Avoiding Your Crush - Part Three

soaking up sunlight

you let out a yawn and lean back onto the tree stump you're resting at, empty food containers set to the side as you and your lover soak up the sunlight.

the forest is quiet today, and tighnari seems to appreciate that; his head lays comfortably on your lap as your nimble fingers thread through his hair and scratch and the base of his big, soft ears. they twitch at the slightest touch and you're grateful that tighnari has closed his eyes or else you and your lovesick grin would be in for a whole new world of teasing.

though, something claws at the back of your mind.

"tighnari?" you whisper, so quiet that the man himself wouldn't have a clue that you had even opened your mouth if it weren't for his inhuman sense of hearing.

he hums, ears perking up slightly, and you aren't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

"are you sure you don't have any other duties to attend? i wouldn't want there to be something important and-"

"are you trying to get rid of me?" he asks, cracking an eye open and cutting you off, and you aren't sure if he's joking or if he's actually concerned.

"well, no-"

"then, you should get some rest while we're taking a break, rosebud. nothing will have changed while we were gone." he once again cuts you off, this time reaching up to guide your stray hands back to his head.

and you only sit there and soak up the sunlight. and, you suppose that it wouldn't hurt to take a break from your duties for once; at least, that's what you tell yourself. only for a few minutes, you reason, waves of drowsiness hitting you like a raging sumpter beast.

you make sure to give tighnari's soft ears one last scratch before you drift off to a peaceful sleep.

gender neutral reader

“Goodnight!” You shouted down the hallway before you shut your door, unable to not smile after you heard the muffled replies of the brothers shouting back to you.

Climbing into bed had never been a difficult task and today it was no different. With you safe under your covers and your phone to distract you, you were perfectly content.

But, then, of course,  Mammon came marching in as he had always done since your first week here. However, you had grown so used to this that it no longer disrupted the peace anymore.

So, you ignored him and simply lifted up the covers for him to slide into.

After a few minutes of DevilTok, you threw your phone onto your nightstand and covered yourself up with your blanket. You were finally ready to sleep.

Mammon curled closer, his face hidden in the blanket over your stomach. You smoothed his hair down, smiling at how he only pressed closer at the touch.

Your door creaked open. You raised your head but you were unable to tell who it was. They settled on the side opposite of where Mammon had gotten in and rubbed your shoulder gently instead of saying anything.

The lamp turned on. It was Satan. You rolled onto your stomach, trying to shield your eyes from the light. Mammon grumbled, annoyed that he could no longer hide his face in your body comfortably.

Your door once again creaked open. You groaned.

Another weight to the bed. Someone had decided to lay on your back. Four people in your bed was too unusual. You peeked an eye open.

Mammon was baring his teeth like a feral animal at whoever was on top of you. You would bet a thousand Grimm that it was Belphie.

You looked to your right. Satan wasn’t even reading his book and was instead looking at you.

You rolled your eyes. You knew what was happening. Your demons had once again came to the conclusion that you were human with a human lifespan.

You decided to just let them angst this one out.

The door opened and this time, two pairs of footsteps wondered to your bed. “Sorry, hun,” Asmo whispered as he crawled over you and Mammon. “Wanted to see you.”

“Uh huh…” Levi took his spot on the outside of your legs, your left calf acting as a cushion for his head. You prayed that you wouldn’t accidentally kick him in your sleep.

Then you heard the crunching of chips and a crinkle of a bag. You hadn’t even noticed him walk in.

You moaned into your pillow, exhausted beyond belief. “Beel, please stop eating. I know it sucks to be told that, but go outside if you’re going to crunch.”

There was an incoherent reply and then silence. The edge of the mattress dipped down. Satan turned his lamp off.

You worked on ignoring all of them, closing your eyes tightly and hoping for the best. Asmo dragged his manicured nails up and down your arm and it pulled you into a sleepy haze. You hummed out your appreciation and Asmo giggled tiredly in response.

You felt yourself rocking in and out of sleep, even drooling with how at peace you were. Maybe it wasn’t so bad having six demons in bed with you. Maybe it was worth it for this amount of comfort.

And then your door slammed open.

“Get out of their room, now.” A deadly aura made you choke on air, shivering violently. Lucifer was in his demon form and livid.

Belphie jolted awake on your back, making you gasp in pain as his elbows and knees dug into you. Mammon reacted, scrambling to pull you out from under him.

“Mammon,” Belphie growled, easing his weight back down onto you. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“What do ya think YOU’RE doing?!” Mammon huffed, irritated. “You’re hurtin’ ‘em!”

