#draconian boyfriend

[mytherbalegwladys]

Ian Lightfoot rencontre Red Dudragon au gymnase. Ce dernier s'entraîne à la boxe en essayant de contrôler sa colère. Ian tombe sous le charme de ce draconien rebelle et souhaite faire une lettre d'amour pour mieux connaissance.

[queenbelphegorofsloth]

What is your honest opinion on the sins plus Adam?

Bel: Alright I will give my honest opinion on each of them:

1. Adam: He is as sweet as can be, he is the most popular member of the royal court of Hell with only Mammon hating him. I feel like going to overprotective older sister mode when I see him. I am impressed by his maternal nature and I know he will be one of the best mothers.

2. Lucifer: He is a good King when he actually shows up, he basically went and became a shut in when Lilith up and left him. It is frustrating when he doesn’t show up to rule as King. But with Adam being a co ruler Lucifer is actually stepping up as King of Hell.

3. Satan: When he is off the job he is very much the gentleman to the ladies and Adam. On the job you will find out exactly why he is the Sin of Wrath. He is draconian when it comes to the law. He also has a rivalry with Lucifer that can get annoying, but the two usually get along.

4. Queen Bee: Very fun, energetic, and kind, she is basically the baby of the group if you don’t count Adam. She is the type who is easy to get along with. I just wish she would stop trying to sneak into where I store my medicines.

5. Ozzie: Like Satan, Ozzie is very much a gentleman. His club is a nice place to go to and have a nice meal with a glass of wine. He is also the perfect host as well, just very easy to get along with.

6. Leviathan: She is my best friend, we do everything together, she is quite generous with me since we are friends. She even admitted that if Lucifer hadn’t gotten with Adam when he did she would have tried to take Adam for herself.

7. Mammon: Everyone hates him for good reason, he is loud, rude, and like his sin that he represents, very greedy. He has done things to antagonize everyone like openly insulting Adam or turning into a giant and stepping on Lucifer. He is also so stupid that he didn’t realize that Ozzie’s boyfriend was saying fuck you in a song. I think the only person who likes Mammon is Mammon.

[fated-mates]

Elda Minger was the first romance novelist to put condom use on the page. When we spoke to her about the choice she made, she told us about the realities of the world before Roe, when abortion was neither safe nor legal. This remains one of the most powerful conversations we’ve had on Fated Mates, and we are so lucky that Elda came to talk to us.

As we watch women die throughout the country in the wake of draconian abortion bans, we hope you’ll listen to Elda, and make a plan to vote for this Tuesday.

-

Transcription:

I remember the reason I put in the condom, and this is funny 'cause I hadn't thought about this in years, this will sound like the Stone Age to you guys because you're much younger. I grew up in a town, I went to high school in a town of 1200 people. It was still very much a, I would call it a boy's town, like lots of hunting, fishing, ice fishing, skiing, sledding. Women were, you know, married young, had their kids and kind of disappeared is the only way I can put it. They disappeared. And marriage, I remember Jessie Bernard once said, a sociologist, she said, "Marriage is a great deal for men and children, but not so great for women." And I remember reading that and thinking, "Yep." When women did not have access to birth control, and biologically, the sex drive is strong. I had numerous friends who got pregnant, and back in the day, there was no abortion. If you could find a doctor you could go, you could get someone to do the job, and then if you started bleeding out, you went to the emergency room. And I had two friends, older sisters, they told me later on, it was like the most terrifying experience of their lives, which is why abortion must always be safe and legal. But you had two choices. And I had two girlfriends in high school who, their beginning of their senior year or summer of their junior year, whatever, they went to visit their aunt, and they came back and they looked gutted. And I never forgot the look in their eyes, like dead eyes, because they had had their baby and given it up for adoption, because that was the option or you cornered the guy and married him, and if he thought he was trapped, it was not a good marriage, and it usually ended up in divorce. So birth control back then, I worked at a drugstore and the condoms were in a glass case behind the pharmaceutical counter. You could only buy them if you were married. This is how bad things were. You know, when I look back, it's like God, it was like the Stone Age. But the thing was, I couldn't in good faith, and all the romances, the historicals of course, they would have sex and then she'd be pregnant and there'd be a big brouhaha, but in the end he would love the baby. But with a contemporary I thought, "I can't do this. I can't do this." And I had interesting parents because my mother is from Puerto Rico, staunch Roman Catholic, could not have the sex talk with me. So my dad was like, "This is very embarrassing, but we're going to have the sex talk, and I don't think I can look at you while we do this, but you need to be protected." And I remember he told me, "Teenage boys will do anything. They would do a knothole in a plank. You have to understand this about male nature. And he said, "They will tell you, "I love you." They will promise you the moon and you are a very romantic girl, and you will have sex with him. And Monday morning he will be telling all his friends at school and you will be brokenhearted." And that did happen to one of my girlfriends, where she gave it up to a guy, and she was the town pump for the last two years of high school, and she never had a boyfriend because she didn't dare. And I remember thinking, "God, that's awful!" But you know, my dad taught college and he said, "Many a woman's college career was derailed because some guy said, "I love you. I'll be with you forever." And she ended up raising the baby with her and her mom and dropping out of school. And he said, "I don't want that for you. I don't know how more plainly to put it." And I was like, "Got it, Dad. Got it." Because he was pretty, I mean he said, "I don't expect you to be a virgin when you're married. It's different times, but pick a man who likes women." And I was at 16, so stupid, 14, "Daddy, all men like women." And he's like, "No, they don't. Pick a man who really does like and treasure women." So when I approached Untamed Heart, I thought, "Okay, I've got to somehow put birth control into it." And I said to Vivian, "Can I do that?" And she said, "If you can figure out a way to make it work, I'm all for it."

