#it's such a lullaby honestly. if i have children i shall sing it to them!!

[outlying-hyppocrate]

posting this two-part cover because i think we all need something soft and imperfect right now. [:

[mistaeq]

The Jobros: Finding out their s/o is Pregnant with Twins

TW // none

Original Request: Can you do the jojo's reaction to their s/o being pregnant with twins after a long time of trying? You can find this here.

The sweet @serenityblaze44 asked for this same prompt with the Jobros, so... here it is! <3

WORD COUNT: 2.6k

ROBERT E. O. SPEEDWAGON

As soon as you tell him, his eyes widen, like a cat who saw his favourite toy. It's almost as if he was a kid, and you were telling him that Santa was gonna bring him his favourite gift ever. No wonder, he'll be speechless for some seconds. Not only one baby, but two? This sounds all the way like a dream becoming reality. Living in the street like he did years ago, he could only dream about having a family.

You've been trying so hard to have a baby, you both felt ready, and after all the danger he went through along with Jonathan, Robert wants to settle down and have a family, finally starting something serious. But you had a lot of problems with getting pregnant, and he was losing his hope. Until you told him you were expecting a baby. And now, you were telling him they were two, two angels of his growing in your stomach. This feels crazy.

Speedwagon won't force you and won't get angry, if you don't feel like you'd like something like this, but he'd love to name one of the twins Jonathan or William if there's at least a boy and Erina if there's at least a girl. These people mattered so much in his life, and would be the happiest if he could bring these names with him forever. If you don't like the idea, he will respectfully accept it, and he's open and ready to hear your own ideas, too!

He wants everything to be completely organized, when the twins will come to the world. Every parent buys furniture and clothing for their baby, even before the birth, it's a pretty common thing. But Robert more or less behaved like Joseph buying stuff for Shizuka with Josuke's money. Speedwagon almost bought an entire baby store out of happiness and excitement. He's enthusiast and nervous. Bear with this loving gentleman.

"What do you mean I don't have to buy six cribs for the babies? What their two ones break and we need to change it?" he groans, handing you a bag, you looking at him with questioning eyes. "Nevermind... y/n, will you hold these fifty pacifiers for me while I get the twenty pairs of baby shoes out of the car?"

Speedwagon can't keep the news to himself. He'll call Erina before everyone else, and then all his friends, like immediately, to tell them the good news. He looks calm and rational, but he spent most of his life in London's street, and few years won't erase his loud and impulsive attitude. It's probably a good thing, after all. Even gentlemen can be excited. A little sudden, but hearing it makes Erina so happy, she'll be like an aunt for your kids!

He would enjoy reading books to your stomach during your pregnancy. He would have done it even if they weren't twins, but he claims that being them two, he'll need to work twice the amount he did before to teach them stories and literature. Robert is an amazing man, but still a too grown baby, he'll never stop his ideas about how to teach the children something. He just thinks about what he'd like to do or hear if he was a child.

CAESAR ANTONIO ZEPPELI

He stops practicing with his hamon for some seconds as soon as you tell him. Funny, he was so focused on his training that he swore he started hearing things. You didn't just tell him that the baby bubble growing in your stomach are in reality two baby bubbles. He... oh, forget it Caesar, you must have dreamt it. But you're right next to him, and almost immediately repeat what you just told him, making him realize what he heard is true.

It takes a while for the italian boy to realize it, but when he finally does, you can tell he's happy. Mamma mia. The adrenaline and excitemente in his body won't stop flowing, this is why, when Caesar will hug you, pick you up and jump around, hamon bubbles will still be coming out of his fingertips, and you find it the cutest thing ever. It's the physical proof of how happy you make him, there's no way to deny it. Family is all he ever wanted, over his flirting habit. You're the right one for him and he knows.

Prepare your kids and your stomach to get a whole load of opera music during your pregnancy. Caesar is a great lover of opera, and will care about his kids to be as informed on it and respectful of the genre. Either he'll put on some of it, of he'll straight up sing it for you and your future children. His singing voice isn't actually so bad, you notice, and this is how he earns the task of singing them the lullabies when they'll come to the world.

"Hey! What do you mean I get to sing them the lullabies... I'm good at opera... not baby songs..." he whines, almost sounding like a baby himself. "Fine... but at one condition. You change the diapers and I sing the lullabies. Take it or leave it."

He cares a lot about his family's traditions to go on. Being the flamboyant italian he is, Caesar prides himself on the love for his close family and relatives. He doesn't have a huge request for you, but he cares about what he's gonna ask. The father-to-be would be happy, if one of the twins is a boy, to give him Antonio as a second name. Like his own second name, and his grandpa's too. He secretly hopes the twins are a boy and a girl, he's always wanted a baby princess.

The young Zeppeli will grow twice more protective and caring of you. This translates in him not letting Joseph get closer to you than three meters away. This is how you learn to speak even louder to talk with people. Your loving boy will always be in front of you to keep you safe. You appreciate it, but sometimes he's exaggerated.

