Balam Shichiro, Head of Imaginary Things Research and mythical zoology teacher at Babyls Demon School. If you've got any problems or questions, I've usually got a pot of tea brewing.
My name is Balam Shichiro, I work as a teacher of mythical zoology at Babyls Demon School. I'm also in charge of the Imaginary Things Research Division, and occasionally substitute for teachers of other subjects as necessary. My specialty fields are netherworld biology, mythical zoology and the study of Evil Cycles.
Since many of our students are here on Devilblr these days, we the faculty have been asked to establish a presence on the platform to monitor things and ensure student safety. So if you ever need anything my ask box, and my door, are always open. If you'd prefer to talk in person, I can usually be found in the biology lab. Please don't hesitate to stop by!
Welcome!
This here is an rp blog for Balam-sensei from Osamu Nishi's Mairimashita! Iruma-kun / Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun. This is a side blog, so I'll be following back from @leadingwoman.
About the mod:
Mod is 18+ and willing to write with minors so long as we avoid nsfw topics and material. By all means tell me about your ships, but let's steer clear of the sexy stuff yeah?
I've got roughly 20 years or so of experience writing and rp'ing online, but I'm pretty rusty doing it on tumblr. I may not be fully up-to-date on the etiquette and stuff so please let me know if I mess up somewhere!
I also work a job that doesn't let me answer asks on the clock, so I might take a while to respond sometimes. I promise I'm not ignoring anyone, and you'll never bother me by messaging! I will get to answering as soon as I am able. (I'm also a bit low-energy at times due to autism etc, which may factor in.)
Some general stuff to keep in mind:
- I will not be writing nsfw of any kind on this blog. At most I may get descriptive about something like an injury if anyone gets one of those, or engage with some mildly suggestive jokes. Both these things will be tagged appropriately. Any suggestive jokes will also most likely be made exclusively with other adult characters. Balam's a little too mindful of his role as a teacher to go discussing such things with his students. (Unless y'all want to ask the biology teacher some sex ed questions lmao???)
- I am up-to-date with the latest chapter of the manga, and will reference and answer questions about events that happen in recent chapters. Beware of potential spoilers!
- As our information about Balam's private life is pretty limited, I will be basing a good chunk of my portrayal on my personal headcanons. These may hit a little close to au territory at times since I like to pick apart worldbuilding and play with it, but nothing too crazy.
- As part of the headcanons mentioned above, I have pretty solid ideas on what Balam's relationships look like in terms of romance. Outside of what I've established with my partner, I will not be open to writing ships at this time. Sorry to disappoint any of you.
"Sensei!" *Runs up to you and gives you a small wooden cage filled with faintly growing Devi-Moths.*
"My moths ate the glowing plants in my garden and gained the feature themselves! I gave some to your younger self and thought you too would want some! Please take good care of them!"
*Runs off*
"Oh! Why, thank you!"
"How interesting! I'll have to set up a proper habitat to study them in. . ."
Hey sensei, what would you do if you suddenly became a part of the Thirteen Crowns?
"I'm very certain I'm a long way from being considered for such a position, and very happy where I am currently."
"But if we're speaking entirely hypothetically, something like a nature reserve would be nice to get established! There are a lot of rare species in the netherworld that, frankly, could benefit from better protection. . ."
"Johnny-senpai?" Dyer coughed out. As Johnny looked back, he could see Dyer's head poking from the door frame and how his eyes were uncharacteristically dim. His voice sounded slightly hoarse as he called out his name.
Dyer slowly walked to the side before entering the room, a handkerchief hovering over his mouth; his tail was laid low and still, in contrast to his usual wagging. He stood a couple of feet away from Johnny while putting the handkerchief into his pocket.
He wore a black tee with a design that says "BABYLS PERFORMING ARTS" alongside bright blue pants with a pizza pattern and slippers. Dyer glanced down before looking up at him,
"Could you walk with me to Professor Balam's office? You don't have to if you're busy.."
He glanced back to the ground, waiting for Johnny to respond, but before he could do so be shook his head. "Actually, never mind, I think I can walk on my own over there.." He turned his back towards him before slowly walking out.
@dyershrooom
[Johnny was in the middle of paperwork once again, taking on most of the tasks that Dyer was meant to do. Normally, he would have been pissed, seeing someone—especially a demon from the ever diligent Student Council—slack off. This time he couldn’t bring himself to be mad, Dyer’s worsening condition wasn’t exactly subtle and a member that’s actively wilting away would just get in the way.]