[redbreastedbird]

hello oh my goodness you're on tumblr 😭😭😭I don't really know how to convey how HAPPY your books make me feel. I re-read mmu books one through five for christmas and I intend to re-read the rest before mua three is out!

arkjdmsb I don't even know what to say except a huge big massive THANK YOU for creating this amazing universe where anyone and everyone can be gay and solve crimes. nuala holds a special place in my heart as we're both bespectacled autisic irish people. every time she speaks irish I gain like three years of life expectancy. I love hazel to pieces as well. when I was younger, she felt like a friend to me, like I had just accidentally picked up her casebooks and solving crimes alongside her and daisy (and of course the junior pinkertons!)

I will never forget reading the last chapter of the body in the blitz and coming to the realisation that like. almost everyone in this room is queer. and this is a kids book in an era of draconian book-banning legislation, and there are just queer characters right there. just being people, really really good people, existing almost a hundred years ago. neurodivergent, poc, disabled, queer and trans characters. yes!

I am just rambling oh my god 🤦love you lots and keep up the incredible, ground-breaking, joyous work <3

This is so nice?! Thank you so so much. And yes, this is everything I wanted to do with my books.

Sarah Waters has a line about how she writes historical novels about queer women because she wants to show her readers that queer women have always existed, and I really internalised that. It matters so much to be able to show that none of this is new - that humans have always been every identity they are today, it’s just that mainstream culture never wanted to admit it. I’m trying to put the reality back into history - honestly, I’ve probably underestimated the diversity, if anything.

I know I have said this a lot, but I grew up under section 28 in the UK, in a time when you basically could not show queer characters in a children’s book (the only queer characters I remember seeing were the angels in His Dark Materials), and so it took me a long time to really trust that I was allowed to put queer characters in my own books. Making Daisy on the page queer was one of the scariest things I had ever done, and I still sort of cannot believe I did it. But it means so much to me to just be able to put on the page now that oh, George has a boyfriend now, and for it to be a basically unremarkable thing. And also to create a trans character with Anna, who transitioned before the novel and is now just living her life!

I really hope that there’s a generation of authors coming up now who have grown up with books like mine and who will do this kind of thing even more readily than I have been able to. The world is such a scary place for people who don’t fit into the norm, but there are so many of us, just out there living our lives, and books help us see that.

Long story short: be gay solve crimes. ❤️

[cwseriesshowdown]

Semifinals: Veronica Mars vs The 100

Veronica Mars: As the daughter of well-respected County Sheriff Keith Mars, Veronica's biggest life problem was getting dumped by her boyfriend, Duncan Kane, until the murder of her best friend, Lilly Kane. After Lilly's murder, Veronica's life falls apart. Keith mistakenly accused Lilly's father, popular software billionaire Jake Kane, of involvement. When Mr. Kane is proven to be innocent, he has Keith ousted as sheriff in a recall election, who the corrupt Don Lamb then replaces. Keith opens a private investigation agency, Mars Investigations, where Veronica works part-time. Veronica helps her father solve cases and conducts her investigations on behalf of schoolmates.

The 100: When nuclear Armageddon destroys civilization on Earth, the only survivors are those on the 12 international space stations in orbit at the time. Three generations later, the 4,000 survivors living on a space ark of linked stations see their resources dwindle and face draconian measures established to ensure humanity's future. Desperately looking for a solution, the ark's leaders send 100 juvenile prisoners back to the planet to test its habitability. Having always lived in space, the exiles find the planet fascinating and terrifying, but with the fate of the human race in their hands, they must forge a path into the unknown.

[klapollo]

the way my boyfriend venmos me for food is gonna get me got by PayPal's draconian sex work policies

[orthopunkfox]

A Queer Book Rec (and my life story because I'm extra)

This post will be long and semi-autobiographical but I ask my friends to please bear with me as I think it will be beneficial.

