#You don't make it so that 10x pulls are the only ones worth doing then make it cost like $40 for a single 10x pull

[moonlight-at-dawn]

I miss Tales of Crestoria... it had such a good story going. And I think Alphen and Shionne would've been great in it.

Vicious would've both loved and hated Alphen.

Misella would've been all over Kanata "I'D STILL BE DEVOTED TO YOU EVEN IF TOUCHING YOU HURT ME YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND I'D BE A MASOCHIST IF THAT'S WHAT IT TOOK ALL I CARE ABOUT IS YOOOOUUUUU" while Shionne and Alphen watch all embarrassed.

Aegis and Kisara are Suffering. Shionne and Kanata are talking fashion. Orwin and Dohalim are getting drunk. Law goads Aegis into sparring. Rinwell and Misella talk magic.

Law and Misella fight over the last scraps of meat (Law loses).

Yuna teases each of the pairs into a state of self awareness. Then teases further so everyone is yelling at each other and nothing is gained.

[lacy-oh-lacy]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒎 𝑪𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑺𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒄𝒔

⋆ 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒚, 𝑰𝒗𝒚 & 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂 x Reader | 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒚

-Harley’s so over the top, she's pulling out her best grand romantic gestures from day one

-but she's also famously “crazy”, so how seriously are you even meant to take it when she starts declaring her love for you like she's a romcom protagonist and not a literal supervillain?

-Well, she takes it deadly seriously, there's a blurred line between a crush and suffocating devotion for Harley

-Emotions hit her hard and escalate fast, and suddenly she's all over you, she's gotta be the clingiest girl in Gotham and you’re not even dating

-Whether it's inviting herself to your home or hugging you out of the blue. Boundaries? Never heard of them

-She’s lovesick, some people might even say she doesn't have crushes, she has victims, but she truly would do almost anything to make you happy

-Her real victims are the people on your bad side, them and anyone who could take you away from her. If you try to date someone else while she has a crush on you, god bless their soul, you’re never seeing them again

-In her delusional brain it's only a matter of time until you feel the same way, but if that's not in the cards, don't worry because she may very well lose interest in you as suddenly as she gained it

𝑰𝒗𝒚

-As a misanthrope, Ivy hates the fact that she has a crush on you, a plain old human. She's disappointed in herself honestly

-Though a master of seduction and manipulation, she has no intention of using such tactics on you, or pursuing you at all for that matter

-More often than not she’s just as cold and standoffish with you as she is with the rest of the world but if you still treat her with decency despite that she's gonna fall for you 10x harder

-She keeps her feelings under lock and key but actions speak louder than words, and the non-verbal kindness she shows you speaks volumes

-Like, again, she’s such a misanthrope and yet she's saving your life, comforting you when you're down, forgiving you for faults that would sign someone else’s death warrant…

-She knows she should just stay far away from you since she doesn't want to deal with her feelings but she can't bring herself to do that either

-especially if you need her in some way, for a villain she really can't resist a damsel in distress

-Basically, she’s simultaneously the least likely of the three to confess her feelings, and also the biggest simp

𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂

-Selina’s seductive charm is amped up to eleven around you, you could cut the sexual tension with a batarang

-but don't let your chemistry disarm you, because she’d betray you in a second to further her own ends

-not that she’d ever let something truly bad happen to you, she is much more protective than she lets on

-She’s good at playing it cool like that, you're never quite sure where you stand with her but you know you're getting special treatment

-She’s not a piner, she doesn't miss you when you're not around… but that doesn't mean you're not on her mind, more often than she’d willingly admit actually

-She’s slow to trust and even as she's falling for you she's testing you, she wants to make sure you're worth it

-and once she knows that you are, she is down atrociously bad, you wouldn't know it with how smooth she acts but this woman would follow you through hell

-She likes playing games, she likes the chase, but she also wants to seal the deal, she's used to taking getting what she wants and it shows

[fangirlingpuggle]

Half asleep dumb Bleach AU where Quincy war goers really bad and they have to pull a time travel fix it but the only 2 strong enough to not die are Ichigo and Aizen.

The 2 ending up in the turn back the pendulum arc and Aizen instantly goes into full xanatos gambit mastermind planner mode... only to realize that is fucking impossible when you are working with Ichigo Kurosaki.

Every time he thinks he has found a way to create a long plan that will result in the Quincy end (And maybe himself as the soul king or all powerful) he turns around and Ichigo has already completely changed the time line AGAIN! Totally fucked up someones tragic backstory and he just takes a deep breath throws all his planning in the bin and has to go back to the drawing board (Since he can't actually murder Ichigo... he's tried)

Ichigo isn't trying to change much he doesn't have any grand plan just kill Yhwach, make sure his friends are safe and don't let Aizen do anything to Aizeny.

He ends up bonding with Gin, because Gin sees how powerful Ichigo is and more importantly how much he pisses off Aizen. He basically becomes Ichigo's shadow and just makes everything 10x more chaotic.

It becomes worse when Byakuya joins in he sees Ichigo shunpo at a speed that puts Yoruchi to shame and pretty much insists he teach him. And thus Ichigo has 2 shadows who mange to fuck up everything Aizen tries to plan.

(They disappear for a few days and Ichigo has somehow become king of Hucheo mundo no ones even sure how, there's also an adjuchas grimmjow following Ichigo around either trying to kill him or maybe court him no one can tell. Aizen takes one look at this pretty much throws months worth of planning in the bin and then goes and then just disappears into the Senkaimon to scream into the void)

Shinji is confused but he knows Aizen's planning something still he's sure of it and hasn't realized the plans have changed. Ichigo just watches the two for a bit and just turns to Aizen like 'So trying to murder and hollowify the guy you have a huge crush on is taking pigtail pulling to the extreme right?' Gin is dying laughing and Aizen is pissed and not happy because he has been doing fine with repressing and ignoring these feelings for centuries and can keep on doing it just fine thank you very much.

Thus begins Ichigo and Gin trying to match make him because that may make Aizen less crazy evil since Ichigo has watched the man stare all pinning and stupid after Shinji and stop staring at the many many maps and plans he have (most of them Ichigo thinks are plans for trying to murder him) and well it's fucking hilarious. Also he's pretty sure Shinji is just as bad since the man can ramble about Aizen for hours... literal hours Ichigo timed him and not all of it was how he's planning something evil...though a lot of it was.

Plus it's embarrassing to Aizen and hilarious.

[hananoami]

please tell us about your pulls for this banner :3

Hello nonnie! I was already working this post before you even sent that ask in, haha-

Instead of pulling right away as soon as the Misty Invasion banner was live I told myself I would wait a bit and grind the hecc out of Abyssal Chaos first. Like I was already committed to the plan of getting of them one way or another, but if I were to earn all those readily available diamonds first to lessen the burden on wallet-chan why not do that? After all this banner has like 19 days on it so I didn't feel the need to rush.

✅ Obtain all Abyssal Chaos Records ✅ All Abyssal Chaos Achievements

It took me a few days to finish all that and I'm so freakin happy that the grind is over until Abyssal Chaos' weekly reset. Trying to get some of the achievements drove me crazy, ahaha... but it was worth it since I didn't have to spend so much on packs.

My first round of Misty Invasion pulls turned out like this:

ZAYNE- soft pity: Hidden Motives in 18 wishes

XAVIER- soft pity: Omnipotent Perception in 9 wishes // precise wish: No Restraint in 63 wishes

SYLUS- soft pity: R1 No Restraint in 64 wishes // precise wish: Lost Oasis in 61 wishes

Starting off with Zayne first, like I usually do for multi-character banners. I had some pity built up from the previous banner that carried over so it only took me 18 wishes to get Zayne's memory. Fortunately, I won the 50/50 here.

Then I swapped my precise wish over to Xavier next, but I lost the 50/50 to Rafayel's memory in 9 pulls. A 5-star memories in back to back pulls was amazing! Like I wasn't even upset that I lost the soft pity because I was going to pull for Rafayel's memory eventually. In the end it took me 63 wishes to get Xavier's.

After removing Xavier from my rate up selector I swapped to Sylus for my precise wish. Apparently he didn't like that because he decided to show up again for R1, making me lose the 50/50. So then it took me 61 wishes going to hard pity for Sylus.

So far that was a total of 215 wishes made. I still needed to do 1 more 10x to get the last Enchanted Crate from the Bonded Blessing (wish rewards) for their bathrobes. I honestly thought I was done pulling after this... except I was so wrong. ( x_x ')

Apparently there is another limited-time event for Misty Invasion called "Memory Growth Bonus", where you need to complete specific growth tasks for these memories in order to get additional rewards... like their bathrobes' special colors.... The task to obtain those cosmetic outfits required you to get their respective memories to Rank 1. This means you would need another copy of their memories.