He'll probably beg you on his knees, for you to allow him to teach the children how to master the hamon technique when they'll grow up. You can't really deny it, sometimes it's useful. During your pregnancy, Caesar and his calming waves helped you coping with pregnancy pains and cramps, massaging your belly and leaving some bubbles around to soothe and distract you. Oh, your caring italian love.

NORIAKI KAKYOIN

When you told him the good news, his heart exploded with happiness and excitement. However, Noriaki is known for being a pretty calm boy, and he tried his best to keep calm after your words, too. You had to tell him to let go and don't worry about wanting to hug you, or pick you up and kiss you, or even cry, if he felt like letting it all out.

Before you even got pregnant, Kakyoin and you had been trying every single way on Earth to have a baby. Take count of your most fertile phase, buy a lot of pregnancy tests, using different positions, praying, making rituals, crying and asking Siri, in tears, why Noriaki couldn't manage to get you pregnant. Did those ways work so well that you got twice more pregnant than you expected? Nevermind, all you know is that you and your loving cherry boy are gonna have two beautiful babies.

"Listen... why do you think I can't get my baby pregnant? We've been trying every single way... do you have any advice?" as soon as Siri answered, Kakyoin's eyes widened, and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, don't give me the 'Sorry, I'm not sure what you said' treatment!"

One of his first thoughts, is that there's a small - but now it's higher because the babies are two - percentage of chances your babies might be stand users. Yes, it's not the highest percentage ever, but it's still there, and Kakyoin is pretty afraid of it. Stand users' lives are never calm and quiet, he had the occasion to prove this himself. They often go towards almost deadly experiences. He's gotta be a good dad and protect his children.

Hierophant Green is overjoyed! Noriaki and his stand worked hard, to create some decorations for the babies' room with emeralds. Green is a neutral color, since you don't know whether the twins will be boys, girls, or both. Still, you don't think colors like pink and blue are gendered, that's some stereotypical bullshit. But you had the luck of having green decorations, perfect for anyone, from Hierophant's power.

Kakyoin secretly hopes that at least one of the babies, no matter whether it's a boy or a girl, will have his hair color or hair noodle. Think about it, wouldn't it be funny, cute and incredibly special to have a small version of your husband/boyfriend walking around the house? Oh god, what if they're identical twins? Three Noriakis? Oh my.

Even if this might embarrass him a little, you'll often get to see his parents during your pregnancy. First of all, to give them the good news about the baby being in reality two babies, and second of all because mrs. Kakyoin would be on cloud nine, getting the chance to give you some parenting advice. That's also how you get to know some interesting information and curiosities about your man's childhood. The cutest things ever. But this... is another story.

NIJIMURA OKUYASU

Okuyasu.exe has stopped working. What do you mean two babies? He thought the shocking news were finished, after the pregnancy announcement. He's gonna ask you a billion times, on the verge of tears, if you're joking or messing with him, knowing how much these news matter to his heart. When he gets you're serious, Okuyasu just lets go and cries. He feels so damn happy.

He learnt to hate your period as much as you, honestly. Because everytime you got it, it meant another month in which he had failed in getting you pregnant had passed, and this made him feel useless and disappointing. You never thought anything like this about him, but making him understand this is pretty difficult, he wouldn't have forgiven himself until he succeeded. You wanted a baby and Okuyasu wanted so too, so he would have given it to you, no matter what.

"Oi... did you... you know, bleed this month already?" Okuyasu asked, with the eyes of someone who was afraid of asking. But you shook your head. "This is good, love... but let's not get our hopes up, shall we, y/n?"

He doesn't really have any special requests or ideas for your babies' names. Or better, he does have one, but will never tell you, as he thinks for sure that you'll never agree with doing it. Okuyasu would have liked the kanji "兆" ("chou": trillion) to be in at least one of your babies' names, to remember his brother. But your boy is pretty sure you'd hate it, and he'd never suggest this. You'll probably feel there's something he's not telling you and find out anyway.

Expecting two babies is tiring, and you'll need to rest a lot. Okuyasu would like to join you and hold you in your sleep, but he also wants to be awake to take care of you, get you something to eat or drink, or put in order his messy house to make it look at least decent for when the babies will come. This is why, while you take your naps, he works around the house and lets The Hand cuddle with you. It's always him, after all. He feels the way you hold his stand.

This leads to the father-to-be being often pretty tired, too. He overworks himself. At night, when he finally joins you in your bed, happens to fall asleep in a matter of seconds, wearing his ordinary clothes instead of his pajamas. You can tell he's gonna be a good dad. Some mornings during your pregnancy, if you happened to wake up before him, you'd quietly turn off his alarm clock for him to rest more.

Okuyasu's dad is on cloud nine too, as his family is going to get larger. Mansaku totally wants to take a photo with you two and his grandchildren, as soon as they'll be born. He accepted you and behaves with you the same caring way he does towards his son. He's changed in a better man, despite his appearance. But the first person Okuyasu told the good news to, was Keicho. He purposely went on his grave, because he knew his brother would have been proud.