I have started rereading (as a form of self care to preserve my sanity) the book Real Queer America by trans journalist and author Samantha Allen (who also currently writes for my favorite queer magazine "Them" and received a GLAAD Media award in 2018 for her work, seriously she's a hero of mine and I really hope to meet her in person one day). Real Queer America is a semi-autobiographical work about queer culture in red states and is one of the first books I read when I came out as trans. In its pages, Allen highlights the thriving queer communities that exist in hostile areas, revealing the beauty of queer culture in some of the most draconian states on record. The fact that she spends a large section of the book in Bloomington, Indiana where she met her now wife (who was studying queer porn at the Kinsey Institute at IU honestly how cool must this couple be?!) is a big bonus for my fellow Hoosiers. I've started a tradition of reading this book at least once a year and those closest to me will often hear me refer to it as my queer bible. It has loads of encouragement for f@gs like me who love our little red states and have no intention of leaving.

When I tell other queer friends that despite having spent time in both New York and LA, I choose to live 20 miles south of the house I grew up in, I’m usually met with confusion and shock. I think most people expect me to be in regular danger of being gang SAd by hillbillies in a cornfield somewhere. But the way I see it, the hills and woods and river valleys of Southern Indiana are my home. I was born here and I have just as much right to live here as anyone. Growing up in a stereotypical conservative evangelical household (I frequently heard my father brag that he voted for Reagan twice) with an healthy dash of emotional and physical abuse (my clearest earliest memory is my mother shoving me out of a dining room chair and throttling me on the ground when I was about 6), being anti LGBTQ+ was a given.

My religiously homophobic parents certainly did not ask for a queer kiddo and yet, God has a sense of humor. And so at the age of 11 when I began struggling with my gender and sexuality, I automatically and correctly assumed that I could not go to my parents for help. The things my parents discovered due to my negligence cost me dearly, threats of conversion therapy and military school from my father and more...direct physical consequences from my mother. My secret boyfriend in high school likely still wonders why I broke off communication with him so suddenly. Had he been able to see the blood dripping on my phone screen from my busted lip as my parents stood over me while I typed the message, it likely would've made things more clear.

And for a while, they succeeded in beating the queer out of me. I succumbed to their alt right rhetoric for many years for my own safety and tried to present myself as the clean cut All American Boy they wished me to be. But, like the many members of the RNC, the Grindr app hidden on my phone and the panties and nightgown in the back of my underwear drawer told the real story. Eventually, I couldn't hide anymore and reached the point where I either needed to come out or unalive myself. So I went no contact with my parents, started injecting hormones into my thigh every five days, and became the glorious trans dyke I am today.

Well that’s not entirely true, I was terrified. And proud. Terriproud? Proudified? I didn’t leave the house unless I was decked out in several pride-themed articles of clothing. Every social interaction with the cishet population was down with a determined scowl and my fist half-cocked, waiting for anyone to give me trouble. The energy expended going to the grocery store was exhausting. Then one day, I looked up and saw an entire group of people ready to embrace me, to love me for the first time in my life for who I was. A fellow trans girl I had never met gave me a ride to Indianapolis to speak out against the anti trans laws coming down the pipe. I got a job at a theatre where there was one cishet person (we called him our diversity hire). I was amazed. There is truly nothing more wonderful on all the earth than queer community. Never before have I seen a group more thoroughly and solidly perform Christ's command to love one another. I found here in southern and central Indiana some beautiful people who help each other get through this ridiculously difficult life, indeed who DO LIFE together, who truly LIVE together. It was amazing!

Even more fascinating to me was beginning to read LGBTQ+ history and finding out it has pretty much always been this way! Through the decades of living in the shadows of history, to the gay liberation movement and Stonewall, through all of it, different outside groups have come and gone. Various religious groups have embraced and rejected LGBTQ+ people, many political candidates have made hollow promises or delivered only half of what they said they would, many people let us down. But we've always had each other.

If you've read my ramblings this far, thank you. And I'd like to get to my point now. We will never have it easy. By definition of being queer, we will always exist outside the norm. And those who want everyone to fall in line will use every tool at their disposal to make that happen. Religious rhetoric. Rule of law. Political grandstanding. Even physical violence. Why? Because they're afraid of us. Having spent years around alt right men, one thing they're fond of saying is "I'm not homophobic cuz I'm not afraid of f@ggots." Bullshit. They're terrified of us. And that’s badass.

