#looks like it will mostly rain before the race starts and at the beginning

[petit-papillion]

Spanish Grand Prix Forecast

If it means more fantastic saves like this one by Charles in Q3 at Silverstone last year, sign me up! But more likely, we'll end up with damaged cars, red & yellow flags, and an even more unruly than usual SF-23...

🎥 lucas_hopwood

[ambiguouslady42]

Pairing: Hajime Umimeya x Chubby Fem! Reader

Genre: Fluff (for the time being), MDNI (I will block you)

Synopsis: It's cold and rainy. The Bofurin boys stop by for some good soup!

Tags: @pixelcafe-network, @jellyfishsart, @hayatoseyepatch, @awkwardchick87, @missvulpix212, @cottonlemonade

Note: Thank you Ele and Sam, my amazing beta readers.

Chapter 2: Pastina Soup

Dividers by: @cafekitsune

Chapter 1

It was rainy today. Not much foot traffic could be seen from the restaurant’s window. You figured this was natural because along with this rain, it’s freezing. You hate rainy days; you hate the water, but mostly because there’s a loneliness that comes with it. You moved away from home to find adventure, but you’re yet to feel that moment where you feel like you are a part of something or someone.  

The window finally got fixed before the opening day. You felt blessed to be in a community like the one in Makochi. Everyone was helpful and warm. The cost of the repairs also didn’t break the bank, so you felt lucky as far as chaos went. Your restaurant opened this week, and you’re delighted to have regulars. Your staples are lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, and tiramisu to name a few. You wanted to try having a weekly menu to experiment more The dishes were praised not only for their taste but for the sense of comfort that they bring. Tachibana came by to try your dishes and in return, she invited you to have lunch with her during the day. The boys were right, her omelette rice is to die for.

Speaking of the boys, you haven’t seen them as of late. You worry and think if there was something that you could have done to push them away. You shake your head and quell your worries with the likely outcome that they were dealing with other pressing business.

As you’re observing from the warmth of your restaurant you notice those specific jackets that you became familiar with. You notice Sakura at the front, with a glare on his face. From that instant, you run outside, without a jacket. Sakura fails to notice you, but then you see two other individuals trailing behind him. 

“Hey! Sakura!”, you call out “Sakura! Can you hear me?!” 

Sakura turns around to look at you and he instantly is startled that you would even call out to him. His two companions turn around and are as polite as ever. You notice that one of the boys has a blondish tinge to their hair, but he has a warm smile that you can’t be able to forget. The other has an eyepatch, but his manners don’t escape him.

“Hello there! I’m Suo! You must be the so-and-so we heard so much about last week.” He proceeds to continue smiling at you.

“Oh yeah! Your friend was such a big help to me last week. He came to my aid when I needed him. I am still grateful to him.” you tell him with a sense of pride

“I’m glad to hear that.” Suo proceeds to look in the direction of the blonde. 

“Oh…right! I’m Nirei, it’s very nice to meet you!”  he says with a bubbly demeanour.

The rain is starting to pick up and you’re beginning to feel cold. You’re elated to see the familiar faces, but you are yet to see the one who caught your attention last week; Hajime Umemiya. Suddenly you start to see a crowd of them walking right behind them. You notice that some of them are bruised and bandaged up. Right there in the crowd, you see him. Your heart begins to race just a little. You see the warm smile and he’s laughing amongst what you assume are his friends. 

“Hey, listen! I know it’s cold out and it’s raining, would you want to come inside and I could fix you something to eat!” you say as loud as you can so everyone can hear you.

“There wasn’t any need to shout,” Sakura grumbles as he makes his way inside the restaurant. 

“Thank you kindly.” follows Suo. Nirei smiles and nods politely. When they follow, the entire crew decides to come by, including him.

“Hey! Thank you so much for inviting us. Listen, I thought it would be a great idea to bring these to you!” Umemiya hands you some zucchini and eggplant. It almost feels like a bouquet in the way that you’re holding them. “I grew them myself and thought you might want to make something with them,” he says excitedly to you. 

Your body begins to surge with warmth, but you realize that you’re still outside. You slightly shiver and Umemiya observes this. “Let’s get you inside! Don’t want you to catch a cold!”, He says in his chipper demeanor. He wraps his arm around your shoulder as he opens the door to lead you inside. It’s refreshing to experience this kind of personality. One that is outgoing, chipper, and makes you feel like there’s an exciting surprise around the corner. He lets go of you, but you feel like his touch lingers.

As you’re inside and feel the warmth in your body, you observe the large number of men who are drenched from being outside in the rain. Concerned that they can catch a cold, you quickly decide to prepare pastina soup. You have some broth in storage; it’s time to get to work! As far as your beautiful bouquet of vegetables, you quickly try to think of what you can make. A-ha! You figure out you can fry these zucchini, and make a quick eggplant parmigiana. Of course, let’s also make some spaghetti. Being able to think on your toes allows you to become efficient in a kitchen. You hear the chatter and laughter from the inside of the kitchen. You hear the kitchen door open. “You can’t be back here right now, it’ll be another while before everything is ready”, as you’re chopping up the vegetables and setting the cooking oil to an optimum temperature on the stove. 

“I'm here to help.” the familiar voice says softly. 

“Oh, Umemiya, it’s you.” giving him a small smile. “Oh I couldn’t let you help me, you’re my guest.” 

His smile remains consistent. “I insist”, as you see him grabbing a spare apron that you have in the kitchen. “How can I help?”

You know you are smitten by the way that he is proactive. A man wanting to be proactive in your kitchen is the sure way to anyone’s heart. “If you’d like to help, start by turning on the oven that’s over there. You will want it at about 400° F. Next, you can take over chopping, while I check on the oil. We will be frying up this lovely zucchini. I’ll deal with the eggplant on my own.” 

“Yes, ma’am!” Umemiya salutes you. Having the majority of the zucchini chopped, you begin to fry the vegetable, making sure that it won’t burn. Some of the oil jumps and it grazes your hand, but you walk it off as there is too much to do.

“You okay?!” Umemiya asks. 

“Of course, this is nothing.” He is amazed and shocked at how you tolerate pain. You’re running back and forth between chopping and patting down the eggplant. “You have nothing to worry about! This is normal and it just tells me to lower the heat.” you smile at him as a way to confirm that he has nothing to worry about. He takes this as a sign to stop pressing the matter. He would do the same if he were in your position. 

“So what were you and your comrades doing out there?” you ask him as you’re laying the eggplant in a baking dish.

“Ah, that. We were dealing with a certain group and we just needed to have a conversation with them. I feel it was very productive, and there’s no more to that now!” Umemiya tells you with that smile that could melt millions of hearts. 

“Is that everything that happened?” you ask him in a playful tone. You walk just past him to try to reach for some necessary spices. However, you realize that they’re way too high up for your reach. “Why did I place this so high up? What was I thinking”, you said to yourself. “Need any help with that?” he asks as he is standing behind you. 

“Yes, do you mind reaching for that? Sorry, just vertically challenged.”, you point to what you need. He stands next to you. You realize that he’s standing very close to you; you can smell his musk. It has a tinge of sweetness with herbs; it’s inviting to you. The cheeks on your face begin to turn red. He grabs the spices with ease and turns to see you. “Is this everything that you need?”, with such a reassuring smile. “Yeah…thanks”, you say quietly. 

Using the spices, you add them to your broth. At this point, you know you wouldn’t mind having a bowl of this soup. The smell begins to linger in the air and it starts to travel outside of the kitchen door.

“Mmm, what’s that smell?!”, someone can be heard from outside. 

“It’s almost ready!”, you say as loudly as you can to be heard. You take note of what’s already ready to be served. Course 1: soup and fried zucchini. As you are plating everything to your liking, Umemiya grabs a tray and places the bowls of soup to be served. “Oh wait! You don’t have to do that! I can do it!” you shout at him as he’s walking away. “Nonsense, I said I would help!” he retorts back as he’s already out the door. 

“Okay! Okay! I got soup ready to go. Take your time!” Umemiya can be heard saying joyously to his comrades. 

Nirei is the first to take a sip of the soup. “Oh my goodness! This is the best soup I’ve ever had!” Within seconds, he takes out his notebook and pen to write down what notes he can taste. Suo who is sitting next to him, slowly takes his sips and quietly nods his head to agree with Nirei. Sakura proceeds to follow their lead. His eyes open wide, but refuses to comment on the taste. His comrades take note of his face turning bright red.

“Is something bothering you?” asks Nirei.

“NO! What are you talking about?!” Sakura retorts back as he takes another sip of the soup.  

You step out of the kitchen to check in on how everyone is enjoying their soup. You take notice that Umemiya has not yet had his portion. He’s still standing with his hands behind his back as if he’s waiting for the next command. 

“Would you like to take a seat and have some food?” you ask him.

��No, I’d rather help. I’m kind of looking forward to having my meal with someone.” He’s looking at you with those soft, grey eyes and a gentle smile. This time, you’re feeling something in your stomach flutter. You realize that he’s talking about you. 

“If you insist, Ume” you turn around and head back to the kitchen. 

The main course will include small plates of spaghetti and your eggplant parmigiana. You feel like you outdid yourself preparing the eggplant as you take a small bite to see if it’s missing anything. Umemiya comes to meet you in the kitchen to help with the plating process. “Would you like to taste the eggplant you gifted me?” you ask him.

“Did you like it?!” he asks you excitedly.

“Just try it.” You’re giggling a bit as you prepare a clean spoon for tasting.

“I knew this would come in handy for you!” He grins excitedly.

“Thanks again. It was really sweet for you to bring me some vegetables,” you respond to him. 

“I finally found someone who I think will appreciate the vegetables that I care so much for in my garden,” he responds to you. 

“I’d love to be able to see it sometime..,” you tell him with a shy smile.

“Just let me know when and we’ll make it happen.” he grins to you.

You watch him taste your parmigiana and the grin and the way his eyes glow confirm that you achieved your desired outcome. As you finish plating everything, Umemiya is quick to deliver this to your guests. 

You step out to see the constant glow on your guest's faces. You notice that Nirei is once again writing in his notebook. You step right behind him to take a glance at what he’s writing down. He notices the shadow cast behind him. “Whatcha writing down?” you ask. 

“Oh! Um, um, it’s nothing! Really!” Nirei is panicking. 

“No no, I just want to know!” you smile at him reassuringly. As Nireihands you the notebook at where he’s been writing. You notice that he’s been trying to find the notes in your soup and is trying to write down the possible ingredients in your pasta sauce. 

“If you wanted to know what I put in my dishes, you just need to ask!” you tell him. 

“Really?! Are your recipes not a secret?” he asks earnestly.

“Absolutely not! I just prepare everything as I’ve learned it as I travelled around. Of course, I modify things to my liking.” Everyone suddenly starts looking in your direction as you're excitedly talking about the places you’ve been. As you notice the gazes, you stop. You look around and see that Umemiya is looking towards you with that smile. You turn bright red and walk away back into the kitchen. He follows right behind you.  

To distract yourself, you start to prepare your serving of food. Your stomach is grumbling; you can’t remember the last time you ate. Your hands are shaking as you try to grab the ladle for the soup. “Here, let me help with that.” Umemiya grabs the ladle from you. “I look forward to hearing all about your adventures and why you ended up here.”

“I’d love to tell you about everything,” you say quietly.

“Wonderful! I look forward to it!” that reassuring grin appears. 

You realize that there’s a lot of food that you need to be able to eat. You don’t know if you’ll be able to finish it all.

“Don’t worry, whatever you don’t finish, I’ll make sure to help you. Your wonderful food shouldn’t go to waste!” he tells you. You observe Umemiya stepping out of the kitchen with your meals. You check to see that everything is off. He places your servings near the table closest to the window, away from everyone else. You sit right across from him. You're both smiling at each other as you place a napkin on your lap. 

“So tell me where you came from before Makochi?”

He looks at you intently, curious why someone as adorable as you would move here. He takes a sip of the soup; just as he thought: heart-warming and comforting, just like you.

[writting-for-a-chain-of-heros]

A Foggy Morning With Hyrule

Summary:You and Hyrule cuddle together for warmth while on the last watch as the Chain are sleeping & have much needed alone time together to relax in each other's embrace.

