#I know the goal was big robot fights but

[coefore]

I did it! This is an IDW AU born while watching The Green Knight (2021), specifically from one movie shot that I'd like to redraw. I was torn on whether or not to draw them all as robots or humans, so I started making designs for their human counterparts first - mostly because it is more fun to come up with clothes and accessories. I will eventually tackle a robot version. This is a long post, btw!

Indeed, this is a completely separate version from the Lion King AU I had come up with a couple of years ago, I just borrowed the crowns because I really liked those designs lol.

But let's set the stage under the cut. You can listen to the playlist on spotify dedicated to it: I've placed the songs in sequence so that they can create a certain vibe for the scenes I had in mind. You can read the plot part while listening.

Some character traits

This royalty au supposes a parliamentary monarchy (like the UK, Spain or Japan). This work is an in-between of later Roman/early Medieval aesthetics and some Futuristic Stuff. The Autobot brand is the royal family crest, while the Decepticon brand can be used to signal the Protector and their entourage, but only in formal settings outside the nation. Usually, the Protector can show elements of the Decepticon colours (red) in their attires.

Optimus Prime

Optimus is prideful and domineering: he knows he has the power to do real damage to people. After all, he was born into royalty and has known no other life. He has anger outbursts, but that's a side effect of his paranoia. At the start of the story, he is not the prime yet. He's around 23-24, already suffering from a mental affliction much like schizophrenia, but, just as in ye old days, the court and his father (Zeta) are not really concerned about his odd behaviours. "He is just volatile", you know. He is also dramatic, making big scenes when his emotions are too cooped up. Optimus, though, is not intentionally cruel - this isn't a Shattered Glass au where he wants some kind of bloodlust sated. He has a deep inner mind, feeling much more like a philosopher and a writer than a brute. This makes him a little naive, too, having people in court (like Prowl) taking advantage of him - and sometimes even Megatron uses his influence on Optimus to stir him where he wants to. He reads a lot, is curious, and is deeply in love with Megatron - sometimes becoming a little cringy about it. He can be a bit of a goofball, telling jokes and being rather affectionate with his family. Sadly, he's a Pisces.

Megatron

Megatron is a diligent engineer who just so happens to pick the Prime's son's interest at some point while assisting his father (Terminus, a strict, distant man) in a job at court. Optimus and Megatron are the same age. He is aloof, quiet and a very good listener. That means he often allows people to speak over him or for him - that doesn't mean, however, that he isn't going to correct them or speak his mind. He is just a careful man. Coming from a rather cold family environment, he has a hard time expressing his emotions, both verbally and physically: he kisses and hugs, sure, but that doesn't come naturally to him. After becoming protector, he has a hard time getting used to the court lifestyle since he is quite bothered by the intricacies of royal "rituals", may they be clothing, hairstyles or make-up choices. Or Starscream fussing over him about that all day. He also often stands up against abuse of power, especially from Optimus. They fight quite a lot. He enjoys drawing (buildings, like architecture) and reading novels, but he's not particularly cultured. He is also, sadly, an Aquarius. (And transgender, but this has no political or social bearing in the story besides being Rodimus' biological carrier).

Prowl

Prowl is about fifteen years older than Optimus, becoming his advisor once Zeta Prime passes in "a tragic accident". He is ambitious, cunning and... Deceptive. His ultimate goal is to push Optimus to insanity, convince the parliament he is unfit to rule and become reagent in his stead. This would allow him to create an oligarchy with other senators. His words always support Optimus' delusions, abusing the Prime's naivety for his scheming. Prowl thinks of Optimus as an idiot lucky enough to be born in a high position in the social pyramid. He has attempted various times to "warn" Megatron, one of the few people who is extremely suspicious of Prowl. And by warn, I mean having him pushed down the stairs, giving him a nice broken leg. He also acts suspiciously around Rodimus.

Zeta Prime

Zeta Prime was a balanced, careful ruler. He held concerns about his son's future, as he thought Optimus wasn't fit for a leading role. He was a stern man and often frustrated by Optimus' antics. However, their relationship was on good terms. He was "found" dead by Prowl during a political meeting abroad, as he was standing in for Alpha Trion (Zeta's advisor), prompting Optimus' coronation. Zeta wasn't sick, but all primes in this AU suffer from haemophilia (a hereditary illness that makes it harder for the body to stop bleeding).