“They’re fine. They can handle it.” He patted you on the head. How were they ignoring Lucifer? You shifted warily under his weight, unable to see anything happening.

Lucifer started stomping over. You shrunk under Belphie, trying to hide.

“Who do you two think you are, ignoring me?” Lucifer loomed over you three, Levi rolling away to avoid confrontation. “You will all go to your own rooms immediately. The rest of you as well.”

“Lucifer!” Asmodeus whined, leaning into a dozing Beelzebub’s side. “Why can’t we stay? What’s the harm?”

“They were just about to sleep but someone decided to wake them back up,” Satan glowered up at Lucifer. “I think you should be the one to leave.”

“Oh my god, Lucifer just let them stay.” You took matters into your own hands, rubbing at your face tiredly. You wanted no more arguing tonight. “Thanks, but if I didn’t want them here I would’ve gotten rid of them long ago myself. Stay or leave, I don’t care just please turn off the lights.”

He walked away and flipped the switch, darkness fortunately covering the entire room once again. You relaxed and felt Belphie nuzzle into the nape of your neck.

You heard a chair being dragged on your wooden floor and then Lucifer sitting down. You rolled your eyes. Of course he would choose to stay but not be in the bed.

Now, with everything and everyone finally settled in for the night, you got to thinking.

How could all of them be upset over the same thing at once? You think quietly as you can in your bed filled with eight people and come to a damning conclusion. One that makes your stomach twist painfully.

“You had a family movie night without me, didn’t you? And it had someone dying long before someone else, didn’t it?” The sound of breathing stops, seven pairs of eyes stare at you, all conveying different degrees of guilt. “What the hell?”

How to Use Paragraph Transitions to Strengthen Your Writing

A post dedicated to an inbox submission. Here you go!

An important part of essay writing is learning how to effectively employ paragraph transitions—shifting from one paragraph or idea to the next. Learning to effectively use the different types of transitions will help you write more cohesive pieces and improve the clarity of your writing.

What Is a Paragraph Transition?

A paragraph transition is a sentence or unique paragraph that helps the reader move from one paragraph to the next, or from one idea to another. A transition is the first sentence of a new paragraph. Occasionally, the last sentence of the prior paragraph acts as the transition. When a writer wants to transition link two substantial paragraphs, they can use a standalone transitional paragraph.

4 Reasons Paragraph Transitions Are Important

Paragraph transitions serve a variety of purposes, and understanding how they function within the context of a larger piece of writing is essential to clear writing. Usually transitions are full sentences that link paragraphs, but occasionally simple phrases or single words can effectively transition between two shorter paragraphs. Here are a few reasons why paragraph transitions are important and should be included in your writing:

Paragraph transitions link ideas. First and foremost, paragraph transitions serve to link two ideas. A body paragraph is generally devoted to a main idea or concept that fits into the larger piece and explores a facet of the primary thesis statement. A transition sentence links your first paragraph to your second paragraph and so forth.

Paragraph transitions give your writing momentum. Paragraph transitions are incredibly helpful when it comes to building momentum in your writing. Effective transitions propel your essay forward and keep your readers engaged. This is particularly important in academic writing or professional writing that can otherwise feel dry or static.

Paragraph transitions improve readability. Transition words can help your readers track your ideas and understand how they relate to each other. Thoughtful transitions clue readers in to the progression of your ideas and your overall train of thought.

Paragraph transitions set the stage for new ideas. While effective transitions should tie up loose ends for material in the previous paragraph, it’s sometimes more important that they set the stage for the new ideas to come in the next paragraph. A written piece should have forward momentum, and transitions serve to prepare the reader for new information to come.

How to Transition Between Paragraphs in Your Writing

Understanding why we use paragraph transitions in the first place is obviously important, but learning how to effectively employ good transitions in your writing can sometimes come only through practice. That said, here are some tips that can help you get started as you begin to use transitions in your writing.

Outline your piece. Using an outline is vital to improving your writing process and should generally come before you start writing your piece. Outlining is important when you are working on transitional expressions and transition sentences because outlines give you a macro view of your piece as a whole, with signposts indicating the main ideas of each paragraph. Referring back to your outline can help you brainstorm types of transitions that set the stage for what’s to come and help your ideas flow.

Identify the subject of each paragraph. Once you’ve consulted your outline, it’s time to hone in on the main ideas of the paragraphs on either side of your transition. A good transition will have something to say about both the preceding paragraph and the new paragraph.

Track the overall arc of your piece. Transitions link two specific paragraphs, but make sure you have an eye on the overall arc of your essay. If you have a good sense of the bigger picture you can use your transitions to set up information that is still to come, beyond the next paragraph.

