#lore and theories

[dawnbreakersgaze]

After playing Love and Deepspace for a bit now, while going for a second play through this scene hits a lot harder after you learn the lore of the Lemurians and Rafayel specifically

Let's talk lore and theories below, shall we~

Knowing that Raymond should have died by now, and that he WANTS Zayne to ask why (coupled with the Lemurian skeleton) is pretty much a dead giveaway that he's harvesting them for his longevity. He seems smug that he's done what Zayne and his fellow Doctors couldn't, and then almost taunts that Zayne is being held back by staying at Akso.

What I didn't catch the first time, however, was that he's keyed into the area Zayne is researching (the Tower or whatever it is currently) on Mt. Eternal.

As far as I know, Xander Sciences isn't a name we've heard again (correct me if I'm wrong, this is why I'm replaying the whole story again, so I can try and catch the things I didn't understand the first time), but we know someone is after Rafayel specifically and this is a pretty good lead already.

The irony of it all though, is Raymond having the "cursed" painting that almost killed him.

Painted by whomst???

Why our dear darling God of the Sea himself 🐠 like what a tasty little piece of revenge lol. I can't remember if this painting was specifically made for Raymond (commissioned?) or a chance purchase, but my god it's kind of amazing on Raffy's part if it was purposefully done. Sending a booby trapped painting of the bloody death of your people to the man who's brutally harvesting them and displaying their remains in his home like a fucked up macabre museum piece. It's just 😚👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼 so perfect.

I won't lie, the whole chapter is so much more uncomfortable and creepy when you've got more context 😖

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

So I'm like new new to the whole Hazbin Hotel fandom. I literally just watched the first episode because of some lore posts I saw on this site. What can I say, I'm a sucker for theories and lore.

But uhhhhhhhhhhhh, Charlie isn't a demon, right? Her mom is Lilith, a human who has a soul (and isn't dead, she's just in hell and immortal if we're following religious lore?) and her dad is Lucifer, who is a fallen angel.

Soooo, doesn't that make Charlie a nephilim? A half human, half angel. An incredibly powerful being born with the powers of an angel and the soul and free will of a human?

Cause, again I'm new, so maybe I'm missing something, but she isn't a full human who died and went to hell, she's not a demon created from/based on an abstract sin or idea, and she's not a hellborn imp with no soul. She's literally a nephilim.

Which if I'm remembering the religious lore correctly, Lilith was said to have had a bunch of super powerful kids and then a bunch of angels went down to hell and killed them all. Then those angels got in a bunch of trouble when heaven found out what they did, and that kinda seems to be what the show is doing?

Also, if I can throw in a Lilith theory? Just to throw my hat in the ring. Lilith and Eve teamed up together and are romantically involved. They're done with being the 'accessory' of some guys and they're planning on overthrowing the whole system. I'm gonna say that Emily is also a Nephilim for funsies and she's Eve's kid. Which would make her and Charlie step-sisters.

[sugar--brown]

It's one am so I can ramble semi-coherently! My current obsession: Glad0s, Chell and Caroline.

Look. I know that half of the community is fully onboard with the ship Chelldos. While the other half is more hyped the Glados is Caroline and Caroline is Chell's mother.

But! Hear me out. As an aroace who craves hurt/comfort and fluff, I have an alternative.

Caroline is both Chell's AND Glados' mom.

I mean... come on! I love the headcanon of Chell being adopted by Cave and Caroline (or at least Caroline) and become a test subject later. And the insults Glados is throwing at Chell remind me a lot of my own banters with my sibling: you are fat, you are stupid, you are adopted, I do everything in this house, I better than you, do this and I will give you my cake... Plus, the fact that Caroline is part of what makes Glados Glados and is her moral, it's very motherly themed.

So here's where I am currently in the wonderful world of headcanons:

Chell is left on Aperture Science's doorstep as a baby and Caroline decided to adopt her with the help of Cave because a woman without a man couldn't adopt a kid back then. Cave is pretty the absent father while Caroline is the overworked but loving mom. Chell grew up in a very smart lady since she was raised showered with Science.

When Cave died, Chell just reached her majority and is tricked by the scientists to enter the testing program since Caroline would have done everything to keep her away of that with how many deaths there were. She was put into crypsleep the same day her mother was put into Glados.

While Chell is asleep, Glados as a sentient being was slowly built with ai code, Caroline's presence into her system and a lot of unfair punishments from the scientists. Especially since they thought Caroline died since she didn't manifest as herself in Glados' body. The truth is that Glados blocked her the moment they started putting cores on her, treating all of it as parasites.

Portal 1 and 2 happens. And Glados, not forced by the mainframe to act as cruel and sadistic and without the power to keep Caroline away, the woman started to fuse with Glados' mind. Of course, Glados didn't like that. And she deleted Caroline.

Here comes my theory! Little disclaimer: I don't say any other interpretation is wrong. I don't shame people who ship Chelldos. I don't think what I'm going to say is canon.

For me, the opera turret is not sung vy Glados since she has her little ending credits song. No. The voice actor of Glados, Ellen McLain, interprets another character here: Caroline.

My idea is that Glados can't delete Caroline, this is the opposite of why she was built in the first place. I think she deleted her link to her to stop her for invading her mind, giving her full freedom in the Aperture's system. And Caroline sings for her first daughter as a finale goodbye, controlling the turrets. (I think Caroline was the one controlling the Oracle turret too, how would it know all about Caroline then?).