Rodimus

Rodimus was born three years into Optimus' primacy. He was brought up in a restrictive environment, as Megatron grew more suspicious of Prowl, fearing for Rodimus' safety. That translated into Rodimus feeling anxious when Megatron's not around (for too long, at least) and becoming a little jealous of him, even if it's Optimus taking Megatron's attention. Rodimus uses "dad" for Megatron and "Father" for Optimus. He doesn't like Optimus too much, usually bearing his presence and ignoring him whenever he can, but deep down he worries about his father, too. He is a very knowledgeable child with a vast vocabulary, as he enjoys books of every kind and, just like his dad, he is a good listener, learning a lot from the "adult conversations" around him. Rodimus is often seen together with Starscream (his nanny, in a way lol), who he is fond of but has difficulties showing it. He becomes Prime-to-be at the age of 16, like all Primes.

Starscream

Starscream was the royal alchemist, an inspired researcher and a man of science. He is loyal and has strong opinions on many subjects, especially on morals and ethics. That is also why, during Zeta's late reign, he was demoted to servant with the accusation of insubordination. He is still a high-grade servant, usually dealing with bureaucracy... Until a new Protector shows up, that is. As soon as Megatron becomes a Protector-to-be, he is assigned the role of first maid in assisting him, a task he takes very seriously. Although Megatron's distance and lack of interactions with him drive him quite mad at first, he slowly realises they're quite compatible. Their relationship evolves into confidants and then friends, as Megatron often takes Starscream's side. Also, Starscream has been suspicious of Prowl since day one. He enjoys Rodimus until he starts being a little opinionated pest-- but he's fond of the child, even as he grows older and more anxious. His hobby is sneaking into the court laboratories and fixing whatever annotations made by other alchemists he deems wrong.

Skywarp & Thundercracker

They are part of the Protector's entourage (and Starscream's brothers). Skywarp is a little airheaded, a bit clumsy, and usually focuses on entertainment, mostly writing poems and songs. He is the only one who knows all the intricate inner passages of the court's buildings by heart, meaning he never gets lost. Thundercracker, on the other hand, is a bit more cocky. He is built like a brick, so he helps with manual tasks and is a decent leader, usually picking up the ranks when Starscream is busy. Both of them were not demoted like their brother, they just started working at the court as high-grade servants. They are very loyal to Megatron, although they treat him more like a royal than a friend.

The Plot (generally speaking)

Optimus is interested in this one engineer working at the court he has seen a couple of times in the last few months. He is gorgeous, and it sounds like a fun time to fill in his afternoons, maybe even getting some sex out of it. That's a thing he hasn't lacked in his life, like most royals he was used to having sex workers available at whim. However, Megatron doesn't seem too affected by the Prime-to-be's attention. He is very deadpan and interested in him as a person; he finds Optimus interesting and funny, so, in a matter of weeks, they kind of hit it off, Optimus falling madly in love with this man, spending most of the time daydreaming and absolutely useless at his duties, much to Zeta's dismay.

As this love story progresses over the next couple of years, Prowl's machination starts rolling out: being a young overachiever, he patiently waits for the chance to get rid of Zeta in a way that doesn't point directly to him. After all, Prowl is trusted and seen as loyal and caring for the Primes he serves; he is an incredibly talented actor, having the support of a few Autobot senators, too. On an out-of-country political trip, he lets Zeta bleed to death, coming back home in a hurry to announce the Prime's death and rushing Optimus' coronation. At this point, Optimus is not mentally ready to hold that position; he is quickly pushed to marry Megatron, making him his Protector. In a matter of a year and a half, Optimus' mental state quickly deteriorates, allowing Prowl to take hold of the neo-Prime's decisions.

Optimus' mental illness worsens, which stresses Megatron into stirring his husband away from Prowl. Rodimus is born in that worried, paranoid environment. Although mostly wanted by Optimus as one of his fixations (and also discouraged by Prowl himself), Rodimus brings more stability to the court. Megatron finally takes hold of Optimus' volatile behaviour as Rodimus grows older, making the Prime doubt his advisor's suggestions more than once. Prowl, thus, "warns" Megatron to lay low, having him pushed down the stairs. The goal wasn't to kill Megatron but to show him Prowl could. As Rodimus turns seven, Megatron becomes more anxious and paranoid, rubbing that over to his son. Optimus doesn't allow them to go around the court or outside without being accompanied.

