#I'm screaming because she got a salamander. again

[oculusxcaro]

YOUR ANIMAL FAMILIAR

Tagged by: @goldenmedic (♡) Tagging: @arkhmlcst, @dcmonshcad, @gnarledbite, @freak1ish, @made-of-archimedes, @muppeteyes1001, @pains-illusions, @sanguine-salvation, @sebastianshaw, @sheldoney, @the-rorschach-mask, vitrumbra, @xxlordalexanderxx and anybody else who'd like to do this?

~ Salamander ~

The Salamander is a sometimes overlooked little creature, with many impressive abilities to make up for their size. For example, they are able to not only regenerate their tails, but limbs and even organs if they are badly injured. In the same way, you never let life's problems drag you down, and come right back strong as ever! This fiery determination of yours is still kept in balance by logical thinking and always being prepared for change in life. A Salamander familiar helps to heal their master physically and emotionally, as well as giving them the drive to continue through anything.

~~***~~ This familiar represents ~~***~~

Healing - Determination - Adapting to change - Balance - An opportunist - Resourcefulness

[m1ssunderstanding]

Understanding Lennon McCartney Rewatch Part 4.1

This is embarrassing but I'm actually so obsessed with the first five minutes of this episode that I've got it bookmarked in my YouTube account. It's just so perfect!

“Say you don't looooove him, my salamander. Then why did you neeeeeeed him? Ono don't answer.” He genuinely thinks need and love are the same and I really hope he's got therapy for that messed up mindset by now.

Officially honored as the most successful musical composer and recording artist of all time. That damn well better be mentioned in his movie. And people still don't take him seriously. But also. John definitely smashed his TV.

I'm screaming. I love Linda the promoter so fucking much!! Interviewer: I knew a lot of your records had went gold and platinum and– Linda: a lot of them? All of them! Ugh I wish she was still with him now.

And then THIS! “What really happened between you and John?” As the first notes to “I Will Survive” play. It's too good. Everyone has to go watch that bit right now.

Linda coming in for the kill again with her fake posh accent: critics? Critics? Oooooh! … They're always three years behind.

Look at him (to the tune Bitch by Meredeth Brooks) he's a whore, he's a father, he's a star, he's a success, he's a lover he's smug, he's laughing, he's having fun, he's working hard. He's everything.

Interviewing Wings concert goers and this one girl goes, "oh I just got off on all of it" and another one goes “It was great, i came twice!” Literally it should've been me!!!!

The McCartneys are seriously such a big family. And it's been Paul's responsibility since was about 21, really, to make sure they're all okay financially. That Francie story of him crumbling in the street in Liverpool haunts me.

"Why shouldn't they go to the same school as everyone else goes to?" State schools should be the only legal schools btw.

I love what the creator does to contextualize their songs by pairing them with other contemporary footage. It makes it much easier for me to understand why something like “arrow through me” (which I love but none of the people I've shown it to do) would've been so popular.

Oh here we go again. Just show us the marriage certificate already.

Cackling at the contrast between “Old Siam Sir” which is one of my all time fav rockers and footage of the Stones being cringe AF and Dylan being so beyond done he's basically dead.

Oh. Okay. And then they slap us in the face with John's poor baby late 70s demo voice crooning, “Don't want your looooove. Anymore.” “I die each time I hear your name.” I'm fine. It's fine. I'm just vomiting my guts out because I'm sick. That's why.

The pairing of “Mr H Atom” with Paul's would've-been drag show is genius, but what is that clip of some sort of trial stuck in there? If anyone knows, please inform me. (16:15)

John sounds so sad talking about the “endless search for . . . Scotland . . . Within an hour of New York.” I can't help thinking of the Mull of Kintyre. But John was also the one who turned Paul on to Scotland in the first place, ≈always waxing poetic about the heather and the hills≈.

Sean is so adorable. Reminds me of my little guy a bit actually.

Why do I always want to tell Paul to be nice to John? John is worse to him. Idk maybe because John's pain is more visible.

[nikithagonch81]

Sunset Shimmer is one of the central characters in My little pony: Equestria girls, getting a redemption arc in the second movie (and at the end of the first when she was forgiven).

I like the character for her design (it just screams her cutiemark), her story, and her personality.

It's a story about a human (or should I say pony) who earned her trust through honest labor. And, as is usually the case in children's cartoons (not a rebuke, I'm just stating the fact that this is usually the case in children's cartoons), such characters are quickly forgiven and treated better already. But! As many people saw in the second EG movie, Shimmer was prejudiced in school. Even the main six, although they accepted the fact that the girl corrected herself, still did not really communicate with her, even joked at her sometimes. And they turned to her for help only when they couldn't cope themselves (google The Dazzling - welcome to the show and see for yourself).