Tw: Making out but mostly just fluff & cuddling

pairing : Hyrule x gn!reader, established relationship

-----------------

There was a smell of pine wood and wet earth that hung with the cold, moist air that filled your nostrils as you took a breath in while staring out at the cold, cloudy, gray morning sky. The sound of pitter-pattering leftover rain water could be heard dripping down from the leaves and branches of the trees around, hitting onto the roof of the mostly improvised, makeshift tent hung over as a form of shelter. There wasn't much to look at or see in your surrounding area, mainly because you quite literally couldn't make out anything past 10 feet that could even pass off as slightly coherent or clear enough to be more than mere vague silhouettes hidden in the vast and dense fog surrounding you. Well, you can't complain about it too much,having a thick fog like this in an unknown place in an unknown time period could be seen as a blessing in disguise in a weird way.Having cover against whatever danger was out there by making it hard to be able to get spotted so easily was beneficial, but then again, you wouldn't be able to spot or see anything that might be arriving to attack or sneak up on you so easily either,not so beneficial.

Instead you kept staring at the gray swirling clouds in the sky, which, ironically enough, didn't seem too different from the dense grey fog you had been watching for eons.Nonetheless you found it to be a lot more of a stimulating task than a worryingly dull bore as you challenged yourself to figure out if the cloud you saw in front of you was a tree or a deer but the slowly changing hues moving and intertwining with each other hypnotically before you were also why it seemed strangely more comforting than the anxious sight of a foggy, dangerous unknown.

Despite what would normally be considered a somewhat gloomy and dreary early morning sight, there was still something oddly relaxing in the seemingly unchanging, monotonous atmosphere displayed before you. At this point, you had previously decided that it would be better to just focus on hearing for anything that might arrive instead of straining your eyes to see what you most definitely wouldn't see coming (and maybe get your mind off of whatever unpleasant paranoid thoughts may have begun racing in your head from this). Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and began re-identifying and discerning what each sound around you was.

River. Wind. Water drops. Leafs. Branches. Birds. Rustling. Flapping. Fish. Snoring. Breathing. Your heartbeat. Hyrule's heartbeat.

You release a breath out and continue to go over the list repeatedly throughout the entire watch. Aside from the already-noted activity in the area, it was nearly dead quiet though the whole event, as neither you nor Hyrule had spoken or exchanged a single word with one another for hours since your watches had started,instead wordlessly decide to simply bask in one another's presents in silence. The two of you both sitting together, embraced, as you way comfortably against his chest, wrapped in his arms while sharing a single large warm blanket,wrapped together like a wonderful cocoon, with only the sounds of gentle, distant river water running coupled with the (well, mostly) quiet rustling and snoring from the rest of the sleeping party members a little ways behind you.

You felt a small, harsh wind blow come from the right, pushing bits of your hair with the cold air brushing past the exposed bare skin across your face involuntarily triggering a shiver to erupt down your spine and goosebumps to begin to form all over your arms. You pull the blanket around you closer as a separate pair of hands reach up to rub against your shoulders before one reaches out to push the strains of hair back in place and leaves a quick kiss to the side of your temple. Hyrule's hands shuffle you around at an angle to maneuver you closer to him, with your head now lying on his shoulder and parts of the blanket pulled over to have it over your head but not completely covering your face.Hyrule's face presses against yours, enjoying the warmth of your body as you curl up closer. Your eyes start to lull ever so slightly as you take in the smell of the forest and the feeling of being cradled by his loving arms.

The peace and quiet of the outdoors makes it feel like you’re the only two people in the world.

There was no fighting,no monsters,no training,no chattering sounds of your party members & no business or destiny to take care of. For just this moment it was just the two of you, sharing a special morning together, in this peaceful,quiet,magical setting.The cold air fills your lungs as you lay with him in content relaxation, your bodies still pressed closer together with the blanket to keep warm.Your fingers are intertwined as the fog disappears ever so slightly making way for the morning sunlight, turning the horizon into a small beautiful shade of crimson.

Despite your closeness and the blanket's warmth, your hands still tremble with the cold . Hyrule takes notice of this as he feels your hands shaking in his palms. He caressed them, almost like magic (or maybe it was), as the warmth of his touch instantly began to wash away your shivering. You gasp slightly at the sudden pull as he draws your fingers to his mouth, blowing on them one by one. His soft lips and the warmth of his breath makes you tingle with a shooting heat throughout your body. The feeling leaves you breathless, as though words could never describe this moment of such raw intimacy between you.

Hyrule wasn't always the most proficient when it came to romance due to his lack of social skills, but moments like these reminded you on how he could still make your heart pound out of your chest. As the shifted atmosphere lingers in the air, your heart continues to flutter as the hero's hands gently cradle your other hand, rubbing it to dispel the numbness.

His fingers brush along your skin, caressing your hand and filling you with an overwhelming warmth as your eyes stay stuck to his lips.

When you look up from his lips back to his face, his eyes meet yours and you instantly feel the connection between you both.

A rush of butterflies fills your stomach as your eyes lock with his, then he leans in and kisses your knuckles.

As you feel your fingers (and face) beginning to heat up, your gaze falls upon their lips once more and you can’t resist the urge to kiss them.

Your lips meet theirs and a feeling of intimacy blossoms within both of your bodies.You feel his lips pressing against yours, and your body is swept away by the wave of passion that washes over you. His touch is like a magnet, pulling you in closer and making you forget about the rest of the world.

As his lips meet yours once again after pulling away to catch air, Hyrule pulls you closer to him, his warm breath washing over your body like a caress.

You can feel the beating of his heart against your own, the beating of both hearts connecting as you make out tenderly.Hyrule strokes your neck, your hair and your back as you both kiss, slowly losing yourselves in the moment.

As the warm rays of sunlight shine through the fog, you feel the warmth on your skin, embracing you in its comfort.

The bird’s chirps are soft but loud enough for you to hear and they create a beautiful melody to accompany a wonderful,quiet, foggy morning.

[mintmatcha]

i feel like it's the beginning of izuku having some kind of breakdown. he can't function and he hadn't seen his mom in so long and how could he just pretend it didn't happen for a tv interview and he doesn't want to be a hero anymore and--

that realization is like a punch to the skull and has him full-blown hyperventilating and trying to figure out where it went wrong, how he let everything get out of hand but who can replace him but he doesn't care but he has to care

the thoughts are racing and for the first time in a long time he's frozen in fear, and the tears start to come and it burns and hurts in a way he hasn't felt in a long, long time

(im not great at angst but djdjdjdjd ur izuku is making me lose it)

continued from this (cw for parental loss)

Swallowed by a pile of unfolded sheets and mostly dry blankets, Izuku can barely manage to look up at you. The suit you had pressed for his television appearance is crumpled behind him, tucked up and under his elbows, uncomfortably trapping his arms close to his sides, but he doesn't move. He lays there, watching the stationary ceiling fan as if it has the answers he’s looking for.

Every other time Izuku has been in your bed, it's been for sex, but now there's no sheen of sweat on his skin, no tickle of a genuine smile; his skin is pale with grief, stricken physically sick from anguish, a misery clinging so tightly to him that you feel it yourself, gripping your heart tighter with every beat.

He had disappeared immediately after his interview, gone before you could even think what to do. It took hours to track him down, calls to friends who hadn’t heard the news and visits to his usual haunts.

Any other day, you might tease him for breaking in with your spare key, tease him for not even folding your laundry, but today you offer the little peace you contain.

"Are you okay?" you ask as you approach, even though you know the answer. Deku calls you his 'fixer', the person who keeps things running smoothly from behind the scenes, but this is something you can't repair.

"My mom died," he repeats, voice brittle with disbelief.

"I know." You sit on the edge of the bed and hesitate for a long while, contemplating exactly what to do. You can't fix this. You can't make this better. "I’m sorry."

"I know." The stillness of it all, how his chest barely rising with every breath, how the street outside in silent, how you can’t bring yourself to move, haunts you. If you don’t do anything, maybe it’ll be like this forever, suspended in a moment neither of you wants to remember.

So, you inch closer to him.

“Sit up for me.” You tug him up by the shoulders, guiding him up into a sitting position. Izuku is still oddly like a rag doll, letting you move his arms where they need to be as you guide his suit jacket off his body, dropping it into the pile below you. Once it’s gone, you begin with his cuffs. Yucking your thumbs under the linen and caressing the soft skin there, you feel the scars from his youth. raised yet dormant, phantom pains sometimes still rumbling under the surface with rain is on the way.

When you drop the cuff links into the floor and begin on the front placket, Izuku seems to gather himself. His hands settling on your thighs, no playful squeeze or tender stroke. Just a simple touch to feel you there.

His voice reverberates in your hands as you undo the collar’s button. It’s a shiny, opalescent white, a stark contrast against the black of his shirt. Real mother-of-pearl, the salesman had told you, made from oyster shells. "Am I a good person?"

That question haunts you, doesn’t it?

You undo the next unbutton. His white undershirt is practically threadbare and it reeks of cigarette ash, something different from his usual brand. There might be a tinge of alcohol on his breath, but you can't quite tell.

You’re good to a fault, good to the point it’s bad for everyone around you.

Another button and you can see the dark curve of a scar across his sternum, still hyperpigmented because it hasn’t had time to fade. In the right light, you can even make out the remains of stitches under the surface, yet to dissolve.

You’re so good it’s almost killed you.

Another button. It’s as smooth and cold as it was before it was cut, nestled in some poor mollusc that didn’t know any better.

“Sometimes I wish you were less good,” you murmur.

 I think you’d be happier then.

"I haven't visited her in months," Izuku lets his head roll to the side as if it takes too much will to keep it up. His curls are held in place by too much hairspray, practically defying gravity as he talks, mumbling under his breath the same way he does when he’s analyzing data: even and scarily calm. "Ahe texts me every day, but I'm busy, I’m so busy, I’m-"

The hitch in his voice surprises both of you.

“There’s not enough time.” He helps you shrug off his dress shirt and his hands return to your sides, clutching your much tighter this time. “I don’t have enough time, there isn’t enough time to do it all, I'm only one person.”

His voice stays even and distant, but his hands are trembling as they close tighter, thumbs digging into the soft inside your hipbones. The pressure aches, then hurts, growing with every word.

“How am I supposed to do everything?” he mumbles, “I can’t be a hero and a person, I can’t be a hero and a partner, a hero and a son-”

"Izuku-" You think he might crush you without even realizing what’s happening. His palms are squeezing, fingers digging, all of it so tight you can’t wiggle away even when you try.

"I don't want this anymore, I don't want to live this life,” Izuku’s voice cracks again, “I don’t want- I don’t-

His eyes seem so verdant against their red rims. "I chose television over my mom."

“Izuku.” Your hands find his face, cupping his cheeks and pleading for his attention. “You’re hurting me.”

The pain unfurls when he lets go, blood rushing back to damaged skin. It’s going to bruise and you’re going to feel the hurt with every step.

"I'm sorry, I didn’t-" he watches his palms as if they can offer him any explanation. The skin under your touch smudges and you realize his screen make up is still on; you drag your touch down, exposing new seas of freckles, dark and bountiful. When your hand trail to the curve of his jaw, his throat bobs with a slow swallow, once then twice.

“I know you didn’t.”  And with that, you crumble into each other. Izuku buries his head into the soft below your collar bone, dragging you less than gently into his lap. You wrap yourself around him as tight as you can muster and yet it doesn't feel like enough.

"You have to let go," Izuku sighs after a long while, "I'm afraid you're gonna see me cry."

You slink off of the bed toward the door and he tenses with every step, muscles bunching with worry and self restraint. You give him once last glance before you turn off the light. You've seen him nude before but never so bare.

You can find him in the dark, arms extended, open and demanding like he needs you, even if he doesn't want you. Pressed up against you, you can feel what you can't see: the wobble of his lip, the wet against his cheek.

"I thought it was so annoying to have her text me every day," he whispers, voice barely pieced together through its cracks and gives, "And now I want is one more. One more text."

His body hiccups with a sob, silent before he lets go completely. It's ugly. It's snot and anguish, nonsense pleads to someone and no one, anger, grief, and emotions you aren't sure have names.

You hold him. That's the only thing you can do. This isn't a cross you can bare for him.