I would love to see (or write) more fluff about Caroline being set free and takkng care of both her daughters.

Chell is Caroline's daughter because Caroline adopted her and raised her.

Glados is Caroline's daughter because part of who she is as a sentient beingcomes from Caroline and Caroline gave her a moral compass like a mother would educate her child.

I love these women so much!

[olessan]

During this Live we learned that ghasts:

Are biological creatures

that they have infant forms (that appear to have external gills like salamanders)

that they rely on water for their life cycle to complete

that, related to #3, they like chomping on snowballs

that they're neutral and even friendly when not dehydrated like a frog in summer

In addition to the points in the graphic:

Flat faces with the eyes at the front, like many amphibians

smooth skin

mouth that looks tiny until opened (have you seen an axolotl or caecilian with its mouth open?)

fireballs may be analogous to skin and saliva-based weapons in amphibians

has zero mercy

cannot aim at all

makes sounds quite like the axolotl when you think about it

operates on 1.5-2 brain cells at all times

... We may be able to conclude that ghasts are amphibians.

If we look at this phylogenetically, then we may be able to speculate that ghasts are highly derived (specialized) temnospondyls, which are huge prehistoric amphibians who were like 25% mouth.

[nickpeppermint]

New baby Ghast was added, and they're super adorable!!!

But now i wonder if the baby Ghasts from Minecraft Dungeons are not canon anymore, or maybe they're translucent only in the newborn stage, and the rehydrated ones are more like toddlers? 🤔

[chloesimaginationthings]

Vanny can’t explain everything in the FNAF pizzaplex..

[xesnox]

Save me Ancient builder tribe gajinkas, save me…

Structure constructors or something, idk, I never played the Minecraft.

In the nether fortress crafting my Withers, and by Withers, heh… let’s justr say.. inter dimensional societal collapse…

Usual design rant below

I believed veils would work great for the Ancient builders as not only can they hide their identity efficiently, keeping them relatively ambiguous, but also protect from the weather in the generally warmer climates they were largely stationed in, and equally work as face masks against disease and virus‘, all whilst still being able to be stylised in different ways, allowing the shape language to remain distinct.

Other visual inspirations were pirate and sailor clothing for the cold costal tribe, Ancient Greek and farmer attire for the warm costal tribe, and funnily enough: sci-fi desert planet Civilisation concept art for the desert tribes design.

Aswell as ofcourse their own respective structures and the loot within.

The colouration does differ in my head from what I rendered, I believe a lot of the little trinkets and details would have different colors, but I didn’t want the shillouettes to clash or melt into one another in this lineless style so here are the base colors for now, as I tried the former and it didn’t look good.

Look I know they were like a massive imperial force or whatever but you cannot tell me a group of artists inventors and architects that relied heavily on their semi sentient bio-mechanical hellspawn machines (and some necromancy) to do their bidding, bunkering up immediately once the odds were no longer in their favour, could handle a punch or two.

These people probably looked like starving artists, especially after the overworled was turned into a withering shithole for a couple years, legends was definitely a fanfiction they wrote about themselves. /j

[roukabi]

it's for real this time you guys trust me it's really gonna happen

[g4l4xy-qu33n]

Okay, so I discovered something when re-reading Journal 3. The page that has the Oracle on it:

When I first read Journal 3, years ago, this didn't mean much. Oh look, it's the girl that saved Ford from Bill's possession by putting a metal plate in his head, hooray! (and some other stuff but anyway she didn't seem super significant at the time).

Well, this time around I recognised her, specifically because of the Book Of Bill AND thisisnotawebsitedotcom. She's Seveneyes! (the scratched out member of Bill's crew in BoB, and a blacked-out photo of her appears on the website when you put in 'seven eyes'.

I'm not sure if this means anything, but it certainly blew my mind!!

[atomicrebelfire]

✍️Tommy Kinard: Speculating His Rank in the LAFD (Canon + Structural Analysis) 📊📋🧵

📍TL;DR: Based on canon clues and real-world LAFD structure, Tommy Kinard is most likely a 🎖️Fire Helicopter Pilot V—the highest pilot classification. His career path is unusual: he started in suppression at the 118 before transitioning into Air Ops using his Army flight experience.

-----------------At your own risk- Lets Spiral-----------------------------

While the show hasn’t explicitly stated his rank, there are enough visual, behavioral, and contextual clues/crumbs to build a solid case for where he fits within the LAFD—especially given the real-world structure of Air Operations.

Similar to Tommy’s military-to-LAFD career timeline, this is meant to be both canon-compliant and grounded in how the real LAFD operates, in order to build a plausible theory around Tommy’s role, rank, and seniority. It’s part character study, part structural breakdown.

🔍 Canon Facts/Clues (What We Know)

Tommy is introduced in S2 as a ground firefighter at the 118, and reintroduced in S7 as a helicopter pilot at Harbour Station.

In 7x04, he tells Buck that he used to be a pilot in the Army.

He has over 20 years of service in the LAFD (stated on-screen based of begins episodes).

He has taken helicopters out without formal clearance (7x03, 8x15). While reprimanded afterward, the fact that he has the access and autonomy to do so is notable.

He is seen launching without escort, clearly trusted to operate independently and justify his decisions after the fact.

He casually offers to teach Buck how to fly (7x04), suggesting he holds—or is qualified for—a trainer or flight instructor designation.

