#there's a monster at the end of this book

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The far right grows through “disaster fantasies”

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/25/mall-ninja-prophecy/#mano-a-mano">https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/25/mall-ninja-prophecy/#mano-a-mano

The core of the prepper fantasy: "What if the world ended in the precise way that made me the most important person?" The ultra-rich fantasize about emerging from luxury bunkers with an army of mercs and thumbdrives full of bitcoin to a world in ruins that they restructure using their "leadership skills."

The ethnographer Rich Miller spent his career embedding with preppers, eventually writing the canonical book of the fantasies that power their obsessions, Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times:

https://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo3637295.html

Miller recounts how the disasters that preppers prepare for are the disasters that will call upon their skills, like the water chemist who's devoted his life to preparing to help his community recover from a terrorist attack on its water supply; and who, when pressed, has no theory as to why any terrorist would stage such an attack:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/22/preppers-are-larpers/#preppers-unprepared

Prepping is what happens when you are consumed by the fantasy of a terrible omnicrisis that you can solve, personally. It's an individualistic fantasy, and that makes it inherently neoliberal. Neoliberalism's mind-zap is to convince us all that our only role in society is as an individual ("There is no such thing as society" – M. Thatcher). If we have a workplace problem, we must bargain with our bosses, and if we lose, our choices are to quit or eat shit. Under no circumstances should we solve labor disputes through a union, especially not one that wins strong legal protections for workers and then holds the government's feet to the fire.

Same with bad corporate conduct: getting ripped off? Caveat emptor! Vote with your wallet and take your business elsewhere. Elections are slow and politics are boring. But "vote with your wallet" turns retail therapy into a form of civics.

This individualistic approach to problem solving does useful work for powerful people, because it keeps the rest of us thoroughly powerless. Voting with your wallet is casting a ballot in a rigged election that's always won by the people with the thickest wallets, and statistically, that's never you. That's why the right is so obsessed with removing barriers to election spending: the wealthy can't win a one-person/one-vote election (to be in the 1% is to be outnumbered 99:1), but unlimited campaign spending lets the wealthy vote in real elections using their wallets, not just just ballots.

You can't recycle your way out of the climate emergency. Practically speaking, you can't even recycle. All those plastics you lovingly washed and sorted ended up in a landfill or floating in the ocean. Plastics recycling is a hoax perpetrated by the petrochemical industry, who knew all along that their products would never be recycled. These despoilers convinced us to view the systemic rot of corporate ecocide as an individual matter, chiding us about "littering" and exhorting us to sort our garbage:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/14/they-knew/#doing-it-again

We are bombarded by real problems that require urgent solutions that can only be resolved through collective action, which we are told is impossible. This is an objectively frightening state of affairs, and it makes people go nuts.

At the start of this century, in the weeks before 9/11, a message-board poster calling himself Gecko45 went Web 1.0 viral by earnestly bullshitting about his job as a mall security guard, doing battle with heavily armed gangs, human traffickers, and ravening monsters. Gecko45's posts were unhinged: he started out seeking advice for doubling up on body-armor to protect him while he deployed his smoke bombs and his partner assembled a high-powered rifle. Though Gecko45 was apparently sincere, he drew tongue-in-cheek replies from the other posters on GlockTalk, who soon dubbed him the "Mall Ninja":

https://lonelymachines.org/mall-ninjas/

The Mall Ninja professed to patrolling a suburban shopping mall while armed with 15 firearms as he carried out his duties as "Sergeant of a three-man Rapid Tactical Force at one of America’s largest indoor retail shopping areas." His qualifications? Mastery "of three martial arts including ninjitsu, which means I can wear the special boots to climb walls."

The Mall Ninja's fantasy of a single brave individual, defending the sleepy populace from violent, armed mobs is instantly recognizable as an ancestor to today's right wing fantasy of America's cities as "no-go zones" filled with "open air drug markets," patrolled by MS-13 and antifa super-soldiers. And while the Mall Ninja drew derision – even from the kinds of people who hang out on a message board called "GlockTalk" – today, his brand of fantasy wins elections.

On Jacobin, Olly Haynes interviews the political writer Richard Seymour about this phenomenon:

https://jacobin.com/2024/11/disaster-nationalism-fantasies-far-right/

Seymour's latest book is Disaster Nationalism:The Downfall of Liberal Civilization, an exploration of the strange obsessions of the right with imaginary disasters in the midst of real ones:

https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3147-disaster-nationalism

You know these imaginary disasters: "FEMA death camps, 'great replacement theory,' the 'Great Reset,' fifteen-minute cities, 5G towers being beacons of mind control, and microchips installed in people through vaccines." As Seymour writes, these conspiracy fantasies are proliferated by authoritarian regimes and their supporters, especially as real disasters rage around them.

For example, during the Oregon wildfires, people who were threatened by blazing forests that hit 800'C refused to evacuate because they'd been convinced that the fires were set by antifa arsonists in a bid to "wipe out white conservative Christians." They barricaded themselves in their fire-threatened homes, brandishing guns and prepping for the antifa mob.

Seymour says that this "disaster nationalism" "processes disaster in a way that is actually quite enlivening." Confronted with the helplessness of a real disaster that can only be solved through the collective action you've been told is both impossible and a Communist plot, you retreat to an individualistic disaster fantasy that you can play an outsized role in. Every crisis – the climate emergency, poverty, a toxic environment – is replaced by "bad people" and you can go get them.

For authoritarian politicians, a world of bad people at the gates who can only be stopped by "the good guys" makes for great politics. It impels proto-fascist movements to electoral victories, all over the world: in the US, of course, but Seymour also analyzes this as the phenomenon behind the electoral victories of authoritarian ethno-nationalists in India, Israel, Brazil, and all over the world.

I find Seymour's analysis bracing and clarifying. It explains the right's tendency to obsess over the imaginary at the expense of the real. Think of conservatives' obsession with imaginary and hypothetical children, from Qanon's child trafficking conspiracies to the forced birth movement's fixation on "the unborn."

It's not just that these kids don't exist – it's that the right is either indifferent or actively hostile to real children. Qanon peaked at the same time as Trump's "kids in cages" family separation policy, which saw thousands of kids separated from their parents, many forever, as a deliberate policy.

The forced birth movement spent decades fighting to overturn Roe in the name of saving "the unborn" – even as its leaders were also overturning the Child Tax Credit, the most successful child poverty alleviation measure in American history. Actual children were left to sink into food insecurity and precarity, to be enlisted to work overnight shifts in meat-packing plants, to fall into homelessness – even as the movement celebrated the "culture of life" that would rescue hypothetical children.

Lifting kids out of poverty and building a world where parents can afford to raise as many children as they care to have is a collective endeavor. Firebombing abortion clinics or storming into a pizza parlor with an assault rifle is an individual rescue fantasy that escapes into the world.

Mall Ninja politics are winning.

[theoutcastrogue]

I think we're not looking for pre-1974. We're looking for pre-1978 for the distinction between Lawful Devils and Chaotic Demons, and pre-1991 for the actual conflict between them.

A timeline:

1972: Chainmail has a single-axis Law/Neutral/Chaos alignment (not called "alignment" yet), and no devils or demons.

1974: Dungeon & Dragons: Men & Magic, OD&D's first book, has a single-axis Law/Neutrality/Chaos alignment, and no devils or demons.

1976: OD&D's supplement Eldritch Wizardry has Demons, filed under Chaos. The word "devil" appears here and there, but as a synonym or descriptive, they're not different creatures.

1978: AD&D 1st Edition's Players Handbook introduces the 9 alignments grid, we got Lawful/Chaotic, Good/Evil, Neutral, and combinations. "Law" and "Chaos" now mean something completely different than before.

1978: AD&D 1st Edition's Monster Manual has Lawful Evil Devils and Chaotic Evil Demons. They are now distinct, with different attitudes and organisation, but they're not each other's nemesis or anything.