Xavier was already at R1 and I still have the selector crate from the Bonded Blessing rewards to select one banner memory for free. So all I had to do was pull for 2 more...

ZAYNE - soft pity: Cozy Afternoon (64) // precise wish: R1 Hidden Motive (64)

RAFAYEL- soft pity: R1 Omnipotent Perception (30)

Used Silhouette Crate to select SYLUS - R1 Lost Oasis

Sighs, I went back to get Zayne his R1 and I saw the snowflake when a 5-star memory showed up! BUT IT WASN'T FOR HIS BANNER MEMORY. I got [Cozy Afternoon] instead, which really sucked because that memory is already at R3. As a result I got 40 SSR sands... a really crappy reward if you were to ask me, but iiwii. Zayne's R1 Hidden Motive eventually came home with the precise wish at 64.

I decided to pull for Rafayel's memory next. My sweet baby fishie was so kind to me and came home in 30 pulls, winning the 50/50. This meant I was finally done pulling since I can use the free crate to select Sylus' memory for free. Thank goodness.... because the end of all this I've done a total of 380 pulls to get everything to R1.

I get locking some glamour as rewards for doing x amount of wishes made on a multi-character banner like this. It's incentive for players to continue making wishes. What I don't like is them locking even more cosmetic outfits behind a memory rank up. I understand that it is business tactic to make them even more revenue. And while I don't mind support them I can't help but feel that this just straight up plain cruel.

[tea-with-barbatos]

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PLAYING OBEY ME: NIGHTBRINGER FOR FREE! - SECTION 1 - HOW TO GET CARDS!

So, cards... cards are hands down the most essential part of Obey Me. You can't have ANYTHING without cards. Not even a pact with Mammon. But fortunately there's 3 different ways to obtain cards. Some require luck, some require extreme patience. You have plenty of those though... right?

Number 1 - the Gacha Method

The most effective way to acquire new SSR+ cards is by performing 10 pulls at a time. (See the right side of the photo.)

These ensure you will receive at least 1 SSR or above each time. Fortunately, with some grinding these aren't hard to achieve. I'll describe 3 different methods of doing 10x pulls from most efficient to least efficient:

✅ Using the 1 time 10x pull for 150 devil points in event gachas

Every time a new set of event cards is released, there is a limited 1st time 10x pull for a discounted 150 devil points (dp). A new set is released every 2 weeks, so try to save up at least 150dp by the new release if possible. You’ll always receive 1 free pull too!

✅ Using 10 demon vouchers

Demon vouchers (dv) are easily gained by buying the level up congrats sets for 99dp. You’ll need to buy these sets twice to acquire the 10dv needed for a 10x pull. 198dp total. This will save you 72dp per pull. You can also gain dv from events, achievements, login bonuses, and by exchanging 45 raven. Make sure to save dv until you have 10, even if it takes a while.

Congrats sets pop up after levelling up. At first it's every 5 levels, then 3, then every 1. They cost 99 dp to buy and give 5x dv + other goodies. Try to buy them whenever you can afford them. It's ok if you miss out. There will be more.

✅ Using 270 Devilpoints

Really I’d advise saving your dp for the congrats sets, even if you have plenty. It's more cost effective. However, if you truly don't mind spending the extra 70dp, then use them! Especially if you might miss out on a limited time card of your fav(s) if you don't.

❌ Single pulls

For 30dp or 1 dv, you can do 1 pull. This is high risk and low reward. You aren't guaranteed anything but a shot at your dreams. I don't recommend doing this. But if you can't resist temptation then at least Diavolo will find it relatable. You do get a free pull in A, M, and G pools often though.

General gacha advice:

Using the limited event gacha is amazing for potentially getting UR+ cards and is usually your best option. However, you will not be able to get non-event UR cards from these pools. DO use the A box occasionally to get UR cards, otherwise you’ll only have repeat SSRs after a while. (These UR cards also come with outfits.)

Event cards give you bonus points in current events. These are worth getting to help you grind event rewards, including unique URs and SSR memories!

In general pulling for memory cards is not worth the cost. You can get plenty from daily free pulls + playing the events. 80k points for event memory SSRs isn't too difficult with consistent playing. 

Save up your raven from repeat cards to buy dv or outfits for your fav(s).

Number 2 - the Hard Mode Method

The second most effective, and most reliable way, of obtaining new UR+ cards is by playing hard mode.

By reaching S rank in hard mode boss battles or extreme songs, you will unlock the ability to receive UR+ shards. If you collect 80 you can forge a UR+ with 60k Grimm. While this sounds like a LONG grind, and it is, it will be worth it. You can even pick what card(s) to aim for. So go get your fav(s) guaranteed. These cards are as powerful as the gacha ones.

✅ Getting duplicates is useful too in order to raise the level cap and skill tree cap of the UR+ as well. Even just one of these UR+ can boost your power immensely.

Number 3 - The Event Method

Every 2 weeks a new event is released in NB. With it comes a new SSR memory card (80k event points (ep)), UR card (160k ep), and a UR memory card (240k ep). These are the best rewards from the events. Unfortunately, receiving these cards involve a mixture of grinding AND luck. (Example below).

Box events are unpredictable. You might get an event UR in like, 120k ep, but it's unlikely. It might even need 250k ep. Do be careful with them as they involve more gambling.

However, you should at least be able to get the SSR memory if you log in a few times a day to use your AP on the event. Slowly but surely you’ll get there, even without the event card bonuses. You might need to watch a few ads or use some dp though.

Getting the UR card is possible if you get lucky in the event gacha. Even if you only receive the SSR, if you use jokers to raise its skill level you can get even more ep per play. You’ll have to play consistently though, watch some ads and use energy drinks to achieve your goals. It's unlikely you’ll be able to get these URs often if you're free to play. So try to save up your resources for URs of your fav(s).

❌ Event memory URs are impossible to get without paying, so either pay to get them or act like they don't exist.

❌ Ranking for a UR card is difficult without paying too, and it can be precarious. So avoid that unless you're hardcore (and rich).

LINK TO SECTION TWO - DEVIL POINTS

LINK TO MASTERPOST

[rabbitindisguise]

this is so true, especially since sometimes "worth it" is a person to person thing

some things I've discovered under the cut though

ergonomic crochet hooks are absolutely worth it, I can crochet for 10x as long than the thin metal ones (plus they're available for like $15 for a whole set for a generic brand so not a huge upfront cost)

using size 28 gold plated cross stich needles is like pulling thread with my bare hands?? the needle ceases to exist or become an obstacle in any way (also I have a nickel allergy so my fingertips don't itch anymore)

plastic floss bobbins and a bobbin winder are so not worth the cost

fancy embroidery scissors are only worth it if you like how pretty they are. Any small pair of sewing needles that are new work fine. Get a knife sharpener and you're good for forever basically.

beeswax is so helpful

magnifying clip on glasses are so helpful, I don't know why I didn't get them sooner. Counting is 1000x easier

gridding thread is just . . . red fishing line. I probably won't purchase the brand name again, I'll just get it somewhere else for cheaper.

DMC really is worth the cost, or at least cotton, because the wool/acrylic blend I was using was Horrible it squeaked and generally just tangled a lot

a bigger seam ripper is great, I got one with an ergonomic handle and it helped a lot

you don't need expensive writing software to write novels, just stay away from word (it crashes for anything over 6k in my experience)

there's a lot of better notebooks out there than moleskin

compression gloves really do help but it can be a sensory nightmare so maybe start out with really cheap ones

a good desk lamp can make a huge difference for maintaining your vision

a bone folder (for origami) can be super helpful, you can get some in all sorts of shapes and sizes and it can definitely help prevent papercuts and finger nail pain

that's all I got, hopefully that's helpful for folks

with crafts, sometimes buying the specialized/higher quality tools and materials makes an unfathomable difference and sometimes it hardly matters at all and the problem is that there's not an easy way of determining which one it's gonna be

[snippychicke]

For the Sake of a Smile --Ch. 10/Short

Peeps, I have a migraine, but I really want to post this you guys as I do every Saturday. So, I'm not putting the energy into doing my usual formatting, but I promise the chapter is just a great as always. (I wrote it long before the migraine hit this morning, and @avellanas-nutty-empire edits make it 10x better)

So, without further delay, Chapter 10 and Short 10; all in one post!

(Will be posted to AO3 later; I don't have the focus to work on the html tags for all the italics)

Professor Dantlion looked like an average demon; cheerful, friendly, plain brown hair and eyes, and seemed approachable enough - if it wasn't for the fact he was the teacher's supervisor and had a dark aura just…hanging around him. 

