#light up six torches

[mylordshesacactus]

[id: the thing is monster is so unfitting for anyone who actually darksides (just a man would be the darkside fall song) but it's PERFECT for ahsoka's particular shadiness]

YES exactly.

For reference for the uninitiated: Just A Man is, legitimately, STILL, one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful songs in the entire musical. It's human and tender and raw and just...PERFECTLY Sing, O Muse, of a complicated man.

(I've said before but Just A Man is inextricably associated, for me, with Sylvanas Windrunner more than any other fictional character which, yes, is embarrassing for me, but is also a better explanation of her motivations than Blizzard has ever bothered to try to articulate.)

It's my favorite song in the entire musical by far. It's also EXACTLY how the classic darkside fall begins--an impossible choice, the life of a stranger for the life of someone you love, the right thing or the safe one. Conflicting loyalties, the desperate grief of not being able to save everyone and having to choose, and listening to fear when they shouldn't.

Just A Man is how good Jedi start to fall in a way they can't come back from.

And as we were discussing I had the realization.

If you were in Barriss' head, isolated in the Temple in the middle of the war, marinating in the Dark Side and unable to escape it...listening to it whisper and taunt and lie, convincing her that she couldn't trust anyone and there was no way forward except giving in to it...

It would sound something like this, I think.

(Deep down, we only care for ourselves...we both do what it takes to survive...)

This, too, is how a Fall can start. This is Anakin kneeling on the floor of Palpatine's office wailing "what have I done?" and what saved Barriss was that she was given months in isolation to realize that this was the worst mistake she ever made, and just enough space to learn to see the lie next time it was shown to her.

[chemical-bunz]

“WOW, I sure am glad I finally confessed to opening the windbag to my captain, who has always been a forgiving man.”

The Crafty and Ruthless Odysseus:

[kateweathermachine2]

Welp I’ve got a new response to people who drive me crazy

....i haven't heard of this until now

But honestly-............I don't Trend to support violence but this is funny- right?

OH MY GOD THIS FANDOM IS GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF MEEE HAHHAHAHA

10/10 this is impeccable I will start saying it so much you will all hate me for it kaksnnsnsb what else can I do ??? It's too good

[capsizedskeleton]

hello epic the musical enjoyers look at my thunder saga bracelet

design notes:

- treble clefs for sirens

- wooden beads for ship

- tigers eye for general darkness of album cover/album itself

- ⚡️

- six (6) orange ambiguously shaped beads. tiny, a little pointy, almost like fire, almost like. torches

[thebestsetter]

"Odysseus" showed us how much Ody has truly changed.

He's compared to almost all monsters in the musical during that one song.

His name's chanting is the same as Polyphemus', and he acts a little like him when he decides to kill everyone.

Po - ly - phe - mus ("Enough")

O - dy - sse - us ("I. Have had. Enough")

He aims for the torches just like Scylla.

"Eurylochus, light up six torches"

"Keep your head down he's aiming for the torches"

He rejected forgivness just like Poseidon did.

"Maybe you could learn to forgive..."

"No"

"Old king our leader's 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!"

"No."

Also, there's an electric guitar in the song. It represents Odysseus' cunning and ruthless nature.

He IS a monster. But that's what got him home. And he'll embrace this side of him.

[indivdualwalkingby]

Eurylocus: I opened the windbag when you were asleep…

Odysseus: shh he doesn’t know I know this hack

Odysseus: Eurylochus, light up six torches

[justanotherspeck]

some of my favorite moments from the livestream

you can say goodbye to penelope / cyclops time

i look into your eyes / helios' cow

it's been 12 long years... or has it? / jorge as circe and talya as ody

i need to talk to you in private 😏 / eurylochus light up six torches 😏

get in the water or else... / poseidon it's been 10 years (i counted right this time)

[dragonairice]

Odysseus has a habit of looking to Eurylochus for things (see: ‘Eurylochus get the harpoons’ ‘Eurylochus go make sure this island is secure’ and ‘Eurylochus light up six torch-)

Anyways

If Odysseus at some point in Act 2 turns around to ask for something from his second in command and realises he’s not there anymore I’m going to curl up in a ball and cry.

[xfilesinamajor]

“Eurylochus, light up six torches.”

