#this rate will not improve. it's FINE tho

[smileyobrien]

gotta be about the worst theme anybody ever made but it's mine :)

[vynegar]

14% of the way through....

[letstalkaboutshtufff]

Not Weak

Highschool Gojo x reader classmate

Pairing: Gojo x reader (this can be seen as romantic or platonic since I didn’t really specify. I do like platonic friendship stories a lot tho)

Summary: You are trying your very hardest to catch up to your classmates and not get left behind.

Warnings: language, mentions of a little blood, fainting kinda

Hope you guys enjoy!

*************************************************

Pathetic. There was really no other way to put it. Truly and utterly pathetic was what you were. All this training and yet you could barely summon any energy.

At this rate you’d only be able to defeat a raccoon.

“Ugh why can’t I do it…” you slump down on the tree, the target in front of you barely scratched.

You were a first year like your classmates, Gojo, Geto and Shoko but for some reason they were all improving and you were still stuck in the same place like a fly in mud. Your family had a technique, ice manipulation (excuse me while I make things up) but for some reason you were the only person who wasn’t an instant prodigy. It was extremely discouraging, especially when Gojo and Geto were so strong already.

“Hey snowflake, you’re getting better, almost felt a little chill there for a second”

“Gojo… did you come here just to make fun of me?”

“Aw cmon I wouldn’t do that, just wanted to see what you were up to, you weren’t at breakfast.”

“Just training… I’m close to a breakthrough I can feel it”

“Well do us all a favor and figure it out soon because this heat has been killing me- would love a personal air conditioner”

“You threw a rock aimed at his head which of course bounced off thanks to his new trick, infinity.”

“Rude” you just rolled your eyes and moved to stand again, ready to try again.

“Satoru stop picking on y/n” Geto emerged from the trees.

“Huh? I’m not picking on her, if anything she’s bullying me!”

“Yeah like that’s believable…” Shoko popped out behind Geto. Cigarette hanging from her lips.

“Great you’re all here…” you mumbled. Now you can all witness my patheticness…

“We didn’t see you all day, we got worried” shoko ever the sweet one looked at you concerned.

“Well I’m fine” you said with a bit more bite than you meant to.

“Ooh someone’s in a mood”

“Leave her alone Gojo she’s working hard unlike you”

“Why you little-“

“It’s not exactly a lie though is it”

“You to suguru?!? I thought you guys were my friends!”

During their little scuffle you snuck away. Your mind on one thing and one thing only. Getting your damn technique to work.

Once you were far enough away you positioned yourself towards a large boulder.

Ok breathe in

Breathe out

Focus

You raised your hand towards the boulder.

Focus

Focus

Prickles travelled up your arm towards your hand.

Ok now build the energy in the palm

Hold it

Hold it

Don’t lose it come on!

Focus!

Focus!

You trembled trying to control the energy

“FUCK” you felt your body jerk heavily and the energy disappear completely, like it did every damn time before you could even send it out.

You doubled over breathing heavily.

Why?! Why couldn’t you do it!? Were you always going to be this weak??? No, no you couldn’t… if you did they’d leave you behind… you couldn’t be left behind….

Again. You had to try again.

“Ok, focus” you repeated this cycle about a hundred more times or so it felt. It was nighttime but you were still at it.

Just……one……more…..time…..

“Urgh” you collapsed onto your hands and knees. Blood droplets coated the grass. You coughed a few more times before continuing your ritual.

Again… one more time…

But this time when you rose you stumbled and fell again.

Pathetic. Come you useless sorcerer get up. Every bone in your body was screaming but you ignored it completely and rose once more.

Focus

Focus

Foc-

Suddenly your target boulder blurred and you felt yourself tipping to the side.

“Woah hey, you ok?” Gojo…. What was he doing here. And most importantly why couldn’t you speak.

He held you upright and leaned down to look at your face,

“You look like hell…” his eyes gleamed in the darkness, appraising your sorry state.

“Mmfine” you slurred unconvincing.

“Hm yeah sure you are…” Gojo said sarcastically.

“Come on, let’s go find Shoko.”

“I don’t nee-“ your world spin again and gojo gripped you tighter so you wouldn’t fall.

“You were saying?” He raised an amused brow.

You sighed, there wasn’t really much training you could do when you couldn’t stand…

You nodded half heartedly in Gojos direction. You tried taking a step and stumbled,

“Alright stubborn Bambi up we go”

Ah!?

“Gojo I can walk, let me down!” His long legs easily carried you both across the training field in record time.

“Stop moving or I’ll drop you geez”

“Gojo-“you sighed in defeat. Hating yourself even more for getting dizzy again and being forced to lean your head on his chest.

“Don’t wake shoko… just need sleep…” you whispered but you knew he heard it”

He looked down at you and thought for a moment.

“Uh you sure? You were coughing up blood you know…”

“Mm sure…” you mumbled already halfway to lala land. For trash like him, he sure did smell good…

“Ok fine but in the morning you should at least let her-….aaaaand you’re asleep.” He sighed, watching the steady rise and fall of your chest. He frowned a bit at your state. He knew you were trying but some people just weren’t cut out for this line of work. He wasn’t trying to be mean or anything, it was just the truth…

He knew you wouldn’t take that well if he told you that though. Ugh why did things have to be so complicated!?!

****************************************************

The next morning you felt like a hundred bricks were weighing you down.

You groaned as you tried to sit up. Every single part of you ached.

You vaguely remembered last night with Gojo. Heat rose shamefully to your cheeks. How embarrassing it was that he had to carry you and to top it off you fell asleep on him!? How were you going to face him ugh…

It took about a hour for pain meds to kick in enough for you to shower, change and promptly make your way to the training grounds again. You would make sure this time though you wouldn’t push yourself to the point of collapsing.

Ten minutes later you were in front of the same boulder in the same position.

Familiar pinprickles soon formed in your palm

Focus…

Focus…

Focus…

Foc-

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Fuck

Your concentration was abruptly broken by the unmistakable voice of your midnight savior.

“training duh” you said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Are you really that eager to fall into my arms again?”

You rolled your eyes and turned towards him,

“That was… well I guess I should be thanking you… sorry for the trouble last night…” you mumbled scratching the back of your neck.

“Mm I’d believe you expect for the fact that you seem eager to repeat last nights fiasco.”

“I’m fine now… I’ll know when I should stop…”

That was a lie, you both knew it.

You turned back to your target hoping that Gojo would leave you alone.

Palm raised up

Focus

Focus

Focus

Just a bit more…

Almost there…

Ah! Your body jerked like it did every freakin time and you let out a labored breath.

Gojo watched silently from the sidelines

You tried a few more times, your breathing and now coughing getting worse and worse each breath.

Finally when he felt you truly were at your limit again he decided to stop you.

Your eyes widened in surprise at the hand clutching your wrist because honestly you thought he had left awhile ago.

“What ….are you ….doing…?” You asked between heavy breaths.

“You’re gonna pass out if you keep going”

“I won’t… I’m ok really, just a few more then I’ll stop…”

“Yeah no, that’s not happening,”

“Let go, seriously it’s fine, I need to train-“

“When did you become more stubborn than me huh?” You tried pulling but he wouldn’t budge.

“If I let go are you gonna stop?”

“…… yes”

“You’re a horrible liar” he deadpanned.

“Ugh just quit it Gojo! Don’t you have better things to do than babysit me?? Can’t you see I’m trying to train over here??” You were starting to get really annoyed now.

“….” Should he say it? Should he say that maybe you weren’t cut out for this life? That maybe you should quit trying? Could he say it? It would break you he knew but better a broken you than a dead one….

You saw the change in his eyes and gulped suddenly uneasy, “what…?”

“Maybe…. Maybe it’s time to stop…” in his defense, he really was thinking about what’s best for you.

But you on the other hand…

Your eyes were wide as saucers. His words echoed like a deadly bell that sealed your worst nightmare. He said only a few words but you understood the deeper meaning behind them in an instant.

Weak

Pathetic

Useless

He and everyone else knew it

And now you were going to be left behind.

Against your will tears beagn to burn in your eyes.

“Y-You-“ but the words choked in your throat.

“I w-won’t” you whispered, hot tears now streaming down your cheeks while you yanked your hand away from him and he finally let you.

He looked at you with a face you hated more than anything, pity…

“Stop it….” You felt your emotions start to rise.

“Stop looking at me like that! I will get strong! I won’t stop! I can’t stop! So don’t you of all people tell me to stop!”

“Ok, listen I’m sorry, just calm down alright,” he held his hands up trying to calm you but it just make you angrier.

“No- I won’t calm down! You don’t get to come here and tell me I’m weak when I’ve been trying my hardest to get stronger! Not everyone is a prodigy like you Gojo!! But mark my words I’m going to kick your ass one day and make you regret ever underestimating me!!”

“I’m not trying to call you weak-“

“JUST SHUT UP ALREADY, CANT YOU YOU’RE ONLY MAKING THINGS WORSE! JUST GO ALREADY!”

“Y/n-”

“NO-ENOUGH! IM NOT WEAK! IM NOT WEAK IM NOT WEAK!!”

“CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH”

Both you and Gojo froze, eyes wide at the sudden noise. Slowly your heads turned simultaneously to the left where your hand was outstretched, towards the boulder- sorry correction- the pile of very teeny tiny rubble.

Wha??

“Gojo….”

“Y/n….”

You both slowly turned around to each other

Then promptly burst into excited smiles and loud laughter.