1991: AD&D 2nd Edition's Monstrous Compendium: Outer Planes Appendix renames Devils to Baatezu and Demons to Tanar'ri (because the christians were complaining, it was the Satanic panic era), files them both under "Fiend", and introduces the Blood War: "For as long as there has been time, these mighty races have clashed with each other in a war of ultimate genocide and wholescale destruction. There can be no compromise in this war. Only total destruction of the enemy will end the Blood War."

I think the Lawful Devils/Chaotic Demons distinction is a direct result of the alignment mechanic as a 2-axis grid. When you had a single axis, from Law to Neutrality to Chaos, representing who's on whose side more than anything (essentially a wargaming rule), it wouldn't occur to you to put devils and hobbits on the same side. (At least normally: by exception, OD&D's Mind Flayers are Lawful "but highly evil". But early D&D books were hardly consistent, or well thought out.) Once you can specify that there's Lawful Evil and Chaotic Evil types, and these are fundamentally different by the very rules of the game, then you can separate fiends to factions.

And I get the impression that the "vs" part, the Blood War, is a direct result of trying to convince Concerned Christians that this has nothing to do with the Bible's Satan, it's another thing altogether, honestly.

So both of these are VERY specific to D&D, and from what I can tell, they don't appear to be inspired by existing fantasy tropes, or mythology and folklore, or anything of the sort.

Because you know a lot about these sorts of things: is D&D the first place where devils and demons are distinct groups of mutually antagonistic evil entities as opposed to being synonyms for one another, or did they steal that from some obscure fantasy pulp novel from the 1960s, as so much other stuff now seen as iconic to D&D is?

Much like making picky distinctions between wizards, sorcerers and warlocks, the general idea of making "devils" and "demons" distinct classes of supernatural beasties pre-dates Dungeons & Dragons in popular fiction, but the specific definitions that D&D uses are basically only applicable to D&D; every work of sword and sorcery fiction I'm aware of that distinguishes between the two terms does so differently.

For example, in Robert Aspirin's "Myth Adventures" series, "Devils" are a specific race of extradimensional aliens who coincidentally resemble pop-Christianity's notion of the Devil (i.e., red skin, goat legs, etc.), while a "demon" is simply any sapient being who's been magically summoned from another dimension. Hence, Devils are sometimes demons (at least when they're away from home), but – unless there's a convention or something going on – the majority of demons in any given dimension are not Devils.

To the point, I can't think of any particular work of pre-1974 (i.e., pre-D&D) sword and sorcery fiction whose demons-versus-devils split hinges on Law and Chaos in the same way that D&D's does; I suspect that the game's authors simply took the pre-existing notion of demons and devils being different things and pasted the terms onto a straight lift of Michael Moorcock's "Eternal Champions" cosmology (which doesn't use either term) – though if anyone is aware of a prior case of fantasy fiction specifically associating "devil" with cosmic Order and "demon" with cosmic Chaos, I'd love to be corrected!

(As always, if anyone would like to offer a counterexample, please check the publication date first; works published after 1974 post-date Dungeons & Dragons, so they're no help here.)

[selfloverrrrrr]

Witch!Reader x Demon!Satoru. He promises to fulfill her wish in exchange for something. She wants to be seen as a human being instead of a monster, the only thing she really wants is to be loved, and unfortunately he knows that. He fulfills her wish, but in return he imprisons her in his castle and promises to give her all the love and care she deserves (but in a very dark way).

The Ritual~

Warnings : smut , heavy smut, unprotected sex, Noncon, Kidnapping, physical and emotional abuse, biting, size difference, Yandere Gojo, demon Gojo, witch reader, jealous, obsessive, manipulative....

( All characters are aged up/18+)

Minors Do Not Interact

Read the warnings carefully....if you don't like my stories block me not report

Y/n's POV

I was born in a witch family. My mother was a witch too. So were my ancestors. I'm also a witch. I didn't know what was it when I was a kid. Is being a witch a good thing or a bad thing? I always used to ask myself. But all I knew was my mom always used to hide the fact from everyone that we all are witches.

So many years passed. I grew up. I'm an adult now. And I still don't have the answer that if being a witch is good or bad. But for me it became a curse. A curse for which my whole family got killed. The king hired to kill all the witches in his kingdom. He's such a powerful king. And that's why my family isn't with me now.

We all were unaware that they were attacking us. It was the middle of the night. I saw them kill everyone in front of my eyes. I ran away from there. But they saw me. I ran all I could. And for god's blessings they couldn't find me. Now I made a small hut in the forest.

All time fear attacks me that they will find me and kill me too. I can't live like this. I need to find a way where I can live like normal people. So I started learning witches techniques. Maybe any of them will help me? I started reading the books of my ancestors.

I started learning many magics. But none of them are for what I was trying to find. I never did witch activities before. I started searching in all those books. Maybe, just maybe something that will make me like the other normal people and I can live a normal life just like them?

I searched all I could. But nothing was related this. But then I found something. A book which is sealed. I looked at it. It was the last hope. I opened the seal. It was too old. Am I even gonna find anything from here? I opened the book anyways. After some time of reading what I found can actually help me. The things written in the book are:

"He got sealed. After all those trying, we all witches are successful. We sealed him. He, the strongest demon. He got birthed and from that day it was all the witch's job to end him. Though its not possible to kill him. He's too powerful. We all were also shocked that we got him sealed. He was birthed to destroy the world. He wants to rule it. He has destroyed too many places. He has killed too many people. And after doing rituals we managed to seal him. That demon, that monster's name is:

Gojo Satoru"

I kept turning the pages and the last page got my attention.......

Process to unseal Gojo Satoru

He'll fulfill your wish

My heart started beating wildly. Should I do it? It is mentioned that he is too dangerous. But he'll fulfill my wish. I don't have anything in my life. Does it even matter if I risk it? If I don't do it people are gonna try to kill me all the time. Then I should take a risk. I have to go to the place mentioned in the book.

The place mentioned in the book is the old burnt castle at the end of the forest. I've seen that castle from the young age. Everyone told me to stay away from there. But they never told me the story behind it. Today I got to know about the real story behind it.

The ritual needs to be done at night. So I collected all the things that were needed in the ritual that day. And I went there the next night. I wore a hooded dress so that no one could recognise me. And I was lucky that there weren't any people there. I quickly made my way inside the old castle with a candle in my hand.

I entered the castle. It was huge. There's dust everywhere. And the castle is burnt also. It made me curious about what happened here? I kept walking. The huge stairs from the middle. I have to go to the top room of this castle. As in the book there's a throne room which is the ritual room. I went up there.

I pushed the door open and my mouth was wide open by the beauty of the throne room. I wondered what it looked like when it wasn't burnt. I went towards the throne. I don't have enough time to do the ritual. I quickly set up what was written in the book. Then lit up all the candles. Then started doing the ritual. My heart was thumping against my chest.

As I completed the spell. The wind started flowing heavily. Suddenly all the candles were extinguished together. Then the wind stopped flowing. And all of a sudden all the candles lit up together again. Then I saw a tall human figure sitting on the throne.

He has a huge masculine body. He's tall, has handsome sharp features, white hair, white eyelashes and those gorgeous blue eyes. He looks exactly the same said in the book. He's wearing all black royal clothes. He turned his head on both sides and the cracking sound echoed through the room. Then he looked at me.

Can that beautiful person be that dangerous? I asked myself. "So you're the one who unsealed me?" He spoke. I have to respect him. "Yes, my lord" I replied looking at the ground. "Hmmmmm.....well, this place is still burnt and dusty everywhere.... and I don't like my castle to lose its beauty" he said and threw a hand beside him.

A blue ray came out of his hand. And all of a sudden the castle turned all new. Not burnt anymore neither dust anywhere. I was already gorgeous and now it has become more gorgeous. A huge black gorgeous castle. "Hmm.....so what's the reason you unsealed me?" He asked.