In 7x06, Tommy arrives at the hospital in turnout gear, soot-covered, after a fire at Angeles Crest. Raising questions about whether he was working suppression or Air Ops.

In 8x15, Tommy performs evasive maneuvers while being pursued by military helicopters—diving low, climbing high, and weaving between towers—as part of an aerial diversion to buy time and deflect pursuit.

In 7x03, Tommy helps Hen bypass red tape by taking a helicopter without official approval, offering only a vague line about Central Bureau and brushing off objections from Melton.

🚁 How Most LAFD Pilots Get There

In real life, becoming a helicopter pilot in the LAFD follows a specific and highly competitive path:

Most candidates begin with military flight experience or are already civilian-rated pilots (e.g., with commercial or instructor licenses).

However, even military pilots must first complete four years of full-time suppression duty within LAFD before becoming eligible for Air Ops roles—there are no direct-entry exceptions.

That said, their military flight hours and FAA qualifications do count toward pilot certification requirements, making them strong candidates once they transition.

They are hired into pilot trainee roles (Fire Helicopter Pilot I or II) and must pass rigorous evaluations.

Air Operations is a separate track—pilots do not typically come from suppression (ground firefighting) units.

As a result, most LAFD pilots have never served on engines or trucks.

Pilots usually work 12-hour shifts (day or night), typically on a 4-on, 4-off schedule, and remain on-call at the airport rather than responding on the ground.

🧩 Real-World LAFD Air Operations Structure

LAFD helicopter pilots are classified under the following civil service ranks:

Fire Helicopter Pilot I or II - Pilot Trainee Roles

Fire Helicopter Pilot III – Entry-level pilot

Fire Helicopter Pilot IV – Senior operational pilot

Fire Helicopter Pilot V – Training/lead pilot (sometimes informally called “chief pilot”)

These ranks are lateral to suppression-side ranks like Firefighter, Engineer, or Captain. While pilots typically don’t carry the "Captain" title unless cross-trained—but senior pilots often operate with comparable authority within their unit.

🧭 Why Tommy’s Path Is Unusual

Tommy’s trajectory breaks the mold in several important ways:

He began his LAFD career in suppression, working as a firefighter at the 118.

Only later did he transition to Air Ops, requalifying based on his Army flight experience.

This kind of cross-track shift is rare—most suppression-side firefighters never move into aviation roles, especially after years on the ground.

🔄 Update (Post-Publication): As clarified by a kind commenter, all LAFD helicopter pilots must begin in suppression roles. So Tommy’s path actually aligns with departmental requirements.

What still makes him stand out, though, is how long he remained in suppression—over a decade—before switching tracks. That kind of deep dual experience is rare.

He’s probably one of the few who might have earned credibility in both areas: the fireground and the flight deck.

This dual-track background probably makes him a unique versatile asset with extensive experience to the department.

🧵 What That Tells Us About Tommy

Tommy’s military aviation experience likely included high-risk flying, tactical decision-making, and possibly training roles—skills that directly translate to LAFD Air Ops.

He entered the LAFD through standard firefighter routes—like all Air Ops pilots must—but instead of transitioning to aviation early, he stayed in suppression for over a decade before requalifying as a pilot. (But why?! 💭🤔)

That makes his path both rare and earned.

His ability to take out helicopters independently, despite the fallout, signals a level of seniority and operational trust only afforded to top-tier personnel.

His offer to teach suggests a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) license or LAFD-equivalent designation, reinforcing that he may also serve in a training or mentoring role.

Tommy might still be dual-certified (implied by full turnout gear after the Angeles Crest response. (Or the show forgot he’s a pilot?!)🫨🤐)

His evasive flying during the diversion mission —dodging military helicopters —points to tactical or combat-style flight training. Possibly special ops. (So sexy.😘)

He’s senior enough and holds enough field authority or just bold enough to fake it to casually override protocol with a “You didn’t get the call?” deflection.

🧠💥 Conclusion: Most Likely Rank 🎖️

Tommy Kinard is almost certainly a Fire Helicopter Pilot V, or at the very least, a senior Pilot IV on the cusp of promotion. He’s not formally titled “Chief Pilot,” but functionally operates as one—with over two decades in LAFD, firsthand suppression experience, and the kind of authority and autonomy that reflects a deeply trusted position and seniority to push limits.

He may not wear Captain’s bars, but between his dual-track career, leadership instincts, and ability to push protocol when it counts, he clearly stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the station’s most senior personnel. 💬 If I missed something or misread a clue, feel free to correct me (kindly)—or share your own version. Always open to digging deeper. After all… the writers clearly aren't worried about consistency. 😌

📎PS: 🤷‍♂️ All of this is, of course, pure speculation—built off canon clues/crumbs, real-world LAFD structure, and my completely healthy, not-at-all obsessive need to spiral over every background detail the show refuses to explain. I know 9-1-1 isn’t always that deep (and sometimes barely tries). Don’t worry, I’m seeking a therapist. 🙃👩‍⚕️ learning to chill.😎🪭

if you read till the end 🫡 & don't ask why we needed to know all this!