Sunset's motivations in the first movie are quite clear, which is good for a cartoon. Shimmer was Celestia's apprentice long before Sparkle (Twilight) showed up, studying quite diligently until the girl got the thing she wanted. Eventually, Shimmer decided to find her own way and fled through a portal to the human world. There she began to literally "rule" the school. All the students feared and shunned her, and Sunset enjoyed her power. And the plot of the first movie began with her act: she stole Sparkle's crown in order to rule the entire human world. But, after she realized she knew nothing about friendship, Sparkle and her friends in the EG universe forgave her. Since then, she becomes a central character in the following movies and Sparkle's apprentice.

In all the other movies, Sunset learned friendship and then started teaching friendship to Sparkle from EG.

Sunset is pretty honest to her friends, tolerant and loyal. Often comes up with interesting ideas that work.

Sunset is quite smart, but not smarter than Sparkle (logically, both were apprentices of Princess Celestia).

Sunset Shimmer is a very important character because she teaches us that if you lose trust once, it can be earned again, but the hard way. She teaches us that it's okay to make mistakes. Sunset shows us by example that even if a person has corrected themselves, they will still be prejudiced against them (because people already know that they have done bad things before and are likely to continue to do them). Sunset teaches us that trust is the kind of thing that is hard to earn but easy to lose.

And some interesting facts about this character:

1) Sunset Shimmer is one of a kind, she has no counterpart in EG, her cutiemark literally means that she is native to both the pony world and the human world.

2) Based her design on the third generation pony, Sun Shimmer.

3) Flash's ex-girlfriend Sentry. In the recent EG movies/series they start their relationship again (already as friends).

4) Very good friends with Twilight from EG.

5) Sunset Shimmer and Mighty Trixie have one thing in common: the two had the same sidekicks, Snips and Snale.

6) Although it was said in the movies and in the show that Sunset Shimmer often visits Equestria, you won't see her in the MLP: FIM series itself, only in the final episode of season 9.

7) Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer are pupils of Sparkle, as well as reformed antagonists (by the way, they will meet each other in one of the series).

8) Sunset Shimmer's design was already known in 2013 because of the dolls' release.

9) Sunset Shimmer has her own element of harmony in the human world, "forgiveness".

10) In the fourth movie, Sunset gains the ability to read people's minds and their pasts (with the help of an artifact - a bracelet representing her element).

11) Sunset has the same problem as Rainbow - they both had no pets and their friends helped them find them (Rainbow eventually got a turtle as a pet and Sunset got a salamander).

12) Sunset Shimmer and Princess Celestia make up after a long fight.

13) Sunset Shimmer is one of the most well-described characters in EG.

14) In the Forgotten Friendship series, she regains the trust of her friends.

15) Many people dislike her.

Now, my opinion on the character.

I like Sunset a lot. I consider her on par with Twilight as the most well-described of the mlp characters. Not only does she have a deep meaning in the series (she was literally born to live in the world of EG and the ponies), but she teaches us, the viewers, a lot. She has her downsides, especially in the first movie, but she makes up for it in the end. Like Sparkle, she learns from her mistakes. And, most importantly, she's fun to follow, which is the most important thing.

P.S. Sorry for any mistakes, my native language is not English.

[quietbluejay]

Betrayer 9

This time: Kharn and Argel Tal talk comparative morality as Orfeo gets ripped to death or something in the background, Lotara shoots a guy in the face

Kharn and Argel Tal wander the battlefield, Argel Tal is back to normal

battle's over btw

yikes it just gets worse from here

what is angron doing to him do i want to know? probably not argel tal: you're not gonna like the answer and then they find a legless dying World Eater

heh

Kharn is like, how can you still hate these guys so much, they're suffering about the same as the ravens and salamanders at isstvan oh huh so a lot of the Word Bearers hated the Ultramarines (obv) and they didn't do the purging like everyone else did at Isstvan the belief of the word bearers wasn't in doubt but their competency was lol

he's got a point there

Kharn calls the torture "childish" what difference does one man's pain make

argel tal: everything there's something profound there but also like…it's weirdly strategic i think i mentioned this ages ago when i was first reading the Ahriman books, but one of the things I liked about the metaphysics of 40k was that, all these people's individual pain mattered the burning of Prospero was a wound in reality Argel Tal does in fact mercy kill the guy though

man this makes Argel Tal so much worse that's another thing this book is about choice it's about a lot of people making the easiest choices

but also, because of how it's showing their circumstances, and showing them as people, it's also asking what about you? would you be strong enough to stand up against all this? and how much free choice do any of them have? ADB writes about bad people getting worse, which is part of why I find him hard to read sometimes it's not grand tragedies, it's a slow slide further into evil he writes a world without grace

anyone here read Flannery O'Connor? It's like that, but take God out of it

"indulged in taking prisoners" there's a huge weight in that small phrase you can do lots of things with prisoners! we get a little list you can use their skins for parchment! you can use their blood for ink! you can carve their bone into fun little trinkets! meanwhile, Orfeo is still screaming like uh the nails reward violence, not torture, they reward killing fighting how are the nails making Angron do whatever it is he's doing to Orfeo also man ADB is drawing this out so you know it's going to be bad Argel Tal drops a comment that the Nails are killing Angron also wait