"my lord, I'm a witch.... people of the king are killing all the witches. They killed my family too. I don't wanna live like this. I was to live like normal people. I want everyone to think of me like normal people. I want to be loved." I replied. And then there was silence. I could feel him staring at me.

"So you don't wanna be a witch any more and want to be loved right?"he asked. "... yes. My lord" I replied. He smirked. "Okay....done" he said swiping his finger in the air. My eyes widened in hope that now I can live like normal people. I looked at my hand and the witch sign was gone.

That means..... that means I'm not a witch anymore? I was so happy. "T-thank you... thank you, my lord" I said with a smile on my face. I stood up. I said "I should go now-" he didn't let me finish "No" he said. It almost seemed like an order. I dared to look at him. And there was a sinister smirk on his face.

"I didn't give you permission to leave" he said and went up from the throne. And within a blink I was standing in front of me. I got frightened and took a step back with a gasp. "You scared?" He asked with a smirk. I didn't reply. "Are you?" He asked again tilting his head. ".... N-No" I replied.

"okay.... then come with me... let me show you something" I said with a grin offering a hand to me. I have to accept his hand and so I did. And within a blink we both were standing in front of the window. How fast is he? "Look at the kingdom. I own this. I'm gonna burn this place" he said. Now he was definitely terrifying me.

He placed a hand on my waist and pulled me against him. Now this is getting too uncomfortable. "And you'll be watching them die with me from here. And I'll kill them first who killed your family" he said. What does that mean?! "M-my lord I should go now" I said. "And I already said no" he said looking at me.

"you want to be loved, right?..... you'll be living here in my castle with me.... and I'll give you all the love you need" he whispered in my ear. My eyes widened. Oh no no no. This is not what I want. He wants to kidnap me in his castle?! Shit I don't have my powers anymore either. What should I do now?!

"what happened?" He asked and nuzzled his face on my neck. I took a deep breath and pushed him. Then ran all I could. I was running through the corridor and bumped into someone. Of course it's none other than Gojo Satoru. I don't have any ways now. I automatically started crying.

He smirked. "Didn't thought someone has the bravery to disobey me" he said and started walking towards me and I started walking backwards. "P-Please let me go I don't want that life" I cried. "Oh darling you don't know how much I love to see people crying. And for your life I'm the one have the power to decide how you'll live" he said.

Then he clapped his hand and we both were standing in a.... BEDROOM?! He grabbed my hand and pulled me against him. "Now tell me what you were saying?" He asked. "P-Please....let go... P-Please" I said. "Let you go? But didn't you wish to be loved? I'm giving you the love you deserve" he said while grabbing my ass and squeezing it.

I yelped at that. "P-Please I don't want to stay her-" before I could even complete my sentence he threw me on the bed and claimed on me. I screamed so loudly out of fear when threw me on the bed. "Didn't you say you're not scared? That seems like a lie now" he said and took off a strand of hair out of my face.

"it's been years since I was sealed. Never thought I'll get this gorgeous gift as soon as I get unsealed " he said with a smirk and pressed his lips on mine. I tried to push his chest but he grabbed my hands and held them beside my head while kissing me aggressively. He pushed his tongue inside my mouth.

I was shaking my head in protest but he didn't stop. When he stopped he immediately grabbed the top of my dress and tore it off. How strong is he??? He tore off a dress with Corset with his hands?! I almost screamed when he did. I covered myself and tried to crawl up.

He grabbed my hair and made me look at him. "Did I say to cover yourself???" He asked. His eyes shined. Tears falling down from my eyes. He smirked and licked my neck with his long tongue. I was shaking from fear. "You know seeing you scared makes me more turned on" he whispered.

I couldn't breathe. He grabbed the hem of my dress and pulled it over my head. My boobs bounced out. He looked at those with lust in his eyes. His eyes shined in the dim light. He didn't waste any time, crashed his mouth on my breast licking, sucking and teasing the nipple and squeezing the other one with his hand. I moaned in the sensation. I grabbed his hair and tried to stop him by pulling it but it didn't even affect him. "M-my lord stopppp" I screamed but he didn't stop. "It's Satoru, darling.... I won't kill you if you call me Satoru"

Then he took off my pantie. He looked at my pussy. He rubbed his finger on my clit and whispered " so wet. You naughty little slut, getting wet for me huh?". Then he licked my pussy. I couldn't help but moan loudly. He smirked at my reaction and undo his pants.

His dick sprang out. It was too big and too thick. "Look... this is what you have done to me..." he said while stroking his dick. Fear grabbed me by my neck. " S-Satoru no no no... P-please no... s-stop" I begged and called him Satoru as he said so maybe he listens to me? but didn't even listen to me and slammed his whole dick inside me in one slide. I screamed. He didn't even give me time to adjust his size and started thrusting in and out roughly. I was through my legs with pain and begging him to stop. And he liked it so much. His thrust became harder and harder.

I clenched around him tightly and he moaned loudly " you know.... you're the first witch I love....I always hated all the witches.... never seen such a gorgeous witch like you.... f-fuck what great present I got as soon as I got unsealed" he started rubbing my clit with his thumb and I bite his shoulder scratched his back to control myself. With a few more thrusts I came. He was still thrusting roughly. I felt his cock pulsing inside me. I tried to push him away with all of my strength." Ughh...no no no no...ahhhhhh... I don't want this ..." I moaned. "Do you still think you can make me stop?" He said with a smirk. I dig my nails more deeper into his back as he Marked me. He continued thrusting. Within a minute he came inside me I could feel his seed inside me. He pulled out. He fell beside me on the bed.

"You need to be loved? I'll give you all the love you deserve..... now spread your legs again.... I'm not done yet.... I was sealed for over 500 years.... you don't expect me to stop right now, do you?" He said and chuckled demonicly.

Give me your requests guys....

I love when you give me your requests 💕

[see-arcane]

Mina in 1992: "You killed Lucy! I love you..."

Mina in the book: "You killed Lucy. You're already dead. I am orchestrating your destruction. And I'm excited about doing it. As long as noone suddenly benches me, I will gladly actively lead the army I just formed into your raggedy new house and end you."

Canon Mina: "We should be merciful to him, he's been a monster so long! uwu

Also Canon Mina: "But Also Kill Him. Do absolutely kill his ass dead. I can express how much and how badly I want him to be erased from the face of the Earth and the ground salted where he falls."

Canon Mina: "Mercifully." uwu

[lexirosewrites]

I might b getting a cold tht is making me tired but I have a single idea I wanted to send in before I succumb

O!Steve is the God of Children & Protection, his temples r often safe havens for orphans or run aways, first time mothers pray both to O!Joyce the Goddess of Parenthood & War AND Steve the God of Children & Protection for an easy delivery & a healthy child

Steve loves walking hidden behind a glamor among mortals, especially on his festival days, he takes many forms but enjoys running with other young children as if he is one of them, his statues & mosaics & paintings depict him most often as a youthful omega with broad shoulders & eyes like stars wearing a type of clothing tht is worn by children till they come of age

It is on one of his festival days tht he meanders into the city of Hawkins from the woods as if he is a traveler come to give offerings to his own temple, he walks the streets enjoying the sounds of children laughing as they receive free treats & new toys from the priests & priestesses of every temple but especially his, one child runs into him & he stops them from apologizing by pulling out from seemingly thin air something the child had wanted but wasn't being offered among the toys, a book of mathematics. The child is gleeful & when he looks up from the book to thank the stranger (Steve) he is gone. Several more children end up getting gifts directly from Steve throughout the day, an older brother gets a slingshot while his little sister gets a sweet treat not offered at any of the stalls, a red headed girl is given a board of wood crafted w 4 wheels to replace the one she'd broken by accident (she never told this traveler abt her broken board) & her friend who's a resident of Steve's temple is gifted a necklace of finest carved wooden beads after Steve winks at her when she almost blows his cover after immediately seeing beyond his glamor. A timid boy w an unfortunate haircut is given drawing tools & materials. A snarky boy who reminds Steve of a huntress he once loved is gifted a book of various stories from around the land while his much younger sister clutches the cat doll Steve gives her tht she promptly names Cheese.