[Speaking of the demon, Dyer had just called out to him in clear misery. Johnny looked his way, listening with stoicism on his face. His brows furrowed a little when Dyer attempted to brush it off. He thought it was cowardly, sure, but the genuine care Johnny held for his comrades drowned it out.]
“Dyer.” [Johnny firmly called out, standing up and causing the chair legs to drag on the polished floor.] “Don’t you dare walk away now.”
[He was well aware of his harsh behaviour and how others perceived him, there was just no point in acting like he wasn't concerned at the moment. Despite his aversion to physical contact, Johnny swiftly approached the suffering demon and reluctantly reached out his hand. His hand, clearly unconfident, now laid on the top of Dyer’s head and gently began to pet his hair in an absurd attempt to offer comfort.]
“I’ll bring you there, it’s not an issue.” [Johnny looked at him with a frown, lowly speaking.]
[Afterwards, Johnny retracted his hand enough to instead hover behind Dyer’s shoulder, guiding the boy to walk beside him without making too much unnecessary contact.]
“Not reaching out for help when needed is an inconvenience for everyone involved.”
Dyer held onto Johnny's clothing as the two walked the hallways of Babyls, looking down at the ground. The head pat was reassuring, but it was shameful. Shameful for Dyer to be like this when he's a Student Council member. They can stand up for themselves; why couldn't he? He could walk himself over to Balam's office; it was a 15-minute walk. Why didn't he just go by himself? Why did he ask for assistance?
You're weak.
The thought echoed through his mind, and his grip on Johnny's clothes tightened as the two continued walking. The footsteps sounded so loud and—
You're useless.
Nobody would care if you were gone. They wouldn't notice.
Dyer froze in place, feeling as if his brain swirled around the room. His grip on the uniform tightened even further, eventually tugging it down a bit. That stupid, stupid, stupid voice repeating the same sentence over and over and over again.
His free hand went up to clutch his chest, gripping his own shirt tightly, feeling the way his chest heaved up and down. The way his throat started to close up again because of those stupid—
cough cough!
Dyer choked on the oncoming petals, falling onto his knees as he gagged out petals, spitting onto the floor before choking on another petal. Drool spilling down his mouth as he coughed. His tail thumping the floor erratically.
You look so pathetic.
A small clump of blue and green petals stained with blood laid on the ground, the metallic scent hitting his nose like a train.
"J-johnny-senpai..." he whimpered, eyes swelled with tears as he heaved over before gagging and coughing out more small petals.
Perchance... perchance... Can't you see through the blood? The way that you've throw. up bigger. red-pink-orange blossoms...? And don't they look... just like the flowers you see blossoming all around Babyls...? And and hasn't that breathing of yours... become next to impossible now...? And Isn't it so pathetic of you that you... got so affected by them even though others... just happily give them as gifts to one another?
Zahnl Mpcl Vba Vm Zpe Ylhjolk... Shza Johujl... Mvy Zhcpun.
[The gradually heavier tugging at his uniform made his teeth grit against each other, he couldn't bring himself to scold Dyer like he usually would have. The priority was for Dyer to receive professional help, after all.]
[But then, Dyer began to abruptly cough up vivid specks of blood, alongside mockingly colorful petals. Johnny’s eyes widened with a sterner expression, and he grabbed both of Dyer’s shoulders momentarily to steady him. It was getting worse, so much worse. Johnny barely knew what was going on, but the worst case scenario plagued his thoughts. What if... Dyer was—?]
[No. There was no time for this.]
“Hold on for as long as you can... please, Dyer.” [Johnny hooked Dyer’s arm around his neck, holding the boy upright as they continued.] “I know you can.” [He added in a quiet, somber whisper.]
[Eventually, they stood before @babyls-gargoyle’s door, after leaving a small trail of blood and petals. Johnny mentally noted to clean it up later.]
[His hand shot out to knock impatiently at the large office door, already reaching for the handle.]
“Balam-sensei! It’s a medical emergency!” [Johnny called out, rough and loud, voice cracking just a tiny bit out of deep concern.]
Shichiro looked up from his work with a frown. 'Medical emergency' was quickly going from 'rare occurrence' to 'state of the world' these days. . . As the door opened, his worst suspicions were immediately confirmed. It was obvious at a glance Johnny was all that was holding Dyer up at the moment, and even against the boy's red skin the blood at the corner of his mouth stood out.
The gargoyle teacher was out of his chair and at the doorway to meet them in just a couple of quick strides.