Hang on…that sounds like Odysseus had Eurylochus light the torches and hand them out. Meaning that Ody made HIM choose, unknowingly, who was going to die. Odysseus knew what giving a man a torch would mean, and he f*cking delegated that task to someone else. So he didn’t have to look these six men in the eyes as he sealed their fate. He let Eurylochus do it instead—and Eury, NOT knowing what it would mean, probably chose six of his top remaining men.

I cannot imagine the inner turmoil that poor man went through before raising his sword against his captain. Oof.

[wowsillies]

I WISH Jorge had referenced the part of Luck Runs Out where Odysseus tells Eurylochus to be quiet because I feel like that’s an element missing from a lot of Eurylochus interpretations.

“I need you to always be devout and comply with this /Or we'll all die in this” is important because Eurylochus fails to do it by questioning Odysseus’ words (the bag is NOT treasure, it’s storm) and opening the wind bag and his actions lead directly to the facilitation of the death of most of the crew. I hesitate to say he’s to blame because, well, Poseidon is taking revenge due to Odysseus’ decision, but Eurylochus handed him means and perfect opportunity to do it.

So, after that, Eurylochus obeys everything Odysseus says to do. He takes men to explore Circe’s island. He stays put instead of running when Odysseus goes to rescue him. He follows intl the Underworld despite the fact that “hey this witch is helping us now by sending us to death’s realm, this is definitely not a trick” probably raised some questions. He doesn’t (or at least we don’t see) stray or talk to the souls in the Underworld even though Odysseus ends up doing it. He traps and kills the sirens.

He lights and gives out six torches.

So, if devotion to Odysseus wasn’t enough to save them? If Odysseusnis now using that devotion and trust to get them killed as long as he gets to make it home to his wife? What is he meant to do now?

Eurylochus doesn’t sound… fully there, during the second half of Mutiny. Whether there was divine intervention pushing him or madness or simply the pain of it all, he’s not acting rationally. He just saw six of his trusted men brutally murdered, asks Odysseus to lie and say it was a trick, and can’t even kill him when the truth comes out. Odysseus’ wounds are bandaged! (I’m not sure that he doesn’t actually know where Helios’ statue is from btw, both due to the melody and bc it seems outrageous)

We’re all talking about Odysseus pleading for Eurylochus to stop before killing the cows, but Eurylochus is pleading too. He asks how much longer is he expected to suffer, to push through doubt, to follow the orders. And Odysseus’ first plea is “I need to get home” (later “we can get home”). Let’s not forget Odysseus is selfish and Eurylochus knows that, maybe even loves that, but he’s not just hungry, he’s tired.

When Polites gets the location of the sheep cave from the lotus eaters and takes the men to it, he leads several of them to death and himself to his doom. When Eurylochus stumbles upon the cows, does he remember that? Does he deliberately invoke it?

Killing the cows isn’t about the hunger, not really. It’s about the devotion that was asked of him, the price he paid to learn that lesson, and the pain that silence put him through anyway.

[extraterracetrial]

Personally I think Ody already knew Eury opened the wind bag, initially bc there's just something about his tone and the way Ody cut him off in the beginning of Puppeteer that felt... deliberate? But it's also mirrored in Scylla and Mutiny

It's just a little thing in Scylla but when Eury first tries to confess in Puppeteer Ody gives him a task instead "go check out the island" vs "light up six torches" instead of talking about it, like he's avoiding it

But more prominently is "whatever you have to say can wait some more of this I'm sure" sounds to me like "don't tell me. If you don't tell me we can pretend I don't know and I don't have to do anything about it. Lie to me (by omission)" vs Eury's "tell me you did not know that would happen" and "then you have forced my hand" while said in anger can also totally be ready similarly. I've already seen others talk about how he was basically begging Ody to lie to him so like, "lie to me so I don't have to do anything about it" again

(whether or not Eury would've been able to play along, assuming he did want that, I don't know, and ig we'll never know)

Also Ody's total lack of reaction. Sure Scylla had "leaving them feeling betrayed" but having it said out loud could still sting. It could also be a "I thought we had a deal to not talking about that" type betrayal.

Anyway many thoughts head full

[madrone33]

Number 1 Rule of adapting the Odyssey into EPIC is: if it can be more dramatic, it will be more dramatic.

