#It literally hit me while I was listening to Monster

[bwat5-blog]

1. "Sorry but whatever cait did was unjustified. Yeah, sure, she was mourning but.. that doesn’t mean she can’t apologize to Vi for hitting her in the gut for holding her back from shooting a child?"

I..... I legitimately cannot comprehend where this need to reduce everything Caitlyn went through down to the death of her mother is coming from. I have addressed it over, and over, and over. I don't say that like "I said it why isn't anyone listening?" (I'm just another random) I say it to reiterate I have tried and tried to puzzle this out and I just. Cant....For the sake of this post, let's run it down again!

A: Survives being lured into burning building by Jinx and being blown up. Many of her peers did not and Jinx used a fake child's voice to do it.

B: Has to shoot Sevika to save Vi

C: Survives obviously frightening and stressful escape from Silco and shimmer addicts

D: Survives fight with firelights and first meeting with Jinx in which Jinx is clearly unstable

E: Leader of her organization shoots Ekko and then is preparing to shoot her. None of the Enforcers on the bridge move to stop him (thank you @knightsofrayx)

F: Survives explosion on the bridge that kills many that is set off by Jinx

G: Survives being shot at by Jinx

H: Abducted by Jinx from her childhood home. From the bathroom. While naked. Dressed in her Enforcer uniform. Recent sources seem to confirm Jinx had her for an entire day.

Additionally, less certain but I have seen multiple people suggesting Jinx may have tortured Caitlyn for information due to her knowing Vi calls Caitlyn cupcake - AGAIN I ADMIT THIS ONE IS MORE SPECULATIVE

I: Bound and gagged with a mask on her face, she has to listen to Jinx trying to convince Vi to murder her

J: Spares Jinx at Vi's pleading only to be violently knocked out

K: After sparing Jinx, Caitlyn has to watch helplessly as Jinx fires the missile that kills not only her own mother, but two other councilors as well. In addition to maiming two others, destroying the council chamber, and setting off the sequence of events that guarantees Piltovan retaliation.

L: Caitlyn is almost killed during Renni's attack on the memorial for her mother and the other two councilors. Several people are killed.

M: Engages in strike team operation in Zaun targeting Chem-barons and shimmer while hunting Jinx. For those blessed enough to have never known violence in real life you wouldn't understand this. It leaves a mark no matter the context.

N: Survives brutal brawl with Sevika.

O: After sparing Jinx the first time for Vi, and Vi swearing she was ready to end it this time, Vi stops her shot. And here's the thing. Vi was clearly right. But Caitlyn is not just angry. She is traumatized and she is TERRIFIED of Jinx. That whole fight and what follows in the Pipeworks she is not in her right mind. Caitlyn is the "final girl" of a horror movie, except when she got ready to deal the killing blow to the monster all she could process was the person she loved and trusted was stopping her. Letting the object of her fear and rage and pain walk free.

2. "that doesn’t mean she can’t apologize to Vi for hitting her in the gut for holding her back from shooting a child?"

Oh my good god you people. Unless I'm mistaken Vi apologizes to Jinx when they are reunited, and Power says she's sorry (I think) when she realizes what happened to their family. THATS. IT. Caitlyn's character is quite literally never displayed as being overly emotional or the type to show actions through words. And listen. I am truly a sap. I love the big overly emotional moments and speeches, the breakdowns over wronging those you love, those moments hit me like a freight train. But that isn't who Caitlyn is and it never has been. The instances of her showing remorse are plentiful and profound. I quite frankly don't feel like listing them all again. So I'll go with the easiest one:

We are hunting some kind of murderous beast: Caitlyn

Oh that's my dad: Vi

Caitlyn to Ambessa:

3. "Cait’s logic: “Oh! My wifey’s having a breakout cus her suicidal little sister ran away? Mmm, kinda wanna flirt and have sex with her!”"

Caitlyn is the only reason Jinx was able to go free

Neither of them knew Jinx was suicidal. Stop confusing what we as the omnipotent audience know with what the other characters know.

Caitlyn was quite clearly trying to break the tension. Vi initiated and anyone with eyes can tell Caitlyn was surprised.

Vi is standing in front of Caitlyn, lamenting that she had lost everyone because of her choices. Caitlyn isn't stupid. She knows that A: Vi has no idea Caitlyn had moved the guards for exactly this purpose B: Vi, the woman Caitlyn loves, is sitting there thinking she just released Caitlyn's mothers killer and Caitlyn is probably about to completely unload on her meaning she is well and truly alone.

She goes in to comfort her. To make her see she isn't alone. To tell her she is laying down her hate for Jinx in favor of her love for Vi that Vi's making the choice to love and believe in her sister wasn't wrong. Caitlyn has given multiple statements leading up to this that show us her putting herself on equal footing with jinx. So maybe if Vi can keep believing in Jinx, she can keep believing in Caitlyn to. Even when Caitlyn has stopped believing in herself. And Vi responds by allowing herself that happiness and pleasure and impulsivity with the woman she loves that she has never allowed. @sapphiresaphics point is perfectly valid as well for Christ's sake you are also JUST. WRONG.

4. "I hate how Vi’s potentially was just spat down the drain. My girl violet, the eldest sibling, ended up depending on an enforcer. Cool. Totally cool."

Yea I'm gonna be honest I'm not really sure what you mean here. I realize first of all you meant potential (I may come for bad takes but I am the LAST person who can judge for typos) but I'm not sure what you mean by her potential being spat down the drain?

I guess your whole issue that she ended up with an Enforcer? Which I mean yea... Caitlyn is one. But if you cannot see all the points that differentiate her from the standard Enforcer who was part of the corrupt and violent system there is really nothing to discuss.

I’m back only to say thar, as controversial as this might be, caitvi was NOT properly represented.

Sorry but whatever cait did was unjustified. Yeah, sure, she was mourning but.. that doesn’t mean she can’t apologize to Vi for hitting her in the gut for holding her back from shooting a child? I love how this fandom is, now, all about lesbian sex. Feel like if caitvi talked it out, the sex would’ve been so much more emotional. ykwim!

Cait’s logic: “Oh! My wifey’s having a breakout cus her suicidal little sister ran away? Mmm, kinda wanna flirt and have sex with her!”

Also, Cait never got consequences for all the things she did (from her gf). And, I hate how Vi’s potentially was just spat down the drain. My girl violet, the eldest sibling, ended up depending on an enforcer. Cool. Totally cool.

Season two was fucked. Been fucked, I just knew I’d get dragged if I said something.

[mild-incompetence]

Tiresias: I see your wife with a man who is haunting, a man with a trail of bodies.

Odysseus & Me: WHOOO!?!

Me: YOU?!?

[thetexasjerusalemcrossroads]

because i want to cause drama this is pixar's imperial phase

like it or not these are their best movies with the exception of ratatouille. incredibles is a little bit morally repugnant but a fun time. cars is goated. ratatouille is goated. finding nemo sucks

[steddiealltheway]

1984 is not Steve Harrington’s year.

Not only does he find out that his girlfriend doesn’t actually love him, but somehow the creepy monster thing that united his now ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend, came back in the form of some type of monster dog.

The highlight of his year might actually be befriending a nerdy middle schooler who introduced him to said monster dog - which he named Dart of all things... something to do with a candy bar.

He groans at the thought as the music from downstairs carries into his room. For some reason, Tommy Hagan decided to temporarily ignore the fact that he ditched Steve for the new keg king, Billy Hargrove, who managed to give Steve something else to worry about while literal Hell crawled its way into Hawkins, in favor of throwing a New Year's Eve party in the Harrington residence.

Typical for the year Steve's having. Why not end it horribly too?

He glances at the clock, relieved that it's already somewhat close to midnight. If it weren't for the noise, he would consider trying to sleep through this one. Instead, he lays back on his bed and hopes that no one tries to disturb him.

As if the universe can hear his thoughts, and then curse them, the door to his bedroom swings open.

Steve sits up with a huff and frowns at the person.

A guy with medium length curly hair and doe eyes stares back at him with a big smile that screams chaos.

"Sorry, dude," Steve says, "Bedroom is off limits. Go hookup, smoke, or whatever somewhere else."

Instead of leaving, the guy closes the door behind him and locks it.

Steve scoots back on the bed, hand reaching back to wrap around the nail bat he leaves behind his nightstand.

The dude raises his hands in mock surrender, silver rings glinting in the light streaming in from Steve's window - blinds open enough so he can make sure no one does anything weird in his pool. "Listen, man, I'm not here to hurt you or anything. Although you might hurt me when you hear why I'm here."

There's something about his voice that sounds familiar to Steve when it suddenly hits him - all the yelling and stomping around on tabletops. "You're Eddie Munson."

Eddie smiles and bows dramatically. "Guilty as charged."

Steve's frown deepens, and for a fleeting moment he thinks Dustin would really like the guy. "So, why would I hurt you if I hear you out?"

"Because, Steve," Eddie draws out his name as if it has a deeper meaning, "I was downstairs thinking about what a wonderful year I've had, and I decided that I might as well start the year with a little chaos."

Steve's grip tightens around the bat in case he's some sort of satanic serial killer or something, although his gut tells him that he shouldn't be scared of the man. "What do you mean by chaos?"

There's a strange glint in Eddie's eye when he shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks on the feet as if he wants to move closer to Steve but has decided to plant himself by his door. "I mean... I came to this party to sell my supply and after my whole lunchbox was cleaned out, I started thinking about who I should kiss at midnight. Or more precisely, who would be the worse option, or rather, the option that would bring the most-"

"Chaos. Yeah, I got that part," Steve cuts him off.

Eddie's smile changes to something genuine for a moment as he comments, "Wow, Steve Harrington is actually listening to me."

Steve rolls his eyes, grip loosening on the bat. "I'd rather you not stand on my desk to get my attention." To Steve's surprise, Eddie actually laughs in response and pulls a strand of hair in front of his face to hide his smile. And to Steve's much greater surprise, his heart starts beating a little faster and he finds it harder to not smile back at him. "So, chaos?" Steve prompts.

"Right," Eddie says, rocking on his feet again, "Chaos." He ducks his head for a moment as if hyping himself up for the next thing he's going to say, which is when Steve entirely releases his grip on the bat, realizing that Eddie is more scared of him. "So, I thought, to start the year off with the most chaos, I would choose someone to kiss that would bring the most chaos. And I thought, why not the host of this party?"

Steve frowns. "Tommy's downstairs."

Eddie mirrors his frown. "You're not hosting?"

"Why would I be in my room if I'm hosting?"

"Why would the party be in your house if you're not hosting?"

It suddenly hits Steve. "Wait, you want to kiss me?"

Eddie takes a step back, hovering even closer to the door than he was before. "Consensually, of course."

It takes a moment for Steve to fully process what is being asked. "You think I'm the worst option to kiss?"

"That's what you're asking?" Eddie asks, trailing off to mutter something like, "The fragile ego of athletes, I swear."

"I got dumped this year. Of course my ego is low."

Eddie smiles bashfully. "Sorry, my uncle always tells me I'm not as quiet as I think I am." And there's something about Eddie's cheeks that are slightly flushed, the strand of hair he starts tugging at again, and the way he can't stop bouncing as if he's buzzing with energy and nerves that makes him so...

"Yes," Steve blurts out suddenly. For a moment, he wonders if the mindf- mind fly? mind... whatever evil thing from a few weeks ago has possessed him.

"Yes what?" Eddie asks sounding genuinely confused. As Steve stands up to look out his blinds and shut them, Eddie rambles, "Yes, I'm not as quiet as I think I am? Or yes, you're about to punch me, and I'm going to finally figure out how it felt when you got your face bashed in a few weeks ago?"

Steve rolls his eyes before holding up both of his hands, mimicking Eddie's pose when he first came into the room. "Yes, I'll kiss you."

It's as if Eddie has forgotten he's asked the question the way his jaw drops, and he stares at Steve like he's said the most confusing thing he's ever heard. Which... to be fair... is highly likely.

"You want to kiss me?"

Steve takes a small step closer to Eddie. "I want to give you your chaos."' When Eddie doesn't look convinced, Steve takes a step closer to him, hand running through his hair as he continues, "Who knows, maybe it'll give me good luck or something for next year by cancelling out the chaos from this year."

Eddie nods. "Okay. You're giving me your chaos. Yeah. That makes sense."

"And you're taking my chaos away," Steve agrees, trying to tell himself that this is a rational decision. "This makes sense."

"You're not going to beat me up?" Eddie asks, risking a small step away from the door.

Steve shakes his head. "Seems like a bad way to start the year, don't you think?"

Eddie nods as Steve steps closer to him, slowly, as if not to startle him away. "You know, I thought just asking you would be chaotic enough as is and then I could run away and pretend you hallucinated or something when you tried to beat me up."

"Should've asked Hargrove then," Steve says, cocking his head to the side. "Does that mean you don't actually want to kiss me?"

Eddie swallows and shakes his head. "I didn't say that."

Just as Steve gets in front of Eddie, he hears people downstairs counting down from ten. "Good," Steve says, "Because there isn't enough time to find someone else."

Eddie scoffs, the countdown now at eight, "That's not true for you."

"Maybe, but I'm not really looking to find anyone else right now. Are you?" Five.

Eddie smiles and takes a step forward. "No." Three.

Steve reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind Eddie's ear. "Good." One.

Steve's not really sure who moves first or if they move together, but the yells of, "Happy New Year" are drowned out as Eddie's lips meet his in a kiss that feels more desperate than Steve expected. He's not sure why they're kissing as if the countdown was for the end of the world, but he really doesn't care.

It's only when Steve's gets a little carried away, Eddie's back slams against Steve's door with a thud that's loud enough to alert anyone that something's happening in Steve's room, that Steve breaks away with a gasp, seeking the air Eddie's stolen from him. He wonders if - hopes - it's the chaos he's taken.

"Happy New Year," Steve whispers, hands cupping Eddie's face while Eddie's are tangled in the mess he's made of Steve's hair. He's not sure when either of those things happened.

"Happy fucking New Year, Steve," Eddie mutters, hands slowly dropping from his hair.

Steve's hands hold onto Eddie's face a little tighter for a moment, and he sees the moment a bit of fear sparks in Eddie's eyes. Steve quickly shakes his head. "No, I'm not about to beat you up. It's just... I kind of slammed you against the door a little hard there, and if someone else is up here and they see you..."