"Hello, you two," he sighed. "Someone's been self-isolating with paradise floral symptoms, I see. . ." They had warned the student body not to do exactly that, of course, but the psychological effects of the disease were proving hard for people to fight. He couldn't bring himself to add any heat to the admonition. Still, judging from Dyer's state and the amount of blood and petals his case had gotten severe. They'd have to get him help, and fast.
"Thank you for bringing him, Zagan-kun. We should get him to the infirmary straight away. Sorry about this, Clingan-kun." Stooping slightly, Shichiro reached down and lifted Dyer off the floor. Devi, the kid weighed nothing-! Carrying the boy with one arm, Shichiro closed the door behind him with his other hand before walking briskly down the corridor.
“Erm... for a few weeks, I believe...?” [Johnny replied with clear uncertainty, having been too caught up in his work and other mishaps to care and notice anything beneath the surface. He had noticed the flowers not so long ago and from far away, initially thinking they were planted by the Diabotany Battler without reporting it—which was the part he had focused the most on, of course.]
[He followed closely behind, not taking his eyes off Dyer for even a second, uneasy at the possibility of missing a crucial sign. The young demon looked incredibly fragile, as if the energy to even weep had already been drained from his very soul.]
“Apologies, but what exactly is going on here? Why are students suddenly coughing up blood and petals?” [Johnny pushed up his glasses as he spoke, fingers trembling subtly.] “I haven't seen much of it in person until now, it’s quite...“
Shichiro winced slightly at the fit of coughing as well, but his mask hid most of his grimace. A few weeks. . . Dyer had been an early case, then. His symptoms had clearly been allowed to progress to a very dangerous point. He was probably overstepping a bit, but he couldn't help it. His free hand moved up to the boy's head, his thumb running over Dyer's hair.
"Paradise floral disease." Shichiro sighed grimly. "This is what it does to people in the later stages. We've been able to catch most other cases before they progressed to this point, but the symptoms compell many to hide themselves. Clearly, Clingan-kun here has been isolating himself dangerously long. No one else in the Student Council is showing symptoms, I hope-?"
"Johnny-senpai?" Dyer coughed out. As Johnny looked back, he could see Dyer's head poking from the door frame and how his eyes were uncharacteristically dim. His voice sounded slightly hoarse as he called out his name.
Dyer slowly walked to the side before entering the room, a handkerchief hovering over his mouth; his tail was laid low and still, in contrast to his usual wagging. He stood a couple of feet away from Johnny while putting the handkerchief into his pocket.
He wore a black tee with a design that says "BABYLS PERFORMING ARTS" alongside bright blue pants with a pizza pattern and slippers. Dyer glanced down before looking up at him,
"Could you walk with me to Professor Balam's office? You don't have to if you're busy.."
He glanced back to the ground, waiting for Johnny to respond, but before he could do so be shook his head. "Actually, never mind, I think I can walk on my own over there.." He turned his back towards him before slowly walking out.
@dyershrooom
[Johnny was in the middle of paperwork once again, taking on most of the tasks that Dyer was meant to do. Normally, he would have been pissed, seeing someone—especially a demon from the ever diligent Student Council—slack off. This time he couldn’t bring himself to be mad, Dyer’s worsening condition wasn’t exactly subtle and a member that’s actively wilting away would just get in the way.]
[Speaking of the demon, Dyer had just called out to him in clear misery. Johnny looked his way, listening with stoicism on his face. His brows furrowed a little when Dyer attempted to brush it off. He thought it was cowardly, sure, but the genuine care Johnny held for his comrades drowned it out.]
“Dyer.” [Johnny firmly called out, standing up and causing the chair legs to drag on the polished floor.] “Don’t you dare walk away now.”
[He was well aware of his harsh behaviour and how others perceived him, there was just no point in acting like he wasn't concerned at the moment. Despite his aversion to physical contact, Johnny swiftly approached the suffering demon and reluctantly reached out his hand. His hand, clearly unconfident, now laid on the top of Dyer’s head and gently began to pet his hair in an absurd attempt to offer comfort.]
“I’ll bring you there, it’s not an issue.” [Johnny looked at him with a frown, lowly speaking.]
[Afterwards, Johnny retracted his hand enough to instead hover behind Dyer’s shoulder, guiding the boy to walk beside him without making too much unnecessary contact.]
“Not reaching out for help when needed is an inconvenience for everyone involved.”