BRUNO BUCCIARATI

You tell him the good news while he's working. Not only it'll make his day better, but it'll also hopefully get his mind off of that giant bunch of papers on his desk, for once. The capo suddenly stops, moving his gaze towards your eyes, then your stomach, then your eyes again. You'll have to repeat, or he'll be sure he's imagined what you said because of the too much time spent working. But there's no joke or dream, you're pregnant with twins.

Screw all the papers and all the work that's left. He's gonna get you in a so tight and warm embrace of his, and never let go. Libeccio's for dinner that night? Guaranteed. He's usually a calm man, but whatever is related to his family, gets celebrated. When you announced your pregnancy, you had a dinner with the whole gang at the restaurant, but this time Bruno would rather have something more personal and private with you. Make the dinner romantic.

When you were still trying to have a baby, Bucciarati was the one who managed not to lost his temper when every attempt of yours resulted in a negative pregnancy test. But when you weren't around, I won't say he cried, but was pretty close. He was afraid of not being able to give you what you wanted, and usually ranted about this with Abbacchio. Bruno wanted to be the shoulder you could cry on, and couldn't breakdown too.

You both decided to wait some time before telling the gang about the baby being in reality two babies. They were still excited for your pregnancy itself, Mista and Narancia above everyone, and giving another shocking news would have probably brought the peace to say arrivederci. They still managed to get you confess, the look in Bruno's expressive eyes was too happy not to notice.

Just like Giorno would do, Bruno wouldn't be happy if his two angels ended up being involved in Passione's business. He totally will let the gang around his babies, as he trusts them, but during your pregnancy you both decided that the one of you taking care of the babies on a certain day, wouldn't even think of getting close to Passione's headquarters with the children. And you agreed with Bucciarati, for your little ones' safety.

"You'll agree with me that our children's safety is the most important thing, tesoro mio..." Bruno murmured, caressing your cheek. "Let's not bring them close to this place ever, I beg you. I'm sure you'll understand."

He would enjoy talking and interacting with his babies by laying his head on your stomach, kissing it and listening to them moving in the last weeks of your pregnancy. Sticky Fingers is in love with you too, and Bruno won't ever lose the chance to close you in a cuddle sandwich between his body and his stand's to make you feel protected and let you know how proud of you he is. Bucciarati will be a special dad, indeed.

[missremember]

On Lullabies

I cry every time that I hear a lullaby.

At first I thought that maybe it was just cuz they have comforting lyrics and are generally soothing, and the ability to relax naturally allows one to become vulnerable.

But thinking about it honestly it's definitely because the very concept of a lullaby, the very idea behind one's existence, is that it's written purely out of love.

The definition for "lullaby" that I use here is a song or poem meant to to lull someone to sleep. Sleep is a necessary component for us to live, it is ubiquitous, everybody sleeps. When you do not sleep, you become stressed and irritable, things seem to become more bleak. One of the most clear signs that someone isn't taking care of themselves is the signs of lack of sleep, and that distresses us. We want the people we care about to be well.

Every moment that you're awake, that you're living a day, is a presence in reality, and that presence is not always pleasant. There is much suffering in the world, and generally we endure at least some of it. This isn't to say, of course, that being awake and living is, itself, unpleasant, but just that it's hard sometimes. It's especially so for children, the target audience of a lullaby. It's all so new and loud and even scary for them.

Then, of course, there's the nature of night. It is a time of darkness, of the unknown. We guard ourselves more when we travel at night, we're on edge for every sound. Even the faces of our own are distorted when darkness falls. In many cultures, entities that represent the night are mysterious and deceitful, we don't often know their intentions, but the possibility that they mean us harm is often at the forefront of our minds.

Enter the lullaby.

When we write or sing lullabies, it's with the full intention of enabling someone to take care of themselves. We want our loved one to sleep, to be able to escape, even for a few hours, the fear and the unknown. In the times of darkness, there is respite, you can relax and drift. There is someone there for you, someone who loves you. Why else would they want you to rest? Why else would they put time and effort into a piece for you, carefully orchestrated so that it is soothing to the ear? To your ear?

This is to say nothing of the lyrical content of lullabies, of sweet dreams, of the promise that you are not alone. Better yet, it promises the newness, the hope for tomorrow. At the end of the night comes the break of day, a day that isn't written yet, a day that can be better. Come what may, the lullaby promises that at the end of a dark night, literally or figuratively, there is light, and we will have it.

And it's all for you, they say.

"Where billow meets billow, then soft be thy pillow. Oh weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee Asleep in the arms of the slow-swinging seas." ~Eric Whitacre, The Seal Lullaby

You, who is not alone, they say, because even when there's nobody else, there is me. There is us.

"High on a mountain Or lost on the sea Sooner or later I'll find it I have a picture of how it will be On the day I do Troubles will be through And I'll be home with you." ~Stephen Flaherty, Solla Sollew (from Seussical the Musical)

You don't need to be afraid, they say. Not at all.