✨the cringe bros ✨

I'm reminded again of some stuff from Dark Imperium and the Nurglites but also, this is the way Argel Tal excuses it he and his may torture people but they're doing it for a good reason

also Lorgar spends most of his time listening to ✨ the song of the warp ✨ Argel Tal doesn't hear it

lorgar is the worst phantom of the opera ever oh and now the daemon in Argel Tal is…kind of speaking? the warp is boiling around here

i'll dig into this later

ADB: DO YOU GET IT YET but also it's absolutely such a cop-out on Argel Tal's part

"both sides are the bad guys" is absolutely one of the ways he justifies himself if they're both bad, well, hey, at least he's fighting for the side that's got the real truth on it

it's whataboutism is what it is, lol

I don't think anyone else has gone for "both sides are morally wrong" hmm except possibly some of the Night Lords

oh we're back to Syrgalah crew, who are meeting Lotara tldr: the crew has conflict with the guy who's now in charge of them, Lotara is emotionally affected by the Syrgalah captain's death

yeah I think she spotted the guy who was supposed to be defending them lotara: what are they gonna do, shoot me back?

if i had a nickel for every time ADB had a character insult a woman by calling her a whore I'd have at least 3 nickels so far the three cases were in The First Heretic where an old woman hisses at Cyrene for not kneeling when the space marines show up, here in Betrayer when Angron calls Cyrene her a "whore-priestess" in an attempt to taunt Argel Tal, and…this bit here note from future bluejay: there's a future incident too! I didn't bring it up at the time but also it doesn't really feel like the kind of insult Angron would use like given his entire background anyways it's always struck me as kind of weird

luckily Lotara gets some backup against the Triarii oh it was Esca who blocked the shots from hitting her Esca and Lhorke have really been some of the underrated MVPs of this book

Delvarus does, in fact, finally back off Lotara has a lot of backup by this point

owo i have no memory of where this is going

OH I REMEMBER WHO THIS IS ITS BEST BOY well, "best" he finds two slaves sharing smuggled power packs also so much for "we don't call them slaves" huh or is this more of the World Eaters being like "at least I'm honest about it"

guess who's back back again

arriving at almost exactly the halfway point of the book

[svyat0s]

"It's a duck! Duck!" - shouted the gods in unison

The first Light Night of Samhain. Today we had a day of fortune-telling))), light night - means that you are cleaned and protected from all the crap, spirits and people do not owe anything, in short, you stepped into a new cycle, so now you have the right to beg for goodies. Do you remember, yesterday I told you we were pouring candles on paper? Lina got a duck. And Marik got a boot in the shape of Italy. When Sonya saw it, she screamed: "Re-pour it now! I don't want to go to Italy! Lina said: "That duck bothers me". Today we had three rituals. Well, cut apples - you make a wish, cut an apple in half, if the seeds are intact, there are no obstacles to fulfillment. Half - to the gods, into the fire, half - under the pillow, and in the morning you eat (well, or if there is any diet or allergies, throw it into the fire too). The second ritual is to char the fruit skins on the fire and see what you get. Everybody got ducks. Ducks and boots. Boots that look like ducks, ducks that look like ducks. Ducks that didn't look like ducks, but definitely ducks. Well, of course, I got the personal-sacral answers too. And ducks. The third ritual was the usual wax fortune-telling - you drop candle wax into a basin of water. This was the most fun, because the gods would shout "it's a duck!", snatch the candle out of our hands and throw it into the water, extinguish it, and repeat in different ways "It's a duck!!!". We'd laugh and tell them we're stupid, we don't know what a duck means. it's a duck, duck, duck, God, tell them duck. No, I can't look at it…but the sausages* were delicious, they are such hearty people, let's try it again, three-four, it's a duck!!!! Us: can we have luck and richness, not duck and boots!!! Gods: Lord Jesus, Great Buddha, I even can't! It's a duck, damn it, duck!!! D.U.C.K! Then we got to see what it means. Well yes, a duck is that's what we asked for. ^__^

Tomorrow we'll be giving geises tomorrow)))))) we don't have to, but at family council we decided to give them. This is the most dangerous ritual, because it's a vow for a year not to do something, and if you break it, you'll die the next Samhain Night. That's why Samhain night is called the night of the dead.