Dyer held onto Johnny's clothing as the two walked the hallways of Babyls, looking down at the ground. The head pat was reassuring, but it was shameful. Shameful for Dyer to be like this when he's a Student Council member. They can stand up for themselves; why couldn't he? He could walk himself over to Balam's office; it was a 15-minute walk. Why didn't he just go by himself? Why did he ask for assistance?
You're weak.
The thought echoed through his mind, and his grip on Johnny's clothes tightened as the two continued walking. The footsteps sounded so loud and—
You're useless.
Nobody would care if you were gone. They wouldn't notice.
Dyer froze in place, feeling as if his brain swirled around the room. His grip on the uniform tightened even further, eventually tugging it down a bit. That stupid, stupid, stupid voice repeating the same sentence over and over and over again.
His free hand went up to clutch his chest, gripping his own shirt tightly, feeling the way his chest heaved up and down. The way his throat started to close up again because of those stupid—
cough cough!
Dyer choked on the oncoming petals, falling onto his knees as he gagged out petals, spitting onto the floor before choking on another petal. Drool spilling down his mouth as he coughed. His tail thumping the floor erratically.
You look so pathetic.
A small clump of blue and green petals stained with blood laid on the ground, the metallic scent hitting his nose like a train.
"J-johnny-senpai..." he whimpered, eyes swelled with tears as he heaved over before gagging and coughing out more small petals.
Perchance... perchance... Can't you see through the blood? The way that you've throw. up bigger. red-pink-orange blossoms...? And don't they look... just like the flowers you see blossoming all around Babyls...? And and hasn't that breathing of yours... become next to impossible now...? And Isn't it so pathetic of you that you... got so affected by them even though others... just happily give them as gifts to one another?
Zahnl Mpcl Vba Vm Zpe Ylhjolk... Shza Johujl... Mvy Zhcpun.
[The gradually heavier tugging at his uniform made his teeth grit against each other, he couldn't bring himself to scold Dyer like he usually would have. The priority was for Dyer to receive professional help, after all.]
[But then, Dyer began to abruptly cough up vivid specks of blood, alongside mockingly colorful petals. Johnny’s eyes widened with a sterner expression, and he grabbed both of Dyer’s shoulders momentarily to steady him. It was getting worse, so much worse. Johnny barely knew what was going on, but the worst case scenario plagued his thoughts. What if... Dyer was—?]
[No. There was no time for this.]
“Hold on for as long as you can... please, Dyer.” [Johnny hooked Dyer’s arm around his neck, holding the boy upright as they continued.] “I know you can.” [He added in a quiet, somber whisper.]
[Eventually, they stood before @babyls-gargoyle’s door, after leaving a small trail of blood and petals. Johnny mentally noted to clean it up later.]
[His hand shot out to knock impatiently at the large office door, already reaching for the handle.]
“Balam-sensei! It’s a medical emergency!” [Johnny called out, rough and loud, voice cracking just a tiny bit out of deep concern.]
Shichiro looked up from his work with a frown. 'Medical emergency' was quickly going from 'rare occurrence' to 'state of the world' these days. . . As the door opened, his worst suspicions were immediately confirmed. It was obvious at a glance Johnny was all that was holding Dyer up at the moment, and even against the boy's red skin the blood at the corner of his mouth stood out.
The gargoyle teacher was out of his chair and at the doorway to meet them in just a couple of quick strides.
"Hello, you two," he sighed. "Someone's been self-isolating with paradise floral symptoms, I see. . ." They had warned the student body not to do exactly that, of course, but the psychological effects of the disease were proving hard for people to fight. He couldn't bring himself to add any heat to the admonition. Still, judging from Dyer's state and the amount of blood and petals his case had gotten severe. They'd have to get him help, and fast.
"Thank you for bringing him, Zagan-kun. We should get him to the infirmary straight away. Sorry about this, Clingan-kun." Stooping slightly, Shichiro reached down and lifted Dyer off the floor. Devi, the kid weighed nothing-! Carrying the boy with one arm, Shichiro closed the door behind him with his other hand before walking briskly down the corridor.
In Babyls gardens student are happily sharing flower crowns between allies [friends] and couples... They seem so uncaring of the news on it being supposedly dangerous... there's no cure found yet. Only ways to slow down the process... Isn't it worrisome? There are no lone demons in the gardens, they all seem to be hiding [or perchance even dead already?] while sick. Finding them with Buzzer must be difficult... So many students who are missing their classes.