[clockworksteel]

The Void Rains Upon Her Heart Lore... Part 1

Alright, so, before properly beginning "The Void Rains Upon Her Heart Lore for People Who Don't Play The Void Rains Upon Her Heart But Are Kinda Curious About The Thing Their Friend Has Been into Lately Part 1", I'll remark that it's a fun game that's playable as an entry-level shoot 'em up player, and that uncovering the lore one piece at a time from reading the Memories/Notes related to items in the Collection (and a few other sources) is part of the enjoyment. Perhaps given the premise of the post it doesn't really need a spoiler warning, but here there be spoilers (although maybe not that many in this specific post).

As much as I'd like to jump right into talking about specific monster types, I think I have to start with things like the Zaraden and Tetrids. The things which set up the plot and world a little. Also, I'll use [] when I'm giving a source for something, which will be done inconsistently. Like, some things are obvious enough to a player that I'm not gonna go looking for a source, but sometimes I happen to already know of one, and I'll also try to always source the weirder facts. I might also try to get some screenshots in later posts, but this one is text-only.

The Zaraden are the dominant race on the planet Eyeris, and can be considered basically the "humans" of the world, if humans could grow wings and had dream-magic. Zaraden live in towers [Distant Towers Dreamscape Memory], do questionable experiments [Heart Tank Power Gift Memory/The Garden's Blessing Dreamscape Memory], and, as a society, are super ableist. The player exclusively plays as outcasts, who mostly never developed wings good enough to fly with. The "wingless" are largely presumed to be useless, although it is possible to be considered "one of the useful ones" for a time [Full Radiant Bonus Gift Memory]. Due to their status, or perhaps other additional reasons, the main characters no longer live in the tower, and survive in a land sometimes known as "the pit", where "wingless" are left to die [Iiry Forest Dreamscape Memory].

Though the main characters have been mistreated, and are generally forced to hide wherever they can, they are still full of love and wish to share it with the monsters [Overlove Bonus Gift Memories]. They do so by sending out their hearts into dreamscapes and directly confronting the manifestations of the fears the monsters feel using love bullets [How to Love Tutorial]. These fear manifestations usually look like the monsters but don't have to [In My Dreams Dreamscape Memory]. While monsters actually fear Zaraden even more than a Zaraden can even feel fear [Fear Sense Power Gift Memory], once their fears are erased, they are capable of loving the Zaraden back, so whoever wrote in the Fear Sense memory "Monsters are evil creatures that will kill us if they get the chance" seems to have been incorrect.

At any rate, loving monsters happens to also be a great survival strategy for an outcast Zaraden looking to live among monsters and also walk outside. However, for some reason that will likely be explored in later updates (the game is in early access), the entire region (or world?) is under a daily memory wipe which only a select few can resist, so every day the monsters are back to being afraid. The main characters still love, though, for sharing a beautiful thing and having it last only a short time is better than never at all. Also, they do hope to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. Perhaps the answers lie in fulfilling their dreams or the monsters' dreams (earning achievements), for dreaming with a Zaraden has the power to change the world [Fulfilling Dreams Tutorial].

As for why the monsters are so afraid of Zaraden, I'm not aware of any direct mention of why that is. I can factually state that triangular things known as "Tetrids" are a power source in the world [Full Prism Bounty Gift Memory], that they're formed from negative emotions [Citations upcoming], that monsters produce way more of them than Zaraden do [Prism Flake Bounty Gift Memory], and that Zaraden are definitely farming them from monsters using some method that's considered dangerous [Full Prism Bounty Gift Memory, again]. While the player definitely extracts Tetrids by either destroying fears or via events that involve sharing even more love with a monster, so they may not exclusively result from negative emotions, they are mostly known for their negative sides.

I like to imagine that Zaraden society has something like a reverse Monsters Inc., where they regularly go out and scare monsters on purpose to farm more Tetrids, leading to deep-seated trauma in the monsters, but that's pure speculation and not supported in the text as far as I'm aware.

For a bit more on the Tetrids, there are 7 colors, the first 6 of which are associated with specific emotions:

Green - Embarrassment, Guilt, and Shame [One Green Bonus Gift Memory]

Red - Frustration and Anger [One Red Bonus Gift Memory]

Yellow - Denial [One Yellow Bonus Gift Memory]

Blue - Stress and Anxiety [One Blue Bonus Gift Memory]

Orange - Insecurity and Instability [One Orange Bonus Gift Memory]

Purple - Loneliness [One Purple Bonus Gift Memory]

Radiant (rainbow) - Composed of all other colors together, although this process happens "at the molecular level" and is not something the player can just voluntarily mix together at any time [Prism Shard Bounty Gift Memory]. There is a garden which can make them from the other 6 Tetrids, but it's fairly inefficient [The Garden's Blessing Dreamscape Memory].

Each color of Tetrids are associated with different monster types, but I'll definitely get more into that later.

Also, partial Tetrids are called Motes. I didn't really have a good place to mention this. It takes 2048 Motes to make a Tetrid. The developer seems to like that specific power of 2. 1/2048 is also the approximate rate at which "Wingless" are born [Wingless Power Gift Memory].

Finally, for something that's more of a fun fact than useful to know for understanding the world, Tetrids cause different sensory experiences for everyone [Cool Tetrids Bonus Gift Memory], but usually do something related to either the listed emotions or their opposite. For a specific example, one Zaraden found that Blue Tetrids smell like mint to them, which calms their anxiety [Blue Ore Bounty Gift Memory].

[simp999]

Familiar?

Ship: Matsuno Chifuyu x reader

Word count: 2.2k

A/N: as I promised, a Chifuyu fic! Slight angst at the end, but it's mostly fluff and wholesome, slight Baji spoilers? Not really

Masterlist

"Excuse me, the store will be closing soon." The clerk politely stated.

Chifuyu had been so entranced by the new manga he found at the corner store that he hadn't noticed how dark it was getting, nor had he noticed the rainclouds forming. Hurrying to the front counter, Chifuyu buys the new volume of Noragami before heading outside. It's beginning to get cold, the winter months just rounding the corner. His pace quickens more and more on his way home, the clouds becoming thicker and darker by the minute.

He halts to a stop, remembering to check on the cats that he and Baji used to visit in the alleyway. He spots a figure crouching by the cats, appearing to be petting a black one. The figure looks up at the teen boy, then after a moment, they tilt their head and offer a kind smile.

"Do you like to come to visit these cats too?"

They stand up to full height, (which isn't very tall).

"The black one here is my favorite, his eyes are so pretty!"

Chifuyu is about to agree, instead, a sudden thought interrupts him.

"You... have I met you before?"

He feels a sense of familiarity coming from you.

"I don't think we have, but then again I'm not the best with remembering people. Though I'm sure I'd remember such a cute face!" You send a playful wink his way. "Ah... I see." He tries to hide his flushed face, turning away from you.

You hold a hand out in front of you. "It looks like the rain is starting up," Sure, the rain is nice and all sometimes, but being stuck in it definitely isn't the best. Chifuyu takes a moment to ponder, then decides you seem like a trustworthy enough person.

"My house is nearby, would you like to stay there for a bit? I, uh, I think the weatherman said the rain was gonna get pretty bad today."

You look up towards the sky, hearing the pitter-patter of rain grow more and more intense. "Sure, lead the way!" He begins to walk in the direction of his home, then you start to walk a little faster than he does. He questions it, then gains more speed than you do. You grin, showcasing your canines, and pick up the pace. Eventually, you two are racing in the rain, trying your best to outrun each other with ear-to-ear smiles adorning your faces.

The two of you finally reach his house, running inside to escape the rain. You immediately lean on the door trying to regain your breath while Chifuyu drops his bag of manga to the floor. Between breaths, you tell him something he hasn't heard in a long time.

"Hey, you're... you're a good guy, you know!" You grin at him, still trying to regain your composure.

"I, um, thank you. You're quite nice too," he tries to force the old memories back to the back of his brain. He then notices you shiver from the rain. "Here, take off your shoes and I'll get you a towel to dry off and a change of clothes." He's still struggling to breathe a bit as well, but of course, like the kind boy he is, he wants to offer his guest good hospitality.

A few minutes after leading you to the washroom and going to change in his own bedroom, the two of you are back out and standing in the middle of his living room, unsure of what to do now. You try to look around to find something to do when your eyes land on a Nintendo Wii. "You like Nintendo games? Got any multiplayer ones?" Chifuyu gets a little too excited at the idea of playing a multiplayer video game since it feels like forever since the last time he's done so. The shimmer in his eyes is cute, you're glad you noticed the console. He begins to list off some of the games he owns. You two decide to take out some snacks and challenge each other at some 1v1 Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

This is quite nice, you think. It's been quite a while since the last time you were able to play multiplayer games after the incident your brother had with gang business. That was the day you decided to get stronger, so you could defend and help those you cared for.

You look over to see Chifuyu intently concentrated on the screen. Oh wow, it's been too long since you felt that. 'That' being a new but an undeniably happy feeling in your stomach. The way his messy hair framed his face, the light from the screen being the only thing illuminating him. It reminds you of why you fight so hard to get stronger. It reminds you of why-

GAME!

...Crap. You were still in the middle of a match. Chifuyu's fist shoots up in the air, "Yeah!! Take that!" The bright smile on his face shines even brighter, contrasting the small dark circles starting to form under his eyes. "Aw maaaan, I thought I had 'ya!" You decide to play along, shoving him gently. He lets out a giggle, very much enjoying the time you two had spent together. You stretch your arms above your head, only now noticing how long you'd been sitting like this. It was definitely late by now. "Hey, 'Fuyu?" he hums in response. "Sorry to ruin the fun, but I'm getting sorta tired." The rain is now beating down on the roof of his house, the only thing drowning it out was the sound of the game. "No worries."

"..."

"..."

"Should I sleep on the couch?" You break the uncomfortable silence, you never realized how game music saved you from this many times tonight.

"...OH! Sorry! Yes, I mean no, um," Chifuyu panics, totally forgetting the possibility of you spending the night. He takes a moment to regain his thoughts, then tries again.

"I can take the couch, would you be comfortable sleeping in my bed?"

You slightly blush at the idea, then you remember that he's probably just being nice to his company. "I don't have to take the bed, I'd feel bad kicking you out of your own room. Haha..." You tried to dismiss him, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Then let's share the bed!" He suddenly blurts out.

A few moments pass.

Then a few more.

"That was not supposed to come out like that, I'm so sorry-" His voice was barely audible and rushed, and his face reddening, obviously embarrassed by his thought that may have been better off not being said.

"Pfft-" You couldn't hold back your laughter anymore, you found him way too cute at this point. Your laugh was contagious, and soon you were two teens sitting in a living room at two AM, laughing your butts off at absolutely nothing. Once you two had calmed down, you wipe a tear from the corner of tour eye and finally come up with a reply.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer. It's probably the most comfortable option for the both of us, huh?" You question with amusement in your voice.

"Yeah, probably," the situation finally begins to weigh in on him. "Then, um, how about you go get comfortable while I clean up a little? You're the one who said you were tired anyway."

"Okie dokie! G'night 'Fuyu!"

"..'Night (y/n)."

He dreaded going to sleep in his bed tonight, taking his time putting the cans of pop and open bags of chips away. It's not like there was anything he could do now, so he finally head to bed.

Luckily, it appeared you were already passed out. Holding a Pikachu plushie. Of course. Chifuyu let out a soft sigh at the sight. At least you hadn't stolen all the blankets already. He snuggled into bed, careful to not wake you up. It wasn't long before he followed you to Dreamland.

+*:ꔫ:*﹤~Timeskip~ ﹥*:ꔫ:*+ﾟ

The next morning, he awoke to arms wrapped around his torso and legs tangled with his. It didn't take him long to remember the events of last night. Trying to free himself from your grasp was apparently not an easy feat. A few minutes later, he was finally able to slip away. He decided to make breakfast, or rather, brunch, for the both of you. Since it was closer to lunch, he decided to grab two containers of Peyoung Yakisoba. He sat down on his couch and played some anime on TV to distract himself. Not too long after he sat down, you appeared in the doorway.

"Mornin' 'Fuyu." You gestured towards him with a slight wave of your hand, a new pokemon plushie in your other. You really had you get em' all, huh?

