#like. god. the words are so good and fun and the way its sung is sooooo fun and epic. i love it

[mobtism]

now that im on pc: ∞!!

Play me a song that you like

You can bet I'll know every line

Let's Fall in Love for the Night - FINNEAS

ask game

[freemansgirl]

idk if ur requests are open but i just thought of something…birthday sex with Amber but it’s the reader’s bday🫣

OH MY GOD OFC YES??? i been thinking abt bday sex amber fic FOREVER cause my bday will come up soon!! ur truly a godsend <33 bless ur heart for this

nasty (birthday sex fic <3)

pairing: amber freeman x fem reader

words: 2.1k

warnings: teasing amber, amber grabs ur ass, oral sex, top! dom!amber, reader gets her boobs sucked, g!p! amber (amber has a dick, if u don’t like it, just scroll), begging, praise, degradation, cunnalingus

today was a very special day for you, it was your birthday. it was spent in a way that you couldn’t even imagine your birthday being spent. after coming back from a lovely date with your girlfriend amber, she had thrown a surprise birthday party for you, inviting your mutual friends. the birthday party was so fun and had so many memories you knew you could cherish in a couple of years. the fact that everyone showed up, sung you happy birthday, gave you hugs, gifts, and wishes, and danced with you was making you feel emotional and happy.

you started to take the knife when you saw that your (favorite cake flavor) cake was already put on the table for you, but you were stopped by footsteps approaching from behind you and a firm touch on the left side of your hips. this threw a look of confusion on your face for a split second but you knew that touchy feeling approach anywhere, causing you to let out a loving sigh. “came to come join me for a slice of cake, i see?” you questioned amber playfully, looking to see the girl you loved. amber was assisting you in slicing the cake when she lightly ran her pale hands over yours when the knife touched the portion you desired. she finished helping you cutting the slice that you want, before speaking to you again.

“yes, but not the cake that you’re thinking about.” she seductively whispered in your ear so only the two of you could hear it while her free hand was sneaking its way down to your ass. you let out the smallest, cutest gasp while a flustered expression crept its way right onto your face at the sex joke amber had made towards you. she had produced a ton of sex jokes tonight just to make you laugh and tease you, but she most definitely meant those "jokes" as well. the whole night she couldn’t stop checking you out in the birthday dress you decided to wear tonight, you were just so damn attractive to her and she was so lucky to even have someone like you. the way your dress fitted your curves so nicely, it was like it was meant for you. the fact that she bought the dress made it even better because she’s making you look so good, so good that it was so hard for her to keep her eyes off of you. the perfume that she bought you had her in a trance too, each whiff that she got of you drew her into your aroma more.

the black pantyhose that you were wearing right underneath your dress was so attractive to her. then, the sexy slit in your lacy dress showing off just how beautiful your thighs are. the bust showing off how nice your breasts are sitting in the dress, it was drawing so much attention to how amazing they looked. lastly, your ass just looked so great and that just was getting her so weak in the knees like damn, she couldn’t even believe the sight that she was looking at. her dark brown eyes were scanning over you from across the room the whole time you had to get up to go walk or when you went to speak with one of your mutual friends.

when she had you sit on her lap in the circle around the couch of the living room with your friend group, she could feel herself getting hard underneath her dress. everytime she stared at you, her eyes were looking you down from head to toe, they were growing with lust and hunger. there were so many instances that she whispered sweet nothings in your ear, while drawing circles on your thighs, absolutely no shame. she loved seeing your cute expressions and gasps, it was making her more turned on by the second. she found it really hard to focus on the conversation with the friend group or whenever you spoke to her because her head was clouded with so much sexual thoughts.

you could feel just how horny she was because of the amount of sex “jokes” she made, the constant whispering in your ear when you were by yourself, her stares, and her touches (esp when she would press her dick from behind you). honestly, you could feel yourself getting in the mood and you felt like your body had something to say to her. the way your panties were soaking from all the sexual feelings you were experiencing made you want to say something, and at this point, you just needed some one-on-one time with her. you were ready for everyone to go home so you guys can just have sex, just like she was so ready to get you out of the dress.

you turned to your girlfriend, staring into her eyes with the most neediest yet horniest eyes because you are tired of waiting on the sex and you know she was too. you didn’t even have to say anything to her, your look was already enough. “what do you want, baby?” she said, caressing your chin looking at you, clearly playing dumb because she knows that you want her. “can we just get to it, baby? enough with the sex jokes, i want you. can you get everyone to bounce?” you replied, looking at all of your friends laughing and having a really good time then back to amber.

“you don’t have to even ask, babe. i’ll meet you upstairs in my room for tonight’s final present. throw on something cute.” she smiled, pulling your chin closer to her so she can land a soft, gentle kiss on your cheek. after that, the two of you parted ways for a couple of minutes. you begin to go upstairs to open the door to amber’s room, there was a bunch of pretty red rose petals spread out on the bed and candle lights filling up the room. the scent of lavender flowing freely, setting that romantic, sexy mood. an adorable yet sexy lace, satin pajama set in your favorite color was waiting for you on the bed.

amber is such a wonderful girlfriend, she got you a birthday dress, perfume, your birthstone ring, now this? oh, she is truly the best. you begin to strip out of everything that you were currently wearing to put on the satin pajama set she gave you. at the sound of the door creaking, you could see the black haired girl standing at the doorframe making her way right over to you. “you look perfect, just how i imagined you to be in this set.”

“thank you, amber. couldn’t have looked perfect without you.” you speak as you smiled so happily at the words, appreciating the compliments she threw out. you realizing that it was the two of you, no one else could ruin the moment. you wrapped your arms around her neck, bringing her into a kiss while her body pushed you right into the bed covers, the soft, comfortable sheets taking you in.

she started to leave small, sweet kisses right above your collarbone then pulled your top right above your head; revealing your bare breasts right on display. “you have the most perfect set of breasts ever. you’re amazing, gorgeous.” she praised, before her tongue started to leave swirls around your nipples. she began to suck on them gentle but also roughly, loving all of the cute noises you made for her while she rubbed her hands on your body. amber pulled back off of your nipples to quickly take off her dress, so now it was just her bra and her boxers. she approached you to slip off your shorts and underwear, both clothing items hitting the carpet on the ground of the room. amber carefully started to remove her boxers, exposing her hard dick.

she started to rub the tip of her dick up and down your slick, wet folds of your vagina, causing her skin to feel moist from the texture of your lips. when she realized how wet you are, she had the biggest smirk on her face as she began to laugh. she loved when she saw you this wet because it made her feel like you knew you belonged to her. “i haven’t even fucked you yet, and you’re already this wet? i always knew you were a slut for my dick, but not THIS much of one….” she snickered, before gesturing her tip right into your hole causing your gasp sound like a moan slightly, pushing her back slightly which causing her to stop to look at you. there was an irritated look on her face, while she grabbed both of your wrists above your head so you can’t touch her.

“stop whining, you wanted this. you’re the one who wanted me to kick our friends out because your whore ass wanted birthday dick.” amber reprimanded you while firmly grasping your wrist with one hand and tightening her hold on the right side of your waist with the other. the tight grip she had on you could make you wake up the next day with a bruise from tonight. “so if you don’t want birthday sex, fine, it’s your loss. if you do… then beg for it, before i change my mind.” your girlfriend's hold on your wrist has grown even tighter as her dark smile and sly eye twinkle with mischief.

“i’m sorry, please, please, please! fuck me, baby!” you start pleading with her, hoping that she will just fuck you and end the conversation. it’s not fair of her to be such a tease towards you from the restaurant date to the party just for you to not get dicked down. she was definitely getting off to this, pleased with what you were saying to her. when she stuck her dick right inside of your vagina, the beginning thrust was slow and very sensual when she put it inside of you. the two of you let out some groans from this. your bodies were definitely touching now, her figure was hovering right over yours as she stared at you with a lot of sexual excitement. as each of you made noises as amber moved in and out with her thrusts, she began to take her sweet time with you.

the feeling of amber’s touches felt incredibly amazing as her pink lips started to leave little trails of kisses all over your body, from your collarbone to your breasts. she started to shower you in compliments because she loved seeing how well you were starting to take her. “you look so pretty, taking my dick so nicely like my good girl instead of a whore.” she breathed out, grabbing your hips onto her dick, each thrust feeling like a slam. you start to moan a lot from the pleasure that she was giving you, everything was just perfect. “faster, baby… please.” you let out a shaky pant, wanting your girlfriend to go even faster than the speed she was already going at. the black haired girl stopped kisses all of your body to just look at you so she can speak. “your wish is my command, birthday girl.” she smiled at you, now her dick started to move even faster inside of you, the speed was now starting to stimulate you.

“now, tell me, before i pull out to let you cum, remind me who’s my beautiful birthday girl?” she instructed, her hand now taking her hands off of your wrists, allowing you to touch her now. you take both of your hands and place them side by side on her face, about to speak to her. “me, all yours, always yours!” you exclaim, your moans getting louder and louder which leads amber to pull out so you can start to release from the orgasm. amber is also pretty close her own self, cumming right on your pussy, adding to the orgasm you just had.

now, she began to lean down to your vagina that had cum decorated all over it. she took both of your legs and spread then wide open, her head getting buried inside of the your legs. as she grabbed your trembling legs from the orgasm you just had, she began to eat you out. the flavor of both of your cum combined got her going. “you taste so sweet, baby…. i could you eat you out all night like this.”

you were moaning so much from all of the constant licks against your clit. you ran a hand in her hair, soothing her and pulling her into your pussy some more. then, amber realized that everything was gone and you seemed pretty clean. she pulled away, satisfied with everything that just happened, she enjoyed you and the sex (ofc). the sex was so good that she would treat you to aftercare soon, but right now, she just wanted to lay with her favorite birthday girl in the world.

she pulled you into her chest, wrapping her arms right around you, her left hand rubbing over your hand soothingly.

“happy birthday, princess. eating you out was the sweetest thing i had tonight.”

[doug-meat]

parts of the npmd soundtrack that scratch my brain perfectly (act 2)

again its all under the cut. i hope this is comprehensible its longer than the last one. idk what else to say

HATCHET TOWN

dan's whole bit at the start. just the way he says everything. so good

the ahh ahh ahhs

the electric guitar <3

curt's voice for bailey esp the growl

A LOSIN STREAKS COMIN!

the smoooothness of corey's voice and the way he sings things auuauauuau

IF HE GETS ME NEXT I COULD BE THREE!

the harmonies on man down down down down

the little plinky organ melody in the backround that comes in halfway through the chorus UAUUAUAUA

the way jon says donna

donna's "DAN!!!"

i certainly dont LOVE killing!

the harmonies on "bailey's/barry's on the loose and he's got a gun" (im talking mainly abt the soundtrack and not the proshot so bailey is more applicable here but both r so good)

I'M A COP!

fits the bill! it fits the bill!

THE HARMONIES ON THE SECOND MAN DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN UAUUAUAUAU

the who's swingin the hatchet now harmonies

HATCHET TOOOOOWN

I AM THE MAYOR!!!!

HOW DARE YOU!!!

bryce's solo <3 all of it is so good

BOY JERRY <3 and gerald monroe ig but i love jerry

LET'S KILL 'IM!

CAN I SHIT OR WILL I DROWN

kim's little opera bit

the final in hatchet town harmony <3

JUST FOR ONCE

this whole song in general btw. i love ruth fleming so so so so so so so so so much this song was such a silly contemperary theatre tribute

NO, i haven't seen your grill brush, MAURY. huh YEAH! i used it to BRUSH MY HAIR this morning CANT YOU TELL. ugh

DONT LEAVE ME OUT HERE WITH THE MEAT, MAURY! medium WHA? how can something be medium AND WELL, MAURY?

ugh. maury.

*sigh* i turned 40 today.

the piano coming in

the synthy strum

the way lauren sings the word saturday. her voice throughout this whole song just scratches the brain itch so well

the way she says window, right, dream, and had

they never win

and LIIIIIFE is FULLL of all of the Trappings of The Well to Dew

god i love ruth. i love this song i love this song.

the slight tonal shift (thats not the right word ugh) for the choruses.

39 I LOSE MY HAIR UNDER CAREFUL CHEMO TREATMENT

the way lauren says ensnared

JUDGE ME.

IT FUCKING WORKED I'M FUCKING HERE HE'S FUCKING HER IM DISAPPOINTED

and of the two who's the worse for wear (ME.)

the tambourine

idk what that instrument is in the bg of second chorus it sounds like a saxaphone but also synthy???? idk but i love it

SHOULD I FLIP THE BURGERS NOWWW!

the clarity of lauren's first oh UAUAUA

SHOULD I LET THE YEARS COOOK MY BODY DOWN IN FRONT OF HIM

all 3 just for onces esp the last one with the riff

THE WAY THAT BEHIND THE JUST FOR ONCES YOU CAN HEAR THE "if i can finally be cool i will know that i'm not a loser" MOTIF AUUAUAISUAUUAISIAU

the way the tone calms back down but its still like so vulnerable... uuuuuauu

the way she says every word in this last verse

i used to dance :(

IF I LOVED YOU

THE SYNTH

I NEVER WANTED YEW ANYWAY!

joey's general tone in this UAUAU so good

mariah's deeper voice HEART EYES AUUUU

i just love lautski this song is so good i can barely pick things out bc this whole song scratches my brain

joey's lil growl on "oh babe i'd let u know"

OOOO! i guess we'd better save the date!

need a lover MAYUN

i love when jeff blim crams a lot of syllables into an amount of time like that its so fun

the harmonies <3

wake me up when u turn 18!!!

if i IF I!!!!!

the repeating round style of singing in order to come together eventually I lov them

dissonance <3

THE SUMMONING

the way the lords names are sung i love it sm

the lords names being whispered in the background

tNOY karaxis

WIGGOG WIGGOG Y'WRATH

the woah ohs and the drums kicking in

the music cutting out

HELLO FWENDY WENDS

the we will build a portal motif

the laughter

just the whole little lord verses its so discordant and fun and i love it so much i love the voices they put on i love the lyrics

LA LA LA LA LA ALALALALALA

the book has all but closed on ur life!

THE LORDS IN BLACK ARE THE LORDS IN BLACK ARE

blinky's we've been watching u gracie

the way curt says spankoffski and toy box

GOOOO NIGHTHAWKS!

tinky's laugh

jon's wiggly voice

WHY HELP U WITH THE JAGERMAN WHEN WE CAN HELP THE WORLD

the drums

swallow his soul i wanna lick it!

i wanna see thaaaat

WHATEVER WE WANT WE WANT WE WANT WHATEVER WE WANT WE GET

AAAAUHGUGH there IS something!

something FUN!!!

the lords in black the lords in black call us...

what do u want steph...

do it... or DIE

WE DONT GIVE A SHIT ABT UR PHONE!