Or maybe that was your own paranoia. 

"I had a meeting with Lord Sullivan," He started after formalities. "And it seems you were never actually initiated as Babyls Faculty." 

You blinked, confused. Sullivan hadn't mentioned anything about being 'initated' when he announced he found a job for you. What did that even entail?

"Oh, don't worry!" He tried to reassure, seeing your face pale.  "We're not as archaic as Jackapo's initiations. No blood rituals or life-or-death fights."

"Oh, okay," You squeaked. Your thoughts hadn't even drifted towards it being that dark or gruesome. 

"I know you're not technically a teacher, but Lord Sullivan asked for me to be your supervisor, so we'll be taking you out to the Brawl Inn tonight."

"Wait, what?" 

----

"It'll be fun, sweetheart," Sullivan tried to reassure you when you ran to his office after Dali left the library.

You however, were not reassured. You continued to pace the span of his office.

"Fun? I-I’ve never had fun at any after work gathering in my life. All my coworkers are demons while I am human, or have you forgotten?! Then you add alcohol into the mix which only spells certain disaster! I still can't remember much from that one drink at Walter Park! And that was one! With just Balam and Kalego! God, what if Raim and Momonoki finally corner me for girl talk?"

"There's no need for such language," Sullivan chimed, sounding vaguely disapproving - though you didn't really hear him. 

"What if my drunk ass admits everything? Can you imagine how bad that could end; not just about me and Balam, I mean everything, dad! The fact I'm human, or that Iruma's human! It could not only end with my death, but his too, and--" 

Sullivan stopped your frantic pacing with a gentle hand on your shoulder, his dark eyes meeting yours from behind his glasses. 

"Nothing is going to happen, my dear. You'll be safe. I not only trust you, but the other staff as well. You'll see how devoted the teachers are, and the fact that Dali accepted you as one of his own proves that he believes you are worth this honor."

You took a few deep breaths; hoping, wishing what he said was true. Sullivan knew them best, he knew what was at stake. You could trust him on this at least, right? 

"And I just love it when you call me dad!" Sullivan broke the moment as he quickly pulled you into a hug with a happy squeal. "You really do see me as your father, just like Iruma sees me as his grandfather! Oh, I'm just so happy!" 

"Really?" You half-heartedly complained at the sudden change of topic as well as mood, though you didn't fight the embrace. Sullivan's open paternal affection would always be something you secretly cherished. 

And maybe a change is what you needed.

"Absolutely, my sweet little princess! You two mean so much to me! And I would never, ever, put you in a situation you couldn't handle." 

With a groan, you wrapped your arms around his slender frame and allowed yourself to relax and accept the comfort he offered. Because considering how much he fussed over Iruma, and in a way yourself as well, you had to admit you had to believe him. Which meant you weren't getting out of the initiation, no matter how nervous you were.

But, if other teachers were going to be there… would Balam be there too? You knew he would protect you, but you also worried about everything else that came with being around him. 

----

"Kalego!"

The demon in question looked up from his book to Balam, who looked as excited as he sounded. Which - considering the giant demon had been distracted from his grading by his phone, Kalego presumed it was something you had done or said; per the norm, nowadays. 

"Hmm?"  Kalego grunted in acknowledgement as he continued his work. Spending the evening with Balam holed up in the Prep room sounded much more appealing than attending the teachers' celebration for another successful Harvest Festival. Calming instrumental music was drifting from the radio, and he had found a rather interesting blend of wine to sip on after sharing a decent meal with one of the few people in the Netherworld that didn't annoy him.

Even if Balam's interest was focused on you to the point Kalego doubted the other demon realized how much his time was spent either talking to, or about you. But he was such a love-sick hellhound that even Kalego couldn't be annoyed by his antics. It was as adorable as it was pitiful, even to him. 

And to be completely fair, he did enjoy seeing his comrade happy. You were rather close to being added to the short list of people Kalego could tolerate after work too. 

As soon as he figured out the conundrum that surrounded you and your son. 

"Dali is going to be her supervisor," Balam explained, furiously typing on the small keyboard of his phone. "And he plans on formally initiating her into her role as Librarian tonight."

That caught Kalego's full attention. Not only did Sullivan relinquish that kind of authority over his daughter, but also allowed Dali to oversee your rite? That was a surprising turn of events. He had figured the chairdemon would have insisted on having that privilege for himself. But… 

"Tonight?" Kalego asked with a frown. "Aren't the other teachers celebrating the end of the Harvest Festival?" 

Balam's excitement faded, and Kalego could almost see the forlorn expression behind his mask as Balam's broad shoulders slumped. "I know you didn't want to go, but…"

No, he hadn't. Kalego hated social events with a passion. And Balam had reluctantly decided to stay with him versus attending the event, mainly because of his own social awkwardness. But now that Balam knew you would be there, and the fact it would also be your initiation rite…

The taller demon gave Kalego a pleading look, silently begging for him to change his mind. Kalego cursed internally. Devi, he didn't have a choice at this point. 

"I suppose we should go then," He conceded with an aggrieved sigh. "Even if just to protect your future intended from the rest of the faculty." 

The tease caused Balam to blush heavily, far too flustered to even stammer a defense. What Balam saw in you, Kalego couldn't understand himself. But the fact he was interested in you, inherently meant to Kalego you were worth protecting - if even just for Balam's sake. 

Why the demon couldn't find someone who could protect themself was beyond him. And why you were so weak compared to your father and son, Kalego was determined to figure out. 

-----

Brawl Inn was a small building in the wasteland not far from the town of Babyls. You dismounted Podargos, giving the nightmare a loving pat on the muzzle before tying her to the fence where there was fresh water and feed (fresh ground meat and other things you did not wish to think about) already set out by the Inn staff. 

Sullivan assured you no matter what state you were in later, Podargos would get you home. And you had to believe him, she always seemed gentle and sure of herself. She was the first you had ridden, and never needed any correction as soon as you told her 'home.' 

Still, your nerves twisted your stomach as you stood outside - trying to psych yourself up. 

This wasn't going to be like back in the human realm. Your demonic coworkers were far better than your human ones had been. Oddly enough, they weren't as vicious or cutthroat, or prone to backstabbing. You vaguely remembered Kalego's comment that forcing others to drink was against their rules. 

You didn't know if that meant subtle challenges as well or not, but it was still reassuring. 

Yet here you were, unable to open the door and enter. You could hear boisterous talking and laughter coming from inside. 

Was Balam already here? He said he could have escorted you, but admitted he also had to convince Kalego to attend, so you had reassured him you could manage. You imagined he was going to have a hard enough time with Kalego. 

The sound of flapping wings caught your attention, and you looked up in time to see Kalego and Balam arrive. Seeing a demon's wings was always a shock, considering most of the time they were hidden, and you couldn't resist a moment to study the two's own pair. Kalego's was dark and glossy skin, large yet lithe. They were a pair from a typical legend, whereas Balam's… 

Were dark green feathers, with a span that was nearly as long as he was tall. You knew you had seen them before in the chaos of Walter park, but you hadn't been able to appreciate them. 

Granted, you couldn't exactly appreciate them now either; because as soon as the two landed, their wings folded back into virtual non-existence. 

"You weren't waiting for us, were you?" Balam asked after greeting you cheerfully by name. 

"No, I, um, just got here," You explained awkwardly. It wasn't quite a lie, you hoped only a few minutes had passed while you were having a moment. 

"Let's get this over with," Kalego sighed, pushing past you towards the door. Balam's arm wrapped around your mid back, providing warmth and safety that you had unknowingly needed. The confidence you needed to face the rest of the staff seemed to flow from him into you.

If he was here, you knew you would be safe. 

Inside the bar was dark with just a few candles lit to offer a trace amount of light. You pressed closer to Balam's arm - some instinctual part of you terrified as a robed figure stepped out of the shadows and held out a hand towards you. "Welcome, you who strive to fill the role of the Librarian of Babyls…"

"Must you really be so dramatic?" Kalego growled, interrupting the deep voice. "Seriously, Dali, she's already worked in the library for a few months." 

There was a pout on Dali's face as he pulled back his hood. "It's tradition, Kalego. I thought you of all demons would respect that." 

"There's hardly a need for theatrics with this one," Kalego shot back, gesturing sharply to you. "At this point it's a mere formality." 

"You're just jealous you didn't get the role to scare her." Robin stepped out of the gloom, pointing an accusing finger at Kalego. "Or you would have jumped at the chance!" 

Kalego huffed and crossed his arms. "Don't be ridiculous."

Someone grumbled about the effect being ruined, and with a snap the lights flared to life. More of the teachers lowered their hoods and chimed their own thoughts of how things should have went.  