There's great fanfare as the festival reaches its main event, Steve is curious since every village/town/city does something different for this event. The city of Hawkins puts on a story contest each year tht is judged by the children's response. This year someone steps up last to tell their tale who Steve instantly recognizes as not mortal. This person's tale is decidedly dark & scary & it details some sort of future wherein the God of Children & Protection is to submit to the God of Darkness & Monsters who oversees the world of the monsters & shadows & forced to become his wife. The temple objects loudly to this tale, shouting tht Steve is a virgin God who swore off marriage & courtship & mating when a foolish mortal huntress played w his heart hundreds of years ago, to which the stranger responds he is merely telling the tale of what he wanted, a tale he will make true no matter what it'll take & when the ppl try to get the stranger to leave the stage the stranger suddenly begins to morph & change shape till he towers above the crowd with horns like a crown, claws instead of fingers & alpha fangs larger than is possible.

This is Vecna the God of Darkness & Monsters who is said to never leave his domain of shadows. He proclaims he will lay low the temple tht houses the orphans & run aways of the city & nearby villages tht he will even slaughter the children if he must till Steve appears to him & comes w him as his bride

Steve is abt to reveal himself & jump to protect the children the God is aiming to swipe his claws at when a man runs forward from the crowd brandishing a string instrument tht he uses to knock away the attempted attack, this man then also morphs & changes. The man is now crowned w a wreath upon his head tht reveals him to b a God tht had newly arrived to their land whose cult was still growing without any temples or altars, he has no name tht the humans or others in the Pantheon know, simply taking up the epitaph of the God of Indulgence & Storytelling. This new God bares his own Alpha fangs & declares he would not sit idly by while such a God of Monsters told a tale only meant to scare another into submission.

Then it is pandemonium as a clash btwn Deities begins. The ppl r evacuating the area, many adults prioritizing the children while Steve's temple is also cleared of ppl & Steve feels an anger simmering in his stomach tht boils over when he sees the boy tht he'd given the mathematics book to trip over a rock & begin calling desperately for his mother as she's swept away by the tide of panicking bodies. It explodes when he sees the boy with the slingshot carrying his sister on his back trying to help the mathematics boy up & away. Then Steve cannot contain himself as the little girl who he gave a doll is clutching it & crying as she has also clearly lost her family in the chaos & is does not know where to go.

Steve is charging forward shedding his glamor & pulling from within his clothes a long metal weapon w sharp spikes at the tip. He cuts short an attempted swipe from Vecna aimed at the stomach of the other Deity tht jumped to the children's defense. The alpha God snarls & finds himself out numbered. He continues to fight on two fronts for four days & four nights till Steve calls upon the leader of the Pantheon to intervene in Vecnas disregard for his banishment. Vecna tries to grab Steve around the wrist as he begins to retreat to his world of shadows & monsters but the new God intervenes again as the sky rumbles w the approach of Hopper the God of Justice & Storms, essentially breaking Vecnas own wrist. Then Vecna has retreated & Steve's ire is cooling as he turns to see the destruction wrought by a clash of Deities.

The mortals seem to all b safe, especially the children. The temples r untouched but other buildings have been felled. Steve turns to thank the other God for interfering when he did, but he finds this new God sunk to the ground clutching at a wound on his stomach. Steve is at his side as a grim faced Hopper descends with a furious Joyce at his side, Steve is afraid to touch in case the wound is made worse. This new God's condition begins to worsen till Murray the God of Politics & Love appears with little fanfare telling Steve to simply hold him & let this alpha God scent him.

Steve feels a deep pull within him at Murray's words & as he gathers this new God within his arms he feels a warm light blooming wherever they touch. As Steve cradles his head near his neck the scent he exudes causes a response from the other & when they pull apart to look at eachother without the threat of battle all wounds r healed. Without thought the God of Indulgence & Storytelling then tells Steve his name, Eddie.

Eddie asks to court Steve without a thought to the Deities & gathering mortals around them. Steve heartily agrees.

Hundreds of years from tht battle art depicts Steve the God of Children & Protection embracing his husband & consort Eddie the God of Indulgence & Storytelling

OH YES DELIGHTFUL🥰🥰🥰

[triple-pupil]

Huh, Alright. Sorry it took this long, I had this WIP in the duster for months.

Last song: Augustus Gloop from the Tim Burton Charlie and the chocolate factory or however You Say it. But rn My brain is stuck with Ojalá by Silvio Rodríguez (Beloved childhood song)./Update Nov. 2024: Last songs now are Monster and Puppeteer from Epic: The musical with a full Stobotnik cinematic playing every time in My brain.

Fun fact: I used to Listen to music daily, but ever since we adopted a Kitten like a week algo I basically stopped all habits to tend and play with her. I don't mind that at all, I Will die and kill for that Kitten./Update: Habit came back to normal and I still would give my life for this cat.

Favorite color: Dark colors, mainly black and shit to combine with black like purples or idk. Oh-Anyone know about that typical red like color related to pompous, rich, victorian characters? That one, I love that one.

Last TV show/Currently watching?: No fucking clue. Uuuhhh, I watched Brother Bear by popular (Dood-) demand and didn't expect for it to be a fucking greek tragedy and be crying by the end of the movie, I loved it./Update: Do Silence of the Lambs reaction videos and Stobotnik compilations count?

Relationship status: Miserably lonely but I don't want to meet new people for that purpose so... Ig I'll stay in this pit a while.

And idk what I want to watch now, Maybe I'll look something up in Netflix or something.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: The fuck is Savory??? Salty?????

I have a routine, eat salty, then eat sweet, love both on their own but not mixed. Fucking hate Spicy shit, it ruins the food for me.

Nov. 2024 I've been Tagged by @demetera-kaziaik and I'm relieved I'm not a nuisance, an honor to interact with You, Stobotnik Messiah :D

Last book: Fuck, what was it...? I think it was an Etnography guide Made in the 2000s for a class. But I recommend War of the Worlds, My beloved (Has only read a student edition).

Last thing I googled: "ugly crying drawing meme" because that has been me in Stobotnik Twitter these last few days.

Current obsesión: Stobotnik (Dr. Robotnik x Agent Stone from the Sonic movies), Abusive Gerald headcanon and Devildice (The Devil x King Dice from Cuphead) and King Dice himself because I will nom him.

Looking forward to: Watch the Sonic 3 Stobotnik scenes and die from it when they make it no-homo. And for the class year to end and uh-.... Idk, speak to Friends.

I remember hey_imma_fangirl also Tagged me in one of these... Maybe I'll get the motivation to get to it.

@calmao666 @boo-topia @doodzoodz I summon the besties @groovy-rat-man @aka-baka-shiki

9 people you would like to get to know better tag meme

except I'm starting a new post because the one I got tagged in was long as shit. I was tagged by @tacofuus, thanks so much!

Last song: Batter Up by Babymonster. It's a solid 6.5/10 check out

Favorite color: violet/lavender. Really any shade of purple

Last tv show/currently watching: I honestly don't really watch TV. I genuinely cannot remember. The last series I actually watched was Death Note with my best friend and that was last year/beginning of this year. I used to be into anime when I was in middle school and this felt like a return to my roots lmao

Sweet/spicy/savoury: I go with savory most of the time, but my favorite is sweet for sure.