Pics and videos of fire spirits)) there are salamanders and laughing spirits ^__^

about sausages. I once got into an argument with runologists who wrote an idiotic post about why the mighty goddess Freya would want to sign up for some human for Thank You, think for yourself, they say. So if you ask the mighty gods to sign up for you, offer them a normal offering - nuts, honey, wine. I couldn't help myself and clarified: so you're saying that a spiritual being, the mighty goddess Freya, won't sign up for spiritual duty, spiritual gratitude, but will sign up for nuts and honey? 0__0 Oh, you would like to see, how they tore their asses because of outrage. Well, we burned food yesterday, also as an offering, but not for something, but just for the sake of the holiday. Like, so that the spirits would have something to eat. We tell those hommies who didn't see our bonfires in shape-hearts that it was yesterday. Sonya said: It means Freya likes sausages, not nuts and honey. Like, thanks from the bottom of my heart, guys, I'm sick of these with their honey and nuts. Like, Loki, send them away, they're here with honey and nuts again.

Photos and video are here: https://albireo-mkg.com/2023/11/02/its-a-duck-duck-shouted-the-gods-in-unison

[recurring-polynya]

I hoped you would reblog that! :3 A fic after Aizen arc, where Ichigo DOES NOT lose his powers, and seireitei is in full party mode. Someone asks where Rukia is. Renji's like "she went to get snacks". and Orihime, tipsy as hell, just blurts out "Of course you know where she is! You're so cute together!!" and everyone is either like "yeah true" or "WAIT SINCE WHEN?". aka the dorks get peer pressured into realizing they should date already By Everyone. Feat. Women's Society paparazzi.

Hey, so you know how always spend a ton of time on my really long fics and don’t post them until I’m all the way done so that I can make everything internally consistent, etc, etc? What would it look like, as your therapist would say, if I just wrote some nonsense and posted it? And if I feel like writing more chapters later, maybe I will? To post something with a 1/? Also, what if was Canon, Never Heard of Her? and also full of things that do absolutely do not belong in Soul Society (like potato salad?) What would that look like?

Anyway, here you go @unohanadaydreams. I’m sorry it took me so long to do this and also I also messed up your prompt a bunch (I figure that everyone knows how bad Renji has it for Rukia and wouldn’t rag him about it, so I switched ‘em), but I think I captured the spirit of it, along with the spirit of that filler episode where everyone makes movies.

Enough! Enough intro! Here it is!

Heroes of the Hueco Mundo Invasion – In Love!!

“HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOO, SQUAD 10!” Inoue Orihime yodeled, flinging herself into the courtyard, where a barbeque of epic proportions was gearing up.

“Orihime!” Matsumoto screamed.

“YO!” Kurosaki Ichigo announced, stumbling in behind her, arms raised victoriously. “What has two thumbs and just saved Soul Society?”

“This guy!” Orihime squealed, trying to point her thumbs at Ichigo as he also tried to point his thumbs at himself.

Ichigo squinted at the hands waving around his general vicinity. “How many thumbs do I have? Hey, hey, Ishida?! Did I grow any extra arms while I was fighting Aizen?”

Sado Yasutora suddenly plunged through the gate behind them panting and out of breath.

“Are you two drunk?” Captain Hitsugaya demanded.

“My new best friend Captain Doctor Unohana Retsu gave me the good stuff, because I am the Hero of Three Worlds, possibly Four,” Ichigo explained. 

“Painkillers,” Chad gasped. “He’s on a very high dose of painkillers. It’s…okay… I'm… keeping an eye on him. He’s still really fast, though.”

“What about Orihime?” Rukia demanded, from where she was trying to sculpt a bowl of potato salad into a diorama of herself defeating Rudabone. Or possibly Chappy. “She wasn’t even hurt.”

“She was very nervous about Kurosaki,” Uryuu explained, sauntering up next to Chad. “So Lieutenant Kotetsu gave her some of Captain Unohana’s home-brewed ginger beer, which was… allegedly non-alcoholic?”

“I feel so powerful right now!” Orihime chimed in. “Like my body is filled with thousands of dubstepping bees!”

“I literally cannot feel any part of my body, right now,” Ichigo chipped in, “but at least I didn’t lose my Soul Reaper powers while performing the Final Getsuga, like some sort of contrived plot hook.”

“Why is it called the Final Getsuga, then?” Orihime asked.

“Beats me!” Ichigo hooted.

“It’s because Europe had just released ‘The Final Countdown’ when I invented it, and that song slaps!” Isshin shouted from somewhere near the kegs.

“DAD!” Ichigo shouted. “Dad, I have something to tell you! Also, Rukia, you are like my other dad, if I had two dads!”

“I am not,” Rukia protested.

“Maybe Byakuya is like my other dad, then, which would make you my sister.”

