#thinking about my village and feeling <_< about going back

[unapologeticallylorenz]

My Golden Ending for Byleth is constantly time looping until they figure out a way to smash through every obstacle that holds them back from saving all their children.

the next loop will be the one bro trust me

[brittle-doughie]

Hi Brittle! This is my first time requesting a scenario for you. But anyways, can you create an angsty one where the reader comforts Pavlova Cookie? Since I learned that Pavlova Cookie's desire is to leave the garden but he can't due to Eternal Sugar Cookie won't allow anyone to leave her Garden of Sweet Delights (I hadn't play CRK for quite some time, so this is new to me) and it is implied that the "statues" in-game were actually living cookies who defied Eternal Sugar Cookie

[Calm Sugar Angel] “Would you like another, heavenly?”

[You] “That would be nice.”

[Gentle Sugar Angel] “We have plenty, so don’t be afraid to have as much as you want!”

The angels kept continuing to feed you countless fruits as you lay back in the pink cloud. It hadn’t been that long since you’ve arrived here in the garden, at least it was what you thought. Here? It was nothing but relaxation and a stream of berries and other delights!

Who would even think of wanting to leave such a place like this!

“Well, with a beaten down and broken heart like yours, a rest like this from the outside world was needed!”

[You] “Pavlova Cookie? When you did get here?”

[Calm Sugar Angel] “Pavlova Cookie! You know this sanctuary was only made for our heavenly in mind!”

[Gentle Sugar Angel] “The Bringer of Happiness will not be pleased to see other Cookies in here, including you!”

[You] “Hey, it’s okay! He’s probably only here to pester me about my heart. I can take it from here. Peace!”

The Sugar Angels nodded to your request and fly away from the sanctuary, leaving you and Pavlova Cookie alone.

“So what brings you to me, Pavlova Cookie? Here to talk about how my heart is locked away? How I need to move on after all these years? Because let me tell you, it’s going to be eons more before I even consider it.”

“So many Cookies pining for your love and you won’t even give them a chance! It’s such a tragic way to go, love so close yet so out of reach! I LOVE it!”

“They understand that part of me isn’t ready. Maybe someday, but for now, I just like doing my own thing of helping Cookies in my kingdom and out of it.”

“Your kingdom?”

“Yeah, it’s a place where Cookies get to live their lives the way they want to live it! It’s safe and welcoming to all Dessertians! Just don’t be overly evil and we’re all set!”

“Safe and welcoming….the Bringer of Happiness told me that the Cookie world was unfair. That the garden is the only place where Cookies can be happy…”

That happiness you’ve been feeling turned into confusion at his pondering words.

“There…are unfortunately some crummy parts of Earthbread, but it doesn’t cover the ENTIRE land. There are villages, kingdoms, and nature where Cookies live worry-free lives, it’s not something only exclusive to this garden..”

“If what you’re saying is true….”

“Yeah?”

“……”

“Pavlova Cookie?”

Pavlova Cookie quickly looked around for a second, flying around to make sure the brush was well bunched together and the gate leading to the sanctuary was secure before flying back to you, taking you by surprise as he holds your hands into his.

“Please take me with you!”

“What!?”

“The Bringer of Happiness told me about you, how you bring happiness to the Cookies that live in your kingdom. It makes you and her alike in that way…”

“I…guess you can say that…but why would you want to leave, it’s safe here…”

“…..you won’t turn me into a lifeless statue, will you?”

“I’m repeating myself here, but what!?”

“That’s what happens to any Cookie that tries to leave here. I wanted to be free for so long, but I was so afraid of what the Bringer of Happiness would do to me if I tried. But with you here, I might have a chance!”

“Pavlova Cookie….”

“Please….*sniff*…I can’t live like this any longer….”

Pavlova Cookie started to cry, this knocked you out of your happy-induced stupor as your protective instincts took over. You hold the little Cookie close to you as he weeps into your chest.

“Hey, ssshhh. It’s okay, please don’t cry!”

“Don’t leave me here,…*sob*….take me with you…”

You felt conflicted…but that went away real quick with a feeling of determination as you brush his hair.

“I will find you a way out….”

[detectivestucks]

Marked for You Pt. 4

18+ content, Minors do NOT interact

Pairing: Kakashi x F!Reader

Summery: Now that Kakashi knows, he won't leave you alone. There is no taking a hint because you're no longer hinting. The man doesn't understand the word 'no' and it will be the end of you.

Warnings: Sexual tension. It's getting hot in here.

Word Count: 3.4k

A/N: Thank you for continuing to allow my little side quest. I was reading the Four Horseman series by Laura Thalassa this week and felt the need to drag this out a smidge longer. If you've sent a request, I swear I haven't forgotten about it, I'm just being self-indulgent. Sorry!

Reader Request I Part 1 I Part 2 I Part 3

Another day, another split shift, but at least the money is good. You debate if you want to spend your new wealth on better living accommodations or not but, it’s kinda nice to live next to Naruto. He’s a sweet boy and the way his eyes light up when you bring him food makes your entire day. 

As you think about the ball of sunshine you decide to head over to the leftover pastries. You grab some that you’d have to throw away otherwise, since they don’t keep well overnight, and place them in a box. Then you start grabbing the pastry trays and bring them to the back room, sorting through what will keep for another day and what needs to be tossed. Halfway through your task you hear the shop door open.

Your head lulls back as you close your eyes in frustration. You forgot to lock the door. Pasting on a smile you spin on your heel and walk to the front, however it doesn’t take long for your smile to falter.

“I thought you were on a mission.”

The tall ninja leans against the front door, one hand in his pocket, the other supporting a potted plant. “Keeping track of me, I see.”

“No, it’s just obvious when you’re out of town because you don’t haunt me like a shadow when you’re off defending the village.” your voice becomes whimsical, pretending he’s so noble and heroic when really you’d rather he just stay away.

“And now I’m home to check on my beautiful soulmate.”

Gaze cast to the ceiling, you pray for patience. With a deep breath drawn through your nose, you center your focus back upon Kakashi. “I have a birthmark. You have a crush. There is nothing deeper going on here.”

Kakashi approaches you, stepping forward till you’ve backed yourself up to the glass pastry case. “We both know that’s a lie.”

“It’s not.”

The corner of his mouth turns up, a stupid smirk stretching his lips under that dumb mask. “Keep trying to convince yourself, maybe one day you’ll actually believe it.” He leans against you as he places the pot down next to the cash register. Your body instantly reacts with a bolt of electricity shooting through your center. Stiff nipples, clenched core, lost breath, you’re stupid skin sack can’t tell the difference between a bad time and a good one. 

Kakashi feels it too. His chuckle fans your ear, causing your eyes to close.  There’s a sudden desperation to be anywhere but here and it drives you to push him away. Your palms make contact with his chest and shove his solid body away from you. As soon as he steps back you suck in air, filling your depleted lungs. 

“That wasn’t very nice.”

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“You know what. I’m not interested so keep moving.”

“I’d believe you more if your nipples did just poke my chest a few seconds ago.”

You growl in frustration. “Why are you like this?”