Relationship status: narilamb

Current obsession: Writing fanfic for cult of the lamb. It's been just about a year and a half now and I don't see this dying down anytime soon, cotl has squarely entered full special interest status for me so I'll be here for at least another 3 years. I have a bad habit of making a new fandom blog every time I get a shorter-term hyperfixation, writing for it, getting kindasorta recognized in the fandom, then abandoning my works and deleting the blog when I'm not interested in it anymore. Maybe some of y'all followed me in my previous fandoms and y'all would probably never know bc of orphaned works that I can't find anymore. ...anyway. I've made too many close friends in this fandom to pull that stunt again. the-one-who-lambs and my cotl fics are here to stay. I'm rambling

Last thing you googled: 600 cc in cups (I was making soup but all the good noodle packets from China+Korea give units in cubic centimeters. It's about 2.5 cups btw)

Uhhhhh I don't know who to tag so I'll just pick the most recent 9 mutuals in my notes who haven't been tagged already by taco or the people they tagged lol. Don't feel pressured to do it, though! @artsycryptix @just-a-random-demon-official @miallurk @pikos-den @tokyonymph @mianing @bamsara @coffincrows @fanged-cotl

[cheyisagirlkisser]

.・College Ellie Headcannons゜・

Note: This is more loser Ellie-centric, I wanna maybe do a part two with just reader and her. Some sexual content and mentons of getting zooted below so 18+ warning!

•Art major, but she’s not the typical hot artsy lesbian you dream of her to be. More like rolls a fat blunt and sketches in her journal, it’ll either turn out to be a masterpiece or look like a crackhead had a go with her paper.

•Speaking of art major, when she’s horny and frustrated because she refuses to hook-up…she draws the lewdest art known to woman-kind. Those are her real masterpieces, but she can’t exactly turn them in for credit in her art class, can she? Fuck, the things that woman can make, though. Lowkey uses her exes naked bodies as inspiration though, maybe kind of weird but who’s gonna stop her?

•Doesn’t eat the food on campus half the time. She is embarrassingly addicted to Tai Pei containers and the occasional microwavable egg-roll. “That shit’s nasty, Ellie! Goddamn, just eat the Tacos 4 Life we have on campus.” Her friends will all tell her, but no. It’s like a guilty pleasure. Maybe it’s cause she grew up lower class and is used to TV dinners, has a special trauma bond to food that should be banned and probably is outside of America.

•Wardrobe consists of band tees, honorable mentions to Gorillaz and Falling in Reverse.

•Is actually an insanely talented writer. After reading her journals I feel like nobody talks about how emotional her entries are and she keeps a journal of her own in college for sure, not only for sketching and organizing art but also to write all her feelings out.

“Fuck me, this is my last year being gay.” -After her and Cat’s break-up, probably.

•Hates coffee. Definitely game-cannon, but this is important to the college setting. It’s the classic Monster or nothing, and she will absolutely judge you for drinking coffee. She calls it “the devil’s dirt.” So dramatic.

•Used to watch bad Hallmark movies because of Dina, now watches them alone because she misses Dina. There’s nothing like crying your eyes out to Christmas Under Wraps!

•Has a collection of rubber ducks on her shelf. Doesn’t use her very small space for normal things like her wallet or books, no. It’s rubber fucking ducks.

•Also has a slipper collection in her tiny closet, from Pikachu all the way to dinosaur feet.

•Has the “two-seater” t-shirt (iykyk) but refuses to wear it in public because she’s a pussy

•Favorite fruit is grapes. I just know my girl loves grapes when she can get her hands on them steer clear bc she will NOT share. Favorite candy is gummy worms!

•Actually wears rain boots when it’s wet outside or snowing

•Likes wired earbuds over airpods, listens to Pearl Jam when she misses living with Joel

•Is oddly good at making those little paper stars and has a huge grocery bag of then in all different patterns and colors

•When she starts dating you she shows you her dinosaur cookie-cutter collection because you're really good at baking. (Also bc she wants to see you in a frilly cute apron!)

•Is a slut for hugs. Kisses are cool, sex is great but agghhh Ellie just loves wrapping her arms around you and sometimes when you two are in her dorm she'll just hug you for what feels like hours on end, she calls it her 'weekly therapy.'

•Loves high sex because when she's sober she hates feeling like she's awkward or all up in her head. She also has a tendency to invite you over for sex after smoking.

•Has a septum piercing. Maybe this one is self-indulgent because I would go ballistic over seeing actual Ellie with one, but I say that college Ellie got hers pierced at 16 and didn't cry over the pain but wanted to literally jump off of a bridge the entire healing process it was so bad.

•Sometimes when you kiss her, her septum will slide over and look uneven and she feels fucking NIGERIA FALLS in her boxers when you fix it for her. Also for those of you who are sluts for glasses, you can fix her glasses too and it'll make her just as weak.

[ghouljams]

My favorite thing about werewolves is when the show/book/movie/etc shows how much happier they are as a werewolf. They’re comfortable in their skin, happy with their abilities and their body! Not horrified of what they are or just shown as a monster.

(Is this me talking about being trans subtly? Maybe. Up to you.)

Listen lycanthropy has been a metaphor for so many things over the years. I think it all depends on the way that the wolf is depicted more than the way the human handles it. Is the wolf a sapient creature that is able to think, reason, and communicate on a human level? Or is it a wild animal that one can only hope to impede but never control?

A werewolf that is able to think on a human level even in their fully transformed form is probably going to be fine with being a werewolf. It sucks to transition, there's a lot of work involved, and society may have a hard time accepting them initially, but they aren't hurting anyone and ultimately they're just like everyone else except for the "turning into a wolf" thing. <- Great metaphor for queer-ness.

A werewolf that is unable to control themselves once they transform, unable to be reasoned with on a human level because they're reduced to baser instincts like fuck/fight/flee, running amok and causing havoc no matter where they go and what they do? Potentially purposefully infecting other people in order to grow their numbers and then attempting to live among the general population only to lash out when they're discovered? <- bad metaphor for queer-ness.

But I also think the second one is a great story about the way that good people can be transformed into monsters when given the tools and environment to do so. In the original wolf-man film our titular wolf-man is cursed to become a wolf after killing a Romani man. Despite attempts from the Romani man's mother to help the wolf-man he ultimately rebuked her and ended up dead because no one would take him seriously.

In traditional mythos werewolves could be seen as a way to explore the violence that some people enact without cause. Perhaps it isn't man that is able to kill indiscriminately but a man possessed by a wolf. We might see various ways to "cure" lycanthropy and all the different ways to tell if your loved one has been cursed as attempts to understand sudden mood changes or anti-social disorders. Werewolves aren't my area of expertise, but myths always reflect a fear of the time or become an attempt to explain the unexplained. So. Y'know. Maybe it is that deep.

[playroom-sekaii]

do you have any fluffy/nice small mizuki headcanons after the bombshell that was mizu5? i feel so bad for them i hope they get better :(

Why of course!

(This post uses she/they pronouns for Mizuki!!)

Fluffy little Mizuki hcs 🎀

(Oh how they deserve better...)

🩷 They love pretending to be a magical girl! Lovely Ribbon Mizu-chan is here to save her cgs and sibbies from any bad guys or monsters that may threaten them! Usually involving the monsters on the bed or when Ena decides to be the "worstest person ever" and says no more cookies since they "already had five" smh those are rookie numbers.

🩷 Most of her cg titles are sibling ones (Kanade-neechan, Ena-nee, Rui-niichan, etc), but Honami is her mama, she's everyone in Nightcord's mama, she cannot fight it /lh

🩷 Absolutely hates naps, but adores the idea of "catnaps". They'll only go down for a nap some days if their cg agrees to let them curl up in a ball on a chair, their lap, or a "cat bed" made of pillows. Sunbeams help immensely. They may or may not also be a kitty regressor that hasn't realized it yet-

🩷 That being said, for how chaotic they can be while small, they love quiet time, usually while other little ones are napping. Cuddling up close with a cg, maybe with a white noise machine or gentle music on, working on simple crafts or reading a picture book, either with them involved or just having their caregiver as a comforting presence. This especially helps when they've had a long or stressful day, they calm down immediately.