Brainstorm good transitional words. Transitional phrases often have similar word choice and style. Linking words and conjunctive adverbs are often used in paragraph transitions because they help establish the relationship between two separate ideas. Words like “therefore,” “nevertheless,” “although,” and “namely” quickly sum up how one idea relates to the next. Effective transition words keep your reader hooked into your piece.

Consider cause and effect. It’s not enough to simply link two subjects; transitional sentences should also effectively demonstrate how these ideas build on each other. This is especially true in academic writing or persuasive essay writing. It’s your job to convince your reader that you have built a coherent argument for your main thesis statement. Transition sentences can help show readers how your ideas build on each other and conceptually link one entire paragraph to the paragraph that follows.

Pay attention to style. The way that you transition between paragraphs and the types of transitions you use will depend on what type of piece you are writing. If you’re writing a high school- or college-level academic essay, you’ll probably want to avoid overly colloquial transitions. If you’re writing a personal essay or lighthearted humor piece, you should choose transitions that complement the voice of the piece.

Review your transition sentences separate from your piece. Once you’ve finished your piece, it’s useful to take a look at all your transitions out of context to make sure that you haven’t overused certain constructions or repeated word choice. Looking at a list of your transitions can also give you a good roadmap for the overall shape of your essay and can help you decide if you’ve built a cohesive piece of writing.

Examples of Transitions:

spare toasty pls i beg of you

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

Toaster drops his bag on the ground and sags against the wall with a sigh. They loudly call your name and you peek your head out the hallway a few seconds later.

"Hey! Welcome home."

They hold their arms out and you can't help but giggle at the sight -- 6'4" of a lanky suit, making grabby hands at you.

You oblige and walk into his arms, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Long day?"

Their arms fold around you in response and they bury their face into your neck. "Yeah. You?"

"Same." You stroke their hair and they nuzzle you a bit more. Cute. "Are you hungry?"

"No," they murmur. "Just sleepy."

You nod softly and say nothing for a bit. You're just happy he's home.

He seems to feel the same.

bby ♥

Words to describe facial expressions

Absent: preoccupied 

Agonized: as if in pain or tormented

Alluring: attractive, in the sense of arousing desire

Appealing: attractive, in the sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest

Beatific: blissful

Black: angry or sad, or hostile

Bleak: hopeless

Blinking: surprise, or lack of concern

Blithe: carefree, lighthearted, or heedlessly indifferent

Brooding: anxious and gloomy

Bug eyed: frightened or surprised

Chagrined: humiliated or disappointed

Cheeky: cocky, insolent

Cheerless: sad

Choleric: hot-tempered, irate

Darkly: with depressed or malevolent feelings

Deadpan: expressionless, to conceal emotion or heighten humor

Despondent: depressed or discouraged

Doleful: sad or afflicted

Dour: stern or obstinate

Dreamy: distracted by daydreaming or fantasizing

Ecstatic: delighted or entranced

Faint: cowardly, weak, or barely perceptible

Fixed: concentrated or immobile

Gazing: staring intently

Glancing: staring briefly as if curious but evasive

Glazed: expressionless due to fatigue or confusion

Grim: fatalistic or pessimistic

Grave: serious, expressing emotion due to loss or sadness

Haunted: frightened, worried, or guilty

Hopeless: depressed by a lack of encouragement or optimism

Hostile: aggressively angry, intimidating, or resistant

Hunted: tense as if worried about pursuit

Jeering: insulting or mocking

Languid: lazy or weak

Leering: sexually suggestive

Mild: easygoing

Mischievous: annoyingly or maliciously playful

Pained: affected with discomfort or pain

Peering: with curiosity or suspicion

Peeved: annoyed

Pleading: seeking apology or assistance

Quizzical: questioning or confused

Radiant: bright, happy

Sanguine: bloodthirsty, confident

Sardonic: mocking

Sour: unpleasant

Sullen: resentful

Vacant: blank or stupid looking

Wan: pale, sickly

Wary: cautious or cunning

Wide eyed: frightened or surprised

Withering: devastating

Wrathful: indignant or vengeful

Wry: twisted or crooked to express cleverness or a dark or ironic feeling

Pristine

2022

petty highschooler luke

FOUND FAMILY — ALL 7 BROTHERS W/ GN!READER

"okay, we will take family portraits next."

a few shuffles could be heard here and there after the photographer had announced that they would take a group picture once all the individual portraits had been done.

it had only been four months into the student exchange program and a lot had happened since the beginning, so you— who was just a mere human that they didn't know for so long— had never imagined to even have the honour of being in their own family picture. of course, things have calmed down after the incident with belphegor, yet you had never thought that they saw you as part of their family until now.

out of respect, you moved out of sight and stood behind the camera while the others got their clothes fixed for their next photo. they had been close brothers for thousands of years— even some time before their fall. it made you feel a bit dejected since you hadn't had the chance to visit your own family members back home, though you were glad to see that they looked a bit joyful to take their pictures together after such a long period.