So in this time of uncertainty, I want to encourage all of my queer friends all over the US to band together, put pet political idealism aside, and unite for the safety of all of our siblings. 2024 isn't the end of us. It isn't the end of our fight. Scarier people than Trump will rise. Our rights may be taken away. We may indeed go back to the 50s or (God save us) 1939 Germany. But our queer fore-parents lived through those times, and they didn't let that stop them. They forged and hacked out spaces for themselves, they picked a spot, planted themselves in it and DEMANDED to be recognized for who they were. And when those who hated them came and tried to remove them by force, they banded together and fought with bricks and handbags and lunch trays and high heeled shoes. When the first Stonewall riot broke out, Sylvia Rivera, that trans foremother who was dubbed the Rosa Parks of the transgender liberation movement, was told by a friend to stay inside, she responded “I’m not missing a minute of this! It’s the revolution!” Let us carry her spirit with us as we move forward, whatever happens in November. We will always have each other. We will always be here, we will always be queer, whether people get used to it or not.

[fellomen]

heard a theory that snakes and dragons have shared ancestry so when rhalen (draconian tarnished) introduces messmer to his ancestors I like to think they'd point at him and his snakes and be like which one is ur boyfriend

[wordy-little-witch]

Surprise, a Fandom that ISN'T One Piece!!!

Super Mario Bros.

I have. So many thoughts. So many AUs. So much swirling in my brain. I've already infodumped on one theory/au to my boyfriend ((thanks, Eggy, ilysm!!)) BUT I am now gonna throw it out here.

Gonna be long so I'll put a cut teehee

Okay so like. In Super Mario Odyssey, there's the Ruined Kingdom, yeah? And like. The whole point for the area is that it's full of echoes of the past, no definitive answers, it's essentially a world, place, nation lost to time completely. And the location on the map is near the Darklands, which is feasibly bear Evershade Valley. I am going somewhere with this, hold on.

Now the Ruined Kingdom is called that because it's name is lost completely and totally to history. The only thing left is the crumbling architecture and the mild vestiges of a land unknown, overrun in game by enemies, with the dragon guarding over the area. There's differing weather phenomena, metal rods, storm motifs all over the area, either newer to the land or leftover from the time Before whatever happened.... happened.

Now I'm gonna pivot here, the Ruined Kingdom is near the Darklands, it's got the storm motifs, and keep all of that in mind.

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, we get introduced to the Beanbean Kingdom. The events in game are generally unrelated to this, barring one BIG thing that comes with repeated references in subsequent games for Mario and Luigi both - Firebrand and Thunderhand.

There are two temples, relatively abandoned and no longer worshipped at or in, heralded by two deities, one of Fire, the other of Thunder. Mario and Luigi both go individually to one temple each where they wind up receiving the abilities from the deities there to wield fire and lightning.

These abilities and associations continue on in more games as well.

Mario is associated with fire and flames and heat and warmth and sunlight and energy and ambition and charisma.

Luigi is associated with lightning and thunder and static and chill and darkness and night and lethargy and unconventional bravery in the same ways.

They are complementary forces, cohesive yet different, opposite and balanced, the sun and moon effectively in mortal forms. And celestial motifs with them aren't uncommon in games at all, frankly.

Now let's shift again back to the map.

The darklands is associated with volcanoes, Koopas and Goombas and so on and so forth. It's heat. It's burning. It's ruled by Bowser, with his lava-association, his fire breathing abilities, his spikes and tail and horns and draconian features. The Darklands is fire and brimstone and is near to the Ruined Kingdom. Mario's primary adversary rules and resides there.

Evershade Valley is in close proximity to the Darklands. It is associated with spirits, with darkness, with trickery and night, and it is ruled over by King Boo, a powerful Boo with a magical crown and it has its own lunar motifs and shadowed descriptors. Boos are ghosts, and all ghosts can be fought and defeated by an electronic weapon. Luigi even has a higher impact ability with MORE electricity on hand to fuel the Poltergust. ((Also let it be said that in paranormal research, electricity is often considered a source of power to supernatural beings. Electricity, limestone, running water - and all those could easily be found in the Mansions. Interesting...))

These two areas are ruled by the two main antagonists to the two primary protagonists who have complimentary and equal associations as well as crumb like connections to a forgotten kingdom.

Mario and Luigi btw are both built differently to most, depending on game perspectives. They're human, most likely. They may have smth like achondroplasia ((and I do love this take honestly)), or maybe they're descendants of a different inhuman species and this accounts for their biology. ((Add in that on the wiki, their race isn't homosapien which may be a silly little joke OR could be something else entirely, idk and idc)).

Regardless I really really love the idea that Mario and Luigi are the descendants of the people who lived in the Ruined Kibgdom once upon a time, maybe even from the royal family there itself.

If something went horribly wrong and the kingdom was in danger, if there was a threat they could not stop or a foe they could not face, escaping with their lives would the the best and safest bet.

And with warp pipes everywhere... well. It isn't too much of a stretch for them to scatter, is it?

Or even for some warp pipes to lead to an entirely new world with different nations, nationals, and a certain Italian Heritage....