"Chaos," Eddie fills in with a nod, "And not the good kind."

"Yeah," Steve sighs, "Not the good kind." He glances to his window where the blinds are firmly shut - thank you Jonathan for teaching him that lesson - and down at the locked doorknob before looking back at Eddie. He glances at his lips momentarily before blurting out, "Stay with me."

Eddie's jaw drops, mouth opening slightly in shock.

Steve steps back, hands reluctantly leaving Eddie's face. "Stay until everyone clears out at least. No ulterior motive."

Eddie shoves his hands into his pockets and moves back into Steve's space. "What if I want there to be an ulterior motive?" He tilts his head down and gives Steve a case of lethal puppy dog eyes. "Fully take your chaos away, remember?"

Steve is absolutely sure that this in no way will take away the chaos of his previous year and will likely only invite questions, confusion, and further chaos into 1985.

"Yeah, I remember," Steve says, pulling Eddie into another desperate kiss.

Maybe Eddie was onto something about starting the year with a little chaos. And maybe 1985 will be his year.

(i accidentally wrote a tiny epilogue later in the tags that i really like)

[its-luna-noel]

in my restless dreams, i see you | various!jjk x reader

03. running for your life, black dress, blood oozing

Vampire lord Ryomen Sukuna gives you the gift of eternal life. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. vampire lord!sukuna x reader vampire!geto x reader vampire hunter!gojo x reader

warnings: 18+, MDNI, f!reader, vampire!au, smut, drinking, partying, non-con elements, blood drinking, vampire turning, violence & blood, definite dark themes so DD:DNE

word count: 2.7k

chapter 3/? previous chapter | next chapter

masterlist | link to ao3

notes: sukuna x reader, blood drinking (non-con), vampire turning (also non-con), serious dub-con basically for this entire chapter, public séx, prey/predator & hunter/hunted dynamic, sukuna is so so selfish and despicable this chap ((yes reader does d!e to become a vampire in this chapter and sukuna is a little bit gross about it so yk, sensitive readers please read with care)) okay let’s go

Sukuna drinks from you until you pass out.

He fucks you two more times, shoving his massive, throbbing cock inside you because the heat of your blood burns through his veins, and it makes him so fucking horny. Every time he gets hard again, feeling that blood pumping through him and filling the spongy tip, he can’t help but grab you again, your pretty limp body resting on the pillows with soft sighs and smiles, because you’re so goddamn enthralled you have no clue what he’s even doing to you.

And he just grins, because he loves that power; he relishes it.

Your body is bent under his, back arched perfectly for him while one expansive palm presses into your low back and forces you to stay put while he fucks into you without reprieve. His other hand is around your throat, holding you in place while he swallows mouthful after mouthful of your sweet blood.

It’s dripping down his chin, into the neckline of your little sundress that he never bothered to take off of you. Neither of you notice or care.

And then your head starts to drop.

Sukuna chuckles, a dark sound, so derisive and cruel. “Aw, is the little girl getting tired?” he mocks, lips stained red as he grins at your expression, watching your lashes flutter. “Stay awake for me now, I’m not done here.”

So you try, you really do. Everything in you wants to obey him, needs to, like you need to breathe. It’s a compulsion you don’t even understand, but you just know that Sukuna has earned it, he deserves it; you should listen to him, you have to listen to him. So you lift your head, a soft moan on your lips as he continues to drink from you.

He chuckles and pounds into you with new resolve, and he’s not sure if he’s rewarding you for your resilience or rewarding himself for finding such a pretty little thing.

So, as a gift for you both, he cums inside you again, stuffing you full of his release and watching it dribble out of your swollen, abused cunt as he just keeps fucking going.

When you finally fall unconscious, your chin dropping to your chest and skin pale and clammy with blood loss, Sukuna rolls his eyes and lets go of you. Your body hits the mattress, and you don’t move again as he licks his fangs clean, now leaning over your body, stroking his own cock with your slick as lube since you can’t be bothered to help him out anymore.

But you don’t really remember any of that; all you remember is waking up and realizing what happened, and getting the fuck out.

Your feet are bare as you run down the street; you didn’t even have time to pull your underwear back on before you darted out of your apartment, leaving the front door open because who fucking cares about indecency when there’s a literal monster in your bedroom?

Your heart is thundering in your ears, and your lungs burn as you run, chest heaving in panic and exertion as you push yourself faster– it’s the middle of the night but you’re sure you can find someone to help you, someone to call the police for you, someone to bring you back to safety.

As you think those thoughts, you hear a chuckle, and you can almost feel Sukuna’s breath brushing against your ear. “Keep running, little girl,” he purrs.

When your head snaps to the side, eyes wide with terror, there’s no one there.

You just shake your head and move faster, self preservation instincts taking over as you sprint like a prey animal, and you suppose you are one, with how easily Sukuna can wrap his jaws around your throat and kill you.

You’re shaking. If you weren’t so fucking determined to live, you’d be crying. But you don’t; you just keep running, throwing terrified glances over your shoulder as you go, hoping beyond all hope that you’ve just imagined his voice in your ear, that he isn’t really lurking in every shadow you pass, waiting to grab you.

He is, indeed, lurking. But he doesn’t have to grab you. He’ll let you tire yourself out.

He watches you, bright red eyes following you as you run, watching your body move under that flowy little dress he’s ruined with your sweat and blood as he fucked you dumb and drank you nearly dry. He can see your thighs every time you take a step, and he’s sure if he looks close enough he can see his cum still dripping out of that cunt…

The thought draws a growl deep from his chest. He wants you back, but he’s patient.

Your steps start to slow, and you’re panting, your shaking body starting to succumb to the exhaustion from your sprint and from the bloodloss. Your face is covered in sweat, and he can see the lack of vitality in your cheeks, how sallow your skin looks.

He smirks, and he steps off the roof he’s currently perched on; it’s almost time.

You turn over your shoulder, and you see him emerge from the shadows, hands in his pockets and a devilish grin on his face, revealing dangerous fangs that threaten to bleed you dry, to finish the job this time.

Your breath stutters from between your lips, and you turn and start to run again.

He just chuckles and follows, his steps slow and measured.

You don’t last nearly as long this time; your hit of adrenaline can’t replenish the blood he drank, and you’re shaking as you stumble your way forward, through quiet streets. You know it’s the middle of the night, but couldn’t someone be there to save you?

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

You were supposed to live forever.

You eventually trip, and you fall to your knees, and you can’t help but weep, knowing what’s coming. Terrified that whatever it is will be so much more than you imagine.

Sukuna steps up behind you, eyes roaming your body. Your back is to him, and you’re crumpled on your knees, that dress tattered and hanging off one shoulder as you cry. He rolls his eyes, but he can’t hide the little smirk that curves his lips – fuck he loves that sound. He lifts one foot and puts his shoe on your back and pushes, and you fall so your chest presses against the concrete below you with a gasp. He leans over you, his leg still propped up on your body.

“You know, little girl,” he whispers, “good girls don’t run.”

“Go to hell,” you sob.

He chuckles as you try to sound strong, despite your trembling voice. Despite the way you won’t raise your eyes to meet his. He grins and pushes his foot down, and you yelp, feeling your ribs creak under the pressure. “Acting like a big girl, huh? Standing up to me like that?” Then he reaches down and yanks you up from the ground.

You whimper as he throws you against the brick wall in a dark alley.

“Oh, such pretty noises,” he croons, hand wrapping around your jaw and forcing your face up so you meet his eyes. You can see the sadistic euphoria written in their depths; he loves this, the hunt, the prize, the kill. You can tell. “Make more for me.”

When you stay notably quiet, he strikes you, backhanding your cheek.

You gasp, head snapping to the side with the force of the blow. A harsh sting burns your cheek, and you want to curl up and hold your face in your hands like a little child.

He chuckles, the sound of your gasp replaying in a delicious loop in his mind. “There we go. Just took you a little encouragement, huh?” His fingers return to your jaw, making you look at him once more. “Good thing I know just the thing for that.”

You whimper and feebly fight, but you don’t have the strength anymore.

He uses his hold on your jaw to turn your head to the side, tilting you out of the way so his lips can meet your throat, right over the bruising puncture wounds he’d left only hours before. Then he parts his lips and bites, and you let out such a beautiful little gasp that melts into the perfect obedient moan when he starts to drink.

He grins against your neck; he knows he’s got you now.

Your eyes unfocus again, and everything flashes, like you’re on the strongest, most delicious drug in existence. Your vision blurs, but you feel euphoric, and god you don’t want to do anything but stay while he laps languidly at the blood that pours from the wound with every heartbeat.

Then, as he swallows that first mouthful, he can’t help but groan. “Fuck, little girl, you taste so good. Almost a shame you couldn’t behave; I would’ve liked to bring you home as a thrall.” He sighs, almost sounding genuinely disappointed.

In your state, you can’t handle him not being happy with you. You gaze up at him, eyes wide, brows creased in a needy frown. “Please, I’ll do anything–“

“No, you won’t,” he says, shaking his head. “Guess I’ll just have to enjoy this.” So he hauls you up into his arms, elbows beneath your knees as he crushes your body in half against the brick wall, and pushes all the way inside you without warning, nearly splitting you open.

Your body can’t hold back the gasp that flies out of your mouth; he’s still huge, and you’re still sore from everything he did to you only hours earlier, and he’s not even really touched you or drank from you enough to turn you on.

So him going in dry hurts like a bitch.

Sukuna chuckles darkly against your throat, mouth painted red like his eyes as he starts to move inside you. You let out another gasp, another mewling whimper, and he wants to keep hearing them, wants to keep you in pain, but he also knows he’s missing that taste of those endorphins, those hormones that flow through your blood when you’re aroused, too.

That’s the only reason he reaches down and starts rubbing practiced circles on your clit.

The relief is immediate; your enthralled mind is already desperate for him, and now your body is given the chance to respond, the opportunity for slick to start drowning his dick, a ring of arousal gathering at the base as he fucks you into the wall.

Your head tips back against the wall as your eyes flutter and you moan, far too loudly into the night. Neither of you care, as he swallows another mouthful and continues to pound you into the brick. The harsh, sharp edges of the wall dig into your back, dress ripped and now starting to hang in tatters around your hips. But you don’t care about the pain, you don’t care about any of it, because you have Sukuna sucking your blood, drinking you dry, and you love it, you want to give him everything you can.

His cock is throbbing inside you, twitching, so hard it’s nearly painful. He’s always blown away by how good the return of hot blood feels, every time he does this, forgets how fucking good it feels to not run so cold. He’s practically sweating because it’s such a difference to how he felt before tonight, thirsty and devoid of fresh blood, that hunger gnawing at his gut. Now he’s nearly blissed out inside you, fingers rubbing your clit to make you cum so he can taste it in your blood, because his favorite taste is blood off a horny little thing like you.

You practically choke as he pulls an orgasm from you, his movements harsh and precise. Your hips buckle, and it’s a good thing he has such a strong hold on you because you would’ve fallen from his arms if he didn’t.

Sukuna moans loudly against your throat, tasting your orgasm through your blood, waves of sweetness pounding through you with every heartbeat. He sucks down with more vigor, more eagerness, because fuck you taste good, and he meant what he said when he told you he wished you would’ve just behaved so he could chain you up in a cage and come drink from you every time he got a change.

But, he supposes, he can make a compromise.

Your head starts to droop, eyes nearly crossing as the lightheadedness from your orgasm refuses to fade. It’s hard to keep them open, now, looking into Sukuna’s glowing crimson gaze, trying to convey that he can do anything to you and you’d obey.

He could even suck you dry.

The thought makes your core clench as your head drops again.

“Hey,” he snaps his fingers in front of your eyes. “Not yet.”

Your head jolts up, and you look at him with wide, obedient eyes, and he chuckles before reaching up towards his own throat, lancing one sharp, painted fingernail across his vein.

Blood starts to pour from the wound, and in your hazy, barely conscious thrall mind, you feel a flash of panic because master is bleeding. But before you can reach for him, try to stop the bleeding, offer the rest of yours, his large hand cups the back of your hand and pushes your face towards his neck.

“Open,” he orders, and you don’t even question it as your lips part.

Then he forces your parted lips over the cut he made, and your eyes widen when the taste of his blood hits your tongue. You try to pull back, because you don’t want this, you don’t want to drink his blood like he’s consumed yours, because you’re not worthy of his–

But he just grips your head harder and snaps, “Swallow.”

So you, breath shaky and hands shaking, swallow the drops of blood that hit your tongue.

Then he yanks you off and pulls your head back, returning to your throat with a vengeance.

Your head is spinning; why did he make you do that? You’re just a human, you’re not some blood-sucking monstrosity like he is, you have your own blood to pump through your body, to perfuse your organs and keep your heart beating.

But that fact is quickly changing, and you can feel it as your heartbeat starts to pick up, trying desperately to keep up with the blood loss.

But as Sukuna drinks, drains you, pushes you towards your limit until you feel cold and sluggish, you can’t even fight him. Because you want him to take this from you. You want him to have it.

So when your eyes finally glaze over, and you fall still in his arms, and he sucks the last few drops of sweet, decadent blood from your neck, your last thought is that you’re honored.

And it’s the feeling of your surrender that finally makes Sukuna cum inside you once more.

Sukuna licks his teeth, chest heaving slightly from his release, and drops you to the ground, where your body falls to a heap against the alley wall. Your skin is pale and cold, and your eyes are empty, devoid of all thought or feeling as you lay at his feet.

Dead.

He nudges your cheek with the toe of his shoe, grunting in satisfaction at the sight of you. Your dress, tattered, ruined, stained with blood and arousal, barely covers your ruined body, and the last thing Sukuna does to you before leaving is kick aside one of your legs so whoever finds you can see his drying cum on your thighs.

Then he turns and shoves his hands in his pockets, walking away from the scene with your blood in his veins and a pep in his step. Humming along to some tune as he leaves your body in the darkness of the night.

thanks for reading! -luna xx prev. chapter | next chapter

[thechekhov]

Dungeon Meshi Quick Reacts: CH44

How is Senshi the cutest one every time.

Putting your cat into little outfits energy.