"Morning. Yakisoba's on the counter if you want some." He tried to sound nonchalant, but it was difficult given the last time he had a sleepover was quite a while ago. It's okay for him to be excited, okay? You sleepily walk over to the counter and back, plopping yourself down beside him. You then recognize the anime playing.

"Oh! Komi can't Communicate! I love the art style, I also find that this anime is pretty cool to watch if you're learning Japanese because of all the writing." Your genuine interest in anime caught his attention, he was glad he met someone with so many things in common with him. The two of you sat and watched anime for a while after that, continuing even after finishing your Yakisoba. Once you finished the last episode of Komi Can't Communicate, (He was on episode 10 when you appeared), he let you choose the next one to watch. It was one that he had already seen, so he picked up his new volume of Noragami to read at the same time. You noticed this. "Noragami's really cool, Yato's eyes are so pretty! Opening one, Hello Sleepwalkers, will forever be my favorite Noragami opening though." Conversations continued to pick up again and again between episodes, the two of you enjoying each other's company.

Chifuyu had finished his new volume and was ready to go get his next manga at the store. You offered to walk with him on the way, to keep him company before going to your own home, stating that you had leftovers that had to be eaten for supper. It's not like you wanted to leave him alone, but your mom told you you had to finish them before she got back from work a few states away.

It was a beautiful day outside, the sun was just bright enough. Paired with the gentle breeze that was making its way through the streets, everything was so nice and peaceful. There was a comfortable silence enveloping you two. Until the two of you hear some muttering...

"Hey, the one with the undercut is in Toman, right?" "Think so, what does that baby think he's doing in our turf?" "He looks pretty young, how unfortunate."

"Let's make this quick, shall we?"

You tried to ignore them, but that became difficult once they put themselves in the middle of your path. There were about eight of them now surrounding you two. The name Toman sounded familiar, but you haven't heard too much about them. Not that you really cared. You only needed to focus on protecting the people close to you, right? And that starts with Chifuyu, the first closest friend you've had in years.

Chifuyu felt terrible about this situation. Sure, he could definitely take all of these guys down alone, maybe not coming out unscathed but he definitely could, but with you here? There was no reason for you to be in his gang business, it wasn't fair on you at all. He wasn't too sure how to fight alongside someone who didn't know how to fight either, protecting someone came to be a bit difficult since his former partner was always stronger than him. Not that he had to worry though, because you were about to put his thoughts to rest.

"Hey 'Fuyu? Thanks for bein' so nice to me and lettin' me stay the night at your place,"

You let your hair down from the ponytail you had it in before you left the house.

"To thank you, I'll help you out."

The next thing Chifuyu sees is one of the men on the ground under your foot. He appears to be unconscious. The rest of them aren't far behind, all falling to your determination of keeping your beloved friend safe. You then begin to make some side comment, but Chifuyu can pay no mind to it. He's completely frozen. Did... did you really just do that? But you're so small? There's no way you can muster that kind of strength. It's definitely not what anyone would have expected from you at first glance. So different from the person he met just a day before.

You remind him a little too much of a certain someone whom he missed dearly.

Chifuyu then looks up into the sky, tears threatening to fall at the memories from his childhood.

"Hey, Baji-san... were you the one to send this angel my way?"

April 14, 22

[thegroundsofbrooklyn]

jack kelly being the guy in oh the places you'll go by dr seuss

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

jack at the beginning of the strike. he suddenly feels like he has actual, proper CONTROL over something. he feels like maybe, after so many things happening in his life that are miles out of his control, this time he'll get a say in how he lives his life.

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,

you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

he's never really experienced the exhileration of things actually HAPPENING before. he feels like he can do anything.

Out [of town] things can happen

and frequently do

to people as brainy

and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,

don't worry. Don't stew.

Just go right along.

You'll start happening too.

jack getting to know davey is like discovering a whole new perspective on life. things are happening, and it's so refreshing.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.

You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.

Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.

Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

when the strike starts, they all feel like they can do anything. jack has this spark of hope, and it convinces him that they can win, because he's never felt hope like this before.

Except when you don't.

Because, sometimes, you won't.

snyder takes crutchie.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.

Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.

A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!

Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?

How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...

or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?

Or go around back and sneak in from behind?

Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,

for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused

that you'll start in to race

down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace

and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,

headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or the waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waiting for the wind to fly a kite

or waiting around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

after crutchie is taken, jack's world seems to become suspended. he can't look at anyone without thinking of his best friend, his brother. and he's panicking. he doesn't know where to go or what to do. he's lost, and he ends up just floating in stasis.

Somehow you'll escape

all that waiting and staying

You'll find the bright places

where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,

once more you'll ride high!

Ready for anything under the sky.

Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.

And the magical things you can do with that ball

will make you the winning-est winner of all.

Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,

with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

davey convinces him that all is not lost. he leads jack out of the chaos and panic. 'somehow' is davey.

Except when they don't

Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times

you'll play lonely games too.

Games you can't win

'cause you'll play against you.

pulitzer backs jack into a corner. he knows he can't win. he's playing against himself because he started this, and he was foolish enough to think he could finish it. he has nobody, and nobody will know that he's doing it to protect them. davey is going to hate him.

But on you will go

though the weather be foul.

On you will go

though your enemies prowl.

On you will go

though the Hakken-Kraks howl.

Onward up many

a frightening creek,

though your arms may get sore

and your sneakers may leak.

when katherine finds his drawings, jack won't let himself believe that her plan will work. too many things have gone wrong. he knows it's a bad decision ... but he goes along with it. he HAS to. and so they continue the battle against pulitzer ...

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

and they succeed.

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...

be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray

or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,

You're off the Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So...get on your way!

jack knows that by winning the strike, they changed everything. he's learnt to always have hope, and to always trust that things will turn out in the end.

[justaredheadf1fan]

Literally back at Montmeló this year 😎

Hello there from the sunny/stormy/rainy/cloudy, no-one-knows-what-else Barcelona!

Marina and I are back at the Barcelona-Catalunya Montmeló race track, but unlike last year, we’re now enjoying the view from the first rows of the Main Stands of the track. We thought it best since last year we nearly melted under the 36º sun without any cover on the stands. What we didn’t know is that the Main Stand doesn’t completely cover you from the sun/rain, at least not where we are seating. We might get it right next season 🤣

Anyway, so this time around we’ve come pretty early plus we’ve actually tried our best to see what was going on around the Fan Zone and we’ve seen a couple of drivers talking…. What a fucking delight. Seriously. Despite the blazing sun, the melting heat (I truly thought my skull was disintegrating) and some truly stupid people, the experience was fantastic. I was honestly surprised by some of the drivers, who we didn’t expect at all to be so sweet and nice and 🥰 Others were as we expected, others we obviously ADORED and there was one I didn’t want to see, and luckily we didn’t. I guess that’s all the luck we’re gonna get this weekend.

Lando and Oscar were meh. I didn’t like any of them. I already didn’t, but yesterday solidified my opinion on them. BUT the biggest surprises for me were Alex and Logan, they were like the sweetest guys ever. Alex already gives that vibe although I didn’t quite like him, but Logan really is like the nicest dude. He might not be the best driver, but they both won me over.

Zhou, Valtteri, Nyck and Yuki made the rest of my day. Not so much into Valtteri (nothing against the guy, he’s just there, he’s nice and that’s it), but Zhou, Nyck and Yuki are the CUTEST. God, how could we not!? Adorable. We even saw Toto speaking right before FP2 and man does that guy have a hold on my heart now. He’s hypnotic.

Today we saw more interesting drivers in the morning, starting with our favorite Frenchmen, Estie Bestie and Pierre. People were booing at them even to their faces, which was very annoying since none of them deserved it at all, but many of us tried to make them feel the best we could, and apparently we managed so that was good. We had the Ferrari boys just afterwards and saying that Charles is the cutest and a sweetheart is an understatement. How can I love someone that much? I could eat his face when he smiles. He even tried saying a couple things in Spanish and it was so funny and adorable, and Carlos even played along calling him “icónico”. It was a beautiful thing.

Afterwards came Kevin, Nico and Checo. Yes, only Checo. We manifested, we thought that maybe if he saw how they started treating Esteban and Pierre in the beginning, that he might get a worse treatment than that (and I can confirm he would’ve), so we hoped he wouldn’t show up. Prayers were answered, my friends. Never liked Checo but I have to give it to him that he was fun to watch, making jokes and being super nice. Obviously Kevin and Nico were fantastic. I can’t stress enough how beautiful they’re in person, especially Kevin. It’s insane how gorgeous he looks in person, so ethereal, so unbothered. Absolute winner. They had a very cool moment at the end. Overall, 10/10 would recommend these guys.

Lastly, we had Lewis and George in front of us. Absolute angel, Lewis. The purest heart. The purest smile. Just grateful for all the support. I can’t say anything that’ll do him justice, because there’s not. Nothing’s enough.”

I’m not really gonna comment on the FP sessions because watching all of it live and having the big screens so far away this time (further and also smaller than you’d think, believe me) we haven’t even seen most of the footage and we have missed quite a bit of images and details to be able to comment properly. However, it mostly went smoothly except maybe FP3 since it started raining and poor Logan crashed. He looked defeated afterwards when he came back to the pitlane.

Anyway, so I’ll update tomorrow with a few pictures of the straight in front of the pitlane. We’ll see how it goes 🤞🏻

Peace out!

[madafact]

nope

ill try to be concise and add as much detail as possible

sometimes writing can be a cover to a book that is about to be written, read, burned, or put down

my brother anthony john masters died on june 10th or 11th i cant remember, the days post have zero anchors or even dates. mostly just a sense of disbelief, and the need to still have to put on clothes, smile and get hair cuts and shit, ya know life bullshit, the stuff that doesnt fucking matter after you lose what you really have in this odd plain we occupy.

my first notice was a photo of his beautiful body being held captive by a hospital bed and three not even complete sentences,

"bicycle accident. head trauma. will be in for seven days"

this was sent by my most eloquent father, who will not hesitate to mention he is a writer who has a vocabulary that could sink the titanic.

how we communicate, to me, shows me the level of respect, admiration, reverence and connection you feel to someone. Ill let you connect those dots. but i will give you a hint at the ending, anthony died. and all the anger, disrespect, lack of trust was the missing words in the first transmission. i think ive said it before but my father does not like me nor does it seem he has any interest in knowing who i am. but this isnt about me

anthony was conscious for the first few days and the prognosis was picking up like the wind. the sun seemed to be parting the clouds and what seemed like just another 'slam at the park' was going to be in the rearview mirror. but ya know, another front moved in on it began to rain.

i have been well informed just how prickly of a cactus new york city can be, and if you dont respect the idea, then you become the grease that turn the wheels of incompetence. it seems incompetent doctors, nurses and medical staff cut anthonys life short. more on that later.

i arrived at the hospital to late to see my brother still squirming in this world and he let me know just what he thought of my tardiness. im trying to open the ICU doors (which open not by handle, but by button, and once initiated, do not stop not even for a 500 lb gorilla. my welter weight body was absolutely brushed aside, sat on my ass with a broken nose and blood, thanks ant, you loved a good board to the face or some shit like that.

anyway he was gone, his body was warm, in a failed attempt i tried to climb into his bed and kinda just spread over him like butter, backside stil moist from his path through life. i touched his chest, kissed his forehead, held his hands examined his post humous face, and went as far as to cut lochs of his beautiful hair for safe keeping, for as many years as i have left. he truly was a beautifully built creature, tats and all, scars, broken bones, off set nose and all. but when i got there, all that started its slow process of fading slowly, then quickly, and soon into ash.

even having him in my arms wouldnt let reality in. shock will be my blanket for the coming winter and it looks to be particulary brisk this season. it still hasnt set in. even after gallons of tears, thousands of racing thoughts, a landscape of sweaty palms and not much rest or fuel. its starting to take a toll. i showed up to a memorial for him a day early today. cold sores are tilling my lips and a general sense of seeking shelter on a partiulary blustery day is my commute to work these days.

the lochs of hair were for me but ya know, as soon as people see you getting something, they want it too. it wasnt supposed to be for everybody, its supposed to be for the ones who seized the opportunity. me.

but ya know find grace and share. even though...what ever.

i maybe spent 40 minutes to an hour with his physical form before the next step had to begin. the state makes money on beds, and once you dead, you out da bed. he was just another stat, another pair of pants to check for loose change and maybe an unspent bill or two. and they wanted us out to begin the search.