AHHHHHHUHGHHH THERE HE IS

what's in your pocket STEPH-A-KNEE

STEPHANIE HAS GOT A GUN TRALALALA HOW FUN! STEPHANIE HAS GOT A GUN SHE KNOWS WHAT MUST BE DONE

i love this whole song its so silly and crazy

YUM YUM!

or FUCK OFF

that last "the lords in black the lords in black call us"

COOL AS I THINK I AM REPRISE

this one makes me really sad :( still so good

one of us is in love :(((((((((

it doesnt TAKE a detective

the violins coming in again

is it really a crime if you get to live your life to the fullest :((((

YOU GET TO LIVE ON :(((((

the i love u i know :(((((((

ur not as cool as u think u are! :(

THE HARMONIES :(

IF I CAN FINALLY BE COOL :((((

i will know that you have to do it :(((

joey's lower register for this last little if i loved u chorus :(((

loved u more than the stars above :(((((( (how many sad faces can i use)

the pause before could've :((((

i cant even say anything more abt this one it makes me too sad

ok yes i can the i never wanted you anyway breaks my heart

BEST OF YOU

the guitar

the needy beast esque pronounciation of words idk how else to say it i just love it

LIKE EYE DEW

we hurted!

the harmonies on town and down

IM THE BEST OF YEW!

this song is just so fun

it's like you knew me b4 u knew me! that whole bit! i love it!

THE AHS IN THE BACK OF THE SECOND BIT OF THE SECOND VERSE

ABSCONDED BELOVED

FOREVER!

WE'RE GONNA RUN AROUND 2NITE!

I BELIEVE IN YEWWWW

never gonna fall!

the echoey verse in the back at the end Auuu so good

the ending note harmony

DIRTY DUDES MUST DIE

the souls of the pervs make me strong

her laugh

I LOVE ANGELA'S VOICE

everything she sings here sounds so incredible

ARE U HARD BC UR STRESSED

what????

i just love this reprise its so so good

i cant point out specific parts bc its just all incredible

OF THE NERDS U MINIMIIIIIIIZED!!!! her RIFF!

THE LAUGH

when the ensemble comes in heart eyes

WHO WILL PRAY 4 U WHEN UR BODY'S GONE THIS IS THE CONSEQUENCE FOR WHAT YOUVE DOOOOONE

DARKNESS WILL SPARE MY SOUL

run pervs RUN

[spaceorphan18]

Glee Musical Retrospective: Vogue (The Power of Madonna)

Sung by: Sue Sylveester Original Artist(s): Madonna

Okay... one of the most pivotal moments of the show -- right here. Look, while we'll get into the lose story connection in a minute, let's be real for a moment... The purpose for doing this is entirely for Ryan Murphy to be indulgent. This song really has no purpose except for the fact that Murphy wanted to redo an iconic music video in his own way.

And you know what? That's not a criticism. Glee is shedding its need to have the music adhere so close to the narrative and push in on doing things for the fun of it. Is that indulgence good all the time? No, not really. But this was such a fun, inspired, and brilliant performance, you can't help but smile at the ridiculousness of it.

This music video is a delight, and I'm glad that Glee just gave in to its creator's whim.

Story Analysis

The definition of the word 'vogue' is as follows...

Noun. popular acceptation or favor; a period of popularity; the leading place in popularity or acceptance Verb. to strike poses in campy imitation of fashion models especially as a kind of dance

The whole thing about 'vogue' is to be at the height of admirable popularity in the moment. Madonna was when she created the song. And Sue Sylvester wants to be in the episode. I also think there's a big fourth wall break, too, where the show was coming into the height of its popularity. It was very in vogue to be a Glee fan back in 2010 -- the show knew it was cool, and this was kind of capitalizing on that.

So, while this performance doesn't necessarily move any story beats along, it does make commentary on Sue and on the show as a whole.

I love the lengths the show goes to make this performance seem like it's something being done in the Glee world. It's Kurt's vision (with the help of Mercedes) to do a multimedia project. He has Artie direct it -- and my god, why didn't Artie put this on his resume?

(Fun fact - legendary director David Fincher did Madonna's original video, so Artie being able to recreate this is kind of amazing.)

And... it speaks to Sue's character. She wants to be the one admired, feared, loved, respected, empowered, revered, and anything else that keeps her at the center of the conversation. She wants to be the one in vogue. And I think in this meta moment, she is.

I have a few questions though --

Who thought of this song? Was it Kurt or Sue? Or even Artie? I think this song speaks to Kurt's story, too. The beginning of the song speaks to pain and heartache -- and letting it all go to enjoy the moment. I think this speaks to his personality, what inspires him, and what his aspirations are.

What were the in universe reactions to this? That's the thing about the song, though. As neat as it is to see -- there really aren't any direct story tie ins. Sue's story gets played out in other ways. And yes, this lets Kurt and Mercedes have an opportunity to join the Cheerios. But it's a shame that no one in universe even makes a comment about this video. Ah well.

The thing about this one, overall, is that while it's a big set piece of the episode, and while it does speak to both Sue and Kurt's character (and the show as a whole) - there isn't a whole lot to break down? It's funny, because I think this song is one of those things that Glee might be remembered for - but it's so kind of detached from the narrative, it makes it this interesting little side beat.

But - something to note - because this was such a hit, the show does take a turn into this direction. The show is going to push more into the spectacle of the song they've picked for better or worse, whether it's important to the narrative or not.

Technical Thoughts

Just gonna bullet point all of this...

They went out of their way to recreate the music video as much as they could -- watching the original video as they shot.

Jane does an excellent job with the song. You have to give her some bonus points, too, for making it funny on top of being an homage.

(Though if you notice - they do not make Jane do the heavy lifting dancing that Madonna does in her video. Probably for the better.)

The line 'Will Schuester - I hate you' and Kurt's reactions might be one of my favorite comedy bits from the entire show.

Speaking of Kurt -- the kid was made for this kind of classic Hollywood look. He's so good in this. (Sorry Mercedes - she's great, too, but Kurt just pulls so much focus.)

Fun fact - apparently, Naya and Heather did hand work in this, and Heather was the one in the cone bra.

They used their usual group of dancers -- and everyone in this video is just so good.

Hats off the the editors - they did a phenomenal job cutting this to be nearly identical to the original video.

I honestly don't have a ton to say about it -- it's a great performance, and you can see just how much the entire team put into making it something special.

vs. The Studio Version : There's an added two minutes to this version, though it doesn't really feel like it? The beginning is much longer, and the chorus is repeated a few more times, but that's about it.

vs. The Original Version : Well... now is your chance to compare and contrast! How did they do? Really well actually. ;) (Also - if you put it into youtube, there is someone out there who did a side by side comparison.)

[sunshinebingo]

Hello hello!! Here is the 3rd and last part of this amazing fic. My apologies that it has taken so long. If you haven't read the previous part, you can check the Part 1 here by @sideralwriting, and Part 2 here by @thelovelymadone. Both of their chapters are chef's kiss 😘 I hope mine is good enough 😅 Also, check out the Masterlist of the Acotar Writing Circle here for more fics!!

Thank you @azrielshadowssing for organising the Acotar Writing Circles. They are always really fun to be a part of. ♥

Pairing: Helion x LoA

Word Count: 3.9k

Warning: little bit of smut 🤏

Read Part 3 on Ao3 or below the cut

I hope you enjoy! 🌊

Chapter 3: There are no rainbows without rain

It’s her.

He knew it before but he is certain of it now. As her lips gently moves against his and that ever-present tether pulls them closer, all thoughts and dreams he has had of her flashed behind his closed eyes and he knows that she is the one that the Gods had meant for him since the beginning. She is his angel sent to save him. His salvation in every way. His light of sunshine that would rival even the brightest day in Rhodes. She is the beginning and the end.

‘’Cyra, I…’’ he struggles to find the words when their lips part and he looks down at her. She looks at him with wide eyes and an expression of awe that he is sure is a mirror to his own.

‘’Do you feel it too?’’ she finally asks. He knows then that the rope of glittering gold that is wrapping itself tightly around his heart is doing the same to hers. Cyra grabs his hand, places it on her heart and he feels it.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Her heart is racing in sync with his own. That rope of light pulls them impossibly closer and he feels it circling around them, engulfing them with the promise that their souls are forever bound to each other. The rope of life chants to them, encouraging them to bound their bodies to seal that promise.

Looking at Cyra, Helion finds that he does not need to ask for what she thinks of all this. The look in her eyes and the tug he feels from her side of that ethereal rope give away her want. And still –

‘’Yes,’’ she whispers against his lips before kissing him with more passion and abandon than he has ever witnessed in her. Helion takes everything that she gives him and gives himself completely in return. Soon he lies her down beneath him on the sand next to what remains of the fire. The light around them shines brighter than the stars and the moon, and it glows brighter with every touch and every kiss.

Kiss, touch, claim…

The tether between them sings so clearly that it drowns out the sound of the crashing waves and the trees swaying with the wind. The only thing louder now is their gasps and moans after they get rid of their clothes and explore the others body.

Helion’s name comes out of her lips over and over again like a prayer as he kisses and touches and claims her just like the light between them demands of him. ‘’Cyra,’’ he whispers against her throat. She brings his face up to hers and looks straight into his eyes, nodding once, before Helion slowly thrusts inside her.

With that final connection, the light between them shines even brighter and sing a song that only their joined souls can hear. It sounds like the ancient hymns of Rhodes sung on the shores to celebrate the sea and sun combined with other voices that he somehow knows are whispered in the Autumn forest despite never having been there. These ethereal voices echo the promise of the bond; they promise life, love, laughter and comfort that only the twin to your soul can bring.

As he moves in and out of her and Cyra moves with him, Helion feels his essence mingling with hers. When their movement becomes more frantic and the pleasure building inside them reach its peak, he sends his silent thanks to the Gods for sending this magnificent female to him. Cyra cries out his name as she shatters around him and he follows, spilling himself deep inside her while he drinks in the sound of her voice and the feel of her as she holds onto him tightly. The light between them slowly fades, until what remains is the faint glow of their bodies as they remain tangled in each other.

‘’Helion,’’ Cyra whispers as if afraid to come back to a reality where all of this has only been a dream. He moves his face from her neck to place a kiss on the tip of her freckled nose and then looks at her. She presses her forehead against his and whispers again, ‘’I am yours.’’

The tether between them thrums with its last notes as Helion brushes his nose against Cyra’s and whispers back, ‘’And I am yours.’’

They remain in this blissful silence for a while until he lifts her up and carries to the sea to wash away the sand from their bodies. Their late-night swim leads to another round of love making followed by both of them laughing amidst the gentle waves of the calm sea. Then they finally rejoin their cave, both clothed and a new fire lit up to keep them warm. Cyra lies on top of him and they hold onto each other closer than they ever have. Soon, she falls asleep lulled by the crashing waves and the sound of their breathing.

Helion’s last thought before he follows the other half of his soul into a well-deserved sleep is that, of all the storms he has been through, none has ever brought him this much peace. But what he does not know yet is that there is a kind of storm that does not cause the waves to rise nor the rain to fall. What this storm brings is days of sorrow and pain as its tempestuous wind blows tangled souls in opposites directions and forces them to hold onto hope to keep their ship afloat.

.........

The following weeks they spend on the island are the most blissful moments Cyra has ever had in her entire life. Her new reality cuts her off so much from her life before the storm that when their old life comes back, she forgets for a moment that she has been a lady and he a Prince.

They should be glad that help has come for them. That means that they have not been forgotten. Cyra’s heart beats in her throat as she watches the ship that approaches their isolated island that morning. She recalls the last time she has seen the three masts and the familiar green and gold sails being pushed forward by the wind. Of all the scenarios she has made in her mind about someone coming for them, she has never held onto the hope that it would be the Duke’s ship that would come for them.

A small boat with a few men aboard is lowered to the sea and makes it the rest of the way to the shore. Cyra cannot make out yet who they are. She holds onto Helion’s arm while they wait. Her eyes fill with tears but not of happiness at being saved, but of fear that whatever has grown between them will be left on this island. ‘’I don’t want to leave you,’’ she tells him.

Helion turns to her, taking Cyra’s face between his hands and kisses her forehead. He must have sensed how she has become tense at the thought of returning back to her father. ‘’Everything will be fine,’’ he tries to reassure her.

‘’Hey, look at me,’’ he lifts her face so she looks into his eyes. ‘’Whatever comes next, we will face it. Do you understand?’’

Cyra nods. ‘’Together.’’

‘’Together,’’ he repeats with a smile. ‘’I am yours Cyra,’’ he kisses her cheek. ‘’I will always be yours,’’ and the other cheek.

The humming of the rope tying their souls sends a flow of relief and hope in her. ‘’And I am yours,’’ she promises him again before pouring all that she feels for him through that invisible bridge between them.

Looking back at the approaching boat, Cyra lets go of him and braces herself for what she imagines her father would say when he sees her. Lost at sea or not, having almost lost her life or not, the Duke will not be happy to see her daughter in her old, worn-out clothes while clinging to a stranger, especially a male. But in this moment, she is ready to fight her strict father for what she really wants. For what the Gods have deemed her worthy of. She has risked her life for him once and she will do it again.

However, there is no sign of the Duke among those who disembarks the little boat. Instead, her eyes stop on someone she has heard to be far worse than her father. Beron, a Prince of Autumn. Cyra’s blood goes cold at the sight of the male who she has heard terrible rumours about. What is he doing here? Where is my father?

‘’Lady Cyra,’’ Beron asks as he stops before the pair. He does not even acknowledge Helion who stands between them. ‘’I come here on behalf of your family. Allow me to escort you back to safety.’’

The island seems safer than the male who is currently offering it to her. As if suddenly remembering her manners in the presence of new faces, Cyra dips in a bow. ‘’Thank you for coming for us.’’

Beron grimaces and looks at Helion like he has just now realised that he is here too. ‘’I did not come for him I’m afraid. I only came for you. Your father and I have a strict agreement.’’ Cyra frowns, dumbfounded at what she is hearing. Helion tenses beside her and Cyra instinctively reaches for his hand and interlace their fingers. Beron tracks the movement and raises an eyebrow.

‘’What sort of agreement?’’ Helion asks the other Prince.

Beron ignores him again and addresses Cyra only. ‘’Your father gave you away to me if I agreed to come look for you.’’

‘’What?’’ Cyra snaps. She would rather be forgotten by her father than being handed over to the first male like a mere object. ‘’I refuse to leave without him.’’

Helion wraps his arm around her both in reassurance and to let Beron know that he has no intention of being separated from her either.

‘’Fine,’’ Beron says nonchalantly. ‘’Take them both,’’ he says to the few guards who have come with him. Cyra and Helion thrash and fight the five males trying to pull them apart to drag them to the small boat.

Fight, fight, fight, their bond urges them both.

‘’Make it quick,’’ Beron shouts over Cyra’s screams. Someone knocks Helion out and he falls down. They hit her a second later and the last thing she sees is the guards dragging Helion’s unconscious body on the sand before everything turns black.

.........

Cyra wakes up in pain. The back of her head, her legs, her arms. Everything hurts. Or perhaps it is just the terrible headache that is making her whole body feel worse. The swaying feeling is not making things better either. She opens her eyes in a dimly lit cabin. But seeing everything moving around her only makes her nauseous. She only manages to turn her head to the side before she empties the content of her stomach on the wooden floor.

Someone rushes by her side with a towel in hand and a glass of water. ‘’Drink this my lady,’’ the servant tells her.