“I’m not normally.”

“Then why me? What’s so special about me that you’ve become this guy?” you say gesturing to all of him.

“You’re my soulmate.”

“I’m not!”

“There’s no need to throw a fit.”

You claw at your own hair, pulling on it unsure of what to say or do. Your eyes dart around the shop, desperate for something, anything, to get you out of this conversation. You spot your coat and internally say ‘screw it.’ With a stomp of your foot, you silently speed walk towards your jacket and whisk it up, pulling it over your shoulders and bolting out of the front door. 

You don’t care that you left the shop unlocked or that you didn’t finish cleaning up, you just needed to get out of there. 

Kakashi calls your name, knowing he went too far. He sounds worried but you ignore him, picking up the pace of your feet till you break into an all out run, frantic to put as much distance between him and you as possible.

I pushed too hard, further than I should’ve in my desperation to get her to break. I may be patient but I'm determined and that same determination won out over my empathy.

Taking a look around, I gather the gist of what she was doing and I busy myself, finishing the job. I’ve watched her through the window enough times to know her routine. Empty the case and sort through what gets tossed and what gets saved. Count the register drawer, sweep the shop, set out the dry ingredients, take out the trash, turn off the lights, and lock all three doors before pulling the burglar gate over the shop’s main entrance. 

As I finish, I straighten the plant I brought for her, keeping it perched next to the cash register so every person who comes in can see it. She is mine. She is taken. She is off limits. Let there be no question. 

I’ve followed her in the shadows enough to know there are hopeful men encroaching on what belongs to me. She doesn’t acknowledge them, she doesn’t even notice them, stupid girl. She’s always so focused on herself that she never notices her surroundings. It’s one of her worst traits. Mostly because it makes me fear for her safety when I’m not around. 

I snatch the keys up off the floor and grab the box of treats that was sitting in the kitchen. After locking all the doors and closing the gate I set out in the direction of Naruto’s building.

Nighttime cloaks the road in darkness but splashes of streetlight illuminate the way. I’m not one for running if I’m not on a mission, so instead I stroll down the streets of Konaha, giving my princess as much time away from me as I’ll allow. I won’t stop pushing her, but I’ll try to be better. I’ll try not to let my overwhelming attraction to her hijack my morals. It can be hard though. Something about her shakes a wire loose in my brain. I can’t stop myself sometimes. She’ll be standing close but not close enough. I need to feel her against my body; it’s an involuntary reaction. I don't know how much longer I can hold myself at bay.

I climb the steps of her building before I finally come to her door next to Naruto’s. I knock with three short raps, standing patiently for her to open up. Naturally she doesn’t, I figured she wouldn’t. There’s an internal battle waging in my mind. Do I pick the lock and leave the box inside, or do I leave it out here where the ants will get to it? 

As much as I want to respect her privacy, I go ahead and pick the lock. It’s a simple single latch, nothing I can’t do with one hand. Once I hear the click, I push open the door to find the place dark except for the glow of a light seeping from under the gap of her bedroom door. Silently, I place the box on her kitchen table and excuse myself, making sure to lock what I have opened. 

Holed up in your room you hear your front door open. Why wouldn’t he break into my home?! There’s literally no place that’s safe from Kakashi. He’s inescapable.

Should I cave? Should I give in? Should I let him trample all over my heart? Your gooseflesh rises at the thought. You curl into a ball on your bed, tucking your chin tightly into your chest, hugging your knees till you hear him leave. 

It’s only then that you realize you were holding your breath.  He didn’t stay, he didn’t linger. Was he just proving to you that he can come and go as he pleases?

You roll over and scootch off the bed. Your feet lightly making their way over to the front of your apartment where you flick the light switch. Spinning around quickly, you check to make sure he isn’t secretly lurking in the shadows. After a few seconds to survey the room, verifying there is nowhere he could be hiding, your eyes settle on the pink pastry box situated at the center of your dining room table. It was the box you set aside for Naruto before your stupid soulmate came and ruined the evening. Maybe you should head back to work and at least lock the doors, however, the keys to the bakery now lay scattered on the table next to the sweets.

As much as you don’t want to give him credit, something in your gut tells you he locked up the shop, and an annoying amount of you believes he probably finished your chores too. Your fingers pick up the keys by the ring, allowing them to clang together as you dangle them in front of your face, scrutinizing the new keychain that now hangs among the metal. There's now an adorable pug dog with a headband wrapped around its head, similar to the ones ninja wear.

“You’re going to be the end of me, Kakashi Hatake. I’m sure of it.”

The sun is low in the sky, only a few rays poke through the shop window as you stand at the register taking orders from your usual crowd of morning customers. After dropping off the sweets at Naruto's, sleep was hard to chase last night now that you know Kakashi views locked doors as welcome mats.

It bothers you to no end that the handsome hero is impossible to escape. Even now, your standing next to this stupid potted plant that he left for you while being a damned gentleman and locking up shop for you last night. Though it was the least he could do considering the only reason you couldn't close shop was because of him. You just want to move on, forget about this soulmark crap and look for a nice guy. Someone who’s not so complicated, and someone who’s not a slut.

Almost robotically you fill orders. Your arms reflexively reach for the pastries that correspond with each familiar face. As the line filters in, your tired eyes look up to see someone a little less familiar.

“Morning!”

“Good Morning, what can I get you?”

You try to look wide awake. It can be hard when you both open and close but this man’s face makes it a little easier. His features are soothing. Dark brown hair, light brown eyes, olive skin, everything about him is warm and inviting. 

“Lets start with something sweet. What do you recommend?”

“I uh, well most people prefer our candied dumplings but I prefer a good cinnamon roll to start my Friday.”

“Sounds like I’ll take the cinnamon roll then.”

“You got it. Anything else?”

“I’ll take a matcha and your number if it’s available.”

“Sure thing, one matcha- wait, what?”

The curl of his lips is unmistakable as he watches your face change. The lady behind him stiffens and starts looking between the two of you. 

“You want my number?”

He scratches his neck with a little laugh. “I’m not normally very forward but I came here once before and I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re very pretty, you know. The kind of beauty that leaves an impression on a guy.”

Your lips part, unsure how to respond. You can think of one man who might agree with him but you don't want to imagine him at this moment. Your eyes are glued to this man's bright expression until you notice the lady behind him is gearing up to say something. 

“I, yeah, I, let me get you that matcha.”

You turn your back completely, trying to hide the heat on your cheeks. After a few seconds you begin pouring the hot water and steeping the matcha powder when you decide you’re going to accept. Moments ago you were wishing you could move on. This is your chance.

Just as you turn around the shop’s bell rings and in walks the persistent silver mane of one Kakashi Hatake. The paper cup nearly slips from your hand as your heart rate spikes. Of all the times for him to drop in, it had to be now. There is a collective inhale from the various occupants of the small room, each one apprehensive to see events unfold. Kakashi acts as if he didn't hear it but you know he does.