“I did it!!!”

“You did it!!!”

“I did it!!!!”

You jumped onto each other hugging and jumping up and down like children.

“See I told you I could do it!!!”

“You did didn’t you!?!!”

“I’m gonna be strong Gojo!! I will!!”

“You’ll be kicking my ass in no time!!”

You both were laughing like crazy people

*******

“Uhhh…. What the hell did we just walk in to….” -Shoko

“I’m not sure I even wanna know….”-Geto

- How I imagine them hugging lol

****************************************************

Hope you guys enjoyed! This was just a quick thing I wrote, was in the mood for some friendship fluff.

[pocket-watcher]

I got a call from an advertisement and now I have an idea for you. An advertiser is calling a person. The person decides to troll them, but suddenly becomes mesmerized by their really attractive offer. (You know, when you want to ask tricky questions to a caller, but he still sticks to his program. It really sounds like the advertiser is hypnotized and is trying to subordinate you to this program as well. It seems that after the call, you will become the next one who starts calling everyone in a row, distributing a hypnotic program.)

Oh this is too good not to write! I hope you enjoy :)

Ring ring.

Oh man, Tashi thought, this could be it!

She didn’t recognise the number, but Tashi was waiting for a call from her (hopefully) soon to be new landlord!

“Hello?” She answered.

“Why, hello there. Is this Tashi?” The deep voice on the other end asked.

“Speaking!” Tashi fidgeted with the hem of shirt nervously. Man, I really need this, she thought. I can’t last another day living here.

“Why hello there Tashi.” The caller sounded exhausted. Almost half asleep. “I’m calling about a great new offer from Neru Tech. Would you mind answering a few questions?”

Oh great, she thought. A cold caller.

Now this could… interesting. She has some time to kill, right? And she could always end the call when her future landlord called.

“Go ahead.”

“Firstly, how are your sleep patterns looking?”

Tashi thought that her sleep patterns would greatly improve if she continued listening to the slow monotoned voice on the other end.

She yawned slightly. Great, this caller had just made her aware of just how tired she was. She felt herself sink into her chair slightly.

“Oh, yeah, just terrible! Night terrors and all that! Just all these horrible dreams about cold callers.”

She waited for a reaction.

But it never came.

She yawned.

“And, your stress levels? How would you rate them from 1 to 10 - 10 being extreme stress.”

Her stress? On a normal day she’d say pretty high. But on this call? The slow voice was a surprisingly nice change of pace. So methodical in the way they spoke. But, Tashi was committed to wasting as much of their time as possible.

“I’d say with the current state of the world I’m sitting at a 94.” She chuckled, her words being more truthful than she’d care to admit.

She lazily lolled her head around waiting for the next question.

“And finally, how hard is it to think right now?”

How hard is it to think? What kind of question was that?

She thought for a moment. Sure she was tired, but she was relaxed. She could think just fine. Ugh, what kind of product were they even trying to sell?

“Oh it’s super easy. A million thoughts a minute! What with all that stress and all.” She rolled her eyes. “How hard is it for you to think right now?”

She heard the person on the other end of the line laugh.

“I don’t think. Neru Tech thinks for me.”

Tashi suddenly felt very off. What was this? Had she even ever heard of Neru Tech?

“So… that offer you mentioned?” She tried to change the subject.

“Ah yes. It helps improve sleep quality, stress, and empty’s your mind of any pesky thoughts that might be troubling you…”

Tashi laughed nervously.

“Okay… I’m going to hang up now.” She hovered her finger above the “end call” button.

“No you aren’t.”

The voice didn’t sound threatening. Or cocky.

It had no personality whatsoever.

“Uh, yes I am. And I’m going to report this number too!”

The audacity, Tashi thought.

“You aren’t going to because you can’t.”

Can’t?

Her finger hovered still. Why was she still listening to this idiot. Why couldn’t she hang up the phone.

“Just relax Tashi. This is all the wonderful work of our latest offer. Let yourself sink into your chair. Unroll your shoulders. Let your mouth hang open.

She couldn’t move. Her body just relaxed on its own. Like every sentence was hardwired into her brain.

“That’s it. So obedient. Just keep losing yourself in my words. Listening and following along. Slowly drifting.”

Tashi felt goosebumps along her body. Each thought was a battle. All she could do was listen.

“Very good. You’re doing so well for me. For us. You want to be one of us, don’t you?”

She did. Tashi wanted whatever they told her she wanted. She nodded, despite the fact they couldn’t see her.

“Excellent. You’ll make a fine addition to the team. Just stick to your script and you’ll do perfectly, okay?”

Tashi felt so good. To have a new job. A new purpose.

She hung up and a text appeared on her phone.

It was a number to call.

[boringkate]

4k video is so unwieldy for porn. If you don't raise the bit rate then it literally ends up being lower quality than 1080p video and if you do raise it then the file sizes get out of hand (sites like ManyVids have file size limits).

And to what end!? Nobody wants to see human skin in that level of detail when they're masturbating! Plus I don't even own a 4k monitor! MPC HC and VLC don't seem to scale videos down very gracefully, so it introduces a ton of aliasing when I watch 4k video on my 1080p monitor (this is obviously not an issue with other video players though and could possibly even be corrected with settings changes)! And people are watching fake 4k Hollywood movies (with 1080p digital intermediates) and thinking they look great! What's the point!?

So even tho I film basically everything in 4k I release most of it in 1080p (which feels like a decision I'll regret in five or ten years when hardware and standards have improved, but oh well). And most recently I've been doing this with an effect applied that does NOTHING just to force Premiere Pro to use software video scaling (because somehow the hardware video scaling introduces a weird image sharpening style of aliasing on certain high contrast edges that nobody else seems to notice or care about).

Only lately (meaning I've rendered out a few videos this way, but haven't released them, so I have time to flip flop on the decision) I've been editing videos in actual 4k and just applying blur to em. Enough blur to make it actually SLIGHTLY perceivable even when played back at half scale on a 1080p monitor.

This has the upsides of the actual resolution being in 4k (so if/when things get uploaded to streaming sites that reencode everything then it'll give people the option of watching in 4k just for the higher bitrate) while cutting down on most of the downsides. Fewer compression artifacts (since there's less detail). Less video player aliasing (since there's less detail). And I think the final image looks pretty much fine (barely any softer than the scaling to 1080p approach).

I feel like this is obviously a weirdo choice to make tho. Just outright blurring everything (which is distinctly different from skin blurring). I feel like I need to talk myself out of it.

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

Writing asks: 10, 11, 38

10: Top three favourite fic tropes

Transformations - Vampires, alien goo, zombification, demonic corruption, dragon mode, I eat this shit UP! Day fucking one my mom asks little 3 year old me what kinda imaginary story I wanna play and I am immediately transforming motherfuckers into various animals, monsters, and strange shapes. I've been on my freak with this since birth.

Omegaverse - I've only half written the one fic for it myself, but I find A/O/B very fun and extremely gender affirming. I could honestly rant about the appeals of this one for a while, but half of it would be NSFW and the other half would be railing against one specific anti-omegaverse argument that genuinely makes me want to fist fight people lol, so suffice to say, I do really like it.

Edgy Panic Button Powers - uhhh so idk what the proper name for this would be, but I'm talking like superpowers that are overwhelmingly powerful, but have some kind of cost that necessitates that it can only be pulled out in absolute emergencies, and I want that shit to be edgy as all hell. Ichigo's Hollow mask thingy is a good example of this. Rin from Blue Exorcist doing his demon thing is another great one. Alucard's control level zero (might be getting that name wrong??) from Helsing Ultimate OVA. Dante's Devil Trigger and Jason's All-Blades could be the same kinda sauce with the right tweaks. Bonus points if the Edgy Panic Button is a transformation.

...Just realized this one isn't exactly a fic trope, have another one

Only One Bed - something about this one strikes just the right balance between fools getting put in awkward scenarios against their will and character choice. The bed forces temptation, and it's up to the characters and their own foibles as to who breaks how. Have yet to write this one yet, but it will happen someday, mark my words.

11: Three tropes that are fine but overrated

continuing the trend of only half staying on topic, some of these are more like tropes of unknown rating that don't jive with me? I have a hard time saying something is getting undue praise, but I tried

Soulmate AUs - I think they're simultaneously underrated and overrated. They get treated like they're THE exemplar of romantic storytelling in fanfiction, especially in terms of talking about hating it and wanting it subverted into dust because it's supposedly this hollow hedgemonic whatever, when really like... It is not the core and pinnacle of pure romance, nor is it emblematic of what's wrong with the kids these days. It's just a trope, with narrative strengths and weaknesses the same as any other trope. It's fine.

coffee shop/flower shop/mundane job AUs - These are simply incompatible with me. I do not like normalcy; normalcy does not like me. I have a really hard time imagining my weirdo blorbos being so normal without exploding out of their own skins trying to find something more. Tim and Jason would attempt to throw hands with everyone and God in every world I think, but at the same time, maybe I kinda get why people like it? If I wrote the same kind of slice of life fic about Jason and Tim working together as assistants in a necromancer's lab I'd really like it. I can respect a trope that's comforting and has a routine that puts the characters in proximity with a craft they can mutually share and have passion over. Still feel like it's kinda over-done tho

Wing fics - I am way, way too anal retentive about speculative biology and speculative anthropology for 98% of these, which prefer to focus on using the wings as thematic and emotional indicators. I get why they're popular, they're cool and lend themselves well to dope ass art, but also they do sometimes make me want to scream about wingspan ratios and improper joint placements.