fuck the state, and those who tow its nets across the ocean floor decimating everything in its path to catch a few prizes and waste a whole host more souls.

fuck new york

fuck california

fuck me

so i guess thats the end of the experience, but it is only the beginning of the angelification of my brother. the people he affected, the tone (for lack of a better word) he set, the wake he created and the stories that will outlive him.

his chosen family was a mega group of friends made around the college years, fostered across both coasts and eventually planted in bay shore or point pleasant new jersey. a wonderful family of young and old. similiar age and even multiple species. but little was i aware, this was only a small portion of the spiders web. he had been very busy spinning intricate patterns that in the morning light and dew would mesmorize people. moths to flame but this was a bit more of like a cozy fire or even perfect coals to prepare food over.

california, new jersey, new york, mexico city, colorado, oregon, washington, and im probably forgetting a whole host, or just havent found out about the other places. multiple ceremonies were held for him, and are still being planned for future dates, future surf trips, future joy and happiness.

he truly went after being part of peoples love for life. he was a one way street to positive town. it took many forms, tropical mental attitude, tony masters association, boistrous, gregarious, know only for hug not handshakes.

the ceremony we held in the immediate day after was located in new jersy at the beach with more surfboards and beach toys than the coast could imagine. we were even granted passed past the usual, permits, rules etc. for a day, anthony has the bay head cops in his pocket and they nodded to his celebration while many local people looked around in an unusual jealous disbelief.

the waves were not typical for the time of year, the wind stayed the right direction, the sun shined ALL fucking day. all ages caught waves and hooted for each other. anthony was fully on display as his new angelic form. tending to the elements, playing jovial pranks and keeing safe passage for all. just like he always dreamed of. he had arrived. he had become that all powerful, undenieable indescribeable wonderful dream. the light was so bright i imagine. he must have felt the warmth. after all it is a very bright light that we must walk into.

im not even two days into the i think day 5 nightmare/ endless bummer that has no signs of slowing, callousing or even seeming at all acceptable. please help me find acceptance anthony. what happened to you was unacceptable but if your reward is the infinite, cheers dude

i think ill have to do this post based on emotional resources, because as i get to this point, crying in a coffee shop wearing sunglasses trying to stay low key. its not working. the sniffles are giving me away and my coffee cannot be sipped in a unrippled fashion. the hands tremble and my backspace button is just getting a workout.

so please forgive me as i collect myself, my thoughts, and look to the sky for the strength to even find reason to keep my foundation built by me, for myself to not come crashing down.

the crescendo continues..

[ahallatt]

New Zealand: West Coast Wilderness Bike Trail from Greymouth to Ross

I recently spent four days biking the West Coast Wilderness trail, and, despite the classic West Coast inclement weather, I loved it. Here's a quick rundown of my journey:

Day 1: Greymouth to Kumara

Only really half day of biking to start. It wasn’t too demanding, but I had less energy at the end of the three hours (much of it stopping to read signs or look at stuff) then on the rest of the trail.

I saw a dead bumblebee on the path in front of me as I left Greymouth. It strangely affected me. As I get older I find these things harder to bear. The death of nature everywhere.

I pressed on, relying on my gut feeling to guide me when the signs disappeared. Trail markings seemed more consistent later in the trip, or maybe I became better at finding them.

The highlight of the day was the wooded section towards Kumara, where you lose the noise of the road and hear only water and bellbirds. Crossing the gorge was a treat. As was the pub at the end. We stayed in the backpackers, which was a bargain at $50 for the double room.

Day 2: Kumara to Lake Kaniere

Day 2 was a ride of over 50 km, mostly uphill. Despite the rain (my feet were wet within minutes and the rain crept in to the rest of my gear reaching all but my very core), it was my favourite day of the trip. The West Coast rainforest was stunning, with tree ferns, fun fungi, fern-lined avenues, and beautiful water races. A hare crossed my path to begin with and it seemed like a better omen.

I was guided by a shag (cormorant) flying over the lake as I came into the first shelter for a cup of tea and some River Cottage seedy slice. Excuse photo quality. My phone doesn't do well in the rain.

After my first stop there was a slow incline. Sometimes it seemed like I might be on the level, even going down, but the tea-stained streams and water races beside the track would be running in the opposite direction.

After the boardwalk the trail goes along a well formed track that has been benched to take most water off it. I was never bogged down in mud like on some trails.

There is a high water route for when the weirs run too high to cycle through. I asked some electric bikers going the other way whether the weirs were open and they said they were but that they were too high for them to go through. Perhaps because they have batteries and electrics that would not do well in the mid calf water I found. It was fun to pedal through them on a pushbike.

When I finally arrived at Lake Kaniere, I was grateful for the drying room and hot shower at the homestay. The host, Grant, ran a tight ship, with a list of things to do to keep the place comfortable, including removing our muddy gear and keeping everything closed against the West Coast sandflies.

Day 3: Lake Kaniere to Hokitika

Day 3 started with a refreshing swim in the lake, with only a diving duck (scaup) for company. Along the way, I saw a South Island tomtit perched on a small tree, and we stared at each other for a few moments before it flew away.

The ride through the beautiful forest was easy and then I was going along the Hokitika river and back to civilisation with a jolt. A huge mass of pipes, concrete and steel embodies the talent Fontera has to make money from turning clean water into milk and dirty run off, before using coal to dry it into powder to ship overseas. But it is jobs and money. We need better jobs and more than just money. Clean rivers would be nice.

Day 4: Hokitika to Ross

The final morning of my trip was spent exploring Hokitika, a town that has suffered through the Covid pandemic and is struggling to get back on its feet now that tourists have returned. I was relieved to leave the shiny, happy and sterile campground (which was recently a natural swamp that was drained and filled in with gravel - isn’t it weird that we call areas like this “reclaimed”?) and get back into nature, although it took some time to do so.

I went over the concrete bridge that has been part of the taming of this wild river mouth and coast which used to wreck a ship every 10 days in the 1860s at the height of the Gold Rush. A time when men who often couldn't swim took their chances to get rich quick. That that gold rush mentality endures in New Zealand. Gold gave way to coal and sheep and now cows.

Then I rode past the golf course before taking a welcome turn into more regenerating nature reserve, escaping into dense thickets of new growth forest being greeted by the sound of bellbirds with traffic muffled, but the pounding surf breaking through.

Bellbirds sang me through the tunnel of trees that were near the wetland of Mahinipua reserve which ends at a weird plantation of tall trees,

Coming off the tramway track I was annoyed at myself to find I missed the turn for the picnic track to the lake — the only way to see it on this trail. A missed opportunity to swim as well. I didn't want to backtrack and add 4 km to the journey. So onward and out on the tarmac for a fairly easy ride for a few kilometres on a wide road with vehicles giving me a decent amount of room. A kea crossed my path as I cycled toward the Totara Lagoon.

It's a long boring slog along the old rail line to Ross. More than a dozen kilometres with nothing but track and flax for most of it. If I did the trail again I would probably stop at Treetops.

There was a brief reprieve in the monotony when flaxes gave way to show the wider expanse of the lagoon and the hills beyond. It didn’t last long before the flaxes closed back in again. When I got to the end of the rail line I should have headed to the finish but instead I turned right and had a welcome swim at Ross beach. If you stay at its very expensive campground you do have the advantage of being right by the beach. But I turned back to rejoin my other half at another pub before we headed on towards home.

Overall I enjoyed the trail immensely and recommend it as one of the best off road rides in New Zealand. My favourite sections were those that were in nature. Even if they were in the rain.

[thesunshineriptide]

Twst Headcanons - They get sent to your dimension (part 2 - Scarabia, Pomefiore, Ignihyde, and Diasomnia)

Characters: Kalim, Jamil, Vil, Rook, Idia, Malleus, Lilia

Tw// depression, anxiety, mild body horror, existential crisis, mania, swearing, separation anxiety, grief

(Part 1 - beginnings)

Kalim

* Kalim is okay, for a minute or so

* He’s another who passed out on the way to our world, everything too bright and loud and thick

* When he entered our world, he was caught with outstretched arms

* Jade stood there, holding Kalim for a moment before putting him down, and immediately bracing to catch Jamil

* Kalim is okay

* That’s what he’s telling himself

* This is an adventure! A game!

* Everything’s gonna be okay. It’s just gonna be this for a little bit, then back home again

* He’ll be back and throwing a party and seeing his family in no-time

* He say this, a bright grin on his face

* It doesn’t reach his eyes

* He insists everything is okay. He takes care of the others - everyone else’s need are important, right? Everyone needs some support right now

* He’s the housewarden of Scarabia. The dorm based on mindfulness.

* It’s his time to shine and help his friends

* He lasts about a week, which is pretty good all things considered

* Everyone saw his breakdown coming, though. Once they’d recovered and Kalim was acting..odd

* He was acting almost as Jamil would, but softer

* “Have you eaten today? Did you sleep at all?”

* He breaks down, and he sobs in the arms of his friends

* But once he’s done, he’s okay. He’s not alone. He has those he cares about nearby

* As upset as some people are about their magic being gone *cough*Riddle*cough* Kalim isn’t too bothered

* Sure he’s a promising mage but it’s not like he relied on it too much

* I mean his signature spell is rain

* Eventually he settles in and is the most gracious guest

Jamil

* Jamil lets out a scream

* This…isn’t uncommmon, to be honest

* I mean, he yells a lot.

* He’s around Kalim all the time, isn’t he?

* But he’s also processing pretty fast that they’re falling into a different world

* Somehow the sight of the universe collapsing and opening around him, through him, on him, doesn’t make his brain melt

* Probably because he’s focusing on trying to grab Kalim

* He failed, but luckily Jade was waiting on the other side

* He fell directly into the former eels arms, being caught and soothly swung to his feet with a smile

* Jamil took a moment to process thst Jade looked…different, but he couldn’t figure out why

* No, he had to find Kalim

* Which he did!

* He nursed his charge While he was unconscious

* Jamil has the quickest breakdown of everyone, because as soon as he’s confirmed Kalim is okay, he immediately started freaking out

* His magic wouldn’t work, everyone looked kinda weird, and he was stranded in a world with no magic with a bunch of people he kind of hates

* He panics for a solid 37 hours before he gets too tired and resigns himself to this new reality

* He picks up that Kalim isn’t okay, but just starts quietly prepping for when he loses it (successfully)

Vil

* No, no no no, this can’t be happening

* His eyes are squeezed shut and he’s choking back a scream as he gets sucked down the rabbit hole, so to speak

* When he’s opened them again, Trey Clover is holding him, and moving him away from a mirror

* His mind is racing, for a moment

* After the moment passes, he plasters on a confident smile and chokes everything down to start helping

* He mostly does this by tending to the unresponsive (Kalim, Riddle, Azul, Floyd, Malleus)

* He spends quite some time trying to coax a response from Azul, but after a while decides letting him be alone to collect himself might be a better tactic

* Instead, he immediately looks around your home, observing everything he can and straightening things away

* Little Spudling, your taste in decor is…interesting…

* Eventually when he seems satisfied with his nosiness, he turns his attention back to the group

* He ends up giving a few haircuts (Malleus lookin goofy as fuck here)

* Eventually when night falls, he goes for a walk about. He doesn’t come home until sunrise, but it’s clear by the redness around his eyes he was finally dealing with some feelings

* In the morning he sits down for a cup of tea with Riddle, Jade, and Kalim, and they all enjoy the silence

Rook

* Our favorite French huntsman had no issues with what was going on

* It seems like he should be freaking out, but instead he got to the beauty of two universes kissing and collapsing on each other

* He also got to witness the transformations of everyone who fell before him, and boy was that a sight to behold

* He’s the only one who managed to land on his feet, unharmed, with a giant grin on his face

* Who needs magic when you have a whole new world to explore?

* No, Rook isn’t upset or angry or in denial

* He’s fucking ecstatic

* He does take care to help the person behind them when he falls (Idia)

* What he is disappointed in, though, is the observation that the king of beasts, the Roi de Leons, is no longer in fact, a Leon

* But he supposes it’s a small price to pay for this beautiful new world

* Don’t show him any of the bad parts or he will crack

* He spends a lot of time keeping tabs on everyone

* Jotting down anything of note

* He also rifles through your clothes so watch out for that

* No sense of boundaries, he’s an awful guest in that regard.