"alright, we'll start taking pictures if everyone is set." the second and third oldest let out a couple curious mumbles as their eyes focused on the spot you were supposed to be sitting on. they all had consciously— yet maybe a little unconciously— left a space for you. the rest of the five demons looked over to the empty place on the gold and velvet couch as well before the seven pair of eyes scanned the room in search for you.

you were spacing out a bit as you sat on a chair near the photographer, staring at the humongous ceiling and back to the gold walls. you had taken self portraits a few moments before this, so you had thought that you finally got to remove the accessories that sat on your skin. fumbling with the metal, you were unconcious of the brothers' gazes on you.

"mc!" a familiar voice, which belonged to the avatar of greed, was the first one to snap you back into reality. there was a second of silence before you cocked your head to the side, a puzzled look sat on your face; why were they waving at you— some even pointing to an empty space next to lucifer on the sofa?

"come on, hon! we're waiting on you!" asmodeus exclaimed as a bright smile tugged on his lips. "maybe they needed to take a break to eat something really quick." beelzebub mumbled loud enough for you to hear. "i'm also quite hungry after all those photos that we shot."

the youngest brother chuckled at the red haired demon's comment. "that's only the case with you, beel. we've had plenty to eat this morning." you slowly stepped forward after a few more seconds of them staring at you fondly. there was a giddy feeling in your chest as you realized that they all had been waiting for you to sit on your designed place— in front of them, next to their oldest brother.

"isn't uhm– weren't you about to take a family portrait?" you muttered from under your breath, fidgeting with the material of your clothes. there was still an unsure feeling resting in your stomach because you didn't want to intrude their own special picture. "yes, we were."

lucifer spoke up and you lifted your head to look at him— his voice unusually soft. a slight smile appeared on his face as he reached out his gloved hand for you to hold on. "you are a part of our family now, aren't you?"

his response was followed by a few humms coming from behind him and so you took the demon's hand and slowly filled that empty space with your presence.

it was in that instant that you knew that you are going to be with them for the rest of your life, as a big and loving family. the fact that they accepted you this early on without you knowing or even thinking about that possibility, made tears swell up in your eyes.

you had finally found your own safe place— your own caring family. all eight of you completed each other.

the cc list would be super helpful!! I struggle so much to find people

!! aaa im glad to hear that this compilation will be useful. i feel like it's really difficult to find people in the same fanbase, especially if you're new to something. it took me so very long to get used to using social media (i feel ancient saying this.) and finding my delusional circle of mutuals TT_TT

with that said, here's a list of artists i found for each character (not exhaustive, and not in any order):

(because im not sure which ml these artists like the most, and because i really recommend everyone to look at their beautiful art)

疯兔AD (ia), こえだ

luke (this might get a little long...)

twitter: hazel, kana, gabs, hay, 와플, rai, Triangular, 咖啡爷, Betina, gnomeih, 安 (ia), 深海灰猫, 葉瑠, 神凪ると, xeiling, as, qea, Buoyancy (ia), 境零, はるこ, keeko (ia), elegy (ia)

weibo: 七个骰子_, 烧烤摊在逃鱿鱼, 临临2333, 坏坏不反派, 食用废料 (18+), 还是钵钵鸡 (18+!!), 弥月Yazuki, 梦洁猫012

artem

twitter: 西红柿与圣女果, bel, Non, 蓁, Jen, angypuff, karla

weibo: 柒叶啊柒叶, 忧铃YuRinnn, 忒弥斯茶水间, 你看我头像帅吧 (18+), -糖辛子-,

vyn

twitter: Poisona, amma, ruriswhite, kurtniii, Lys, rien

weibo: 适当给游戏氪金, 文华区席梦思

marius

twitter: 魔女茶, 成成灾 (ia), jjeno, 酒酒子, 木小树, florielatte, puni, kiya, cacaoobean

weibo: KaicggO, FujIK0, 鹿鹿柠子

notes: ia = inactive (in tot), 18+/18+!! = occasionally nsfw/ mostly nsfw

a lot of the artists have accounts on both twt/wb, but i only included one link. if you're having trouble navigating wb, the gallery tab should be the furthest one on the right!

if anyone has any artists to recommend (because i probably missed a lot scrolling through twitter/weibo) , please let me know! i'll edit this list regularly <3