Quickly you look down, pretending you didn’t see him and minding your own business. Your fingers grasp the nearby marker and scribble your digits along the side of the cup in an act of defiance towards the Copy Ninja. No stupid mole is going to dictate your love life. It’s just a birthmark, nothing more. You plaster on your best customer service smile, handing over the cup and the small box with the customer's bun, wishing the gentleman a wonderful day and thanking him for his business.

He looks at you a bit lost but doesn’t press his proposal any further, assuming his rejection. You don’t want to address it now that ‘you-know-who’ is in the room but you pray the guy notices your note before his tosses the cup in the recycle.

As he leaves your stomach drops, both afraid Kakashi will find out what you did and sad that you never got the guy’s name. You chew on you lip as your eyes trail out the window after him before taking a deep breath and moving on to the next customer. You say your usual greeting when like a magnet, your eyes lock with Kakashi. He’s looking at you, calculated, reading you. Did he notice your number on the cup? Did he catch you looking out the window? What is he thinking behind that secretive mask?

Suddenly you realize you missed the lady’s order and blink your eyes back to focus, “I’m sorry, what was that?”

A lady, closer to her sixties than her fifties leans into you, reciting her order for the second time. As you jot it down and enter the items into the register she leans in and whispers, “Don’t go on that date sweetheart. It isn’t good to ignore a soulmark.”

Nervously glancing at Kakashi you whisper back, “I’m not ignoring it, I’m rejecting it. I’ve seen who I’m marked for and I don’t want it.”

“I don’t know what happened between you two but the longer you fight it, the harder things will be. Just give him (she glances over at the silver haired ninja) another chance.”

“I can make my own decisions, thank you.” you say as you hand over the food.

“You’re a sweet girl. Don’t do anything rash.” She grabs your hand as she takes her order and give you a light squeeze. “Just think on it.” With a smile she turns to walk out but not before giving Kakashi a polite nod as she passes. 

He exchanges pleasantries with her but as soon as she’s gone his piercing gaze is back on you. The heat of it makes you nervous. Part of you wonders again if he knows what you did and if he plans on confronting you about it. Please don’t confront me about this at work. 

You move through your line of customers for the next half hour, one after the other without any breaks. Kakashi stays with you the entire time, loitering in the shop. You want to kick him out but you also don’t want to give him any attention, aside from the glances you steal between transactions. Once the last member of the morning rush is gone you finally slam down your palm next to the register, jostling the plant. 

“Can I help you?”

He pauses, a smirk forming under his mask.

“These tables are for customers only. Either purchase something or get out.”

“Fine, I’ll bite.”

You stiffen, your eyes shooting to the cloth covering his lips. If he eats, am I finally going to see what’s under that mask? After rolling your shoulders and clearing your throat, you take a step and stand back over at the register, “What can I get you?”

“What did you recommend to that man when I first entered the shop?”

Frozen. “What?”

“The guy you were flirting with earlier. What did you offer him?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come now, you must remember. Brown hair, brown eyes, hopeful smile, trying to steal my girl.”

“I’m not your girl.”

“Yet.”

“Stop.”

“No.”

“Get out.”

“No.”

“Leave!”

“No.”

You kick the counter in frustration. “Damn it Kakashi, stop! We are not a couple! We are not dating. I do not belong to you.”

“Yes. You. Do.”

“No. I. Don’t.”

The two of you stare at each other, heat rising between you.

“I’ll take the cinnamon roll.”

You scoff, “If you already knew what he ordered then why did you ask?”

“I wanted to see if you’d lie to me.”

“And?”

“Your pants are on fire.”

“No dip, Sherlock. So how do you feel knowing I lied to you?”

“Angry.” He says it mater-of-factly, no emotion behind the word.

“And what are you going to do about it?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I would. That’s why I asked.”

Kakashi just stares back at you, his face blank. “The service here is terrible. How long do you plan on making me wait for this cinnamon roll? Or are you going to bake me a fresh one?”

“You’re insufferable.”

He shrugs his shoulders. You angrily grab one of the goodie boxes and start folding it. Unceremoniously you grab the roll and slam it down in the box before shoving it in Kakashi’s chest. “Take it before I spit on it.”

“That’s not a very nice thing to say to your soulmate.”

“We are not soulmates!”

“Do I need pull down those pants and show you my family crest?”

“You know what...” You take back the box and open the lid, bringing it to your face, you lick off a huge glob of frosting and then push it back into his hand, wiping the icing off your chin as you do. “There.”

Before you truly register what’s happening the box falls to the floor as Kakashi pulls you into him for a kiss. In lightning speed he lowers his mask and his lips go crashing into yours. One hand firmly circles your waist, the other at the back of your head, keeping you in place, His hold is fierce, leaving you helpless to pull away. You resist him at first, keeping your mouth still but the scent of him fills your nose and clouds your mind. He smells so good. Not like cologne, but a mix of the outside and natural musk. The kind of scent that, on most men, you’d dislike, but when it comes to the man you really want, your biology can’t get enough. Your lips give way to the demanding movements of his own and soon his tongue is exploring your cavern, licking the sugary sweetness right out of it. 

You swoon, your lips keeping pace with his. Everything about you is in sync. Your body entirely in tune with the man holding you. His fingers in your scalp tighten their grip, fisting your hair the more excited the wolf gets. You’re melting into him, every crevice of your body blending with his edges.

Kakashi’s moaning into you, devouring you and leaving your lips swole. He leaves you with a new hunger that you’ve never experienced before and it frightens you. All of this frightens you.

Your eyes snap open and you push him away. “No!”

Standing there, mask carefully pulled back over his features, Kakashi pants, a mix of dazed and shocked. He steps forward, “I know you felt it. It wasn’t just me.”

“It was.”

“Liar.”

You look at him with defiance. “I don’t know what I felt and I don't care. I’m not going to let this happen. Not now, not ever.”

“One way or another, Princess, this is happening. Fight it all you want mystery girl, but you’re not slipping through my fingers.”

“Get out.” you whisper, eyes turned down. You bite the flesh of your lips, feeling how inflamed they are from the way Kakashi toyed with them.

He gives you one last look of yearning before he leaves, making a shockingly silent exit.

You stoop down to collect the ruined cinnamon bun, almost surprised that Kakashi didn’t clean it up before he left. He cleaned up your mess last night, why not clean up this one? Ugh, even to yourself you sound like a selfish brat. Gods, how insufferable have I become?

Running my hands over my mask, I trace my own lips. You kissed her. You kissed her. Heavens, you kissed her.

Walking away from the bakery, I replay the scene over and over in my head. Her smell, her taste, her fire. I want her more than anything but I was foolish. I pushed her too far again. I need to get a grip. Why can’t I control myself around her?! This is a precision operation and I’m blowing it. 

Then there’s that guy. Who is my mystery girl giving herself away to? Over my dead body. There will be no date. I don’t care what she thinks she’s going to do, it’s not happening. 

I lower my hand and turn in the same direction that joke was walking in earlier. Time to do some recon...