* What makes him good, though, is that he can still find literally anything you need

* You misplaced your keys? He knows exactly where they are

* Misplaced your formerly eel friends? He saw them leave for the store, so they’re probably running from the cops as we speak

* Don’t know where the remote is? He does that mom thing where he walks into the room and it basically just fucking materializes

* Also, he’s willing to do the laundry for everyone

* He doesn’t ever breakdown, actually, but he does get worried for the others who do, and that makes him sad

Idia

* Idia isn’t looking at his surroundings, because he’s not even facing the right direction

* He’s looking back to twisted wonderland, looking for ortho, only to find nothing

* As his sight of ortho slips away, something else fills it

* His flaming hair is smoothing into deep blue as the flames trickle away

* The ache in his bones seems to dissipate, and he begins to feel alive since the first time since childhood

* He closes his eyes then, and feels the smoothness of his teeth, the warmth in his breath, the beating of his heart

* And then he’s suddenly in the arms of that creepy stalker guy and he’s snapped back to reality

* Much like rook, he isn’t too terribly sad

* He breaks down second quickest, but recovers faster than Jamil

* It’s been so long since he’s done something without Ortho, it rips something open

* But after some breathing exercises, his head clears and he’s back to marveling at how he feels

* His hair hangs in his face, sky blue and navy and black and so, so soft.

* His yellow eyes have faded to amber, and his once shark-like teeth scare nobody when he smiles

* It’ll take some candy and movies before he’s ready to really be around people

* And maybe a bit of gentle parenting before he’ll open up about his grief

* But he’s going to be okay

Malleus

* He’s unconscious pretty fast

* Having hundreds of years of magic ripped from you is pretty exhausting, even when you’re one of the top 5 magicians in the world

* When he wakes up, there’s a throbbing in his head and dullness to his senses

* His joints feel stiff, and he feels lighter, and he’s staring directly up at a very concerned Vil Schoenheit

* “Housewarden Schoenheit, what is going o-“

* He sits up, sees his reflection, and goes completely pale

* His catlike green eyes are softer, his ears rounded, and his horns are gone

* He runs a hand through his hair unobstructed and laughs, somewhere between panicked and joyously

* “Now, that isn’t something I’ve seen before.”

* He doesn’t panic so much as have a manic air about him

* He’s not happy, no, but he’s isn’t upset either. And he’s certainly not angry…

* When he sees you, he runs over and tackles you in a hug

* It seems like there’s a breath held in the room until you hug him back, quietly asking if he’s alright

* “Well, it’s only fair that I’ve visited your world now, isn’t it? After all, you were a guest in ours.”

* Definitely doesn’t process it quickly, and doesn’t realize just how much he misses Silver and Sebek for a good few days

* Instead of a full breakdown, it’s more of a quiet depression

* He comes out of it, eventually, when you show him the world. He’s content to go to the store with you, to garden with you, to read history books and lounge on your couch

* What lifts his spirits, though, is that the people here down cower or run from him

* Yeah, he’s a tall guy, but he’s nothing more than that to them

* He spends a lot of time trying to keep Lilia from burning down the kitchen

* Super enjoys tending to any plants you might have, and frequently takes walks on his own (alone! How exciting!) to look at the architecture

* He gets in an argument with your neighbor about gargoyles though

Lilia

* Have you ever seen the grief of a parent?

* It’s an unstoppable, terrifying force

* Yes, Silver (and by extension, Sebek) are grown most of the way, but that doesn’t take way the pain

* He’s been caring for them so long, for someone for so long

* He knew what was happening just before he fell through the mirror, and choked down that realization as he shut his eyes and fell

* Something like warmth flooded him as his teeth grew duller and eyes turned more brown

* He felt the magic leave him in his bones, and was scared for the first time in a very long time

* When he came out the other side - still young looking, nonetheless - he wasn’t sure how to feel

* Might it have been more kind of he had simply disappeared altogether than to be separated from those he cares for most?

* Third fastest breakdown.

* Its somewhere between three and five hours after they arrived that he goes outside and wails

* He has literally 0 confidence that they’ll get back

* He has malleus, though, and that’s something

* Lilia is another that just gets kinda depressed. There’s not much he can do to fix it

* He does keep attending to Malleus, as always. But it’s more so that he’s going through the motions than that he’s enjoying things

* It takes the twins, surprisingly enough, to break through this

* It makes sense, when you think about it

* Jade, the calm and collected one, the one that keeps the wheels on the bus and encourages Lilia’s creative cooking,

* And Floyd, the spontaneous and near childlike one who enjoys things as they come, but will protect when needed

* Maybe the expression is really ‘there are two eels inside of you. One is Jade and the other is Floyd. They are both insane’

* Jade manages to coax Lilia out of his grief by asking for help on simple things.

* “Can you help me make some soup?” “Would you mind helping me with these documents?” “Might I trouble you for some help folding laundry?”

* And Floyd reopens his mind to other things

* “Flapjack Octopus, have you seen this? It’s hilarious! Come sit with me~” “You look sad, how’s about a squeeze~?” “Lilia-chan! Look at this stuffed toy! It’s so soft, and it looks just like you~!”

* It’s comforting to feel needed, to feel wise. It reminds him of when his wards were younger, and he almost feels at home again

[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!

[genshinboys]

Going out on a date with Genshin boys - Kaeya

Genre: Smut

Pairing: Kaeya x gn reader

„You’re late.” You shoot Kaeya an ice-cold look as he enters Angel’s Share and leans in, to peck your cheek. 

He pushes the chair back and sits down, casually letting his hand wander under the table to squeeze your thigh, and a smirk replaces his broad smile as he winks at you.

„Good things come with time, don’t they, Baby?”

Smooth motherfucker. Somehow, the cocky Knight of Favonious always comes up with the most appropriate of comebacks on a whim.

„Tsk.” You roll your eyes in annoyance but Kaeya knows better than that, and notices the corner of your mouth subtly quirking upwards, which you promptly attempt to hide from your sneaky boyfriend. 

He scoops you closer, his arm clinging to your waist.

„My poor girl/boy. You must have been awfully bored without me.” Kaeya sing-songs right next to your ear. His hot breath fanning over your scarlet cheeks. 

„Diluc kept me company,” you mutter quietly, body stiff in his arms.

„Exactly.” 

You almost spew your wine, shoulders shaking so hard as you nudge Kaeya’s chest, trying not to piss your pants. He’s laughing too, silently relieved that the frown on your face is long gone and forgotten. 

„He’s going to hear you, dummy.” Your eyes crinkle and voice grows bubbly as you hold your sides writhing in Kaeya’s tight clutch.

The captain shrugs his shoulders indifferently and presses his lips to yours. Your pupils dilate and heart races in your chest once Kaeya delves his tongue into your mouth. Suddenly, all you can smell is him and it does funny things to your stomach. When your lips part, Kaeya looks at you through half-lidded eyes. Blood boils under your skin.

„So, aside from stealing my breath away, what else would you like to do tonight, Baby?”

Oh lord. 

Dates with Kaeya are always casual. Sipping wine in the tavern or a stroll around Mondstadt during his lunchtime. With the golden mouth of his, the cavalry captain can turn any activity into a date. One that you would find yourself looking forward to, as well.

So, it should come as no surprise that you’re now pressed to the wall with Kaeya’s breath lingering on your flushed face. His hands slide down the stoney surface, and he places them on each side of your head.

„Kaeya, what do you think you’re doing?” You blink rapidly at the man invading your personal space.

„Sheltering you from rain, of course” 

Isn’t that obvious, though? You got caught in the rain on the way back from the tavern. Kaeya, being the gentleman he is, suggested waiting for it to ease off and hide under the tree in one of the back alleys of Mondstadt. It’s long past midnight and the streets are mostly empty. His face looks even more attractive illuminated by the moonlight. 

Kaeya’s lips softly hover over your collarbones and it makes you shiver when he presses a feather-like kiss to the protruding bone. He chuckles and immediately repeats the action. Your brain short-circuits as the captain continues placing a kiss after a kiss on the exposed skin. His long lashes flutter seductively when he glances up to admire your face.

„Is that not to your liking, Kitten? If you want me to stop you better tell me that now.” He warns, sneakily hooking his arm around your waist.

„Nu-uh.” Not the most articulate of answers, indeed, but you’re too busy stifling a moan when Kaeya pushes his thigh between your legs. Desire glows in his eyes when your hips buck forward on instinct. 

„What a good little girl/boy you are, huh?” His breath dancing on your skin when his face gets closer to yours. Kaeya traps your lower lip between his teeth and nibbles on it delicately, eliciting a soft gasp from you. He loosens his grip around your waist and lets his hand travel lower, to your ass. He squeezes it harshly and guides you on his thigh. Your core flush against Kaeya’s thick leg. Little shivers of panic and pleasure shoot through you as he encourages you to rub on his clothed skin. He repeatedly squeezes your ass cheeks to make you start moving. Once he hikes up his leg, you’re thoroughly gone. 

„Oh, n-noo! I can’t!” A cry of protest leaves your lips but your body betrays you as you thrust forward, wantonly rubbing on Kaeya’s thigh. 

„Oh, Kitten,” Kaeya’s gaze lowers to your crotch and he smiles smugly, „Your face gets all red each time you lie to me.” He begins moving his pelvis in unison with you, the non-existent distance applying even more pressure to your sex when it slides up and down the captain’s thigh. The rush of sensations overcoming your body is overbearing.

„I want to feel you properly.” To your astonishment, Kaeya removes his leg with a quizzical smirk on his lips. His fingers hook around the waistband of your shorts and he yanks them down together with your underwear. You’re almost swept off your feet when Kaeya once again forces his thigh between your legs. There is a sound from the back of his throat, a fervent growl that goes straight to your groin. If it wasn’t for his tight grip, your legs would surely give out. With his hard-on pressed to your trembling thigh, the captain begins rocking your bodies, back and forth. Your chest is heaving, erratically going up and down as you try to breathe. Moans falling from your lips, one more desperate from another while Kaeya circles his hips in a rhythmic motion. Having forsaken the last shred of decency, you press yourself against his thigh, digging your nails into his back. He shudders, equally lost in the raw sensations of your bodies so shamelessly dry-humping out there in the open.

„Cum with me, please.” You’re dazed. Suddenly, your chest feels even heavier than before. When Kaeya fixes his gaze on you, there is only feeling and need. No traces of cockiness and his usual overconfident attitude left. Pure longing radiating from the tender movement of his lips against yours. These intense emotions leave you both aching for each other, the rest is of no importance. The drops of rain no longer bounce back against the green leaves above your head. The sky is serene again.

He groans, low in his throat when you push back eagerly, over and over again, so that he feels his erection twitching with each roll of your hips. The build-up tension in your lower belly drives you to go hard, relentlessly fucking yourself on your boyfriend. Kaeya’s sturdy body shaking just like yours, the trails of fire budding inside of him overtaking his whole being. The captain’s sweaty palm finds purchase on yours, and with the last snap of his hips, both of you reach your peak. For a brief moment, there is absolutely nothing you can hear or see, it’s like the calm after the storm. Kaeya’s soft „I love you's” whispered into your neck bring back your clarity. 

„Well, at least we didn’t get wet, right Captain Kaeya?”

His eyes glance down to your lower region, mouth curving into a smile.

„Are you sure about that, Baby?”

Other boys:

Albedo

Diluc

Zhongli

Childe

Xiao

Kazuha

Other series:

Thigh job with Genshin boys

[thesunicarusfellfor]

My beloved! I do not know if you watched the recent lore stream ( if you haven't please! Watch it before answering my ask! ) I was wondering if you could do something with eret and foolish where instead of foolish dying it's the reader? And the reader is on her last life after she died from badboyhalo? Just some angst ( please I wanna cry out my feelings after this stream omg- and plus your my favorite writer so yea :p)

Have an amazing day! <3

-Moosh

BELOVED! EEEEEEE I'VE BEEN WANTING TO WRITE ERET FOR SOOOOO LOOOOONG YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I'm just going to make it an Eret x Reader because I don't know Foolish's character too well if that's okay?