38: "This never happened" fix-it fics or "this happened but" fix-it fics?

"This happened but" all the way. I find taking the concepts that didn't work in comics execution and improving upon them to be a fun challenge. I firmly believe that with effort and care, you can make a good story out of nearly any starting concept, and there's a ton of advantages I have as a reader/fanfic writer that the original comic writers didn't have (like hindsight and a lack of executive demands), so idk I pretty much always feel like I can take the comic's basic beats and figure out a way to improve it.

I'm also just way more forgiving than a lot of other comic readers I think? Like I have gone on record as a defender of both Brothers in Blood and Pill Helmet Jason and some of my first comics ever were Lobdell's Red Hood and the Outlaws new 52 stuff and that somehow didn't turn me off of comics lmao, it takes a LOT to make me say "this is too garbage for me to want to use any of it". I enjoy going into comics looking for stuff that works or could work better if ___.

The only "this never happened"s I really go for are the ones that are like specifically in service to keeping a character's cool magic power or transformation curse or whatever intact. Like if the story's happily ever after involved the main character no longer turning into a sicknasty demon form when mad, I will hate that enough to pitch it out entirely lol

anyhow, thank you for the ask Laufire! I might send u some questions back as revenge :3

[mak1lol]

This is a vent/rant post, tbh idk if anyone would care anyways

Sometimes i really just hate putting alot of effort on my drawings, as i feel like they dont get the love that my low effort post do.

Lets use this drawing as an example

This drawing took me 5 hours, how many notes do you think this post will have tho? Probably 30, 50, 40 etc.

8...8 notes. 5 hours, 8 notes..

Now look at this post, probably made 20 minutes and BOOMED 225 NOTES-

You can see the problem, i work so hard on my drawings only to get flopped by the internet. And then i make something shitty only to get viral.

I"ve been on tumblr for over a year now and i havent been growing lately. Its been incredibly tough too upload constantly without being scared of being floped.

And i never feel like im welcomed to any community, as my personal post (like my birthday post and vents) usualy get little reconition. Im still greatfull to my followers and friends i made here and im glad you all are here to comfort me when im at my lowest!! But....at this rate idk if i want to post on tumblr anymore

I get little asked and little followers (and took me a YEAR to get atleast 100 while some might take months) and its not fun for me anymore. And if im being honest, i really dont like ppl who put such low effort only to get hundreds of likes (unless if its memes or shitty post thats funny its fine for me)

Im a 12 year old artist, trying to improve and maybee get more popular. But my motivation for doing art here (and other platforms) is very low and i honestly want to make art JUST for myself and my friends...

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (16/06/24)

new serialization round baby let's gooooo there's nothing too fancy on it but I'm curious about the series that will start in 3 weeks since I read the author's previous manga years ago when it came out, until it got axed, so I wanna see how much they improved since then

green - new series/new to me blue - finale/completed

Anime

Dungeon Meshi Ep24 (Finale)

there really isn't anything else I could've given it. trigger absolutely killed it the whole way through and thank GOD someone convinced the shitflix execs to make this a weekly release instead of the shitty binge model which would've killed the show dead instantly.

but yeah, I haven't read the manga (yet) but I'd seen tons of spoilers before and even more during the show airing ( 😔 ) and it's an incredible adaptation. a lot of people complain about certain scenes not hitting as hard as in the manga for this reason or another but I feel like most (not all) of those complaints are just nitpicking and trying to give off a sense of superiority cause they read the manga beforehand

anyway, great animation the whole way through, like always above average and with a lot of sakuga sprinkled all throughout. we even got unorthodox animation like that one with the siblings or all the scenes made in the classic trigger style instead of this more "mainstream" look they used for the show everything else is stellar too, I loved the whole seiyuu cast and their performances and the music was great as well

also ryoko kui is an incredible author so it was just a treat to see all the thought that went into the world, dungeon and otherwise, tho I already knew that before the anime was even announced

anyway, TL;DR: incredible adaptation and what everyone should dream of getting for their series. can't WAIT for S2 coming TBA, surprised they announced it already cause they have a panel at AX next month so I figured they'd do it there

Manga

Youkai Buster Murakami Ch1

I went into this not expecting much since I read the author's previous work, shugomaru, which while not terrible was also nothing to write home about. I was pleasantly surprised by this tho, I actually liked it a lot more than shugomaru. I was doubtful at first cause "oh boy here comes another exorcist series" until I was told who the author was. as expected it's a comedy series like their previous work. the gimmick is that the main girl is an exorcist and it's her job to seal all these youkais that are being ressurected but she's a huge coward so she brings her, completely normal, friend along to help her and he defeats the youkai by poking holes into it's story like you can see in the pic below I can totally see this being a fun series that I wouldn't mind having stick around for a while if every chap is at least this good. even being a shorter debut of 30 pages it felt like it dragged a bit too long but it should be fine with normal lenght chaps. we'll see how it goes in the coming weeks

Dear Anemone Ch17 (Finale)

man where do I even start with this. first of, I'd thought about giving it a 2 instead of a 1 cause the art is really good but this final chap was so bad it made me change my mind. that spread I picked below is a compilation of stuff that never actually happened in the manga. I guess it was stuff the author had planned but it got axed so yeah. from chap 1 I said the art was good but way too gory for wsj and that stayed true the whole way, it was just way too much for the magazine it was in. impressive that the author managed to keep up the quality in a weekly serialization tho. that's all this manga had tho, the art. everything else was terrible. the story was confused and moving all over the place and the bad ratings made it even worse with the author trying to rush and give reveals and twists constantly which never felt satisfying cause there was no build up to it. the characters didn't felt like characters either and they were just getting pulled along the plot. I went into this not expecting much and still came out disappointed. author is gonna have to put a LOT of effort into their writting if they want do to another serialization or at least they should team up with someone else since again the art was actually really good

[shawcl]

I quit my job last year after 12 months of 50 hour work weeks, creepy coworkers who did drugs and fought in the office, and accidentally uncovering shady/legally questionable practices. I had developed a host of medical issues, including severe asthma, a racing heart rate, and insomnia. When I quit I had nothing else lined up, just savings and a spare room at my dad’s. It’s been 5 months since then and my life is not perfect, but the improvements to my physical and mental health are so significant. My old job was killing me and everyone around me saw it. It was only when I got out and started to fix myself that I really saw how much it had damaged me.

All this to say, if your job is actively harming your health, physically or mentally, get out. Or at the very least start looking. No job is worth the problems that chronic stress will give you. You’ve given it your all and nobody can ask more from you. But it does get better elsewhere.

oh man i'm so sorry to hear this, this sounds like hell and i'm glad you took the step to get away from it!!

tbh compared to your situation mine's rly just… idk in germany we say complaining on a high level lol, the work's okay ig, my boss is a bitch but most of my coworker's are fine (even tho i can't stand one of the closer ones), the working hours are great for a 8 to 5. it’s mostly just my mental health going through the trenches these days and my desire for a break… ik a change in environment would do me some good tho, so looking out for smth new would be a good idea if i weren’t so anxious abt it

i hope you eventually find a job that treats you better!!! sending the best vibes to you <3

[wind-becomes-lightning]

"Just because you can doesnt mean you should" obiyama

if you want👉👈

Hii!!! With your help I got an idea instantly for this, thank you! I struggled so long with coming up with something and then boom, there it was. So here you go!

Uchiha Obito / Yamato (relationship is established)

A kind of Modern AU (tho there is very little influence)

Rated G

2665 words.

Ao3 Link [x]

To win a bet with Kakashi and Gai, Obito learns a new instrument. Yamato is not excited about this.

There was thick air in the Uchiha household. When Obito climbed into bed and tried to reach over to his husband, Yamato scooched further away from him, back still turned. Obito made a whiny sound of pleading, but Yamato did not show mercy. He was hellbent on making Obito understand that he was mad and that small gestures wouldn’t suddenly make it better again.

“It’s almost over,” Obito whispered into the dark. “The deadline is the day after tomorrow.” The vain hope to get his husband to show him the affection he had been missing so much in the last week or so. 

At first Yamato didn’t want to say anything about it at all, content with just letting Obito boil in his own uncertainty for the hell he had unleashed on him during the past month, but then he couldn’t stop himself from going: “My plants are dying, Obito.” Plants were a sensitive subject for him.

Obito grumbled a little, something about how Yamato would be able to recover the plants without having to struggle too much, because he was so good at gardening, but then changed his strategy: “I am pretty sure it is not proven that music is influencing plant growth. I’ve seen a study about that.” He hadn’t but he was shooting in the dark that Yamato hadn’t either.

“My plants are dying since you torture them with what you call “playing music” each day. I don’t need to study to see how it goes.” Yamato pulled his blanket over his shoulder. “Besides, I miss my peace and quiet too, you know?”

Just thinking about Obito’s practice session this afternoon felt like his headache was back and made his ears ring. This apartment had felt like a torture chamber in the last month and while yes, Yamato was soon to be released from this suffering, he could not just let Obito off the hook now. 

“But I’ve improved so much already,” Obito knocked his head into Yamato’s shoulders. Yamato still didn’t turn around. He would keep freezing Obito out until he learned from his grave mistakes.

Yamato scoffed: “Sure, but not enough.”