“I am definitely not,” Byakuya protested. (Did you, gentle reader, think that Byakuya would not attend one of Squad 10’s infamous keggers on the occasion of Aizen’s defeat? You were incorrect. Byakuya is a great fan of Matsumoto’s guac.)

“Listen, Dads,” Ichigo insisted. “I defeated Aizen and I think that definitely means I should get to borrow the car on Saturday, but also, Orihime proposed to me and I said yes , we are now engaged to go to the movies the next weekend that we are back home. Which is why I need the car, you see.”

Orihime dabbed.

“My precious son, I am so proud of you!” Isshin announced, throwing his arms wide. “But you can take the bus to the movies like a normal teenager.”

“Way to go, Orihime!” Rukia congratulated, abandoning her potato salad to perform an elaborate handshake/high-five routine with Orihime.

“This is so exciiiiitiiiiiing!” Matsumoto wailed. 

Ise Nanao sidled up to Kusajishi Yachiru. “Madam President,” the Vice-President of the Shinigami Women’s Association intoned gravely. “Are you thinking what I am thinking?”

Hisagi Shuuhei sidled up to the other side of Kusajishi Yachiru. “Are you thinking about a special Seireitei Bulletin feature, presented in cooperation with the Shinigami Women’s Association–”

“–'Heroes of the Hueco Mundo Invasion – In Love!!’” Nanao and Hisagi chorused in unison.

Yachiru blinked. To be honest, she had mostly been thinking about the red bean dumplings she knew Captain Hitsugaya had hidden somewhere earlier, and had not been paying much attention to any of the goings-on up until this point. This may seem to stretch belief, but you have to understand, gentle reader, that this amount of shouting represented a pretty typical day at Squad 11.

Yachiru bounded up to the former ryouka. “Hey, Pencil!” she demanded. “Are you and Muscles dating?”

“Chad!” Ichigo yelped, grabbing at his own hair. “You sneaky person!”

“Uryuu!” Orihime gawped, clapping her hands over her cheeks. “You sly dog!”

“No,” Uryuu corrected stiffly.

“You are mistaken,” Chad added.

“He’s way out of my league,” they said at the same time.

There was a long silence.

Uryuu looked up at Chad out of the corner of his eye.

Chad looked down at Uryuu out of the corner of his eye.

Ichigo was making tiny, excited claps.

Orihime was bouncing.

“Doooooo iiiiiiiiittttttt,” Captain Kyouraku said out of the side of his mouth, pretending like nobody could tell it was him. Everybody could tell it was him.

Rukia straightened up to her full height. “Do it, you dorkuses. The Women’s Association will pay for it. If these two dummies can get their act together, you haven’t got any excuse.” She glanced over at Ichigo and Orihime, who were gazing longingly at one another, and promptly did a horrified double take. 

“Errr…” Uryuu waffled.

“I understand if you’re uncomfortable participating in a Soul Society-related activity,” Chad offered an easy way out.

Uryuu opened his mouth, looked at Chad, and closed it again slowly. “I’ll take their money and waste it frivolously. That is within my moral code.”

“YAYYYYY!” Orihime squealed. “Triple date! Can I be an honorary member of the Shinigami Women’s Association?”

“What do you mean, 'triple date’?” Rukia tried to interrupt.

“Yes,” Nanao proclaimed. “But it will be three separate dates, covered as a three-part series.”

“In the World of the Living,” Shuuhei broke in. “The readers are crazy-go-nuts for the World of the Living.”

“Who is the third couple?” Rukia pressed.

“Genius,” Nanao threw a finger gun at Shuuhei. “Matsumoto, you’ll do host segments? Pre- and post-date interviews and such?”

“Give me a clothing budget and you’ve got a deal” Matsumoto agreed.

“WHO! IS! THE! THIRD! COUPLE?!” Rukia demanded.

“You and Renji, obviously,” Orihime replied. “You two are sooooo cute together! I bet your readers would love that, wouldn’t they, Lieutenant Hisagi? If Rukia and Renji went on a date in the World of the Living? Rukia’s like a princess or something here, right?”

“They will go apeshit , Hisagi replied breathlessly. "You have to understand that Abarai is actual very well-known among the Bulletin readership for his incredibly popular column, 'Let’s Do Shikai!!’ This is essentially the Soul Society equivalent of David Beckham marrying Posh Spice.”

“I…. don’t know who that is,” Rukia stammered.

“How do you know who those people are?” Uryuu asked, perplexed.

“I read Living World newspapers,” Hisagi excused with a shrug.

“Rukia, do you have something to tell me?” Byakuya frowned.