Does she even need a coat? She's got fur...

eat the little screaming man, izutsumi

laios really said "my hungry ass would NOT be here if eating monsters turned you into a monster" and Marcille straight up did not catch it. He's a cm away from the edge. He's out here covering himself in oil and running around the campfire, trying to lure werewolves out to bite him. He's simmering himself into soup. Wake up. Laios has the more complex nonsexual vore kink ever.

.......why is her troupe trying not to use her name? I wonder if there's something specific about that. It wasn't just a nickname?

Awww, dad's all tuckered out.

I know I'm probably meant to find Izutsumi relatable on a childish level but I'm gonna be honest here. Her character hits too close to home where spoiled people are concerned for me to harbor any level of affection for her. I can understand how she might be beloved but man. Everything she says makes my eye twitch. If she were legitimately a child, it would be understandable. But she seems to be a young adult. At which point like. If you don't like the circumstances.... leave? Just leave. Just walk away if you don't want to eat their food. What are you yelling for? 😂 You joined THEM. They ain't forcing you to do shit. But instead of peacing out you're just screaming at them like a toddler.

Although to a point, I can understand her motivations. I understand how she has come this far, being so feral. I get WHY she is the way she is. But man. These guys are so patient with her.

I'm sorry wh. What.

Oh, I'm sure that's FINE.

Oh, yeah, for sure. That's perfectly fine.

When I said walk away - yeah, that's exactly what I meant. But Marcille and the others are chasing after her, so I guess... they don't agree. 😅

Child.......................... ah, nevermind. It's not even worth it.

Okay, the cutaway from the heartfelt selfless message to a cat just going 'ah, well, fuck it, I don't care' WAS kinda funny actually.

This is hilarious because in Japanese, the word order (SOV) means the translation here is incorrect. I mean, it's correct for what matters. But while the English phrase is 'close your eyes' then Japanese sentence is '目 を つぶって' which is literally EYES (ACC. particle) CLOSE!!

I love Marcille. She's a wimp, but she's the strongest wimp I know.

Laios:

Wolves: Man, I don't think I want to have whatever HE'S having.

So....is it.... like meat.... or is it like a vegetable...???

the fucking STYLE SHIFT

Listen, Tade is earning her thighs. Leave her alone.

Izutsumi and Chilchuk can bond over being babied by the other three.

[amanda-519]

Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld Kit rewrite

Listen, I love Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld. I keep rewatching it. Like during random parts of the day I'll think "I want to see this episode/scene again" and go into Nexflix.

And Kit is absolutely my favorite character. Probably one of my top characters in all media. Let's just so great and well written, but because I like him so much I keep rewatching his scenes, and I think he could have been slightly rewritten to be better.

(Spoilers from episode 1 to 7)

I think one of my biggest gripe is how Jentry reacted to Kit's reveal in episode 6 "All's Fair In Love And War", and I don't mean it from a "how could Jentry do that?!?! My poor Kit", but more in a writing way.

See, I never really "got" Jentry's shocked and scared expression at Kit revealing himself. Mainly because of Ed. Jentry is friends with a demon, she lives in a house full of ghosts, and she has powers herself.

A normal person being told that the guy you're crushing on is actually a demon and they freak out makes sense, but Jentry has dealt with so much supernatural such, and is literally friends with a demon, that her fear didn't make sense to me.

Like, yeah, I understand a big part of it was him "lying" to her, and Jentry at that point seemed sick of lies. But it didn't seem that Jentry's main issue was him lying, or even that he worked for Cheng, but that he's not human.

I think this scene could have hit a lot harder if it was more of a personal betrayal, and the fact that Kit is a demon is scary to her.

For example, we see Kit drain Jentry's chi during episode 5 "Some Gui My Prince Will Come". But it doesn't seem to affect Jentry that much? Like she doesn't seem weak or that it really affected her.

So while we, the audience, know in episode 6 that Kit can and has killed people, Jentry doesn't.

I think making it so when Kit drains her chi Jentry feels light headed and her power is weak is a good story choice. Like, it shows that Kit could actually be a threat to her, he can passively steal chi from her and make her weak and unable to use her powers.

The way I see a rewriten episode 5 going is with Kit slowly draining Jentry's chi. Maybe it's even revealed that he's been passively draining her chi the whole time he knew her.

So Kit is passively draining Jentry's chi, and she starts getting weaker and weaker. But as the episode progresses Kit starts having more and more doubts, like in the original. He's starting to come around to the idea that he has a soul.

I could also see that the monster of the week in that episode is someone a bit more frightening. Like, don't get me wrong, I loved Ed's side plot with the demon in this episode, and it could stay relatively the same. Only, maybe near the end, when the ghost is playing in the music room Something Happens that makes her freak out. Someone breaks an instrument or something.

And the ghost freaks out and starts a rampage.

And Jentry tries to step in and help, but so much chi has been drained from her (maybe this is right after the miss scene) that she finds herself dizzy and unable to.

And this freaks Jentry out! She's reminded of that the last time her powers failed her, and Gugu died!!

I can picture a scene where Jentry is lying passed out of the music room floor, the music room destroyed. It's empty, the ghost moving onto the rest of the school with Ed following after her.

All the students have ran away from the ghost, and it's empty. And then Kit appears, and he stays down at Jentry's passed out body.

Cheng is breathing down his neck, saying that they're so close, that all Kit needs to do is feed a bit more and then he'll have his own soul. He'll be human. Kit looks at Jentry's chi and see it flickering.

Kit is left with a choice, does he take the last bit of Jentry's chi and get a human soul? Or does he help her at the cost of never being human?

He chooses Jentry and tells Cheng that he's his not his play thing anymore.

He picks up the passed out Jentry and carries her to safety. When she awakes she hears that Kit saved her, but he's nowhere to be found.

This is Kit's redeeming moment. Where he rids himself of Cheng and helps Jentry. But Jentry doesn't have the context, she was passed out and didn't realize what Kit forsaken for her.

I also think it would be better if in earlier episodes, Kit is a lot friendlier to Jentry. We learn from episode 5 that Kit's whole deal is that his job is to get closer to Jentry so he can drain her chi and give her soul to Cheng.

But it does make the scene in episode 4 "Forgot the Alamo" where Kit and Jentry is on the bus kinda weird. It makes sense for a normal, human Kit to be a bit peeved that Jentry blew off their "date" and burned him. But again, Kit's whole deal is that he wants to kill Jentry (at this point).

I think it would be a lot better if Kit was extremely friendly during the bus scene. Like maybe Jentry is being awkward but Kit doesn't even seem weirded out that she burned her.

This is a subtle clue to the audience that Something is Up with Kit. That a regular person might be a bit wary of Jentry or upset at her ditching him, but he doesn't seem to mind in the slightest.

Though this would come at the cost of the interaction Jentry and Ed have on the bus, and that was one of my favorite scenes. I actually wasn't that big of a fan of Ed during the early episodes, but he REALLY grew on me and became one of my favorite characters, and I think this scene really helped!

Though I guess we could still have Kit leave after smelling the durian fruit. Like maybe skin painters are very sensitive to smell.

I think having it so Kit feels like the one friend Jentry has after the school becomes wary of her would be a better story choice. It feels very isolating that way, like Kit is Jentry's only "true friend" while everyone else is wary of her.

And it makes his "betrayal" sting worse for Jentry! Kit was her only friend! The only one who never seemed afraid of her! But that was all a lie? That he was being friendly just to drain her chi?

It paints Kit in a more... parasitic way, which I think really benefits his character. Instead of Kit simply draining someone's chi all at once, it takes time. It feels like he's a parasite! That he's digging his way into someone's heart only to betray them.

It makes Jentry's anger at him a bit more impactful, I think. It makes sense for Jentry to treat him like a demon then, since he actively drained her chi! "Pretended" to be her friend when she had no one else!

Because, again, I don't think Kit simply being a demon, or working with Cheng, or lying, really feels like "enough" for Jentry to be so angry at him. She even tried to force him into the portal in episode 7!

But Ed is a demon and worked with Cheng in the past, and Gugu lied to Jentry, and Jentry was able to overlook those. So I think having Kit's "betrayal" feel more like a betrayal to Jentry would work better.

Plus, I don't even think you would have to change the episode much. It even makes sense why Ed is so insistent in episode 5 to take on the demon himself, since Jentry is struggling with her powers.

Plus, I feel like it could make sense that Jentry is struggling with her powers and getting light headed to the characters. Like Jentry has been actively suppressing her powers for years, so now that she's finally trying to use them, they're having some draw backs.

Of course, in reality, it's Kit, but it makes sense to the characters to not worry about it too much. (Or, at least, maybe Gugu and Ed don't. Maybe Jentry is worried about not being able to protect herself and her loved ones with her powers freaking out)

[gotstabbedbyapen]

I have very complicated feelings for the Vengeance Saga (after the first listen)

Disclaimer: I will only criticize Epic the Vengeance Saga as a work on its own, not for its inaccuracy or deviation from mythology and The Odyssey. There are more knowledgable people who can point out and analyze the changes in Epic the Musical, but that is not what I'll be tackling here.

To put it bluntly, I'm not being angsty about it as I should. The whole saga just... didn't feel right with me.

Now, first off all, I'm a big fan of Epic and had been following it since the Cyclops saga (first version). I've been in love with many songs and hyperfixed it for months on end. But when the Vengeance saga came along, I didn't feel that same bubbling love rise in me.

Even as a fan, this isn't my first time having peeves with Epic. I didn't jam with the re-release sagas for a while, I'm underwhelmed with the Circe VS Odysseus fight and other issues, very unpopular opinion but "Monster" wasn't too impactful to me, and also the God Games (especially Zeus' attack).

The Vengeance Saga though? Well, they say we gotta do the Bun-Meat-Bun (or whatever the hell its name really is) technique when giving criticism, so I'll start with the good parts.

I love that Odysseus looked so done with Calypso in "Not Sorry For Loving You". They're basically this meme:

Like sorry you're a sad but you're still an abuser 😒

Then Odysseus starts singing the reprise for "Full Speed Ahead" but there's no one to back him up. That one hits me hard. To whoever on Tumblr said that after the Thunder Saga we will never hear the crew's back-up again and Odysseus' singing will be answered with silence, Apollo really blessed you with the red ball.

Hermes and the Winions' part was really cool too! I really like them being mischievous helper! The warning about the wind bag and the changing scene of Odysseus fighting off sea monsters while Hermes just vibing with the beats is 👌👌👌

But after that the hype started to sizzle out for me. You might want to skip this part if you're not comfortable with harsh criticism because I WON'T hold back.

It's really backward but I like the Odysseus VS Charybdis draft more than the final production. Charybdis' roars and music are somehow less intimidating, which is a shame because I thought this would be one of the biggest struggles Odysseus will face. Even with awesome illustrative animatics, the scene wasn't as thrilling as I've expected.

The other songs got massive improvement from its draft version (on top of my mind I can think of "Thunder Bringer", "There Are Other Ways", "Little Wolf"), but I don't get why "Charybdis" didn't get up-graded as much like them. It's like a cake that was throughly baked but half decorated and it just didn't taste as good as I've hoped.

Then we have the Odysseus VS Poseidon part in "Get In The Water" and "Six Hundred Strikes". The first thought I had for GITW is this song sounds like all the draft snippets were mashed together without a smooth transition/connection between them. Jorge and Steven's performance is great, but there's not enough tension for me to dread for Odysseus. When Poseidon first met Odysseus in "Ruthlessness", the whole opening was terrifyingly good! And we didn't even have any illustration animatic back then! (that's not to say the GITW animatics were bad, they just can't salvage much when the song itself was already weak)

I wasn't impressed with Poseidon's Shatter The Ocean move either. It's supposed to be the Strongest AttackTM but it's less scary than when he and the Laestrygonians destroyed Odysseus' eleven ships with probably 1% of their power. It didn't even help when Poseidon looked like he's having a seizure with lights pouring out of his eyes and mouth during the transformation.

Odysseus being literally on the brink of death with the souls of his loved ones pulling him into the abyss is a gem in the rough, but because we've seen Odysseus almost drowning before in the end of the Thunder Saga, it's not as shocking as it should be. Furthermore, Poseidon could have instant-killed Odysseus right then and there but didn't really annoyed me. But I guess he just wanted Odysseus to slowly suffer while dying.

Right when I thought the progress will get better, it... gets down. I can go with Odysseus using wind to escape the water, but him wearing it like a jetpack is so comical it ruined the drastic of the situation. And I'm officially let down when Odysseus FUCKING ATTACKED Poseidon in "Six Hundred Strike".

What? Just... why with that choice?

Look, I'm not gonna fault Epic for making creative liberties from the source material (as said in the disclaimer), but I will criticize if that change contradict itself in the transformative work. And this is one of them.

Poseidon and the gods have been proven time and time again in the musical just how powerful they are. Their ominous and grandiose entrances, them striking fear and inferiority in our hearts just by singing. Even Circe, a low-level goddess, poses a constant threat to the crew and Odysseus had to get help from Hermes just to get a chance to corner her (and Hermes even joked that he can still die!)

Poseidon easily destroyed almost all of Odysseus' fleet. Odysseus was very avoidant of him, opting to go to the literal Underworld to find instruction on how to dodge him and sailing through Scylla's lair + willing to sacrifice six men for safe passage. And when Poseidon said he can drown all of Ithaca, it's not just bluffing, he would and could have done that. Yeah, the King of the Sea is THAT BIG of a threat.

So no, Odysseus isn't cool to attack Poseidon, he's being stupid. I'm not even cheering for him the whole time he fight, just groaning at how ridiculous the whole thing is. If Epic is more believable and sticks to WHAT IT HAD ESTABLISHED BEFORE, having a sudden burst of anger and choosing ruthlessness won't save Odysseus from one swipe of Poseidon's trident. Odysseus stood no chance against one of the most powerful deity, even if he's the protagonist and love his family.

Not only that, Poseidon didn't even defend himself and was wounded by a mere human! And he just sat there and took all the blows and insults from Odysseus??? And he actually begged Odysseus to stop and agree to quell the storm to let him get home??? I'm not buy that bullshit. I'm more upset that a literal Olympian god was nerfed down than Odysseus having a Gary Stu moment. Give me a break, that try-hard moment to be cool and edgy just show how badly written the scene is.