(ALso, you will make me cry from all these compliments, please ;^;)

I actually am adding onto this because I want to make a hybrid reader for once, hope you don't mind! ^^

SPOILERS FOR THE RED BANQUET AND MULTIPLE PRONOUNS USED FOR ERET

My Monarch (C!Eret x GN!Butterfly Hyrbid!Reader)

You giggled softly, your beautiful paper-thin wings flitting behind you as you hopped around Eret's room while he got his newly tailored red cloak chained together, "My goodness, monarch, you're going to waste up all your energy before the party even begins!" He laughed at your reddened cheeks while he put his crown on top of his neatly styled hair, putting his sunglasses on shortly after, "How do I look?"

"Like a true queen!" You chirped, adjusting your outfit in the mirror beside your lover before frowning and taking the glasses away from her, "Ah, ah, nope. If I'm having my wings out of my cloak, you aren't wearing your sunglasses, darling, we've been over this."

The royal huffed and gave a small pout but didn't argue much on the matter, as they did, in fact, practically beg you to keep your wings out for display for the banquet. With a small chuckle, they reached over and picked up your crown that was decorated with rainbows of jewels, placing it on your styled (h/l) (h/c) hair, being mindful of your antennae, "There... There's my monarch."

You blushed slightly at the nickname and gave a small giggle as you took his hand, "Come on, let's get going, Bad will get impatient if we're late." Eret gave a nod with a smile, leading you towards the door and out of his castle.

The two of you were happily chatting with each other as you travelled to the stairway that led underground, happily saying hellos to your 'mama' Puffy, who gave you typical motherly affection, ie: smooshing your cheeks as she gave you a light headbutt while calling you every motherly compliment in the book, and anyone else that was also invited to the Banquet. When you arrived, you took a sharp breath as you saw the room filled with red vines crawling and writhing everywhere, it sickened you... But, this was about Bad apologizing, and you supposed that you could put your discomfort off to the side for just a little bit.

Eret, being the gentleman she was, pulled out your chair for you and gestured for you to sit down, smiling softly as you gave her a kiss on the cheek and sat down in the chair. She pushed you in and sat in the chair to your left, Puffy on your right, gently taking your hand once she was tucked into the table.

You were so anxious that you could barely focus on the speech Bad was giving, until your ears and antennae picked up the sound and scent of running lava which successfully shook you out of your thoughts, but before you could mention anything to Eret, you heard a chuckle.

"Now, prepare to die."

There was a chorus of gasps that tore from everyone's mouths as the sound of lava got louder. You lifted your head from staring at the red soup in the bowl in front of you and looked around in horror as you saw lava blocking the exits. You felt Eret tighten their grip on your hand, but by then your heart was already racing in fear and your wings were shifting around nervously.

"Oh my god!"

"We've been walled in!"

"After all that?!"

Bad tossed his empty glass bottle to the side, causing it to shatter on the ground below and get greedily grabbed at by the red vines, "Well uh, that's right."

"Bad, what about turning over this leaf?!" Captain Puffy snapped, slamming her mostly empty bottle of water down on the table as she stood up.

The nine-foot-tall demon seemed to nonchalantly brush off her outburst and shook his head lamely, "No, the leaf is staying the way it is." He sat up properly in his chair and rested his elbows on the warped wooden table to hold his chin in his hands.

"Is... There any way out?" You asked aloud, quickly spinning around, looking for any gap that you could possibly fly through. Eret quickly wrapped his arm around you, his white eyes wide with slight hints of fear that he was used to hiding with his glasses.

"No! There's literally no way out!" Fundy cried out, restlessly shuffling and running around, trying to find anything everyone could use to escape.

HBomb gave a small shriek of pain as he burned his hand on the lava, "It is real lava! It is real lava!" He gasped out as Puffy quickly made him shove his hand into the bowl of beat soup. Bad calmly walked over and gave him a glimmering gold apple with a sickly sweet smile.

"You should try not to die yet, HBomb." He chuckled softly as he returned to his seat once the man eagerly bit into the potion soaked fruit, desperate to get rid of the burning sensation.

Puffy took a few deep breaths and held out her arms, trying to get everyone to stop freaking out completely, "We're fine, we're fine, we're fine! I- I didn't trust you, Bad, I didn't trust you at all. I didn't trust Antfrost. I knew! I knew something was up, it's unfortunate to say I can't trust either one of you... Because... I planned this..."

She eagerly ripped off the red silken table cloth to reveal a chest buried in the table, spilling drinks and soup everywhere for the vines to eagerly writhe towards, "Oh?! What?!" Bad gasped, his mouth parting in shock... Before it fell bad into a devious smile as Puffy gave a cry of confusion, finding the chest completely empty, "Oh? Were you... Looking for this, perchance?"

Bad equipped diamond enchanted armour and held up an enchanted diamond sword that glimmered in the light of the lava, Ant, Ponk... And Hannah... Doing the same, "Sorry Puffy. I had to do it..." Hannah Rose walked over and sat in the empty seat on Bad's left.

"Do... What, Hannah? Why?!" The Ram hybrid whispered in horror.

"I had to tell them." She responded simply, blinking a few times as her eyes went from a forest coloured green to redder than the colour of the egg's vines slithering around your ankles, "The egg..."

Biting back a sob, you looked at Hannah, "You were with them the whole time...?"

Sam stood completely still, looking at the girl sadly, "You... Told them, Hannah?" The warden murmured.

"I had to." She glanced at Bad with a small grin before looking back at her former friends, including you, "It was the only way."

"I'm sorry," Bad started, sounding almost completely genuine, if it wasn't for the crooked smile he was wearing, "I'm sorry Sam, I'm sorry Puffy. But, time to get on to the main event!"

The creeper hybrid held up his hand, pointing one finger to the ceiling to silently tell the Eggpire to hold on for just a moment, "Well... That is, tragic, that you told them about our plans for the armour, but..." You could tell Sam grinned behind his mask as his green eyes gave a few sparks of smugness, "Something, you should know. I had another plan. Because I didn't trust you."

"...What do you mean 'another plan'?" Bad pointed his loaded crossbow at the warden, eyes narrowing into a glare.

"Well," He pulled a remote out of his pocket and scanned it in mock curiosity, "I think, that we all can agree, that this has gone on long enough now. I'm tired of all this fighting. So I say we just blow the egg up. For good, this time, with an amount of TNT that it can't survive... So I hid a trap..."

'Of course... The creeper hybrid is using TNT...' You thought with a small smile, trying to distract yourself from the heartstopping fear overwhelming your body at the moment as Bad stuttered in surprise.

"A trap?! Wait, what do you mean!?" the demon growled as Sam got up and walked slightly closer to the egg, digging his thumb into the button on the remote he held.

"We did something even you couldn't prepare for!" Puffy shouted as TNT began to rain out of a small gap in the ceiling.

Eret, worrying for your safety and how the sounds or smell of gunpowder would affect your hypersensitive senses, pulled you close and she wrapped you in her cloak. You desperately grasped at the fabric of her red dress as she covered your ears in an attempt to make the loud booms easier for your insect senses to handle.

By the time it stopped and Eret let you go, there were shocked gasps and the egg... Had... Turned to crying obsidian? "You guys-" Bad had to take a breath through his maniacal laughter to wipe a tear, "You really thought you could defeat the egg? With TNT? After Quackity tried that, we took proper... Preparations. And we made it so that we wouldn't have to worry about TNT anymore, thank you very much!"

"I think you mean precautions..." You murmured quietly, curling in on yourself and hiding behind Eret slightly when you saw soulless white eyes glare in your directions.

"Shut up, (Y/n)." He huffed, and Eret had to physically stop Puffy from storming over and fighting the man in diamond armour with her bare hands, "Now, would you all please kindly make your way over here... We can begin the summary executions."

Shock flooded through your veins at how eagerly Bad hopped out of his chair them walked over to where the Egg, the crying obsidian fading away, and standing on a platform. There was a chorus of shocked cries and just cries in general as Bad waved his crossbow around, "What about the speeches man?!" Fundy growled, glaring at Bad as he tried to get you all to leave the table.

"Oh, that was all just to lull you into a false sense of security!" He responded with another crooked smile and a 'duh' tone, "You see, the egg needs something, and it's gonna get it from each of you. See, in order for the egg to hatch, it needs energy, and it gets that energy from people dying near it! And that's the role that you guys are gonna fill! We are gonna kill you one by one..."

"You're a monster..." Eret mumbled under their breath, holding your hand tightly, able to feel your racing heart from the pulse in your wrist. This had gone on long enough, sure, destroying everything on the server was one thing, but threatening not only their life, not only their friends' lives, but their lover's life as well! You only had two more before you were gone from this world forever... And by whatever gods were listening, they swore that they were going to protect those final two, even at the risk of their own life.

Bad turned his head, his twisted smile faltering slightly, "What was that, Eret? What did you say?" He leaned closer mockingly, to see if Eret really had the guts to repeat what was just said.

"You're an absolute monster," Eret repeated with a slight growl to his voice this time, taking a step closer to the corrupted man as a threat and also effectively blocking you from Bad's gaze, "How could you? We all trusted you, Bad."

"Trust?!" Ant spoke up for the first time that night, grinning almost like a Cheshire cat, "Okay, Eret... Keep talking. Keep talking about trust."

Sucking a breath through your gritted teeth, you cringed as Ant retorted with a verbal dagger, one he knew would hurt Eret deeply, and hurt her it did, "That was a long time ago!" You snapped immediately, stepping forwards to defend her which definitely caught everyone off guard. You were NOT about to let some egg puppets trash talk your lover, "She's changed!"

"You know what..." Bad hummed, almost comically tapping his finger to his lip before pointing at Eret, "I think, Eret, you would be a perfect person... To sacrifice first!"

Giving a cry of horror, you felt the red vines react to Bad's words and grab you and Eret, successfully yanking you away from each other despite your cries and struggles of protests. The large vines picked Eret up and brought them to the execution platform that Bad was standing on. The entire time, you were trying to run over to grab them, but the vines kept creating a wall and pushing you back, "No! No, no, no!" You screamed desperately, trying to reach out to the crown-wearing lover that was now being held on the platform by the very vines that were holding you back.

"Does anyone have anything?!" Foolish cried, quickly patting his pockets and looking around for anything, anything at all, to use as a weapon.

"I- We have no weapons!"

"No one has anything?! We literally can't do anything about this!"

Bad only chuckled, seeming to find amusement in everyone's distress, "Excellent, excellent, I really appreciate you guys following the directive and not bringing any weapons. That's very courteous of you." He turned towards Eret with his readied crossbow, gleefully ignoring your cries.

"We trusted you!" You yelled, throwing a useless punch at the wall of vines that blocked your way again, everyone roaring at the Eggpire in agreement with your statement.

"Well that was your first mistake," He chided in almost a playful manner, "Did you really think we were just going to stop trying to spread the egg's influence over the server, just because a couple people got mad at the vines? Like, come on. That's been the objective all along. It's been to hatch the egg. The egg wants power, and it's gonna get it."

His finger lightly began tapping at the trigger of his crossbow that had the bolt pointing to your lover's head, which caused a sob to escape past your lips as you finally had enough and finally flew into the air, expertly weaving past the red vines that tried to grab you out of the air. Quickly, you swooped down and reached out for Eret, but you felt something fly past your ear... Then suddenly, the king gave a cry of his own and you felt your flying balance get thrown off, causing you to begin to plummet towards the ground.

The horrified shrieks of your lover, mother figure and your friends rang through your ears as you quickly plummeted towards the earth as a result of gravity, only to be suddenly halted in mid-air which caused your crown to fall to the ground, completely wrapped in vines that clearly didn't care how badly they were bending your wings. You whined in pain at the tight grip, and looked over at your beloved butterfly features, only to give a sob of pain as you saw a large tear had sliced through your right (f/c) wing... "You... You bastard..." You hissed at the demon who came over and reloaded another bolt into his crossbow.

"You know, I think I like your energy more than your lover's." He cupped your chin in an almost loving fashion, causing Eret to immediately lash out and begin barking insults as well as threats. Unfortunately, her violence was ignored as the vines picked her up again, "Your unwavering loyalty, your love, your fierceness despite how fragile you are..."