"Are they always like this?" You whispered as the argument--bickering, really-- continued. 

"Well, not usually…" Balam admitted quietly. "But typically one is initiated when they first start. You're a bit of a special case." 

"Can we just hurry up and get this over with?" Elder Morax complained rather loudly. "I thought the main event tonight would be celebrating!"

Dali sighed, conceding he had lost. "Very well. Please, step forward." He gestured to you, and Balam's protective touch became a gentle nudge forward. 

You hesitantly stepped towards Dali and a dark crimson circle flared to life with dark symbols carving themselves into the stone floor. The magic was near palpable, making the hair at the nape of your neck raise as your heart quickened. 

"The teacher of Babyls is a sacred role," Dali started, his usual demeanor shifting into one far more serious. "As is the role of Librarian. To guide and guard the treasure of Babyls, its students, is the highest honor. Do you pledge your life to protect them above all else from the enemies that may target our treasure?"

This wasn't some meaningless pledge. You could feel the magic waiting for your answer, to make sure that you held true to it if you swore. Not just Iruma and his classmates, but all the students. 

It made you hesitate and think - was this really what you wanted to do? You highly doubted you could just up and quit after an oath like this. 

Hell, it was better than the fishery. And you had to admit; while the Misfit class held a special place in your heart, you were fond of all the students. Being a librarian at Babyls? There could be worse fates.

"I swear," You answered, meeting Dali's eyes firmly, and instantly felt the magic snap into place. The odd sensation took your breath away as the symbols flared a fiery red beneath you. There was a strange notion that maybe you hadn't sold your soul to Sullivan after all…

But instead hd just signed it over to Babyls. 

A thunderous applause broke out from the surrounding teachers as the circle faded into nothing, and before you could blink, Balam had swung you off your feet, lifting you until you were sitting on his shoulders. You clutched to him, stunned by the sudden change as you looked down at everyone.

Smiling. Cheering. Even Kalego had a faint smile on his face. 

You knew you had made the right choice. 

----

You may have had limited experience with human coworkers, but your demon peers were nothing like the human counterparts. Where you had been defensive around your previous coworkers, feeling as if you had to constantly prove yourself and be on guard, here you didn't. 

They easily accepted the fact you didn't want any alcohol, and in fact had many recommendations on non-alcoholic drinks instead. Despite being new and a bit of an outsider, you didn't feel excluded. 

Actually, quite the opposite. In a blur of events, you had been dragged from Balam's side to a seperate table across the large room, where most of the female teachers had gathered. Not just Raim and Momonoki; but Suzy, Furcus, and Tsumuru too. 

"We actually have a full table now!" Tsumuru cheered, being echoed by the others. 

"I have to admit, I do love what you've done with the library," Furcus admitted, the older woman smiling softly at you, looking rather tired. "Through the years, no one's really paid much attention to the organization of it."

"A lot of the students have enjoyed the new study spaces," Tsumuru added, making you flush from the attention. "I've even seen an increase in grades, which I can't contribute to anything else but the library's renovation. I was so excited when Dali said you were being initiated! I can only imagine how you'll help in the future!" 

"Those cubbies also make for good make-out spots," Raim added with a wink, making you flush even more. "Or have you and Balam found that out already?"

"W-we aren't courting, despite what the rumors say," You stated with a bit of a stammer, deciding there was no way to avoid the topic - so you were going to face it head on. With blunt honesty. 

"What?!" 

It wasn't just Raim and Momonoki giving you incredulous looks as you had expected - it was all of them. Even perpetually calm Suzy and Furcus looked surprised.

"No, that's just not possible!" Momonoki protested. "J-just look at you two! It's obvious!"

"It's more obvious than her crush on Kalego," Suzy chimed, gesturing to the blue-haired teacher who blushed yet nodded in agreement.

"Exactly! How are you two not courting?" 

You rubbed your face, willing the burning sensation to fade from your face. "Look, it's… it's like this. We fell into an easy friendship--camaraderie," You corrected, seeing their odd looks, "...because of mutual interests. And his skinship is a perfect match for my own…issues. But that isn't to say we're romantically interested in each other."

Raim frowned and leaned on the table, "I am a succubus, remember? I can literally taste the attraction between you, so don't give me that devibullshit." 

Wait. Could Succubi do that? 

The others were nodding, so you had to assume they could, and that Raim wasn't lying. 

"I mean, I-I am kinda… interested… in him…" You admitted, casting a glance to the table across the room where the other staff were. They were by far louder, so you doubted that anyone else could overhear the infamous Girl Talk you had been dreading. 

Yet almost sensing you were looking at him, Balam shifted to look at you - head tilted to express his concern. You smiled slightly and gave a small wave, letting him know you were fine.

Even if you were internally dying of embarrassment. 

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled and returned your small wave before his attention was caught by Robin invading Kalego's space once more. 

"Are you telling me - that you two are mutually interested in each other, but not courting?!" Raim virtually seethed. "Have you even said anything?!"

You blinked, startled by the severe expression on her face. You had no idea she - or the others - had been so invested in the relationship between you and Balam. 

"I haven't done this before, okay?!" You shot back after a moment, put on the defensive by her tone. "This is unfamiliar territory for me!"

"But, Iruma is your son," Furcus added, a frown gracing her face. "You can't have children without mating."

"T-that, was…" You trailed off, fear flooding through your mind as you worried about being caught in your lie. You had built a backstory, but hadn't quite explained it to Iruma - and you weren't sure what he had said about the matter. What if he had said something that would contradict you? What if it planted seeds of doubt in their minds? 

Devi, if only adoptions were normal in the Netherworld. But you had seen it yourself at Walter Park; most demons were demonish in that aspect. 

"Is the rumor of his father true?" Tsumuru asked as your pause became stagnant.  "He's really not present?" 

"It was one of those… unintended things," You awkwardly excused, not completely sure how deep a hole you were digging yourself. But surely demons had one-night stands? And maybe decided to keep any child conceived afterwards? 

"I've had plenty of those," Raim sighed dreamily, destroying any doubt. "Though, you know there are plenty of… remedies for afterwards."

You shrugged your shoulders, "Yeah, but… Iruma's one of the best things in my life so I don't regret anything."

"While that is adorable," Momonoki interjected. "Our main concern should be that our dear librarian hasn't courted before, and we all know Balam hasn't either. They're both helpless! We need to help them!"

Raim hummed, "You just want a real-life romance novel to play out before your eyes, don't you?" 

The other demon turned a bright shade of pink. 

"That is totally besides the point!"

"You guys," You whined. "It really isn't that big of a deal. Balam and I…we'll figure it out."

Suzy patted your hand reassuringly. "I'm sure you will. But if you ever need some advice, feel free to ask. I courted many a demon back in my day before deciding to pledge my life to Babyls." 

Raim nodded, "Absolutely. I would be happy in giving you a few pointers and tips on seduction. Together, we could have that giant of a demon wrapped around your finger." She smirked while twirling her own hair around her graceful fingers, making you blush deeper.

Furcus snorted, "You say that as if he isn't already." 

Tsumuru nodded, "You don't have to be a master at psychiatry like myself to know he has it bad." 

"And," Raim continued in a staged whisper, leaning over the table closer to you. "Once he's wrapped around your finger, you can finally wrap yourself around--" 

---

The evening became livelier as Robin and Dali pulled out games like Bingo and Charades, along with some Netherworld games you had no name for but ended up laughing until your ribs hurt. 

Partly just because of the anitics of the others as they drank more and more while you stayed sober. But, you had a feeling you would have ended up having a good time regardless. It truly was nothing like your previous experiences; you were thoroughly enjoying yourself. 

To probably no one's surprise, you ended up once more next to Balam; and all too aware of the 'supportive' gestures from your female colleagues, ranging from subtle thumbs up and winks to awkward gestures that you had no idea what they meant - but seemed vulgar anyways. 

You could only pray Balam hadn't noticed them or the fact you would suddenly pull his attention elsewhere in an attempt to keep him from noticing. If he had, he kept silent and just rolled with your antics while helping you with the games you were unfamiliar with. 

While also more or less compelling Kalego to participate as well, which made you giggle as the other demon grumbled half-heartedly. Having fun and being happy filled you with a sort of boldness, leading you to tease Kalego. 

Kalego would take it in stride and subtly return the teasing with light-hearted taunts. Which - judging by Balam's excited reactions as the two of you bantered back and forth - meant Kalego had officially accepted you into the fold. 

--

"Is it really okay to leave Robin with everyone?" You asked hours later as you left with Balam and Kalego. At least half a dozen of the other teachers were passed out inside the inn, and you felt guilty at Kalego's offhand comment about it being the newbie’s responsibility to get them all home. 