“No!” Rukia yelped. “I’m not dating Renji! I have no interest in going on a date with Renji, even though he consistently moves Heaven and Earth for me and we have really similar taste in craft beers and he’s objectively, like, smoking hot. I refuse to go on a date with Renji. Don’t ask me any more questions.”

“Where is Renji, anyway?” Ichigo frowned. “I don’t hear him shouting, so he must not be here.”

“He went to go pick up a bunch of snacks for Matsumoto because he’s a sucker and I’m sure he stopped off to trade out his sunglasses for polarized ones because he says they’re better for late afternoon glare,” Rukia excused very quickly.

“Rukia,” Ichigo noted, suddenly sounding a lot more sober. “Listen to yourself.”

“Soooooooo cuuuuuuuuuuuute!” Orihime repeated, exaggerating her lip movements.

“She’s not wrong,” Uryuu pointed out.

Chad did Big Shrug Arms and nodded in agreement.

At this moment, the man in question strode into the courtyard, carrying several grocery bags and wearing a pair of polarized sunnies. “Hey, party people!” Renji greeted cheerfully, somehow managing to hold four overstuffed grocery bags in one arm while he fished something out of one of them. “Why’s everyone so quiet?”

“Hey, Abarai, will you do me a big favor?” Hisagi asked innocently.

“Yeah, sure,” Renji agreed. He found whatever he was looking for. “Oi, Ruki-Ruki,” he called, tossing a small paper packet to Rukia. “They had those melon-flavored gummy salamanders you like when you get hammered.”

Rukia caught them easily, her cheeks flaming red.

“'Ruki-Ruki’?” Ichigo mouthed to her, making the most judgemental face he could manage under the influence of Unohana’s Special Sauce.

“So, what’s can I do you for, Shuuhei?” Renji asked, trying to find an empty spot to deposit his bags.

Shuuhei told him.

“Oh,” said Renji. He looked over at Rukia, who managed an awkward, sheepish half-smile as she clutched her candies. “Well, shit.”

[wolfbane37]

``Seriously guys, I tell you guys the other day that I'm playing for the other team and you drag me to the first gay club you guys see?'' Raph grumbles softly, a heavy blush powdering his cheeks as his brother, Mikey and his boyfriend, Leonardo, drag him to the front of the line of a gay dance club, the gentle thrum of the bass ringing in everyone's ears. Leo's brother, Donatello, had also joined him with his girlfriend April, they both chuckling at the hothead's embarrassment.

``Of course bro!! You gotta get a boyfriend'', Mikey grinned wide at him, pushing him inside.

``Relax, before you know it, you'll be getting laid by you're new boyfriend by midnight tonight'', Donnie commented as he gently tucks in Raph's white tank top into his pants to accentuate his muscular body, despite the inflexibility of his shell. 

The hot head grumbles and stumbles inside, eyes widening at the sight of all the guys dancing and grinding together. Raph grumbles softly, blushing hard and goes over to the bar, shoving off the two sets of lovebird and getting himself a beer. Just then, the lights in the club and the music shifted dramatically, all the men dancing on the floor chatting excitedly as a stage brightens up.

``Alright gentlemen!! You know what time it is!! Lets give a warm welcome to the Sexy Beasts of the Night!'' the DJ announces over the intercom as three grown men, all half naked saunter onto stage, their silhouettes standing out from the light.

A steady beat of music starts to thrum into the air, as one of the guys steps forth, his hips swaying to the beat. Raph's eyes adjusted to the light and he saw that the man was a hybrid of a lizard and a turtle. The impressive combination of the two species giving him luscious green skin that encased practical muscles exceptionally. He was wearing soft blue jeans that were tight around his hips but left plenty of room for the imagination bellow the waste line. His v-muscles standing out with his abs because the fine line of scutes that lines his chest. His shell was small, barely noticeable on his back. His hands were hugged tight to some black, finger-less gloves, defining his four fingers nicely. The next thing to stand out was his long, yet slim tail that sway with hips. Finally, covered by a tight fedora, his head was lined nicely with raven, silk like hair that accented his crimson eyes.

Raph couldn't help but appreciate that his body was also generously covered in tattoos of various types, somehow accenting his muscle tone more. But what stood out more about this man was his voice, because as soon as he was well in front of the other two men that were with him, he started dancing in time with the music and singing.

``Its going down, I'm yelling timber,

You better move, You better dance.

Let's make tonight, You won't remember,

I'll be the one, You won't forget.''

The trio danced in time with one another, each putting one their own little show to all the surrounding men, their body's screaming energy and sex with every move. Raph had to swallow a very big lump in his throat as they started to join the crowd on the dance floor. The lead singer danced with grace but sexuality, grinding against his fellow dancers and some of the customers there that night as well.

Raph caught a heavenly fragrance, no doubt from the same lead singer. With just the inhale alone, Raph was fully aroused and so wanted to meet the male, unable to take his eyes off the moving muscles before him.