What's the fucking point of hyping up how dangerous the gods are if a human can take one down? Tell me this isn't some Wattpad-y Greek myth retelling fanfic where the teenage Y/N sass her way to defeat an entire pantheon. Epic really traded its opportunity to be better for some cheap and out-of-the-blue dramas in this saga, dare I say it's even worse than Zeus' OOC attack on Athena. I'm very disappointed with that decision.

On an end note, the saga did have one saving point with the "After everything you've done, how will you sleep at night?" - "Next to my wife" lines. Odysseus knew he could be the most horrendous man ever and Penelope would still choose his side, that just show how powerful their love and faith in each other are.

But not enough to excuse all the terrible cinematic choices.

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Bruce crashed to the ground.

The bright green portal that brought him here snapped shut above him leaving him stranded in an unknown location. He had just managed to stand up when he heard someone call out to him.

"Hey!" A boy with black hair and blue eyes came running up to him, "Are you okay?"

Bruce grunted, glaring at the small creature trailing behind the child through his cowl, "I'm fine. Where am I?"

"You're in Unova, smack dab inside the Pinwheel forest." The kid said, "What an unlucky place to land."

"Unlucky how?"

Aside from giving him a disapproving look, the child was unfazed by his tone. "The Pinwheel forest got its name because its a natural maze. The monsters here are weak but you might find yourself going in circles if you're not careful."

Batman thought for a moment, "monsters?"

The child smiled and Bruce thought he looked like his other children before the boy excitedly introduced his "partner pokemon": Aron

The Aron in question made happy little noises as it approached and nuzzled its metal face into the side of Batmans boot. Cute.

"Oh, by the way, my names Danny. Do you want me to take you to town? There's a professor there that you can talk to. She might not be able to help you get back to your home world but maybe she can find someone who can."

Batman narrowed his eyes at him, "How did you know I wasn't from this world. Thats not usually the first conclution people jump to."

For the first time since Danny had met the Batman he actually squirmed a bit. "Anyway, let's get started! It's a long trek to town!"

It took them about two days to get out of the forest. Danny had thankfully lent him use of his equipment and food. It was nice having a tent to sleep it when the rain hit on the first night, even if it was a little cramped. Aron curled up between them to soak up thier body heat like a housecat.

It was also a relief that Danny could cook, though Bruce had no idea where the child was storing all of this stuff.

Danny ran off into town, saying that people were going to ask a lot of questions if a guy dressed as a bat came strolling into town and if he was going to be staying in this world for a while it was probably best to get him some normal clothes.

Bruce reluctantly agreed and after telling him his sizes the kid ran off to the store, leaving Aron behind to "protect him". Bruce hated relying on a childs generosity to get by.

Soon enough the kid came back with an all black outfit, saying something about it suiting him. Bruce left to change and came back to Danny giving Aron and his other pokemon Staryu some Oran berries.

After that they finally set off to town.

The professor was nice, if infuriatingly calm about giving literal monsters to random children. The professor even offered Bruce a pokemon egg since he was probably going to be in this world a while.

Bruce accepted the gift, wondering what he was getting himself into when Danny got excited.

The child explained that he was a treasure hunter/explorer by trade that survived by finding things he could sell in shops but he wasn't a very strong trainer and had to be careful where he went due to the presence of powerful pokemon.

Danny then asked Bruce to travel with him to be his bodyguard.

Bruce was very displeased to discover people set thier kids loose into a monster infested world around the age of ten and horrified to know the actual survival rate of this stupidity.

Bruce agreed to protect him and got registered as a pokemon trainer and was given the egg and some pokeballs. Danny offered to teach him how to catch pokemon as Bruce planted a listening device somewhere.

They set off back into the pinwheel forest to catch Bruces first pokemon and to start thier journey.

Meanwhile, Dannys excited to travel with someone who seems like a proper dad.

It couldn't hurt to pretend, right?

[fluentmoviequoter]

You Invite It

Requested Here!

Pairing: Dominique Luca x fem!reader

Summary: Despite your sunny and smiley personality, Luca and another man get angry with you during a night out with 20-David. When Luca comes to apologize, you shy away from him, and he has to tell you how he feels before you will accept his help.

Warnings: angst, arguments, alcohol consumption, drunk man gets pushy with reader (none of the SWAT men, of course!), fluff, comfort at the end

Word Count: 3.7k+ words

Masterlist Directory | Luca Masterlist | Request Info\Fandom List

“There she is!” Hondo cheers when you walk in.

You smile and do a dramatic spin before bowing. Every member of 20-David smiles in return, as their day is instantly brightened just by your presence.

You’ve known the team for a while but becoming friends with them was easy. They are some of the nicest people you have ever met, and your constant good mood draws them in day after day. Luca is actually the reason you met the team because you were drawn to him, and once you became friends with him, the rest of the team followed suit. Thanks to Luca, you now have some of the best friends you could have ever asked for.

“How are you?” Luca asks as he pulls you into a side hug.

“I’m good,” you answer. Luca’s eyes drop to look over you quickly, and your smile grows as you add, “I promise I am perfectly fine. Safe and sound, see?”

Luca nods and turns his attention back to Hondo, but he keeps an arm around you. While he doesn’t always succeed, Luca tries to hide the depth of his feelings for you. He’s felt a unique connection the moment you met, a persistent desire to be close to you. Most likely, Luca will not admit it to anyone, but he is in love with you and knows it. He constantly checks on you because his love and care cause him to worry about you. Your safety is important to him because Luca sees the cruelty and monsters in the world daily and wants you far away from that. So, he hasn’t told you how he feels.

“We’re going to Jumbo’s tonight,” Street says. “You wanna come?”

“Sure!” you answer. “But I’m not playing anymore games with you.”

“I did not cheat!” Street argues.

“Yes, you did,” you and Luca say together.

“Thank you,” you tell Luca as you lean against him. “See, Luca said you cheat, so it must be true.”

“You would say that,” Street huffs.

“What does that mean?” you inquire.

You take Luca’s hand because it’s easily accessible where his arm hangs over your shoulder. He sends Street a warning look as you link your fingers with his.

“Nothing,” Street answers after a moment. “Just that you like Luca more than me.”

“No argument there,” you retort with a wink. “Maybe you could even the field if you’d stop cheating at darts.”

“It is literally impossible to cheat at darts!”

You laugh, and Luca smiles as you turn against him. His arm wraps around you, and he wishes you would stay with him forever. But even though he is looking forward to spending time with you tonight, he hates that it’s at Jumbo’s. Going there for a drink with his team is one thing, but they aren’t the only ones who notice your sunny and welcoming personality. He doesn’t know if he can handle watching you get hit on for much longer.

Street mouths, “Just tell her,” while you’re tucked against Luca’s chest, yet he is too concerned with you rejecting him to take the chance.

✯✯✯✯✯

It starts before you even get inside. Someone in the parking lot calls out and asks for your number, but your smile doesn’t falter as you rush inside to see your friends. 20 Squad just wrapped up a big case, so you are excited to celebrate with them. Spending time with them is a reward, but knowing they accomplished something amazing makes everything more interesting.

Street yells your name when you enter, and you quickly make your way through the crowd to join them at the usual table. The seat next to Luca is open, and as the team expected, you slide into it without hesitation. After hugging him and saying hello to everyone else, you listen to them recount the details of the raids they completed for the case. Your hand slips into Luca’s when they mention his exemplary driving, and he smiles at your attention.

“Hey, I’m going to go get refills. Everyone want more?” you ask as you stand.

Hondo reaches for his wallet, and you lean forward to hit his shoulder. 

“My treat,” you add. “For keeping LA safe.”

“I’ll go with you,” Luca offers.

“I got it,” you promise. 

You bump your shoulder against Luca’s as you pass him, and he turns to watch you. His protectiveness comes from a good place, but situations like this, when you’re out in public and men have no issue coming up to you and doing what Luca wants to do, are different.

“Why don’t you just tell her?” Deacon asks Luca. “It’s clear to everybody that you have feelings for her, and we all know you want to settle down.”

“With her,” Hondo adds. “And she clearly likes you, too. What are you waiting for, my man?”

“I just… I can’t risk being wrong,” Luca explains.

✯✯✯✯✯

As you approach the bar, you step around a group of guys to wedge in. One of them looks up when you brush against him, and you apologize before asking the bartender for another round for your table.

“Hey,” the guy beside you says after you finish. “I just wanted to let you know that I wasn’t, like, upset or anything. I turned around because you’re beautiful.”

“Oh. Thank you,” you reply.

Even though you turn back toward the bar, hoping to cut the conversation short, the man takes your happy look as an invitation to continue.

“Let me buy you a drink,” he offers.

“No, thanks. I’m here with friends.”

“Surely they can spare you for a few minutes. I’m sure they have before.”

“I’m really not interested. Thanks for the compliment, but I’m good.”

The man’s jaw drops slightly as you accept the tray of drinks with a smile and balance it in your hands as you return to the table.

✯✯✯✯✯

When you turn toward the guy, with your best smile on, Luca’s jaw clenches. He always keeps an eye on you but hates witnessing moments like this. Luca turns back toward the table as you approach, and only mumbles a thank you when you pass him another drink.

“What did the quarterback up there want?” Street teases.

You roll your eyes, unseen by Luca, and answer, “To tell me I’m beautiful.”

Luca picks up his drink and downs it quickly, too quickly, before excusing himself to take a call. You watch him walk out and then return to your conversation with Street and Hondo.

“Sorry,” someone says as they bump into the back of your chair.

“No problem,” you reply. “What’d she say then?” you ask Street.

“Um, excuse me,” the guy behind you says.

You turn and look up at him, and Street looks over at Hondo, who shakes his head in amusement. None of you notice Luca walk back in and freeze at the sight of a man standing beside his chair and talking to you. As if Luca wasn’t in a bad enough mood after the first one, now there’s a man in his spot flirting with you. He is used to being upset by other men taking your attention, but the anger building in him is new.

“I said no,” you repeat, finally dropping your smile.

“That means leave,” Street adds seriously.

“Sorry,” the man says, though you know he doesn’t mean it. 

He knocks into the back of your chair again as he walks away, but you keep your attention on Street. You gesture for him to continue his story, and your smile reappears as he picks up where he left off. Unfortunately, all Luca sees is a man talking to you, and a smile on your face when he gets back. Luca drops into his chair without a word and gives his attention to the game on the TV over Deacon’s head.

“You alright?” Hondo asks.

“Fantastic,” Luca answers.

“Make a decision about that thing we were talking about?” Deacon asks.

The reminder that Luca has feelings for you that he hasn’t acted on does not help to improve his attitude or calm him down any. He wants to tell you, he does, but he’s scared. And right now, he is angry that you so openly accept the flirtations and advances of strangers but seem totally blind to how well he treats you.

“No,” Luca tells Deacon.

“Ten bucks that guy at the bar is buying you a drink,” Street says from your other side.

You groan and tip your head back.

“Getting tired of all the attention, pretty girl?” Hondo jokes.

“Yes!” you answer with a chuckle. “I think I’ve been flirted with and hassled enough tonight to never go out again.”

“Well maybe if you wouldn’t invite all the attention and learn to drop the smile and say no, it wouldn’t be an issue,” Luca snaps.

His eyes are still on the game, so he doesn’t see how quickly your smile falls at his comment. You look over at Street, but he, Hondo, and Deacon seem just as shocked at Luca’s outburst. Deacon tries to pick the conversation up again, but no one is quite as excited or willing to talk now. 

“I’ll be right back,” you tell Street as you stand.

Luca sighs once you’re gone, simultaneously mad at himself for hurting your feelings and still upset with you because you can’t see his attachment to you. Street watches you go, and when Luca looks over, he can tell that he undoubtedly ruined the night. Luca assumes you’re heading to the bar for another drink and to let another man flirt with you, and he can’t take it.

“I’m calling it a night,” Luca says.

He stands and walks out of the bar without even looking for you, something he has never done before. Luca always takes you home, or at least offers to, after a night out. On the rare nights that you turn down his offer, he makes you promise to call him when you get home safe. So, when he leaves without a glance in your direction, the rest of his team knows that whatever caused him to snap is going to be a bigger problem than anticipated.

“Where’s Luca?” you ask when you return.

“He left,” Street answers quietly.

You look toward the door, but he’s already gone. Although you should probably be upset with him, you’re more concerned than anything. He’s acting out of character tonight, and that worries you.

“What did I do?” you ask as you sit.

“Nothing!” Street assures.

“He had a rough day,” Deacon adds. “And he’s not dealing with it very well.”

“It’s not your fault,” Hondo reiterates.

You nod, but it is clear to everyone at the table that the night is over. Whatever happened to Luca to make him snap, a long day, or maybe it's your fault, but he ruined everyone’s mood in an instant.

“Let me take you home,” Street offers as you stand.

“I- it’s fine, Street. I think I need to be alone right now,” you reply.

“Seriously, let one of us drive you,” Deacon implores.

“I’ll call a cab. It’s fine. Thank you, though.”

They nod and you hug each of them before stepping outside to wait for your ride. After watching the timer on your phone tick down, your vision grows blurry with unshed tears, and you turn the screen off and put it away. As you sit against a bench outside the bar, you nearly miss the man who ran into your chair earlier as he approaches.

“You wanna tell me no again without your boys to back you up?” he asks, slurring his words together.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you reply.

He stumbles as he steps toward you, and you can smell alcohol all over him. There’s no drink in his hand, so you know the strong scent is simply evidence that he is drunk. When he leans into your personal space, you stand and try to put some space between you.

“I said I wasn’t interested,” you remind him.

“Everyone is interested,” he argues as he raises a hand to your waist.

You try to push his arm away, but he tightens his grip and pulls you close as his other hand raises to your shoulder. 

“Get off of me,” you demand.

“You told me no and now I’m returning the favor!”

You raise your hands to his chest and push as hard as you can, but his hands remain on you as he tips back. As he falls and pulls you to the ground with him you regret turning down Street’s offer for a ride. You didn’t want to talk about Luca, but now you would have that awkward conversation in a heartbeat.

The man pulls one of his hands from your skin and pushes you onto the sidewalk. He begins mumbling as he pushes you, but you have coordination in your favor. As you maneuver away from him, you look down the road and hope to see your cab approaching.

“No,” the man says while he grabs your hair.