Prowl's hold on Optimus slowly slips away. At the time of Rodimus' coronation as a Prime-to-be, during a medical examination for his haemophilia, the court physician (Ratchet) tells him he needs to be careful, as that illness was Zeta's cause of death. That was a known thing, of course, but it made Optimus think over the mechanics of his father's death in a way only an obsession-driven man can. He confides with Megatron over his suspicion of Prowl killing his father, and finally, they seem to be on the same page on this...

This is somehow the story up to now. I don't know if I'll update it further. I just enjoy the idea of whatever can happen in this setting. I hope you enjoyed reading this wall of text.

[niniiko]

Astrology Observations

*not a profesional astrologer these are just my personal observations

🎀 Leo risings with Saturn in Cancer individuals tend to not like being the center of attention and actually dislike being in the spotlight, they also tend to be shy individuals (all depends on the different placements!!!)

🎀 You tend to enjoy doing daily activities such as cooking, taking a walk, going grocery shopping etc... with the sign that falls in your 6th house, the 6th house is all about daily activities and collegues so if you have an Aquarius 6th house you might enjoy doing daily activities with Aquarius placements

🎀 People who have a LOT of 5th house synastry might have a very intense yet short relationship and if the south node or moon is also aspecting it they could still miss or remember each other for a very long time

🎀 Scorpio moons always have this darkness in their face, they are very intimidating if they are not speaking or smiling, these individuals also tend to have very dark or bushy eyebrows

🎀 If you have an 11th house stellium you could either be very detached from your friends to the point of ghosting them or very close to your friends to the point of thinking of them as your family, these people usually need companionship to be stable and can get lonely and sad if they don't have friends

🎀 Gemini mercuries always have this high-pitched tone of voice, whenever they talk it seems as if they are smiling while talking and i think it's very very cute

🎀 Taurus placements usually show affection through actions not words

🎀 Mars conjunction pluto individuals have a lot of stamina if they are tired they are quick to recharge energies (depending on the sign and its aspects)

🎀 Pisces placements and their eyes or lips . . . they have the prettiest eyes ever and their lips are either very plump or small but they always have something beautiful to them that may be shape, color . . . (could also apply to people who have pisces degrees 12° 24° in their big three, sun moon or rising)

🎀 Virgo placements (Sun, moon, rising and even virgo degrees 6° & 18°) like to do things correct and perfectly or they rather not do it all, they are extremely perfectionist and if something doesn't turn out they way they wanted they can get pretty frustrated with themselves, this is a reminder to be patient with yourself ♥️

🎀 Capricorn over the 3rd house and the way they are so passionate about their goals and studies??? They are always so hard working and they want to be the best in their class, typical bookworm that nobody talks to and everyone thinks they are stupid but they are actually a smartass

🎀 Unevolved Aries placements find it hard to own up to their mistakes and say sorry

🎀 Air moons are always analyzing every single emotion until they become numb, you are not a robot, you are allowed to feel emotions, they are teachers, pay attention to them

🎀 Libra moon over the 11th house might evade conflict with their friends, they despise having fights with friends

🎀 Cancer mercuries most of the time have such femenine and cute voices

🎀 Scorpio moon with an Aquarius MC (midheaven) could be interested in psychology, this is because Scorpio wants to know everything thats hidden, they want to know the unseen and Aquarius is a very humanitarian sign, they want to help society for the better and with the help of Scorpio they make a very great combination for psychologists or someone whos interested in psychology

🎀 Virgo risings love to look put together and even if they didnt put any effort into their appearance they always seem to manage how to look good

🎀 Earth mars women tend to like doing a natural makeup type of look or they don't wear makeup at all

🎀 If someones rising sign is your venus sign there could be some form of jealousy from the venus person towards the rising sign person, but it could go both ways

🎀 Nobody will understand you better than someone who has the same moon sign as you, you will always feel safe and at home with them, it's like you've known them for forever, people who share this placement usually have a one in a billion type of connection

