady Yelena, may I present my mother Amanda," said Silas proudly. "Although she was unable to raise me she always stayed a part of my life."

Amanda curtsied to the young woman. "M’Lady, I cannot thank you enough for ending that nightmare," she said in gratitude. "Bren told me of your friendship with our son and how you helped him learn about the laws. I offer my services to you as cook, whether for yourself or for the garrison is of no concern to me for I cook the same for all who taste my food. It is likely why Zola kept me captive past my term."

"You are welcome dear lady," said Yelena. "For now you have earned some rest. Bren, do you have suitable quarters for a wife in the garrison?"

"No M’Lady," replied the seasoned warrior. "It is poorly designed for married soldiers. Your father thought having a family nearby weakened the men. I hope we may remedy that."

"By all means," she said. "As the new commander of the garrison I will leave that in your charge. Until then you and your wife, for she is in almost all incarnations that, may reside in the castle. I am sure there are empty servant quarters you may use. I will call for a priest to make you legally husband and wife as soon as you wish, as it is long overdue."

As they walked into the castle many servants came up to greet the young mistress, expressing their joy at her return. Buchanan and his men were directed to quarters as were the Kings men. Zola was taken to the dungeon. Amanda asked where the kitchens were, accompanying Yelena who took her by the arm. As they walked out of earshot of the men the older woman stopped and looked at the young woman with motherly concern.

"M’Lady, you are in love with my son, aren't you?" she asked softly.

"Is it that obvious?" asked Yelena. "I remember him watching me learn the battle arts from your husband. He has been in my heart and mind since I became a young woman. He left for the monastery seven years ago, then went straight to the frontier after that.  He returned shortly after my sister and I escaped here. The other day was the first I had seen him in all that time, and I could not believe the man he has grown into."

"Forgive my boldness," said Amanda. "In the brothel we have ways to prevent a child from forming in your belly. I have brought them with me for you both have the look of lovers before their first coupling. As a fine lady a child before marriage can bring dishonour and I don't wish my son to dishonour you with his desires. There are sheaths he can put on before entry that will protect you, as well as a cap you may insert, or he can pull out before he spills his seed. The sheath works best. I implore you to use that if you find you cannot resist your desires any longer."

"The king is changing the laws so that when I marry I don't give up my rights to my husband," said Yelena. "In a way it frees me to marry who I want. Right now I want Silas to be my consort. He could have status but not the power to rule if anything happened to me. Our children would have the right to inherit the title. Do you think he would agree to that type of marriage?"

"If he loves you enough he will," said Amanda. "He is a good man, like his father."

"On that we agree," said Yelena.

The two women embraced and made their way down to the kitchens where Amanda turned her critical eye to the setup and vowed that after a day of rest she would turn that kitchen into something to be proud of.

Chapter 16>>

Series Masterlist

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[mrkoicarp]

This is the run!

Got all the rest of the Rimworld DLCs for my Christmas, so we will be beginning the tribal children run

Here is the genome, note egg laying which should allow for far more children

Important bits of the ideology, here is why im going for the armor and naked speed, since that gives a large amount of metabolism for what is essentially no change in speed. Spouses is 4 or fewer due to the polyamorous beds capping out at 5. This also cuts off 3X work drive, which I dont even know what does, but sounds good.

Here is the leader, a high social guy called Alpaca

Kangaroo, there for high plants and crafting

Boar, high art and already in love with the leader

Abesenca, high medical and crafting, useful pawn

And Bren, a high construction and cooking pawn

[callsign-rogueone]

https://www.tumblr.com/loveisgame/748664911874473984

which one of the girlfriends/couples would this be 😆

link [video of a couple play fighting / wrestling. sfw I guess? nothing explicit]

perhaps controversial, but hear me out: Brennan and Duchess.

you may be responsible military leaders, but you aren’t above a good old fashioned pillow fight. it’s low-stakes, nobody’s going to get hurt, and it’s a way to be playful and let off some stress, to be giggly and carefree for a while, play-fighting like little kids again.

but it never lasts long. it’s too easy for him to overpower you, and you look so pretty underneath him, flushed and out of breath like that, and you’re already on the bed anyway… he’s gonna take the pillow and put it under your hips so he can— this was supposed to be a cute post. nvm.

sorry gang. I am physically incapable of writing Bren without making it sexy. y’all need to start hitting me with the spray bottle like a misbehaving cat to train it out of me.

[aidansplaguewind]

did they really kill off Aidan in yet another show? that’s so lame. and he was looking really good in those gifsets you made…

I'm not sure but maybe I should put a TRIGGER WARNING for unaliving oneself being mentioned. But I don't use the "S" word.

My reply is below the cut.

YES, they sure as shit did. And you're right, he looked AMAZING this season. So fucking hot. I wanted more of that next season.

Even though I predicted his demise from almost the very beginning, and I even predicted the way in which he would die (self inflicted) - I still had the tiniest bit of hope that he would come out of his funk, kill Bren and become the leader they needed.

I thought to myself, there is NO WAY this show will duplicate its exact ending to the first season, again at the end of the second season. They literally ended season one and season two with Frank dying. Only this time he's gone for good. But how incredibly lazy is that? It's so fucking lame.