"He arranged it and allowed Dali to partake as well," Kalego replied with a snort. "He needs to take responsibility for his actions." 

"Considering most of them live in the teachers' dorms, he won't have that much difficulty," Balam assured, his hand combing through your hair thoughtlessly. "Are you okay with returning home?" 

The nightmare in question - still patiently waiting at her post - snorted and pawed a hoof as if insulted by Balam's implication.

"Podargos will make sure I get home safe and sound," You said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Dad and Opera trained her well." 

Yet despite the reassurance, Balam seemed reluctant to let you go. His hand brushed your cheek softly as he held your gaze. Was his thoughts wandering the same path yours now wandered, thinking of the possibility of a romantic relationship. Or had the wine he and Kalego been sharing still affecting him? 

(Granted, for as much as they both drank, you were surprised they were seemingly unaffected.)

Everyone seemed so sure that Balam held such romantic feelings for you that it filled you with hope - but at the same time, you were still so lost on what to do next. Was it unfair of you to wait for him to make that next move, or was he waiting for you? 

Devi, he'd probably end up waiting forever if he was. You don't know if you possessed the boldness to take that next step without his lead. 

"Shichiro," Kalego called, interrupting the moment. "Shall I leave you two alone? I would like to be home before dawn." 

"Still feeling that last glass, Kalego?" You couldn't help but tease despite the warmth spreading across your cheeks and his implication. Or, at least the one your mind readily supplied. 

His eyes narrowed slightly, though you hoped it was in good humor. "I applaud the fact you restrained yourself from drinking all night. I hate to see what the school would be like if everyone witnessed you crawling into Shichiro’s lap to sleep." 

"You two…" Balam sighed as you seethed in embarrassment as the dark-haired demon smirked. 

Fine, two could play at that game. "Well," you drawled as you turned back to Balam. "Since Kalego apparently needs help finding his way home--"

"I do not--" Kalego hissed, though your attention was once more captured by Balam as you reached up and patted Balam's cheek without thinking.

The giant demon quickly bent down so you could reach easier, and - well, the temptation to run your fingers through his hair was too much for you to resist. 

"I'll talk to you later, okay?" You finished softly as your heart thumped in your chest. Just a few small strokes and Balam's eyes had fluttered shut as he leaned more into your touch. He looked so happy, so content, so utterly cute, you gave into impulse and leaned in closer to press a quick kiss to his cheek. 

"Goodnight, Shichiro." You whispered as you pulled away before nodding at the other demon. "Kalego." 

Kalego returned your nod, but you didn't dare look back at Balam to see his reaction. You instead turned to Podargos, somehow managing to undo the knot keeping her tethered with shaky hands before pulling yourself up in the saddle. 

She was already galloping when you heard the flutter of wings unfurling and the two presumably taking their leave as well. You gripped the reins tightly, grinning to yourself as the wind whipped around you. You did it! You initiated affection with Balam, and now all you could do was pray it hadn't been too subtle of a hint. Because damn, your heart was hammering heavily enough as it was. 

Short Ten

Silence hung over the two demons as they flew, though Kalego knew it wouldn't last for very long. Before they reached the first trees of the forest, Balam finally broke the silence with a whisper "She kissed me…"

Kalego sighed, "I saw." He was happy for him, truly was. But why did you have to finally end Shichiro's doubts tonight? He was already mentally worn out from a long week, plus the hours of forced social interaction.  

He wanted to go home, have a long hot shower, and sleep. That is all he wanted at this point. 

"And called me Shichiro!" Balam's awed whisper turned into giddiness, and Kalego could easily imagine his companion blushing furiously despite the sky dark, moons barely providing any light. There were only two demons (himself and Opera, of course) outside his family that called Balam by his given name. Everyone else was too terrified of the gentle giant to take such liberties. 

"I was there for that as well," unfortunately, Kalego added mentally. He was actually surprised it took you this long, to be honest. After all, you had the whole Misfit class calling you mom now - if rumors proved correct. He had figured you had been using Shichiro in private for weeks now. 

Apparently not. 

A flap of feathered wings and Balam was gliding next to Kalego, the tips of his wings about brushing his. "Thank you, Kalego, for changing your mind." 

Part of his aggravation faded away, and Kalego nodded slightly. "It wasn't too terrible, I suppose." The finest wine money could buy, all from the Chair demon's own account. The food was surprisingly decent for a dive bar, and there had been a few amusing moments.

The moment of peace shortly faded as Balam all but giggled. "I can't believe she actually kissed me!" 

Kalego decided he should have taken a bottle of wine home with him after all. 

Hell, if he was going to endure this… "So, what are you going to give her as an offering when you ask her to court?" 

There was a flutter of wings as Balam faltered mid air with a choked noise, making Kalego smirk. 

-----

Opera calmly poured Lord Sullivan's tea, though their mind was full of unrest. You and Iruma had become close, and they acknowledged both of you as members of the Sullivan family, and therefore under their protection. 

"Not to question your decision..." Opera started as they finished. "But is it wise to have her sworn in as a Babyls teacher?" A human under the Oath of Babyls? Old, ancient magic that bound a teacher to the school and their duties -  how would it react to a human? Would it be the same, or cause you to suffer? 

"You said it yourself," Lord Sullivan stated calmly as he picked up his tea cup. "Evil is stirring, even here at Babyls. Iruma will be well protected between his ring and his classmates, though I plan to ask Barbatos Bachinko to continue to tutor him. However, my dear daughter does not have his power or allies. Even if she becomes Balam's intended, the Oath will force him to put the students before her. But, if she is sworn in as a sort-of teacher…"

"Then the others will see her as one of them, even if her identity is revealed," Opera finished as they realized Sullivan's true intent. "They will be more inclined to protect her as well." 

Sullivan nodded before smiling, "Plus, she really is as antisocial as Kalego. She could stand to use a few more-- what do they call them? Friends? Humans are social creatures after all…" 

[mysmegrace]

greetings , i know this request is really specific but it just happened to me and i am feeling a mix of emotions i can't even describe through text lmao , can i please request zen with an mc who stayed up really late ( to the point of barely getting any sleep ) to finish an important project for school only to realize they had like another month to do it ?¿ it can be the whole rfa if you want but tbh i don't mind it if it's only zen

hey, we've all been there haha. on the plus side, your project is complete and you have one less thing to worry about for the next month. but i'm blessed to write this for you.

Zen with an MC who Pulled an All Nighter to Finish a School Project Only to Realize She had Another Month

---

where had you gone, he wondered as he rised from his tired state.

maybe you got up early?

but why would you be getting up at 6am on a sunday..?

you said you would join him in bed later on that night.

he argued, saying he wouldn't be able to get some beauty sleep without you next to him.

after a solid 10 minutes of reassurance, he finally let up and fell asleep.

seeing him let out soft snores, you got your confirmation that he was really asleep.

and that's when you left to your computer, occupying the couch for the entire night.

12am came, and your work was nowhere near done.

2am came, and you progressed a bit farther.

4am came, and you couldn't help but beat yourself up over it.

"god i'm such an idiot for waiting until the last second, what am i gonna do with my life if i fail this?" you worried.

after it, this project was worth 50% of your grade.

besides the online advantage, nothing seemed to be going the way you wanted it to.

the house you two shared had a terrible internet connection compared to the rest of korea.

those little issues only made it 10x harder.

stress was building up by the second, and you fought to hold back tears.

then came 6am, and you had made an incredible amount of progress.

it was shocking how far you made it by neglecting what your body craved.

sleep, to be particular.

you weren't sure if you've ever felt so tired.

then your ears caught the sound of something.

it was nothing you could point to at first, making you wait in a frozen form.

perhaps the sound would sound again and you could pinpoint it, you thought.

then it happened again.

this time, in a set of two.

you sat still, looking for a solid conclusion to come to.

you know, it sounded really similar to the noise the bed frame you two shared.

then it clicked.

you could relax, knowing someone wasn't breaking into the house.

until you couldn't.

reality kicked in.

the bedframe would only sound if you or zen got up on it.

putting two and two together, you realized zen had woken up.

curiosity turned into panic.

you had meant to get in bed before he woke up, that way, he wouldn’t question anything.

maybe you could play it off?

but what would you even say?

“i just got a craving for writing essays”?

that wouldn’t work.

you had little time to think before his conscious figure walked besides you, standing in the door of the hallway.

the darkness surrounding him complimented his eyes, you noticed.

the same eyes that were radiating with concern.

“what are you doing up?” he asked, giving a frown for no more than a minute.

surely it wouldn’t be that big of a deal if he knew, right?

“i’m just finishing a project, it’s done in a few sentences” you answered, typing while you spoke.

“mc...” he whined, uncrossing his arms to freely lean against the entrance way.