And so I wonder? Why is the Area next to the North-Western border barricaded off? Is it that bad there that they fully had to self-isolate? Did the noble family in charge of that region do it or was it the border control or who...? And most of all... a graduated student is part of that noble family. The very student who had sent a family member [cousin] to Suzy-sensei in hope she could have helped. And hadn't the family member been guessed to have been simply allergic... Oh how awfully this got out of hand. The chances are high that that very family member has already died now, aren't they?
Don't you have a current student of that family? It'll be painful to explain to that demon that they potentially lost a family member and their whole home is shut off from the rest of the Netherworld when they return...
The students in the garden, surrounded by those dear to them, seem currently absolutely unaffected... they seem... happy. Lets hope it stays that way, shall we?
Suzy-sensei, Ifrit-sensei, Opera-senpai, Robin-sensei... Dyer-kun, Vorrow-kun, Melador-kun, Agares-kun, Warb-kun, Sylvia-kun, Eiko-kun... and so many more...
The difference in symptoms, that was the big head-scratcher here. Why did the disease cause social euphoria in some, but drive others to depressed self-isolation? Shichiro had spent more than a few hours discussing the matter with his father. So far, progress was limited.
He had faith in Banhachi, however. The thirteen crowns had entrusted him and his team with this matter for good reasons. Shichiro's time and energy was best spent here at Babyls, where he could be of the most use. Buzzer wasn't perfect for this, a lot of the students who self-isolated weren't lying about being sick after all. Hell, he'd almost missed Murmur-kun because, well, frankly the boy usually set off Buzzer. He'd have to talk to him about that once this mess was over.
Shichiro did what he could to help, brewing remedies for Blushenko-sensei and removing the dangerous flora from the school grounds. Good thing the filter in his mask worked to keep the strange pollen at bay. . .
Everyone was doing what they could. Dire as things might be, Shichiro at least wasn't about to give in to despair just yet.
Purely theoretically, would you ever consider teaching Zian to unleash his Wicked Phase at will?
- (ФωФ) Zi-mod
"Oh, if he wants to learn it absolutely. The especially severe wicked phases his family experiences were a big inspiration for me to research this phenomena in the first place. His sister helped me test a lot of my methods as I developed them."
"So yes, if Zian-kun expressed an interest in learning them, I think he should be very well suited to it!"
"Senpai has never had much interest in my methods either. I mostly involved your sister in developing the 'safe word' technique because we felt her madness needed an 'off" switch."
It seems that my son (Murmur Melador) has become ill of a sickness derived from a flower. You are an expert on such things, so I assumed you may be of assistance. If you may, tell my son to come home and send him off with medicine, as I believe he should be staying home for the time being until he recovers.
"Hello Mrs. Murmur. It's a pleasure to speak with you, but I'm afraid I must strongly advise you against this decision."
"I regret to inform you we've confirmed your son's symptoms to be paradise floral disease. I'm sure you've heard on the news, but it is not currently a curable condition. It's, sadly, not going to pass on its own either. His condition is not life-threatening at present, but he will require continuous care to keep it that way. I strongly suggest Murmur-kun remains here at Babyls where we are equipped to provide that care."
HAI HAI SABMOD HERE abt that last ask with murmur mama feel free to liek ignore / delete it if u cant think of a reply !! iirc you're not as like involved in the flower stuffs (as in knowing like much about the flower things itself outside of what's been publically said) so it's totally alright if u can't 💜💜
If u do reply feel free to ignore / delete this ask in turn okay ty
Ooc: Hi Ice~! 💚
Yeah so cards on the table, this type of thing isn't really my cup of tea ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ No shade whatsoever to Flowermod or anyone else! I'm super glad you're all having fun! But this sort of plot/blog format/whatever you wanna call it doesn't usually interest me that much.
I'm still gonna answer your ask, though! I'm perfectly happy to be part of you guys' plotlines if you wanna involve me! (Like what I did with Clara, helping Dyer if he does get dragged yo Balam, etc.) I'm just not interested in a plotline of my own. I'll speculate on world building like, here's how I think my character, and the Netherworld, would probably respond to this in the ask I've received, but I don't feel like there's much else for me to do with this premise, y'know?
Purely theoretically, would you ever consider teaching Zian to unleash his Wicked Phase at will?
- (ФωФ) Zi-mod
"Oh, if he wants to learn it absolutely. The especially severe wicked phases his family experiences were a big inspiration for me to research this phenomena in the first place. His sister helped me test a lot of my methods as I developed them."
"So yes, if Zian-kun expressed an interest in learning them, I think he should be very well suited to it!"