``You best not get your hopes up, boy. Luca rarely see's anyone that doesn't pique his interests, and that's coming from personal experience'', said the rabbit bartender behind him, having been watching the hot head get swooned off his feet from the performers.

``Luca.....'' Raph murmurs softly, not really paying attention to the bartender, too absorbed in the performance to really pay attention.

Almost as soon as that song ended, another began with the same sexual feeling to it, but not beating around the bush with the lyrics. Again, the lead singer takes the initiative to start the song.

``She got a body like an hour glass, But I can give it to you all the time,

She got a booty like a Cadillac, But I can send you into overdrive.

(You've been waiting for that......Step on up swing your bat)

See anybody could be bad to you, you need a good boy to blow your mind, yeah''

They danced in time with the lyrics, the lead singer turning to the bar this time, seeming to catch Raph's gaze for a moment. His eyes seemed to envelope Raph in a heated gaze, making Raph swallow visibly, actually kinda intimidated by the predatory look in the male's eyes. The singer snickers and saunters over to Raph, singing proudly.

``She might've let you hold her hand in school, But I'm a show you how to graduate,

No, I don't need to hear you talk the talk, Just come and show me what your momma gave yah~''

Luca pressed right up against Raph and seemed to give him a personal performance, the crowd whistling with delight at the sight, Leo and Mikey off to the side laughing loudly. Donnie and April couldn't help go all fangirls at the sight, hoping Raph gets the shot. Luca smirks wider, getting the look of cat having caught a mouse. He slides back slowly only after he shoves his fedora into Raph's face, the crowd shouting louder now, some excited and other sound somehow extremely jealous.

``Well, I'll be damned......Looks like Luca's interested......'' the bartender almost murmured to himself.

That seemed to snap Raph out of his trance of watching the young dancer to turn to the bartender.

``What does this mean?''

``Means you stick around tonight and you can talk to young Luca'', the bartender chuckles at Raph while sliding him another beer. ``On the house, you're gonna need it.''

Raph's eyes widen and he grins wide at the thought of talking to Luca. He hums softly to himself, taking a slow inhale of the fedora, finding the natural musk of the young male along with faint scents of peppermint and cinnamon. Raph chuckles and slides the hat on just as he was swamped with his friends.

Raph smirked up at the dancers as they continued their performance, Luca keeping eye contact with Raph through the entire thing. Finally, the last song plays out and the dancers end right in the middle of a giant swarm. All the men in the entire joint was squishing against the dancers to hug, touch and pay the dancers for the performances by shoving money in all the places they could reach, in Luca's case was his waist band. More than once, a hand lingered too long or to close to his more intimate spots, making him flush and start to leave to get out of the seeking hands back stage followed by his back up singers and dancers.

Snorting his amusement, Raph orders another drink and waits patiently for the lead dancer to return on his own.

About thirty minutes later, after sending his friends home on their own so he could have some alone time with the young dancer, Raph was drinking the foam slowly off his cold beer when he felt a warm body press against his back, leaning over him to talk to the bartender.

``Hey barkeep!! Four shots of tequila for me and my friend here!'' a smooth voice shouted, the scent of cinnamon catching in Raph's nostrils.

Looking over his shoulder, Raph came face to face with the charming young singer, having a small scent of soap, his hair still damp from obvious signs of a shower. He wore a dark red t-shirt and similar jeans as before and now he held a small toothpick between his lips, looking slightly chewed on. Luca catches his eyes with a charming entrancement and sits right beside him as the bartender sets out the four shots between the two.

``So handsome, whats a place like you doing in a stud like this?'' he says softly, gazing fondly at Raph with a slightly predatory gaze.

Raph couldn't help but snort at the poor pick up line, setting his empty glass aside to grab a lime and a shot. ``My friends insisted I see some action on my second day out of the closet.''

``Wha? First day out as a gay man? Dear lord, the pressure is on then for good impressions. I guess the bad pick up line was not a good idea'', the young male's flushed up in embarrassment as he mimicked Raph's action and grabbing a lime and a shot for himself. In unison, they drink the shot and limes together, both cringing at the burn and sourness, laughing happily.

``That's ok. Cheesy pick up line help make this more relaxing. I'm glad to find that I'm someone's taste anyhow. I'm not sure how many people are actually into mutant turtles'', Raph joked as he work the second shot down, grinning softly.

``Probably the same amount that think a salamander/turtle hybrid is sexy and easy to play with'', Luca joked back, downing his last shot easily, nudging Raph playfully.

``Sounds rough.''

``You have no idea. Anyhow, where are your friends? I wanna thank whoever brought in the eye candy.'' Luca turned and looked through the crowd to see anyone that would know Raph.