The Greeks decide to throw the infant Trojan prince from the walls because they're scared he'll try to avenge his family? No, Zeus comes down to personally give Odysseus a vision of being killed and says his family WILL die. Kill the baby that reminds you of your son right now, it's the gods will.

Odysseus goes to greet the inhabitants of an island and gets trapped in a cave for two days by the cyclops that's eating his men one by one? Nope, we got BOSS BATTLE 30v1 in the Ithacans' favour until BAM fourteen pancakes are made by Polyphemus' club and oh shit Polites is DEAD-

Athena is just vaugely absent for the whole journey until the end? We got emotionally charged platonic breakups instead, with yelling and insults and "well I'm breaking up with you FIRST!"

Smooth sailing to Ithaca? STOOOORM-

Odysseus' great-great-great-grandfather giving him a speed boost to help him on his way home? Get ready for trickster wind gods, mischievous winions, and a game that was rigged from the start.

Random-ass suspicious and greedy crew mates open the bag? It's Eurylochus, his second in command, his brother-in-law, the man he trusted, Eurylochus WHYYY

Parking in the wrong harbour and getting boulders thrown at the fleet by angry man-eating giants while Odysseus backs away veeery slowly? Nah Poseidon himself pulls up to dunk on them, and Odysseus has to make a last minute getaway using the power of STOOORM to avoid being curbstomped like his fleet.

Odysseus gets some stronger drugs from a god to make him immune to the other drugs of a goddess? Well these drugs actually give him magic powers which he uses to engage in a Pokémon/Yu-Gi-Oh style BOSS BATTLE!

Get some closure with dead loved ones and acquaintances, and be the first interviewer of the fallen heroes of past ages? Nope, we just got TRAUMA and a whole boatload of guilt!

A neat outline of what the rest of the journey will look like, a warning against an island of cows that will slow him down, and the way to appease Poseidon? This Tiresias just says "Y'know there used to be a world where you made it home, BUT I DON'T SEE IT NO MORE. IT'S GONE. IT'S OVER. Also, your palace is fucked."

Sailing past the sirens while getting to be the first mortal to hear their song and live? M U R D E R

Sailing past Scylla to avoid Charybdis and accidentally getting six men eaten because he thought he could totally take Scylla, even though Circe said he couldn't, and then he realised he, in fact, cannot take Scylla? ... Eurylochus, light up six torches.

Eurylochus waits till Odysseus is out hunting and then goes behind his back to mutinously rally the crew and feast on some sacred cattle? Betrayal on both sides, stabby stab, K.O., and then Odysseus helplessly watches them make the greatest mistake of their lives as they ignore his pleas.

Quick clean and easy lightning-strike to the ship, leaving Odysseus to cling to some driftwood and paddle away? Zeus himself appears to the mortals, monologues, makes Odysseus be the one to choose, and then smites the whole ship leaving Odysseus to nearly drown anyway.

Telemachus gets advice from a disguised Athena to yell at the suitors and then sail away to look for news of his missing father? Telemachus gets into a full on beatdown with the suitors and gets FIGHT CLUB TRAINING from Athena!

Athena goes "dad I want my favourite mortal back? Did you forget about him? I think you forgot about him" and Zeus instantly replies "nonsense. How could I have forgotten that funny little mortal? Of course you can have him back my sweet favoured child <3" and then Athena skips off to Ithaca? "Father please-" "LIGHTNING BOLT! ANOTHER LIGHTNING BOLT! LIGHTNING BOLT TO THE FACE HOW DARE YOU ASK ME OF SUCH A THING!"

Poseidon does a double take "wait they let him go?? Oh hell nah!" and then sends a giant fuck off storm for Odysseus to swim through until he reaches the Phaeacians? No, Poseidon's just been there on Ithaca's shores, waiting for eight years, now get in the water BITCH- except Odysseus is just like "oh yeah? Fucking FIGHT ME"

You thought the suitors in the Odyssey were bad? Jorge really just said "dial that shit up to ELEVEN"

[alexrosa13]

His Precious Gem

dragon!Sylus x MC

Genre: fluff

Warnings: dragon!Sylus, bad guys thieves getting what they deserve, Sylus being down bad for MC

Note: it was written for the official contest made by L&Ds, I wrote it with the female reader in mind, however for the time being of the contest it will remain as Sylus x MC

navigation →

~★~

People came into his mountain, wanting to take away his most treasured item - you.