🎀 You might disagree a lot of times with someone who has their mercury in opposition to yours, you might not share the same views in a topic and it's hard to get along with them

🎀 You look up to someone who has their moon in the sign of your 10th house

[mysterioushistorian]

The Beforus Ancestors

honestly, i didnt like how the drawings turned out. i searched for references for the ancestors but i didnt manage to draw them the way i wanted to. most of the designs are okay, though i still feel like some of them are missing something, like colors.

more info abt them ↓

The Treasure Huntress (aka. Beforan Aradia) She was a very skilled adventurer and loved finding historic artifacts. She had a special taste for East Beforan art and culture. During her adventures, she met a violetblooded sea dweller who also had a fascination for history and dedicated his life to study and learn more about it. Together, they traveled along each other with the goal of learning more about the history of their planet, and eventually, they developed feelings for each other. However, the warmblooded girl was pale, while the coolblooded boy was red. The unspoken tension between each other lead to a fight, which ended in surprise on both sides over the admittance of feelings. Not wanting to disappoint each other, they agreed to just stay friends.

The Guardian (Beforan Tavros) He he stood up for the rights of trolls in special needs, and by that, he was also heavily against culling (as in the Beforan meaning of culling), saying that nobody should be treated that way (as helpless and fragile, making them too dependant) and by doing that, they would be "hiding the truth of the world from the children" by basically being way too overprotective. He was a farm boy, living in the country sides with his moirail, who mainly took care of the stables. Their farm was open to public visits, and one day, a certain coolblooded visitor has caught his attention. He wished to re-encounter with the man someday. One day, he has suffered a very sudden mutation that made him sprout wings, with him finally being able to realize his dream of traveling the world to spread the word about the dangers of culling and the rights of trolls in special needs.

(please correct me if I got the wrong meaning of Beforan culling, as I will talk about it again)

Radiical Psygamer (Beforan Sollux) He was, perhaps, the greatest programmer that Beforus has ever seen. With his magnificent skills, he was responsible for massively improving trolls’ technology and has contributed to the creation of a few robots and helped with the coding of various popular games. He was, however, a terrible teacher, given his introversion and general social awkwardness. He was a big figure in the world of console games and was the first to actively encourage girls to play games too.

The Unculled (Beforan Karkat) Because of his rare candy red blood, no lusus wanted to raise him, leaving him there all alone. One day, he was found by a purpleblooded man who took him to his hive in hopes that someone would pick him. They waited, and waited, and waited… but no lusus came. Tired of waiting, the big troll decided to raise the grub himself. Because of his caretaker, the mutantblooded grew up to be loud, tough and intimidating, but had a big, friendly heart and cared for his loved ones a lot.

Sharpeye Furrline (Beforan Nepeta) She was a very skilled huntress. According to herself, she only killed what she ate, and if she didn’t eat, killing them would be mean. She could hunt creatures from a very small size to ones that were the double of her own. One day, while hunting for her dinner, she has killed a creature that was going to become a Lusus of a small wriggler. Therefore, she has accidentally unlocked the rage of a coolblooded troll. Terrified, she knew she couldn’t fight back, so she ran as fast as she could, far away from that beach. No one knows what happened to her.

The Seamstress (Beforan Kanaya) A rare jadeblood with a rare taste for fashion. She became known for her dresses with odd patterns, inspired by the landscapes around her. She also traveled in search of different sights and, consequently, more ideas for dresses. Her works have eventually caught the attention of the Empress, who offered her a job as her official seamstress.

The Attorney (Beforan Terezi) She was a blind woman who did not allow her disability to hold her back. She fought back against Beforus’ culling policy and became a excellent lawyer. Dedicating herself to fight against crime and bring justice to maintain the order and peacefulness of her planet, she chased a mischievous pirate lady who seemed to cause trouble everywhere she passed. She was The Unculled’s matesprit.

Arachnid Cap8tain (Beforan Vriska) A troublemaker who caused mischief together with her pirate crew. She considered The Attorney her rival, as she was the only one who insisted in chasing her and never gave up on her quest to capture the spider pirate. A completely platonic rivalry. She held a special interest for snooker and said that the Ball 8 was actually “her lucky ball”.