She takes only a little sip and gives the glass back to the female. ‘’What happened?’’

And then she feels it. Find him, find him, find him. The bond sings.

‘’Helion,’’ she whispers before the servant can explain anything. Cyra jumps out of the bed without taking the time to acknowledge that she has been changed into new clothes and rush to the door. She feels dizzy but she has to find him. When she opens the door, two guards blocks her way out.

‘’Let me out,’’ she orders them but they do not budge.

‘’My lady ple- ‘’

‘’What is happening?’’ she turns to the female and asks in a harsh and panicked tone.

The female looks at Cyra as if she has turned into a wild animal. ‘’You should rest my lady. The travel has been long and we will arrive at your home soon.’’

‘’Home?’’ Cyra asks more to herself.

‘’Yes, my lady. We will reach the shores of Autumn in a few days.’’

How long have I been asleep? Why can’t I leave? Where is Helion? What happened to him? Is he safe? Cyra holds her aching head as the questions and worry assault her mind. I have to find him, I have to find him…

The servant grabs Cyra by the hand and pulls her inside the cabin before shutting the door. ‘’The other male is fine my lady,’’ she whispers. Cyra realises then that she must have spoken out loud. She looks at the female with pleading eyes.

The servant looks at the closed door like she was ensuring that no one can hear them. ‘’The male who was with you on the island is in a cell below.’’ Cyra gasps.

‘’He is fine my lady,’’ the servant takes her hands and continues.

‘’Please tell me what happened,’’ Cyra begs.

The servant guides her back to the bed and makes her sit down before she explains everything that has happened while Cyra was unconscious. She keeps her voice as low as possible and occasionally looks at the door. ‘’Prince Beron does not believe that the male is an actual Prince. He says that he will remain his prisoner until he gets proof of his true identity.’’

Anger fills her when Cyra learns that Helion has been brutalized by Beron. What stops her from tearing this ship apart to go find him is the servant’s warning. ‘’The Prince of Autumn is powerful my lady. It is best if you do not fight him.’’

‘’Why is he doing this?’’ Cyra shouts in the cabin.

‘’Because I can,’’ a voice drawled at the door as it opens again. He shoots a look at the servant who lowers her gaze before leaving. Cyra hopes that no one has heard the servant tell her so much. She does not wish for the kind female to face the possible cruel consequences of having helped her.

‘’I want to see him,’’ Cyra says, trying to sound calm.

Beron scoffs at her. ‘’You do not have the right to want anything here, lady Cyra,’’ he steps towards her. He grimaces at what Cyra assumes is the smell of vomit that fills the cabin. ‘’I saved you. You owe me. And that is it.’’

‘’What do you want from me?’’ she stands up.

The Prince smirks. ‘’I told you. Your father handed you to me.’’

Another wave of nausea roils in her when she remembered what he said on the beach. ‘’You, my lady,’’ he takes another step, stopping toe to toe with her, ‘’belong to me now.’’

Cyra gulps. She feels sick. She needs to throw up again and her head spins. She sits back on the bed and holds her head between her hands. A small relief spreads in her through the bond in her heart. She places a hand there and holds onto that connection.

‘’As for your fake little Prince, he will get what is coming for him if he is lying to me.’’ With that, Beron turns around and walks the two steps to the door. ‘’If you try to see him,’’ he adds over his shoulder, ‘’I will make you watch as I punish him.’’

As soon as the door slams shut behind him, Cyra throws up again. Soon, the servant comes in the cabin with a bucket of water and towels. She cleans the mess she has made on the floor. By the time that she starts to care for her, wiping the cold sweat from her face and changing her clothes again, Cyra falls back asleep, still holding onto the rope of warmth in her chest.

.........

He has spent weeks on that ship and a few more in another cell in the royal dungeons of Autumn. Months during which Helion has spent most of his time either sleeping or being subjected to the questioning and beatings of the Autumn Prince. The pretentious prick still believes that he is lying. Or perhaps he just enjoys using his fists. Anyway, he does not know what is coming for him.

The time he spends in his cell at least allows Helion to think of all the ways he will be able to have revenge against Autumn once he is back in Rhodes. Perhaps he can make sure that Autumn loses all associates in Day. Or maybe he can send some contaminated rats into the home of the Prince. Either way, he will pay.

Every day and night, the servant who bring his food, the one who has tended to Cyra on the ship, also brings news of his lady. But the news have not been as good as he would like. She has been sick since she woke up on the ship and that has him worried. She has been able to see her family. But even that has not helped much apparently. Helion can sense her distress through their bond.

Find her. Keep her safe… that rope of light screams at him.

But there is nothing he can do from here except pour his love for her through their bond and let her know that he is still here. One of the few comforts Helion has is the fact that the Autumn Prince has not claimed her yet. Helion has learned from that same servant that Beron is waiting for Cyra’s health to improve before he officially declares the Duke’s daughter as his wife. So with nothing else to do, Helion prays that his light of sunshine gets better and that they can soon be reunited.

We will be together soon my sunshine, he sends to her through their bond.

Thump! Thump! Thump! He listens to the beat of his one own heart. Thump! Thump! Thump! Another beat echoes right after his own. Then he feels the faint tug in his heart.

Together, my sunshine, he promises.

A few heart beats later, another tug.

Together, her voice fills his head and Helion smiles.

.........

‘’You will pay for this.’’

Helion rises to the sound of a familiar voice. Slowly, his eyes open.

‘’Release my son at once,’’ the booming voice echoes in the cell and Helion eyes instantly widen.

‘’Father?’’

At first, he thinks that this is a dream. A wishful thinking manifested by his imagination. But then his eyes find those of his father, amber eyes similar to his and the loose greying hair framing his face.

The guard fumbles with the key for a minute before the door to his cell finally opens. ‘’Are you well?’’ the King of Rhodes asks with both hands on his shoulders.

Helion nods. He holds his father in a hug for a minute before the King pulls back. ‘’Let’s get you out of this wretched place.’’

Helion remains silent as he walks towards his freedom. Finally.

He knows from the look on his father’s face and the tension in his body that he too is plotting the demise of the Autumn Prince.

.........

The days come and go. The sun rises and sets. Yet Cyra feels the same as the first day she has come back to Autumn after she has been rescued. Her health has not gone much better. She often feels nauseous and her head often aches. She has seen a healer but has refused to tell anyone about what the female has said. And she will keep refusing until she can be reunited with the reason behind her sickness.

Soon, he has promised through their bond. So Cyra decided that she will wait. She knows she will get better once she is with him. He is the only one with whom she intends to share her condition with. So, she waits.

Sometimes her sisters sit by her side and read to her. She has not tell them much of her days on the island. These days are her treasure. Precious memories of the happiest moments of her life. Just the thought of them makes the hope inside her burns bright.

Other days, like today, Cyra just walks around the Duke’s estate in search of any spot with enough sunshine where she can sit and daydream about the bright rays she has lived under on the island. The sun in Autumn does not shine as bright as she has started to love. Nor is it as warm. So Cyra relies on her memories and the light inside her to keep her warm.

Tug!

Something pulls at her heart. Cyra stops amidst the flowers and focuses on that invisible rope inside her.

Tug!

Harder this time. It feels urgent.

Find him, find him, find him… it chants.

A wave of fear crashes over her, causing her headache to come back. Cyra closes her eyes and holds tight onto that rope. She tugs back. And soon…

Tug! and another stronger Tug!

Cyra gasps at the force of it.

Look, look, look… it urges her.

Cyra turns and looks around frantically. Her eyes travel from the garden, to the walls of the estate, to the gate and then –

There. Just behind the open gate. Looking brighter than any sunny days of this court.

Run, run, run…

And she does. She runs and does not stop until she is in his arms. She buries her face between his neck and shoulder when he lifts her off the ground and she cries. The tether between them shines a light that only they can see while it whispers their shared promises.

I am yours. And you are mine. Together…

Helion pulls away first and kisses her like he is trying to make up for every second that they have spent apart. His kiss is like a balm to her aching soul. Every sorrow and despair that has kept her company in his absence are washed away by the sudden tide of relief and joy that floods her.

‘’My beautiful lady.’’

Cyra giggles against his neck. ‘’My sailor.’’

‘’Come with me,’’ he says when he places her down. Cyra only stares at him. ‘’I am going back to Rhodes. Come with me and we’ll never be apart again.’’

She looks back at the estate of her father. Cyra thinks of her family and her life here. Helion places a finger beneath her chin and turns her head so that she can face him. ‘’We can go see your father if that is what you wish. I am a Prince after all,’’ he shrugs. ‘’You will be exchanging one of Autumn for one of Day.’’

She could. She could go back and asks for her father’s permission. Cyra has always been the obedient daughter who listens to every word her father says if only to prevent his name from being soiled. But the Duke has given her away to a cruel male for the sake of that family name. The sole reason why he has sent someone to rescue her was in hope that the Autumn Prince would get the prized obedient daughter that everyone talks so highly of.

‘’No,’’ Cyra says firmly. This time, she will choose for herself. She will follow the one that the Gods have already chosen for her. ‘’Let’s go now.’’

When Helion smiles at her, the light between them burns even brighter, humming again of love and life and something new. Something born out of the promise between their hearts and soul.

[ace-of-squirrels-card]

Turpentine is my all time favorite song. It was my top song from Spotify wrapped in 2023 despite being released on October 20 (wrapped was released Nov 29 lol). It's about searching for meaning in a meaningless life. Let me tell you what's so fucking amazing about this song: an essay, by me, ace of squirrel

Soak your clothes in kerosene

Cleanse the mind of ketamine

Slide your mom on top of me

Wash yourself with turpentine

Okay this song opens with very classic Tom lyrics. Wacky, silly, seems meaningless, casually vulgar. In many ways this entire album feels like a return to form, and that opening verse is a great example.

My arms, I've raised again

Today I don't feel bitter

I have no path within

Don't know if I'll get better

My own mind's unclean

Can't taste anything

What if I'm not like the others?

A broken man, a Frankenstein

What if my heart won't recover?

I'll clean myself with turpentine

Then there's an immediate tone shift to these really raw lyrics. These lyrics are heavy. It gives the impression of someone who woke up one day, no longer recognizing themself. As if to say "Is this what I've become?" Feeling like somehow, the whole is *less* than the sum of its parts. We're all just these broken pieces, haphazardly sewn together and hoping it holds. 

Meanwhile the guitar has this desperate, almost panicky feeling behind it. Somehow this is also very classic blink.

I feel like I'll cave in

I'm anxious, I am weathered

I've lost my way again

I know there ain't no treasure

These lyrics *kill* me, my god. These lyrics are saying we're crumbling apart, breaking at the seams. We're on this journey, we're lost, and we know that nothing good awaits us at the end? There's such a hopelessness to this verse.

My mind breaks with ease

Sticks and stones and dreams

We already have the ingrained association of sticks and stones being things that hurt us. Now you want to lump dreams into that category? Oh honey, who hurt you

Sharks smell the blood in the water

We're all just lambs to the slaughter

It's only all the time, this time

A generation lost and forgotten

Clawing at the lid of the coffin

Your God ain't coming back this time

We have this fun little moment that is very Mark here. We see these "spoken word"-like verses from Mark in a lot of his other songs (and especially collabs like Find My Own Way or Let Me Down). While a lot of the lyrics sung by Tom feel like an internal monologue, Mark's verses look outwards. The world around is more than uncaring. It's actively harmful, maliciously negligent. There's a sense of desperation and utter loneliness and constantly fighting to survive. 

Quit your job and have a drink

Take a pound of ecstasy

Blah, bla-blah, bla-blah, fuck

Wash yourself with turpentine

This ^ *this* ^ 

Self destructive, desperate. It's like they want to convey how meaningless everything feels and the best way to do that is not even bother writing a lyric here. Love it. 

Light me like a trampoline

Stick your dick in Ovaltine

Snort a bag of Dramamine

Douse yourself in gasoline

Throw up in the limousine

Jack off to a magazine

Wash yourself with ... turpentine

Goddamnit

Ughhhh this last verse. Amazing. It's back to classic goofy Tom, but it feels *very* different given the context of the rest of the song. Theater of the absurd. It really pulls together the meaning of the entire song. Its not so much some silly lyrics, and more like a desperate attempt to feel something. Anything. Self-deprecating at best and horribly self destructive at worst. 

Just from the perspective of a rhyming scheme, the structure is *chef's kiss*. They're showing off a certain mastery of language in this song that I would've expected from more ....respectable artists.

The song as a whole is about searching for meaning but struggling to find it. Filling the void in your heart with whatever you can, but never being fulfilled. Doing all this dumb shit, acting a fool even if you're not, because you feel so broken on the inside. It's this delicious dichotomy between deeply meaningful and hopelessly meaningless. Now THAT is classic blink (just look at Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, which somehow has a really heavy song about about a broken family dynamic but also a song about grandpa just ate seven fucking hotdogs). 

You can hear it throughout the entire album, theres this  apology to each other. It's all of them saying "I lost track of what was important. I forgot who I was because of dumb shit that didn't matter." And turpentine is that introspective lynchpin. 

Anyway y'all thanks for reading, that was a lot to come out of an account that mostly reblogs weird Danny phantom content. 

[uh-velkommen]

Fall Out Boy So Much (for) Stardust

~First Impressions~ Review: First let's talk about what everyone else is saying and then I'll go track by track. "Love From The Other Side was misleading" "The album is very 80s inspired" "We're getting Folie A Deux 2.0" "Disappointing." While yes, LFTOS may be more in your face than the others, it was the "omg Guitars!" people who misled themselves. FOB is my top favorite band so I know better than to make inferences based on the first single. Yes it feels very 80s with the rhythmic drums, uppity messages, and what has to be direct references to other earlier artists but lucky for me, my favorite genre is that 80s influenced happy guitar music and one can't help but to compare this album to Patrick Stump's solo album Soul Punk. The evolution feels natural; Soul Punk - ambitious but underdeveloped, Mania - well produced but wrong audience, So Much (for) Stardust - right ideas right execution. I was hoping for a Folie 2.0 actually, it's my favorite album and I think we've evolved enough to appreciate another bass riddled, poetic, solemn-happy album. This is definitely not another Folie. If anything it's a Mania 2.0 but there's some moments in songs, some lines that remind me of Folie. That's the beauty with this band, you can really feel everyone's contribution to this album. Pete's lyrics unchanged from the early days, Patrick's soul made futuristic, and of course Andy and Joe's experienced-rock artistry. The songs are cohesive and the lyrics bounce well between gleeful and nostalgic however, I would like to hear more from the guys about the message they were wanting to get across this time around. Lastly, if I had to pick a single gripe with this album, it would be that its not what I needed the moment that I first listened. When listening to new albums, I look for two things "Does it make me dance and/or does it completely enthrall me?" At the exact same time, Babymetal dropped their new album The Other One and after a still listen to SMFS, I found myself bobbing along to Babymetal. This doesn't mean it's not a dance album. I just wasn't in the mood for an 80s jam. Now if you asked me to describe the album in one word or put me on the spot, I don't hate it and I don't love it YET. I enjoyed listening to it and my one word would be, "It's creative."

Track by track listed below.