Masterlist I Part 1 I Part 2 I Part 3

Tagslist:

@hoohamaru @watasinekoru @blueeclipsepaperstudent @readingcatinacorner @tanyaspartak @liyry @mutsu422 @longlivegojo @jjjbtori @blondenaruto

[frenchfriesandhawtguys]

What kind of Minecraft player each Primarch would be

So a worm ate my brian and I had to think about how the primarchs would be as minecraft players. Like the roles they would have in the game. I decided to talk about this with my friend @nightghoulz (the orange is stuff they came up with and Purple is what I came up with) and this is what we came up with. Also, the end part is like super shitty cause I didn't put that much thought into it, despite it being the literal thing that like literally started this conversation but oh well.

Lion El' Johnson: Immediately runs off to create a secret base somewhere where no one will find. He is also in charge of exploring and map making.

Fulgrim: The miner. duh.

Perturabo: Begrudgingly works with Dorn to build the base, does all the redstone stuff.

Jaghatai Khan: Speedrunner, so he is pretty much bored while everyone else is still working on the base. So, he just makes a bunch of mob farms, including a horse farm so he can get the fastest and most jumpy horse.

Leman Russ: Has a bunch of wolves and just runs around pillaging villages and temples

Rogal Dorn: Works with Perturabo on building the fortress

Konrad Curze: Regularly steals from everyone and has a secret base where he is building a huge cathedral.

Sanguinius: Also owns the server. The flower collector who has the worst luck the entire time, he is always dying and he's thousands of blocks away from his bed. He is the reason keep inventory is on. But he is secretly really fucking good and doesn't let anyone know until it's necessary.

Ferrus Manus: Works on XP farms (iron cage 😛) and goes mining with Fulgrim

Angron: Has the best freaking luck ever, lives off of gapples and refuses to use anything other than an ax. Is always saving Sanguinius. He pretty much camps at the XP farms and just spends forever there.

Roboute Guilliman: In charge of the base, including storage. He also is in charge of going to the Nether and the End.

Mortarion: In charge of the plant farms.

Magnus the Red: In charge of potions and enchanting

Horus Lupercal: Owns the realm. Plays on creative but nobody knows. (Nightghoulz literally fucking did this)

Lorgar Aurelian: Just there to vibe, helps where he's needed

Vulkan: In charge of making weapons and giving the villagers nice houses. Has a bunch of axolotls for war purposes.

Corvus Corax: Has a bunch of parrots and begged Horus to get the texture pack that can turn them into ravens/crows and cats and just runs around. Until he finds Konrad, then asks if he can join Konrad and they end up building the cathedral together and bonding.

Alpharius Omegon: Tunnels. Everywhere.

Who dies the most? Lion.

Who dies the Least? Angron and Guilliman. But Guilliman is becasue he never leaves the fortress and Angron is just extremely good.

Now for the good part...

THE HORUS HERESY

Horus had an idea, but when they all voted on it, he lost. So out of pettiness, he took off and started to build a secret base where he carefully started planning his revenge. He started recruiting ones to join his cause (take over the server completely.) Then he changed the settings to where you lose inventory and friendly fire is on. This was found out after he secretly recruited Fulgrim and Fulgrim took Ferrus mining and they were going to jump off a cliff so they can go back home. But Fulgrim didn't jump, and Ferrus died, losing all of his loot. He freaked out and that's how everyone found out that Horus and seven of the other players betrayed them. Magnus joined Horus after Leman was tricked by Alpharius into thinking that Magnus had betrayed, so leman attacked Magnus. But Magnus hadn't betrayed Guilliman and co., so he was understandably left because he didn't feel welcome anymore. Lion and Konrad blew up Konrad and Corvus' cathedral during their fight.

The end of the Horus Heresy cause Horus and his traitors banished to the End and the Nether. Sanguinius, Ferrus, Vulkan, Jaghatai, Leman, Corvus, Lion, and Rogal all left the realm. Seemingly never to come back. Until one day Lion came back to join Guilliman and his new buddies in preventing Horus and his traitors from coming back into the overworld.

[cavegirlpoems]

OK so, here's the thing. I don't believe that, in the example you've described, there's a meaningful difference between these two situations:

The player isn't sure if there's a village nearby, but the GM has it written in their notes. The GM looks it up, and describes what they previously decided to put there to the players.

The player isn't sure if there's a village nearby, and neither is the GM. The GM comes to a decision, and relays what they just invented to the players.

Assuming that in both cases, there hadn't previously been any mention of the village during the shared act of play, then the end result is the same: the player pokes at an element of the setting, and is informed about what the GM decided for it. When that decision was made - right now, or in last night's prep - doesn't matter. What matters is when it's spoken into reality in front of the other players.

So. What actually matters is when the element of 'the village' is added to the shared imagined space. Did this happen earlier in the session, when the GM said "and just outside the dungeon you're going to, there's this village..." or did it happen just now, when the player said "so I want to send the goblin to attack a nearby village"? It's a question of how much information the players have been given during the act of playing the game.

Like, okay, let's take a counter-example. The GM had prepped a map of the surrounding countryside, and it didn't have a village in it. But, when the player wants to have their new goblin go there, and the GM thinks that's actually a fun idea, so they go back and retroactively add a new village to their map. Again, the presence or absence of that village remained undetermined until it got made real in play. And, because 'there is a village' is now real in the game, we can see that the prep saying there wasn't is superceded effortlessly by actual gameplay.

The electron is passing through both slots, until you observe it, and then the wave function collapses and its position is defined. The village both exists and doesn't exist until it's spoken into existance and the wave-function collapses and its position is defined.

Now, there are practical reasons why you might want to prep things ahead of time. It helps you be consistent, it lets you balance fair challenges more easily, it reduces cognitive load in play. Sure. That activity is a tool; it's a supplement to the act of play to make the act of play go better. There are practical reasons to prefer a low-or-no-prep game too.

The work of a really well-prepared GM who's really good at running a pre-planned game will be largely indistinguishable from the work of a really good 0-prep GM who has instead learned to build the game on the fly.

Realistically, there are practical benefits to high prep and low prep games. However, the accepted default is an extremely high-prep approach, and that high-prep approach often leads to negative outcomes (see the infamous 'It's What My Character Would Do' situation where a player's pre-written image of who their PC is means they feel forced to take undesirable in-game actions, because the paratext of prep-work is being allowed to overtake the text of gameplay). That's what I'm pushing back against, right?

I'm taking a deliberately extreme, even hyperbolic, position for the sake of argument here. I'm advocating for 0 prep games not because I think all games must be 0 prep at all times, but because I want to normalise 0 prep games, and know that they can be good, functional games. Perhaps I overstated my case because I prefer to make the most hard-line version of an argument and see how it shakes out. A more measured way of phrasing it would be: You don't need to do any homework, ever. Like you can, if you want to, if you find it rewarding. But it's not something you must do, it's something you can choose to do depending on taste.

Like I've shown up to the game club, gone 'what do we want to play tonight', and then FKR'd my way through an improvised plot, and it *works*. No part of the game existed until Alex said "I wanna play a bank robbery", and off we went. Zero prep, not even reading a rulebook. Not even *having* a rulebook.