The Horseman (Beforan Equius) A STRONG man who really liked horses. He lived in a farm with his moirail and was responsible for taking care of the stables. Because of his interest, they ended up having way too many horses, which resulted in them having to build a larger stable for all of them. He loved every single one of them and took great care of each one. He said he occasionally had dreams where he was half a man and half a horse (basically a centaur), which is the origin of his title.

The Clownish Caretaker (Beforan Gamzee) He rescued lususless grubs and wrigglers with an absent lusus and took care of them temporarily, until a new lusus came to become their official guardian. Despite being tall, lanky and overall intimidating, he was a very sweet and cheerful man, and loved entertaining others. Just like others, he was also heavily against culling and said that “every motherfucker should know and be able to defend themselves.” One day, a lusus was coming to his hive to pick up a grub, but it was killed by Shapeye Furrline. The man never felt so much rage before. The pure platonic hate he held towards the woman was bigger than the amount of hate he thought he could feel. Despite that, and contrary to popular belief, he did not chase the lady and took him quite some time to calm down. He was responsible for raising The Unculled and made sure to treat him properly.

The Historian (Beforan Eridan) A seadweller with a huge fascination for history, he dedicated his life to learn more about the mysteries of his world. He read diares and looked for accurate informations, instead of believing in telltale stories. He studied ancient walls and occasionally collected some artifacts, purely for research reasons, and that’s when he met The Treasure Huntress. They decided to travel together, and it did not take long for him to become flushed for her. Unfortunately, she did not return the feelings, instead being pale for him. They agreed to stay friends, but very deep inside, he was still a bit disappointed.

Her Glorious Imperialist (Beforan Feferi) The ruler of Beforus. She was a very kind and sweet woman, undoubtedly one of the best rules Beforus has ever seen. She treated her people with fairness, yet despise that, she was pro-culling, saying that some should not face the dangers of the world. After offering a job for The Seamstress, she and the jadeblood grew close. Despite being the one in charge of the planet, she decided to take care of Arachnid Cap8tain herself, and being a seadweller, it wasn’t hard to find her. She still congratulated The Attorney for her efforts in chasing the troublemaker pirate.

[zedleaked]

[APPARENTLY PEOPLE HERE WANTED TO KNOW THE HUMAN AXIS LORE SO IM JUST GOING TO COPY MY TWITTER POST HERE…] BASIC GIST IS THAT THIS IS JUST A GENERAL HUMAN AU. MONSTERS AND HUMANS SWAPPED. WOWIE!

ANYWAYS READ MORE FOR AXIS

AXIS ORIGIN IS STILL A BIT FUZZY. HERE HE'S LIKE CHUJIN'S ADOPTED SON [GENDER NEUTRAL],, CATGIRLTRICKSTER ON TWITTER SUGGESTED CHUJIN JUST FINDING YOUNG AXIS IN A PIPE OR SOMETHING AND I THINK THATS REALLY FUNNY... THOUGH HIS ORIGINS WOULD BE VAGUE. IF ASKED HE'D SAY HE DOESN'T REMEMBER.

ALSO NOTE BEFORE I FORGET. AXIS WAS JUST BORN WITH ONE LEG. THERE IS NO LORE REASON TO WHY ITS MISSING, IT IS JUST THE WAY HE IS. CHUJIN MAKES HIM A ROBOTIC LEG SO HE CAN HAVE AN EASIER TIME.

SURE I COULD GIVE A FUCKED REASON AS TO WHY HE DOESNT HAVE IT BUT I DONT FEEL LIKE IT.

AXIS WOULD BE AN APPRENTICE UNDER CHUJIN SIMILAR TO MARTLET [I NEEDA DRAW MARTLET EVENTUALLY] PLUS IN GAME THERE'S FLAVOR TEXT ABOUT HIM FLIPPING THROUGH THE ROYAL GUARD HANDBOOK IN HIS MIND. HONESTLY. MARTLET AND AXIS BEING FRIENDS THROUGH SHARING THE SAME INTEREST IS SILLY...

HE'D WANT TO TRAIN HIMSELF TO BECOME A ROYAL GUARD OR AT LEAST A PROTECTOR TO PAYBACK CHUJIN FOR TAKING HIM IN. HE'S GOING TO PROTECT HIS FATHER AND HUMANKIND. IT'S HIS BIGGEST GOAL IN LIFE.