"Goodnight demon slayer, goodnight Now it's time to close your tired eyes There are devils to slay and dragons to ride If they see you coming, hell they better hide" ~Aurelio Voltaire, Goodnight Demon Slayer

You are loved, says the lullaby. Because I love you.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

[m-y-fandoms]

Danganronpa 1 Girls: adopting an abused child - Headcanons

Request: If it's okay, the DR1 girls with an adopted child that was previously in an intensely abusive living situation? The kid is extremely traumatized by the experience, and is very quiet, fearful and suffers frequent breakdowns and nightmares.

Part 2: Oh! Adopted abused child for DR1 girls anon here... To specify, headcanons.

Of course! A unique request. I’m gonna write this assuming they’ve had the child in their home for a while, maybe a few years, and you can headcanons the girls’ partners versus if they are single moms on your own. This will just be how the DR1 girls treat their adopted, previously abused child. - Mod Kokichi

WARNINGS: past child abuse implied/referenced. Trauma/panic attacks and anxiety

Aoi Asahina:

The queen of three things: sweets, sports, and positive attitudes.

She would definitely use these three skills/interests of hers to help the previously abused child she adopted.

First of all, she’d chosen this child in particular because she saw their profile and asked about them. Her big heart wouldn’t allow her to abandon a child that’s clearly been through a lot of suffering, especially not after her own experience in the killing game.

Despite whether or not she had a partner, she’d want kids when she was able to responsibly care for them. Also, her experience as a big sister would prepare her for kids a little better than an only child.

Sweets: having a panic attack? Here’s some home-made cookies. Bad day at school? Let’s strap on an apron and bake together tonight. Stayed up late with insomnia or nightmares? Well good news, doughnuts for breakfast the next morning!

Sports: being athletic and active herself, Hina would encourage her child to enter team sports to get better at socializing and just learn important motor skills, but she wouldn’t force them into it, knowing crowds or loud noises may overstimulate them.

Maybe she’d have them start small. Table tennis or private swimming lessons. When and if they were ever ready, soccer or lacrosse on the school’s team.

That’s not to say she wouldn’t love and appreciate a more artistically or mathematically inclined child. Sports or not, she’d find a way to use their inherent skills to better them. She’s not one to give up on the people she cares about.

Positive attitudes: slip-ups and panic attacks are nothing to get discouraged about! She would stay up all night with a child going through anxiety, assure them that this too shall pass, and use positive reinforcement.

Sakura Ogami:

Another mom who would seek out sports as a way to ease her child’s suffering.

But unlike Asahina, she’d see sports as more of a way to teach perseverance and self-discipline rather than social skills.

She would want them to learn some type of martial art. It would teach balance, strength, inner-peace, and erase self-doubt.

Plus, learning martial arts would help teach self-defense. She would never want her child to go out until the word helpless and not knowing how to defend themselves should they absolutely have to.

She would enjoy reading to her child at night, and talking at length with them about what was bothering them. She would let them cry onto her strong shoulders, and offer stoic wisdom. She’s like, super good at giving advice.

Loves them unconditionally, is fiercely protective and loyal. A very supportive and loving mother.

Shells out the cash for any and all therapy they need, physical and psychological. She doesn’t see mental illness as a weakness.

Celestia Ludenberg:

This mom, instead of teaching a child to ignore trauma and bullies - be they internalized and metaphorical or external and corporeal - would teach her child how to face their obstacles head on.

Bullies at school? Well we’ll handle that. “They won’t be a problem anymore, trust me.”

PTSD and past trauma? Well we will sit here and talk about these weaknesses until they become our strengths. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and you’ll be undefeatable after all you’ve been through.”

This child will be spoiled, but not in a bratty way. They will simply wear the best clothes, eat the most expensive food, and attend the best schools.

Celestia would play endless card and board games with her child to keep their mind off of darker thoughts.

“Moooom, you cheated again!”

“Oh? Did I~?”

“Yes!” A disgruntled but reluctantly amused smile.

“Well~ I think it is simply that you don’t know how to play this game yet. But one day, you will.”

Kyoko Kirigiri:

At first, it may take her a while to open up and truly be the best mother she can be.

But she understands wanting more from a parent-child relationship, and after a while of doubting herself, would buckle down and do what she needs to do.

Wouldn’t be as pushy with talking about triggering subjects, or entirely comfortable giving advice either.

But is a terrific listener/observer. She walks in after work and sees her kid crying alone in their room. They’d remembered something scary, something they didn’t want to think about, they said.

“I see...well, do you want to talk about it?” And she’d sit there by their bedside until she was sure they didn’t need her any longer.

If single: definitely has a big house, a reputable maid, a nanny, a nice car in the driveway, but still insists on personally packing her kids lunch with a little encouraging sticky note inside.

If she has a partner: can be convinced to be more involved and slowly but surely becomes more hands-on and soccer-momish, minivan and all. Sees her partner’s own parenting skills as a challenge to step it up. Kyoko has all the makings of a great mother, she just won’t let herself see it. A partner would be just the push she needs: a Watson to her Holmes.

Toko Fukawa (I watched the anime and played the three main games so if her personality changes drastically in ultra despair girls and I’m way off I apologize):

Toko knows childhood regret, trauma, nightmares. She understands feeling isolated and different. She would be a very clingy and coddling mother.