Anyway yeah. I think Mario and Luigi are from the Ruined Kingdom, I think there's far more to what's left there and it would be so cool to have another game with that setting bc I am OBSESSED

[duke-wrio]

Bonjour Mr. Wriothesley

Do you want to team up and find out how we can trigger cute draconian behavior from our respective partners? For research purposes of course- @not-the-darknight

Ah. Yes. Research purposes.

Though, I must warn you, our boyfriends do have extremely different personalities when it comes to this topic.

[talion-graves]

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in their relationship?)

Tal's favorite moment in his relationship with his boyfriend Joel would probably be when Joel was teaching Tal how to ride a skybike that was left at Tal's door and it was a gift to Tal with a mysterious letter from someone he knew. The amount of times Tal fell were many and they both were laughing at every attempt. Now Tal knows how to ride the skybike but now Joel will always be the one to drive it when they're together.

@draconian-empress this should also answer your ask as well!

[eclecticwordblender]

there is little that infuriates me more than "real men don’t do so and so" or "real men do so and so" rhetorics.

ACTUALLY YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS IN FACT REAL MEN WHO RAPE AND ENGAGE IN OTHER HORRIBLE ACTS WHICH MAKE LIFE HELL FOR WOMEN.

it is in fact real men who are terrible to the women in their lives, especially their romantic/sexual partners.

stop perpetuating the rhetoric that men are actually decent human beings and men who commit hate crimes towards women are some isolated monsters.

i believe women often succumb to this "real men" rhetoric because it is tedious and agonising to admit that males they hold so dear to themselves are a major part of the problem. males succumb to this rhetoric because it allows them to maintain a good human image simply because they do not engage in violent crimes against women, most of them would if they could get away with the consequences. again, i use the term most because there are some men who wouldn’t but that is not because they are any better or hold any less problematic views on women. they wouldn’t because of their own self righteousness which makes them feel entitled to the better than everyone else pedestal because they exhibit basic human traits such as empathy, kindness and non violence.

your father who provided you the same love as your brother but is condescending towards your mother is part of the problem. your brother who feels entitled the emotional and care labour of your mother even as an adult is part of the problem. your male best friend who calls you a "bitch" jokingly is part of the problem. your gay best friend who thinks that laws prohibiting gay couples to adopt are draconian is part of the problem. your boyfriend who shuts you up by saying that you lack objectivity because of your feminism is part of the problem.

stop dictating what a real man is when males commit atrocities against women. it is not monsters but real men who have been committing real hate crimes against women.

stop dating men

stop marrying men

stop having children with men

stop protecting their male ego by using terms like "so many men" or "most men" or even worse ""some" men" and just say ALL MEN or MEN

stop coddling men

stop teaching them basic human decency and babying them and call it a relationship, they are fully aware and CHOOSE to act unhinged

stop birthing men

stop having sons

stop infantilizing men and calling them "boys" whenever they do some fucked up shit

men are women’s enemies

men dont see women as human beings

men hate women

[lycheecupcake]

1 and 2 for the song thingy 👀

1: A song you like with a color in the title - Pale tortured blue by Draconian

2: A song you like with a number in the title - 10 boyfriends by Chrissy Chlapecka

Thank you!!

[mryoyo000]

ASOIAF Fanfic: “A Kiss For Stannis” Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Daario brushed his blue hair with the back of his hand. He wondered if Stannis would appreciate how nice and tanned his arms had gotten over the last few weeks.

He stepped out of the building where he took lumberjack classes, a tall stone lecture hall building at the top of Visenya’s Hill. And that’s when he heard the commotion:

“Help! Stop! I didn’t do anything wrong!” The voice was coming from a student named Patchface whom Daario only vaguely recognized. Patchface was waving his arms frantically, while a gold cloak confiscated a heart-shaped box of chocolates as if it was a weapon. “I’m just selling chocolates for Val-“

“Shut up!” yelled a gold cloak, slapping Patchface. “The holiday of Valentine’s Day and all associated commerce, activities, gatherings, and promotions are expressly forbidden and illegal by the decree of Mayor Tywin Lannister! If you don’t like it, take it up with the judge.”

“Oh oh oh,” yelled Patchface. He struggled to break free of the gold cloak’s grasp on his farm. “I know, I know, the mayor hates Valentine’s Day, oh, oh, oh. But I’m just trying to sell chocolate!”

“You could have chosen to sell chocolate on any other day,” growled the gold cloak. Daario faintly recognized him, the gold cloak was named Balon Greyjoy. He used to be a chiropractor until he got caught up in a lawsuit, although the corrupt mayor of King’s Landing was happy to find him a position in the city watch where he could enforce Tywin’s increasingly draconian laws.

Daario stared in horror at the unfolding scene. He couldn’t help but think of Stannis…Stannis, his boyfriend, his sweet jaw-clenching and deeply vulnerable Stannis. And what about their date night? Was that a crime worthy of arrest now, under this new law?