✨ Update: Added more canon evidence from 8x15 and 7x03 that reinforce Tommy’s seniority + elite training 👀🚁 (That somehow got lost in my Excel-to-Tumblr exchange. Damn. I need to stop. I’m putting myself in a time-out. Bye.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- PS 2: Okay, so I did mess that up🤣—turns out all LAFD pilots need to start in suppression for 4 years, and someone kindly pointed that out (thank you!! 🙏). Just to clarify, this post isn’t absolute fact—I don’t have a firefighting background, just sharing what I could find. Also, I am not from USA. please take all of this with a grain of salt. this is just a fun exercise. I've now learned even more about fire department structures than I ever planned to.

Seriously guys, stop enabling me 😭 I should be updating my resume, not drafting municipal org charts for fictional men.

[dawnbreakersgaze]

Y'all-

Is Sylus's necklace supposed to be MC's aether core heart?! Like it's obv not an exact heart, but it's got that vague shape you see in a lot of interpretive art.

Did everyone else realize this already and I'm just slow af? Bc I noticed this today during the tete-a-tete and I'm kind of shooketh rn

[sugar--brown]

Transidentity in Arsène Lupin

/!\tw suicide mention/!\

Alright! It's late and I'm sick again! So let me rambles!

When I was a kid, I read the adventures of Arsène Lupin (gentleman burglar, go check it out it's free and in public domain). And now, I re-read them as an adult with a fresh gaze.

And oh god! There is this huge queer elephant in the room at all time! I wasn't educated enough as a kid but goddamn...

Let me give you an example. In the last book written by the author's canon (Maurice Leblanc), there is a short story titled "Le piège infernal" (The hellish trap). Here's a quick summary (spoilers duh):

The story begins with a theft on a racetrack: Nicolas Dugrival, a gambler carrying a large sum of money, has his wallet stolen by a supposed police inspector, who turns out to be a thief. Despaired by this loss and humiliation, Dugrival kills himself. Dugrival's widow, driven by a desire for revenge, swears to find and punish Arsène Lupin, whom she suspects of being the culprit. Helped by her nephew Gabriel, she sets a sophisticated trap for Lupin by exploiting his curiosity and his reputation. Lupin, trapped, is injured, captured and sequestered in a secret room of their apartment. There, he endures interrogations and the implacable hatred of Madame Dugrival, who seeks to extort money from him while preparing his execution. Despite several murder attempts, Lupin escapes death thanks to mysterious interventions.

Alright, lets take a break here. You see, Gabriel - the nephew - is the one who injuried Lupin and also the one who takes care of him to make sure he doesn't die.

During the few weeks together, Lupin jokes and plays and talks to him like a friend. This is important.

Here's a few example:

“Ah! It's you, the boy, he whispered, all my compliments, my little one. You have the safe and delicate dagger.” “You scare me,” he said. “If you have sworn to execute me, don't be embarrassed. But laugh! The idea of ​​death has always seemed to me the most comical thing in the world. Whereas with you, old man, it becomes macabre. Good evening, I prefer to sleep!” “When will the convalescent be discharged for the first time? Is the little car ready? But laugh, animal! You look like a weeping willow who is about to commit a crime. Come on, a laugh for Dad.” “Ah! he said to his guard, this time it's the big game. The chicken is going to be bled. Is it you who operates on me, the angel Gabriel? In that case, my old man, make sure your razor is very clean! Antiseptic service, please.”

Notice anything? Hang on, it's not the end.

At the end of the short story, Gabriel and his aunt let Lupin for dead, stuck and doomed to end in prison at best. Until a woman appears and frees him. Who is this woman?

She poured milk into a cup, and as she handed it to him, her lace parted, leaving her face exposed. “You ! It’s you!… he stammered. Is it you who are here?… was it you who were?…” He looked amazed at this woman whose features offered such a striking analogy with those of Gabriel, whose face, delicate and regular, had the same pallor, whose mouth had the same hard and antipathetic expression. A sister would not have presented such a resemblance to a brother. Without a doubt, it was the same being. And, without believing for a moment that Gabriel was hiding under women's clothing, Lupin, on the contrary, had the deep impression that a woman was near him, and that the adolescent who had pursued him with his hatred and who stabbed was really a woman. For the more convenient exercise of their profession, the Dugrival couple had accustomed her to this boy's disguise.

Plot twist! Gabriel was a woman all along and had been dressed as a man for... what? Being a better thief? Fooling everyone? It's unclear. And why doing it at home in private? Why around Lupin who was destined to be killed?

And the next part is even more confusing.

And, as she also went away, he held her by a fold of her dress. “No… no… you have to explain to me first… Why did you save me? Did you come back without your aunt knowing? But why did you save me? Out of pity?” She was silent, and, with her chest erect and her head slightly thrown back, she retained her enigmatic and hard air. However, he thought he saw that the shape of her mouth showed less cruelty than bitterness. Her eyes, her beautiful black eyes, revealed melancholy. And Lupin, without yet understanding, had a confused intuition of what was happening inside her. He grabs her hand. She pushed him away, in a burst of revolt in which he felt hatred, almost repulsion. And as he insisted, she cried out: “But leave me!… leave me!… don’t you know that I loathe you?” They looked at each other for a moment, Lupine disconcerted, she quivering and troubled, her pale face colored with an unusual blush.

Gabriel is clearly disgusted by Lupin's touch and is deeply upset by the situation. But he saves Lupin none the less.

What does Lupine conclude?