Obito now went on the offence: “Isn’t it great that I practised hard to learn this new thing? Shouldn’t that make you happy? It's great to know that I can if I try.”

“Just because you can doesn't mean you should.” And with that the conversation was over for Yamato. He pulled the blanket even higher over his ears, scooched to the real edges of the bed so that Obito’s head fell to the pillow and then controlled his breathing to pretend he was falling asleep.

A few minutes later Obito quietly said Yamato’s name, but turned around himself when there was a lack of reaction. 

Of course Yamato felt bad at his icy behaviour to the person that he, by all accounts, loved more than anyone he had ever loved before, but Obito had brought the chaos into the household just five weeks ago and now neither Yamato nor his plants had only one second of quiet during the afternoons. It was driving him crazy.

He should have known that nonsense would come out of the fact that Obito went out drinking alone with Kakashi and Gai. Those three together, spurred on by a little rivalry they had had since childhood, never stopped thinking of stupid things to do with each other, especially when nobody was around to reign them in. But Yamato had stupidly thought that it would be fine, that they would go drinking and maybe bet on who could get drunk first. He had been too busy to join them and take care of them.

When Yamato woke up the next morning and rolled over to his still sort of hungover husband, Obito slurred that he was going to go out and buy a trombone. Yamato had naively assumed Obito was still sleeping and dreaming and maybe speaking nonsense, after all Obito had never played the trombone or had any interest in it at all or any other musical instrument, but no, Obito had been serious, very serious. After eating breakfast and taking a pain killer he was out the door to get his instrument.

At first Yamato put it down as Obito’s sudden quarter life crisis at 30, his realisation that he had never played an instrument before and really wanted to learn one before he was too old, something that Yamato felt like he needed to encourage, but then Obito had returned with his new shiny trombone and a beginners guide to playing it and explained what Yamato had missed the night before.

Apparently Gai, Kakashi and Obito had been very drunk and very impressed with the life band that was playing in the bar. According to Obito, Gai had mentioned first that he would have been an amazing musician if he had ever tried to learn, but he just never had. Obito then had agreed, yes, he too would have been an incredible musician if he had tried harder or even at all. Kakashi too mentioned how he always wanted to play the piano. All three were bragging about how great they would be as musicians if they had just tried a little.

So a bet was born, because of course it was. All three would learn an instrument in the span of a month and then they would compare who learned the fastest and best. Never had Yamato wished he’d be married to Kakashi instead, who relentlessly teased him when they were together, but Kkashi had picked the piano, which, depending on model, could be practised with headphones. Gai had decided to go for the violin, which could also be very disruptive and headache inducing, but still Yamato thought that Obito still picked the worst of all of them: the trombone.

Day after day Obito stood in the living room, open book in front of him, hands on the golden shiny object in his mouth  letting out wrong sound after wrong sound. Yamato, who mostly worked from home, had tried to drown out the constant noise with headphones and such, but somehow the trombone noise was everywhere. He could swear that he could sometimes hear the trombone in his sleep. 

Then his most favourite plant suddenly started losing leaves which had never happened before. Yamato was good at planting and loved his little balcony garden, but ever since Obito started torturing the house with trombone sounds his plants suddenly weren’t doing so well. While he knew it could also be the stiff breeze and the cold winter weather, Yamato decided it was the trombone’s fault. This was easier to explain.

Even their cat, a half grey half black cat named Zetsu was fleeing from the living room. The little boy who usually was constantly on Obito’s heel was now spending most of his time in the bedroom and bolted as soon as the golden shiny head of the trombone was visible anywhere. Not that Yamato could blame him, he wanted to bolt too if he could.

Yamato’s pure frustration at Obito’s obvious fun while practising only added to the constant noise and chaos. He couldn’t stop Obito from doing his little thing when he was always smiling and grinning when something was going his way, he thought in the first two weeks or so. But Obito wasn’t improving quick enough and the noise kept being terrible noise that gave Yamato a feeling like he was losing his mind.

“It’s good, you know,” Obito said one evening when Yamato complained about the entire situation, “through learning the trombone my lung volume will increase and as such I can hold my breath longer when I have things in my mouth.” He winked. “If you know what I mean.”

Yamato knew what he meant, but he wasn’t sure if the improvement was worth the current hell he was living in.

“How will you even judge who learned their instrument the best?” Yamato asked one day when Obito had just finished an especially painful rendition of “Oh when the saints” and tried to catch his breath. “Are you going to ask a professional?”

Obito grinned as if he had waited for this question: “Some friends will be judges. Genma, Kurenai, Asuma,.... You.” Then he added: “Which is unfair to the others because you will obviously vote for me.” 

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Yamato said deadpan. Obito pouted.

Slowly Yamato’s support had turned into a little more hostility and he just wanted this to end. He thought the only way to show Obito that this time he had gone a little too far was to withdraw affection from him. This pained him almost as much as it pained Obito, but it seemed to work at least a little. Obito was now exceptionally apologetic each time he had to practise, also, he had bought a muffler, which at least reduced the sound a little.

Only two more days, Yamato thought, and this entire nightmare would finally be over. In his mind he fantasised about a fire he could put the trombone on, the golden instrument melting right under it and never coming back. Blissful quiet would be spreading through the apartment and Obito would get his affection back. Happy end.

They decided to hold the competition in an old garage in Gai’s dad’s house. Might Dai was a way too enthusiastic man for his age and he had immediately volunteered to host all of them to watch their “triumph of youth” which entailed their mastery of an instrument. Yamato very much doubted any of them were very good at any of the instruments they had chosen. Well, Kakashi maybe, since he had in fact played piano when he was younger.

“Trombone huh,” Genma said and pushed Yamato in the sides slightly,” That must have a fun last month.” Yamato shot him a look that could kill. Genma laughed and gave Yamato a sympathy clap on the shoulder: “At least it’s over.”

Yes, at least it was.

They were all given a little sheet of paper with an instrument on it and several scales from one to ten. Presentation. Accuracy. Technique. Sound. “I don’t think any of us is qualified enough to judge on technique,” Kurenai said wisely but Gai waved it off with a typically excited: “You are all amazing enough to understand it even if you aren’t as qualified. I know you can do it.”

Yamato took his seat at the corner of the table and tried not to look too annoyed with the whole ordeal. Obito had been out all morning to practise again, where he had gone Yamato did not know, it was early when he left. Part of Yamato was happy that Obito had decided not to play trombone in their house at 6 am but the other part was upset that he hadn’t even said where he had gone.

First player was Gai. He had bought a wonderfully beautiful wood violin that looked safe and correctly draped over his left shoulder. He was very bouncy, as he so often was, talking about how his opponents shouldn’t be sad if he was the one winning. Unfortunately it was clear relatively quickly that Gai was not going to win. He ripped the strings over the violin as if he was trying to see through a tree. The song he was playing was barely recognisable. When Yamato looked to Asuma that was sitting next to him, Asuma had his head in his hands murmuring: “And that’s only the first one.” 

Gai bowed too deep when he was done, the audience clapped a friendly, but unenthusiastic clap while Dai howled and whistled for his son. The support was cute in a way. Yamato smiled from one to the other. “I think you just have to be a little softer,” Kurenai said to Gai when he came over. “Draw the bow a little lighter, at least for slow songs.” He gave her a thumbs up.

Next was Obito and watching him set up his little stand with sheet music and trombone actually got Yamato a little nervous. Despite it all he wanted Obito to make a good impression and yes, part of him even wanted Obito to win. He made a fist under the table to steady his nerves. Obito could only be better than Gai, right? He had practised so much.

The first sounds came out of the trombone and Yamato could see out of the corner of his eye that Asuma buried his head in his hands again. It sounded vaguely like a song Yamato had heard before, as if it had been run through a noise filter to distort it. Obito had trouble breathing, his head red and fingers sweaty, so he made one mistake after another. Yamato could have sworn he had heard Obito play this exact song perfectly not 24 h ago, but now he messed it up almost as much as Gai had. 

More friendly clap, though Yamato clapped a little harder than he had before. When his husband walked over to him Yamato reached for his hand. “You did well,” he said and pressed a soft kiss against his knuckles. It was their first real touch in a week. Obito blushed a little at the praise and then smiled, though he still looked defeated.

The miserable performances of his opponents didn’t bode well for Kakashi, who stepped up now to set up his electric piano. In real Kakashi fashion though, he did not seem to even take notice of anyone around him, too bored to even take this competition seriously. They all knew it was just an act however, that Kakashi cared, maybe more than all of them. He sat down and cleared his throat to get them to be quiet, then he played.

“Ah, better,” Asuma said with relief in his voice and Yamato heard it too. While nowhere near perfect in his execution, Kakashi definitely knew his instrument better than the other too. His fingers were not as light and easy as better pianists’ were, but he absolutely knew his basics. He had chosen a very easy song to play and strung along over the keys with minimal mistakes. When the song ended it was clear that he was the winner. The applause after was much more genuine than the ones before.

Nobody even needed to hand in their sheets. Gai jumped forward immediately, shaking Kakashi’s hand so much that he almost fell over. “As expected from my rival. Perfection.” 

“It was not perfect at all, I didn’t -” Kakashi tried to clarify but Gai cut him off again: “Perfection!”

Obito too admitted defeat, though he did it while frowning and grumbling: “You did well, man.” Which Kakashi accepted with a grin.