When I was putting this together I used emojis to remember my train of thought. See if you can decipher them and if they're ones you would've used lol.

Love from the Other Side (I didn't even think to put an emoji here) What can I say, it's a good song. I've had more time to sit with this one. Learned the words, the bass line, and all of Patrick's vocal inflections. There's nothing new that can be said.

Heartbreak Feels So Good🎈🫂 When this song first came out I remember feeling my heart drop. I was freshly surrounded by the idea that this album would finally be a rock album and then I heard the opening which sounds a little too much like Let Me Love You by DJ Snake and Justin Bieber and I immediately thought, "Oh God, another Mania." But that mentality conflicts with the actual grit of the song (Also, I enjoy Mania). It feels like a heartbreak song. Like a "Remembering the good times, the bad times, and having a cry over what it used to be." Like a Jet Pack Blues or Favorite Record. It's catchy, it's good, and it's relatable.

Hold Me Like a Grudge👑😀 Again, the opening sounds too much like Another One Bites The Dust for it to be non-coincidental. The descriptive word I got for this is "fun." (Future me here, there's literally a line that goes, "You put the "fun" into dysfunction" This was not intentional). I like the way the lyrics are sung, like half of this album borders on being raps. It's got the same sentiment as early FOB with the, "You can hate me but my life is glitter" idea and it's a certified bop, solid song.

Fake Out🍬💋 It's sweet. Cute. Kisses. Lovey, lovely. I like it, I don't know what else to say.

Heaven, Iowa👩‍🎤 This song is a full blown power ballad. It's beautiful. It kinda tricks you starting off slow but the slow build is worth the pay off. I love the melancholic or maybe nostalgic instrumentals. You know, I was scared of this being another City In A Garden (I don't know, if I see a location in the title and think "Not another song about Chicago" Chicago isn't even in Iowa???) This is one of the standout tracks on this album.

So Good Right Now (co-writer: Robert Byrd) This might be the shortest song on here at two minutes and fifty-eight seconds and instead of an emoji, I'm leaving you with this information. Clearly influenced by the vocalizations of Little Bitty Pretty One and the try-hard feel-good vibes makes the fact that they credited multiple writers on this one laughable. Half of it is just repeating the "So good right now" and while a quick little break from the songs with messages is totally excusable it's definitely the weakest of the whole album.

The Pink Seashell❓️What is this. What does it mean, how does it relate to the album's story? After the whole "red-herring" promotional material, the Pink Seashell Beach homage here is hilarious. It reminds me of the lyric, "The time my dad caught me a horseshoe-crab and I asked if throwing it back into the sea would bring our luck back," (This Shipped (Gold) Standard).

I Am My Own Muse🎸SMASH ALL THE GUITARS WE GOT TO THROW THIS YEAR AWAY. I like this song. No really you can't go wrong with an orchestral instrumental. It's catchy, it's eerie, it's demanding. The violins ARE the moment. It's great.

Flu Game🐒 I also really like this song because it reminds me of Fall Out Boy's cover of I Wan'na Be Like You (I'm so obsessed with the live version) and that one part from One & Only by Timbaland. The swinging drum beat and the funky nanananana's. The cocky lyrics, the ATTITUDE, the harmonies. It feels so Patrick Stump. This is a song I wanna sing at the top of my lungs.

Baby Annihilation📝 So I heard ONE person say this before listening to this "song" and it kinda warped my perception. The spoken poetry at the end of 20 Dollar Nose bleed was brilliant. It worked with the tone of the album, it was unique and original for FOB, and what makes their lyrics so great is Pete's poetic inclination. However, 15 years later, a grown man reading a mediocre poem unaccompanied, unexpected, unwarranted, is not as edgy and impactful as it could have been. (Update I forgot about Get Busy Living and im starting to change my mind). I think what would have made this work is if they stuck to one spoken part, one intermission, either this or The Pink Seashell. OR space the two songs out more evenly. These should act as segues into a new part of the album's story. The second half of the album is just as strong as the first so these breaks feel unnecessary (Disclaimer: I could read and enjoy Pete's poetry for days on end but let's not kill the momentum here)

The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years) 🔟🕙 This song feels like an ode to the mmrs and its a sweet somber one. It's also 100% an 80s movie-prom dance-song choice-moment and the dog barking at the end is adorable and reminds me of something (It's gotta be a movie reference but I can't place it (Also I'm pretty sure it's a human girl impersonating a dog, though I imagine it's the dog on the album cover)). However, this is where you learn that I hate slow songs on albums and this is the slowest one rhythmically. Sure if it comes on in a random playlist I am more likely to enjoy it but as of right now I have no strong opinions. I will say as we're nearing the end of the album, one might start to get weary. There are a lot of songs on this album so I find that slow songs have better luck near the middle point of the album.

What a Time to Be Alive🎥 This one totally feels like it should be playing during a montage or ending sequence in a teen-family movie. The song feels like a happy "what a time to be alive, everything is so sweet" but it's Fall Out Boy and it's pandemic themed so it for sure is a "what a time to be alive, this shit sucks."

So Much (for) Stardust 👍FAV FAV FAV The instrumental at the beginning reminds me of early 2000s RnB ballads. It feels like another "Nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy," (Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes). It's the, "yeah we're famous but look at what we lost on the way, what we had to sacrifice, was it worth it?" It's the Folie mentality and I eat it up every time. It works so well with this band when you know about all the struggles they dealt with in their personal lives. Pete's Bipolar Disorder and the various affairs and tabloids, Patrick's modesty, weight, solo career, hair line (dude?), Joe's mental health and his role in the band, and Andy's... I don't know, Andy is just there. It's no secret that the fame was hard on them so FOB, you guys are all wrong, I want to hear you sing about tragedy. Not to mention the choir that comes in at the end and Patrick's ability to riff and belt and just get jiggy with the rhythm is freakin' gorgeous. This song is the most perfect icing on this cake. It's a beautiful fade out and the repetition of the "You were the sunshine of my lifetime, what would you trade the pain for? I'm not sure," is pure excellency. What a wrap around. This song balances despair with hope. It's melancholic, it's upbeat, it's desperate yet it comes across like anyone could feel the same emotions. And let me also just say I'm so happy they featured a classic Pete Pun™ in the song (and album) title. I've read nearly all of dear Peter's livejournals and blog posts and he does this so often that it's endearing to see in 2023.

I wanna rate this album a strong 8.5/10 <3

[longeyelashedtragedy]

do jewish people believe in spirits/ghosts?? i am considering converting for my fiance but i don't know if my belief in ghosts is a problem.

hi, well first of all, if your fiance is jewish there might be some stuff you already know, so i apologize if i come off as condescending at any point!

ah, the eternal question--whenever someone asks "do jewish people believe--" i hope they are prepared for frustration because judaism has become--de facto if not de jure--a very flexible and individually-customizable beast while still requiring a need for some sort of community. like sure, there are 613 commandments and a whole bunch of rules that we in-community kind of poke fun of, but people in the Conservative tradition, Reform, Reconstructionist, or just unaffiliated often wind up kind of picking and choosing what to believe/do. i assume frum (orthodox) folks are adhering much more in unison to the rules, but even so, judaism and its scholarly tradition requires study and debate, and often leaves a matter resolved with a "we don't know," so this by nature leaves a lot of diversity of belief in its wake.

i hope all jews believe there is only one (1) god, who does not exist in any corporeal form, and i hope we all believe to an extent in some of the founding myths (in all their many interpretations), and in the power of doing mitzvot (good deeds) here on earth in the moment instead of living for the afterlife. and--it's genuinely shocked me how many times i've had to explain this since i left the nyc bubble--very important, we don't believe that jesus was in any way a part of god, or a god figure, or even a prophet--he was just an irl historical figure who was very influential (and very human). well, you probably know that, but maybe someone who is reading this doesn't. Other than that i've seen people believe or not believe all kindsa weird shit, but it's their business.

so does judaism believe in ghosts? hmm. well, i do if that helps--i do very strongly based on personal experiences i've had, and i'm literally employed by my synagogue very part-time to lead services lol. (i used to have a sort of steady weekend gig back in the day but they ran out of money lmaooo whole long story.) i don't believe in like, ghosts in a white sheet going ooOooOoooo, but more like a vibe, a presence you can feel, of a soul/souls or their essence that was trapped in a place. (the way i've felt in certain sites in europe that i literally had no idea had nazi activity, oh boy!) devarim, the 5th book of the bible, has some prohibitions about not trying to contact the dead, which implies to me that maybe whoever wrote down the words of the torah (was it god? or, well--that's a whole nother debate, whoo.) thinks the dead do exist in a state that could be contacted, implying some sort of ghost or spirit.

there also is a lot of jewish mysticism that i don't know a lot about, where i'm sure the supernatural comes up, but another takeaway i can provide is that "the dead" are quite present in religious services even though judaism as a whole focuses very hard on the living and has few answers for what happens in the afterlife. during every service you say something called the "mourner's kaddish" (prayer). normally the kaddish is sung with various different melodies depending on the point in the service, but the mourner's kaddish is chanted by the rabbi or service leader, and the congregation chimes in at certain points. if you are in mourning for a loved one, whether it's within a year of them passing or the anniversaries (yahrzeit) of their death, you will stand to recite the prayer, BUT people also stand "for those who have nobody to stand for them" and during every service, usually sandwiched between some very lively songs, you stop to remember the dead and i swear in that room you can feel something, man, there's something. you're not just there with the people whose faces you can see.

do jewish people believe in spirits and ghosts? i would say you definitely can. you can see if you can work those beliefs into a standard jewish belief system, or if you can't, and they're at odds with other things about judaism you do like, there's meaning to be found in that struggle too. after all one of the patriarchs of judaism, jacob, is eventually given the name yisrael which means "wrestle with god," and that name became representative of the jewish people as a whole, at least in prayer. but i think there's a lot of things about judaism that imply that there other things in a room, in a space, in the universe, that are not corporeal.

this was a useless and very jewish style answer but i hope it can help! good luck to you and your fiance.

[deep-hearts-core]

1996

i'm not reviewing the songs from the prequalifying round here. those will be in a separate post after and not included in my yearly top or average table (just as i don't count the songs from 2020, or ro 2016/ru 2017).

Turkey This rocks - the piano part in the instrumental is super catchy and memorable. And ofc I think Sebnem's voice is great and she has a good, subtle stage presence. The prechorus is a bit of a vibe killer, though, it feels really off and destroys the momentum.

UK Gina G herself is undoubtedly the best thing about this performance. I like to watch her and I like the way she looks in that dress. However, her backup dancers are simply too hype (the routine could have been pared down or eliminated altogether) and whatever camera or lighting effects they were trying to do don't come across well, at least not 25 years later. The song is just ok. A little too frenetic for my liking but not terrible.

Spain That's a pass from me - it's better once the beat kicks in but I'm pretty bored by the whole thing and I don't like his voice.

Portugal This is a hard one. On the one hand, the sections of the song don't cohere, leaving it pretty jumbled-sounding. On the other, I like all of the different sections of it, even though I don't think it works as one piece. So it's good, but also fragmented.

Cyprus He sounds good, but again, I am bored. Ranks above Spain because he just sounds better.

Malta It's a very good song for her. It isn't personally to my taste, though, and more importantly there are moments where she overperforms physically and that affects her singing. But ultimately she looks good and sounds good for most of the song and we have to give her credit for that.

block ranking: Turkey > Portugal > Malta > UK > Cyprus > Spain (this was hard!)

Croatia Those screamed notes my GOD. Just. Frankly startling. Not welcome. Certainly, uh, gives the song a unique character. Ignoring those (hard not to), it's an OK song but she's got so much vibrato. Too much. I don't like it.

Austria Ok, let me get this straight, it's a gospel song sung in Austrian dialect by a guy who sounds like Elvis but just sits at the piano the whole time? Ok! Great! Um, I fucking love this and I think it's a lot of fun but I think it's also performative multiculturalism at its finest and that George sitting at the piano the whole time really detracts from the performance. His backup singers were so much more fun to watch - the male backup singer probably could have performed this as the lead artist and it would have gone better.

Switzerland I am learning why everyone hates ballads.

Greece What I will say is that this year is turning out to have a hard dichotomy between "good songs" and "boring songs" and while this is less boring than the last one it fails to capture my attention. The most memorable thing about it is the photobooth filter.

Estonia Maarja-Liis has a really beautiful voice, but it doesn't match too well with Ivo's, and the song doesn't have as much structure as I want it to. I'm never certain on where the verse is and where the chorus is.

Norway Something funny about her vocal quality on the word "evighet". A little too shrill, she's not exactly on the pitch or there's something wrong with her vowel or I don't know, it just sounds wrong. Anyway this is one of the better ballads, it's beautiful and all, but I /still/ find my thoughts wandering all over the place.

block ranking: Austria > Norway > Estonia > Croatia > Greece > Switzerland

France It's nice but I'm BORED! aGAIN! why is this contest so excruciating every other song. Please god. I wanted this to be good I wanted a good minority language song and then it was not that.

Slovenia This one is ok. She sounds good and there's some interesting chord progression stuff going on.

Netherlands Probably felt a little dated at the time, but here it is a welcome break from the deluge of boredom! There's good vocal match here and they seem comfortable with each other onstage too.

Belgium I'm glad it was another upbeat one but it wasn't the best of the upbeat songs for me tbh. I liked the card visual effect. And the further back I watch the funnier it is for me to see the camera effects like we've been seeing all night here. Poland 2022 did not come out of a vacuum, people!

Ireland It's different from everything else we've seen so far, and Eimear has incredible control over her voice. Her soprano range is light and airy and she makes hitting all those notes seem effortless. I wish there was something more to it, it feels like something is missing. But I am definitely not complaining about its win.

Finland It was okay? Nice guitar. It felt cohesive which is probably the most I can say for it.

block ranking: Ireland > Netherlands > Finland > Belgium > Slovenia > France

Iceland She sings this just fine but I do not really like jazz, sorry Anna

Poland One of the better ballads, it has good movement to it. She sounds very strained vocally though.

B&H This year is going to be so hard to rank because all the ballads are going to blend together and it's going to be awful

Slovakia Gets points above all the other ballads because of how gorgeous this man's voice is.

Sweden This is so unlike what I usually conceive of Sweden sending but I kinda like it. Nice passing tones in the chorus. Idunno.

My top 23 1)Austria 2)UK 3)Turkey 4)Portugal 5)Slovakia 6)Norway 7)Malta 8)Ireland 9)Netherlands 10)Slovenia 11)Sweden 12)Cyprus 13)Estonia 14)Croatia 15)Finland 16)Belgium 17)Greece 18)Switzerland 19)Iceland 20)Spain 21)Poland 22)France 23)B&H

^^ not sure what tf this is. the ranking's a mess, and i'm realizing that i maybe enjoyed, like, four songs out of 23. godddd.