If you ever touched a hair on her child’s head, you better just execute yourself before she does.

Sure she’s not the most confident or kind person on her own, but we’ve seen how devoted to and possessive she is of people she cares about.

She’d read to her child nightly, but only what she deemed to be the best children’s literature, of course.

Would love her child more than she loved her own partner. She would feel needed, like someone depended on her for once instead of her tagging along behind someone else.

I think as she boosts her child’s confidence and social skills, her own would grow along with them.

I know she’s getting better every day at controlling her inner demons, and her other half, Syo (I watched like two hours of UDG gameplay so I know this much) but I think she’d be extra careful and determined to have full control once becoming a mother.

Sayaka Maizono:

I think she would see music as an outlet for a hurting child.

Another girl who would have hella money, so she wouldn’t hesitate to get her kid lessons from the best instructors, be they voice or instrumental lessons.

And when her child mentions feeling uncomfortable about leaving the house for unnecessary reasons, especially for going to a public, noisey studio, she would pay extra to have the instructor come to them.

To her, music heals the soul.

When they have nightmares, she’s the most likely of the girls to sing lullabies, being the most talented and confident in her singing voice.

She would definitely want to be a mother one day, but with her time-consuming job, might find adoption easier and less compromising to an idol’s “flawless” body (her manager’s opinion more than her own ugh).

She’d use her intuitive “psychic” abilities to sense when her child was having a particularly rough day, or having more depressing thoughts. I think she’d be one of the ones more suited to deep conversations and true motherly advice.

Junko Enoshima:

I honestly don’t think she’d adopt a child for any wholesome or selfless reason.

She’d adopt a child with PTSD or past trauma in order to feed off of their despair or to teach that already hurting child to hurt others.

She’d be drawn to the more chaotic and/or mentally unwell children, but it would be a mistake to let her near them.

Junko is selfish in every way and would only adopt a child to carry on her evil lineage.

It may not even go that far. She may get bored of them or decide they aren’t worthy of becoming her protege and just dispose of them like an old play thing.

(Sorry Junko stans but I’m not about to pretend she’s just a bratty, preppy rich blonde mean girl type. She’s a selfish and abusive psychopath lmao)

Mukuro Ikusaba:

Another one who probably shouldn’t be a mother.

I do feel bad for her though. Much like Korekiyo, I think their siblings both abused and manipulated them from a young age. They never learned any differently. Still she’s responsible for her bad choices in the series.

Without Junko’s influence, I believe she would be fiercely protective of a child, much like an obsessive mother bear once she retired from mercenary work for good.

But unfortunately, she’s given her life to her abusive sister.

If she had a child, they would either be neglected because she spends all of her time serving Junko or away on dangerous mercenary missions.

Or they would be trained to be an abused slave to their aunt Junko just like Mukuro is.

Junko may manipulate Mukuro into adopting a child, saying things like: “you’re more of the mommy type than me!” Or, “yeah I totally think a despair filled child would be good for you! You could teach it to like kick ass and shit!”

This of course, was all a way to get Mukuro to do all the work of actually raising the child, while Junko warped both of their minds to her cause.

[serene-faerie]

21st Anniversary of The Prince of Egypt

To think this movie is already 21 years old (fun fact, this movie came out the date before my birthday, in the year after my birth), and it’s such a beautiful masterpiece!

To celebrate, here’s a list of my favourite moments in no particular order:

1) Deliver Us- This song is perhaps my most favourite song in the whole movie. It’s epic, bitter, and the music is so rhythmic as it captures the suffering of the Hebrews and sets the tone for the rest of the film. There’s also the brief glimmer of hope it offers when baby Moses is found by Queen Tuya, who immediately takes him in after being completely charmed by his adorableness, and Miriam’s lovely reprise of Yocheved’s River Lullaby. And of course, we cannot forget Ofra Haza’s amazing vocals as Yocheved, especially with how she sings in Hebrew in her introduction. She had such a divine voice, and she shall be missed forever. 

2) The Plagues- Of course, this song will also be one of my favourites as well. The emotion in the music, the way the choir sounds so intimidating as they sing lines like “I send the thunder from the sky, I send the fire raining down”, it truly conveys God’s wrath, all while underscoring the turbulent emotional conflict between Moses and Rameses. Hearing the pain in Moses’ voice as he’s forced to watch the Egyptians suffer, and hearing the bitter anger in Rameses’ voice as he remains stubborn to Moses’ pleading... this song is truly a masterpiece. It also really shows how human Moses is. The Old Testament never really shows Moses feeling any remorse for the suffering that the Egyptians go through, but this movie makes Moses so human, so much more real, and shows how he still cares about Egypt, even as he’s trying to free his people.