He no longer knew what to say, now that he understood the whole adventure, and that he could evoke the young woman at his sick bed, caring for the man she had injured, admiring her courage and her cheerfulness, attaching herself to him, falling in love with him, and, three times, undoubtedly despite herself, in a sort of instinctive impulse with attacks of resentment and rage, saving him from death. He remained thoughtful for quite a long time. The image of the young woman obsessed him. Then he replayed in his mind this whole curious, moving and tragic story, in which he had been so close to succumbing, and, taking a mirror from the table, he contemplated for a long time, with a certain complacency, his face which the illness and the anxiety had not damaged too much. “What it is, however,” he murmured, “to be a pretty boy!”

No.

No, I'm sorry but no.

Gabriel didn't fall in love with Lupin because he's so sexy. That doesn't make sense. This is Lupin's ego talking!

No. My theory is: Gabriel is a trans man. The excuse given by the narrative is wobbly at best. And his reaction when someone touches his body, his anger and frustration, his deep confusion... This is a trans man able to live as such but also unable to get out of the closet.

Gabriel is a trans and saved Lupin because he treated him like a man, giving Gabriel gende euphoria.

Sadly, the story was written during the twentieth century... But still! The stories are so queer, I wouldn't be surprised if the author was in the closet or knew queer people.

[olessan]

In light of recent revelations about the ghast life cycle... amphibian?? ghasts in all their ugly majesty

Theories below:

Toughened skin as adult, to retain water in nether climate

larvae hatch with a small amount of buoyancy - from gas?

ghastlings can still land and spend most of their time consuming water, snow, and ice in order to grow

do ghastlings feed on algae and other microbes, and plankton? Do adult ghasts filter them from the nether's congested air?

ghastlings that don't get enough water become ill and go into a semi-dormant stasis, at which point players find them?

9 tentacles - 2 arms, 2 legs, 1 tail, 2 barbels, and 2 gill appendages

highly derived and in order to float, they have very shortened spines and likely have massive gas bladders deep inside their body, which require water (the gas is a digestive biproduct)

species' eyes are highly light-sensitive after adapting to the nether

[cantobear]

doodles from the past week

[jjkbambi]

sorority car wash luigi mangione x reader (18+)

smut summary: your best friend’s brother luigi visits your sorority’s spring fundraiser

warnings: long ass argument, our frat boy #graduated, rough as usual, name-calling, p in dis v :3, is car sex public? car sex, implied cheating, jealous quickie, assume everything is unedited

the fundraiser had drawn out the worst of penn state: truck drivers, high school football coaches, republicans with obvious gambling addictions. despite the obvious discomfort around dancing around frat row in a bikini, there was an undeniable satisfaction in knowing every passing gaze was a dollar to your name.

well — not necessarily your name. it was a dollar to your sorority house, your sisters, your reputation. your public display was, in all, an investment for an impressive bullet point on your college resume. any level-headed businessman would’ve been able to see that.

unfortunately for you, luigi mangione majored in computer science.

your heart falls to the floor the second you see his car swerve into the street. your feet move quickly, running up to the side of his car before any of the girls could hound a dollar out of him. his window is down and you’re in it, both whispering and yelling, “what the hell are you doing here?”

“car wash,” the brunette boy says flatly, gesturing to the hastily painted cardboard signs wrapped around your sorority house.

“it’s for penn students only.” you say, trying to wave him off. the thought of him—or anyone else from back home—meeting your new fair-weather city friends is unbearable. it would take months to salvage your pride.

“it doesn’t say that anywhere.” luigi argues. “plus, i’m an alumni.”

interest washes over the crowd of busy rich cheerleaders as they begin to inch nearer to the scene. you’re frazzled and fucked. “mangione, please don’t embarrass me.”

“you’re embarrassing yourself,” luigi says. his eyes glance over your body, skin exposed and wet with the moisture and mess of the event, boobs perky underneath your strappy bra. “seriously, what the fuck are you wearing?”

you feel a rush of insecurity as you bring your arms up to cover yourself. “it’s sorority tradition—“

“we didn’t do any of this at my frat—”

“it was an engineering frat, you didn’t do anything—!” as your whining comes to a close, a pool of your sorority sisters begin to flood around you. your heart rate sparks.

“who’s this?” your roommate asks.

the italian boy is quick to smile at the new company, his earlier furrowed brows and fault-finding demeanor vanishing in an instant. “i’m luigi,” he says with a brief wave. “i’m with y/n.”

“he means we’re friends from back home,” you correct quickly, shooting a glare at him. “he actually went here. he was in phi psi.”

“aw,” your roommate coos. “those guys do my homework all the time.”

he reaches over to open the car door, the force pushing you aside as it swings open. “get in the car,” luigi says. you pause, confusion swirling around you. then, luigi glances at your crowd of sisters, acknowledging them with a slight nod. “i’m borrowing her for the day. is there some sort of curfew i need to know about?”

“no, but it’s karaoke night,” one of your sisters tell him. “you should come! it’ll be at zbt.”

luigi raises a brow. “the sports frat?”

“yeah,” your sister says, grinning. “y/n’s boyfriend is the president. he’s super nice—you’d like him.”

his eyes flick to you. “boyfriend?”

“luigi’s busy tonight,” you say, forcing a tight smile, desperate to change the subject. “besides, he’s probably super jet-lagged—he is supposed to be backpacking through asia right now, after all.”

“yeah, well,” luigi says, his voice cool but with an edge that stings, “i stopped by for my sister’s birthday this weekend.” his eyes narrow as he looks straight at you. “guess one of us had to remember.”

your shoulders stiffen under the weight of his words, heat rising to your face.