"Get your hands away from them!" Puffy yelled, she and Foolish going to run to help you, but they were blocked off by the vines in the same way you once were, "For fucks sake Bad! Leave my child alone! They were just defending Eret, you know, their lover?!"

Bad only hummed as the vines lamely tossed Eret to the crowd of people, but thankfully he was caught by Foolish and Sam instead of hitting the ground but his crown hit the ground close to yours, breaking most of the rainbow coloured gems off, "I'm quite aware of their relationship, thank you, Puffy." He stepped back and the vines threw you to the ground on the execution platform, causing you to bounce off the nether bricks harshly before finally rolling into the centre.

Your head was spinning and your sight was blurry, but you still managed to hear the screams of terror from your friends, the begging from Puffy for Bad to leave you alone, and the sobs leaving Eret's throat as they cried out for you, "Monarch... (Y/N)!" They screamed, trying to run to you as well, but unsurprisingly they were held back as well.

It... was funny... You wanted to go to this party so badly... You begged Eret to come to this party, you spent weeks picking out your outfit... You were so excited...

And now here you were... Flightless and beyond concussed...

About to die...

"I love you..." You managed to whisper to Eret before Ant rose his enchanted sword... Then quickly lowering it, piercing through your chest...

"(Y/N)! NO!"

(Y/n) (L/n) was slain by Antfrost. Lives 1/3

[myemye]

Playlist [Shoji Mezo x gn! Reader]

Summary: You and Shoji are studying in your dorm and he asks to put on some music. You hand him your phone and a speaker and he sees the playlists you have. [i’m shit at writing summaries]

[fluff; suggestive attitude; mostly Shoji pining over reader]

a/n: this is a new work and was not requested. Please feel free to ask me for requests bc I need inspo for things to write [unless y’all are fine with me looking through my playlists and finding songs to base scenarios on.]

Also in this work, the reader and Shoji are in an established relationship already.

Song: “Sex on fire” - Kings of Leon

Word Count: 0.8k

You’ve been sitting on your bed sitting with Shoji for hours today. You had suggested to go on dates with Shoji every weekend, and he complied, but he wanted to make sure you’d actually study too. Leading you two to be in this little predicament. Studying on Saturdays and doing date activities on Sundays.

Every. Weekend.

You two started studying at around 7 a.m. this morning. It seems early, but you’d get up at 6 a.m. every other day and start class at 7 a.m. so it wasn’t that big of a deal. It is now 11 a.m. and you decide that you need to use the restroom. Was it because you needed a small escape from textbooks and assignments? Maybe?

“Y/n wait,” Shoji says before you leave the room.

“Wow Shoji, needy aren’t we?” You sarcastically state.

“Well uhm not exactly,” Shoji responds with a slight pinkish blush on his face, “Can I play some music in here?”

“Oh yea for sure,” You say a little hurriedly because it turns out that you actually DO need to use the restroom.

You hand your boyfriend your phone and open Spotify and grab your speaker from a drawer.

SLAM!

The door shuts as you are now booking it to the bathroom before you piss yourself.

“UGH SERIOUSLY Y/N!” You scream to yourself as you just barely made it to the bathroom, “WHY DID I DRINK SO MUCH WATER?!?”

~

Shoji now sits alone on your bed skimming through the, what seems to be, hundreds, if not thousands of playlists stopping at the ones with intriguing names.

“Songs that remind me of Mezo” is what one says, with Shoji slightly flustered.

“They never use my first name,” Shoji thinks to himself, mind racing a million miles a minute.

“Songs to dance in the rain”

He lets out a small smile at the thought of you dancing.

“Songs that will never be overplayed”

This time Shoji lets out an actual laugh while he looks through this playlist. Its full of cheesy love songs and 2000’s electropop. “What a strange mixture of songs,” He thinks to himself.

“Songs to make out to”

Shoji’s eyes go wide and his jaw almost drops to the floor. You two are rather inexperienced when it comes to relationships, not to mention you two are in a fairly new relationship. You two have made out once, and it seems to be that this playlist was made at the beginning of your relationship.

“Did they want to make out this whole time?,” Shoji starts thinking, again at a million miles a minute, “Could I have been making out with them this whole time?!”

Shoji’s thoughts are abruptly put to a halt as you open and walk through the door.

“Hey babe, are you ready to keep studying?,” You ask.

“Uhm yes, I am,” Shoji responds with his small smile and pink tint.

“Oh wait, did you choose the music?,” You question.

“Uh yea I totally did,” Shoji responds nervously.

Shoji clicks on a random playlist, and you don’t question it.

…

“Uhm, Shoji darling?,” You call out to your boyfriend.

“Yes y/n,” Shoji responds to you.

“I think it's cool that you like early 2000’s pop punk too, but I don’t think it’s ideal for studying to,” You tell Shoji.

“Oh well uhhh,” He starts.

You cut him off, “Are you okay? Your face is very very red,” You inquire.

“Y/n, may I be honest with you?,” He asks you.

“Of course,” You respond back.

“Well I didn’t really look at the playlist I chose,” He says looking embarrassed.

“Then may I ask why, Shoji?,” You say with a comforting smile on your face.

“I saw a playlist on there that surprised me,” He tells you genuinely.

“Oh?,” You say, confused.

“It was actually this one,” Shoji says as he shows you the “make out playlist.”

“I-,” you start, becoming noticeably redder, “I wanted to make that for when we would need it. Kind of as a precautionary measure.”

“Oh,” He says, becoming more comfortable, and less embarrassed.

“You know we could use that playlist if you want,” You say avoiding eye contact.

“I mean… I wouldn’t be opposed,” He says back gazing deep into your eyes.

You both grab your things and gently setting them on the floor.

You scoot closer to your boyfriend, as he uses one of his many tentacles to press “play” on the playlist. You seemed to be the one to initiate the kiss, but if anybody asks it was a mutual thing. At first it was rough, and unorganized. After a little while, you both relaxed and began to feel out a rhythm of sorts. It wasn’t a perfect make out session, but it seemed to be pretty close. After a little while, Shoji actually tried to be bold and use tongue. It was by no means good, but hey, you have plenty of time to practice.

…

“Hey, i'm glad you saw this playlist and not the other one,” You say almost chuckling.

“What other one?,” Your boyfriend says quizzically.

“Oh it’s nothing,” You said as a small smirk crept its way across your face.

songs to f*ck to

[jenomark]

helllloooooo can i request a 127 reaction of like a lowkey movie night in, super cuddly and tooth rottingly sweet

Taeil: The second date jitters really got to you. It wasn't awkward being in front of Taeil when he made you feel so comfortable, but it was awkward being in a space you'd never been in before. You didn't know where to stand or sit, or what body language you should give off. "Are you ready?" Taeil asked, sitting down on the couch. He had picked a movie you mentioned on the first date, which was something that impressed you. You sat down next to him, not really knowing how close you should sit, until he closed the gap between you. Your heart was racing. You really liked him. When he smiled over at you, you felt at ease. As the movie started, you felt brave enough to reach for his hand and hold it, to lean against his body and watch the rest of the movie.

Johnny: "I wanted to spoil you." Johnny said when you first walked into the room. There were lit candles everywhere. Takeout containers were on the floor in front of the television, the smell wafting from them inviting you over. Setup in the very middle of the floor was a homemade fort made out of his bed sheets. Johnny added, "But I got a little carried away." You laughed and told him you loved it, before sitting down in the fort, ducking low so your head didn't topple everything over. There were wine glasses in front of you, which Johnny took and poured wine into. The sweet gestures kept coming and you kept loving every little bit of them. Though the movie played in the background, you and Johnny took the time to reconnect and share intimate conversation together.

Taeyong: When you arrived at his place, Taeyong gave you a bag with clothes in it and told you to get changed. When you came out fully dressed, you saw that you were both wearing matching blue pajamas with fish on them. Instantly, Taeyong opened his arms for you to walk into, which you could think of nothing else better to do. "You look so cute." he said, standing back to get a good look at you. "Shall we watch the movie?" You had to admit that you did both look cute in your matching couples pajamas, but the cutest thing was how happy it made Taeyong. He was beaming from ear-to-ear, a look of childlike innocence on his face. You sat down to the watch the movie, draping your legs over each others and planning to cuddle for the next few hours.

Yuta: "You deserve a break for working so hard." Yuta said. "Let me take care of my girl." It was the only explanation he gave when he sat you down and started rubbing your back, his fingers working nimbly. He kissed the back of your neck and focused on working out all of the kinks in your muscles. He was right in thinking that staying in was much better than going out and partying. The way Yuta was touching you felt so nice and calming. When he planted a sweet kiss on your temple, you knew there was no place else you would rather be. He back hugged you when he was finished, pulling you so close to his body that you could feel his heart beating against your back.

Doyoung: You made an ice cream sundae station, which took Doyoung by surprise. He looked at all of the ingredients in little dishes before him, and the big tubs of ice cream full of all his favorite flavors. "You did this for me?" he asked, his stomach growling at the right moment. "Of course!" you said. You built the sundaes together and went to sit down and watch a movie. Since it was your turn to pick date night, you got to control everything. Judging by the content look on Doyoung's face, he was enjoying everything you had planned. You sat next to him and brought your spoon up to his mouth for him to taste the sundae you had built. Doyoung moaned in approval before dipping his spoon into his creation and feeding you right back.

Jaehyun: The beginning of the night had been full of socializing and fun, but Jaehyun had cut the night short in favor of going home with you and watching old movies together. "I can't think of anything that makes me happier." he had said when it was just the two of you alone. To him, having a low key night inside was preferable, and he was very good at cuddling with you and keeping you warm. You kissed him and snuggled into his chest, your eyelids getting droopy. Jaehyun knew it was only a matter of time before you fell asleep, so he pulled you closer onto his lap and draped a blanket over your body. Absentmindedly, he brushed through your hair with his fingers until he started to drift off to sleep, too.

WinWin: The movie was interesting, so interesting that you didn't notice WinWin staring at you until some time had passed. You looked over at him, and he pretended to look away, but the smile on his face told everything you needed to know. "Why are you looking at me?" you asked. WinWin shrugged and acted like he wasn't, so you put your attention back on the movie. You could feel him watching you again, after a few minutes. When you looked back at him, he didn't turn away like the first time. WinWin continued watching, his eyes sweeping over your face, and his fingers coming around to move the hair from your forehead. "Do you not like the movie?" you asked, shivering when you felt his touch. WinWin smiled and said, "I do, but I think I like you better."

Jungwoo: It wasn't your turn to pick the movie for movie night, but Jungwoo put on a movie you'd always wanted to see. "Are you sure?" you asked, knowing that your boyfriend was terrified of horror movies. Jungwoo nodded but kept quiet. You snuggled up with him on the couch, you laying against him, with his arms around your middle. "It will be fine." he reassured himself. You laughed and held his arms, your fingers drawing circles on his skin. When the movie started, it was definitely as scary as you would thought it be. Halfway through, you felt Jungwoo's hands close around your eyes, protecting you from the scary scenes. Your heart soared in your chest, mostly from the appreciation of having him protect you when you knew he was more terrified than you were.

Mark: The sound of rain always made you sleepy, but being with Mark made you feel wide awake. You curled your body onto the couch beside him, laughter waiting on the edge of your lips. Mark was in a goofy, playful mood that kept you entertained. He kept nuzzling closer and closer to you, wanting to press his forehead to yours and make you laugh. "We're supposed to be paying attention to the movie, you weirdo." you said, not so seriously. You pawed at his chest to get him to stop clinging to you, but it was useless. "Oh, cute." he said, smirking at you. He moved his eyebrows up and down suggestively before coming closer. You pulled him to you, your lips sweetly touching down on his. "This night in was a great idea." he said, breathlessly. "There is nowhere I would rather be than with my best friend."

Haechan: His excitement was infectious. If you didn't look at him and give him your attention, he was seconds away from jumping up and down. "Close your eyes." Haechan said. You stood before him in the middle of the living room, half wanting to get on and watch the movie, and half curious as to why he was so excited. Behind your eyelids, you could see the vivid colors before he asked you to open your eyes. "What do you think, baby?" he asked. Haechan had, very painstakingly, attached long strips of LED lights all along the top of the walls. "It's pretty." you said, watching as he used a small remote to change the colors. His handsome face flashed blue and purple before you brought your arms around his neck and kissed him.