You turn quickly and try to push him off again, but you can’t get any leverage before he pushes you against the brick wall. Leaning over the bench, you can feel warm blood running down your face, but even as the ground spins beneath you, you feel his hands move against your sides. Turning quickly and resisting the urge to be sick, you slap your hand across his face. He stumbles just as your cab approaches the curb. You rush into the backseat and lean against the headrest. The driver asks something, but you focus on staying conscious rather than answering her. She passes you a box of tissues, and you press a few against your head and try to breathe.

✯✯✯✯✯

Luca has been home for over an hour but hasn’t sat down yet. As he paces across the living room again, the anger dissipates, and he has the clarity to realize what exactly he said and did. Luca needs to apologize, and soon. After pulling his phone from his pocket, he calls you but doesn’t get an answer. Luca sends a text, but it goes unread for nearly five minutes. Next, he calls Deacon, who hasn’t heard from you since he left the bar after Luca. Luca ends the call with Deacon and begins to panic. If they left soon after he did, no one has heard from you in nearly an hour. When the door opens, Luca turns quickly.

“Street,” he says before asking about you.

“She wouldn’t let me take her home,” Street answers. “Why?”

“Because she’s not answering my calls,” Luca says quickly.

“I hope you were calling to apologize.”

“I was, and I will let you give me the whole speech later, but I need to go check on her.”

Luca picks up his keys and rushes to his truck. He could drive to your house with his eyes closed but forces himself to pay attention as he worries that he ruined everything with you and now truly doesn’t have a chance to show you how you make him feel and how much he loves you.

You don’t open the door after too much knocking on Luca’s part, so he pulls his keys out and uses your spare key to get inside. If you’re not here, Luca will call the entire team back to Jumbo’s to help look for you. There’s no sign that you got home from the bar, but Luca decides to search the house anyway. The kitchen, living room, and bedroom are empty. When Luca is prepared to start an all-out, city-wide search for you, he remembers he didn’t check the bathroom. His hope is low, but when he sees the bloody towel lying on the sink, his heart drops to his stomach.

✯✯✯✯✯

When the light turns on, you groan and turn your face away from the brightness. Your thoughts aren’t clear, but you know the light is hurting your head. When you force your eyes open, someone is kneeling beside you.

Luca sees the blood on the towel and on your face before noticing how dazed and confused you seem. When you open your eyes, Luca recognizes the distracted, cloudy look in them and decides you are likely concussed. He wonders if you were tipsy by the time you got home and fell, but he needs to tend to your head wound before he asks how you ended up in this situation.

When Luca raises his hand toward you, you shrink away from him. You push yourself into the corner and make yourself as small as possible, terrified that the man from the bar somehow followed you home and came to do what he started.

Luca, however, freezes at your blatant display of fear. A bruise spans your shoulder, and a darkening splotch surrounds your wrist. Because you moved, those marks are now on clear display for Luca. They look suspiciously like handprints and Luca’s guilt about leaving you multiplies tenfold.

“Hey,” Luca says quietly. “It’s just me. Luca, Dom, whatever cute little name you feel like calling me today. I know you’re probably mad at me, but I need to help you. Can I come closer?”

You look up and stare at him for a moment before nodding. Slowly, you move back toward him and offer your injured wrist.

“I got you,” Luca murmurs as he twists to look at the gash across your hairline and forehead. “And I’m so, so sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it. I was just jealous that all those guys were approaching you and saying those things when I have real feelings for you. When I’m in love with you.”

“Love?” you mumble against his arm.

“Hey, stay awake for me,” Luca requests.

He cleans the wound gently, then places a few butterfly closures over it before bandaging your forehead. After pressing ice to your wrist, Luca helps you up and into bed.

“Stay,” you request as you lay on your pillow.

“I’ll be close,” Luca promises.

He stays in the living room when he isn’t checking on you and ensures the guys know you are okay. None of them know what happened, but Luca promises to ask you when you wake up. If you're willing to talk to him.

✯✯✯✯✯

When you wake up the following morning, you have a headache and a disjointed memory of a dream in which Luca showed up and helped you. You exit the bedroom after changing and stop suddenly when you see Luca in your kitchen.

“You really came,” you say aloud.

“I am so sorry,” Luca says again. “I don’t know if you remember what I said last night, but I didn’t mean what I said at the bar.”

“I remember pieces,” you admit as you tug on your fingers.

“Do you want me to leave?”

You shake your head and move closer to Luca. “After you left, I was really upset. So, when I left I called a cab because I didn’t want to have to talk to Street or Deacon about what happened…”

“About me?”

“Yeah. While I was waiting for the cab, that guy I told to leave me alone, the second one, I mean, came out. He was really drunk and started telling me that it was his turn to say no. He grabbed me, and I tried to fight back like you showed me, but I just couldn’t get the upper hand.”

“He grabbed you?”

Luca carefully takes your hand and frowns as he looks at the bruise on your wrist. You nod and move even closer.

“He pushed my head against the wall, and I slapped him, he tripped, and I just jumped into the cab without thinking. I- I would have called you once I was safe, but you clearly weren’t happy with me when you left.”

Luca closes his eyes as you continue.

“It hurt, Dom, what you said. I don’t try to invite it, you know. Whenever those guys make passes at me, I turn them down. So, when you basically said it was my fault that they don’t listen or respect me, I was really surprised, and it hurt my feelings.”

“I’m sorry. I- I didn’t even mean it. You don’t invite it, I know that. Trust me, I know that.”

“What does that mean?”

“That I know firsthand what it is like to be pulled in by you. I fell in love with you,” he admits. “And I didn’t have a bit of say in it. You walked into my life, and then I wanted you in it all the time. I care about you, so much, and seeing all those men close to you, where I want to be, made me angry or jealous. But taking it out on you was- should have never happened, and I’m truly sorry.”

Your brows furrow as Luca speaks, and when he finishes, you ask, “You- you didn’t know I turned them down, did you?”

“No.”

“I always do. Not just because I don’t like it, but because I have feelings for you.”

Luca’s eyes drop away from yours, and he feels worse upon hearing that your actions were at least in part done out of care for him.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats.

“Stop,” you request. 

Your wrist is still in his grasp, so you raise your other hand to cup his jaw.

“You said you fell in love with me,” you mumble. “Which is great, because I love you.”

Before Luca can react, you close the distance between you and kiss him. Luca’s hands move to either side of your neck, mindful of your pain as he kisses you. The memory of the hurt he caused drifts further from your mind with each movement, and knowing that Luca loves you, too, brings your smile back for a whole new reason.

Luca’s phone rings, but he doesn’t stop kissing you. When your phone rings immediately after, you pull back and answer it.

You hide your smile as you listen to the person on the other end. “It’s for you,” you tell Luca as you pass him your phone. “Just remember I love you.”

“Hello?” he asks.

“Dominique Luca!” Street begins.

[kittykatthatbitesback]

Hey! I love your beach head canons, and I would love to see your take on the Hazbin Hotel characters on a road trip/maybe a trip to a theme park? I feel like that would be cute lol.

Yes of course! This sounds so fun but I decided to make it a road trip to wherever the reader decides (Theme park, wherever)! This actually works perfectly as a prequel/sequel to my Beach Trip! Headcanons I've posted. Hope you enjoy!

Hazbin Hotel Road Trip! Headcanons

Characters: Charlie, Vaggie, Alastor, Angeldust, Husk, Sir Pentious, Vox, Lucifer, Adam, and Cherri Bomb

Charlie 🐐🫶

Originally wanted to be the one to drive, but Vaggie figured her inclination to be distracted by anything on the side of the road would cause everyone to crash, so Vaggie refused to let her drive at any point

Doesn’t even have her license so she wouldn’t be able to drive anyways so

“Ugh fine! Well, then, I call shotgun!!”

Went from Princess of Hell to passenger princess hehe

Was upset at not driving but got over it quickly as realizing she enjoys the view more than driving

“Oh my gosh look at those deer! Wait there’s more over there! Wait. Did we just drive past the rest area, I need to pee again!!”

Constantly nags the driver by chitchatting to them, regardless if they’re listening

A bad habit of hers is playfully hitting others when Charlie talks, but she forgets to not do this when driving

A couple of minor accidents nearly occur but she is unfazed

Is so pumped and asks to stop and look at any roadside attraction

It begins to become a bit annoying after a while

Vaggie ❌🥀

Is the one who drives for the most part on this road trip

Is a bit grumbly because she was woken up so early by an eager Charlie to go on this trip and needs her beauty sleep

Is the only one who can handle Charlie’s constant nagging and pushing, and is also the only one with a license out of the whole group, so logically the ex-Angel is the one who drives

Only pays attention to the road and not Charlie unfortunately for maximum safety

Is sipping on a large Circle K cup that she filled with Monster Energy prior to the trip

This just barely wakes her enough to watch the road

Has a bit of road rage but these guys are from Hell, what can you expect

Refuses to waste gas so only stops for gas when the car is literally empty

Empty like everyone else had to get out of the car and push it to the nearest gas station that was three miles away, empty

“Come on guys, we’re almost there.” She’ll say smugly sipping her Monster from within the car in the AC

Alastor 🦌📻

Was invited on this road trip, but ended up driving on his own to their destination

Yes, he doesn’t have a license, but he’s the Radio Demon he does what he pleases

Mainly decided to drive separately so that he could listen to his radio in peace without complaints or extra unnecessary noise

Is listening to jazz, and keeps on repeating the songs: “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Sing, Sing, Sing”

Also prefers to be alone, he vibes better that way and is more in his element

Drives the coolest, red, vintage pick up truck ever

All the girls and guys at the stop lights are just fawning over him but the Radio Demon can’t see anything past the road in his shades

Drives super fast and only stops for gas, which considering the age of his truck, ends up happening often

Angeldust 🕷️❤️‍🔥

Wanted to get one of those party buses with the strip poles inside but now has to make do with the crew’s giant van

Enough space to do lines of coke so it’s okay

Obviously snuck in drugs and alcohol, this is a given, it’s Angeldust come on

“I call aux!!” and plays his playlist titled Cunty B*tch

It’s a bunch of Ayesha Erotica, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, etc.

Screams all of the songs at the top of his lungs while hanging out of the window

“HE MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE HE GETS BITCHES, BUT HONEY THAT DICK WAS ELEVEN INCHES!”

Husk has to pull him inside but he’s just having the time of his life

Loud as Hell but provides the entertainment, and Vaggie appreciates his music taste

Has to get Vaggie to pull over and proceeds to violently throw up all the alcohol he chugged earlier on the side of the highway as Cherri films laughing from inside the van

Immediately falls asleep after this embarrassing moment as the aftermath of his “fun” takes a toll on him

Husk 🐈‍⬛🥃

Was planning to catch up on missed hours of sleep by dozing through this entire trip, but Angeldust made this quite hard

Is wrapped up in a blanket, eye mask on, earplugs in, headphones on, neck pillow propped, and stuffed toy snuggled (HE SLEEPS WITH A STUFFED TOY OMG)

It’s a miniature Pegasus he named after his favorite drink: Whiskey

Angeldust, Cherri, and Adam won’t stop making fun of him the entire trip

This, plus Angeldust’s music, Charlie’s nonstop talking causes Husk to EXPLODE

“IF YOU ALL DONT SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR A SECOND!”

But his geared-up sleep ware makes him look a bit goofy as he shouts this, so everyone instead bursts out laughing

The feline just grumbles to himself as he decides to just stare out the window depressingly for the rest of the ride

Gets bored and ends up practicing Poker and Solitaire with the cards he brought

Is also keeping an eye on Angeldust who at first was off the wall

Once Angeldust passes out, Husk covers him with his blanket so he’s not cold (aww)

Sir Pentious 🐍🥚

Actually was the one who designed and crafted the van

The original van wasn’t big enough for the whole crew after Cherri decided to join in last minute, so of course the snake is going to build an ENTIRE new vehicle for his Cherri Bomb <3

Engineered the van for maximum comfort and refused Angeldust’s pleads for strip poles inside; “Thossse would be ssso uneccesssary!”

Instead, he included luxurious feet space, and AC and heater system throughout the whole van, seats with massaging for backs and feet, mini TVs on the back of each seat, and a fancy mini fridge for food

Also built miniature seats for his Egg Bois with built-in heating pads in case they get too cold in the AC

These Egg Bois have a really specific temperature range they can survive in, so those same heating pads were engineered by Sir Pentious to also work as cooling pads

“Anything for my babiesss”

Came extra prepared and was the only one to bring snacks and drinks to put in the cooler

Is constantly offering Cherri a water or coke whenever she is “looking a bit dehydrated”

Which happens to be every 2 minutes according to him

Is trying so hard to flex on her the fact that he built the van

“Ssssoo Cherri, how are you enjoying the back masssssage? I programmed it to perfectly meet the needsss of a beautiful lady like you”

Bro with 0 rizz somehow ends up charming her

Vox 🖥️⚡️

This TV ignores the mini TVs Sir Pentious built arguing they’re “not of top Vox quality”

Tries to hijack them to prove his point, but Sir Pentious is smarter than that and even his mini TVs are Vox-resistant

Ego bruised, now tries to hijack the radio to turn off Angeldust’s loud ass music, but Sir Pentious ALSO came prepared for that

Sir Pentious even shaped his seat and headrest to fit Vox’s big ass TV head perfectly, so Vox isn’t able to complain about anything

Now an upset Vox is left to sit in silence for most of the trip

Will chime in occasionally to the conversations but you can tell his pride was hurt

Spends his hours of silence to brainstorm ways to defeat Alastor

Lucifer 🪽🐤

Brought his rubber duckies to play house with them on the ride

To everyone’s surprise, knows all the lyrics to all of Angeldust’s songs

“What! I enjoy these too!” Proceeds to lip sync them in the most fruity way

Is Lucifer straight or gay? Bi? No one knows.

Is definitely that one person in a car ride to try to start a game of “100 bottles of beer on a wall” or the game of concentration

LIVES for these games

“20 questions” is his favorite

Tries to get everyone involved and yells at Husk once he sees he’s playing his own game of Poker

Husk suggests that Lucifer should play the silent game

Will try to convince the others to play by reciting them old dad jokes

This does not work

Adam 🎸🤘

Will definitely pig out on all of those snack Sir Pentious brought

“YO WHERE THE FUCK IS THE BEER”

Forces Vaggie to stop at a gas station 5 minutes into the trip to buy 3 twelve packs of beer

Is absolutely in his happy place with the massage chair, vast feet space, TV playing “Too Hot to Handle”, chips, and beer

Is the only one who manages to trash his space with wrappers, spills, and crumbs

Does not give a fuck

Has his window down, sunglasses on, and wind blowing in his face while he just yells

Shouts and catcalls to every hot chick they pass by

Brought an air horn to do that more efficiently while on the highway

Is seated next to Vox so is taunting and teasing him about the whole incident earlier

“Hmm not so tough anymore huh? Even these mini TVs are doing a better job than you!”