It was a warm night on the planet called Philos. Most people would be asleep by now, but a group of six people had yet to fall to slumber. Those young men went on a journey to find a treasure from the legends of their city. They have been searching for days and tonight they were finally close to their destination.

The cave on top of the highest mountain was almost impossible to reach, but they were determined and with months of preparation. Not many people would dare to try and set up the journey to that place, after all, the legends and tales were speaking of the Beast protecting the treasures - every person who tried before - ended up never coming back.

However there were still people brave enough to chase their dream for the rewards in a form of countless treasures and riches... They were but a fools blinded by their greedy desires walking straight into the deaths cold hands.

A little after midnight they finally reached their destination.

"We did it! We actually did it!" one of them screamed and the others joined him in cheering until the most calm man in the group stopped them.

"Quiet! We still don't know what may be hiding in there." after those words all of the men quieted down and became wary of their surroundings. Some of them lighting up their torches and the rest pulling out their weapons.

"Is everyone ready?" asked the oldest of the group meeting with head nods and quiet words of confirmation.

No more words have been exchanged, the group went inside the dark cave, conscious of every sound. They were looking around themselfs, studying every wall with their eyes, looking for any hidden entrance in the never ending hall made out of stone. After couple minutes of walking they finally saw a faint flash of light. After exchanging glances they slowly moved towards the sorce of the light. The closer they were, the more blinding it become.

Soon enough, one by one, they walked through the thin entrance to the place they were looking for all this time. Every single one of them stopped breathing for a second after seeing the amount of gold and riches laying all around the huge room.

They spoke about what to do now, not knowing that the owner of the countless treasures was watching them from the shadows, ready to pounce on them the moment they touched his property.

About a minute later they started getting closer to the gold placed in every corner of the room, no matter where they looked, treasures were always in their eyesight. One of them noticed something out of place in the middle of the room. On the small platform made out of stone, was person hidden beneath some kind of dark fabric. Where they dead? Asleep? He couldn't tell.

"Hey, guys... There's someone here." getting the attention of the group, he pointed towards the mysterious person.

"Is that the beast every tale was speaking of?" one of the man asked frighten.

"No, this person... Is a woman... She probably fell victim to the beast." said oldest of the group, slowly walking towards the stone platform, soon noticing a head accessory made out of gold, shaped like a crown. It was like nothing he had seen before, blinding him with the possibility of getting the most prized possession in the cave. All of the men were watching him get close to the girl and when he was close to an arm length and slowly reaching towards the accessory, someone spoke from behind them.

"It seems that my most treasured gem catched your eye." cold, mischievous voice send chills to all the men without exceptions, slowly all of them started turning in it's direction, what catch their eyes was not a person, but a pair of red eyes in the dark corner of the cave, it's eyes burning like fire and even through they couldn't tell what creature was their owner, they were sure that it was dangerous, the look thrown by the eyes was mocking, as if daring them to make a move "Why so scared? I can hear your heartbeats from over here. You were so sure of yourself not so long ago, making plans involving my treasure. Go ahead, take it if you dare."

Everyone remained frozen, too scared to move, afraid of what that... Thing would do to them for taking what they wanted. Man who remained close to the girl started thinking, there was no way that thing will let them walk away with it's treasure, it seem that he forgot the very first words spoken to them by the... Beast? Could the beast talk? Was it human all along? It didn't matter what it was, it was dangerous, that very thing was obvious. He looked at the girl, whom they all though was dead. Noticing that she layed there with jewelry all over her, looking expensive enough to feed their families for years to come, he decided that the only thing they could take away from here was the woman herself, after all, why would the beast need that human to stay here and root? He finally asked.

"We won't take your gold. We just want to leave with the girl. Take her body back to her family." he was trying his best to sound confident, but his appearance betrayed him, giving clear image of the man fears. The red eyes looked straight at him, as if seeing through the lies about him knowing the girl's family.

"You want the girl? Or the gold and gems she's wrapped in?" the voice asked, again with a hint of mockery. His questions was meet with silence. Six men started looking at each other in panic, trying to communicate with their eyes "You don't have an answer?" the beast let out quiet laugh, sounding amused "But your greedy eyes speak for themselfs."