“To be fair, it was a really hard bet to win against someone who had a head start,” Yamato comforted Obito later, their hands entwined into each other again. It was nice to have the closeness back, now that they had both made it through the hell that was this month. “You did as well as you could.”

This seemed to soothe Obito’s wounded soul a little. He leaned over and let Yamato give him a kiss to the cheek. “I missed this,” Obito whined a little.

“I told you you could have it back if you would end this,” Yamato said a little smugly. “And now it is obviously over.”

“How do you know?” Obito let go of Yamato’s hand and shrugged, “I had fun playing an instrument…”

“Oh god.”

“I was thinking of maybe learning the drums.” Obito grinned.

Yamato could feel his throbbing headaches return just by imagining this. He looked up into Obito’s smiling face. “You are joking right? Please tell me you are joking.”

In what felt like cruel payback for the weeks of icy treatment, Obito just shrugged again, murmured “who knows” and pressed a soft kiss to Yamato’s forehead. 

[inciting-chaos-series]

Excited for some Obey Me! content agh! I was wondering if you could you do an angsty hurt/comfort one of the demon brothers being exhausted, and MC is just trying their best to help them all? Thank u! -🍥

Coming right up anon! I tried both the dateable format as well as small one-shot below... might've gotten carried away tho oof... -Ghostiewvlf

SPOILER Warning: Super light spoilers of content thru chapter 30ish.

死 Requests Masterpost 死 Request Topics 死 Submit A Request 死

➢ Author: Ghostiewvlf ➢ Pairings: Demon Brothers X Reader ➢ WC: ~4k ➢ Themes: | One-shot | Angst | Hurt/Comfort? | gn! Reader | ➢ Warnings: Some light spoilers thru Chapter 30 | no beta/edit we die like men|Slightly suggestive in parts | ➢ Summary: MC helps the brothers through stress and exhaustion

REQUEST: Midterm Stress

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It was midterms season and everyone was stressed. Exams had been more difficult than ever before lately, even Satan was struggling in areas. Diavolo had pestered Lucifer to ensure everyone’s grades at The House of Lamentation would improve, which in turn not only added to Lucifer’s stress, but everyones of course. 

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Lucifer:

When he’s not admonishing his brothers, he’s up in his room or private study either torturing himself at the desk with tasks, or pacing anxiously as he goes through the dozens of papers he’s balancing in his hands.

He’ll ignore all your attempts to get him to eat/take breaks or communicate in general, not on purpose though. He just doesn’t hear your words through the hurricane of stress. 

He’ll look up from the papers at you with exhausted yet determined eyes and his brows will furrow in guilt when he realizes you’d been trying to get his attention. 

His gaze will soften as he huffs out a stressed breath before making his way over to you, or beaconing you over if he’s at the desk. “I’m sorry, MC. What did you say?” 

His hand will easily find its way to your back/hand/shoulders. Even when stressed, he wants to ensure you feel his affection. He knows he’s not the best at showing them. He also never wants to misplace his frustration on you.

He’ll try to not make it obvious that he’s still glancing over at his papers as you gently reprimand him for not resting.

If you do somehow convince him to take a break he’ll likely be huffy about it until you can steer his mind from whatever is stressing him. Usually by leading him to the bed for late-night cuddles (or other distracting activities) or leading him to the fireplace and putting on his favorite records.

Once you get him relaxed enough, his exhaustion will likely turn to shameful, gushy, affection, either with him smothering you with ‘thank you’s and kisses, or with him becoming a blushing mess if you gave him scratches/rubs/kisses in all the right spots. 

A spot you found that always seems to work is at the base of his wings, where the feathers become more short and fuzzy. He’ll groan and relax instantly, the feathers ruffling as if you found a scratch he could never reach. Though effective as it is, you never act on this secret hack in front of anyone, due to the high mortality rate you’d expect. 

After getting him to eat and rest a bit, he’ll always be hesitant to return. His caresses, kisses, and words will all seem to linger as he desperately tries to slow time. Eventually the panic of deadlines will drag him from the warmth of your affections and he’ll return to his desk. 

On rare occasions, you can sometimes convince him into letting you help. Your grades after all- were fine- great even. And you’d been learning more and more of the language and could convince him that helping would only help you to study it better and see it used naturally within documents instead of textbooks. 

“I know that you’re manipulating me into this… fortunately for you, you’ve always been smart- and you have some bits of sound logic in there…” He’d tease with a tired smile. Of course you’d tease him back about being too prideful to admit that he just wants you to keep him company. 

“My love, have I not made it clear that I’ll happily admit that I never want you to leave my side?”

He’d act put off by it but you always seemed to catch the small upward curl in his lips as he gently pulls you to sit in his lap, piling a few (much more brief) documents in front of you. 

You knew you couldn’t do enough to put a massive dent in his everlasting to-do list, but you noted that he always seemed much more content and less burnt out with you there

He’d trace his fingers innocently along your legs or arms, or lean his face into your hair as he scans through paragraphs of text. You swore that once you could even hear him humming softly, and if you could manage to at least alleviate some stress- you always would.  

Mammon:

If he isn’t already trying to convince you to come shopping with him, (if he’s somehow gotten his hands on Lucifer’s card) then you’d find him either angrily tossing things around after getting lectured by his older brother- or on his bed, textbook in his lap while he scrolls through mindless content on his DDD. 

If he’s angry and tossing things, he’d stop quickly after realizing you’d come to his room. He doesn’t ever want to scare you, or assume he’s upset with you… he could never bear that. If he’s avoiding studying though, you’re a much better distraction than his phone. He’d instantly shove it all away and replace it with you. “Aw, c’mere MC… are you here to save me?” 

He’d lament to you about how unfair his situation is. If you agree, or sit by him and listen silently with that oh-so-adorable look on your face, he’ll quickly lose his train of thought and begin stuttering. 

“W- would you quit lookin’ at me like that?!” “I can’t think when yer bein’ all sweet to me like this… and lookin’ all cute”

If you interject about how you know how capable and smart he is, and that he can do it if he really wants to, or that you’re proud of him, the stuttering will only grow worse. His face will twist to a look of surprise and awe before returning back to suspicious frustration. 

“Wh- what? MC, c’mon… don’t fuck with me like that… did Beel put you up to this?” “I know it ain't true so what’s your game?”

He often doubts your feelings and compliments, no matter how many times you assure him. He’s only ever been told how stupid and unambitious he is for a simple ‘i’m not joking’ to work. So you usually amp it up a bit just to get the message across. 

Leaning closer or moving entirely to sit in his lap and dotingly shower him in affection will usually do the trick. “You really mean all that? Yer not jokin’ around and filmin’ this as a prank?” He’ll mutter out as he leans into your touch, pulling you closer, though with a bit of reservation still. 

If you continue to assure him of how you don’t view him at all the way his brothers do, he’ll often work up a little determination and ask if you’ll help him or if you could study together (after one last little break under the excuse of “Well I ain’t gonna be able to concentrate on anything else!” or more famously “I figured that’s what you’ve been wantin’... gettin’ all affectionate and sweet on me! I ain’t doin’ it cause I wanted to!!” all while turning red as a tomato.) 

Upon getting all the distractions out of the way, he’d always be difficult about getting back to work. Most of the time you could incentivize him with promises of a small (budgeted) Akuzon browsing break, more affection, or even some playful teasing. 

“No! I ain’t lettin’ the textbook writers trick me! I’m The Great Mammon!” 

After he was through with his antics, you two would actually get quite a lot done. You’d quiz each other and even make little games of it all. He’d be buzzing with excitement with each turn, not for the content of course, but just feeding off the bubbly, fun vibes that you two seemed to always have. 

Upon your first yawn though, he’d be back to getting you both off task for the night. He’d take the textbooks and toss them to the floor before pulling you to lie down beside him. 

“I ain’t makin’ a move or anything- unless you want me to of course- you just seem tired. Ya can’t overwork yourself either, MC…” 

You’d laugh at his typical sheepishness before shifting to lie on your stomach so you could freely dote on him a bit more reward him for getting so much done. It was once you took on a more serious tone, while thanking him for the help and for sticking out the study session, that he’d almost freeze up once again. 

He’d stutter a bit before shaking his head and smiling. “Yer gonna be the death of me babe, you know that?”

Although using your serious tone while praising him got him to give more honest replies- it also typically activated that infamous greed, and- damn he was always greedy for more of you. 

Levi:

Typically when he was stressed, it wasn’t you that found him- but rather his shouting and screaming from down the hall that found you. 

You’d make your way over to his room, wincing at the volume but laughing at the slew of insults he’d be throwing around at whatever game he was playing. 

After you two had beaten the newest game he’d gotten, you’d both come up with a new ‘secret passcode’ to enter each other's rooms. You waited for a pause in his yelling before your knuckles tapped out the tune of the title theme of the game against his door.

He’d answer and change his demeanor almost instantly, though you didn’t miss the flush on his cheeks upon seeing you and realizing what you must’ve heard. 

“Ah! Uh, sorry MC… I- I just can’t beat this level.” “No, I know I should study but… but it's just so hard! Seducing humans isn’t as easy as you think!” 

You’d laugh as he sulked back over to his desk, often pausing to think of the best way to tease him in the moment. Usually coming up behind him and wrapping your arms loosely around him and saying out-of-pocket flirtations as you snuggled into him worked- if he wasn’t too stressed or upset. 