3) The Return to Egypt- I love the music that plays during Moses and Tzipporah’s journey back to Egypt, especially with the additions of Ofra Haza’s beautiful vocals that underscore the suffering of the Hebrew slaves. And that determined, serious expression on Moses’ face as they near the palace just makes him look so badass, especially when he and Tzipporah enter the palace and make their way to the Pharaoh. I especially loved the festive undercurrent of that particular section of the soundtrack, with Moses and Tzipporah walking with determination into the great hall as the people look at them in surprise and suspicion, all while the dancers are dancing before the Pharaoh. It’s quite a phenomenal scene, really heightening the tension to reveal the Pharaoh upon the throne as Rameses, upon which the music ends. It’s such a determined, badass scene that I just had to include it here.

4) Look Through Heaven’s Eyes- After Moses has lost everything he’s ever known, after his entire life has been destroyed, he feels so unworthy of honour and praise. But with Jethro’s patience and kindness, the help of the Midianites, and the support of Tzipporah, Moses rebuilds a brand new life for himself as a shepherd. It’s such an uplifting song with beautiful lyrics that encourages us to look at our lives in a different perspective, that we all have meaning within us, we just have to find it. And really, it’s so wonderful to see how Moses learns and adapts to a new way of living, how he makes new friends, and of course, how blissful and happy he is after marrying Tzipporah. Plus, seeing Moses and Tzipporah falling in love is super sweet. Ultimately, it’s a song that I’ve now taken to heart, and will remember if I’m ever stuck in a rut.

5) The Burning Bush- Who can ever forget this scene, when Moses meets God? Oh my gosh, it is such an amazingly powerful scene; from the wistful music that plays when Moses discovers the burning bush to the way the bush flowers after God speaks to Moses... I really have to hand it to the filmmakers; they’ve successfully managed to capture the powerful and almighty presence of God. I love how God chastises Moses for questioning Him, then immediately comforts Moses like a loving parent, promising him that He will be there with him, just like any parent would say. It truly is a wonderful, amazing scene that’ll always leave me breathless. Also worth mentioning is the moment before, when Moses gives Tzipporah a kiss in the morning, and after the scene, when he picks Tzipporah up and twirls her around a bit. It’s so sweet and touching to watch, and they’re just so believable as a married couple!

6) The Hieroglyph Nightmare- Despite how dark and horrifying the whole nightmare sequence is, I really love the animation in that scene. Seeing the events of the beginning from Moses’ perspective in the style of hieroglyph paintings is really impressive, but it’s also so chilling to actually see the soldiers tearing babies from their cradles, from their mothers’ arms, all while such terrifying music plays in the background. Every time I watch that scene, I get chills down my spine when I hear the screaming of the mothers and babies that underscores the scene, and then Moses seeing his biological mother sending him as an infant in the basket always pulls at my heart. And the inclusion of the sun disk, Aten, is quite a clever way of showing that God sent Moses the nightmare in a way he understands.

7) The Chariot Race/Moses and Rameses’ Bond- Honestly, this is what really made me love this movie’s portrayal of Moses. As someone who studied the Old Testament in high school, this scene really offers a unique, refreshing portrayal of a Biblical character. I haven’t seen too many Biblical movies, but most of the time, Moses has always been portrayed as old and serious, especially when he returns to free the Hebrews. Seeing Moses portrayed as young, handsome, mischievous, and playful really makes him so much more human, especially when we see how close he and Rameses are. This movie shows that Moses has fond memories of his upbringing in Egypt, and that he truly loves and cares about Rameses, which makes it so much more painful when he’s forced to be enemies with his adoptive brother. And his close bond with Rameses is truly one of the sweetest parts of this movie, especially when Rameses bear-hugs Moses in front of the entire court, which makes the gradual destruction of their brotherhood all the more tragic.

8) The Parting of the Red Sea- Apparently, it took the animators two years to do this scene, and it really shows. It’s so epic and gorgeous to watch, and the passage of the Hebrews through the partition was so amazing. I love how we saw the whale shark being illuminated through one of the walls of water; it truly adds to how majestic this whole scene is. On an emotional level, seeing Aaron being the first one to encourage the Hebrews to cross, and putting his faith in Moses, it’s quite a touching moment. And on a nightmare-fuel level, watching the walls of water collapse and drown all the Egyptian soldiers while pushing Rameses back to the shore is truly terrifying. Honestly, this is another scene that really shows God’s wrath and cruel mercy, and will always chill me whenever I watch it. It truly is a spectacular, sublime moment in this movie.

9) When You Believe- This song is truly a beautiful, touching piece of music, with incredibly uplifting lyrics, and for it to come after one of the most darkest and saddest moments in the movie, I find it quite fitting, actually. Despite the fact that Moses has officially lost Rameses for good, he’s finally succeeded in freeing his people, even though it has come at a heavy price. While Rameses giving Moses permission to leave Egypt with his people was such a bleak and despairing moment, this song offers a glimmer of hope in the darkness. In addition, the children singing “Mi Chamocha” was so sweet, especially as we see how the Hebrews gradually become more cheerful once they realize that they’re free for real. It goes from being sorrowful and tentatively hopeful to triumphant and optimistic, and it’s such a beautiful scene to watch. And of course, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey’s version is truly the best as well.