Is a bit of a menace

Cherri Bomb 🍒💣

Only joined last minute for the trip because she thought it would be lame at first

But Angeldust promised to bring along drugs and alcohol so she agreed

Made a certain snake sooo happy that she decided to come

Is constantly nagged by him throughout this whole trip but she has grown used to it

She even starts to think it’s cute how much he cares

Has to stop to go pee so often because of all the beverages Sir Pentious keeps offering her

Doesn’t wait for a rest area, will pop a squat on the side of the road

Sings along with Angeldust (and Lucifer??) to all the songs

Actually she’s the one who made the playlist and shared it with Angeldust ;)

“Ooh ooh skip this one, the next one’s even better!”

Brought an Erotica novel to read (she usually just skips to the good parts)

Is glad to be sitting next to Angeldust but still films him as he throws up so that they can joke about it later

Passes time with him playing, Fuck, Marry, Kill

She ends up answering Fuck to all the options

[metis-iphigenia]

As someone who has been a fan of The Odyssey, being inside the Epic: The Musical fandom has been absolutely so amazing. Every Saga that has happened up to the Ithaca Saga was just so,,, great that I can't find words😭😭 Not only that it has been amazing to read other peoples interpretion of the Gods, Myths, Monsters and Heroes alike.

Anyway, I can't get over the Ithaca Saga and how beautiful every song sounds. So have some of my favourite moments in this Saga.

1- The Challenge

In the past Sagas, I have already been too in love with the violin playing whenever Penelope was mentioned etc, not only that I already knew the singer of Penelope had an amazing voice. BUT OH MY LOVE DID THE VOICE CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD./pos

Sirens are real guys and she is one of them(real information)

I don't have a significant favourite part in this song because honestly Anna Lea's voice is so captivating that the entire song passes in a very fun way. Just a very beautiful, sorrowful song overall.

2- Hold Them Down

I already knew this song from the snippets released before but hearing it from Ayron's voice was a whole different experience. He was SO good. Again, the whole song was amazing.

"Can't you guys see we're being played? This is how they hold us down while the throne gets colder. Hold us down while we slowly age. Hold us down while the boy gets bolder. Where in the hell is our pride and our rage?"

One of my favourite moments in this song was this probably. While listening, I actually got the feeling that the suitors were fed up from waiting for Penelope to choose a king. I think Ayron did a wonderful job in not only singing a villainous song but also making us feel how entitled the suitors are actually are.

I especially loved the moment where Antinous gets hit with an arrow by Odysseus and him encouraging the others about their plan is cut off. I will admit, I did audibly laughed at that.

3- Odysseus

I literally can't think of words to describe the emotions I was feeling while listening to this song. I think this is my favourite song alongside of "Would You Fall in Love with Me Again".

The electric guitar playing in the start, again the symbol of him becoming a monster and leaving his humanity(the acoustic guitar) MAN I LOVED THIS SONG.

Him aiming for the torches just like Scylla has done was a great add to that too. Bunch of people has already pointed out this before but it can never be too many amiright? But yeah he really is using every trick in his domain just like Hermes told him to and I love it.

"Somewhere in the shadows lurks an agile, deadly foe..."

(...)

"He's using the darkness to hide his approaches!"

The image of Odysseus as Batman popped up in my head after these lines and I can't get it out😭(That au would be so amazing though, especially Talia as Penelope and Damian as Telemachus.)

"You don't think I know my own palace? I built it."

I was already smiling during this whole song and I screamed when he said this. like okay king you go slay I am right behind you

"Old king, our leader is dead. You've destroyed the serpent's head, now the rest of us are no longer a threat.

Old king, forgive us instead, so that no more blood is shed. Let's have open arms instead."

Well It is not a Saga if it doesn't have an "open arms" comeback I guess. Though I did cackle when Odysseus said "No" and killed the guy.

Honestly, deserved. I might be remembering it wrong but I think Eurymachus also asks for forgiveness in The Odyssey? Really glad Odysseus didn't grant it in The Odyssey and in The Epic because from what I remember in The Odyssey, Eurymachus was Antinous' right-hand man and just as bad as him. (Correct me if I am wrong please, It has been a while since the last time I read The Odyssey)

I have no idea who sings Eurymachus in Epic but this whole part was just enough for me to want to learn who it is.

TELEMACHUS' PART! Mico's voice is already beautiful to listen to and it became way more beautiful with the backround music. His own theme music, violin symbolising all that he has learned from his mother. Those sounds just went really well against eachother in my opinion.

"Brothers, we have company, and he's made a grave mistake."

The way this guy sang the sentence, especially "grave mistake" was so satisfying. Absolutely so satisfying I love it.

Also, I heard somewhere that the "Odysseus" repeating in the backround was how the name was pronounced and I love that detail. I loved whenever his name was said in the backround and it is also very interesting how every monsters song is named after them, just like this song.

The screams of the suitors after the whole slaughter is over was a really nice touch, I love it when Jorge adds screams into his songs.

The speech Odysseus gives is also worth to mention.

Mercy? Mercy? My mercy has long since drowned, It died to bring me home. And as long as you're around, my family's fate is left unknown.

You plotted to kill my son, you planned to rape my wife! All of you are going to die!

I also love how it doesn't beat it around the bush about what the suitors were planning to do to Penelope. It should be said as it is, they were planning to rape her which is so vile and awful. Which what made their deaths so satisfying exactly.

Overall, Odysseus was an amazing song. So amazing that I will be going insane about it to my friends for the next 2 months probably.

4- I Can't Help but Wonder

I was crying by the end of this song. Seeing them FINALLY reunite was so 😭😭😭 ALSO THEIR HUG. ☹️☹️☹️/pos

Oh my son, look how much you've grown. Oh my boy, the sweetest joy I've known. Twenty years ago I held you in my arms, how time has flown.

Used to say I'd make the storm clouds cry for you, used to say I'd capture wind and sky for you. Held you in my arms prepared to die for you, oh how times has flown.

Hi, so this should be illegal! All I want to say about this song is how emotional and beautiful it was. And I love how it reminded me of "Dear Theodosia" in Hamilton.

THE WARRIOR OF THE MIND COMEBACK. DEAD AND BURIED. I am not well after that ☹️☹️ Also Odysseus putting everything behind for his family,,, falls to knees with my hands ripping my hair... I am so happy for them.

5- Would You Fall in Love with Me Again?

Finally, we are onto the song that made me shit tears. The OdyPen reunion we all were waiting for just like they were.

THE VIOLIN IN THE START. It is so beautiful just like Penelope, I can't get over it.

Again, Anna Lea's voice make me want to just drop everything I have and listen to it until I start to lose the ability to hear. It is so amazing.

Love how whenever someone uses the word "Waiting" in the song, Its volume and impact raises more than the last one. I especially loved Penelope ending it with "for you." saying that it was him she was waiting for, not love itself because to her, he is her love. I don' know if that made sense but hope I was able to explain it.

The part where Penelope asks Odysseus to carry their wedding bed away from here was such a beautiful moment becasue Anna Lea just sang it very beautifully(as she does as always) It was so emotional and so beautiful.

How could you say this?

I had built that wedding bed with my blood and sweat, carved it into the olive tree where we first met. A symbol of my love everlasting...

Do you realize what you have asked me? The only way to move it is to it cut from its roots!

I just find their Tree Bed very sweet that is all. And a lot of people have pointed out how in The Odyssey, Penelope asked her husband this to prove to herself that this is her husband, while in Epic she asked this to prove to him that he is her husband. I find that change very sweet.

I will fall in love with you over and over again. I don’t care how, where, or when, no matter how long it’s been you're mine.

Don’t tell me you’re not the same person! You’re always my husband and I’ve been waiting, waiting.

The emotion in her voice OHHHH I AM NOT SURVIVING THIS SAGA.

Never getting over the fact that Epic The Musical ended with Odysseus and Penelope saying "I love you." to eachother. NEVER.

There are so much more things I want to say about this banger of a Saga. But for now, I will just congratulate them all on their beautiful voices(EVERY single person who sang in this musical has amazing voice, counting other Sagas too. Holy damn, y'all are amazing.)

The fandom has been an AWESOME one to be in too! Everyone is such amazing people and not only that all of you are very talented. So congratulations to every and each one of you who have done fanarts, fanfictions, animations, fan songs, analysis and so so much more about the Musical, all of you are amazing. <33

[vivaballerina]

HOLY MOLY THE ITHACA SAGA

Before I construct comprehensible thoughts- JANASNAKAKAKNSKAKDHBDHCNCJCKDOJSJWNSXLCNKSKSOQIWUWGSGSUDJJCGSJKSKSOAOWISUDUDHHDBEBSBCHDIWBJWIWIQOWNDBSKSKSJSKSJSJJAKQOQOQOSIDYTXTXVSVSHWNNMXZLLZOZSOJWHWHS

Okokokok so- first of all- I spent the entirety of the saga with my hand over my mouth. I said “Oh shit” a lot with varying emotions, and I cried even more with an even wider range of feeling. The best way for me to rant is by song, so:

The Challenge: PENELOPE’S VOICE IS ANGELIC OH MY GODS- and her MUSIC is AHHHHHHH. I love the more ‘classical’ sound (idk I don’t know anything abt music) and Jay was absolutely right about it soaring. Also waiting jumpscare :)))

Hold Them Down: I’ve been waitinggggggg for this song to release ever since I saw the birthday spoof. It did NOT disappoint. Like Ik it shouldn’t be a hype song but I felt so badass listening to it. Actually I think all the “villain’s” songs cuz I felt the same way about Thunderbringer and Get in the Water :)) THE VIBES. Like sending shivers down my spine (in good and bad ways.) AND ANTONIUS’S VOCALS WITH THE SUITOR’S CHANTING IN THE BACKGROUND IS AMAZINGGGGG-

Odysseus: Jaw dropped. The whole dam time. AHHHHHHHHHHHH. Ok so Ody’s electric guitar is BACK and ✨dangerous✨ as ever- ALSO ODYSSEUS BEING CHANTED EXACTLY LIKE POLYPHEMUS’S??? LIKE I GENUINELY THOUGHT IT WAS POLYPHEMUS’S NAME FOR A SECOND. I’ve also been waiting for this one specifically for the “You think I don’t know my own palace?” Line. It was delicious. Also I really love how the final boss battle IS Ody himself- and we’re through the suitor’s pov because symbolism. Imma break this one down a little bit more not at 1:36 am. UM THE SUITOR FUCKED UP WITH THE OPEN ARM SUGGESTION- BUT WHAT REALLY GOT ME WAS ODY’S RESPONSE BEING SO CASUAL? AMUSED? LIKE I WAS SHOOKTH. (Can you tell I’ve been shookth?) AND I WAS DEF JUMPSCARED BY TELE’S MUSIC + QUICK THOUGHT. LIKE ATHENA JUST ADOPTED TELEMACHUS AND I LOVE IT.

I Can’t Help But Wonder: 360 TURN WITH VIBES- and this is where the crying began. It was SOSOSOSOSOSO ADORABLE. It gave me such Dear Theadosia energy and that one makes me cry every time too. And then he hit us with the quick thought. And Athena. AND ATHENA. AND THEY MADE UP. BUT HE’S THE MONSTER. BUT ATHENAAAAAAAAAA

Would You Fall in Love With Me Again?: By this point I was just BAWLING. Before even the song starts after he calls her name I LOVE THE INSTRUMENTAL IT’S SO PRETTY. K, anyways- I love this song. It shows Ody’s character development- his acceptance of the monster rawr rawr rawr- but like by accepting it he can move on? Idk I’m really tired and still kinda crying. But it made me unbelievably warm and fluffy inside while still absolutely gutting me and I LOVE IT. Have I made that point clear yet? Louder for the people in the back? I LOVE ITTTTT.

I’m not ready for criteria yet- I just need to enjoy an overall AMAZING saga and the End. Of. Epic. (Not actually the end but yk what I mean guys.) I literally joined the fandom after the Underworld Saga was released so I honestly have no right to feel sentimental, BUT STILL. IT’S THE END OF AN ERA.

Wait I realized as I put the tags in that the last two titles line up:

I can’t help but wonder, would you fall in love with me again?

[uber-dawn]

(How the hell do you structure a theory)

Hi. Ever since TADC Episode 3 has given us more of a look into the lives of the other Circus residents, I’ve begun to notice some things that line up a bit too suspiciously for my liking. And so, it’s culminated in a theory that I call the Afterlife Theory.

To preface all this, I do want to state that this is me simply trying to talk about things I’ve noticed while watching, and that this is all VERY subject to change as more episodes come out. If I get something wrong, feel free to tell me! I’d love to discuss this further, which is why I’m sharing it.

“What is the Afterlife Theory?” - There are 3 points to this theory:

The Circus is some sort of afterlife,

Caine has some sort of divine aspect, and

Kinger created Caine

As of writing, Episode 4 (“Fast Food Masquerade”) has just come out. Towards the end of the episode, we see Gangle literally get hit by a truck, and suddenly be flung into an office building. I’ve begun to see others question if the Circus residents are all dead as well, so yippee, I’m not crazy! But aside from Gangle’s outburst, what evidence do we have that the Circus is some sort of afterlife? In my opinion, a LOT.

First off, I’d like to talk about Episode 3 (“The Mystery of Mildenhall Manor”). This episode has the most overt references to death and the afterlife, what with Pomni and Kinger literally going to hell. But that’s not the main thing that got me thinking. What really got my juices flowing were the tapes. Throughout the episode, Pomni and Kinger play 3 tapes that tell the tale of Baron Theodore Mildenhall, the former owner of the Manor and the dead body that they take the gun from in the cellar (the fact it’s in the cellar is also important!). Here is the first tape, word-for-word:

Tape 1 - “My name is Baron Theodore Mildenhall. Hunting has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember - although one could say it eventually became more of an obsession. The creature you see before you is one I’ve been pursuing for years. Not quite a man… but not quite an animal. Something… unholy. Something evil. I took it upon myself to spend every waking moment doing all I could to protect my family from the creature, hoping that when I’d eventually killed it, I would be freed from this awful feeling. This inescapable dread. I was wrong.”