``Don't bother, they left a few minutes ago under my request to let me relax and actually enjoy being hit on by other men'', the hot head chuckles and moved to order a new drink.

``So your alone now?! Oh hell no, barkeep! A bottle of Fireball Whiskey, a bottle of Bailey's caramel and two shot glasses please!!'' Luca slaps a couple of $20's on the counter to pay and tip the bartender as he pulls out the bottles. Snatching up the bottles, Luca motions Raph to follow him. Raph shrugs and grabs the shot glasses and follows Luca through the crowd to a guarded door.

``Hey Darling, can I just......?'' Luca sets a bottle to the side and slowly takes the tie off one of the body guards, grinning wide when the guard's cheek get a powder color on his cheeks but his expression remains neutral as he opens the door for Luca. ``Thanks Doll!! Common...'' Luca giggles giddily and drags Raph into the back, Raph blushing at how Luca looks from behind.

They slowly approach a door that was open slightly. Pushing in the hot head, Luca slides the tie on the doorknob and follows Raph in, shutting and locking the door. Turning in, the singer sets the bottles down and takes the shot glasses.

``To have a perfect evening here, you have to have my absolute favorite and the public special French Toast shot. One part Fireball and one part Bailey's......'' he murmurs softly as he pours the drinks, his tail flicking from side to side as he focuses before he turns and offers Raph the shot.

Studying the creamy liquid skeptically, Raph glanced at Luca curiously to see him down his shot with complete ease. Shrugging, Raph down's his as well. Eyes widen in shock as the burn in his throat his cooled by cream, the combination tasting exactly like liquid french toast with the burn of alcohol.

``What the shell??!! That was french toast!!''

``I told you!'' Luca laughed at his reaction and turned to make two more shots before handing him his glass again, the singer's cheeks flushing slightly from the alcohol. Together, they downed more and more of the liquid breakfast treat before Luca was laughing his ass off and Raph was chuckling humorously, only mildly drunk when the singer was slammed drunk.

``C-can I tell you......*snort* that I've never d-drunk with `nother person from here `fore? *hic* Like, I've drank here `fore but I've never go'en this drunk `fore'', Luca giggled as he sloshed his drink against Raph after tipping over and landing on his side, laughing loudly at the spill.

``And why is that? Don't hang out with that many people?'' Raph chuckled as he helps Luca sit on the couch properly, ignoring the spill on his tank for now.

``I don't like people......people are so clingy and needy....They don't ask what Luca wants....I feel safe with you, even though I just met you'' the singer snorted and leaned against Raph as his words slurred. ``You smell really good~''

Flushing at the compliment, Raph scratched at his cheek sheepishly and smiles at the small lizard. ``You smell good too. Like cinnamon.''

``That's because of these.''

Sluggishly, Luca fished through his pants and pulled out a small box containing toothpicks. The label said tea tree therapy toothpicks, cinnamon flavored.

``Trying to quick smoking.....'', the drunk slurred tiredly, glaring at the picks before pulling one out and slips it between his soft lips, the strong scent of cinnamon radiating off the pick and his breath into Raph nose.

``That might be a good idea'', the hot head chuckled softly, blushing hard at the smell. Shivering slightly, he starts to pull away, noticing that Luca was starting to doze.

``Where are you goin'?''

``I'm calling it a night. You are very drunk and should sleep it off'', Raph chuckled softly at the drunk that tried to stay awake.

``W-wait.....'' Luca groaned and rolled off the couch, falling onto the floor with a grunt. He slowly starts to get up, groaning weakly as he crawls over to a desk, giving a Raph a great view of his ass and muscled thighs. Reaching onto the desk blindly, Luca feels around before wrapping his fingers around a sharpie and slowly stands up, shakily walking over to Raph.

Swallowing thickly, Luca grabs Raph's arm and yanks it towards him, scribbling on his hand in barely legible handwriting his name and number. ``I have two more shows this *hic* week, and then I'm free for the weekend. Call me, Raphael.''

Eyes wide at what just happened, all Raph could do was nod, watching as Luca grins a dopey drunk smile before collapsing on the couch, the marker falling out of his grasp and rolling uselessly onto the floor. Shaking his head at the graceless fall, the hot head stands and adjust the sleeping hybrid into a more comfortable position, throwing a blanket over his back and slides a pillow under his head. Snatching up the marker, Raph decides to write his name and number onto Luca's hand as well to help him remember the night before slipping out the door and flicking off the light.

Chuckling to himself, Raph slowly saunters out of the dance studio, humming one of the tunes that Luca sang earlier that evening......

``.......Let's make tonight you won't remember........I'll be the one you won't forget......''

XXXX

This is part of a series I've written with more stunning art work. Let me know what you guys think and I'll post more here. Also, the art is by @yukarishii