I like writing short fiction about what my PCs get up to off-screen. It's a fun writing exercise that helps me get in the character's head. And it's, effectively, homework. But that writing isn't necessary for the game to function. When I run games, I often enjoy drawing maps and organisation charts and timelines, because thinking about the game when I'm not currently playing it is fun. But that's not necessary for me to run the game, even if sometimes it conveniently helps.

Like, the thing is, my point is kind of the opposite of 'it's all just made up, who cares'. It's not all just equally made up; there are different types of made up, with meaningful distinctions between them. That's what I'm interested in dissecting, right? The way different levels of engagement in this fiction intersect, and which takes priority over which. Like any media analysis, you apply different frameworks and get different results, and currently I'm leaning hard into "what happens in game sessions takes priority over everything else" as a way of thinking about them. This isn't a value judgement about how you should run games, its an analitical framework you can use to understand games. Right?

writing intricate backstories is the playerside equivallent of the gm prep burden

[i-like-media]

THIS episode was DOCTOR WHO again, finally! Inua Ellams is the only one this season who understands how to properly weave politics and social commentary into a story without completely taking you out of it. BY FAR my favourite 15th doctor episode!

There are so many good things I can say about this episode, but I need to talk about how utterly shite the other episodes have been first to fully drive home how phenomenal this episode was..

The robot revolution builds up this whole story about this oppressive world being ruled by robots, you know how it goes... There is a mystery with Belinda and you want to know why they need HER of all people. the story builds up and up and then towards the end it makes the big reveal that, the problem isn't oppressive dictators or the system of a society that oppresses a certain group of individuals......... it's incels. Yeah the truest and purest form of evil is incels and they should just be turned back to a sperm and killed with a vacuum cleaner YES QUEEN. I'm sorry. Since when has ANYONE been the ultimate evil in doctor who besides the Daleks and Cybermen. Why does this guy not deserve a second chance? Especially since you can look up studies about how guys in Incel communities are also really hurt people and that they can get OUT of this mindset with proper help? Why did that one alien that looked into the time vortex and became an egg get a second chance, but this guy should just be sucked up and killed? miss me with that. but you think, oh that's just one episode. what does the next one have to say?

Lux has a whole scene that takes you out of the narrative with doctor who fans who have a whole conversation with him about how he's fiction and also these are their favourite episodes. Scene went on way too long and made me forget what they were even there for again.

The well is just a good story thank god

then we have Lucky Day..... There's once again a whole narrative going on with aliens. there's a mystery, you get invested. But turns out, the whole problem isn't aliens who want to eat you, it's cancel culture! yep! oooooh the scary people online that are writing google docs about you and making podcasts! ooooh wouldn't it be scary if they ENTERED YOUR HOUSE and tried to TAUNT you right to your face? It reads as a vent episode the writer wrote after he got some negativity online. Instead of adding nuance and asking "where do these opinions come from? Is there any truth in what people are saying", they are instead all painted as outrageous villains who want to DESTROY UNIT. It's completely ridiculous and I should've expected nothing less from the person who wrote Kerblam! Had an eerily similar message when you think about it.

The Story & the Engine is FINALLY another breath of fresh air and a story that's WRITTEN WELL ENOUGH to not take you OUT OF THE NARRATIVE WITH ITS MESSAGES. This episode has perfectly woven it into the story! It is up front about what it's about, honest, and the story moves along with it. It is about the unique alienation black people experience and the tight COMMUNITY that formed because of it. It is about black hardships and tales of horror that shall forever be tightly bound to one's heart. It is about the meaning and value of black hair and the stories each strand carries. It is about what drives us and what keeps us alive. and just, so much more. When it mentions slavery, village fires, racism, the black community and how horrible the internet is, it doesn't feel like it's supposed to be a shock or like something the show is trying to score social points for. It's just, the narrative. It's life. Every day life, casual but awful facts. It focuses on the beautiful people born from it and the innovative ways people survived it. THAT is empowering. Every show and movie should take notes. THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE!

Inua Ellams, everyone.

[zeldaversed]

Malink or Zelink? Which is better?

I think it's less of a question of which is better, but more which one makes more sense.

This has been a long-standing debate with Zelda fans everywhere. Canonically, Twilight is Time's blood descendant, so he must have married someone. So let's talk about this.

Clearly, I'm not going to make everyone happy with this analysis. It's only my opinion based off of what we already know. Just to be clear, I like both OoT Zelink and Malink. I'm a sucker for both. So let's get started.

First, let's talk about OoT Zelink. To keep it simple, we're only going to talk about the Child Era.

There's not a lot about that. It's the less popular of the two theories in my experience, but that doesn't make it any less valid. Zelda is the only one who stuck by Link's side beside Navi, even though she was disguised as Sheik. When he returned to his child self and came to her, she knew he had clearly been through it, even if she wasn't particularly sure what it was. They had a connection.

Zelda is the only one who knew what he'd been through. She knew about Kokiri Forest and the death of the Great Deku Tree, she knew about his quests to find the Sacred Stones, all of it. Then Ganondorf attacked, and she was forced to flee. Link was imprisoned by the Master Sword until he was old enough to wield it, and their actions allowed him access to the Sacred Realm. For seven years, Zelda hung onto this guilt disguised as Sheik and hiding right underneath of Ganondorf's nose. She waited seven years for him when everyone else was sure that Hyrule was done for.

When it's all over and Link comes back, he has the Ocarina of Time. Zelda has been having dreams about this for as long as she can remember, and now he's really here? She realizes that he's been through more than anyone else has and understands this.

It's unclear what all happens, but in Majora's Mask, they have a moment in the beginning of the game when she entrusts the ocarina to him. He settles Termina's business, reliving days and days and days and stopping the entire moon from falling, then returns to find Hyrule in a state of pre-war. He probably has traveled everywhere trying to find his purpose and can only do so in Hyrule, fighting for his country, because he feels like that's all he can do.

Zelda and Link probably work closely together during the war and the subsequent capture and execution of Ganondorf. They have a profound connection by this point. Maybe he even is prompted to tell her everything that's happened to him when she wasn't there.

However, here's where things get a little fuzzy.

No matter what, if Twilight is Link's descendant, Time would have had to have had children.

If Link and Zelda had children, then that would have made them royalty or illegitimate, if Link and Zelda weren't technically allowed to be together because he's only a knight and she's the princess; nobody knows he's the hero, remember? In either case, Link ends up in the Lost Woods/Faron Woods area and ends up dying with regrets, becoming a stalfos. This leaves Zelda and their children without his protection, which may very well be one of his regrets. My theory is that, knowing that Ganondorf might one day return, Zelda sent her children away (either to farmlands if you consider only the game, or to the village on the desert border if you consider manga canon too) to presumably keep them safe.

What I'm saying is OoT Zelink works pretty well. Link and Zelda have an obvious connection that becomes romantic over time, and eventually (whether it's allowed or not) they have at least one kid that ends up being sent away to keep it safe after Link's untimely death. Maybe in his death, Link follows his descendants and tries to keep them safe, which is why he finds Twilight so easily.

Now for Malink.