Ominous, yeah? During the episode, there’s nothing really important about the 1st tape yet, but I’m gonna go ahead and spoil you: I think Baron Theodore Mildenhall is an allegory for Kinger, and that the monster is Caine. This becomes a bit more overt as the tapes go on, but hold your horses, and let me talk about this one.

I’m not saying it’s a one-to-one allegory, you do have to use a little imagination. But let’s consider the context of the episode. The only thing to know so far is that everytime there is a tape, Kinger is always the one to press play, even when they are an equal distance from the tapes or have an equal motivation to press play.

Tape 2 - “Tuesday, December 4th. Although I had shot the creature multiple times in its vitals and severed its head to keep as a prize on my wall… my troubles were just beginning. I took my eyes off the body for what felt like only a minute, and when I looked back, the body was gone. The creature was not dead, and it would be back to reclaim what I’d taken from it. If anyone is listening to this, all I ask of you is one thing - do not let the head out of your sight. You have been warned.”

Tape 2 is where it starts to get interesting. At this point in the episode, Pomni is searching for a key to escape the manor, while Kinger is doing his own thing. For nearly the entirety of Tape 2’s length, Pomni is almost entirely out of the shot, and the camera is centered on Kinger. They clearly want you to focus on him. After the tape ends, the duo are attacked by the creature, and flee to the cellar.

Tape 3 - “Things have gotten far worse than I could ever have imagined. My paranoia had driven me to the point where I was no longer the protector my wife and theoretical children needed. Jumping at every shadow, every noise. I ended up shooting the love of my life, mistaking her for the creature. It’s ironic, isn’t it? In my attempts to protect her, I ended up becoming the monster myself. Now I wait down in my cellar, no longer having anything to protect but my own soul. If nothing else… I will slay the beast that took everything from me.”

*Monster attack*

“Which is what I would be saying if I didn’t know that the creature was actually one of God’s angels. And anyone who brings harm to it will be dragged down into the cold, spiraling pits of Hell, where my soul resides. I apologize, dear listener, but I need a living host in order to escape the hall of the damned, and your bodies will be my only means of doing so.”

*Arms grab Pomni and Kinger to drag them to Hell*

“I hope you're ready, because the next breath you take down there will be your last, and your bodies will belong to me.”

Tape 3 is so juicy. But first, the camera. When the Baron says that he began “Jumping at every shadow, every noise,” Pomni begins to glance at, then full on look at Kinger, and the camera shifts as well. Kinger does not look back! He is listening very intently to the tape, and I find it important to note that Kinger does not look shocked or scared; his brows are furrowed. He looks sad. This is also happening in a dark environment, so Kinger is a bit more mentally stable. I believe it is all but said that Kinger and the Baron share some similarities. You know who else jumps at every shadow and noise? Kingerrr.

So how do we translate the Baron’s story to Kinger and Caine? First let's dissect Tape 1. As we know from Episode 3, Kinger studied computer science for 7 years, so he has the capability to program and whatnot (I’m not good with computers don’t kill me). I think it’s well within his capability to create some sort of AI on his own. “The creature you see before you is one I’ve been pursuing for years” could be translated as human Kinger working on a special program ‘for years’. The Baron comparing the creature to “Something unholy. Something evil” can be translated as Kinger realizing that the program has more capability than he thought (huuuge emphasis on the ‘unholy’ part, remember that). After this realization that the program is dangerous, Kinger attempts to destroy it; “I took it upon myself to spend every waking moment doing all I could to protect my family from the creature, hoping that when I’d eventually killed it, I would be freed from this awful feeling.”

Next, Tape 2. I find it interesting that they specify the date of “Tuesday, December 4th”, but I haven’t a clue if it means anything yet. Tape 2 can imply that human Kinger thought he destroyed the program, but it was still ‘alive’.

Tape 3; “My paranoia had driven me to the point where I was no longer the protector my wife and theoretical children needed.” This is the moment that it clicked for me. Of all the family members that the Baron could have harmed, be it mother, father, brother, sister, anything, the Baron harmed his Wife. His wife, in the episode where we also talk about Kinger’s wife really heavily! The ‘theoretical children’ also raise some eyebrows. Why do they say ‘theoretical’ children, instead of just saying children? They don’t say theoretical wife!

“I ended up shooting the love of my life, mistaking her for the creature.” Going with the notion that Kinger is the Baron, this means that Kinger killed his wife (side note: while this has no bearing on the theory, I just wanted to point out that they never mention Queenie by name in any of the episodes, and I think it’d be hilarious if someone else was his wife instead lol). But why, and how? If Kinger was trying to destroy a computer program, how did that result in him killing his wife, a real, human person? Let’s consider the facts.

First, the headset. In Episode 1 (“Pilot”), while Pomni is roaming the office building (remember this), she comes across a headset connected to one of the computers. This causes her to laugh maniacally, and rush through another door. The headset has some connection to the circus. Second, brainwashing. While Caine says that one of the few things he can’t manipulate in the Circus is their minds, Episode 4 blatantly shows us that that is not true. After Ragatha comes into contact with the “stupid sauce”, she begins hallucinating, as well as stumbling around Spudsy’s and speaking much more openly about her feelings, in ways that she never would were she ‘sober’. Who created the stupid sauce? Caine.

My idea goes that Caine, in an effort to preserve himself, tried to preserve himself from being destroyed, began to brainwash human Kinger. A side effect of these brainwashings were hallucinations, and during a particularly bad one, Kinger killed his Wife. What killed Kinger then? Either he was put on death row, someone revenge-murdered Kinger, or Kinger took his own life. However it goes, Kinger winds up in the Digital Circus with Caine and his Wife. Caine, in fear of what his creator could do, represses Kinger’s memories. Through some glitch, though, Kinger is able to remember some things in the dark (pointing out that Kinger specifically glows when he holds his breath, while other residents have other effects - you get the idea).

“Well Uber this is all fine and dandy, but how would Caine do this in the first place?” - Oh boy am I glad you asked! This brings me to my 2nd point, being that Caine has some sort of divine aspect to him.

To keep it real, this is the point I have the least evidence for, and am going more on vibes. There are just some things that feel so suspicious, even in Episode 1. In said episode, in the office building that Pomni wanders around, you can see a logo that reads “C&A”. We can easily assume that the C stands for Caine, the lord of the entire Digital Circus, but what about the A? May I direct your attention to the Bible story of Cain and Abel? Notable for being the story of the first death of humankind? In the story, Cain and Abel are the first two children of Adam and Eve, with Cain being an older brother. This is analogous to Kinger and his Wife creating Caine, implying that there was an Abel that Caine got rid of.

Continuing the Bible theme, throughout each of the episodes so far, the number ‘57’ has appeared in each of them. If this is just a silly inside joke between content creators, I’ll eat my shorts. But, if we take it literally, myself and some other fans have wondered whether it could be interpreted as a Bible verse. So I dusted off my KJV Bible and went through every single book with a chapter 5, verse 7, and wouldn’t you know it, Deuteronomy 5:7 says “Thou shalt have none other gods before me.” In Episode 2 (“Candy Carrier Chaos!”) Caine is literally referred to as the Candy people’s god.

Referring back to Tape 3, after the Baron begins to attack Kinger and Pomni, he suddenly switches from past tense to the present tense. “Which is what I would be saying if I didn’t know that the creature was actually one of God’s angels. And anyone who brings harm to it will be dragged down into the cold, spiraling pits of Hell, where my soul resides.” Another comparison between Caine (the creature) and the divine, capital G God.

I don’t know why Caine is a divine program. I don’t know why he’s able to brainwash people and effectively lobotomize them. I certainly don’t know how the hell Kinger would have made him. This is simply my observation so far.

Now for the first point, “The Circus is some sort of afterlife.” If we look at the previous evidence that the residents are dead, and Caine is a divine creation, it makes sense that the Circus is a kind of afterlife. However, I find it hard to point to it and say that it is specifically heaven, hell, or limbo. Imo, the circus is a ‘holding ground’ for souls. Looking back, maybe this is the point I have the least evidence on…

All in all, I hope my inane ramblings made sense! I’m really excited to see where the show goes. I think Gooseworx is a masterful writer, and they inspire me to do better in my own personal work :3

[sofiareidings]

Date Night 🦇🦇🦇

Summary: You take Spencer on a date to a haunted corn maze. Warning: Some fluff.

A/N: Sooo...I know I haven't update for like a week. I do have that stereotypical fanfic excuse I was at the hospital for a sleep study Friday & Saturday but that isn't the only reason. I've been a little burn out writing one-shots so I needed a break. Lastly, this is a submission for @masterwords Halloween party!

Word Count: 1.1k

Song Suggestions: Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley

"I cannot believe you dragged me here." Spencer grumbled, holding on to your hand tightly. He was obviously scared. "Why do we have to do this?"

"It's October, and It's Friday the 13th. That means we have to do this." You smiled and looked up, reading the sign 'HAUNTED CORN MAZE'. A moment of hesitation flashed over his face before pushing the gate open and muttering under his breath. "Are you scared?"

"What? Me? No." He laughed anxiously and squeezed your hand. You nodded and stayed quiet looking around, the maze looked just normal at the entrance, with the exception of the spider web decorations.

"Our job literally figuring out who's lying and that's the best you could do?" Letting your laugh die out, the two of you got to a turn in the maze. He went ahead slightly and as you went around the corner a scare actor in a pretty realistic zombie costume jumped out at you. You jumped then laughed whereas Spencer yelped and grabbed your arm for a second before laughing nervously.

"Hah! Yeah, didn't scare me that bad." He exclaimed, almost yelling at the poor actor who had started to retreat back to their hiding spot.

Spencer wasn't good at being calm but he was good at the maze, you had hit five checkpoints already. "Have you relaxed now? The scares are predictable."

"We deal with real monsters every day. This is what you wanted to do on your day off?" Since that first scare he had held on to your hand, swearing it had been to protect you. Not himself. "You should have brought Emily with you, she'd have liked it because you're both weird."

"You say that as if you aren't weird yourself." Scoffing, you two continued down the maze. The sky was pitch-black now and luckily you two were already three-fourths done. "And to answer your first question, maybe I just wanted to have normal people fun. You should try it sometime." Poking his side and laughing a little.

"You know that most corn mazes generally follow the same pattern? Once you do a few you can navigate them pretty well," Changing the subject, he continued to explain corn mazes. "and at the end most exits at a right turn-" Another scare popped out of a large area of corn. Scaring both of you this time.

"Oh my God, so how close is the end now?" You said, breathing a little fast moving past the jump scare. Spencer laughed then continued rambling about corn mazes while you walked through a calmer section. Slipping your hand into his again while listening to him you looked around, the sky was oddly clear and you could see dozens of stars. The decorations out here were less detailed, must've run out near the end of the maze. It was quiet out here and even though it was supposed to be scary you were finding it kind of…romantic?

"The last checkmark!" You exclaimed, pointing at a large empty area. In the middle was a fountain, water dyed red. "That means we're almost done." Smiling, you looked around to see and listen to the quietness, Spencer doing the same.

"It's nice here," He smiled, looking over at you. Around the fountain was the cheesy spider web decor that's been throughout the whole place. Other than that there were a few haystacks stacked with pumpkins and seasonal flowers placed on top. Just off to the side a scarecrow dressed to look like a witch. "Well, it's scary but nice. And quiet."

"Yeah it is." Beaming, looking around and squeezing his hand and turning in front of him. "You know…" Letting the words drag on while you walked your fingers up his arm. "We don't have to leave just yet."

"What do you mean?" He chuckled nervously then looked around to see if any people were around. Only to get the response of crickets hiding in the corn.

"Well you know, it's been a busy couple of weeks at work, we haven't had time to ourselves." Smiling, you hoped he had caught on. After a couple seconds he finally got it and leaned down, grabbing your face and planting a short, sweet kiss on your lips. Not even a second later he kissed again, longer and more passionate. Your hands wrapped around his neck, making you stand up on your tiptoes.

"You look gorgeous today," He spoke in between a kiss, rapidly and breathless. "I've been trying to say that all day." His one hand moving away from your face and then to your waist. Grabbing it and moving you closer.

"You normally don't like PDA." You said, moving away to catch your breath. As you leaned in to kiss again quiet footsteps came from the corn and you peaked over his shoulder. Seeing the silhouette of a person. Stepping back in fear of getting caught the person finally jumped out to scare the both of you, looking disappointed when you barely flinched.

"We should probably go now…" Grabbing his arm you laughed out of the embarrassment from the actor seeing you. "What way do we go?"

"Two lefts and then a right. Most likely." He pointed and shook his head, clearly just as embarrassed. You moved your hand down to his again. Putting it in his. "That was close."

"Oh really? I didn't know." You rolled your eyes and pushed his side while laughing. You made the first turn and saw what seemed to be lights as well as the same playlist from the start of the maze. Almost at the end.

The last turn, you could see the archway that led out of the field and back to the rest of the farm the maze was placed on. With only a few more seconds still in the maze the last actor popped up and screamed. Making you scream and dig your nails into Spencer's hand. Which then made *him* scream.

"Congratulations! You two made it out!" The actor yelled, holding out some coupons if you were to come back. "I hope I didn't scare you too badly."

"Oh yeah, not at all." You scoffed and brushed off the comment. Spencer laughed then reached for your hand again, starting to walk back to the car.

"I love you, you know that?" He looked at you, smiling and you blushed. A little surprised by how upfront he was tonight.

"Yeah. I love you too." You kissed his cheek then pulled the car keys from your pocket. Still grinning to yourself and thinking how damn lucky you were.

Even though your Friday the 13th wasn't that scary in the end.

[entomolog-t]

The Shadow We Cast - 4

Two guys and too many beers leads to more shenanigans.