As the gold cloaks dragged Patchface away, Daario shook his head with worry. He’d have to call his family in Tyrosh to let them know. His mom and dad knew that he was in a committed relationship and were always asking when he and Stannis were finally going to get married. Daario blushed, imagining how shy and painfully awkward Stannis would be in a marriage ceremony. But that’s why he loves him, the guy who everyone sees as rude and distant, Daario has always known that deep down his heart is full of yearning to give love and be loved. And Daario will always be there for him.

He heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. It was Drogon, a sentient tractor. Drogon the anthropomorphic living tractor pulled up into the courtyard in front of the school building. He had rhinestones studded on the sides of his vehicular body and he was wearing green mascara. Daario knew that Drogon was dating Grey Wind, the dashing sentient motorcycle who worked at Old Nan’s Coffee Shop.

“Things are getting bad,” said Drogon in an ominous rumbling voice. “Grey Wind almost got reported today for writing ‘Happy Love Day’ on a customer’s coffee cup. I can’t trust any of my professors at Oldtown University, I think they are all keeping watch on official orders. The mayor of Oldtown is definitely collaborating with Mayor Lannister and we’re seeing a lot of the same restrictions and laws that are happening here.”

Daario nodded. The mayor of Oldtown was an intimidating woman named Olenna Tyrell. Her husband was part of the infamous Tyrell crime family, and her own family the Redwynes had dominated the wine industry by brutally taking out all of their competition.

“We might be meeting some people tonight,” Drogon continued, ��one of my classmates has heard about a possible…student project.” The way he was speaking made Daario realize that the sentient gay tractor was not saying exactly what he meant, but was using some sort of code. “A student project…that would not make the…principal very happy. Let’s just leave it at that. One that would make…heart day legal again.”

“I don’t know if I can get involved,” said Daario. “I have to keep Stannis safe. I know little and less of this…project. If there is a safe location for future meetings I can try to attend.”

“I understand,” said Drogon. “There will be a code word used: that word will be ‘godswood’ and if someone here says it to you, it will be a signal for a meeting at a location to be disclosed.”

[harrison-abbott]

I got a call from my Dad. He was drunk. Could hear it in the way he talked, very quickly. That slushy sound that I’d known since I was a girl. I’d just been watching and enjoying a film and had paused it for him when I saw the phone flashing … and I wondered what he was calling for. A man who had barely showed any interest in my life for 31 years. He paused speaking … and I heard him pouring liquid into a glass – a noise that I hate. “Is there anything wrong, Dad?” I asked him. The call was already 14 minutes long, wherein he’d asked me about my boyfriend, who I was no longer with, my job, which he already knew I hated, and what I’d done earlier today with my Saturday, which was largely nothing. In his background there was classical music playing. Dad was always a big classical buff. He used to tell me anecdotes about Beethoven when I was a girl. “No, nothing is wrong,” he said, after he’d drank from his glass (I could hear his lips and his breath wheeze, probably whisky the drink of choice). He then went on to tell me about his warehouse job. And this new assistant manager that they’d brought in who was mean to him. I tried to give him advice. “Dad, you shouldn’t get so worked up about that. It’ll be him that’s immature and on a power trip. Nothing to do with you personally.” And this only made him angrier. And the tenure of the call tacked on to 32 minutes. It was tiring to hear him speak this way. I’d listened to similar tones throughout childhood and adolescence. Dad wasn’t even a bad man. He just couldn’t deal with his issues in a coherent way. And for a while, when I was in my early twenties, I was super angry with him. Various draconian things he said about my life choices. But I wasn’t so irate anymore. Rather, only sad. “Well, honey,” he finally said. After a long pause in one of his monologues. “I’m sorry to bore you. I’ll leave you along for tonight.” A Schubert quintet was playing in the background. “You don’t bore me, Dad. Why don’t you get some sleep and you’ll feel better when you wake up.” He chuckled. “Thanks, honey. Night night for now.” When I went to say night night back he hung up before the second ‘night’.

[sabineelectricheart]

The Beast at the Information Bureau

Summary: Kyoya has a strong sense of justice and very little regard for those who find themselves in the wrong side of it. When Hyori is sequestered away to a dockyard, she finds out what that truly means.

Rating: M - Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language.

Words: 2200

Notes: As I am wont to do, I exaggerated in a character trait and saw where it led me. Dark places, naturally.

Hyori had never seen Kyoya like this.

He was more of a laid-back, friendly kind of guy, cracking jokes even in the tensest situations. He was easy to talk to, a little childish, one-note, but very pleasant to be around in any circumstance. He would keep her company when she had to look after her younger siblings, and he would sometimes take her down to the river hand-in-hand when she needed the change of scenery.