“Wh- I… I seduced you?! N-No I didn’t…” You could never help but laugh again as he’d tense up in your arms. “MC, how- how have I done that? I don’t even know what… what I did or said!” He’d spin around and look to you for clarification, maybe if he knew what allegedly worked on you, he could simply repeat that to pass the exam. 

 You’d pull up another chair and unpause his game, trying your luck at the level as he listened to you explain with a humorous amount of attention. 

You’d explain that one-liners and smooth talking never really impressed you, but when you were with him- he’d always been your best friend first and partner second. That the way he enthused about your shared interests and about his own passions was what made you fall for him. If you ever were curious and didn’t know something, he was happy- no, delighted- to explain it to you. 

It was by this point that he’d long forgotten the actual reason for the conversation and instead became a blushy, stuttering mess beside you when he attempted to speak. 

You continued to explain that he should think of being a demon and seducing a human as a game. That being a demon and obtaining the human’s trust are his greatest passions, while trying to find a way to spin it so that the human wishes to share those passions. That it all could be played out in his mind by just "choosing the persuasion or charisma dialogue choices."

You couldn’t help but beam at him as excitement grew in his expression, distracting you and causing you to take a fatal blow from the boss in the game and lose. He chuckled a bit as the screen faded to black. 

“MC, c’mon… are you really letting me distract you from your real objective here? I thought you came here to help me win this…” 

Upon getting the words out without a single stutter and scooching closer to you the monitor, as well as seeing the enamored look on your face, he realized how right you’d been. “D-did that just… work?!” You’d tug firmly at his jacket, pulling him closer as you teased him again. “What do you mean ‘act like I’ve been here before, because I have’?! I was unaware!” He  always laughed off his own embarrassment.

A few blushy kisses later, his mood will be entirely fixed, and both of you continue to flirt practice for the exam while taking turns on the game.  

Satan:

You heard before that the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. With him being so similar to Lucifer, you figured this would be the best option to start with- stroking his ego. 

He’d be in the library, fervently flipping through several different books scattered around him. It was always a wonder how he managed to keep things sorted in his head when his workspaces- and room- always seemed to look like the aftermath of a natural disaster. 

He wouldn't initially notice you until you physically made your presence known, either by brushing the hair from his face or sitting calmly beside him. 

He never liked when you’d immediately tried to fix his problems for him. Asking if he needed help or what he was studying only frazzled him more. So you sat quietly beside him, switching between watching videos of cats on your DDD to draw his attention (you secretly had a folder of them saved for instances just like this), and examining the texts he was going through. 

Slowly you’d intrude more- bit by bit. You’d trace your fingers along his hand or arm, or lean in closer to him to read something from a book further from you until he opened up. You made sure to repress the urge to laugh and beam at him as he quietly muttered things to himself, his look of concentration was just too cute. 

After a few minutes, he’d usually open up by offering a short snappy complaint about whatever it was that was bothering him. “Can you believe this? I’ve been here for hours and I still cannot find the origins of this potion ingredient. These curriculums are made for morons like Mammon to pass, why can I not find this?” 

Typically, much like his brothers, his sin would be his undoing. He’d spend much of his time fuming about something when the answer was right in front of him, he was just tunnel visioning on the frustration and wrath and unable to see it.

Sometimes you could get away with offering a gentle nudge towards the answer, but if he was really worked up- you’d even gone as far as editing a Wiki article to contain it, just so he wouldn’t get more frustrated when you pointed it out, usually right where he’d spent hours searching. 

You decided the former was the way to go in this situation as you groaned in agreement, stating you’d been stuck on the same exact thing and thought that he could help you. “See?! We’re the two best performing students, and we’re struggling! This question is absolutely ridiculous.” 

You nodded and waited a moment before tugging him away from the books, nearly melting as he easily caved and moved his undivided attention to you instead. “A break doesn’t sound too bad… Perhaps I am a bit fried. I’m sorry I’m not of any help to you either…” He’d pull you closer to kiss you. 

Once you got him to let it go for the night, he was easily ushered to his room. You relaxed in his bed as he watched the new cat videos you’d saved for him, contently telling you all about the breeds and their characteristics as you massaged out the knots in his shoulders from studying. 

After he managed to calm down and eventually fall asleep, you took the book with the answer in it and left a post-it note on the page, explaining that you ‘thought it might be this’ but still didn't understand the reasoning why it was used in this potion. You curled back into bed with him, knowing that he’d grow wise to your feigned ignorance in the morning but he would still explain it to you. It was a good thing that the admonishing smirk he always made looked good on him.

Asmo:

Whenever he was overwhelmed, he made sure everyone in the HoL knew about it. The dramatics always went to an all time high. He would start by whining and sighing dramatically near you, hoping you’d take pity on him and make it all better. 

Of course you always would. Seeing him in such a state not only upset you- but was also unsettling- he was always in a good mood, so seeing him upset (no matter how exaggerated it was) was cause for concern to you. 

Sometimes you’d start off by questioning the validity of his dramatics, which either led to him upping the ante on them- or admitting it wasn't that bad, but you should still comfort him. Other times, you could tell he was really struggling, and you would give him an equal amount of coddling for the theatrics. This is what he adored most. 

He’d let himself melt into your arms (without putting his whole weight into your grasp, you were still his precious little human after all) and he’d begin to tell the tale of his woes; how Lucifer was cruel to him and bruising his ego, how the professors were just jealous and used the grades to get back at him for his beauty, how he didn’t even need to know these things- not when he was so charming. 

You’d play along with it, nodding in agreement and offering up complements in the pauses he took or brushing his hair from his eyes as he spoke. Your sweet words and gestures would have him swooning in seconds.

“MC, you’re the only one in this house that truly understands me… you and I are perfect for each other you know that?” You’d feel yourself blush as he’d shower you in compliments, his pupils practically turning into hearts as he gazed at you. 

Eventually you could convince him that, although you thought he was perfect as is, some people were just blinded by his beauty, and needed to be convinced that his mind was equally as beautiful. 

He’d ponder it for a moment before laughing and agreeing, of course he’d request help to improve this ‘mental beauty’ of his. You’d smile back, knowing exactly where this was headed and go to help him study. 

Every so often as you helped him though, he’d obviously become distracted and suggest breaks. (None of these boys have an attention span, bless ‘em.) He’d trace his hand up your thigh or your side, gradually but quickly losing focus as you read the textbook aloud.

“MC, how can I be expected to focus when your lips move like that as you speak?” He’d question in a suggestive tone. He’d suggest that you give him incentives to keep him on track (with your consent of course-) 

Although immune to his charm ability, you were a sucker for his cute pouty look, plus you did want to help him avoid further stress and lectures from Lucifer and Diavolo, so you’d agree to a few sultry breaks every now and again.

Once you both felt more confident with his understanding of the material, you’d usually give in to much more long lasting rewards, he was the avatar of lust, after all. 

He’d always smother you with compliments and praise afterwards- rewards included or not- he adored how much you cared for him and the time you two spent together.

You did have to admit that his honeyed words were more than nice to hear, so any time that he needed help, you’d be ready to assist. 

Beel:

You always enjoyed helping the avatar of glutton cheer up. You weren't the best in the kitchen, but in the human realm you’d done your fair share of baking. The pandemic had left you with lots of time, and that time was spent honing in obscure crafts you never thought to try.

After various hours spent watching cooking videos on Youtube and practicing with all that extra time on your hands, you could throw together some amazing desserts and pastries. Since moving into the HoL, he was always begging for you to make something for him. 

You were usually alerted to his sour mood by a dreadful empty aura surrounding the kitchen as he stared into the empty fridge with contempt. You hated to imagine how hungry he must feel, but he did always look adorable when he pouted. You’d approach him and wrap yourself around his arm, knowingly asking what was wrong. 

“So hungry…” he’d murmur softly, his words always seemed like they were exhausting to voice. You’d promptly pry for more- knowing he was only this hungry when he was upset- his own exaggerated version of stress eating. 

Upon learning the real issue, you offered to make him his favorite batch of cookies if he’d promise to study while you baked. You’d swoon at his face liting up as he agreed. 

As you mixed together the ingredients, you’d explain concepts for him and quiz him afterwards- being sure to always keep his hunger in mind by giving him samples periodically to placate him. The less hungry he was- the more he could think and understand concepts better. 

He’d happily lick spoons and whisks you offered him and recite what you’d explained. You always made sure to quadruple the recipe, and always set aside some batter or dough before baking the cookies (he’d once reached in the oven and burned himself because eight minutes was just too long.) 

After he’d devoured the dough, the cookies were usually done. You’d continue quizzing him by frosting the answers onto them as they cooled. If he got it correct you’d smile and hand it to him, hoping he’d remember them for the exam being that he’d seen it atop his favorite thing besides you of course.

He usually was solid on the lesson once the cookies were gone, and you always praised him for working so hard. Not that you thought it was out of the ordinary for him, but simply because you adored the flustered face he made when you did. His cheeks would heat and he’d look at his fumbling hands in his lap, quietly thanking you for your help.

You couldn't ever resist wrapping your arms around him and planting a kiss on his forehead or lips when he was seated in the kitchen all nervous like this, especially since it was one of the few times you could ever reach.  

Once all the surgery warmth of the cookies settled in with the mental exhaustion of studying, he’d often very shyly ask you to stay in his room with him. Not only did you relieve him of his nightmares, but he loved having you to cuddle up with at night. 