“why are you overworking yourself? you need to sleep..” he said, his voice full of unease.

“it needs to be done zen, look, i just finished” you said, flashing the screen in his direction.

“it’s due tomorrow, i had no choice” you continued.

he only sighed, knowing there was nothing he could do now.

you clicked turn in on your project, watching as the loading sign spun.

out of curiosity, you looked at the due date to wonder what time the teacher expected the project in by.

your mouth dropped, taking in what you were seeing.

you couldn’t believe it.

“are you okay?” zen said, eyes wide as your defeated face filled his vision.

“i-” you tried to start, in so much shock at your computer screen.

“i had another month left...” you said, looking to meet the floor.

you felt like an idiot.

a tired idiot.

“oh, mc” he said, walking up to hug you.

“please, get some rest, we’ll talk later” he suggested, examining your bad posture and reddened eyes.

“..okay” you gave in.

he gave a smile, saying “good girl, i just have to use the washroom and i’ll be back”.

you watched as he left out of your sight, finally allowing yourself to lay down.

the way you felt as your back cracked, your arms fell, and your neck hung was indescribable.

you couldn’t help but indulge in the dark your eyelids provided for you.

only for a second, you thought, as you drifted away from consciousness.

shortly after, zen came out from the washroom, going to meet you in the living room.

yet what he was greeted with was your sleeping figure.

he couldn’t help but chuckle.

you looked adorable.

careful as to not wake you up, he picked you up in a bridal position.

giving him close access to your facial features, he gently stroke the bridge of your nose, as he carried you to the bedroom you shared.

as he placed you down softly on the mattress, he gave a gentle kiss.

“sweet dreams” he whispered, as he went to cuddle you from the other side of the bed.

---

19:08 AST - 09/14/21

[drivingbatty]

― rory keaner fluff alphabet

i know this is sorta random but what can I say? I love this batty boi💗. I'll probably be doing this with everyone else too! gifs by @bodhirookes

➥

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

One thing that is certain about Rory is that he’s not the best at saying “no”. So he’s up for whatever you are! Even though he can get a bit antsy he won’t mind spending a quiet day with you and he won’t mind running around town causing mayhem. He’s very neutral is what I’m saying. If he had to pick a favorite though, he loves it when you let him take you flying! He thinks it romantic.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

He admires your kindness and patience. Most people (aside from the Gang) would immediately snap at him for bothering them or asking a ”dumb question” but you answer them without much hesitation or annoyance. And he loves you for that

If we're talking physically, he absolutely loves your smile. Just knowing that his favorite person in the whole world is happy makes him 10x as happy! And he makes sure to let you know that. When you’re sad he’ll poke your face or do something stupid to get you to smile.

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

He's not the best with words so he'll try to cheer you up the best can. Just tell him what you need, and he’s got you. Snacks? He’s already back in 5 seconds with your favorites. More tissues? Bam, he’s brought you a baker’s dozen of boxes because he didn’t know what brand to get. Cuddles? Hell yeah!

 D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

He doesn't have any plans, he just hopes that you two will be together until the day you die. Rory’s an “in the moment” thinker and he plans on being in this teenage honeymoon stage forever. He might turn you though, but only if you're okay with it.

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

He likes to believe he's the man in the relationship as most teen boys would, but he's hella soft and if you so much as look disapprovingly at him he'll shut up pretty quickly. So yeah, he's pretty passive.

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

Rory is not very good at holding grudges. So he's very quick to forgive you whenever you have a disagreement, which rarely happens since he's pretty hard to upset. If things ever somehow managed to escalate he'd stay quiet until your done talking to apologize and change the subject. He really hates arguing and wants it to be over as soon as possible.

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

He thinks about how lucky he is everyday and will never take anything for granted. He's not used to receiving attention (physical or otherwise) so he'll dwell on even the smallest things forever. He just can't believe that you are interested in him.

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

He might hide his vampire-ism for awhile due to Ethan and Benny, since apparently not everyone finds being with an undead creature of the night appealing. Aside from that he's an open book! He has a tendency to ramble so there will be virtually no secrets between you two.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

Congrats, you've just made him even more clingy! Now he's physically incapable of being alone for too long and will seek you out because he misses you :( even if its been like 10 minutes

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Rory doesn't get jealous due to his issues with social cues so he won't overthink any interactions you and someone else may be having. But on the off chance that he does get jealous he'll just get really pouty and try to drag you to do something else.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Rory is pretty inexperienced in the smooching department but he tries his best. His kisses are kinda stiff at first but the more comfortable he gets the warmer they are and the more he seeks them out. Surprise kisses are his personal favorite. He also loves doing the exaggerated 'mwah' sound too, the goof.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

Being the wannabe Casanova he is, I feel like he asked you out a million times before you actually said yes. The time you said yes he actually tried to ditch the pick up lines and be sincere about it. I mean, how could you say no that face?

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

Eh, he's thought about it. Again he's never really been known to think ahead so it probably doesn't cross his mind all too often. But if he was asked he'd most likely say yes since "That's what people usually do, right?"

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

Literally every single one in the book. He's also pretty creative if "spice angel" and "blonde hottie mclovely" is anything to go off of. So you have an endless supply of petnames coming your way. His favorites are probably sweetcheeks, angel face, gum drop, fruit cake, and ragamuffin. He's very corny.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

You're all he will talk about. Ethan and Benny will be tired of it pretty soon. He'll also become more susceptible to his floating quirk whenever you so much as look at him. His head's in the clouds and his heart is full. Impressing you will become a main priority and he will not leave you alone. He's basically a lovesick puppy that follows you around.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Rory is very upfront about it. He's always bragging about you to everyone in the vicinity and he will be damned if someone won't hear about you atleast 5 times that day. He wants people to be jealous. And they should be! He gets to date you and they can't! The poor fools.

As for physical attention, he might be kinda shy to it at first. He's a teen boy and while things like that are exciting, he's also scared of embarrassing himself. So he mostly held your hand everywhere and refused to let go. But once he gets comfortable expect everything to be going your way. Pecks on the mouth, cheek, hugging, hand holding, the whole works! Though he won't do anything to risque like making out or anything.

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

Oddly enough, Rory is pretty good at reading your face. Or maybe he just worries about you alot. All you know is that any minute that you're not beaming with joy he's already asking what's wrong and if he can help. He just really doesn't want to see you upset so he'll make sure to check up on you when he can.

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

All Rory knows about romance are loads of cliches he's seen. He use to play up how bad alot of them were before he was with you, but now? Ho boy, they are his only language. Getting you gifts, saying weird lines, attempting to get dressed up for dates, and getting flowers (he'll do this no matter what gender you are and you can't tell me otherwise). Though he fumbles in the "smooth" part of the romantic gestures, he's really trying.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

He believes in you so much its insane! He's literally your biggest fan when it comes to anything.

"You got a test coming up and you're worried about passing? There's no need, babe! You're a genius!"

"You're doing a certain extra curricular or club? Everyone is gonna be jealous of your greatnes. They can't compete!"

Hell, he'll even encourage you in things that sound absolutely terrible.

"Wanna try and eat 5 whole tacos in 1 minute? I'll go set the timer!"

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Being with him is honestly a series of surprises. You never know what you're in for whenever you two meet up. Sometimes you might even get pulled into whatever The Gang™️ want to solve. But you guys have one routine of always having a movie night on Fridays. Cuddling and snack binging ensue.

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

Even though he's scatter-brained he actually has a pretty great memory, especially when it comes to you. He notices a lot of your ticks due to almost always being around you somehow.

Rory doesn't always get social cues, so some things may fly over his head. But once he understands the situation he totally has your back.

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

Rory doesn't have . . . a lot of priorities. He has his friends, his mom, and virtually nothing else. So you're pretty high on his list of important things! If he could, he would most likely die for you (although possibly by accident).

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

He always visits you in the morning. Since vampires don't need to sleep he's usually already there before you wake up. And he'll be super annoying while trying to wake you up too. Then after you get ready you both go to school together, either by flight or just walking.

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Definitely! As I said before, PDA isn't a big problem for him and he's still just as affectionate in private. I'd have to say he prefers kissing but he's honestly up to anything when it comes to you.

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

He can do pretty fine on his own at first, but he gets pretty bummed after a while. But like, its not like he can't see you. This man got all the way to FLORIDA I doubt he'll let a little bit of distance get in the way of you two.

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lenghts for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Again, he would die for you. He'd even commit a felony for you if he had to! Honestly you might need to teach him that he has a choice and that he doesn't have to do everything for you.