Now, Malink works too and I love it, don't get me wrong. But. Link and Malon don't really have as much of a connection. Even in the manga, Malon makes a comment about how she missed her chance with Link because he's talking about Zelda all the time.

My theory for this is that after the events of Majora's Mask, Link returned to Hyrule and became a knight. He and Malon became friends, then something more. He may or may not tell her everything he's been through, solely because he fears it could destroy their relationship because it's a lot to take in. But they bond over their love of horses, and they fall in love without a shadow of a doubt. They get married, and have children, and Link still somehow ends up in the Lost Woods/Faron Woods area dying with those regrets. But, his children don't need to go into hiding. They're just farmers, nothing very conspicuous about that.

And whether you think the manga is canon or not, it works both ways too. If we lean closer to manga, we can say that his descendants wanted to follow in his footsteps and become knights, hence why Twilight comes from a long line of them.

My conclusion here is that both Zelink and Malink both work, they both make sense, and they're both good love stories, although I will be the first to admit that OoT Zelink is a more juicy one with more angst with a semi-happy ending before Link's death.

If you have anything you'd like to add or you want to be a part of the tag list, please let me know!

[nabaath-areng]

On the train home and distraught over it. My heart lies scattered all over the dust grey floor in pieces that are both pitiful and innumerable.

[blind-healers-blog]

Healer Cookie tilts his head, thinking it over with a hum. Yes, he should tell the villagers where he will be going, shouldn't he? It is important that they know where their only healer was going...

"I'll... let Black Raisin Cookie handle it."

Locating Black Raisin wasn't difficult at all. The fluttering of wings and the caws from her crows always gave her away in the crowd, after all.

Approaching her, Healer Cookie speaks with Black Raisin softly. He isn't surprised when she is reluctant to allow him to go with the stranger by himself, even insisting on coming along. She threw glares at Astral Milk, gaze suspicious and cautious as she does. It was as if she were trying to figure him out, trying to expose whatever hid underneath his smoothly woven personality.

Something about this cookie just wasn't right...

The conversation between the two cookies seemed quite heated but, ultimately, it seems like Black Raisin relents under Healer Cookie's borderline begging, though not without throwing one last piercing glare towards Astral Milk once Healer Cookie's back is turned.

Healer Cookie, meanwhile, seems happy as can be. He's all smiles as he makes his way back towards Astral Milk's side.

And then the most embarrassing thing just had to happen.

Healer Cookie feels the hem of his robes get caught under his foot and, unfortunately, is unable to prevent the following events...

He trips.

He trips and falls right into Astral Cookie.

He could just about crumble right then and there...

"I-I'm so sorry-! Oh, Witches... I didn't mean to fall into you like that! I tripped over my robes and..." Healer Cookie's entire face was positively red from embarassment as he frantically attempts to apologize and right himself once again. He looked more like a strawberry baked cookie rather than vanilla...

Turning his head away to hide his flushed expression, Healer Cookie seems to huff and give up his frantic apologies — probably fearing he'd only make a fool of himself further — and instead hooks his hand into the crook of the other's elbow, pulling him slightly as he leads the way back out of the village.

Shadow Milk Cookie felt lost, drained of his magic, the power was slowly returning but it was mere trickles compared to the torrents he was used to.

He needed to seek refuge, some place far from that cold silver prison he'd clawed his way out from.

What better place to lay low in than somewhere many cookies thought to already be deserted?

Thought to be, because he knew better. Oh, he knew it well, tugging at his collar, beckoning him forth to this bare minimum of a village.

His soul jam was here, it had to be, he just needed to get it back.

Except, that treacherous thing took another soul! One that wasn't even allowed outside without another cookie trailing after him, so full of light, this cookie–

Hm, perhaps he could take him too. Shadow Milk just had to set the stage right, to have the final act have his preferred ending.

Which is why he was injured now, hair mussed up from it's braid, his arm scattered with cracks as he all but stumbled towards the village.

"Help! Some... Somebody, please!" He cried out, wincing at the crumbs that flaked off, he had turned off the circulation of his magic there and was reminded of his fate should he lose the chance to regain his strength.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ @false-ouroborus ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

The Raisin Canyons had been relatively quite until then, the cries for help heard quite clearly. Raisin crows the had flown overhead that caught wind of the stranger nearby immediately returned to send the report. An injured stranger wandering through the canyons, getting closer to the Raisin Village.

Healer Cookie, who happened to by speaking to Black Raisin Cookie when the report arrived, was immediately concerned. Despite Black Raisin's wariness and warnings of strangers in the past, Healer Cookie just can't let himself ignore those who need him.

He had made his way to his tent to grab supplies he may need if his healing wasn't enough on it's own before setting off.

Following the sound of the voice, Healer Cookie can hear the shuffling of another drawing close. He picks up his own pace, drawing close and quite nearly bumping into the stranger.

Once he's close enough, he could smell it.

Jam. A lot of it.

"Oh my! Are you alright? Here, let me help you! You're bleeding so much..." He grabs the stranger's arm, allowing the other cookie lean against him for support as they walk back to the Raisin Village.

He's curious on this new stranger, where they came from and what happened to them... but that can wait until after the injuries have been dealt with.

[fumifooms]

Makima, devils and self-fulfillment

Dumping some Makima and CSM thoughts after a part 1 binge bc I think about her forever and ever. I’m sure I’m forgetting some devil lore, feel free to correct what i get wrong/what’s been confirmed. On the table of contents there’s why & how Makima got fixated on Chainsaw, her revealing liking for the country mouse and discussion of her nature & emotions & desires. Was the scorpion doomed to be a scorpion?

The most of this post was thought of during a conversation with @saccharineomens and I don’t think it makes sense to jump into the spiral it sent me on without first laying down the interesting groundwork theorizing she did:

"Thinking about how makima herself wants to be deified. I wonder whether she recognizes the difference between Love As Worship and the love that Aki, Power, and Denji had. She says she wants to help humanity by having Chainsawman eat the “bad” devils, but why does she want to help humans? Because she was ordered to by the Prime Minister? No, her drive seems much more personal than that, it seems like she teamed up with the PM for contractual reasons. (In the most recent chapters we see governmental members wanting certain devils to be eaten, too. What was Makima’s relationship with them? She’s too independent to just follow THEIR orders, she’s Control.)

So is she wanting to better humanity for the accolades, or out of the goodness of her heart? She sees the big picture. She sees any small sacrifice as worth it for the end result, and she’s ruthless. Perhaps she thinks that a more sedate human race would be easier to control? But Makima doesn’t loathe humanity. She never acts like she sees all humans as lesser. She loves humanity’s creations, like good food and movies. She just wants Good Things all the time

She says she prefers the country mouse BUT adds a story where she helps exterminate country mice like vermin. She likes the simplicity yet rejects the idea of being simple. Makima the complex individual you are"

~

The story itself seems to prefr the country mouse. Well- it strikes a balance, shows that a risk to live good & fully can be very worth it, but still that stability over ambition is preferable, proning having a simple happy life over fame, a simple job instead of a dangerous one, etc etc. And I do find Makima’s answer on this so so interesting, she prefers the country mouse, but this preference isn’t out of affection or sympathy but because of how relaxing it feels to exterminate them when they cause problems.