Miscellaneous Thoughts at least these hosts did a good job. they're pretty funny and had good chemistry with each other, and the male host is a really good singer! especially obsessed with him trying to talk to the austrian guy's mom in german and being so utterly confused. i'm also a fan of the green screen scoreboard. all in all i think this was a well-done show, just with shit songs. it's very interesting for me, watching this voting sequence. ireland, about to get their 7th win, soared ahead in the juries very quickly, making the winner fairly obvious from the jump; i imagine that audiences in 1996 felt rather the same way as audiences in 2023 when loreen did the same. it's likely no coincidence that televoting was trialed the next year. i know that the ebu is likewise in discussions about the format and weighting of the juries. and lastly, it's kind of funny how ireland gave their 12 this year to sweden. the country at its peak, about to fall from grace, handing over their 12 to the country that will tie their record. [brb googling who sweden gave their douze to this year] oh, it was finland? in both the juries and the public? hm i guess we better get ready for finnish domination at some point in the next 30 years!

[fox-buried-in-maple-leaves]

oh and. exploration for galin :)

– fortunate redhead kisser

👖Jeans, skinny jeans, or sweatpants?

PRINCE OF SKINNY JEANS!!!! you think they're a twink and then they put on the black ripped skinny jeans and ur like oh shit that ass.

🐀 What would they do if they were locked in a room with a rat?

SCREAM. "KISA!!!!! OH GODS, KISA!!!!!!"

🐈 How do they react to being cat-called?

Might fully fistfight the person in question. and WIN. if it weren't for Sulien grabbing the back of their shirt and dragging them away.

🚘 What’s inside their glove box?

Like six tubes of chapstick of varying flavours. hair ties that are not theirs. a bottle of cola they stashed in there like two weeks ago that somehow hasn't exploded. important documents. also this is decord's car. galin cannot drive.

🎶 What song do they swear they hate until they’re alone and start singing it on repeat?

world is mine, yk the vocaloid song.... yeah. they know all of the words in both Japanese AND English. there is one arabic cover of this song on YT. don't worry about it.

🔪 Open up this character's kitchen cupboards. What do you see?

A spice rack. Very important. Always stocked. Just think every spicy snack on the market, they are allll in there. Jars of hot peppers as well. Galin the kind of mf to like the hot cheetos mac and cheese ):

😨 They accidentally break a vase. No one is around. What do they do?

Blame Decord probably. (Decord takes the blame) (Sulien knows Galin broke it) (they don't talk about it)

🌭 Deep down, do they believe a hot dog is a sandwich?

"Of course! What else would it be? :D?"

💰 If they won the lottery, how would they spend the money?

They'd blow it on the stupidest shit.... A cruise around Mond?? Yeah!!! Overpriced shows in Fontaine? Hell yeah baby!!!! That rip off merchant in Sumeru? All your stock please! Galin stop.

🎤 Do they sing in the shower? What do they sing?

yes. yes they do. "livin la vida loca" but SHOUT SUNG,,,, (kisa hates them for it. his room is right beside the bathroom... his poor ears are so sensitive..)

😳 Why don’t they like how their voice sounds in recordings?

Too high ): it makes them a lil dysphoric to hear their voice in recordings even though they like it out loud.

🏠 What's the first thing they do when they get home for the evening?

eat lmao, hungry prince. they like to read/watch something while eating :D

🤓 What is one thing that they "nerd out" over?

murder mystery novels. they have a lil book club with Decord and Sulien(and later Ohm + Emil) :) <3

🕺 Do they dance when they're alone? Are they good at it?

Yes! and no! Galin is actually a really good dancer, they learned due to their upbringing. But if they're dancing for fun, it's the stupidest silliest dance in the world because that's FUN!!

🤕 What’s the dumbest way they’ve been injured?

Chopped the tip of their left pointer finger while cutting a cucumber once.

🍺 What's their favorite drinking game? If they don't drink, their favorite card or board game. What's their approach to winning?

"How many numbers can Kisa get in one night at the bar" they are drunk by the time its home time.

🤑 For a million dollars, would they punch their best friend in the nose? Either way, have the character defend their answer.

"Absolutely! Kisa come here :) i'll share with you!" "I'll punch you too we could get two million." "But then my face would hurt, let's just split the one million." "Pussy."

😴 If they talked in their sleep, what weird jumble of words would come out?

Galin the kind of mf to have FULL conversations in their sleep. also some.. odd.. noises.. their dreams are very vocal.

🖌 If they spray-painted a city wall, what would they write / draw?

Some inspirational quote that immediately gets spraypainted over left 4 dead bunker style.

[unreadpoppy]

These are my thoughts about each performance + the semi in general

Few things first: I talk a lot about not understanding the words, that is not about the singers accent, it’s about how their singing. A lot of the first few acts were crouching, laying down, and that fucks up your voice a lot. A lot of them were also very breathy and they were not opening their mouth to sing, so this is way more about vocal technique.

Second, Eurovision may try to be apolitical but i am not, however Israel and Azerbaijan’s place in my ranking is because I genuinely did not like their songs and their performances.

Love that the postcards show a place in Ukraine and then show a similar place in the singers country.

Norway:

Meh. The only song I heard before the ESC, and the vocals were very bad (she sounded out of breathe most of the time). The outfit was definetly a choice (TM), cause it wasn’t very good looking and it seemed to hinder her movement. The dancers were the best parts

Malta:

Very fun and I liked them showing previous Malta singers! I didn’t understand much of the lyrics besides feel better in my sweater and do you wanna dance but it reminded me a lot of discotheque

Serbia:

My biggest pet peeve is singers laying down so thank good it was over soon. Conceptually, it’s interesting but I also can barely understand what being sung, to the point where I’m not sure if the whole song is in Serbian or English. The singer is very good looking tho

Latvia:

Like the vocals, and the staging. I can understand something finally. Really liked the “beatboxing” and the lights. Also the other members of the band mouthing words along was fun to see. Is it just me or the songs these year are very short?

THE REST OF THE WORLD CAN VOTE THIS YEAR???? HELL YEAH BITCH!

The rapping was unexpected but not welcomed since it was better than i thought.

HOLY SHIT ITS THE MAKING YOUR MIND UP GANG (I don’t remember the name of the group sorry)

I’m gonna go hard on Portugal since they colonized my country

Portugal:

Thank god it’s not fado. Weirdly love her dress. Everytime I hear a Portuguese person I am reminded that although we speak the same language I cannot understand their accent. Bitch I can’t believe I’m gonna say this but… this is the best singer so far. Like even with the accent, I’m understand a lot, her vocals are great (and she’s moving A LOT), it feels different and new, and it was a very fun performance, it made me wanna move.

Ireland:

This outfit is so sparkly Jesus Christ. Even though they look like a 80’s rejected Mamma Mia tribute act, they sound surprised good. Sir, why is your mic so far away from your mouth? The lyrics are corny tho. I wanna steal the pianists jacket.

Croatia:

ROCK EM ROLL BABY! Oh my god I love their outfits. I have no clue what the fuck I’m watching but I love it. Bitch they have to be queer, a straight person can’t come up with shit like this. I weirdly love this song. NOT THEM STRIPPING AND SOME GUY BRINGING ROCKETS?!?!?

Switzerland:

Please don’t sing in French. I beg of you. Love the singers voice. Humf it’s kinda deep and husky in the begging, I love it so much. Also love the piano in the beginning. But also what the hell are these pants. Love the slow down in the middle. And the ending was also pretty good!

I know there’s a whole thing with ESC and how they support Israel, so it might be hypocritical for me to watch the show and do this, but I will not comment on Israel perfomance.

Moldova:

By their hair, I can already tell Moldova’s gonna do something… interesting. Oh my god the guy on the flute caught me by surprise. Anyone who speaks Romanian can tell me if the song talks about scorpions or are the ladies hair just like… a choice? I feel like I’m watching a ritual or something. Also this song makes me want to get up and move my body. Also not the flautist proving the instruments are live cause there were 2 times where his mouth wasn’t blowing the flute.

Also love the hosts black dress with flames, she looks fucking awesome.

The Croatia guys are really serving looks this ESC. Love that for them. Actually, most people looked pretty good in that carpet.

Sweden:

Everybody knows Loreen’s gonna qualify just because she is loreen, and listen I have nothing against her is just that I usually don’t like Sweden’s entries. And I also I’m not the biggest Euphoria fan (it’s a good song it just wasn’t my winner). Also is she indigenous (genuine question)?

Okay this song is pretty good, I just wish she’d get up. The chorus sound fun but I have no clue what the words are tbh. I’m just understanding uh-oh-uh. Also love her outfit.

Oh my god Filomena Cautela is gonna show up!

Azerbaijan:

Not gonna lie I might be biased because of Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, especially in 2020/2021, but this song is just meh. But also the fact that they entered this contest in 2008 and they have yet to send a song in their language… damn (same critique to Sweden, who hasn’t sent a song in Swedish in so fucking long).

Czechia:

Already love this. Not the biggest fan of the English verses. Love the hair and outfit, and the overall vibe, makes me want to punch a man in the balls. Bora galera mulheres.

Netherlands:

This dude looks likes a esquerdomacho, I’m sorry, I bet he’s great IRL. I already don’t like this song for some reason. I don’t know it feels like those trying too much to have a meaning when it has 0. However, cookie points for calling God she.

Finland:

Not the song being called Cha Cha Cha. Okay this song is very different than what I thought it would be, but I like it. Always trust Finland to bring something different to the table. Not the song completely changing vibes halfway through. What the fuck was this human centered but make it fucking happened? This feels like an acid trip. The dancers smiling is giving me there is no war in Bah Sing Se.

Hold up. You HAVE TO PAY TO VOTE???? EUROPE WHAT THE FUCK???? I was so excited to vote but do I look like I shit gold to pay for this in EUROS???? Fuck off.

ALYOSHA OH MY GOD, YES! I don’t care about the British lady but oh my gosh sweet people girl is back. Lowkey wished the whole song was in Ukrainian and it was just Alyosha. Also the staging of this performance, very powerful.

Also will Ruslana and Jamala show up (I think they probably will I just want to know if it’s in the Semis or the Final).

Does anyone actually care about Rita Ora? Seriously, just bring more previous Ukrainian entries, they were more interesting.

I like how they showed the UK and Ukraine’s history being somewhat interconected in this competition. Also Graham Norton is always a gem.

Awwwn I loved watching the reaction from Ukraine’s commentator from their win last year.

Oh god this god forsaken Irish turkey…

NOT MALTA’S SINGER WITH A WOODY TOY

They really gonna act like Mans was just a host and not a full on winner?

VAMPIRES ARE ALIVE I KNEW THEY WOULD SHOW THEM FOR THIS GAME!

I’m gonna count how many points I get. Okay I got all 3 points so far. I… I’m not proud how much I know.

I don’t why the finish dude has so much autistic swag for me for some reason. Not gonna lie I think the unicorn thing is so ridiculous, I hate it actually. I love malta’s vibe.

Oh god they gonna talk about Rock in eurovision.

Man I love Julia and Hannah. This air guitar thing was fun. Man the Ted Lasso lady is doing great as hosting things this year.

Instead of big five I heard “big fry”

Love Germany already. They look hot. KKKKKKKK THE GERMAN AND THE FRENCH SAYING THEIR KIDS AND THE ITALIAN TALKING ABOUT PLANTS. This Italian dude is a vibe, god.

Y’all the French entry does sound good but it looses me with the “France” belt. Like I already don’t like French or France in general, and they do this, c’mon.

Oh my god this German dude I love him. Y’all I already love the German entry. Fuck I’m gonna root for them. I mean the song is called blood and glitter, they already won for me. Also his makeup is stellar.

Oh my god I knew I knew Marco from somewhere, he was the 2013 entry. Italy always brings a song that makes me love them all over again. His vocals are beautiful, although the outfit is not the greatest. Yes I will sleep more Marco, don’t worry.

Okay my ranking (this was harder than I thought because most songs were not good):

Portugal

Croatia

Czechia

Finland

Switzerland

Sweden

Moldova

Malta

Latvia

Serbia

Norway

Ireland

Israel

Azerbaijan

Netherlands

Israel, Serbia and Norway qualifying are beyond me but I’m happy with the rest, just wished Malta qualified.

[bailey-writes]

So You Want Your OC to be Jewish

So you’re writing a story and you want to make a Jewish character—great! I’m here to help. I always want more Jewish representation but I want good Jewish representation, so this is my attempt to make a guide to making a Jewish character. What are my credentials? I’m Jewish and have been my whole life. Obligatory disclaimer that this is by no means comprehensive, I don’t know everything, all Jews are different, and this is based on my experiences as an American Jew so I have no idea, what, if any, of this applies to non-American Jews. 

If there’s anything you want me to make a post going more into detail about or if there’s anything I didn’t mention but you want to know please ask me! I hope this is helpful :) Warning, this is long.

Jew PSA

If you are Jewish you can use the word Jew(s), e.g. “She’s dating a Jew.” If you are not Jewish you cannot use the word Jew(s). This is not up for debate. Non-Jews calling us Jews has a negative connotation at best. Don’t do it and don’t have your characters do it.

Basics, Plus My Random Thoughts that Didn’t Fit Anywhere Else

A confusing enduring issue is, what is Judaism? It’s a religion, but some Jews aren’t religious; is it a race? A nationality? A culture? A heritage? The only constant is that we are seen as “other.” There’s a lot of debate, which makes it confusing to be Jewish and as such it’s common for Jews to struggle with their Jewish Identity. However many people agree that Jews are an ethnoreligious group, aka Judaism is a religion and an ethnicity.

Temple/Synagogue/Shul = Jewish place of worship. Shul is usually used for Orthodox synagogues.

Keeping kosher = following Jewish dietary rules: meat and dairy can’t be eaten together and you can’t eat pork or shellfish. Fish and eggs are pareve (aka neutral) and can be eaten with meat or dairy (but again not both at the same time.) When eating meat it has to be kosher meat (e.g. kosher Jews are allowed to eat chicken, but not all chicken is kosher. I know it’s kinda confusing I’m sorry.) Kosher products in stores will have symbols on them to identify them as kosher. If someone is kosher they’ll probably have separate sets of utensils/plates/cookware/etc. for meat and dairy

Shabbat/Shabbos/Sabbath = holy day of the week, day of rest, lasts from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Depending on observance Jews might have Shabbat dinner, attend Shabbat services, or observe the day of rest in its entirety (making them shomer Shabbat)

Someone who is shomer Shabbat will refrain from any of the prohibited activities. These can easily be looked up but include: working, writing, handling money, cooking, and using technology.

Bat/Bar/B’nai Mitvzah = tradition where a Jewish boy/girl becomes a man/woman. Celebrated at 13-years-old for boys, 12- or 13-years-old for girls. Girls have Bat Mitzvahs (bat means daughter in Hebrew), boys have Bar Mitzvahs (bar means son in Hebrew) and twins or two or more people having one together have a B’nai Mitzvah. They will study for this for months and then help lead services and, depending on observance level, read from the Torah. The ceremony is often attended by family and friends and followed with a celebration of sorts (in America usually this means a brunch and/or party.)

Goy/gentile = non-Jew. These words are not slurs, they are literally just words. Plural of goy is goyim and is a Yiddish word, plural of gentile is gentiles.

Jewish holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, meaning that according to the current solar/Gregorian calendar the dates of our holidays are different each year.