“aw, luigi, you’re so sweet!” one of your housemates chimes, completely oblivious to the tension brewing. your guilt crashes over you, hot and suffocating. it’s almost embarrassing, the sudden clarity of how far you’ve strayed, how horrible you’ve become. “y/n’s boyfriend does cute stuff like that too. he came all the way down this morning to get pictures of her in this new outfit.”

if you didn’t feel stupid and cold before, you most definitely do now.

luigi glances over his shoulder. “isn’t the zbt house just around the corner?”

your housemate, still oblivious, grins and adds, “yeah! he’s always doing cute stuff like that for her. like, he prints a bunch of pictures of her and made a wall in his room because he thought she’d think it was sweet.”

you had no intention of your best friend’s brother ever finding out about your flamboyant college romances, yet here he was, gossiping with your girls. “he took that down as soon as i asked him to,” you explain.

“yeah, and ever since then, he sends flowers like, everyday.” your sister hums, bright-eyed. “so thoughtful, right?”

luigi’s jaw clenches, and his shoulders tense. “yeah, cute,” he says, voice low and biting. “guess that’s what happens when you’ve got nothing better to do than play personal assistant.”

“luigi.” you say, a desperate attempt to draw the line.

“get in, now,” he beckons.

luigi’s dark eyes never leave you, boring into you with a relentless intensity that makes your stomach churn. the look isn’t anger—it’s something deeper, more personal, and it clings to you as you fumble into the passenger seat. each movement feels heavier than the last, his unyielding stare haunting you as you slip inside, shutting the door between you and the reality you can’t escape.

the car swerves sharply, pulling you from your thoughts as you put your head in your hands. “i totally forgot,” you mutter, voice barely audible.

“clearly, you had distractions,” luigi says, his tone colder than you expected, like a wall between you both.

you feel his disappointment radiating through the air, and it hits harder than you’d like to admit. “you know,” he continues, his voice laced with bitterness, “back when we were close, you never would’ve forgotten something like that. but i guess things are different now.”

you wince, knowing he’s right. you’ve been so caught up in college, in the chaos of sorority life, parties, and the constant buzz of new experiences, that you’ve lost touch with everything that once mattered. and now, forgetting his sister’s birthday feels like the final nail in the coffin.

the silence hangs heavily between you, suffocating and full of unspoken truths. you can’t even find an apology that would suit the sin.

he reaches over to the backseat, tossing his jacket over your cold body, his fingers brushing against your skin as he does. “you look stupid like this,” he mutters, his voice laced with something deeper than frustration.

“it’s fucking weird,” luigi continues. “i used to watch you, how effortlessly you picked things up, how eager and excited you were for everything.” he sighs, his gaze flickering to you for a moment, like he’s trying to see the version of you he once knew. “but now… now it’s like you’re someone else. all that potential, all that drive—it’s like you’ve buried it under all this nonsense. i don’t even recognize you anymore.”

“oh, come on, luigi,” you say, defensive. it felt weird to have him like this—so cruel, so suddenly. “i make one mistake and now you don’t recognize me?”

he tuts, then rolls his eyes. “don’t act fucking dense.”

“i’m sorry, okay?” you say, half-defeated. “you’re not exactly giving me a chance to explain.”

“an explanation isn’t good enough.”

“just because i forgot one day doesnt mean im not here,” you argue. “you’re the one left the fucking country!”

luigi almost laughs at the dead argument. “and you stayed and still couldn’t show up when it mattered. how’s that any better?”

“i didn’t forget on purpose!” you can feel your temperature rising. “i’ve just been swamped with everything, alright? it’s not like i don’t care.”

luigi’s hands grip the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white. “so that’s your excuse?” he says, his voice sharp. “too busy to remember my sister’s birthday, but not too busy for that stupid fucking boyfriend of yours?” he laughs bitterly, shaking his head. “god, you even joined that sorority for him, didn’t you?”

your face goes white and he takes it as confirmation. “fucking knew it. that’s exactly what it is, isn’t it? you’re too busy trying to be a penn girl, pretending like you fit in, just because he’s part of it. you’re so caught up in his world that you can’t even bother to remember the people who actually care about you.”

you’re cold underneath his judgement, almost speechless. almost. “this is why i didn’t want you finding out about him,” you truth.

“i was in a frat, y/n. i’ve seen girls like you before. weekends spent doing dumb shit like car washes for the sorority, all glittered up for spirit week like it’s some huge fucking accomplishment.” his anger cuts into you like a blade. “you're too fucking good for that.”

your heart is pounding now, and you feel your face flush with anger, embarrassment, and something else—deep, gnawing ache in your chest. your fingers tighten around the door handle. you can’t stand sitting here, suffocating under his judgment. without thinking, you yank the door open, trying to escape the weight of his accusations.

but before you can move, luigi’s hand shoots out, slamming the door shut. “what the fuck are you doing?”

“i don’t want to talk about this anymore.” you say, trying to push down the panic rising in your chest. you don’t want to be here anymore. not in this car. not with him looking at you like you’re some stranger.

“you’re not getting out of this car, y/n.”

you don’t respond. instead, you unbuckle your seatbelt and shove the door open, stepping out of the car before he can stop you. it’s like your whole body is running on autopilot—everything inside you screaming to get away from the mess he’s created, from the mess inside you.