🩷 Loves claw machines, since she already loves stuffed animals while small. She's been fuzzy while walking home with Toya before and they passed an arcade, which ended in Mizuki being so impressed by "Mr. Toya's" super cool crane machine skills, since even though she loves the stuffed animals she usually needs Mafuyu or Rui to win them for her when she's small (oh, the tragedies of poor hand-eye coordination...)

🩷 They love the idea of being a cool big sister to younger regressors, just like Yuuki! They wanna help their cgs with everything they can, even if sometimes it's a bit messy (they aren't allowed to refill sippy cups on their own anymore), it's the thought that counts!

🩷 Speaking off, before telling Ena and the rest of Nightcord, the only ones that knew they were an age regressor were Rui and Yuuki, who saw them regressed a few times in middle school and helped them out before they eventually told her what it was later. She's very supportive, buying them lots of cute little gear and cging over phone or video calls when they're alone, even when their time zones get a bit wonky she'll never leave her baby sister behind.

🩷 She has a brown stuffed kitty named Enanyan. When she's big Ena gets tsuntsun about it but when Mizuki's regressed it makes her feel so happy, like, woah she's actually doing good as a cg-

[m0rkl]

About your Stan goes into the portal AU, does Ford ever find out what happened? How does Stan get back? Does he ever get back? This version of the au is so interesting, the possibilities!

Ohoho, hehe yes! So, I'll need to get into what happens with Ford post-Portal-incident, but yes! Stan does eventually come home! Over the 30 years without Stanley, Fiddlsford moves in with Ford and helps recover the house from the explosion as well as bring Ford back to some semblance of health after months of his mental health being wrecked by paranoia. Both Ford and Fidds install metal plates in their heads to keep Bill out. Ford thinks Stan is still out there somewhere, but wants nothing to do with him. He doesn't remember reaching out to Stan originally, but eventually does want to find out where he is. He sends out postcards without Fidds' knowledge, just hoping to get any sort of response, but eventually gives up when he gets nothing.

Over time, Ford and Fidds settle into new, slightly less dangerous lives and Ford becomes a writer. He starts out writing field guide and scientific texts, but after the birth of the twins Mabel and Dipper, he gets the idea to write children's adventure books. He writes a bunch of fantasy stories based on his childhood adventures with Stan and also hopes that if Stan were ever to see them in stores, he'd reach out. Of course, he doesn't since he's in another dimension.

But growing up, Mabel and Dipper love the books. Its about twins on adventures AND its written by their mysterious grunkle? How could they not? Eventually, the summer of before their 13th birthday roles around and, due to tension in their parents marriage, they get sent to Gravity Falls same as canon.

But instead of finding the journal, Dipper finds one of Ford's unpublished books where he wrote down strange adventures and records of monsters. When the monsters in the book start showing up in Gravity Falls, Dipper wonders how much of the book might be true. Some of these stories involve Stan and a strange portal. There are even some of the blue prints. These are actually dreams and figments of memories Ford has had about the portal incident and Stan. Fiddleford found the journal and hid it for fear of Ford remembering things. The twins start digging into the mysteries around Ford and his estranged brother, realizing that Ford's husband/lab partner has being hiding things. They end up thinking that rather than not wanting to talk to Ford, Stan is actually missing and Fiddleford might have had something to do with it.

Eventually, they end up having a run in with the Cult of the Blind Eye and finding out that Ford has missing memories. They decide they're going to take matters into their own hands and restore what they can of the portal. But Fiddleford catches onto the eventually and the kids think he might be the villain. Then Fiddleford sits them down to explain. Unfortunately, while all this happens, Ford accidentally recovers his memories and is furious with Fiddleford. They fight and he activates the portal. Mabel has her similar scene where she has to decide who to trust and either close the portal or let it stay open.

She trusts Ford and lets it stay open long enough for Stanley to come through. Stan arrives and immediately destroys the portal behind him. He yells at Ford for being stupid and opening it again, then punches him in the face. Then he breaks down and hugs Ford, sobbing with relief that he's finally home.

Whew... okay I wrote a lot here, but I still have a ton to say about this AU haha

[misspelledwordswizard]

May I request some Legend content?

Legend being so head over heels for reader that he's actually angry at himself for it. He doesn't want to fall in love and have to suffer the consequences for it (Getting teased for his feelings, the possibility of losing you, things like that)

And so, during some sort of situation where they are alone, and Legend is yet again battling with his thoughts and feelings, reader does something that makes him absolutely explode. Maybe he finally admits his feelings but like, in a way that makes it sound like he was being interrogated for hours and spews it out like "IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR?! STOP TORTURING ME FOR GOODNESS SAKE!"

(I read that you prefer it if it's descriptive so I hope this is good)

Guys, I think I got carried away with this one... Okay, I really loved this one, this was basically what I wanted his first fanfic to have been. Thank you so much for the request!

I won't say I'm in love

I went down the stairs of the inn where we were staying in a hurry. I had completely lost track of time and ended up sleeping too much. I was late. Yesterday, I had arranged with Legend to go to the village library. He wanted to look for something there, I’m not sure what, and I offered to go with him since I wanted to read a little too. 

I barely had time to get ready. I woke up with a ray of sunlight directly in my eyes. As soon as I realized my mistake, I just put on some decent clothes and ran out. He’s going to kill me for taking so long. 

I looked for the inn and there was no sign of the blond guy. It’s likely that he lost his patience and went alone. Maybe I can find him there. With that in mind, I left the place while trying to improve my situation a little on the way, taking advantage of the reflective glass of a random store to fix my hair. 

I walked through the busy streets, trying my best to avoid the crowds that dominated the place. It was a really big village, which ended up making the environment chaotic, but I managed to survive.  I arrived at the entrance to the library, and it was simply divine. It was located in a large, ornamental building with Gothic architecture; it looked divine. 

I mentally prepared myself to enter; there was still a possibility that the hero wouldn’t even be there, but if he was, he would probably be furious with me. I climbed the small staircase, staring at the large, open door, walking with controlled steps, until I heard someone calling my name. 

— Hey. – The Veteran’s voice caught my attention, looking in the direction where the sound came from, I could see him standing next to a pillar, with a relaxed posture. He then walked to my side, standing shoulder to shoulder and starting to walk into the library, with me following him. – You took a while. 

— Oh, sorry, I overslept. – I tried to explain myself and he snorted in response. 

— I should have guessed. 

— So, what did you come looking for? – I asked, curious. He was very vague about it yesterday. 

— Nothing that interests you, definitely. 

— Rude. – I said, sticking my tongue out at him playfully, making him roll his eyes. 

My attention turned to the place when I noticed how beautiful it was inside. The bookshelves went high, so high that each one had its own ladder attached that could be moved from one side to the other.  The ceiling was ornamental, with paintings on them like in a chapel, the windows were beautiful stained glass, the place itself was totally enchanting. 

— Are you going to just stare like a fool or are you going to find something to read? – The blond’s voice took me out of my reverie, making me focus on my objective. 

It’s been a while since I read, it’s kind of hard to do that when you’re constantly walking, from village to village, from era to era, having to fight monsters, and all that. It’s really nice to be able to have this moment of peace. 

I chose a book in the romance section and sat at one of the home tables while Legend looked for whatever it was he wanted. I got involved in the story enough to stop paying attention to my surroundings, so much so that I didn’t even notice the exact moment when the hero sat in front of me, with a large pile of books that almost completely blocked my view of him, and prevented me from seeing what he was reading at the moment. But, assuming it’s something similar to the rest of the pile, it must be something about... planting techniques? Oh, right, he probably doesn’t want me to know. 

I just shrugged it off, I’m not going to get involved in anything I’m not called to, or else he’ll end up mad at me. I continued reading the book I chose, but it didn’t take long for me to finish it, sighing in delight at the book’s happy ending. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever experience something like that. I got up to get another book, repeating the whole process again.  

◇ 

It was late when we finally left, I was starving and Legend seemed dissatisfied, to say the least. It seems his search wasn’t as successful as he would have liked. Well, at least I got to enjoy myself reading some good books. 

