#just in case an anime only pops up on this blog jfngdfjgn

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

I would really like to know if you did any kind of character study for Makima when writing your two-part fics. I'm sure others have said this to you, but you do a really good job of writing Makima. Her interactions with others (specifically reader) are never out-of-character in terms of tone and diction. Was there any aspect of her personality/character that was difficult for you to flesh out in writing? What did you enjoy the most when characterizing her? Thank you so much for your time!

TAT thanks so much, the amount of love the duology has received since I've written it makes it really happy! And I love being asked about the technical side of things I've written so thanks for asking!

I have done a couple of partially in-depth character studies in Makima, some of which I've subjected anyone in the tags to reading and subjected my friends to reading as well.

If you ever want to read those posts separately, you can check that out here.

But to summarize, after a thorough read of CSM I came to the conclusion that what got in the way of Makima's dream wasn't her nature as the Control Devil, but herself. She enjoys being in control, she enjoys tormenting people. Part if it is nature, yes. Controlling people comes to Makima as easily as Power desires blood as the Blood Fiend. But some of it's nurture. We aren't entirely sure how she was brought up but it clearly created a terrible, terrible person. A person who enjoyed fucking with people.

And by the time chapter 1 has rolled around, Makima is too far gone to ever get the sort of relationship she wants even if she had won.

So going with that analysis in mind, I wanted to craft a story with a Makima not quite at her breaking point.

I thought going in Makima would be difficult to write but it came surprisingly easy to me! I'm not sure if that's because I was up in CSM hell dissecting her character because it didn't feel like I was when I read things initially. I was mostly going "Someone PLEASE take all of Denji's suffering and give it to Makima" lmao, she grew on me after my reading part 1 of the manga.

She was even fun to write, in my opinion. It's her condescending way of talking to others, her surprisingly gentle voice that lacks any true warmth.

But I think the thing I enjoyed most of all as far as the Makima duology was writing Makima's displays of affections while still maintaining her possessive nature. Using her abilities to take control of the senses of animals to check when Reader gets home, eavesdropping, half-jokingly talking about how she can make people come to her wedding with the reader, using absolute control to force the Bureau to accept her resignation because all she desires at this point is living peacefully with her beloved. And especially her ambiguous wording of the contract in Man is the Breast, Heaven is the Playground.

As she maintains in her contract with the reader, she doesn't use her abilities on you and you'll stay with her forever. But I chose to have word choice be ambiguous because for Makima, a future where she can't guarantee she'll be loved the way she is in the present by the reader is one she doesn't desire. She won't allow it. She won't let herself be anyone else's so by extension, she doesn't want anyone else to have you.

It's a twisted selfishness blossomed from genuine love and affection, a feeling only you've given her.

She wants you forever. In this life and the next and the next and the next. Something you agree to without realizing the full implications of what she meant, not that you really care. You want to be with her forever too even if your belief was that it would be contained to a single life.

So in the sequel A Blazing Star Sought Refuge in My Chest, I really loved writing the scene where the reincarnated Reader meets Nayuta.

「You glared at the girl, ready for a fight. “Hey get off of m-,” You. Your words halted as soon as you saw her wide-eyed stare and tears. There was nothing familiar about this girl, you had never seen her before in your life. There was nothing familiar about her black hair, nor the mole under her left eye. You were sure you couldn’t say you’d ever met anyone with golden eyes with red rings in them either. There was no reason to feel like your senses had been set ablaze and the universe shifted.

You didn’t know this girl.

This girl was a stranger.

You knew this and yet you still fell to your knees as warm tears flooded your eyes without your permission. Your mind had gone blank, unable to conjure a single thought and even if you could, you doubted you would be able to voice them. So you followed instinct as it screamed at you to hold this stranger in your arms, welcomed the way she threw her arms over your shoulders in return.

An indeterminable amount of time passed while you cried in the arms of a stranger before you stood up again. 」

I wanted that scene to be purely instinctual with their souls recognizing one another. And with Reincarnated Reader's earlier mention that she felt like there was something in her life she needed to do, for the both of them it was like an awakening. A single moment of seeing each other was the birth of a universe. That's blazing star has found refuge in both of their chests in that moment.

The reason I chose to make them both children during this section of the fic was because of the inherent innocence they would have. An adult would have this experience and more than likely be skeptical and less receptive to such an experience. They'd be too cynical.

But for two kids alone in the world and instinct telling them they're meant to be together, that the other person is what they've been looking for this whole time, it makes perfect sense not to question it and live the rest of their lives together.

And as far as my completely separate Makima oneshot when it all comes Crashing Down (the title was a stylistic choice), I used Makima having a sweet tooth and the reader disliking things being too saccharine to reflect Makima's desire to clutch onto any traces their dying friendship and the Reader's dying affections towards her and yet still remaining by her side despite knowing their friendship is pretty much dead. I had a lot of fun with that!