Finally, the beast took a couple of steps closer, the men finally getting a clear image of the thing... Man, that was talking to them all this time. Their gazes full of fear looked at the black, sharp horns and the powerful tail, waving slowly behind the beast, as if what was going on right now was absolutely normal for him, like another boring chore.

"You should choose your words more carefully." he started unhurriedly walking to the girl still laying in the middle of the room "It's one thing to come here, looking for gold and riches to keep for yourself. But how dare you think that I would let you take my one and only priceless treasure." he stopped right before the woman, gently brushing her cheek with his claw. She moved slightly, as if trying to cuddle up to the man whose touch she could recognize even in her sleep. Suddenly the group of men felt something tying around their mouth, as if invisible thing was keeping them from talking, they tried screaming, but the only sounds that left them were quiet moans and groans, they couldn't open their mouth. Some kind if red mist was getting more and more visible before their eyes "Now, now. We wouldn't want to wake up the lady, would we?" the beast spoke, still perfectly calm and collected. What exactly is he? All of the foolish men though "Don't worry, it will be quick and painless." what happened after those words left his mouth is better left unsaid. That group of men won't be able to tell the tales of their journey.

Some time later, in the quietness of the cave, soft sound of woman yawn broke through the silence of the place. She slowly raised from her 'bed' and stretched a bit while sitting.

"My sleepy princess finally decided to wake up. Did you enjoy your slumber?" the girl turned her head in the direction where the voice was coming from. Her eyesight catching her dragon sitting on the throne made of gold, watching her every move with the warm in his eyes reserved only for her.

The girl slowly raised from her makeshift bed, fixed her dress as to not appear like she just slept for couple of hours without care in the world about what could happen during her slumber time. She started walking towards the dragon, making eye contact with him and watching as the slith smile appears on his handsome face. When she got close enough, his tail wrapped around her waist, pulling her towards him, she ended up sitting on the armrest of the golden throne with her legs thrown on top of his own.

"Did something happened when I was sleeping?" she cuddled up to him and started playing with his hair. His eyes focused on her face, looking relaxed placed on his arm, her eyes closed as if she was about to get back to her slumber. His clawed hand started slow movement across her back, as if petting a cat.

"No, why would you think that?" she frowned at his words, clearly not believing him.

"Then why there's a sword laying right next to where I slept, which quality is way too bad for it to ever catch your eye?" her eyes opened to look at his, with a grin on her mouth. He smirked, he keeps forgetting just how clever and attentive she is.

"Hm you got me there, some... Fools wanted to take my treasure away from me so I simply showed them their place." she shaked her head slightly, not believing in the audacity of some people. Who would make a poor decision like this? Who would walk straight into the claws of a dragon wrath? Either way that's not her concern. Once again she cuddled up to her lover and kissed his check.

"I wonder... What kind of treasure is worth more than someone's life. When will people stop coming here in the hopes of getting lucky enough to get some gold coins and coming back to their family in one piece." one of his hands continued it's movement on her back, while the second found it's place on her legs, playing with the soft fabric of her dress.

"They wanted not only gold, but also my precious gem. I couldn't let them have that, now, could I?" his hand from her back traveled to her hair, fixing the jewelry on her head and untying some of the little cnots it found on it's way.

"You really do care for me that much huh? I'm flattered." her giggles sounded right under his ear, he felt her warm breath on his neck and lowered his head to rest against her own.

"You should know very well that I adore you. There is no love purer that mine." he closed his eyes, relaxing and felt her breath stopping for a couple of seconds after those words left his mouth. It wasn't the first time she heard that sentence from him, but each time was special in it's own, unique way. Soon enough, she nuzzled her nose into his neck, even more relaxed than before.

"My dragon." her whisper reached his ears. His smirk turned into a soft smile and his tail curled up a little tighter around her "Don't you dare to leave me, ever." suddenly her voice gave away her fears, something he wasn't expecting of her, she wasn't one to let herself act vulnerable, always keeping that stubborn attitude of hers, trying to prove to him her strength.

"I wouldn't dare to." he answered confidently, his hands and tail keeping her close to his body, sharing his warm with her, a contrast to otherwise chilly cave.