— Did you manage to find what you wanted? – I risked asking, trying to break the silence that remained between us during the walk back to the inn. 

— Hm, yes, it just wasn’t what I expected. 

— I see... 

The rest of the way continued in silence, I really didn’t know what to say, if I tried, I would end up asking about what he read, again, and I have a feeling he wouldn’t like that very much. 

When we arrived at the inn, some of the other boys had already returned, they were talking about something in the living room, probably disturbing other guests, and of course I’m going to join them. The Veteran, on the other hand, went straight to his room, without even greeting the others. This only served to make me more intrigued about what he was reading. 

I went to where Wind, Four and Wars were, debating about something I couldn’t understand. 

— You’re back! – The Sailor exclaimed when he saw me. – You won’t believe what I found in the city. There was an entire store just for sweets! Not a bakery, a candy store!  

— Wow, a store that only sells sweets? It sounds like paradise. – I replied, smiling at his excitement for something like that. 

— Isn’t it? But those two annoying people don’t want to go there with me. – He said, looking sullenly at his brothers. 

— Okay, I can go with you later, after I take a bath. 

— Really? Cool, you’re the best! – He hugged me excitedly, almost jumping for joy. 

— Ass kisser. – Wars accused, and received a little punch on the shoulder from the younger one, making me laugh. He deserved it. 

  

  

  

◇◇◇ 

  

  

 It’s been a few hours since I came back from the library with her, and since then I’ve been locked in my room.  I had to control myself, resist the urge to spend more time with her, I can’t give in like this. I thought we could have some nice time together today, but I ended up being so afraid that she might see what I read that we didn’t even talk. 

Oh, yeah, the book I was reading. Stupid, shameful, I can’t believe I’ve sunk to such a low level. It was a book of love tips. But, in my defense, I wanted tips on how NOT to fall in love. I have to admit, I’ve been running this risk for a while, but it won’t happen, I promised myself it wouldn’t happen again, I’m not falling in love. And I’m going to do everything I can to keep it that way. 

Even though it’s so, so hard to keep my distance from her. I’m trying, I swear I am, but what can I do if all it takes is a smile and a look for her to have me in the palm of her hand? That’s why it’s so worrying. Damn girl, why did she have to be so perfect for me?! 

I also can’t stand being locked in this room anymore, I need to go out, walk, I don’t know, anything to distract my mind. I got up from the bed I’d been lying on all this time, put on my cap and left through the bedroom door, going down the stairs lazily, without rushing. 

Laughter coming from the inn’s living room caught my attention. I had to be careful not to get hit in the face by a thrown object. The people responsible for this didn’t even realize it. She and Wind were playing pillow fights, or rather, cushion fights without even noticing their surroundings. What a mess. 

I felt my lips twitch into a silly smile and scolded myself for it. Shitty feelings. I need some fresh air. I hurriedly left the place, being welcomed by the calm night breeze, and I walked through the streets without a real destination. I ended up staying there for so long that it was already dark. I didn’t even notice the time passing, being lost in not-so-welcome thoughts. 

Not wanting to think about these things, I walked, walked and walked. Without stopping, picking up the pace, just to distance myself from all of this. I’m not sure how, I just know that when I realized it, I had left the village, now I was walking along a trail in the forest next door. That’s good, this is more my kind of environment, and it’s okay, luckily, I brought my sword with me. I never go out without it. 

The sounds of nature were welcome, they helped me distract myself, to not think about her. Oh, damn it, why won’t this girl leave my mind? No, no way, I know how this ends, that won’t happen, not again. I know very well how this works, it feels so good when you start out, in the end I’ll end up disappointed. I can’t, I’m a hero, I can’t have weaknesses, everything I love is taken away from me. 

I mean, I know she would never do anything to me, she’s not that kind of girl, but I just can’t 

I sighed and leaned against a tree, why do I have to deal with this now? This is not the best time for personal dilemmas. Well, it doesn’t matter, because no matter what happens, I won’t say I’m in love. 

— You won’t say what? – The voice that wouldn’t come out of mine said, making me jump in fright, turning around immediately. 

— What do you think you’re doing here?! 

— I saw you leave the inn and I got worried. It took me a while to find you, I ended up losing sight of you when you went into the forest. I tried to call you too, but you didn’t listen to me, you seemed lost in your thoughts... 

Damn, this girl is still going to be my downfall. 

— Look... forget it, I just wanted to clear my head, okay? Alone. 

— Hm, too bad I followed you then. – She replied with a mischievous smile. 

— Oh no, not at all! Look, little girls shouldn’t be wandering around the forest in the middle of the night, it could be dangerous, now get lost. 

— Sexist! 

— What? That’s not what I meant! 

She just laughed in my face. Oh, that laugh... No, nah uh. 

— Look, if you tell me what’s wrong, I swear I’ll leave you alone. 

— No way, you should leave me alone just because I’m asking. 

— Oh no, that’s not going to happen! 

I rolled my eyes. Stubborn girl. I was going to complain about her attitude again, but when I turned to face her, I saw something in the shadows behind her, something dangerous that was approaching quickly. I acted instinctively, pushing her aside and putting myself in her place in the process, which ended up causing the thing to hit me hard in the back, instead of hitting her. 

I let out a muffled scream of pain feeling the cut that had been inflicted on me, I could feel my blood running down, but the only thing that was going through my mind was if she was okay. I ended up knocking her to the ground, but thanks to Hylia she didn’t seem hurt. I let out the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding, and turned to face my attacker.   

A lizalfo with a sword, that was my current enemy, who had the audacity to try to hurt my girl. I quickly drew my sword and went towards the monster that tried to attack me again, I dodged it easily and slashed its back. Sweet revenge. I took advantage of its moment of unpreparedness to decapitate the creature, which turned to dust, putting an end to all this. 

I returned the sword to its sheath and ran to the side of the girl who remained on the ground, still trying to understand the series of events. I was able to do a more careful inspection, making sure she was not injured, and I felt relieved about that. I sighed and stood up, helping her to do the same. 

— See? That’s why I told you not to follow me! – I scolded her, I didn’t want to make her feel bad, but I couldn’t let that happen again. 

— You’re hurt, let me see! – She ordered, completely ignoring my complaint. 

— It’s okay, it’s nothing. Now let’s go back to the inn and... 

— “It’s okay” my ass, Link. You have a huge cut on your back, if we go back with you like this you’ll die of bleeding on the way! Now, can you let me examine you, damn it? 

I think it was pretty clear on my face how surprised I was. I never imagined I’d see her so angry, much less for a reason like this. I huffed, looking away from her without saying anything else, hoping she couldn’t see my red cheeks. What? It was kind of attractive. 

She didn’t say anything else either, just turned me around so she could see my wound, trying to push aside the torn clothes to get a better look at the cut, making me hiss in pain. 

— Well done, that was for being reckless. – She started to scold me, but I kept quiet, with a frown. – Come on, you were trying to die? Do you realize how stupid you were? 

To avoid saying more than I should, I kept quiet. She kept talking while cleaning my wound with a small kit that each of us carried. 

— Look, I’ve noticed for a while now that you’ve been acting strange, talking little, distancing yourself, not even looking at me. Are you avoiding me? Did I do something to you? 

Okay, I knew that at some point these questions would come up, but I’m not ready to deal with them, not yet, I can’t, I won’t. 

— Why are you like this? What’s wrong? Don’t you trust me? If the problem is me, I understand, but you shouldn’t keep this to yourself. I care about you, Legend. 

I can’t, I won’t say this. 

— Say something, don’t just stay silent. Is the problem with me? Does this have anything to do with what you were reading earlier today? 

I won’t say! 

— Come on, say something! What’s wrong with you?! 