Jewish law recognizes matrilineal inheritance. This means that Jewish law states your mother has to be Jewish for you to be Jewish. This is because of reasons from biblical times that I can explain if you wanna come ask, but as you can imagine is a bit outdated. While Orthodox Jews might embrace this idea and only consider someone Jewish if their mom is Jewish, many Jews are more flexible on the idea (and yes, this does cause tension between Orthodox Jews and other Jews at times.)

Judaism =/= Christianity

Some people think Judaism is just Christianity without Jesus (some people don’t even realize we don’t believe in/celebrate Jesus so newsflash, we don’t) and that’s just wrong. Yes both religions share the Old Testament, so they also share some history and beliefs, but the entire ideologies of the religions are different. In brief, they are similar in some ways but are not the same.

What seems to me to be the biggest difference is that Christianity (from what I understand) has a heavy focus on sins, more specifically repenting for/gaining forgiveness for your sins. In Christianity you are born tainted by original sin. In Judaism we believe everyone is born pure and free from sin and everyone is made in God’s image. Judaism has some concept of sin, but doesn’t focus on them and instead focuses on performing Mitzvot (plural, singular form is mitzvah. Direct translation is “commandment” but basically means good deed or act of kindness. It also relates to the commandments, so following the commandments is also performing mitzvot.) Examples of mitzvot include anything from saying a prayer or lighting Shabbat candles to helping a stranger or donating to charity (called tzedakah). One of the main tenets of Judaism is tikkun olam, which directly translates to “repair the world” and means exactly what it says on the tin. Instead of focusing on being forgiven for doing bad Judaism focuses on doing good. The only day we focus on past wrongdoings is Yom Kippur, one of our most holy holidays, discussed below.

Holidays

Rosh Hashanah – The Jewish New Year, occurs around September and lasts for two days, though Reform Jews often only celebrate the first day. Day of happiness and joy, celebrated by eating sweet things for a “sweet new year” (often apples dipped in honey) and circular challah to represent the end of one year and beginning of another. Also celebrated with services and blowing the shofar (rams horn.) Some spend the day in prayer and/or silent meditation. Possible greetings: chag sameach (happy holiday; can be said on almost any holiday), Shana Tovah, or happy new year (which is what Shana Tovah means, some people just say it in English.)

Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement. Occurs ten days after the start of Rosh Hashanah. One of if not the most solemn day for Jews, but also the most holy. The day is spent reflecting on yourself and any past wrongdoings and atoning. The day (sundown the night before to sundown the day of) is spent fasting, a physical way of atoning. We do this in hopes of being “written in the Book of Life” and starting the year with a clean slate. The shofar is blown at the end of the holiday. Most Jews will end the fast with a grand meal with family and friends. Most common greeting is “have an easy fast,” but happy new year is still appropriate.

Sukkot – Celebrates the harvest, occurs on the fifth day after Yom Kippur and lasts seven days. Celebrated by building a temporary hut outdoors called a sukkah and having meals inside it, as well as shaking palm fronds tied together (called a lulav) and holding a citrus called an etrog. Very fun and festive holiday. Possible greetings include chag sameach or Happy Sukkot.

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah – Some Jews (mostly Reform Jews and Jews living in Israel) combine both holidays into one day while some celebrate them as two separate days. Either way they occur immediately after Sukkot. Shemini Atzeret is similar but separate from Sukkot and features a prayer for rain; Sukkot is not mentioned in prayers and the lulav isn’t shaken but you do eat in the sukkah. Simchat Torah celebrates finishing reading the Torah, which we will then begin again the next day. It’s a festive holiday with dancing and fun. Some Temples will roll the entire Torah out and the children will run under it. Appropriate greeting for both would be chag sameach.

Rosh Hashanah through Simchat Torah are referred to as the High Holidays.

Chanukah – We all know about Chanukah, celebrating the reclaiming of the Second Temple and the miracle of the oil lasting eight days. The most represented Jewish Holiday there is. Unfortunately it’s one of the least significant holidays for us. Occurs around November or December and lasts eight days and nights. Celebrated by lighting candles in the Menorah each night with a prayer and kids usually get gifts each night. Also celebrated with spinning tops called dreidels, fried foods like doughnuts (sufganiyot in Hebrew; usually the jelly filled ones) and potato pancakes called latkes. Greetings: happy Chanukah or chag sameach.

Tu B’Shevat – Birthday of the trees, basically Jewish Arbor Day. Minor but fun holiday, sometimes celebrated by planting trees. Occurs around January or February.

Purim – Celebrates how Queen Esther of Persia defeated Haman and saved her people, the Jews. Occurs in Spring. Festive holiday traditionally celebrated by dressing in costumes, eating sweets, and giving tzedakah (it’s also technically commanded you get drunk so woohoo!) Whenever Haman’s name is mentioned you make a lot of noise, booing and using noisemakers called groggers. Greetings: happy Purim, chag Purim, or chag sameach.

Passover/Pesach – Celebrates the Jews being freed from slavery in Egypt. Occurs in Spring and lasts eight days. The first two nights (some only celebrate the first night) are celebrated with seder, a ritual meal with certain foods, practices, prayers, and readings from a book called the Haggadah and often attended by family and friends. Most famous prayer/song of the holiday is the four questions, which ask why that night is different from all other nights and is traditionally sung by the youngest child at the seder. The entire holiday is spent not eating certain foods, mostly grain or flour (the food restrictions are complicated and differ based on denomination so look it up or ask a Jew.) We eat a lot of matzah during Pesach, which is like a cracker kinda. I personally hate it but some people actually like it. Greetings: happy Passover, chag pesach, or chag sameach.

Tisha B’Av – Anniversary of the destruction of the Temple. Occurs in Summer. Very sad, solemn day. Some celebrate by fasting from sunrise to sunset. Not the most widely celebrated holiday. Some also commemorate the Holocaust (also called the Shoah) on this day as it was the destruction of a figurative temple.

Denominations

There are a bunch of denominations in Judaism, we’ll go into it briefly.

Religious denominations:

Reform/Reformed: This is the least religiously observant level. Often Reform Jews don’t keep kosher or observe Shabbat, their services on Shabbat will use instruments. Reform Jews probably attend services for the high holidays at the very least and probably had a Bat/Bar Mitzvah. Might say they consider themselves more culturally Jewish. Their Temple/Synagogue will be the most “liberal”—aka have more female/diverse Rabbis and a more diverse congregation. I’m Reform and my Temple’s lead Rabbi is a woman and we used to have a Rabbi who’s a queer single mother.

Conservative: More religiously observant and more generally traditional. Might keep kosher or observe Shabbat, but not necessarily. Services likely won’t use instruments (not supposed to play instruments on Shabbat). Most likely had a Bat/Bar Mitzvah, but girls might not read from the Torah, though this depends on the congregation. They do allow female Rabbis, but in my experience it’s less common.

Modern Orthodox: Very religiously observant but also embrace modern society. Will keep kosher and observe Shabbat. Men will wear kippot (singular=kippah) and tzitzit under their shirts. Women will cover their hair (if they’re married), most likely with a wig, and wear modest clothing (only wear skirts that are at least past their knees and long sleeves). Emphasis on continued study of Torah/Talmud. Parents will likely have jobs. Might have larger families (aka more children) but might not. Services will be segregated by gender, girls won’t read from the Torah publicly, and female Rabbis are very rare. Children will most likely attend a religious school. Will attend shul services every Shabbat and for holidays.

note: there are some people who fall somewhere between modern Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox, or between any two denominations really. as you can imagine people don’t all practice the exact same way.

Ultra-Orthodox: Very religiously observant and not necessarily modern. Will keep kosher and observe Shabbat. Men will wear kippot or other head coverings and tzitzit under their shirts, and are also often seen wearing suits. Women will cover their hair (if they’re married) with a wig or scarf and wear modest clothing (only wear skirts that are at least past their knees and long sleeves). Emphasis on continued study of Torah/Talmud. Men might have jobs but might instead focus on Jewish studies, while women most often focus on housework and child-rearing. Don’t believe in contraception (but this is kinda nuanced and depends). Will often have very large families because having children is a commandment and helps continue the Jewish people. Might be shomer negiah which means not touching members of the opposite sex aside from their spouse and some close family members. Services will be segregated by gender, girls won’t read from the Torah publicly, and there won’t be female Rabbis. Children will attend a religious school. Will attend shul services every Shabbat and for holidays.

Ethnic denominations (the different denominations do have some differences in practices and such but tbh I don’t know much about that so this is just the basics):

Ashkenazi: Jews that originate from Central/Eastern Europe. Yiddish, a combination of Hebrew and German, originated from and was spoken by Ashkenazim and while it’s a dying language it’s spoken among many Orthodox Jews and many Jews of all levels know/speak some Yiddish words and phrases. Majority of Jews worldwide are Ashkenazi.

Sephardi/Sephardic: Jews that originate from the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, and southeastern Europe. Ladino, a combination of Old Spanish and Hebrew, originated from and was spoken by Sephardim. It is also a dying language but is still spoken by some Sephardim. After Ashkenazi most of the world’s Jews are Sephardic.

Mizrahi: Jews that originate from the Middle East and North Africa.

Ethiopian Jews: Community of Jews that lived in Ethiopia for over 1,000 years, though most have immigrated to Israel by now.

Stereotypes/Tropes/Controversies/Etc.

There are so many Jewish stereotypes and shit and I ask you to please be mindful of them. Stereotypes do exist for a reason, so some people will fit stereotypes. This means your character might fit one or two; don’t make them fit all of them. Please. Stereotypes to keep in mind (and steer away from) include:

All Jews are rich.

All Jews are greedy.

All Jews are cheap/frugal.

All Jews are [insert job here]. We’ll go into this more below.

All Jews hate Christians/Muslims/etc.

All Jews are white. 

First of all Ethiopian and Mizrahi Jews exist, many Sephardi are Hispanic, and today with intermarriage and everything this just isn’t true.

All Jews have the same physical features: large and/or hooked nose, beady eyes, droopy eyelids, red hair (this is an old stereotype I didn’t really know existed), curly hair.

Many Jews do have somewhat large noses and curly hair. I’m not saying you can’t give these features to your characters, but I am saying to be careful and don’t go overboard. And don’t give all of your Jewish characters these features. As a side note, it is common at least among American Jews that girls get nose jobs. Not all, but some.

Jews are secretly world elite/control the world/are lizard people/new world order/ any of this stuff. 

STAY AWAY FROM. DO NOT DO THIS OR ANYTHING LIKE THIS. If you have a character that’s part lizard, do not make them Jewish. If you have a character that’s part of a secret group that controls the entire world, do not make them Jewish.

Jews have horns. If you have characters with horns please don’t make them Jewish.

Jews killed Jesus.

The blood libel. Ew. No.

The blood libel is an antisemitic accusation/idea/concept that back in the day Jews would murder Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals and sometimes even for consumption (did I mention gross?) Not only did this just not happen, but it’s actually against Jewish law to murder, sacrifice, or consume blood. Yes these accusations really happened and it became a main reason for persecution of Jews. And some people still believe this shit.

Jews caused The Plague.

The reason this conspiracy exists is because many Jews didn’t get The Plague and the goyim thought that meant it was because the Jews caused it/cursed them. The real reason Jews didn’t get it is because ritual hand-washing and good hygiene kept them from getting it. Sorry that we bathe.

Jewish mother stereotype.

Ok, listen. I know stereotypes are mostly a bad thing but I have to admit the Jewish mother stereotype is not far off. Jewish moms do tend to be chatty and a little nagging, are often very involved in their children’s lives, and they are often trying to feed everyone (although they don’t all cook, my mom hates cooking.) They also tend to be big worriers, mostly worrying about their family/loved ones. They also tend to know everyone somehow. A twenty minute trip to the grocery store can turn into an hour or two long trip because she’ll chat with all the people she runs into.

Jewish-American Princess (JAP) ((I know calling Japanese people Japs is offensive. Jews will call girls JAPs, but with a completely different meaning. If that’s still offensive I am sorry, but just know it happens.))

This is the stereotype that portrays Jewish girls/women as spoiled brats basically. They will be pampered and materialistic. Do these girls exist? Definitely. I still recommend steering away from this stereotype.

Names

Listen. Listen. There are some names that Jews just won’t have. I won’t speak in definites because there are always exceptions but you’ll rarely find a Jew named Trinity or Grace or Faith or any form of Chris/Christopher/Christina etc. Biblical names from the Old Testament? Absolutely Jews will have those names they’re actually very common.

I’m in a Jewish Sorority. My pledge class of ~70 girls had five Rebeccas and four Sarahs. Surprisingly only one Rachel though.

When it comes to last names I have two thoughts that might seem contradictory but hear me out: a) give your Jewish OC’s Jewish surnames, b) don’t give your Jewish OC’s the most Jewish surname to ever exist.

By this I mean I would much rather see a character named Sarah Cohen or Aaron Levine than Rachel Smith. Just that little bit of recognition makes a happy exclamation point appear over my head, plus it can be a good way to hint to readers that your OC is Jewish.

On the other hand, please don’t use the most stereotypical Jewish names you’ve ever heard. If you have five Jewish OCs and one of them is Isaac Goldstein then fine. If Isaac Goldstein is your only Jewish OC I might get a little peeved. There are tons of common Jewish surnames that are recognizable and easy to look up, so don’t revert to the first three that come to mind. Maybe it’s just me, but I find it yucky, for lack of a better word.

Jobs

We all know there are certain jobs that are stereotypical for Jews to have. We’re talking lawyer, dentist, doctor, banker type stuff. To an extent these stereotypes exist for a reason, many Jews go into those careers. Do not make these the only careers your Jewish OCs have. Stereotypes might have reasoning behind them but it doesn’t mean they aren’t harmful. If you have multiple Jewish OCs some of them can have these careers, but not all of them. I do know a lot of Jewish lawyers, dentists, and doctors. I also know accountants, people involved in businesses (“mom, what does Brad do?” “he’s a businessman” sometimes there just aren’t more specific words), people involved in real estate. I don’t actually know any bankers personally, and with money and stuff being one of the most common and harmful Jewish stereotypes I would suggest steering away from that.

These are common fields for Jews, but Jews can have literally any job. Please feel free to get creative. And if you have more than one Jewish OC you can think about making one of them a Rabbi, but DON’T do this if they’re the only Jewish OC. Please.

Yiddish

So I mentioned Yiddish earlier. Like I already said, it’s not a very widely used language anymore but there are some words and phrases that are still used by a lot of Jews (in America at least.) Here’s a list that is absolutely not comprehensive:

Oy vey = oh no

Shvitzing = sweating (but not just a little bit. Shvitzing is like SWEATING)

Kvetch/kvetching = whine/whining or complain/complaining

Mazel tov = congratulations; this is the same in Yiddish and Hebrew

Chutzpah = nerve or gall (e.g. “He’s got a lot of chutzpah for breaking up over text like that”)

Kismet = fate; I just learned this is Yiddish

Bubbe and Zayde = grandma and grandpa

Schelp/schlepping = drag/dragging, can also mean carry or move (e.g. “I had to schlep the bag all around town” doesn’t mean they literally dragged it)

Schmutz = dirt or something dirty (e.g. “you have schmutz on your face”)

Schmatta = literally means rag but can be used to refer to ratty blankets or clothes

Plotz = collapse (usually used in the sense of “I’m so tired I might plotz” or “she’s gonna be so excited she’s gonna plotz”)

Schmuck/shmendrick = both mean more or less the same, a jerk or obnoxious person

Shtick = gimmick, routine, or act (can be used like (“I don’t like that comedian’s shtick” or “he always makes himself the center of attention it’s his shtick”)

Spiel = long speech, story, or rant

There’s so many more so look them up and think about using them, but don’t overdo it. A Jewish person isn’t gonna use a Yiddish word in every sentence (or even every day or every few days.)