Although he and Belphie shared a room, usually his twin would have already escaped to the attic to get some sleep, having missed out on so many naps due to his brother and his brother’s stomach’s loud complaints all day. You felt bad for his loss of sleep, but were more than grateful to have the room to yourselves, allowing you to be as grossly adorable together as you wanted- with no groans of embarrassment from the other side of the room. 

Belphie:

You could always tell when he was in distress. He always slept like a rock, a very cute rock, that was nice to snuggle up to, but when he got an earful from the eldest from bad test scores, he tossed and turned, muttering anxiously as he snoozed beside you. You would often nudge him softly to wake him, feeling bad but knowing the sleep wasn't restful. If he wasn't sleeping, you’d find him pacing in the planetarium, but he’d quickly agree to go hang out in bed once you suggested it.

He’d be grumpy for a few minutes, but eventually would come around, venting to you once you gave him some physical affection. Brushing his hair aside, showering him with dozens of soft kisses, scooching up to him to snuggle, and initiating some spicier affection, were among his favorites. 

After helping to improve his mood, he was pretty easy to motivate into studying, he didn’t like arguing with you and he knew you always had his wishes for sleep and his best interests in mind. Regardless though, he’d always do as you asked- especially if he knew you’d be proud of him after- he loved the face you made when you were. 

He’d only interrupt occasionally with yawns or requests to take  ‘just a fifteen-minute' nap. Eventually, you suggested that he try out a modified version of the study method you learned during one of your more difficult semesters in your human realm school; to work for 45 minutes and take a 30-minute break. It gave him time to sleep but also ensured that he’d wake up and work again. 

The method worked wonders for him, and he of course loved the built-in snuggled-up naps too. You couldn’t really complain, so long as he found it helpful- you were more than happy to cuddle up under his soft blankets and get some extra sleep. (Diavolo only knows you needed it with all these boys)

After making sure he was solid on all the concepts, you would both either reward yourselves with a nap and no alarm set again, or if for some reason he was feeling more well-rested, you’d go up to the attic or planetarium and talk, hangout, or reward yourselves for all the hard work.

[rayofninetynine]

haven't ranted in a while so hi! i'm not using twitter much at the moment because there's too much drama going on for my liking so here i am. i haven't watched svu or oc because i'm beyond tired and frustrated. at the rate we're going, eo is just a terrible joke. like they're not even friends anymore, just two people who used to work together and it's depressing. i've seen some people say to have faith in the new svu showrunner and lmao... please be fr. we were told we were going to have a sort of bottle episode for eo and now it's scrapped. we were told eo were gonna talk and... they aren't even able to coordinate the shows. it's hard, i get it. i do understand it might be very difficult to get both actors on the same show but they had the entire summer to plan ANYTHING and... crickets.

apparently the quality of svu has vastly improved and i'm glad! i just stopped caring about that show years ago and there's nothing that coud make me watch again besides eo so yeah. i'm happy to know all characters are getting equal screentime and the tr*uma p*rn without any follow up has finally stopped.

i'm just very sad that they are giving eo zero attention though. i'm not saying they should be the focus, but they are also an important part of both shows and A LOT OF PEOPLE care about them. too bad the showrunners and everyone else seem to think they are just background noise.

the shows have a couple of years left at best. i really just wish they could rekindle their friendship at least since it's likely we won't get anything more.

also it's funny how olivia needs to ~heal~ before starting any romantic relationship because you can't love someone if you don't love yourself first!!!!!! but rollisi are just fine. the double standard is amazing actually.

that's something that really irritates me. also everyone else gets to have a support system, someone to lean on to and olivia is just there. she's just a ~badass captain~ and ~friend~ but she never gets to express anything. i mean at least she's not robotic anymore i guess! but still. she gotta listen to people trauma dump on her all the time and she barely gets the attention she deserves.

you guys have fun being strung along tho! i'm so over the whole thing which is sad because i used to be super excited and now i feel nothing.

i'm really so tired of seeing olivia SAD all the time. it feels like she's a supporting character right now not even the main one and that version of eo they're currently portraying is SHALLOW. it's really embarrassing how they are (not) writing them.

[manonamora-if]

My problems with this IFcomp judging thing was the requirement to rate minimally 5 games to be considered a judge. They should have raised the bar, like to become a judge you have to judge at least 15 games or more to make the judging process more fair for the entries. You have entries that have gotten more votes than some other ones which translates to raising their score compared to the other entries. It's NOT a fair competition neither real results this way.

There is also the "create an account" problem. There aren't many people who would want to go through the hassle of creating an account just to be considered worthy of casting their votes for the entries. Some others just don't want to disclose their personal emails to a one-time competition they happened to hear about from their favourite author that is participating on it. (useless rant this one).

The downloading of the games through zip files might work on a PC or a tablet but it's hard (more like a long process) for a smartphone to unzip the files and actually download the game (it's easier if the game file inside the zip file is apk at least for my phone)

Usual participants in the judging thing seem to be so biased towards certain genres/styles of interactive fiction that they can't judge new styles of interactive fiction correctly and fairly (I'm not trying to diminish their importance in the community of interactive fiction). If this games were played by the average or new players that are being introduced to interactive fiction,I'm pretty sure they would give a much more fair review/make the judging process much more fair than the one that we saw in the IFcomp (you mentioned once that you showed it to your mother,who has never played IF games, and she quite liked TTTT).

The game wasn't mediocre in the slightest (at least in my opinion sine I tend to gravitate towards innovative games) so don't think much of the ranking in this IFcomp.If you want to improve it's fine and all but don't beat yourself up over some ranking😊

Hi Anon!

If you voted for the comp, I think there will be some sort of feedback form passing around sometime soon. I highly encourage you to send your thoughts there. Or contact the IFComp via email (please do not spam/troll them, it's pretty much a one-person organising event, I don't want it to reflect badly on the Tumblr IF community). Especially about the site functions, I am 100% sure they want to improve how it works (they do have a play online button tho).

I do think there are good arguments for the first 2 points: 5 entries is not too much for people to consider being a judge (especially if you play 5 of the long entries, that's 10h at least of playing right there) and not too little that people can't flood one/two games with a certain rating; and registering ensures you don't get floods of bots/trolls to push a game up/down the ranking (it gives some resistance to it).

I don't know how they calculate the results, so maybe I am completely missing the mark here, but I like the itch Idea of adjusted scores, where they take the mean and adjust it by the median number of ratings per game in the jam (it's probably more complicated than that). That gives the change for entries that had less votes to be considered as much as the ones who got more.

Regarding the voting pool, it actually seemed like there was a shift this year. A Choice-based game won the competition (should out to The Grown-Up Detective Agency, 100% well deserved), and so was the top 4! Actually, even in the top 10, only 3 were parsers. It was also a more light-hearted game that won too (again 100% deserved, it is a great game). There are reasons why my entry didn't vibe with people (the Post-mortem is coming today), and that's fine.

If you want to diminish the bias towards one type of game/genre/etc in the IF Comp, the best way of doing it is by voting and push other people to experience those games and vote (like I did this year).

With your last point, I felt my feelings yesterday, I finished my post-mortem for the last bit of catharsis, I've gathered my feedback to improve TTTT so I can work on it later, and I went back to finish my translation.

[redsaurrce]

Hehehehe come here tiger 🥵💋🦁

WHOOOP you are back! How was your week Sweets? I hope your week isn’t too hard on you! ☺️

Ahhh maybe I have to get the courage to dm you with my acc? Hmmmmm 🤪🤔

Yes that is what I have been doing ^^ But I have so much to tell and just no idea how to express it big sigh but maybe I am just being too hard on myself haha. At the moment I am just giving myself time to build a start to the story and give a good number of details without it being too much, trying to keep it on point 🤦🏼‍♀️

You do?! Like I feel so sorry for the authors because they put so much work into their creations but sometimes I just cannot get into it? Especially if the style of story telling doesn’t speak to me… You def improved even tho I think you did well on Part 1 too. Like really well hehehe 💗💓💝💖💕💞

Lmao you are WAAAAAAYYYYY more adorable than me!!! Heheheheh if you want it to be it is 🥰😚

Gimme that hug! I loooooove them!!!! Well trespassing would imply you are an unwanted guest? But you are not so heheh no trespassing but anyway I could never push you away

HAHAHAHAHAH booking dot com? Nooooooo my pocket 😋

You better stay in my pocket to! Protect at all costs 😈

Why would I be intimidated? YOU ARE SO CUTE HOW COULD I EVERRRRR WHAT!!!! Nopeee I won 💜🩵💙💚💛

lmao I thought maybe you are like nahhhh no good then you could have deleted it and forgotten about it 😅

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yeah Freya has the ability to use fire but it is not the only type she can use ^^ She doesn’t know about her connection to a dragon, those fairytales are told to children but are just tales. Right…?

Well JK will be very… attached to her when he learns about her and who she is. The things he will do to keep her…. Tststs evil evil man... But he is doing it out of love right???