Two lovers, two hearts, one soul.

[the-raven-and-the-tower]

A snoop through Lucanis's room in the Lighthouse; Signs of a Struggle

Lucanis is doing a damned good job holding it together considering everything he's been through. He's keeping a tight grip on his emotions and using the job to focus himself, but if you stop in to check on him... there are a few clear signs that not all is well.

Baby boy picked a room without windows, yet he's still craving light. For an assassin who has spent most of his life very comfortable in the dark, he’s avoiding it now like he’s avoiding sleep.

There are FIFTY SEVEN candles in his room. Fifty six of them are lit. Look at the variety. He found every spare candle available to him in the Lighthouse and possibly dragged a few back with him from the Cantori Diamond or Dellamorte estate.

^ Short candles, tall tapers, all in various states of use, ALL LIT. One very different candle in a silver candle-holder, maybe from the Diamond or home

^ Another silver addition, this time a candelabra with similar style to the last one and an elven lamp, similar to the one Rook decorates their room with.

^ Three more styles of candlestick holders in with all the standalone candles I'm guessing he found around the Lighthouse.

^ Terrible shot, but he also has both wall torches lit, which were the only lights in that space when he moved in IIRC

And what's more, he has enough coffee stashed in this room to give niacin flush to an elephant.

There are ELEVEN coffee cups sitting out and two more sitting ready next to the gifted coffee set. (Also, he has no coffee in his mug if you sneak a peek into it.)

^ Seven of the cups are within reach of his right hand, where he sits on the bed.

^ There's another in front of his hookah pipe. Couple more in the second shot, I missed a picture of one somehow. There are two unused cups sitting ready behind his gifted coffee set that definitely doesn't look like it's for tea...

^ Coffee beans and I'm guessing the two sacks next to the basket are full of the same. His empty cup below, cuz it makes me laugh.

Next, the bed. It gives me vibes of the crappy bedroll Astarion sleeps on in BG3. Look at this thing.

You can see where he tried scrubbing the grime away before giving up and deciding to just live with it. We know there are other beds in the Tower, Taash and Davrin both have cozy ones when they arrive.

Whether or not Lucanis had the conscious thought of "what he's worth / deserves", this is how he values himself. This is what he chose to sleep in... likely with the thought that he's going to be avoiding sleep at all costs anyway, why does it matter what shape the bed is in?

He brought barely any personal possessions with him. Lace is the same way, but Bellara's room is full and we found her packing list (adorable). Neve, too, has brought books, papers, a spare leg, tools to work on it with... Even Rook has a scene where they decorate their room with possessions that are meaningful to them.

But if we go looking through Lucanis's personal belongings, we find barely any of them. And what few there are, we find mixed among the team supplies or shoved under them.

^ Here, is hookah pipe is neatly shelved in the corner, and we find a a heavily-armored and well-locked chest tucked among the fruit. I might be looking for meaning where there isn't any but... Lucanis has got himself tucked away in the pantry, his walls up and himself still locked away in the Ossuary of his mind.

^ Better view of the chest.

Underneath one of the moved shelves is a Crow-themed rug, with almost all details hidden under supplies for the team, another big basket of coffee beans and another presumably-locked chest.

Under the bed, we find another rug, rolled up and not set out even though having it laid on the floor inside of the bed would be more comfortable. He spends a lot of time sitting on that bed, having a rug to put his feet on could be nice and yet... it's under the bed.

The only other Lucanis possession I could find in the room is his bag, shoved under his bed. He's a boujie boy, but it's not a boujie bag. It's utilitarian and well-used, shoved under the bed until he needs it.

To end on a slightly happier note... his brewing bench outside the pantry door is pretty neat.

^ I wonder where these mugs are from and what the designs represent.

^ Any idea what this is, anyone? The thing hanging from the chain?

Oh, and guess what was under the brew station! MORE COFFEE!

[littlenightma]

Run, Rabbit, Run | Thomas Hewitt x Female!Reader (NSFW)

Author’s Note: *slams post button* Here you go, sluts *evil cackle*

Warning tags: Primal kink, chase kink, breeding kink, lots o’ smut.