🦇

[thechthonicherbalist]

If you have childhood trauma you have an entire foundation to unlearn & figure out by yourself how to set it anew. You are in an adult body with the knowledge of an infant & no guidance, no safe space, no nourishment or care. Instead of learning by positive example, you have to learn by trial & error. Those are layers; things that work until something new makes you realize there's another thing you don't only not know yet; You were taught wrong. So you have to unlearn it, tear the scar open, tend to the wound, grow a limb from scratch that others are born with. Have you ever tried growing a leg? Sounds impossible? That's what growing up with trauma is like. Being born with no legs (no/dysfunctional support system), being taught or having to figure out your own way to move around & never knowing anything else. Then in your teens or 20s you are abandoned into the world & suddenly get kicked in the teeth by people who have legs, because the only way you learned how to move does not fit. You realize you HAVE to grow legs out of nowhere now, with no nourishing womb or genetics to give you the layout or material.

As a teenager or even older, you have to learn to walk, like a toddler. Childhood trauma survivors DO all that. We are impossible. We do the impossible 10x a day. I have done all that too. But I, like everyone else in this position don't walk so well & I stumble often & my legs aren't as strong as those of a person who had & used them for 20+ years. I only started to grow mine 8 years ago. But every time one of us stumbles and falls, there is nobody who says: "I see your legs aren't as strong yet, you've done a good job growing them all by yourself, take my hand, get back up, I'll help you & your legs will grow stronger, it's normal to fall down & get hurt, but you'll heal & learn to walk even better, even if you walk a bit differently from those who's legs were a given". No. There's almost ever only people who say: "You're broken, you're damaged. You're a burden. You're a problem. Stay down, you're not worth it." So the abandonment wound repeats. The wound every childhood trauma survivor inevitably experiences at the point where they part ways with their creators. One of many along the way to that point. Bc you're abandoned, hurt, without somebody by your side as you get back up, where you can learn a better way. No. All you can do, is to try & figure out why you stumbled & fell down & how to not do this again, how to not get left behind again, bc nobody will tell you. Even worse: When another person made you stumble & fall in one way or another, pulled your legs out from underneath you, you get the blame for falling, bc you are the "damaged" person. Nobody ever looks at who destabilized you. Nobody tries to break your fall or listen when you say that there's somebody trying to tip you over. No: "The person who pushed you is the problem". It's always: "You're the problem for letting them push you; for falling. You are too unstable." That's just another way to victim blame. Another way to tear our wounds back open. How many of us were not believed in the first place & survived regardless & did the impossible? Only to get blamed if someone comes along, uses our deficites to make us fall, knowing it will hurt the ones you care about & that you'll be blamed, all bc they hope to end up in your position? It's just another way to look away, to further the problem. I don't think it's an uncommon thing at all, for trauma survivors to experience this. Healing takes more than one. Health is a community effort where such things aren't ignored. Bc if they are, an entire community becomes poisoned. A safe space becomes a battle field. If you've ever been in the situation, where things were great with a survivor & then suddenly that person started to tumble & fall - don't look for the error in them. Look for the error in the environment. Bc a survivor gets back up. They will try to prevent destabilization & fix it. It's what we do. It's how we survive. If we are destabilized something happened that did that to us.

“Healing is layers. Healing is time. Healing is excruciating. Once you think it’s done, it’s not.”

— Mary DeMuth

[jtsfavslut]

Brah, like I just went through your Masterlist and I love your writing. I am like high key desperate for more and I don't know if someone told you that they would love a 2nd part to bestfriend Gray so I would like to volunteer as tribute

AHHH OMG THIS MADE ME SO HAPPY LIKE YOU DONT EVEN KNOWWWWWW

I take writing ver seriously especially for school cuz ya know, ya girl is broke and college is not free so I need scholarships lmao 💀

BUT I GOT YOUUUU:

Three days.

Three days since you last saw grayson.

He’s been leaving you to go out with Sam.

But you seen it coming.

She’s pretty, the complete opposite of you.

You have black hair short hair while she has blonde long locks. She’s got the tall model body while you don’t.

She made you feel like shit just by standing next to you.

And now you feel like you are shit because Grayson keeps crossing her over you.

“Why are you so sad?” Your friends voice spoke making you stop daydreaming.

“Nothing,” you lied, hoping he wouldn’t know. But of course he did.

Jayson was the male version of you, except he was gay, but who’s complaining. That makes him 10x better.

“Listen, babe, is this is about beefy daddy Grayson, then it’s not a valid excuse to be sad. Well it is but, we don’t want you to get wrinkles, plus soon he’ll realize that Samantha, Sam or whatever is shit, and that you’re way better.” He said rubbing your arm in a comforting manner.

“But she isn’t, Jay. She’s way better than me at everything, she sings, dances models, and who knows what else little Ms.Perfect is good at.” You frowns as he shook his head.

“Y/N, baby. That doesn’t matter. She could be good at entering but if she doesn’t have a good personality, which we know she doesn’t, all of that isn’t worth anything. Plus you dance too, you can’t sing for shit but you can dance.” He said making you laugh.

“I can’t sing for shit, like someone might call the police thinking I’m getting murdered.” You laughed as he laughed along.

“True, you sound like a dying cat,” he added.

“But seriously tho, you’re one of the most valid girls I’ve met, and if he doesn’t see that then he’s blind.” His comment made you feel 10 times better than you were before.

“Thanks Jay, I really appreciate it.” You smiled pulling him into a hug.

“Baby that’s what I’m here for, plus we might have a lookalike that might be I love with you. Who knows?” He said and you looked at him with confuso written over your face.

“Huh?” You asked having no idea what he was referring to.

“Girl Ethan, we both know he’s into you,” he groaned at your obliviousness.

“What? No, he can’t. He ships me with Gray, he said he wants us together because it’ll make me happy,”

“My point exactly. He wants you happy because he’s in love with you,” he said making you shake your head.

“There’s no way.” You sighed throwing yourself back down on your bed.

“There’s no way what?” That familiar deep voice spoke making you tense up.

“Well look who the cat dragged in,” you muttered angrily.

“Well, I’m gonna blast, A new season of Drag Race awaits. Bye Y/N.” Jay said and walked out. Leaving you and Grayon alone.

“What are you doing here?” You asked him as he sat down on your bed, you avoided eye contact, because if you looked at his face you would immediately forgive him.

“I came here to see my bestfriend.” He shrugged, your heart hurting at the bestfriend statement.

“Bestfriend right,” you muttered to yourself. “I thought Sam, or Samantha whatever the fuck her name is was your bestfriend. You know? Since you ignored me for 3 days,” you said, from the corner of your eye you saw his face drop.

“Are you jealous?” He asked and you could tell he had a smirk on his face.

Duhh.

“There’s Nothing for me to be jealous about. I’m upset because you literally dropped me for someone else,” you sighed. He placed his hand in your knee making you turn to look at him.

“I didn’t drop you Y/N/N, I was hanging out with someone else. And I was being an asshole for ignoring you, and I’m sorry. But Sam is the only girl that I really like,” he said which hurt.

The only girl he really liked. It made you upset, and hurt.

“Right. I’m sorry I’m just I- Grayson I-,” you struggled to say as tears were trying to escape your eyes.

This was your only chance before it was too late.

He could either love you back, or not.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” He asked concerned nothing you were really freaked out and on the verge of tears.

“Grayson, I’m in love with you. I’ve always been.”

[marxsposting]

Possibly the worst thing about the online left is the disdain for regular degular old fashioned party building. There seems to be a general perception that active recruiting, internal political discussion, and yes, paper selling, is all lame and worthless. All of this bread and butter stuff is being de-emphasized or even discarded in favor of charity, gardening, vandalism, and other activities that are all fine and good but not at all useful to the revolutionary cause.

Every communist party that got anywhere did this. The Black Panthers, the Bolsheviks, whoever you look up to, all of them started with this basic stuff. They weren't doing it because it was easy or because it was fun, they were doing it because it's what works.

I can sympathize with people that want to do that direct action stuff, I really do. Capitalism makes you feel powerless, your org is tiny and no one knows it, so you want to do something. But if you dedicate all your time, energy, and resources to gardening and charity work, or even terrorism, then you will never get to the point where you can actually make a difference.

Think about what needs to happen to overthrow a capitalist state. You need a massive revolutionary workers' movement. Ok, well how do you get that? You need a revolutionary organization, one that has both quantity and quality.

You get the quantity by painstakingly recruiting wherever you can. Unions, universities, workplaces, street corners, social media, protests, labor party meetings, you have to build up your organization by any means necessary. Once you have a dedicated core active in all the right places and a larger propaganda apparatus, you can begin to exert more influence and get some real mass support.