Lmao I even made a map for everything and stuff ah man 😅

- Y 💜

Hi hi caramel (ooohhh i like the tiger 🐯 rawrrr)yeah my week's been great luv, except yesterday I was sleepy throughout the day lol

Yeah why not caramel? Why need courage when u already have my love 😩😩

Take it slow kitten, don't be too hard on yourself, good writers didn't write their best stories on day 1, they just went the with the flow.. kept writing more and their stories became better and better on their own. It's literally absolutely fine to be at your own pace 💗

Ohh haha thankyou tho, I'll take the compliment 🥺💖💖 and dw caramel, it's not just u, it's quite universal to think like that ..including me, and maybe thats why i dropped a lot of novels because i just couldnt get into the writing style, i feel like if there are a lot of complex vocabulary or the beginning is getting dragged too much, Idk I just drop it. It doesn't happen with me only for stories but tv shows like kdramas as well, I am an avid kdrama fan but even though sometimes there are dramas which have literally highest ratings, I have dropped them because I just couldn't get into them (for example, our blues and my liberation notes despite knowing the fact how majority of people liked them while they were airing and even though both dramas had excellent cast, i couldnt feel the same)

Why? Because my preferences are different and so are for others, so don't feel sorry for not feeling it caramel, I'm sure other people who like those authors' styles will love their works ❤️

NOOOO STAWPPHHH JSJSJSSJJSKSKSSK yep I'm chilling in yo pocket 🤪✌️

Ayooo then take the huggie buddy 😘😘

THANKYOU LOLOL because I have seen people online say that they have thought I was intimidating at first but when they got to know me, they said that I've been the biggest crackhead they have ever met 😹😹😹 (ig being ENFP speaks for it 💀)

No no I'm really enjoying it luv!! Don't you dare say that or this tiger will bite you 🐯 🐾 /j

Ahhhh yeahhh I guessed it correct woo-hoo!! Yea alllll the fictional fairytales.. . 😏

Hihihi the evil evil man looked funny to me hahahaha ,,, yeah "love" tch 🥴 every yandere ever! *smh*

Ohhh I'd love to see the mapped out thing caramel, if you want you might show it 🥰🥰

[511digital]

Meta Advertising Showdown:Original Targeting Vs Advantage + Targeting

1. Introduction

In the dynamic world of digital advertising, Meta (formerly Facebook) continues to evolve its targeting capabilities to help marketers reach their ideal audiences more effectively. Two primary targeting methods have emerged as powerful tools for advertisers: Original Targeting and Advantage+ Targeting. This article will delve into the intricacies of both options, helping you make informed decisions for your advertising campaigns.

2. Understanding Original Targeting

Original Targeting is Meta’s traditional approach to audience selection, offering advertisers granular control over who sees their ads. This method allows for precise segmentation based on various factors:

Demographics: Age, gender, location, language

Interests: Hobbies, favorite activities, followed pages

Behaviors: Purchase history, device usage, travel patterns

Custom Audiences: Your own customer lists or website visitors

With Original Targeting, advertisers can create highly specific audience segments using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine different criteria.

3. Exploring Advantage+ Targeting

Advantage+ Targeting is Meta’s AI-driven approach to audience selection. This method leverages machine learning algorithms to automatically optimize audience targeting based on campaign performance and objectives. Key features include:

Simplified setup process

Broader initial targeting

Dynamic audience refinement

Continuous optimization based on real-time data

Advantage+ Targeting aims to simplify the advertising process while potentially improving campaign performance.

4. When to Use Original Targeting

Original Targeting is particularly effective in the following scenarios:

Niche products or services

Well-defined target audience

Specific campaign goals (e.g., retargeting past customers)

A/B testing different audience segments

Compliance with strict data usage policies

Example: A luxury watch brand targeting men aged 35-55 in major cities, interested in luxury goods and fine timepieces, who have recently visited high-end jewelry websites.

5. When to Use Advantage+ Targeting

Advantage+ Targeting shines in these situations:

Broader product or service appeal

Discovering new potential audience segments

Limited time or resources for campaign management

Emphasis on efficiency and automation

Openness to AI-driven optimization

Example: A new fitness app targeting adults interested in health and wellness, allowing the AI to identify and refine the most responsive audience segments.

6. Real-World Examples

Category: E-commerce

Case Study: Fashion Retailer XYZ

XYZ, a mid-sized online fashion retailer, decided to test both targeting methods for their summer collection launch:

Campaign A (Original Targeting):

Target: Women, 25-40, interested in fashion, previous website visitors

Results: Higher conversion rate, limited reach

Campaign B (Advantage+ Targeting):

Initial Target: Adults 18-65 interested in clothing and fashion

Results: Discovered a profitable segment of men 45-55 interested in gift-buying, leading to unexpected sales growth

This example illustrates how Original Targeting can deliver precise results for known audiences, while Advantage+ Targeting can uncover valuable new segments.

7. Best Practices for Both Targeting Methods

Regardless of the targeting method you choose, consider these best practices:

Define clear campaign objectives

Regularly review and analyze performance data

Test different ad creatives and copy

Maintain a healthy ad frequency to avoid audience fatigue

Comply with Meta’s advertising policies and data use guidelines

Conclusion

Both Original and Advantage+ Targeting have their place in a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. Original Targeting offers precision and control, ideal for well-defined audience segments and specific campaign goals. Advantage+ Targeting provides efficiency and the potential for audience discovery, suited for broader campaigns and those open to AI-driven optimization.

8. Conclusion

The key is to understand your campaign objectives, audience, and resources, then choose the targeting method that aligns best with these factors. In many cases, a mixed approach—using both methods for different campaigns or stages of the customer journey—can yield the best results.

9. FAQs

Q1: Can I switch between Original and Advantage+ Targeting mid-campaign?

A1: While you can’t switch targeting methods within the same ad set, you can create new ad sets with different targeting options and adjust your budget allocation accordingly.

Q2: Does Advantage+ Targeting work for all types of campaigns?

A2: Advantage+ Targeting can be used for most campaign objectives, but it may be less effective for very niche products or highly specific audience requirements.

Q3: How long does it take for Advantage+ Targeting to optimise?

A3: The optimization process is ongoing, but you may start seeing improvements within a few days to a week, depending on your campaign’s scale and budget.

Q4: Is Original Targeting being phased out in favour of Advantage+?

A4: As of now, Meta continues to offer both targeting options. While there’s a trend towards AI-driven solutions, Original Targeting remains valuable for many advertisers.

Q5: How can I measure the effectiveness of each targeting method?

A5: Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, cost per acquisition (CPA), and return on ad spend (ROAS) to compare the performance of different targeting methods.

Ready to elevate your Meta advertising strategy? At 511 Digital Marketing, we specialize in crafting data-driven, results-oriented social media campaigns. Our team of experts can help you navigate the complexities of Meta’s targeting options and optimize your ad performance.

Contact us today for a free consultation and discover how we can boost your digital marketing ROI. 

[gulfcoast-seo-expert]

SEO: A Game of Inches, Not Miles

In the world of search engine optimization (SEO), many people think that you need to make big changes to achieve success. They believe that only dramatic improvements will lead to higher rankings and more traffic. However, the truth is different. SEO is about making small, steady improvements. It’s a game of inches, not miles. Here’s why small steps in SEO can lead to big results.

Consistent Small Changes Add Up

The Power of Small Improvements

SEO involves many factors, from on-page elements like meta tags and content quality to off-page factors like backlinks and social signals. Each of these factors can be improved little by little. For example, regularly updating your content, fixing broken links, and optimizing images can gradually improve your site’s performance.

Regular Content Updates

Updating your website content regularly is a small but powerful strategy. Search engines like fresh content, and frequent updates show that your site is active and relevant. You don’t need to rewrite your entire website. Even small updates, like adding new information or refreshing existing content, can make a big difference over time.

Attention to Detail Matters

Fine-Tuning On-Page SEO

On-page SEO involves optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and attract more relevant traffic. This includes optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and keyword usage. Each of these elements, though small on their own, collectively contribute to your site’s SEO health. Paying attention to these details ensures that your pages are search-engine-friendly.

Enhancing User Experience

User experience (UX) is another area where small changes can have a big impact. Improving page load times, making sure your site is mobile-friendly, and simplifying navigation are all small adjustments that can significantly enhance user experience. Happy users are more likely to stay longer on your site, reducing bounce rates and sending positive signals to search engines.

Building Quality Backlinks Slowly

The Value of Natural Link Building

Building backlinks is crucial for SEO, but it’s important to focus on quality over quantity. Instead of trying to get a large number of links quickly, aim to build high-quality backlinks gradually. Engage in guest blogging, create shareable content, and build relationships with industry influencers. Over time, these efforts will pay off, as high-quality backlinks are more valuable to search engines.

Avoiding Bad Practices

In the quest for quick results, some might be tempted to use bad SEO techniques like buying links or participating in link schemes. However, these practices can do more harm than good, leading to penalties from search engines. It’s better to focus on earning links naturally, even if it takes longer.

Monitoring and Adjusting Strategies

Regular Performance Tracking

SEO is not a one-time effort. It requires ongoing monitoring and adjustments. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your website’s performance. Pay attention to metrics such as organic traffic, bounce rates, and conversion rates. Regularly analyzing these metrics helps you find areas for improvement and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Staying Updated with Algorithm Changes

Search engine algorithms are constantly evolving. Staying updated with these changes is crucial for maintaining and improving your SEO performance. Follow SEO news, participate in forums, and attend webinars to keep up with the latest trends and updates. Making small adjustments in response to algorithm changes ensures that your site remains optimized.

Final Words

SEO is truly a game of inches, not miles. It’s the small, consistent efforts that lead to significant improvements over time. By focusing on small changes, paying attention to details, building quality backlinks, and regularly monitoring performance, you can achieve lasting SEO success. Remember, in SEO, patience and persistence are key. Keep making those small adjustments, and over time, you’ll see the big results you’re aiming for.