The Texas sun kissed your sweat-soaked skin with a harsh pressure of a thousand blow torches. His heavy breathing and roaring of his chainsaw pushed you forward, to keep going no matter what stood before you, but the persistent throbbing between your legs teased the resilience of your rapidly depleting willpower.

Miles separated you from the farm house and separated you from the rest of civilization. Oceans upon oceans of rocky dirt, dying grass, and the occasional road kill were all that could be seen.

The radiating sun, which had been sitting proudly in the sky to the East, now sat lamely in the West beginning to hide beyond the horizon. The ivory moon would force away its suffocating heat, providing the barest of illumination, increasing your chances at escaping.

A small part of you wished the sun would stay out and light up the world just a little while longer.

“You’re so polite for someone your age. You remind me so much of my boy Thomas.”

“If he’s anything like you, ma’am, he has to be the sweetest boy around.”

He was a six foot tall mountain of muscle and power, running with the determination of a blood hound tracking the scent of a wounded animal. When you thought you had successfully outsmarted him by suddenly changing directions within the tall, golden thickets at the last second, he’d still be barreling after you, unphased, no further than he was before.

There were moments, fleeting as they were, but impressionable nonetheless, where he had been so close to getting a hold of you. So close, the slight breeze from his hand attempting to grab your hair raised your skin, sucking the breath from your chest as you narrowly dodge him.

And that made things even more thrilling.

His grunts of frustration were muffled by his mask and the tight curve of his bottom lip. The lip jutted out awkwardly and looked as if it had been stung by a bee the way it was swollen.

Deformed.

And this deformed man was coming after you.

To him you were an outsider. A pest that needed eradicating. Even though his Mama willingly invited you into their home, he made you feel as if you were trespassing anyway. He wanted to kill you then and you were sure as shit he wanted to now, probably more than ever seeing how you keep escaping him.

She’d had asked him to keep you alive so assuming that he’d follow through with her request, your life would be spared, but for what sick reason? Would death be more lenient than what they had planned for you?

Of all days for your tire to blow out…

“Here he comes now,” said the woman, smiling expectantly as the basement door opened and out from the darkened staircase came Thomas.

The boy, no man, stood protectively behind the older woman. He placed his hands on her shoulders, watching you with narrowed eyes that were partially covered by a curtain of black, curly hair. To you, they looked like snakes ready to strike, and so did he.

His nose and lower half of his face was covered by a worn, leather mask that wrapped around the base of his head with thick straps. It looked uncomfortable to wear as it was was to look at.

He was not pleased to see a stranger sitting in his living room and you wanted to sink deeper into the faded couch and disappear. Maybe if you pushed against the cushions hard enough.

A muffled scream came from the basement. Luda Mae glanced up at her son then back to you. Your back straightened.

“What was that?”

She smiled, yet it didn’t quite reach her eyes, “Nothing, dear.”

Again, the basement door opened, and out came a man in a Sheriff’s uniform. Fresh blood splattered across his chest and arms, trickling down as he sauntered his way into the room.

“Who in the hell is this pretty thing?”

Time slowed down and so did your breathing. All three had you pinned with various stares ranging from curiosity, understanding, and searing contempt. You weren’t going to risk it. You jumped from the couch and hauled ass out the door, leaving a trail of dust behind.

“Son of a bitch,” said Hoyt. “Boy, go get her before she causes us any trouble.”

Luda Mae grabbed Thomas’ hand. “Keep this one alive, baby. She’ll be good one to have around.”

Thomas wanted to argue his Mama’s odd request, but the sweet smile she gave him and the gentle way she held his hand made him reconsider. He didn’t want her, that’s for damn sure, but whatever his Mama wanted, she’d get.

In the midst of your recollection you realized it was ominously quiet behind you. Peering back, he was no longer running after you. I’m fact, he wasn’t there at all.

You spun around, eyes frantically searching the desolate landscape. He didn’t just vanish into thin air, not a man of his size, yet he had. The weeds danced and suddenly parted, revealing him on all fours as he pushed himself off the ground, propelling into you with a gut-wrenching force, knocking you onto your back.

His full body weight had you pinned, flattening the dry brush beneath you. His barrel-chest heaved and his hand wrapped around your neck, squeezing. As frightened as you were, a strange sense of relief washed over and the instinct to raise your hips overtook you.