10) Playing With The Big Boys- This song is quite a scary song, but it’s just such a cool scene to watch as well. I love the rhythmic invocation of the Egyptian pantheon, especially with how ominous the music is. But I also love how it shows a sharp contrast between how Moses invokes the power of God and how the priests invoke the power of their gods. Moses didn’t need any theatrics or magic tricks to turn his staff into a snake, while the priests literally use smoke and mirrors and elaborate rituals to turn their staffs into snakes. And the fact that the song ends with their snakes being consumed by the snake from Moses’ staff really foreshadows just who ends up winning in the long run, making it quite a good song. And plus, I also like to read the YouTube comments on this particular song, they’re just hilarious.

And those are my top moments of The Prince of Egypt. Of course, it’s an incomplete list, but this is all in no particular order, since I just love the whole movie so much. So happy anniversary to this beautiful, wonderful movie!

[curekibouka-writing]

Blissful Tomorrow Chapter 2 (Pandora Hearts fanfic) (Completed)

Summary: May you reach a blissful tomorrow as you open your eyes. For now, sweet dreams. 

Chapter 1 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

*This fic is also on FF.net and Quotev

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Chapter 2: Lost

Without leaving her bed or putting down the needlework she was occupied with, Shelly responded to the knocks at her room door, “Yes, come in.” She glanced at the visitor, “Oh. Xerxes, how rare.” 

“Ouch~~ I am deeply offended by such implications~~” Break quipped mischievously, shifting the tea set he brought to one hand so as to close the door, “I always come visit with my lady.” 

“Well then, where is Sharon today?” 

“With Sheryl-sama currently, trying tirelessly to clear up the work meant for you, which has been piling up.” He added while doing an impression of Sharon, “My lady has ordered me to ‘spend time with mother’ in her place because I ‘cannot help with her work in any way’. Or rather, my presence ‘would be quite the nuisance’, apparently.” 

“I see,” Shelly heaved a curt sigh, “I hope I can make it up to her later. She’s still thirteen, if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have to burden herself with these duties until a few more years lat—” a few coughs forced their way through her throat before she finished. 

“Tea?” Break gestured towards the tea set he brought. 

She nodded, still coughing. 

Finally putting aside the garment she was sewing, she took the teacup from him and sipped. 

He frowned, “Shelly-sama, you seem pale, should I—“

“The weather sure is lovely today, don’t you think?” she stared at the window almost too intently, sighing again, “Ahh, what I’d give to take a stroll in the garden, bathed in sunlight!” 

“Only after your recuperation, please. We heard Reim is coming over next week, my lady suggests that the four of us should have a long overdue picnic in the garden when he does, but only if you recover your strength by then. So please let yourself rest properly, alright? We wouldn’t want my lady to be disappointed~~”

“Next week?” she mumbled. Her eyes fell onto her hand, trembling even when holding something as light as a teacup, her lips pursed. 

“Never mind, it’s too bright, can you close the curtains for me?” 

He raised an eyebrow — since when did his mistress of all people started to complain that the sun was too bright? “Are you sure you are feeling fine? Shall I notify the doctors about anything in particular?” 

“Just close them,” she refrained from raising her voice, though it was imposing all the same. He complied as she continued, “I’m fine. Maybe a little drained, but otherwise, I’m completely fine.” 

“Drained? Then perhaps you should take a nap?” 

“It’s 9 in the morning, I just woke up an hour ago.” 

“But you still feel tired.” 

“I don’t need to sleep. And I want to finish this today,” she took the pale pink garment she had been sewing into her hands again. 

“This is...?” 

“A capelet,” she answered, a soft smile dancing onto her lips, “For Sharon, she can wear it over her nightgown on chilly nights. I only have a little more of the frills left to sew, and a ribbon to add for the finishing touch. What do you think? Would it look good on her?” 

“Certainly. My lady would love it. But why not buy one instead of making one?” 

“I’ve never actually knitted my own daughter any scarves or mittens or anything of the sort. You know, what parents would normally do for their children?”

He nodded along haphazardly — something felt increasingly odd. 

“I’m always busy, or bedridden. I barely spend any mother-daughter time with her, though that obstinate child would never admit her loneliness. Honestly, you take care of her more than I do and… it will probably continue like this from now on.”

At her words, an inexplicable unease weighted on his mind, a vague premonition of something he knew he must avoid, although he could not quite pinpoint the source of it. 

“So you see, I hope to do something to make it up to her, do something a proper mother would do for a change.” She traced her fingers on the stitches she did recently, “I… really want to finish it today.”

Instead of whispering a simple “as you wish”, he decided to insist this time, “A-as you said, it is early in the morning, there is still plenty of time today. I think... it is best not to force yourself in this condition...” 

She retorted, picking up the needle, “But I only have a little left—“ 

“...please?” 

“...”

Looking at his hand on her wrist, she gave in to his request, “Fine. I’ll rest.” She folded the capelet and stowed it away. 

Then, perhaps on a whim — or perhaps calculated, he could not tell — she tugged at the hand on her wrist and smiled like a little girl without a care in the world, “Hey, can you sing me a lullaby?”

He recoiled, almost, “...E-eh!? I... but... I have not sung in years.” 