Israel

In my community at least it’s very common that by the time your college-aged that you’ll have been to Israel at least once.

Israel is a controversial topic within the Jewish community and in the world. It’s sensitive and complex. I really, really suggest not getting into it. Just don’t bring it up because no matter what you say someone will be unhappy. Just don’t do it.

Ashkenazi Disorders

Ashkenazi Jews have some sucky genes (I’m Ashkenazi so I can say this, you cannot.) These sucky genes cause certain disorders to be more prevalent for us. Children only get the disorder if both parents are carriers of the disorder, so Jews usually get genetic testing done before having children. If both parents are carriers the risk of the child getting the disorder is high, so parents might reconsider or have some indecisiveness/fear. Some of these are:

Tay-Sachs

Cystic Fibrosis

Canavan Disease

Familial Dysautonomia

Gaucher Disease

Spinal Muscular Atrophy  

Fanconi Anemia

Mucolipidosis IV

Niemann-Pick Disease

Torsion Dystonia

Bloom Syndrome

Ashkenazi Jews also have a high prevalence of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer in women and increase the risk of breast and prostate cancer in men.

Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Lactose Intolerance are also very prevalent

In a dorm of like 40 Jews, six of them had Crohn’s.

Ways to Show Your OC is Jewish

Wears Jewish jewelry, e.g. Star of David (also called Jewish Star and Magen David), Chai symbol (means life), jewelry with Sh’ma prayer, or hamsa (but beware this symbol is used outside of Judaism).

Mentions their temple, their Rabbi, having a Bat/Bar Mitzvah, going to Hebrew School, Shabbat, or a holiday coming up.

Have someone ask them a question about Judaism.

Have someone notice they have a mezuzah on their door. 

Most Jews will have a mezuzah on the doorframe of the front door of their house/apartment, but they could even have one for their dorm room or whatever. It’s traditional to kiss your hand then touch the mezuzah when walking through the door, but most Jews don’t do this every time, at least not most Reform or Conservative Jews.

Have them call out antisemitism if you’re feeling spicy

The end! I hope this helped and if you have any questions my ask box is always open!

[babybottlepop96]

hello!! can i ask for a yuki sohma x reader fic where they visit ayame & mine only for them to force the reader to play dress up? :O

Here you go, Annon! I hope this is to your liking!

Dress Up (Yuki Sohma x Reader) FLUFF

“Thank you for coming with me, (y/n).” Yuki spoke quietly, his eyes looking straight ahead as you both walked towards Ayame’s shop. You looked towards him, your face adorning a soft smile as you stared at the man in front of you.

“Anytime, Yuki! Besides, I heard he makes the most adorable clothes ever!” You said excitedly, after getting to know the Sohma’s through a class project you had to work on for two months with Tohru, Kyo and Yuki, you heard a lot about the wonderful designs of Ayame Sohma. You met him once, that time he came to visit his darling brother, and was enamored with his ideas. Even throwing a few out yourself, though you doubted someone like him would take any of your ideas into consideration.

“You didn’t have to come with, you know.” Again, the words were spoken calmly and quietly.

“I know I didn’t, but I wanted to. I wanted to see his shop anyway and the most important reason is because you’re my friend! I’d do anything for you.” This time he did look at you, his eyes widened a fraction in surprise at your statement. Your eyes twinkled in adoration and you couldn’t help the small laugh that coaxed its way out of your mouth. “Don’t act all surprised, Yuki. I don’t walk with just anyone to a shop I could never afford out of the blue.” His lips twitched upwards slightly and a soft smile graced his face, he hummed.

“I would hope not. That would be very dangerous.” You giggled again and playfully slapped his shoulder.

Ten minutes later, the two of you arrived at Ayame, obviously named after the owner. It was a cute little costume shop that had you jumping on the balls of your feet. “Finally!” You entered the shop before Yuki and began to look at everything you saw. Maid outfits, bunny ears with a fluff tail sewn onto the butt of the leotard, even a sexy dragon fit with spikes and a head dress that looked like an actual fire was aflame on top of it.

“Yuki!” A voice sung out across the shop, there, standing in all his glory, Ayame Sohma. His silvery white hair, long and flowy from the top of his head down his back, his eyes sparkling like pools of water in the sun on a summer day. He greeted the younger brother with a warm hug that you were secretly jealous of not being a part of. “Oh! (y/n)! How wonderful to see you again! My dear, it has been way too long!” Ayame sang loudly in the mostly empty shop as he came over and patted you on the head.

“Ayame!” Another voice sang out followed by a bounding brunette in the cutest maid costume you have ever seen. It fit her perfectly and now you were jealous of her cuteness. “Oh! Is this your brother!?” She yelled happily as she made her way over to the still quiet Yuki. “And you must be his friend!” She spoke as she bounded over to you.

“Yes, I’m (Y/n). It’s very nice to meet you…..?”

“Mine! Oh my god! Ayame! Let's dress her up!” Mine jumped up and down animatedly, quite pleased with the idea of dressing you up.

“Oh! What a wonderful idea, Mine!”

“Um, I don’t think that's a good ide-'' But Yuki was cut off by Ayame and Mine dragging you to the back room. Yuki stood there surprised by how quick the whole situation transpired. He decided to sit down and stare at the colorful fabrics and beautiful patterns of cloth and patches that were scattered about the room.

After some time had passed, Yuki stood, ready to march back to the back room where you were kidnapped too. Afraid that maybe his brother and his wild assistant had done something to you, but before he could take a step the door opened and Ayame and Mine stood proudly, faces adorning wide grins and eyes that sparkled in the bright lights. Stepping aside to show you off, Yuki was at a loss for words when his beautiful lavender eyes focused on you, his cheeks matched yours with vibrant red blushes. There you stood, a cotton white dress with a heart shaped neckline, the dress stopping about mid thigh with a frill of baby pink lace poking about an inch underneath, white thigh-high stockings with baby pink bows trimming the tops and matching white flats adorning your feet. The whole look was topped off with a fluffy white headband with bunny ears and if you turned around, a small cute white cotton tail attached to your backside. Your hair was down with light beach waves and your make up was done simple and natural, bringing out all the beautiful, natural beauty your features already had.

“Doesn’t she look absolutely adorable!?” Mine squealed, happy that she had a part to play in it.

“Absolutely delectable! Don’t you think, brother?” Yuki was at a loss for words., just staring at you like you were the only person in the entire universe.

~~~

“Thank you again, Ayame and Mine! I had so much fun!” You called to the two wonderful designers as you and Yuki left to head back to the Sohma estate.

“You really did look quite adorable.” Yuki said quietly as you two headed away from the shop. You blushed again and slightly nudged his shoulder, a silent ‘Thank you’ and ‘Stop, you're embarrassing me’. Yuki chuckled and subtly linked his pinky finger with yours.

“I’m always down for playing dress up.” You winked, locking your pinky with his.

[lilysdaydreams]

For Them

→ Pairing : Corpse Husband X Fem!Reader

→ Genre : fluff.

→ Warnings : Swearing, Reader panicking a bit.

→ Request : Heya! I was thinking maybe a corpse x reader where the reader is playing among us with him and the gang and they use the proximity mic and he walks past her to hear her singing and she’s kept her singing like a MAJOR secret because she’s shy about it- idk you don’t have to do it if ya don’t feel like it it’s just an idea 💛

→ A/N : Oh my god, did Lily finally finish writing something??? YES SHE DID. Pretty happy with this, so I hope you guys enjoy as well! Sorry for any spelling mistakes :) Requests are open!

~~~

You grabbed the water on the table, moving to the side and out of the camera to quickly take a few sips. You could hear the rest of the group still yelling about the previous game. You laughed quietly hearing Peter and Rae yell at each other.

Looking over at chat you hummed as you took  in the questions.

"How much longer am I streaming?" you read out the question.

"Probably a few more games. Maybe like 30 more minutes. I wanna go get dinner soon." you mumbled as you kept on scanning the chat.

A random question caught your eye.

"Do I sing?" you read out with a laugh.

"Wow, that's such a random question oh my god. Um, I used to want to be a singer when I was a kid," you started leaning back in your chair. You looked at the ceiling reminiscing and chuckled when you remembered the concerts you used to throw for your parents.

"I used to get my parents to be the audience and I would sing all my different songs for them. When they weren't free, I would do it for all of my plushies on my bed. Oh my god, I probably have old videos in the basement or something."

You smiled wistfully, looking back onto the screen.

"Those were good times," you muttered.

Looking back onto chat, your eyes widened at the amount of  "SING FOR US" messages.

"Woah guys, calm down, that was when I was a kid. I don't sing seriously you know that right?" you questioned, laughing at how fast the chat was going.

"Okay okay," you said smiling when they didn't stop. "Lemme ju- Oh wait" you cut yourself off seeing the words "IMPOSTER" light up your screen.

"LETS GOOOOO" you yelled, turning your mic on again for the game. Everyone's voice slowly faded as people went different ways. You  stuck with Lily, both of you going straight to medbay.

"Lilyyyyy" you said dragging her name out.

"Y/N" she said doing the same to you.

You giggled, and asked her if she had med scan.

"Nope, I have the inspecting the sample one."

"Ohh okay," you said getting on the med scan and pretending to scan. You watched as Lily finished her task, saying a quiet "bye" and rushing off to the next task.

You sighed, moving off the scan and starting to walk towards weapons. "Lily's so nice, I'm so glad I got to meet her through this. Like, she's the absolute sweetest I swear, I'm hoping that I get to m-" you got cut off by a body being reported.

"Already?" you asked, others echoing. You gasped when you saw who was killed, immediately whining about how someone could kill Sykunno, while playfully glaring at Sean's name, who was the other imposter.

"Okay, so the body was at reactor," revealed Rae.

"I was in the cafeteria, going towards weapons. Me and Lily were in Medbay before but she left before me," you said leaning back.

Lily confirmed this, also stating that she was in weapons now.

Sean, Corpse and Felix all said they were in Electrical, and Poki said she'd been in storage.

You looked at the chat again, not saying anything while the rest said where they were.

The chat was still spamming "Sing please!" and you looked back to the game without giving an answer. If you were being honest, then what you had said before was a lie. You still sang. Hell, it had been your dream to release your songs ever since you started writing at 15. You had started singing by singing for your parents. Ever since their car crash though, you couldn't even think about  performing for anyone else. If you couldn't even  perform for them, then what was the point? For some reason, whenever you thought of  singing in front of someone, you couldn't even get the words out.

You sighed and skipped voting as the timer ticked down. No one was ejected and you started humming slightly as you moved away from everyone.

"Hmm should I sing you a song everyone?" you asked your voice very low. You breathed deeply reminding yourself that technically no one was in the room with you, and it was only your fans watching, a small community of people who were the sweetest you had ever seen.

Going into reactor and moving down to the very end so that no one could see you, you breathed in deeply and started singing lightly, noticing that the lights were off, the blinking arrow in the corner of your screen.

"I think we could do it if we tried

If only to say you're mine

Sofia, know that you and I

Shouldn't feel like a crime

You know I'll do anything you ask me to

But oh my God, I think I'm in love with you

Standin' here alone now, think that we -"

"Y/N what the fuck your voice is -"

You screamed before the person could even finish what they were saying, hitting the "kill" button without even realising, and letting out a gasp when you saw the black body flop over.

"Oh god, oh my god, what did I do?" you whispered staring at Corpses body, half of your brain freaking out over the fact that he had heard you and the other freaking out what to do. You quickly vented, coming out in electrical and pretending to do the download.

"Oh my god, guys!" you whispered furiously, playfully glaring at the camera. "This is all your fault, do you see what I did, I killed someone with my singing... I just got so scared because he came out of absolutely NOWHERE, oh my god guys." Leaving electrical, you heard someone yelling and headed closer to them laughing nervously when you found Toast and Sean yelling at each other.

"Hey guys," you said voice being unnoticed because of all the yelling and you moved into comms pretending to do a task there.

Just as you did that, Pokis body was found, and you gasped as you realised that Sean had killed three people so now there were 5 left. Toast was dead, which means that he just died, which left Sean, you, Rae, Lily and Leslie.

There was a stunned silence for a second as everyone took in the 4 kills and then Rae immediately  attacked.

"Ahh, the body was in cafeteria. Like bottom cafeteria."

"Um, So I just wanna add something, I was coming from the electrical right, and I was walking to comms, and Toast just passed in the middle of storage. I came into comms and Sean is here as well.

"Yup, shes right, toast just left and she came in." confirmed Sean.

"Well, I saw Leslie at the start of the round, we stuck together and then I was with Poki for a bit."

"Yeah okay, but where were you?"

"Well, I went to weapons then I went down into comms and storage and then I went electrical when lights were called and everyone was ther-" she said cutting herself off and gasping.  “Guess who WASNT there? Y/N wasn’t there!”

“Well yeah, I just thought someone else would do it” you replied. “I was all the way in upper engine and I couldn’t be bothered. You all did lights and I was doing my tasks in reactor and then I went to electrical and then I was waking to comms, and then I saw toast and then I got into comma and saw Sean. Even if I was the imposter and killed Toast, I definitely couldn’t have been able to kill Poki.”

“Yeah no, I still think it’s you,” said Rae after a pause, Leslie and Lily both giggling at her.

Lily chimed in then as well, “Yeah I haven’t seen y/n this whole round at ALLLLL, so I think its her as well."

Ignoring your protests, they all voted you out, and you shrugged at the camera as your character was thrown off the  ship.

"I think I'm okay with that guys, I was way too nervous to still play," you muttered, now looking at the chat.

"Guys," you whined suddenly remembering. "I was only meant to sing for you, I didn't want anyone else to hear it, Corpse literally came out of nowhere. I hope he wasn't deafened by my screeching," you grimaced.

The word "Victory" came onto your screen and you huffed out  a laugh as the lobby exploded with noise.

"Lily! I told you it was Sean!" exclaimed Rae.

"Sean was on a killing spree," you added in, sipping your water. "I only killed like two people cuz I was distracted, I swear he literally carried the whole game.”

“He backstabbed me!” said Sykkuno and you could hear the smile in his voice. “I was doing upload while he was right next to me and we were talking about how great this group was and he just killed me right there!”

Suddenly all the attention was on Sykkuno as everyone started cooing.

“Awww, Sykkuno, did you just compliment us?” Rae yelled, lots of other chiming in to tease Sykunno and him ending up stuttering because he got flustered.

“Alright guys,” you said when everyone quieted down. "I think I'm gonna go now."

"NOOOOO" yelled Rae, everyone else echoing her.

You smiled and quickly said your goodbyes, logging off the game and quickly saying bye to the viewers and ending that as well.