STEAMWORKS STILL EXISTS. ITS JUST CHUJIN HADNT BUILT THE AXIS MODELS IN THIS AU BECAUSE. YOU KNOW.

MAYBE HE SAW POTENTIAL IN HUMAN AXIS, SEEING HOW DETERMINED HE IS TO GROW STRONGER AND PROTECT PEOPLE. CHUJIN WOULD WANT HIM TO HONE HIS SKILLS TO BECOME SOMETHING... BIG.

IN A WAY. AXIS WAS A PEEK INTO WHAT HUMANS COULD BECOME AND WHAT THAT COULD DO FOR HUMAN SOCIETY UNDERGROUND.

MEANWHILE AXIS IS ENAMORED BY STEAMWORKS AND JUST CHUJIN'S WORK IN GENERAL. HE REALLY ADMIRES ROBOTS, HE THINKS ABOUT WHAT ITS LIKE IF HE HAD ROBOTIC MODIFICATIONS.

AND LESS LORE RELEVANT BUT HE ALSO HAS CONNECTIONS TO KANAKO TOO! THEY ARE THE SIBLINGS EVER. THOUGH IVE BEEN WONDERING HOW CEROBA NOT KNOWING AXIS IN STEAMWORKS WOULD WORK. IT'D BE KINDA WEIRD FOR CHUJIN TO KEEP A WHOLE ASS CHILD SECRET FROM HER.

THEYVE PROBABLY SEEN EACH OTHER AND NEVER HAD MUCH SIGNIFICANT

INTERACTIONS FOR THEM TO FULLY REMEMBER EACH OTHER. AXIS SPENDS A MAJORITY OF HIS TIME AT STEAMWORKS OR DOING ROYAL GUARD SHIT, AND WHEN HES NOT DOING THAT HES PROBABLY PLAYING WITH KANAKO [WHEN CEROBA ISNT AROUND]

AND WELL. WE HAD TO GET TO THIS PART EVENTUALLY. ONE DAY A MONSTER MAKES ITS WAY INTO THE UNDERGROUND AND STARTED KILLING PEOPLE. DALV [WHO I ALSO NEED TO DRAW] GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE FRAY WHILE PLAYING WITH KANAKO [AND AXIS TOO]. UPON SEEING HIS FRIENDS GET HURT. SOMETHING CLICKS.

AXIS HAD TRAINED UP TO THIS POINT. THIS WAS HIS MOMENT. HE HAD TO SAVE THE PEOPLE FROM THE THREAT IN FRONT OF THEM. INSTINCTS KICK IN AND HE GOES IN TO FIGHT THE MONSTER WHILE DALV TAKES KANAKO TO SAFETY.

THIS MONSTER WAS TOUGH. HE WAS ALMOST KILLED. BUT HE HAD TO PERSEVERE.

SOMETHING JUST ACTIVATED IN HIS SOUL.

HE FELT A SURGE OF POWER. THE ONLY THING HE KNEW IN THAT MOMENT WAS TO.

GET. RID. OF. THE. THREAT.

IN FRONT OF HIM WAS JUST. A HEADLESS BODY THAT SLOWLY FADED INTO DUST.

THAT... HE DIDNT MEAN TO GO THAT FAR.

SIMILAR TO CLOVER IN GENOCIDE, AXIS HAD RAPIDLY LEVELED UP AND SHOT A POWERFUL ATTACK AT THE MONSTER IN RESPONSE TO ALMOST DYING. HE NEEDED TO KEEP GOING NO MATTER WHAT.

STILL. THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS ACTIONS LAID HEAVY ON HIM.

HE HAD KILLED A LIVING, BREATHING THING.

SOON AFTER CHUJIN WALKED IN ON THE SCENE COMPLETELY HORRIFIED. AXIS, ASHAMED OF WHAT HE HAD DONE RAN TOWARD STEAMWORKS TO ISOLATE HIMSELF, SIMILAR TO DALV.

SURE, HE HAD SAVED PEOPLE FROM THAT MONSTER BUT DID HE HAVE TO BE SO GRUESOME?

CHUJIN RAN AFTER HIM, TRYING TO GET HIM BACK

CHUJIN FINDS HIM AT STEAMWORKS, WALLOWING IN JUST. EVERY EMOTION.