“It doesn’t matter, you have a charming voice.” 

“But still...” 

“Then I won’t sleep.” 

“......you are not quite a child anymore, Shelly-sama.” 

“Are you going to sing? Or not?” she taunted, practically gleaming with complacency, and he was annoyed at both her and the butterflies in his stomach. 

“Cradle of light, cradle of light” 

WHaT aRe yOu dOInG?!

“Blown about by the winds of time” 

ThIS iSn’T yOUr pLAcE, tHIs ISn’t wHAt SOmeoNe LiKe yOU is aLlOwEd tO Do!

“Drifting on waves of dappled sunlight”

YOur mUSic WAs anD wIlL fOReVeR bE A cACopHoNY oF sCReaMS GLeaNeD bY yoUr bLaDe! 

“And, before you know it...”

SToP cUrSInG sOMeonE eLsE wITh yOUr pREseNcE! STop! GEt loST! Be GOnE!

“It reaches the shores of ‘a blissful tomorrow’”

“Thank you, Xerxes. I like your singing, as I thought I would.”

Not a curse. Being in proximity to her had always made him feel like he was not a curse. Without noticing, he already buried the premonition beneath a guise of tranquility, believing that she would stay a constant in his life. 

Alas. 

“Thank you for trying,” she muttered after he took his leave, “But it won’t make a difference, Xerxes.” 

She coughed. 

Later that day, both Break and Sharon were summoned to Shelly’s chamber once more. 

That ‘blissful tomorrow’ never came. 

“Sweet dreams, Shelly-sama.”

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End of Chapter 2

[danandthereader]

Could you write a story where Dan helps the reader fall asleep (maybe by singing a lullaby like the one he mentioned on game grumps once)? Love your writing btw!

A/N: I’m so excited to fill this prompt; it’s absolutely adorable ! The thought of Dan singing me to sleep, by lullaby especially, is a really comforting and heartwarming thought. I really hope you like the fill, lovely ! ♡

SWEET NIGHTINGALE

Over the past few weeks, you’d been showing Dan your music, as well as learning about just what he'd been listening to his whole life. You were a little all over the place, in terms of genres and style, and he was very steady and standard in his. When you looked at it, it was a good way to measure just how you two balanced each other out.In terms of music, something you both seemed to have in common was the concept of lullabies and songs sung to you as children. The two of you seemed to share a lot of the same childhood tunes, despite the age difference, often catching one another singing them quietly in passing or to see if the other knew it.Other than those sorts of times, though, you hadn’t really heard those sorts of songs in years. No one ever really sang to you anymore (except for Dan, and only if you asked), and while you weren’t exactly missing it, the desire to just be lulled off to sleep without prompting was something you weirdly wished was more common in your life.

The day had been long and emotionally taxing; the idea of going to sleep was a welcome and relieving end to to everything leading up to you standing in your bedroom, half-dressed. Dan was all ready in his pajamas, tucked under the comforter and scrolling through his phone while you finished up, movements slow and sort of clumsy. When you dropped your tanktop for the third time, he looked up, eyes curious as much as confused. “You okay over there?” he asked, voice not malicious, but the smile there nonetheless. “Yeah, just...” You picked up your shirt, fixing it over yourself as quickly as your sore arms could manage. “Really tired.” And sad, but that came with the tiredness, you supposed.Climbing into bed, you practically fought to get under the blankets, Dan scooting away just a bit with a light chuckle. “Fuck these blankets, am I right?” The joke made you laugh a little too. “Yeah, fuck these blankets.” Finally settling down, he moved back to your side, phone under his pillow, you now the center of his attention. His arms wrapped around you, slow and warm, making your brain instantly go It’s okay. Relax. You’re safe, you’re loved. You’re okay. “Long day?” You nodded, tucking your head into the crook of his neck, breathing in his natural musk. “Hey.” You closed your eyes. “Could you sing to me?” You could feel Dan smile from where you were. “‘Course. Any requests?” A million songs popped into your head, all ones you knew he knew, ones that he would do amazing as covering for your ears only. “Mmm, surprise me.” You smiled too. “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are...” A snort. That wasn’t quite what you were thinking, but you’d take it, you supposed. He chuckled. “No Twinkle Twinkle tonight? All right, let’s see if I can think of another one.” There was a moment of silence, then he began again.

“Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green. When you are king, dilly dilly, I shall be queen...” The fact that Dan had chosen a lullaby, the very same that you mentioned your mother used to sing to you, made your chest tighten just a bit in nostalgia and love. You honestly weren’t expecting that. “Who told you so, dilly dilly, who told you so? 'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so.” His voice was gentle, lilting, absolutely beautiful singing the song. Your thoughts were hazy, but you couldn’t help but hum along with him. There was a pause, his fingers tracing a pattern on the skin of your shoulder, a test to maybe see if you were awake.Then he continued again, right front the top, the same lines over again. “Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green. When you are king, dilly dilly, I shall be queen...” You knew there was more to the song, but these were the only two stanzas your mother had taught you, and usually, they were enough, even if repeated a few times.It took that thought to finally put you out.