The quality is just as tricky and important, if not more so. Even if your "communist organization" has 500,000 people in it, it's worthless if those people aren't communists. This seems obvious, but there will always be opportunities to sacrifice core principles for short term popularity. To combat this you need theory. In a democratic organization all the members have a say, which means you need an educated membership in order to stay on track, which means you need reading groups and lectures in order to consolidate new members.  Otherwise, either the party disintegrates due to ideological incoherence, or it degenerates into bureaucratism because principled disagreement is possible only through understanding.

Quality also means skill level. At this stage there aren't a lot of us, so we all need to be organizers and theoreticians. That means you have to teach people to read, analyze, and present their ideas intelligently, in addition to performing administrative tasks competently. That's the real importance of the paper at this stage, when actual readership is minute.

Does this mean this can be one's only political activity? No (in fact, a party that never takes risks and takes up the right struggles will end up disconnected from the masses in theory and practice), but recruitment, consolidation, and propaganda are the foundation upon which all other activities rest. If you engage in activity beyond your organizational capacity you will lose members and lose perspective. Even then, a revolutionary organization should only engage in activities that increase the strength, unity, and confidence of the working class, activities that pull the workers towards your organization and not away. As the org grows, you will be able to engage in bigger and more aggressive actions, but patience is key.

None of this is easy. It means putting yourself in uncomfortable social situations, getting verbally and (sometimes physically) attacked, all for such slow progress that you feel like you're going nowhere. But it's worth it, because it's literally the only way. You don't get a revolution without the boring and unglamorous part first.

Like, I understand it if you personally aren't in a material or mental place where you can engage in that kind of work, but there is no excuse for expressing contempt for it publicly where someone new to radical politics might see it. I think we're losing a lot of potentially valuable comrades to this kind of thinking.

Anyway I'm going to link my org down below for anyone who wants to check it out, but even if you don't want to join and disagree with us on this or that position, I really hope you take what I say to heart. The socialist movement would be 10x better if Leninist organizing made a come back.

https://socialistrevolution.org/join/

[flingmetothemoon]

The-Quill-Warrior's idea of Amy's Piko Piko Hammer if it has more rocket powers.

Description: Going from Simpsons to Sonic… HELP ME WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME

But anyway, this is an idea that sparked in my head when I was fandreaming about the Sonic franchise. What if Amy Rose's Piko Piko Hammer had a rocket function? Wouldn't that be something?

She could deal even more damage, with quicker versatility and agility, and as a bonus, she could even flip it upside down and ride it like a jet-powered scooter! It sounded so cool to me, that I had to get it down on paper. Even though Sega's probably not gonna do something like this, I just thought it was at least worth jotting down.

The idea came to me after I thought about how Amy could be playable in Sonic's boost-style gameplay, as well as when I was thinking about King Dedede's Jet Hammer from Super Smash Bros.

I call it the "Piko Rowsh Hammer" because apparently "piko" is the sound the hammer makes when struck (I personally don't hear it.) So I thought about adding a rocket sound effect to that name; something like "RRRRROWWWSSSSSSH!!", and that's why I call it the "Piko Rowsh Hammer". It can also be called the "Love Rocket Hammer".

Also, Amy's design in this is not my idea. I took the liberty of using the design made by the endlessly talented Shira-hedgie, because I think it is the best design for Amy that I've seen in a while. Also, she's a wildly talented artist who is a master of expression and movement. And she can draw Sonic characters amazingly well. I highly recommend you watch her; her stuff is great!

Also, if you didn't notice, I went for a different art style this time from what I'm accustomed to, just to see if it really works. So far I like it, but it might need some tweaking. What do you guys think of it?

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

Oh but that doesn't end there, I commented to express my even cooler idea… C:<

Imagine that along with a switch to open up an opening on each side of the hammer where she can blast pink energy balls and lasers or pull out spikes and break through solid rock, landmass and flesh easier, or maybe even a switch that activates all of the above! Imagine all of that among with the fact that she can multiply more hammers out of thin air as shown in Sonic X and the theory you wanna go with the idea that her golden rings on her wrists could be limiters that Shadow wears, what if she takes them off and fights off with her new upgraded hammers in all of her GLORY! :D One thing she have to be careful with is for the love of Chaos, DON'T CRUSH SONIC WITH THEM! X'D

Also, the edges of the hammer can serve as wheels and the handle can pull out 2 another smaller handles to hold onto and she can ride her hammer like a Segway. She can do this or fly on it with rocket fuel to save up as much stamina as possible. With these powers and abilities, she can beat multiple enemies 10x her size and natural strength! :O

But she doesn't have to be the only one to be this deadly, besides his X-Tornado, remember when Tails can summon an arm cannon to shoot out energy balls, flicking hands, and tail swipe?

(I like to think on the other side from this fanart by artsonx is another arm cannon he can use on his other hand so he can shoot from both directions) Well perhaps he can get bigger impact from using these attacks by using a gadget that is like his rocket propelled ice skates, except with more rocket hoverers on the bottom instead of ice skates to boost his speed and so then he won't always tire his tails out.

So then you'll get a young yet determined power couple full of passion who can be able to stand on their feet in battle without needing to stand by the sidelines cheering on Sonic to do all the hero work for them when he just wants to explore the world around him and chill. Tails needs to believe in himself and Amy believes in him. I loved it when they seemed to spent more time with each other than with their own supposed idol combined in Sonic X and I miss that aspect. 💛🦊🌹💗

I think that the reason why Sega, IDW and Archie never really let Amy and Tails have moments together is because they knew that deep down putting the two of them together would bring nothing but mischievous chaos.

Like imagine:

Tails being as smart as he is with his inventions and determination guiding him and Amy with her impressive strength and fiery drive fueling her, they would make the most deadliest ass kicking duo. Like they would ruin lives if they were given more time to interact and yet they never really do and thus that makes Sega, IDW, and Archie absolute cowards-

[cyberhideoutpatrol]

22.12.21 [4:45pm]

—and i hope I'll be enough for you. so you won't get tired of me—so you don't have to look for someone else.

i hope i can be someone you will look forward to seeing in a day, yearning for my touch—wanting nothing more than to be in my arms. (lol im special what about it)

hopefully we will guide each other to right path assuring each other that in the end it will all be worth it, and that every hardship that befalls on us was sent by none other than the Only One who knows what we don't—Who loves us more than anything—Who loved us before we were even made—Who loved us enough to create us and experience His love—He is love Himself (Al-Wadud).

looking into each others eyes with so much love, patience, sincerity, gentleness, and softness.

i still want you to hold my hand in the middle of an argument even if we are beyond pissed at each other. (WHY NOT....)

leaving all the stress outside of the doorstep before stepping inside the house, greeting me with the most softest assalamu alaikum HAHA and quickly pulling me into your arms, burying your face in the crook of my neck, taking a sigh of relief that you're finally home, stroking my hair—while i run my hand up and down trying to soothe you, and trying to take out all the exhaustion of your day.

i want to see your eyes softening everytime you talk to me—speaking softly with patience.

i hope you will be someone that will remind me of Allah whenever I'll look at you. if you're a man who will lead me to Allah and not sin then you're worth the wait ;]

i will definitely love you for Allah because He chose you for me and just because He did I'll love you for the sake of Him—After all i'm made from a part of you.

i hope you care about our after—life so much that you want nothing more than to do good with everyone—knowing we all will return back to Him.

boy i wish you would have a special bonding with my maa because of course i wouldn't be here without her. (yeah you have me bc of her) . Ok back to what i was saying—i hope you treat her like your own mother sharing your secrets, your worries, trusting her, and then watch her treat you 10x better;] same goes for my dad better be patient with him HEHE.

and i hope you have a special connection with Allah. You putting all your trust in Him, relying on Him knowing He always does good to whoever does good. I hope you love Him so much and as well as also have the fear of Him, I hope your love for Him grows larger in size everyday becoming everlasting love. I hope you always remember that He's always near, listening and seeing, that He's the one who will always be there for you when no one else is. I hope you don't forget Him after achieving something you've been long praying for. Hoping that you heart will find the same peace in the rememberence of Allah.

Ya Allah — bless me under the same roof with the one who never gets tired of coming closer to you. Let his heart make this heart of mine long for you, by him just being around me. Unite us when you feel we both are ready and then let us be the couple who works together to make it to jannah one day with your permission. Let us remind each other, when one of us forgets the purpose of our lives in this dunya. Let us make each other smile, when one of us forgets to smile. Let us push each other to our goals, when one of us wants to give up. Let us motivate each other, when one of us are in lack of motivation. Let us remind each other to make people happy, when one of us are disappointed by someone. Let us remind each other about the akhira, when one of us are too concerned about this dunya. Let us Ya Rabb, Let us be the good people in your sight Ya Allah. ameen.