And I went on Twitter and looked at the #RTEKIN tag to see what the public was saying, and their dumb asses thought it was bloody brilliant. Like? Seriously? No wonder television sucks nowadays. It's because the vast majority of the public viewers aren't too bright and they're apparently very easy to amuse. So the writers don't even have to try.

I'm being mean, I know, but I am so tired of Aidan’s characters being killed off. I'm used to it, but I'm tired of it. I'm ready for him to be on something and have a long run again. Knowing my luck he'll get something for the long haul and they will dye his hair, make him look ridiculous, and make him have an American Accent.

I'm also really tired or predictable television and films.

Watching Aidan put a gun to his head kind of shook me. Luckily, once he puts it to his head, the screen went black and you hear the shot, so you don’t actually have to watch it happen. But it still bothered me. I know it's not real but just the idea was kind of traumatic for me, and I really wasn't expecting it to be. It's been almost 24 hours since I saw it and I'm still processing it.

I'm just so bummed. So very fucking bummed. We got to see more of who Frank was. I got attached and I knew I shouldn't. And even though I won't watch to find out, I feel so bad for Birdy losing her baby brother. And even though Viking and Frank weren't close, watching his dad unalive himself right in front of him is so gotta fuck him up. How could it not? I'm so tired of television writers going for shock value because they aren't capable of writing an interesting story or character.

I'm tired.

[whumpwizard]

Whumptber2022 Day 17: Hanging by a Threat

“You know, if you would just tell me what you’re doing with the Beacons, this would all be over quite quickly.” Shadowhand Thelyss said, stalking around his cell. The ginger-haired Scourger, Bren, knelt before him in the cell, ankles tied to his thighs to force him into a kneeling position, and arms bound strappado behind him.  Adding to the discomfort, they were tied to the ceiling as well, wrenching them upwards and forcing him to fold forwards.

“Fick dich.” the human spat, wriggling a bit in his bonds.

“Tsk tsk. You know, you look rather uncomfortable like that.  Tell me, boy, can you still feel your feet? Or has the last hour left them numb?” Essek knew the answer of course. That particular kneeling position would render one’s feet almost entirely numb in around fifteen minutes, less when the arm bindings were considered. Bren’s legs would be going without blood, his arms would be aching, and soon his back would start to scream, begging him to readjust.  Still, though, he showed no signs of breaking.  He was a strong one, to be sure.

“I have not seen or touched your stupid beacon, crick.” he replied. Essek smiled.

“And yet you seem to be a proficient novice practitioner of Dunamancy. Something that only study of the beacon could bring an Empire dog.”  He took a few steps into the cell, examining the Scourger as he did.

“Then you are more of an idiot than your leaders. There are many ways to learn Dunamancy. I don’t need your stupid rock.”

“Beacon. It is not a rock.” Essek corrected.

“Whatever. I do not need it.” The young man was handsome, to be sure, even half-dressed and beaten.  Perhaps if he made himself useful, Essek would ask for him to be kept as a toy.  He suffered so beautifully after all.

“Very well. Then tell me, how did you learn such magics? They are not simple.  They require skill, precision, and attention to detail…what did you do to get access to them?”  As he spoke, Essek settled down behind Bren, and pulled out a long, thin silver rod. It was pointed at the end, but not sharp enough to cut. Bren only laughed, not seeing the instrument.

“Why, Shadowhand…I simply watched you.” he said, a wry smile breaking across his face.  At least, he smiled for a moment, before Essek pierced the blunt needle into Bren’s foot, drawing out a sharp scream.

“Ah! So you can still feel pain down there, wonderful.” Essek cooed, as he continued to play. Every poke and prod, every line that the Shadowhand dug into Bren’s foot, the Scourger screamed.  To him, it felt like the sharpest, hottest knife being dragged across him, the numbness somehow only making the pain worse. Tears began to prick at his eyes as he struggled, wrenching his shoulders even further as he did.

“Halten! Bitte…bitte, halten!” he cried, all hold on Common leaving him as he suffered, Essek made no move to slow down.  He simply began to trail the needle higher, up and down his calves, even pausing to dig into the heel of Bren’s hand. Such a simple tool, with no lasting damage, and yet like this is caused so much pain. So much beautiful, wonderful pain.  If he was honest with himself? Essek knew he could listen to this all day, not even bothering to ask Bren any questions. But, he had a task to complete, so he slowed the assault for a moment.

“Hm?” he asked, his tone casual. “Did you have something to say, boy?”

“Ja…ja…the beacon…it is…Master Ikithon has it.” Bren admitted breathlessly. “The Archmage of Civil Influence…he and…and the Martinet they…they do things with it but I have not seen it, I swear!” Essek teased at Bren’s big toe with the needle, eliciting another yelp. “Ah! I swear! I…I have not seen it! I was not kidding about watching you I have been spying for…for months. I am…clever…can hide myself well. I…learned from watching you.”

“My my. Clever dog, aren’t you.” Essek mused. “Perhaps I will have some use for you after all.  But first…I would like to keep playing awhile.”

When the Shadowhand returned to his ministrations with the needle, Bren screamed once more.  The halls of the Dungeons of Penance echoed with it for hours, until he was hoarse and could only sob. It was then, and only then, that Essek finally left him alone, bound in his cell in the dark. 

Hopefully, he had learned his lesson.