Slumping into your chair, your breath quickened. "Oh my god," you whispered, the realization creeping up on you that you had just sung in front of nearly ten thousand people and that Corpse had heard you sing. You and Corpse had met through Among Us with Toast inviting you to the lobby. You had fun playing with him and you'd both followed each other, but most of your interaction was in games. Like sure you'd messaged each other a few times but those were only brief conversations! and sure, maybe you had a small tiny crush on the guy but like WHO WOULDNT? He was sweet, nice and you related to him a lot. The point was, you were absolutely not ready to sing in front of him. You stood up from the chair and went to the kitchen, pouring yourself a glass of water to calm down.

Your phone rang and you grabbed it from the counter, choking on the water as you saw that it was from Corpse.

He had never called you before. Like you said you simply weren't that close.

Coughing out a "What the fuck?" you answered the call, grabbing onto the counter for support.

"Hey," you said, confused when there was no sound.

"Uh yeah, Hi Y/N. Its Corpse."

"Ah yeah, I see." You facepalmed yourself, rubbing your forehead. What the fucks was wrong with you.

"Um yeah, so uh I just- You know in the game? Um I kind of - well - I kind of heard you singing, um um, that song."

You stilled, not a breath coming out of you.

"Your voice, its -" he paused, letting out a huge breath. "It's absolutely beautiful."

You opened your mouth not even sure what you were gonna say but he continued talking.

"I just, I cant get it out of my mind. Have you heard some of my music?"

"Um yeah, I-I listened to it when I first heard about you. Your songs are so good!" you exclaimed, finally being able to move your mouth

"Do you think maybe we could do a song together sometime? Your voice would be absolutely amazing on one of the tracks I'm currently working on, its a chill one that I have, kind of like Agoraphobic," he asked, rambling through the sentence.

"Um, Oh my god," you muttered, still confused on if this was actually happening. "Yeah, Yeah definitely that would be so cool."

"Oh. Oh that's great, I-I didn't think you'd agree, that's great, I can send you a sample and the lyrics but -"

"Um," you started cutting him off. "If I'm being honest," you muttered, shoulders coming up to your ears. "I'm actually really conscious about my singing. Like this was the absolute first time I ever even sang on stream, so like sorry- I'm ruining it, but this is just a bit overwhelming for me. It's a great opportunity, and if you want I can definitely try but please don't have big expectations of me okay?" you asked biting your lip slightly. "I'm not that great."

There was a second of silence and then he whispered lightly, "Even if you don't believe it, just from those 30 seconds, I could already tell how amazing your voice was."

Your breath caught but a second later he had already moved on.

"If you want to, we could do a few singing sessions together? Just mess around have some fun? That way you can get a bit more comfortable and have some fun," he suggested, voice changing to a shy one that you hadn't ever heard from him.

~~~

"Yeah sure," you agreed, smiling. "Lets try that."

3 months later, you guys finally released your song. Titled "For Them", you sang about your parents who you had loved dearly, and he sang about his parents and their distant relationship. It showed two different perspectives, two different stories, two different lives, and you both loved it so much.

The song was a success, with fans pouring into your channel and small community and well, your life. Most importantly though, along with all of it, came a mask-wearing man, who held you on the days that it was hard for you, and who you held on the nights that were hard for him.

fin.

[crowdedimagines]

Spill It - Harry Styles

an// i literally love the spill your guts concept, but hopefully this is a new take on it! also, this is not going to be chronologically correct to real life, that’s the fun of fiction! also in a world without covid

“I will never understand how you continue to convince people to do this.” I sigh, taking in the table in front of me.

“Let’s take a look at what Y/n here is so fond of.” James teases before giving the table a good spin, showing off all of its contents, “To start we’ve got salmon smoothie, beef tongue, bird saliva, scorpion, fish head, hot sauce, bull penis, and finally, the water beetle. I think you’re both familiar with the rules of this game.”

“I’m sure.” Niall smiles, turning his head towards mine and I nod in agreement.

Niall and I go way back, having been friends for years. We met back in 2013 when I opened for One Direction’s tour. I quickly become close with all of them. One more so than the others. Harry. He and I just clicked, everyone knew it. It took months for us to start dating, afraid that we would ruin the good thing we had, but neither of us wanted to wait anymore. You can’t pass up a connection like that.

“Niall, I will ask you the first question.” James announces, “We’ll go with the salmon smoothie.”

“Oh god.” He mutters.

James lets out a loud laugh and covers his face in shock over the question. He turns it to me so I can catch a glimpse before he reads it out-loud and my jaw drops.

“You might as well drink now, not even hear the question.” I tease, leaning across the table.

“Niall, who is your least favorite member of One Direction?”

Niall’s head drops in defeat, even though he was sure going into this a question like this would be brought up. He just wishes it could’ve been on something a little easier to choke down.

“Drink up, babe.” I smile, a teasing smile crossing my face.

“Fuck.” He shakes his head.

“I can’t… “ He reaches for the glass and throws it back, it takes a few seconds for the sludge to finally shift and he can get a mouthful. A sour look takes over his face as soon as it reaches his taste buds. He quickly leans down to spit it in the bucket.

“That’s horrendous.” He coughs, “It was like a salmon yogurt.”

“Alright Niall, your turn to ask Y/n.”

I smile politely to my friend of many years who takes on a sinister look once he’s read the question.

“Please be nice.” I stick out my bottom lip.

“Right right.” He laughs, spinning the table as he takes in his options.

“Don’t forget I have a very good memory, especially of the years spent on a shared tour bus…” I chaff.

“Don’t remind me.” He settles on the hot sauce, thankfully one of the lesser evil options. I would take this over anything else on the table.

I did crash on their bus more than my own. It started because they were fun, barely older than me, but then when Harry and I started dating we became. Even sharing a bunk as uncomfortable as it was most nights. Those boys grew up with me, and I’m thankful to still be in good contact with all of them.

“You recently welcomed your third god-child into the world when Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid welcomed their daughter to the world.”

“Yes, I did.” I smile at the cheering audience. I have managed to do the impossible in staying close with all of the boys since the hiatus. Well, all but one. Gigi and I met years ago, and I introduced the pair at an award show. The other boys had their reason for making me god mother, but it did give me this monopoly on all of the One Direction children. 

“You are actually the god-mother to all three of the One Direction children. Who’s your favorite?”

My jaw drops at the question. Who had the audacity to ask that? To think I could ever answer that about any of my little nieces and nephews. The audience cheers in shock over the question as well.

“You’re joking.” I scoff, “They’re children, I could never pick a favorite!”

“How about your least favorite then?” James teases.

“You lot are all horrendous!”

I grab the shot glass and down the hot sauce immediately. I love all of them way too much to ever pick. I’m sure it’s exactly what they expected with a question like that. It burns for a few seconds and I put the glass back and try to shake it off.

“Nice one!” Niall cheers.

“Now James-” I clear my throat, the hot sauce catching up with me, “Name one guest that you would never invite back to the show.” I bite back a smile and fan my face with the card.  

James looks up into the camera as if he actually wants to answer.

“C’mon, you can do it! Just for once.” I grin like a little kid in a candy store, I want him to answer. I want to know, and it would be nice to finally get him to reveal an answer like this.

“Are you trying to get this show canceled?” He turns to one of the producers off screen. He looks between them and the water beetle I’ve placed in front of him. He gives his head one last shake before throwing it down the hatch.

“Niall, it’s your last night on Earth, you can either spend it with your ex girlfriend Ellie Goulding or Selena Gomez?”

He goes back and forth, trying to be polite with his answer before eventually picking Ellie.

“Y/n, who is your favorite member of One Direction?” Niall asks, the smirk growing wider with every word he utters.

The crowd roars, knowing very well of my relationship from a few years ago. One that people still brought up regularly in both Harry and my life due to us remaining friendly. 

“What is up with you guys wanting to know my favorites?” I roll my eyes, “Give me something I can actually answer.”

“Fine! I’ll ask you one!” Niall grins, an evil and family glint in his eyes appearing, “What songs have you written about Harry?”

A red hue takes over my face again, only this time it’s not from the hot sauce.

“Either that, or the bird saliva.” He grins, showing off a wide smile. If only we weren’t on national television and I could smack it off.

“It smells like wet dog.” I sigh, I pick it up giving it a whiff before setting it back down on the table, “Could I name one song?”

Niall and James exchange a look before the nod accepting it. 

“I wrote the song Everything about him.” I smile. It shouldn’t exactly be a surprise to most people, there were clues. Both of our fans were smart enough to catch on and read between the lines. It was a song I released almost two years ago, the album following our breakup.

It was a powerful song, it quickly became one of the favorites of my fans. It’s also one of the few that I don’t perform. I can’t think of a time I’ve sung that song without crying, it wasn’t meant for the stage. It was meant to be played in your bedroom while you stare at your ceiling. People have always understood that. 

“It’s a lovely song.” Niall smiles knowingly.

“Thank you.” I smile, I move on and reach out to ask James his question.

“James, you have been blessed to have both Niall and I on for carpool karaoke.” I smile at Niall, “Which one did you enjoy more?”

I can’t fight off the laughter that takes over. As if it isn’t hard enough to answer questions like these, it’s only upped the ante by having us both here.

“You’re kidding.” He dabs away the sweat on his forehead.

“It’s okay, Niall won’t be that offended.” I reassure and stick out my tongue at Niall.

“You’re an arse.” Niall laughs with the roll of his eyes.

In the middle of Niall and I acting like children bickering, James tears off a bite of the cows tongue without another word.

“Oh god.” I turn away from the unpleasant sight.

“That’s rank.” Niall huffs.

Niall answers his next question from James again, successfully getting away without eating anything.

“Y/n, if the past four years you have gotten into acting. You have made quite a name for yourself on the big screen as well as on the stage.” Niall begins.

“I don’t like where this is going.” I laugh.

“Rank your co-stars from your past films best to worst; Dylan O’Brian, Logan Lerman, and John Boyega.” Niall smacks his knee with a laugh.

“I have been blessed to work with so many talented actors” I start, picking up the terrifying looking bug that has been placed in front of me.

“Mhm.” James agrees with an evil smile on his face.

“So talented, that I could never rank them.” I throw back the scorpion before I can second guess myself. I manage to chew enough of it for it to count before spitting it out as gracefully as I can.

That’s a wrap after that, enough time getting juicy content out of us quite literally either spilling or filling our guts. I give Niall a hug before going back to my dressing room. I couldn’t be more thankful to share the couch tonight with a long time friend.

I drive home, eager to go home and relax. The episode won’t air until later tonight which gives me a couple hours of peace from Twitter. I take a bath and make myself some dinner, before eventually climbing into bed and turning on the TV to watch the episode.

It’s good, fun to watch back. Niall and I make a good pair, easy to read the friendship on camera. In time the episode ends and I turn off the TV and decide to go to bed. It’s been a long day full of press. Before I can actually drift off my phone lighting up and vibrating on my nightstand grabs my attention.

You are my everything too. xx

PART TWO??????

[kujox]

Hello~ So i saw that you take request for jjba,

and i wanted to ask for a small bucci gang x reader (together not seperate) oneshot where their teammate reader gets turned into a child, and as a child their were super hyper and always laughing just a happy go lucky type of kid you now? And now as an young adult their just monotone, emotionless, kinda stuck and a bit mean up and they ask themself what happened that their teammate went from such a sunshine to such a boomer pretty much.

Im sorry if my english is bad and if its too specific.

Thank you for your time♡♡

THIS IS THE GREATEST IDEA I HAVE EVER SEEN!! You have a huge imagination, anon!

{~Ray of Sunshine~}

Bucci-gang x Child!reader!

You were fighting a very strong stand user named Alessi. You’ve never seen this guy before and nobody was really around to assist you. The user was fairly strong but you felt that you were even stronger. Spoiler alert, you weren’t. You had became extremely tired and slipped up as soon as Alessi hit another attack! “I’ve got you where I want you!” He was about to kill you right then and there but he heard loud footsteps and ran off.

“Y/N!” “Y/N”

Those voices sounded familiar to you but you were so young and losing your memory very quickly. You stepped from out of your now..overgrown clothes? Wait—why are you naked?! Where is your mom?! “Woah! Y/N!” Your closest friend Narancia exclaimed. “Wait—are you Y/N? Why are you so small??” He began laughing. Abbachio pushed Narancia aside and had gotten a good look at you. You had tears swelling up in your eyes. “That’s not Y/N.” He said. “They’d never cry.” Abbachio was about to leave you in the street until Bruno stopped him. “That IS Y/N!” He said. “Look at their H/C! And their E/C.” “That’s definitely them.” You had begun crying. Why were there tall men surrounding you? Were they gonna hurt you?! Your little child brains couldn’t handle this.

Bruno’s motherly instincts kicked in and he immediately swooped you up into his arms. “We will get you some new clothes!—that’ll fit you.” He smiled gently, claiming you down. “Abbachio! Please grab Y/N’s usual clothes. We’ll be taking them with us. Abba rolled his eyes. You were always getting into trouble! Narancia cheered. “Oh my god! Let’s get Y/N the most embarrassing kid outfit!” He began cackling. Bruno shushed him. “They wouldn’t like that! Besides—instead of Fugo hurting you, soon it’ll be Y/N if you keep laughing!”

Bruno had took you clothes shopping while Abbachio dragged Narancia home for misbehaving. “Do you like this outfit, darling?” You looked at yourself in the shop mirror. Your outfit had bright colors and shiny sparkes. You adored it. “I love it, Mr. Bruno!” You jumped up and down, excited to show the world your new look. Bruno purchased your outfit and took you back to your home base. As soon as you entered the door..everyone was staring at you! You weren’t a shy child, so you gave your biggest smile and waved. “Hii!!” You sounded so cute! Mista jumped up and nearly snatched you from Bruno!

“Give them here!!” Mista whined. “I wanna hold them now!” “Tsk tsk.” Trish sighed, filing her nails. “You know—Y/N isn’t as usually happy as they are now..” Fugo had chimed in. “You are correct. They’re usually monotone and very quiet..” Abbachio nodded in agreement. “Gee—I wonder what happened.” Narancia rubbed his head. The day was amazing with your new(?) friends! They fed you snacks, sung and danced with you, you even got to meet Giorno while he was off duty!

“Who is this little one within the base?” He asked. “That’s Y/N!” Narancia said. “...Y/N?!” He said, pulling your squishy cheeks. “No way—she isn’t as a ray of sunshine like they are now.” As soon as Giorno said that, you became your normal self again. The boys quickly darted their eyes into the other direction and Trish helped you change clothes as fast as possible. “...Are you okay, Y/N?” Mista shakily said.

“...I’m fine.” Those probably were the only two words you’d be saying for the night.

“I apologize for giving you all trouble—but I am going to bed now.”

“But—you haven’t had dinn-“ You held your hand up, making Bruno pause. “Thank you, but I’ll be leaving.”

As you left, your teammates were even more curious as to why you were the way that you were. It’ll be leaving them stumped for a while—only because you refused to tell them your personal life.

This was way too fun to write! I’m sorry if it didn’t meet your requirements. I’d be happy to hear more of your requests!