— I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU, OKAY?! – I screamed, losing control, turning to face her, I could see her backing away because of that. – I ADMIT, I’M IN LOVE, EVERY MOMENT I THINK ABOUT YOU, I CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND! I’M AVOIDING YOU BECAUSE I’M SCARED, I’M AFRAID OF FALLING IN LOVE, BUT EVERY MINUTE THAT I’M AWAY FROM YOU SEEMS LIKE ETERNAL TORTURE! I LOVE YOU, DAMN IT! NOW, IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? HERE IT IS, THE TRUTH! NOW PLEASE, DON’T TORTURE ME ANYMORE!   

When I finally stopped screaming and venting, my breathing was irregular, I was gasping for air, and regret washed over me at the same time. Holy shit, that was the worst way to confess in the world. Fuck, I yelled at her! What kind of jerk yells in the face of the girl he loves? Anguish overcame me, there was no way she would take this well, she should give me a big slap in the face. 

— I... sorry, I didn’t- 

My speech was interrupted when, with impressive speed, she kissed me. Just like that, she held my face between her hands and pulled me close, kissing me intensely and leaving me motionless for a moment. When I finally understood what was happening, I was quick to reciprocate, grabbing her waist and pulling her closer, closing my eyes to better enjoy this moment which I only imagined was possible in dreams. 

Unfortunately, we had to separate to get some air. I intended to go back at the same time, not at all willing to miss this opportunity, but she stopped me, which caused me some despair. Did she regret it? 

— I love you too, idiot. – She said smiling and then went back to kissing me, but quickly pulled away again, concluding with a more serious voice. – But don’t yell at me again! 

I just nodded frantically, she smiled and went back to kissing me, and I couldn’t feel more satisfied. I think it’s okay to say I’m in love. 

[fantasyinvader]

It’s just as simple as people believing that Edelgard tells them the truth and that the Church really is JRPG evil Church #1835, and beyond that it’s that Edelgard’s war is one of liberation like your typical Fire Emblem lead rather than conquest. These same folks had to have it pointed out to them that Edelgard lies to her entire army after Arianrhod, only for them to turn around and try to say it’s okay that Edelgard does so.

People want to believe that since they made the conscious decision to join Edelgard, what she’s doing must be good otherwise it reflects badly on them. It’s why people put so much emphasis on the game being about unreliable narrators and what’s right being whatever the player wants it to be, all while very basic symbolism should be telling them that isn’t the case. They want to ignore the revelations of the other routes because it calls their decision into question or, worse, makes it clear that they’re fighting for the bad guy.

Really, it’s just players wanting to feel validated. That they made the right call in protecting Edelgard rather than the game tricking them into joining one of it’s villains. What they want is for Edelgard’s actions in other routes to be the result of her slipping without Byleth’s support, and for her to not be a monster because of it. They want Flower to be about her opening up and trusting others as the BEs form a found family, not that Edelgard is playing everyone like puppets. They want her to be right about everything, not that she’s been feed bad info and refuses to change her views. The truth shouldn’t matter, since the game is about what they believe is right and therefore the facts should be what they want it to be. Therefore, what they want is for the Church to be the real villain of the game. Not Edelgard, nor the Agarthans who some say the game should portray sympathetically rather than the Nabateans.

The Church and what it teaches needs to be the problem for Edelgard and her actions to be justified, but a lot of people just end up projecting and don't actually look at what it, or Edelgard for that matter, actually preaches. Since the Church said that Crests are a gift from the goddess and that people shouldn't abuse them or their power, because doing so caused Sothis to leave, than to them it's the problem that caused people to covet Crests rather than, you know, people coveting power in general and will do anything to gain it. Can't have that, since it makes humans look like assholes and Edelgard is about fuck yeah humanity. Again, it's just projection and without it what leg do they have to stand on in getting rid of apparently the only institution in Fodlan that provides for the poor.

Honestly, it just reminds me of all the recent articles about how even at high level universities students now lack the ability to properly read and analyze a text.

One time I saw someone try to claim that Edelgard was a victim of bigotry and I didn't know how to respond to that. I mean that figuratively. Trying to explain what bigotry means to them was obviously a lost cause and a waste of time, so I didn't bother

But still....

What kind of bigotry does this white girl face?

?

Maybe it was from a devoted fan ranting about how some part of the fandom is "bigoted" and hates her?

Or it's again "projection 101" and an argument thrown at her because the double headed eagle mascot is less engaging than Saint Hatsune Marie Miku ?

[mxmollusca]

I write things. Here are a few of them:

To-cat-ta and Fugue

Pairing: Blackbonnet

Rating: T

Summary: My piece for the A to Z of Ed Teach Zine, featuring the letter N for Ned, in which I predict Ed's catboy era before season two gifted us with the bell collar and onesie. Canon-divergent post season one, in a universe where Ed and Stede make it back to the Revenge and resume pirating.

***

Works for Spiders

Pairing: Blackbonnet

Rating: M

Summary: Innkeepers-era horror-comedy told from the POV of the house spider who lives in the inn. Think Charlotte's Web meets Home Alone.

***

Wave Hello to the Void

Pairing: Blackbonnet

Rating: E

Summary: Stede Bonnet is a former professor of folklore and aspiring YouTube personality trying to find the Mothman.

Edward Teach is an ex-astronomer just trying to find a way out of small-town West Virginia.

Little do they know that what they actually find will change them both forever.

Written in collaboration with @zacharybosch and @eefaevie!

***

The Scientific Findings of E. Teach, Stedeologist series:

An Arm and a Leg

The Sticking Place

Pairing: Blackbonnet

Rating: E

Summary: Stede is cursed to grow tentacles whenever he gets wet, and Ed is a huge, horny nerd about it. The story answers the question: "What if a body that changes is fine, actually?"

***

The Starry Eyes and Counting Down to Zero series:

In Favor With Their Stars

The Ship of Theseus

Pairing: Blackbonnet

Rating: M

Summary: Ed is an engineer aboard the Revenge, an interplanetary research vessel on a multi-year mission to study Jupiter's moon Europa. An accident requires that Ed awaken from cryostasis over six months early, and finds his only companion to be Stede, the ship's onboard AI. They develop an unconventional friendship, but is it possible to have more?

This is classic mutual pining with a sci-fi twist, inspired by all of my favorite stories about the nature of personhood.

Audio drama excerpts from In Favor with Their Stars, performed by @nordarknessdimsthesky

***

There's a Monster at the End of This Book

Pairing: Vianton

Rating: M

Summary: Musings on humanity, monstrosity, and buttons, or:

Anton self-actualizes, with a little help from a friend.

***

Choose Your Own Adventure: Reunion!

Pairing: Blackbonnet

Rating: E

Summary: A collaborative Choose Your Own Adventure story full of feelings, smut, a sprinkling of angst, a generous helping of nonsense, and a whole lot of amazing writing and art by 16 different writers and artists!

[ogeneraloito]

interesting how fords been surrounded by triangles his entire life. looks like ford and bill were always doomed to meet each other

ford did seem to think that he is destined to be in gravity falls, destined to be part of greater things, and bill also thought he was "destined for so much more"

to quote on alex, "that's ford's great flaw, is arrogance. is he believes that there's special people, and everyone else. that human attachments are actually weaknesses. and the song and dance that he’s giving dipper right now, is the song and dance that he gave mcgucket, back when they were younger… ‘you and me are different, we’re better than everyone else. we have a path that no one else can understand, and only us can do this.’"

i think at some point bill really thought ford was the one that UNDERSTOOD him (well, ford did think "why did rudolph not simply kill the other reindeer? he shouldve burned his workshop to the ground"). some of his henchmaniacs didnt seem to actually like bill at all

quick edit for something ive found:

this is from "dreamscaperers", and apparently ford had been dreaming about the cipher wheel for weeks before he even found the cave. enough times that he was even able to perfectly draw the wheel on the journal. bill didnt even know about ford yet.

[gameraboy2]

The Monster at the End of this Book (1971)

[ghost-bxrd]

This one looks so silly right now but I gotta trust the process 💪😭🤣