“y/n!” luigi’s voice cracks, rising in a panic as he stops the car and jumps out after you.

you are not turning around and getting into that car and letting him humiliate you. your hands shake as you pull out your phone, desperate for some relief, something to help you make sense of all this. the contact name lights up on your screen, and you hit call, needing your boyfriend now more than ever.

before you can even hear the first ring, a hand shoots out, grabbing your wrist and yanking your phone from your grasp. you whip your head around, heart pounding in your chest, only to find luigi, his jaw clenched tight and eyes burning with fury.

“what the hell are you doing?” you demand, your voice shaking with a mixture of anger and frustration. “give it back!”

but he doesn’t budge, holding your phone just out of reach. his voice is a low growl. “you’re fucking unbelievable. you’re seriously calling your boyfriend right now?” he’s glaring at you, his face hard with a mix of disbelief and something deeper you can’t quite place.

“you made your point, mangione!” you say. “clearly you already hate me, so i don’t see the point in sticking around for the ride. thanks for the reminder! see you around!”

“y/n, stop, i don’t hate you—“

“y/n? hello?” your boyfriend’s voice crackles through the phone, confused, a little worried.

luigi straightens, his hand tightening around the phone as he holds it to his mouth. “she’s busy.” he tosses the phone back into his car, cutting off the call with a finality that makes your heart race in frustration.

he opens his mouth for another lecture but your hard heart won’t let him in anymore. you’re beyond annoyed. he can keep the fucking phone, for all you care, you really just needed a second. you try to turn away, but he’s too fast. he grabs your wrist, pulling you back, and you’re caught off guard by the force in his touch. the heat between you is unbearable now, and the intensity of it makes your mind race.

“let go of me!”

“no,” luigi snaps, his voice harsh but laced with something you can’t quite place. “you don’t walk away from me.”

“i can do whatever i want!”

“you’re sure about that?”

without warning, he pulls you toward him, and before you can fully process what’s happening, his lips are on yours. it’s rough, unexpected, and it throws you off balance. your breath catches in your throat, and for a split second, you don’t know what to do.

your mind spins. this is worse than wrong. you shouldn’t be kissing him.

his grip on you is unyielding like the force of gravity, and you’re suffocating underneath the pressure, your confusion mixing with a strange, undeniable pull that makes your thoughts scatter. you pull away quickly, breathless and disoriented.

“luigi, no—stop,” you say, trying to regain your bearings, but your heart is still racing, your body still tingling from the kiss.

he doesn’t. he won’t.

his mouth is on yours again, aggressive and intent and so fucking mean. your balance is completely lost, your feet no longer sure of the ground beneath you. luigi doesn’t let up, his body pressing you into the side of his car and it’s like everything you knew about him is shifting, unraveling before your eyes.

when he pulls back, your chest heaves as if you’ve been starved for air. you try to summon another surge of pride, but luigi moves faster than your thoughts can catch. “lift up your legs,” he grumbles against your lips. you do. he carries you on him as he yanks open the door to the back seat, his hot breath hovering over your neck.

“you’re so fucking stupid,” luigi mutters into another sloppy kiss. “need me to teach you how to behave, yeah?”

desire and desperation muddle your better judgement. everytime you come up for air, you try to return to reason. “we shouldn’t—”

“let me,” he says. “i’m gonna take care of you.”

you shake your head as his warm hands grope and clutch at your cold nude. he was right—it was a stupid fucking outfit.

“relax,” luigi says, climbing over you, biting and sucking at your neck. you feel him between your legs, hardening. “you need me to teach you how to show you the ropes, don’t you? you need me, right, baby?”

“i have a boyfriend,” you whimper.

“doesn’t matter.” he says. “you belong to me.”

you’re in the corner of his car and there was no escape. luigi was all over you, grabbing, pulling, biting. “come on,” he beckons, coming in for another kiss. “make yourself useful, baby, i came all this way.” his fingers moving your bikini to the side and sliding his slender fingers into your aching clit. you quiver as he breaches your entrance.

“how often do you fuck him?” he asks, his two fingers digging into your core, storming your senses. the abruptness of the question made your nerves spike. there’s a certain amusement in his gaze, as if your misfortune is his greatest entertainment. “where? hm? hallways? dorms? in the shower, after his games, d’you spread your legs open to make him feel better about being a goddamn loser?” he’s intent on leaving your skin covered with evidence of him. he paints across your neck with his hot wet tongue, sucking and biting at your sensitive skin. you whimper at the sensation. “you’d make a perfect fuckin’ trophy wife.”

“i didn’t—“ you truth, shaky and red. “we never…”

“god,” he moans. “good fuckin’ girl, saving yourself for me.”

your mind is hazy, though not completely lost. “you’re jealous? of him?”

“why would i be?” luigi asks, smug. he knows he has every damn right he every right to be—he feels your slick drooling out of you, your body quivering underneath him. “i’m the only one who gets to have you like this.”

he reaches for his belt. you need this as much as he does. he can see the way your eyes flutter shut at the feeling of his shifty friction, and it sends heat rushing down his abdomen. no reason to be patient about this.

“someone’s gonna see,” you whine.

luigi laughs against your mouth. “go on then, show them what a perfect fuckin’ penn girl you are.”

you barely hear him. your lower lip is between your teeth as you work to free his cock from his boxers, and he hisses in pleasure as you pump him gently, smearing his precum down his shaft. he reaches between your legs to hook his finger around your panties, pulling the gusset to the side.

your cunt glistens. you’re soaked.