He tried moving away, but your legs locked him in. You awkwardly shimmied your shorts down and he watched you. His anger dissipated, replaced by hunger the more of your thighs he saw.

You captured his curious gaze, “Look how wet you made me.”

Your hand reached down and massaged your aching pussy through your sodden underwear. You were a mess, physically and mentally, and if you didn’t get fucked soon you were going to go rabid.

“Thomas, please. Don’t make me beg for it. You know what I want.”

Hearing his name revved him up like an engine. He could practically smell you through his mask. Your pussy glistened beneath the moonlight and he was more than willing to comply. With one hand still around your throat, he used the other to hastily unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants.

He roughly pushed your soaked panties aside and thrusted roughly inside you with a loud grunt. It was swift and had you not been as wet as you were you knew it would have hurt more than it did. You gasped and cried out, pounding your fist to the ground. He fucked you like an animal. It was exactly what you’d been yearning for and if felt so fucking good to finally get it.

His hips bucked with a mighty strength, sending you backwards every time. It made it hard for him to keep himself inside you without having to adjust his position. He scooped you up like a rag doll and pinned you against a tree, folding you between it and his body. The change in position was too much as the angle allowed him to reach new depths inside you, hitting spots you never knew you had, sending you over the edge.

Your climax arrived so suddenly that it left you silently shaking and clinging to Thomas. Your pussy clamped down like the jaws of a lion and he growled, spilling his seed inside you from the tightness.

He laid you both down on the ground with your back to him. You took the time to catch your breath and settle down, but Thomas had other plans. He raised your top leg in the air, spreading you wide and began pumping again.

“Slow, Thomas. I’m really sore.”

Not thinking he’d actually do as you asked, you were surprised at the gradual way he eased his thick cock back into your pussy, keeping a close eye on your face. Although you were too spent to cum again, you nestled back against his chest and idly enjoyed his thrusts.

“Just like that, Thomas. Oh…”

His head was right there and the temptation to kiss him was too good to pass up. Soft lips met his through the mask and he jerked back, stopping his movements altogether.

“God, don’t you stop, Thomas. Your cock is too good. Come back here.”

You wrapped an arm around his head and he let you bring him back down. This time he kissed back, licking and sucking your lips like they were made of chocolate. You were in absolute bliss, not thinking clearly, lost in a haze of euphoria.

With his mouth full of you and you full of him, he groaned a guttural sound that didn’t sound quite human. Your pussy took his second load with open arms, milking every last bit of him he had left to offer. You broke the sloppy kiss to watch his cock pulse and his balls twitch, finding it super erotic.

His cock left you open and wide. You clenched your walls and streams of his fresh cum gushed out. You swiped some and brought it to your lips with Thomas watching in clear fascination. You then offered your finger to him.

He titled his head and inspected the leftover fluid. After some time of pondering his tongue tentatively flicked out, considering the taste, then placed your entire finger in his mouth. He sucked until there was nothing left to suck except the saltiness of your skin.

Using the tree as a support, you carefully maneuvered up. Everything was sore, from your head down to your hips and the simple task of bending down seemed impossible. In an oddly sweet gesture, Thomas gathered your shorts and helped you put them back on.

“You know,” you began, eyes twinkling mischievously, “It’s a long way back to the house. Who knows what could happen on the way there.”

Thomas made a sound caught between a chuckle and a scuff. He watched you strut away, eyes glued to your bouncing ass.

His Mama was right. You were worth keeping around.

[haze-of-hyperfixations]

wait, hold on.

"i need you to always be devout, and comply with this, or we'll all die in this, okay?" was right before Eurylochus went against orders to open the bag. and Odysseus was right, people died for it.

and Eurylochus doesn't go against a direct order after that. because he's learned what happens when he does.

but then Odysseus orders him to light up six torches, and he does it without question. because why would he question it? Odysseus knows what he's doing, of course he does.

then six men die. and Eurylochus is faced with the truth that there is no way to avoid tragedy. all paths lead to the same end. rebel against your captain, your friends die because of you. follow orders, your friends die because of you. there's no escaping the death that follows them, and Eurylochus always ends up with unintentional blood on his hands. he's exhausted.

"Ody, we're never gonna get to make it home, you know it's true."