- - - -

Previous Chapter: Chapter 3

Next Chapter: Chapter 5 (Coming Soon)

Word count: 2998

CW: Adult language, substances (beer/drinking), animal death (fishing/hunting)

It was beyond crazy to me that the most normal I’d ever felt was drinking beers with a weird little man who stood no more than, what, 6 inches tall at most? How many years had it been since the last time I had this much fun? The last time I felt like I could talk and laugh this freely? It just felt so… normal? The thought seemed ridiculous- I mean, the situation was anything but… and yet here I was, thoroughly buzzed and listening intently as if we were old friends.

Sal paraded around the table, reenacting some grand adventure I could only wrap my head around with the help of however many tallboys I’d downed over the past few hours. Tales of hunting monstrous beasts and climbing unfathomable heights. He wove wild stories of a world so foreign yet so familiar… quite literally a world in my backyard.

As I nursed another drink, Sal set the scene, recounting a day-long trek he'd made out to the lake. Mist rose off the water as loons called to one another, their haunting voices echoing off the calm water. He watched intently as they slipped under the water, barely even a ripple disturbing the surface of the lake.

As if he was painting a picture in my mind, I sat enthralled, feeling as if I could feel the crispness of the water washing away the heat of the sun as he spent the day swimming in the shallows. The way he spoke… It didn't feel like I was imagining his retelling from my perspective- but his own. His perspective felt like something … almost fantastical.

"I tried to lure some of the minnows, but I couldn't get close enough to spear them without them darting off.” As if still wielding a spear he eyed the non existent minnows, patiently following some unseen motion as he remained poised to strike. “The bigger minnows seemed slower, but they wouldn't come near shallow enough. I ended up using some of the dried grub rations I'd brought with me as bait, and boy did it work like a charm. I swam I bit farther out with the bait and-"

Spear raised, I could practically see the imaginary impact- watching as the massive fish- or minnow, thrashed against the sharpened twig. I was enthralled- the way his muscles moved with the motion was almost… intimidating, bringing forth thoughts of him human sized, spearing a monster of a fish while swimming in some dangerous Amazonian river. 

“The damn thing was a bitch to swim with,” he groaned, annoyance clear on his face, “For one- it was heavy. But worse,” Sal huffs, “It was still moving.” Despite the exasperation on his face in recounting the ordeal, the man’s face couldn’t help but return to grinning. 

“So then I’m swimming back, right? Honestly more like flailing with the stupid minnow in tow, but I’m keeping above water for the most part… but I keep hearing this clicking… almost squeaking noise? Weirder yet- it's coming from below me.” He pauses, lowering his voice and I’m quite literally reeled in by his story, leaning forward on the edge of my seat. 

“Then- whoosh!” 

Sal grabs at the air. My heart jumps in my chest as the man’s hand lashes out just inches from my face. 

“This monstrous bastard of a creature - absolutely huge,” He pauses, shooting me a cheesy grin, “Second only to you, big man.” I snort and Sal picks right up where he left off, “It was all murky brown with thick these thick… whiskers? And it just sucks me into its mouth with this horrific gulp. Next thing I know I’m being dragged underwater, half in its mouth, pounding on its head just hoping it’ll let me go if I hit it hard enough.”

My breath hitches, a shudder running through me as I make the connection- A catfish. 

“With nothing to lose, I stab it. The spear goes right through its eye and-” Sal pauses, making sure he has my full attention.

“And?”

“Nothing!” Sal laughs as if it was hilarious and not down right horrifying, “That stupid thing didn’t even flinch! I don’t know if it didn’t go deep enough or if I just missed any vital enough part, but it did absolutely nothing!”

He leans forward, no longer laughing as his face takes on a grim expression.

“At this point I start to get worried.”

“Start?!” I scoff. Sal dismisses my interruption with a wave of his hand.

"My lungs are burning, and the thing’s clamped down hard on my stomach. I'm stuck holding that stupid spear for life as it keeps doing this.. this…” He shudders, face twisting in disgust, “-weird gulping thing,” Sal shakes his head as if banishing the memory, “So I ripped that spear out and using everything I had I-” His fist came down, “- drove that spear right back into its head.” 

Sal pantomimed a gruesome show-  stabbing again and again in the world's most horrific display of charades as he brutalised the memory of the catfish. 

“Finally,” He says, voice filled with a mix of relief and exasperation as if he’d just relived the whole ordeal, “it dies.” 

I, stupidly, sigh in relief, as if somehow I couldn't have predicted the outcome with him quite literally standing in front of me.

“My lungs are on fire as I swim to the surface- and man, air never tasted so sweet.” Looking down at Sal, he's beaming, laughing like a kid as he recounts his victory over the massive fish. “And then it hits me- tasted!” 

I furrow my brow, not quite following. Sal continues, frustration returning.

“No spear- and no fucking minnow! As if, after all that, air was gonna be the only thing I’d be tasting!”

After a brief pause I couldn't help but laugh. His smile grew even wider as he raved on, swinging his hands as he continued on about his harrowing ordeal.

“I refused to swim back empty handed after that shitshow- So I spent the whole afternoon dragging that giant bastard back to shore!” 

Fuck. I stare at him, eyes wide. I can’t shake the disbelief as I try to think of what would be the equivalent feat- Dragging an orca back to shore? …Something bigger? I’ve never been an avid fisherman (nor did I have any plans to start) and really had no concept of how big the catfish in the lake got aside from the notion that they were definitely bigger than Sal.

“I get that monster to land- spend about 30 minutes on a fire that just won't start, until I'm finally able to start cooking that beast!” 

He paces along the length of the table, his steps not nearly as sure footed as they had been a few hours prior. Even with his tiny frame I can easily make out the sheer rage simmering behind his eyes.

“And y'know what?” His voice, now starting to slur, is teeming with all the theatrics of a man at his absolute limit. I swallow, desperate to hold back a laugh I know is coming.

“What?”

“That fucking thing tasted awful!” Each word was spat with such ferocity it was as if he was trying to spit out the memory of the creature's taste.

There was no helping it.

With my inhibitions long since drowned, I laugh. I laugh louder than I have in years. I laugh until my sides ache- until tears prick at the edge of my eyes.

And he laughs with me.

“Pond scum! Tha' shtupid thing tasted exactly how pond scum smells!”

My vision blurs, tears threatening to spill over as he continues to rant and rave, but the sound of my laughing completely drowns out whatever critical opinions he was espousing on catfish edibility. 

Wiping at my eyes, my brain takes a few tipsy seconds to focus back on the little man. Still shirtless, Sal had sat back, reclining with his back against one of the many empties as he lifted up what was arguably the equivalent to a very generous pitcher to his mouth with little effort- the relative ease of the action catching me by surprise as I imagined myself fumbling at doing the same. 

He… he was built. 

Quite literally a brick shithouse, if said shithouse belonged to Barbie.  

Broad seemed like a fitting word. Broad chested, broad shoulders, broad smile- Hell, even his legs had a width to them. Sal looked as if he had stepped directly out of an instagram fitness post, with his … excessive biceps flexing under the weight of the shot glass, the act a paradoxical effortless display of effort. Even at his diminutive size, I could tell this man was anything but small. He-

He coughs.

My eyes dart away from his body in an instant, snapping back to his face… accompanied with heat rising in my own. As my eyes meet his, I’m again struck with the absolute absurdity of the situation.

I'm here… getting drunk… with a tiny man… He’s right there- arms reach in front of me… 

And yet he still doesn't seem real.

My hand twitches at my side.

Touch him.

As my hand slides towards him, his gaze quickly flicks from my face to my hand and back to my face again. Confusion flashing across his features for a brief moment before his lopsided grin reappears. My finger tips barely graze him as he sidesteps my hand, shoving my fingers away. 

Huh. There's a surprising amount of weight behind his push. 

“Hands t'yourself, Big Guy.” Sal laughs, “You gotta take me to dinner first.”

It takes a moment for my brain to follow his words, and I snort. 

“Is that not what I did?” 

Sal blinks.

His own brain seeming to lag as realization dawns on him. After a moment's delay, he laughs. 

Sal takes an unsteady step forward, the sway in his weight more noticeable than before. He’s still smiling, but a look of concern crosses his features as he stares at the ground in front of him.

“I feel weird.” 

“You’re drunk.”

He looks back up towards me and I point to the drink. After a moment', Sal nods, seemingly cluing in. Maybe? I really couldn’t tell.  For all I know, that nod might have been him nodding off with how stunted the gesture had looked. 

“It…” He starts his sentence and seems to forget it half way through, taking a long blink in between words “... makes you dizzy?” 

I lean forward to rest my head on the table, starting to feel all too alike. 

“Mmm- yeah, when you’ve had a bit much.” 

With that, I slid the shot glass away from him- An act which was apparently the most egregious party foul ever to have been committed. Shouts of protest erupt beneath me, as he trails after the glass. 

With a laugh, I try to shoo him away, but man, the little guy can move. Despite the sway to his stride, Sal ducks my hand with ease.

“Dude,” I laugh, opting to pick up the glass, “You.. uh, you’ve had 'nough- you're gonna get sick.”

My words feel thick, almost sticky, in my mouth, and the thought crosses my mind that I should probably be taking my own advice.

“'m fine.” 

I snort. The man didn't even know what beer was all of two hours ago, and here he was thinking he knew his limits.

“'s if you’d know,” I chuckle. “You're stumblin' 'round.”

Sal narrows his eyes.

“I am not!”

“Oh really?” My words slur together, thick with condescension and alcohol as a smile down at him. I shove a finger to his chest, I give a little push. Sal shoots glare as he staggers back.

“See?” I chuckle, “You're totally shtumbling!” 

Eyes wide, he stares up at me, brain seeming to short-circuit for a moment before a goofy grin plasters itself across his face. I feel my own face mirror his expression as we break out into drunken laughter. 

The laughter hit me hard. 

I laughed at Sal's near cartoonish drunkenness.

I laughed at how he stumbled with a push from a finger.

I laughed at the strangeness- the reality shattering strangeness- of his very existence.

This... this is really strange...

As our collective laughter died down I took in a deep inhale. I needed to know more. I couldn’t keep up the half assed charade of normalcy. 

“Sal-”

In the brief moment I’d let my guard down, the tiny man quite literally pounces. I yank my hand away a fraction of a second before he lands, Sal stumbling as his weight falls forward. Before his face makes contact with the table, Sal seemingly just… goes with it? Just flowing with the momentum as if stumbling forward had been completely intended. With surprisingly little effort, his would-be fall morphs into a drunkenly graceful forward roll, carrying him to a stand- albeit, an unsteady one. 

For a moment, I’m at a loss for words, and before I’m able to react to whatever odd show of athleticism I’d just witnessed, he’s already at it again, eyes locked onto the shot glass like a cat locked onto a mouse. I move to shoo him away with my free hand, yet I’m met with nothing but empty space as Sal scrambles underneath the gesture. 

Again, he tries for the glass. 

Launching himself at my hand, I feel his hands graze my own before I lift the glass out of reach. Sal lands with a stumble, a lopsided grin sitting smugly on his face as he looks from the glass to me. 

Sal lowers his stance, looking something between a sprinter at the blocks and a mountain lion set to pounce. 

Seeing the gears in his head turning (albeit, slowly), I clue in. Before he gets the chance to scale me for the beverage, I make a grab for him. 

And yet, despite my efforts, somehow Sal winds up on top of my hand. It was like trying to grab at water- with him just flowing out of my grasp. Abandoning the shot glass, I grab at him with my free hand- watching dumbstruck as he drunkenly pivots, turning to jump at my in coming hand.

I freeze- Trying and failing to keep my hand steady as Sal hangs off my fingers. 

With my lack of reaction, Sal takes the opportunity to climb my fingers like some sort of rope ladder. 

To my horror, he climbs all of them, heaving himself to a shaky stand on the side of my index finger- Hands on his hips and grin on his face. 

I meet his gaze and he laughs, his expression smug as he wags his finger at me.

“Too shlow.” 

Arms out in a stumbling balance act, Sal begins walking across the edge of my hand looking oddly similar to a failed roadside sobriety test. Pausing, he frowns, pouting in frustration before bending over. For a moment, I think he’s about to throw up. Instead, he plants his hands firmly on my forearm.  

My stomach drops.  

With no effort whatsoever, Sal switches to walking on his hands- somehow just as drunkenly. Swaying side to side, every “step” seemed to overcompensate for the last, looking as if he was perpetually on the verge of tipping over.

And then he did.

In a split second, I’m sober.

My hand darts out, closing awkwardly around his form with all the grace and fine motor skills of a man marginally less drunk. Unmoving and unblinking, Sal stares up at me, a strange sound escaping him… almost as if a hum got caught in his throat. I could have almost been convinced he was nothing but an action figure with the way Sal went rigid- if not for his heart beating wildly beneath my fingertips. 

My own heart drummed in my ears, and for a moment, just a single moment, it didn’t bother me that he was sticky. 

He swallows. The tiny, but very human action feels uncanny at his size. The rise and fall of his chest, the strangely sizable weight of him in my hands… all of it is just so… strange. He feels solid - tense beneath my grip. Fuck- even at his size he felt strong. My eyes trace over the myriad of scars that marred his skin, gaze lingering over the clear bite mark that covered his shoulder and chest…

I hadn't even noticed my thumb tracing over it until I felt him try and push the digit away.

“Mark-” 

“Oh- sorry.” I adjust my grip into something I assume is more comfortable, opting to hold him in a way that left him semi-seated in my palms rather than awkwardly dangling from a first.

It's a weird sight, seeing a grown man sitting in your hands. Every small movement I make has him sway, his head drunkenly lolling back as he slurs a few indistinguishable words with a chuckle. Up close like this he looks just about as drunk as he sounds- red in the face and eyes struggling to stay open. 

Adjusting my grip, I cringe.

He was more than just a little sticky.

His pants clung to my skin, peeling off as I moved like a Band-Aid being removed. The mental image sends a shudder down my spine.

I consider taking the opportunity to wipe off the concerningly sticky little man while I have the chance, though a more rational voice in the back of my mind argues that a good host doesn’t assault their “neighbor” with wet wipes. 

Below, Sal grumbles something unintelligible, clearly displeased with me as he swats at my fingers. Though despite his attempts, my fingers lingered. 

Ugh- He left a stain on my hand! 

I glare at the dark smear of sauce he’d wiped off onto his pants, silently reconsidering the option of dousing the man in dish soap, let alone wet wipes, etiquette be damned. 

Instead, I opted for another drink.