Even when he talked about his work with the Information Bureau, with the strings and caveats attached to it, when he spoke about his sense of draconian justice, when she saw him training his shot with firearms, he never quite struck her as properly dangerous, as someone capable of harm.

Strong and capable of doing manual labour with ease, yes, intelligent and capable, a law enforcement officer, but the principled cruelty never really struck her as the prevalent gene in Kyoya. At least, until Hyori saw him through the gaps from her hiding spot, rabid like a dog, only missing the foam around his mouth as he tore down the door of the shack the cybercriminals had brought her to.

It never crossed her mind to be scared of her boyfriend. Not when he seemed to laugh all day long, not when he was so kind to her siblings, not when he felt so strongly for what is right. With the fury edged into his features, though, it was almost like she didn't know who he was.

With what she could only describe as a furious battle cry, he tore through the cybercriminals, their weapons falling uselessly on the concrete floor of the empty dockyard before they could even hope to react. Blood splattered everywhere, her captors', Kyoya's, and whoever else dared to stand in his way.

Hyori wanted to look away, but without a warning, she had to witness it all. By the time she turned her gaze away from the happenings and sank her throbbing head into her hands, the massacre was already over. However, she is still shivering like crazy, long after the last scream lapsed into silence.

“Hyori!” He called desperately into the dark emptiness of the dock.

Whimpering, she flinched when she heard her name being screamed into the uncomfortable silence. She felt like she was going to throw up as the smell of blood reached her nose.

"H-Here...!" She croaked weakly, heavy footsteps shaking the cold ground.

The wooden crates and barrels were mere annoyances in his path. They had no chance of survival as he burst through them in the maniacal search for her. All she could do was shield her face, her strength already dwindling from her body's exhaustion and the time spent out in the chilly dampness of the harbour at an especially cold winter. Her captors had hidden her from plain sight out of precaution, but now she suddenly is not so sure if she wanted to be found, her boyfriend’s fury burned into her mind.

A part of Hyori had always hoped that the cybercriminals would just move on from their insane plan of using her for ransom. She had witnessed them speaking about being mad at Kyoya for some reason. Still, neither she nor they could have known the lengths the blond man would go to get her back before it even came to a mail or call demanding any money.

When his head finally craned out from behind the boxes, she cowered behind. The man that found her was nothing like the image of the person Hyori cradled in her mind for all this time, bruising the unwavering belief she held ever since the Arcadia incident. It was horrifying. He seemed to be sniffing the air like an animal, frantically turning his sightline all around him. She held her breath, almost too scared to be rescued by this unfamiliar person in front of her. All of him snapped in her direction, though, at the slightest sign of her location, and so did the wood, cracking pitifully as he pushed it out of the way, freeing some space to get to her.

Fury burned in his wide-open eyes, blood staining his cheeks, chest, and arms, and there was nothing left of the Kyoya she knew. He merely looked like an animal now, a real beast. A gruesome monster of old tales, red and big and angry. Yet, when he slumped to his knees before her, squeezing himself between a crate and the wall, it was like a switch turned all of this off instantly. Worry clouded his gaze, his expression softening as did his voice as he started to coo her name.

"It's okay, I'm here. Everything will be alright. You're okay now...” He mumbled, and she had the feeling it was more to his own benefit then hers.

His voice was stricken with that childish, kind undertone. It almost made Hyori feel like a child, getting reassured by a brotherly figure, in the same way that he made her feel like back in Arcadia. More tears dripped from her eyes as she were caught between being happy to be rescued by him and scared shitless after what she witnessed through the gaps in boxes she had hidden behind.

Which one was real? Why did it seem so easy for him to eradicate the existence of those cybercriminals? If he changes so fast, could he switch again?

"Kyoya..." She sobbed, feeling like she had to share these questions with him and get the answers.

Alas, the young woman is too scared. So scared of these hands reaching out, stained red with human blood, able to snap necks with one squeeze if he wanted to.

"Yes, yes! It's me! Your hero! Come here, come... Come to me.” He encouraged her, his voice cracking into a plead. "I'll take you home. Let's get you warm and cozy, and I'll make some soup for you! I'll carry you, come."

Squeezing himself further and further into the small space between wall and box, all she could do was crawl backwards, trying to hide in the corner and watch as his expression turned from worried to confused and even hurt.

"Let's go home, okay?" He whispered, sounding desperate as he watched her hurdle away from him. "Why won't you come to me?"

Suddenly, at the very end of his question, his voice changed to a cold monotone. A dire realisation runs through his mind and a hand wrap around the ankle closest to him, even though he could not quite fit into the space with his whole body. Yanking at her, she let out a squeak and another as he began pulling her out.

"Stop!" She yelled, her lungs burning up as a sudden cough ripped through her. "You're hurting me! Kyoya, stop!"