“you’re unbelievable,” he grunts. “acting out because you couldn’t get any good dick?”

“you’re so mean to me.”

“just missed you, is all,” he murmurs.

you’d never expected him to be so big. you brace yourself on his shoulder with your free hand, sinking down on him gradually. you’re so wet that it only takes a moment to adjust to his size before you’re rocking against him again, and he pulls you back in for another hungry kiss, guiding your hips with his hands. a grin etches at the edge of his lips when he feels your cunt tightening around him when he brings his fingertips to your clit. “what, already, babe?” luigi teases, pretending his own release isn’t just moments away. “c’mon, that’s gotta be a new record.” you try to laugh, but he pushes the pressure on your clit, and you arch your back as the coil in your belly tightens.

“you’re so big, luigi,” you choke out.

“i know, pretty girl, i know,” he tries to assure, though he’s too lost in his storm of pleasure to have the decency to slow down.

tears well up in your eyes as he buries his cock deeper into you. hot flashes of pain and pleasure overwhelm you; it’s a devastating spell of torment and sanctuary. “luigi,” you whine. “too much, i can’t—“

“you’re so fuckin’ tight.” luigi says. “fuckin’ perfect, you know that?”

“i can’t, lu,” you whine. “you’re too big—”

“be a good girl,” he says. his cock bullies into your sensitivity. you swear you hear yourself snap in half. “let me fill you up, princess, let me make you mine.”

you’re a mess underneath him, whimpering and crying at the unfamiliar pleasure. something in the background begins to hum over and over and over until luigi glances over his shoulder. “your boyfriend’s calling,” he says. “you should answer, show him what a perfect slut you’re being for me.”

you run your head back and forth. “no? you don’t wanna do that for me?” he questions, eyebrow raising. he raises your body—closer,deeper—just to slap his hand against your ass. you jolt at the pain, shivering. “thought you were being good.”

“luigi,” you cry. “it hurts.”

“fuck,” he moans. he can’t help but slap your ass again. “you gotta make it up to me, y/n. you gotta let me come inside you.”

“lu, wait—“ you begin weakly, tangling your fingers in his hair. he cuts you off by sucking harshly at the delicate skin of your throat, and instantly you feel the coil snap.

“jus’ like that, baby, all mine,” he growls into your skin. you feel him smile against your neck as he marks it up. “i should visit home more often, yeah?”

“lu, please,” you moan.

“tell me who you belong to.”

“you, luigi. i belong to you.” you cry out as you convulse around luigi’s cock, slumping forward onto his muscular chest with a shiver. the sensation of your walls clamping down on him like a vice makes luigi dig his fingers into your flesh as he pumps his own release into you, swearing raggedly as his hips buck.

aside from the sound of your breathing, the car falls into a complicated silence, the windows clouded, blurring the world outside like some unspoken secret. your heart races as you both sit there, dazed, caught between confusion and something deeper. the empty neighborhood feels almost dreamlike, a quiet refuge for a moment too fragile to face the world. silently, you’re grateful for the solitude, for the way it shields you both.

“relax,” luigi mutters, his voice cutting through the haze. “this whole street was bought up by some real estate asshole. prices went sky-high, and no one took the bait.”

you glance at him, startled by the sudden softness in his tone. “is that true?”

luigi doesn’t answer right away. instead, he reaches over to the passenger seat, grabbing your phone. the motion is deliberate, almost taunting, as if he’s enjoying how unsteady you’ve become.

he tosses the phone onto your lap, the thud startling in the heavy air. “penn daily did a piece on it” he says, his voice low but cutting. “you can look it up after you break up with your boyfriend.”

your eyes widen, and you grab the phone quickly, clutching it as if it could ground you. “god, can you stop bringing him up for two seconds?”

“why?” he retorts, leaning back against his seat with a knowing smirk. “you brought him into this when you started dating the guy who shows you off to frat row and makes you fake-smile your way through glitter car washes.”

“he wasn’t even at the car wash this time,” you mutter, frustration bubbling up.

“too busy setting up karaoke night? are we going to that?”

“no.”

“my sister would probably love it,” he points out playfully. “and i know you didn’t get her a present.”

you roll your eyes, trying to avoid the guilt that wells up. “don’t remind me.”

“don’t be a brat,” he retorts, his voice firm but not unkind.

“I’m not being a brat,” you snap back, but there’s a hint of defensiveness in your tone.

“yeah, you are,” he says, his voice softening just a little. “but we’ll deal with that later.”

he glances over at you, a hint of a smirk on his face. turning your gaze to the window, avoiding his eyes. god, how were you meant to recover from this? another silence encapthres you and the awful spell of awkwardness washes over you both. until—

“you know i could never hate you, right?”

“hm?”

“you said earlier i made up my mind about you,” he murmurs, his eyes holding yours in a way that makes it impossible to look away. “i have… but not in the way you think.”

your breath catches, his words pulling at something deep inside you. “then how?”

“i’ve always liked you,” he says softly, his voice steady but tinged with something deeper. “hated seeing you go. hated the idea of you at college with some asshole who doesn’t see you the way i do.”

your heart skips, his words unraveling every doubt you’ve ever had. “and how do you see me?” you ask, barely finding your voice.

he leans closer, his gaze unwavering. “as everything.”