Order satisfies her. Her order satisfies her. She likes the action of rooting out disorder. Maybe this is the devil part, like how Power especially wants blood and drinking it, I feel there’s an itch to every devil, and for Makima it’s a very rigid world view/morality/standards & making things follow her rules and submit to her order.

And maybe this is why she’s attached to humans too, why she felt it was worth it to stick with the government- because devils are chaotic by nature (it’s a whole plot point that hell is essentially a free-for-all battleground for example), meanwhile humans are the species that universally rule Earth with systems they invented and instilled. They made then enforced rules, complex and intricate webs of them. She feels alienated amongst devils but she understands the humans’ need for an orderly organised society, and now she wants to be part of it. Control and conquest require social dynamics after all, requires civilizations or groups. War is chaotic while peace is, well, peaceful— Makima resents her sisters for being death, famine and war, things that throw the world in such chaos. She wants a world of perfect order, no matter how much collateral damage there will be if the end result is control.

This is even more interesting if you consider that yes, Makima is untouchable of her own design, she deifies herself with her omnipresent amount of control and the sway over others that she seeks and encourages— There is this urge to dehumanize her for it, that yes, she is the devil of control and that means she was never going to be any different, have any more feeling be any less uncanny. And I love part 2 so much for this, because it shows us the war devil and the famine devil and we see how frankly uncharismatic with poor self-discipline they are, Nayuta too, and it helps us realize just how much Makima’s success was self-made.

She admires Chainsaw Devil, the Hero of Hell, because he had his own code and his own rules and he made Hell, the chaos pit, submit to them unfailingly. Wherever he goes he decides what he does and what happens to the people he encounters but does so consistently, he has his mechanism and his rules that he always obeys, and he fulfills them every time. It’s still a mystery the why of Chainsaw Devil’s behavior back then and how it works exactly, maybe Pochita left hell because he was tired of these rules he lived by like chains, but still, he was a servant to his code. Makima would have been glad being killed and eaten by Chainsaw Devil because it’d have been becoming part of his design, his conquest, his domination, she’d have been part of that —his— order. Through her death she would be shaping his world and be part of a conqueror’s making history. Like how she appreciates the country mice that die for the sake of order. Like how sacrifices must be made to herself, like listing the name of every person whose life was lost to the Gun Devil— All for the ~greater good~, for her vision for the world. Conquest always thinks its reasons are justified.

And she does mention with the country mice thing that she goes out to a friend’s farm every year! She has a human friend?? That she visits yearly and she genuinely likes it?? Ultimately she lives a busy city life because of her goal and drive and her urge & satisfaction with overseeing shaping the world herself, but part of her, like so many characters including Angel and Aki and Reze, wishes she could live a slow peaceful country life. Moviegoing and dogs and mice in a farm- Wouldn’t it be so much simpler if Makima could find fulfillment and happiness in being a farmer, in keeping control of her own farm, getting satisfaction from exterminating vermin and expertly getting everything right, the right crops grown at the right time on the right soil? Here, too, in a way it’s trying to have full control of an ecosystem, but her goals would be easier to achieve and better, without ceaseless sacrifice or much pressure. But Makima wants grandiosity and her goal does matter to her on a fundamental and moral level, she does think she knows what’s best for the world, and with the power to change it why wouldn’t she strive to? Visiting the farm is just a break, just something she does in fall to help out and just in time to see the vermin extermination. It calms her, then it’s back to actual work.

In capitalism, even the one at the very top of the ladder is ultimately alienated from others and often unsatisfied by their lifestyle, always wanting more and more power because surely that’s the extra edge they must be missing to be content— like how Makima thinks she wants to dominate Chainsaw Devil instead of being his equal. And she says it herself too, she likes humans the way humans like dogs…….. And she keeps so many dogs :( Makima prefers the country mice because they’re calming to root out, maybe because she usually mainly deals with city mice. It’s very easy to equate humans to the mice in this allegory because it’s pretty direct and she’s already likened humans to lesser animals compared to her. She’s self-isolating by design for her design but she still craves relationships and contentment, and the dogs are the embodiment or her want for bonds and occasional simplicity because there is no possible ulterior motive, no way they tie back into her wider plan. They’re her personal life— something that feels so alien when speaking about Makima. Personality and individuality and likes and preferences and friends they visit every year. She likes how easily she can train a dog and how they become putty in her hands, at her beck and call, how much they love her and how much she enjoys their love. How simple and straightforward and easy it is. She keeps them because she likes being loved by them and loving them, and she’s gotten and raised so many. A conqueror always wants more and more and more, is never satisfied.

Devils and agency

Like Power the blood devil wanting blood and having a fixation on drinking it like with Denji’s, or how it was shocking that the violence devil was pretty tame and nice and how he himself theorized it was because he was a fiend and possessing a human body… There’s something to be said about nature vs nurture with the devils. The way they reincarnate and always embody their fear makes it seem categorically like nature, that they always always end up fulfilling the role they were named after and born to fill… Outside influence they’re helpless but to conform with. Like the humans accepting their spot in the social ladder and the shittiness of their living conditions and job under capitalism. Makima craved being equals with someone despite being the control/conquest devil, Angel Devil despite claiming to be a devil who likes to see humans dying was haunted by their deaths and wanted to avoid ones like Aki’s. The Ghost Devil being ironically haunted by Himeno, seemingly helping Aki in her memory out of… Lasting affection? Or maybe it was less about being haunted itself and more about it recognizing how Himeno haunted Aki, and acknowledging that, with the memento, paying her respect to the ghost of her. It’s Angel Devil’s devil nature that makes him like human suffering, so then is it his angel nature too to still care about their deaths? Is there truth to this or is that just personality, just our confirmation bias haunting every part of their identity like it might in their own view of themselves too? We do know different reincarnations of devils do have different personalities after all.

Yoru, war devil, is the most interesting one when talking about the nature vs nurture debate with devils. There is how through her we see the perhaps the most the consequences of a devil stopping being feared— we see a horseman for a concept as universal and horrifying as war be reduced to some bird who needs a contract with a human to have any power even just on the situation when meeting Asa. And through the story we get to know her better, and it becomes clear that her goal is fueled in good part by simply wanting to be remembered and respected through fear. Liked, validated, seen a powerful. But what is more isolating than war? Or control? We also see Nayuta accepting others’ house rules. If part 1 shows perhaps the futility of running away from the truth, with Denji’s memory, with escapist coping mechanisms, with passivity and denial under a corrupt system and with abusive relationships- running away from your own feelings and from the reality of things and from all that you are, more complex than simply human or devil or both or neither— part 2 builds upon the theme of cult of personalities, the chainsaw church, etc. The apocalypse is coming, but this celebrity superhero might save us all, or doom us all uh, dunno. The hero of hell reliving the cycle of pressure from responsibilities and expectations, maybe the part will end with Denji running away like Pochita did~

But yes, on the reverse, I think Famine is a very interesting example of how a devil’s namesake may be more innate than coerced by circumstances. One would think that a famine devil would only like inflicting famine upon others, not being famished itself, but Famine has a bottomless stomach that can never, ever be satisfied, sated. I struggle to find a psychological explanation for this, except that maybe instead of her being hungry it’s her feeling empty when she’s not eating, tasting and having that high sensory experience that releases serotonin in humans, sort of like drugs? But I do take this as a step towards the compulsion theory overall, feels like a reach in the consistency otherwise. And compulsion does not mean it’s something that they like nor that it’s something that they fight against, pretty neutral, just a nature that nudges you towards one path. Maybe it’s even just their go-to for entertainment. Maybe it’s the only thing that makes them feel right and whole. But still the debate remains, what is it, a compulsion or an urge or an itch or an active desire or a conscious chosen want? Does it change anything in practice?