Undeterred, his expression undefinable, he kept pulling his girlfriend towards him, his other hand gripping her knee until he could tug her out of hiding by her waist. Then, at his reach, he hugged her. Tightly and breathtakingly. Uncomfortable only for her.

"I thought I lost you.” He whispered, his voice conveying the broken-heartedness his concern and her fear left him.

It was difficult for Hyori to focus on his words and intonation, though, as his state of dress was far from ideal. The rancid smell of blood intensified in her nostrils as she were pressed to his chest, vomit collecting in her mouth.

"L-Let go.” She protested, almost sure she is going to throw up.

His embrace only tightened, pressing her further into him as the young man refused to let her go even for a second.

"Why?" He asked, and she felt his body tense under her touch. "Why didn't you come to me? Why can't I hold you? Why didn't you scream for me when they came to your house? I would have come, you know? I could have prevented all of this... Why do you never rely on me? Why am I...?"

Kyoya choked on his words, his body shaking as she could hear the anger rise in his voice. However, the next time he spoke, his voice was almost non-existent, a pained whisper in the wind.

"Why am I never good enough for you?"

Hyori felt his shoulders slump, as did his head, buried in the space between her shoulder and neck. Taking a deep breath, her boyfriend seemed to calm himself with his nose buried in her body, her simple lounge dress dropping off her shoulder, baring her skin to the cold and wet air again.

"What's this?" He asked, finally holding her a bit farther away from him, enough so she could turn her head and take a deep breath of fresh air before covering her nose in her sleeve.

"W-What?" She asked, hazy from the blood smell and unable to see what he saw, as he was staring at her shoulder.

The young woman felt one of his too-long nails rake over her skin, drawing the shape of something she did not know was there.

"You're bruised. Did these bastards...? What did they do? Don't tell me they..." The law enforcement officer gulped, his body growing tense. "Don't tell me they did something...?"

Desperation vibrated in his voice as he grew louder and louder, pushing she away to be able to see into her eyes. She avoided his gaze, not out of shame, but because she simply could not bring herself to see him in the same light as before.

Of course, Hyori would deny the dark thought going through her head. The remembrance that, in spite of the urbane character of modern living, if she knew anything about nature, one simply does not look a predator into his large, concerned eyes, lest they end up aggravating him.

"Nothing, I just... Maybe I hit something, I don't know..."

"It's really big.” The man whispered, his voice sending an ice-cold shudder down her spine. "They marked you..."

"What? No, they didn't, they..."

She did not have the opportunity to finish her sentence, her eyes darting back to him just in time to see him brandishing a weapon, a silver metal thing she has no idea what is for, only that it is against her and her boyfriend is pulling the trigger. The pain was not immediate, shock masking it so well she thought it was almost non-existent.

The blood immediately pouring out of her managed to wake her to the reality of the situation. It began to throb as her body panicked to close the wounds inflicted by that thing, a cold iron unnaturalness gripping tightly against her shoulder bone.

Kyoya lowers the pistol, replacing it with his mouth, licking her gaping wound like an animal. The feeling of the soft and wet tongue against it was a strange one, but most repulsing certainly.

Ideally, there would have been a reaction from Hyori at this point. Screaming, crying, fighting, or even just fainting. She merely stared at his hair, though, feeling his jaw loosening around her shoulder, his face now stained anew. This time, it was her blood dripping from his lips, the sight as disgusting as it was captivating.

"Delicious.” He mumbled, his tongue parting his lips to lick off the excess red in a mesmerizing, if horrifying, display. "The implant will protect you. Now, no one will dare to put their hands on you when they see your mark. If they do, I will just come and find you again. I will find you wherever you are. This time I'll be able to follow the signal of the geolocator regardless. So, from now on, you can rely on me to… Hyori?! Hey!"

She faintly noticed him shaking her body before lifting she into his arms and rushing into the cool night air. Losing blood on top of the wounds that she had already sustained during her captivity was too much for her body to take. That and the shock were finally knocking her out, perhaps for good.

His voice made him almost seem like the childish dumbo she knew. The same kind soul that snuck her store-bought candy after she spent all her money on her siblings, that cheered in increasingly creative and funny ways at his favourite foreign football team of the week and that brought her flowers on random days just because.

That face, the rage and mindless slaughter of whatever stood in his way. That was not him. It just could not be. Him brandishing a weapon into her body because he thought it was a good idea to mark her without consulting her. His weird habit of licking a wound clean, despite, and maybe even because, of the abundant blood around it. That was not the Kyoya she knew.

No, certainly not. It was some kind of monster she had never even suspected to slumber inside him. The sight of her blood dripping from his lips would not leave her thoughts until the last one disappeared in the darkness. The dreams awaiting her would be dark and lonely, but, at least, there would be no more blood.

Until Hyori opened her eyes again, no more monsters would be waiting for her, either.

*_*_*_*_*

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