And because of all of this earlier, devils being self-fulfilling prophecies with their role is not in unsignificant part nurture, because doing their atrocities is how they stay remembered— feared, powerful, known— hell and devils are a very isolating place and breed after all, and we do see devils can want companionship. Existentially, it’s their purpose and how they justify their place in the world, in the terrifyingly vast and unknowable cosmos.

We still know so little of what makes Chainsaw Devil so special, why his carnage is so self-controlled. Despite a chainsaw maybe being possibly one of the most "nature" thing you can be— a tool to cut things, a human tool that can be helpful for many things, something to be wielding by another at their judgement on what they decide, but mainly something to cut, a tool suited for carnage, to hurt and to destroy. A blade with a toothed chain, spinning around and around and around endlessly on the same road at the same pace. Such a…. Innately circular concept. And yet the Chainsaw Devil is his own, not driven by an urge or by chaos but his very own brand of order, his own unique assigned purpose, a "if you call i’ll come running to help" policy equalizing everyone. He chooses to withhold his destruction and interference otherwise, and then he chooses to be used. If it’s a choice, of course.

Maybe this is what inspired Makima so much, that Chainsaw Devil could decide what to make of himself despite expectations or innate role. Because even Hell he decided & managed to subjugate under his will and whim, with a precise vision and process. When Chainsaw Devil acts like Denji or is defeated, Makima clicks her tongue and loses her admiration and respect. Makima admired and liked Chainsaw Devil, but only as long as he matched her great image of him in her mind, as long as he followed he rules for what she thinks he should be like. She admired him for his unrivaled self-made success, but once he stepped out of that to truly embody self-fulfillment and agency, disappearing from hell to live on his own road at the beat of his own drum… Well. Surely that was a mistake she has to correct. However their second battle ends, the better conqueror will have prevailed and she’s happy about that, all in the spirit of domination and subjugation.

Imo Makima’s biggest tool, similarly capitalism’s most helpful effect for its own purposes, is complacency. Resignation and passivity helps uphold the system and go along the flow of the will of the people in power. Aki and Reze go along with orders even when knowing their job is trash, etc. In Angel Devil especially we see him go along with the flow uncaring about anyhing, and we discover it was in part due to Makima taking away memories that motivated him. If every devil decides this is just how things are and how things should be that’s what they’ll continue to be and do mindlessly, not pursuing a better life like Chainsaw Devil and Denj and not seeking to change the world like Makima. I think even Makima veils herself to a lot of things, she doesn’t like to think deeply about some things, like her desire for connection, or how making bad movies disappear is strenuous and unsustainable and requiring sacrifices at best— how her judgement is as subjective as anyone else. How liking the country mouse and her friend back at the farm and her dogs could be not devoid of sentimality. Wanting bad movies erased is her one biggest show of selfishness, of pettiness and individuality, it’s about her tastes, simple as. About how she can have tastes, and cry seeing a scene of people hug, and want things that aren’t logical, her ideology and mind twisted into a pretzel to avoid acknowledging that she doesn’t live and breathe purely for the mission she’s made a single-minded robot out of herself to accomplish. Nayuta is assertive and selfish and loud, Makima is manipulative and strategically both for her goals and for coping hollow.

Everything in her plans and goals she says is for the greater good, necessary evil, manufactured happiness the way she’ll have decided for people— and that’s the thing isn’t it, like with War, it’s the crack that shows it was all truly about herself after all. Her self-made deification still had the flaw that a self made it. Makima is not omniscient, and it’s not Chainsaw Devil the not-so-fellow-kindred-soul conqueror who gets the best of her, but a city mouse, a dog, someone she would have never thought to respect, Denji.

[jaguarys]

For the record I don't think the Sannin had some sort of dramatic falling out. I think they grew apart in a way that they almost didn't notice. I think they found different interests, different people, and no matter how much they told themselves they were still as close as they'd always been they weren't. And I think it was a process of continually realizing these people aren't who you idealized in your mind; that they are maybe, kind of, sort of bad people; that they have done things you can't ignore, and that, maybe, they are your enemies. But there's no closure there. There's no sense of relief to be gained. Because you love them. You love them more than anyone in the world–– more than your students, more than your spouse, more than your family, more than your village. They know more about you than anyone ever will or ever could. They hold pieces of you, not only in your knowledge, not only in your youth, but in your soul, because they are one-third of it. You know them more, and less, than anyone could, and definitely more than you should

[interactivefictionramblings]

Please why is she so pretty even when crying

[scarlettfevor]

Looking back, the way Garroth was acting in the last episodes of season one of diaries was ridiculous. Like, you're a grown ass man WHY are you, as the head guard, sulking in your room all day just because you saw the girl you've liked for literally 2 months kiss another guy when your village is on the brink of war???

[running-in-the-dark]

ooooh. we got an apartment!!!

the house isn't completely finished yet so we can't move in until April. we'll have to figure that out. but that's fine. it's in the town where my husband works! which is amazing.

[incendiorum]

dragon io is, as I've mentioned, just... stupidly, ridiculously territorial and their valley certainly falls under that in its entirety. there have been many, many settlements over the centuries, and each have succumbed to various fates (usually dragon-related). currently, there's two villages that io currently allows to inhabit their valley, but they are always, always watching them with a critical eye. the moment they get too into the idea of growth is when io will rid the valley of both and call it a day. they do the work to make sure both villages properly understand the relationship: so long as they are quiet, make no moves against the dragon living above them, and don't start tearing up the valley for crops or homes, then their local watchful super-predator will (mostly) leave them alone. every movement into and out of the valley is tracked, and the presence of groups of armed people is something that they will not stand - said groups get chased out or straight-up attacked depending on the mood for the day. the presence of other dragons always results in the latter of those two options. the villages are... sometimes liable to get caught in the crossfire, though. an attack on io is nothing short of encouragement to make themself known as dangerous and pissed, and they will burn great swathes of their valley and the villages, too, just to make that point. mostly, though, io really isn't inclined to mess with them much and the two (three) live in relatively tense peace. there's also the fact of the matter that io is lonely, and can pass through both villages in their most human of forms as disguise and fulfill social requirements (be an asshole, buy some fruit, etc.)

[anhonestdaysworkcomic]

just finished fully reading one of my reference books. Just bought three more