HE TRIES TO COMFORT HIM THOUGH AXIS IS STILL INSISTENT ON NOT GOING OUT.

THE TWO REACHED THE COMPROMISE THAT: AXIS WOULD GUARD AND PROTECT STEAMWORKS AND THAT CHUJIN WOULD CHECK UP ON HIM EVERY NOW AND THEN.

SO THATS WHAT HE DID. HE STAYED AT STEAMWORKS, WATCHING OVER THE PLACE AND ITS ROBOTS FOR….. AGES.

EVENTUALLY CHUJIN'S CHECK UPS GET MORE SPARSE UNTIL JUST. NOTHING.

AXIS NOTICES TOO THAT LESS AND LESS SCIENTISTS ARE PRESENT AT STEAMWORKS. UNTIL THERE IS NO ONE THERE.

WHEN ASKED IF HE WAS GOING TO LEAVE

TOO HE SAID

"NO. MY FATHER AND I HAD REACHED THE AGREEMENT THAT I WOULD STAY AND PATROL THIS AREA, AND THAT I WILL DO." THERE WAS NO CONVINCING HIM TO LEAVE. SO THE OTHERS RELUCTANTLY LEFT HIM BE.

DAY BY DAY HE WATCHES STEAMWORKS FLOOD AND DECAY. WHILE HE STAYS THERE TRYING TO KEEP UP THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN HIS FATHER AND HIMSELF.

NO ONE HAD TOLD HIM.

ONE DAY THOUGH HE FINDS THAT STEAMWORKS SUDDENLY ACTIVATES RIGHT BEFORE SEEING A MONSTER ONCE AGAIN.

OH HE REMEMBERS THE PAST WELL. IN THIS AU IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO GET HIS MEMORY ERASED.

WHILE THE EVENTS PLAY OUT MOSTLY THE SAME COMPARED TO NORMAL UTY.

AXIS SEEMS MORE HESITANT THAN USUAL. AND PROBABLY MONOLOGUING A LITTLE SIMILAR TO WHAT DALV DOES

BEING A HUMAN. HE POSES LESS OF A THREAT ON HIS OWN. HOWEVER. MY GUY SETS UP HOME ALONE TYPE TRAPS N SHIT TO TRY AND CATCH CLOVER INSTEAD [PART OF HIS ROYAL GUARD TRAINING!!.

ONLY RESORTING TO USING "ROBOTIC MODIFICATIONS" HE HAD FOUND WHEN CLOVER REALLY [ticks] HIM OFF.

AND YES. HE STILL GETS A ROBOT SPOUSE IF A PACIFIST PLAYTHROUGH HAPPENS. HUMAN AXIS IS OBJECTUM. ITS REAL.

SO YEAH THAT IS ALL THE THINGS I THINK.

HOLY SHIT THIS THREAD IS LONG. FEW PEOPLE WILL READ THIS I THINK BUT I STILL WANTED TO GET STUPID AU THOUGHTS OUT. UH. YEAH HOPE THAT IS GOOD OR SMTH.. FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS 🥺

[fiber-optic-alligator]

(Not a request dw)

While I know that Knock Out's little game of hide and shriek was rigged from the start, with a 95% chance of the human just getting caught at the end. What do you think would happen if they Did succeed at escaping? I mean on one hand, he keeps his word, and begrudgingly lets them go. But. what if he didn't?

My first thought, if they simply managed to outlast the clock, would be that he'd simply snatch them up afterwards, regardless of the fact that he said he'd let them go. With the established time they'd have to escape from him being an elaborate ruse to get them to reveal their position afterwards. What'd they Think was going to happen? He's a Decepticon. They deceive people. Props to the human for making it past the timer going off, but they aren't going anywhere.

My second thought revolves around the human suddenly going God Mode hide and seek-wise, and managing to escape all the way back to civilization without him finding them. (Though perhaps it'd be in part to him deciding he'd rather play with his food rather than just snatch them up when he had the chance.) Like, he'd probably be kinda floored by the fact that he lost a game to a Human so soundly. It was rigged in His favor, and he Still Lost. First of all? Respect. Second of all. He's gonna just take them back to the Nemesis this time when he gets another chance to steal them away from their little human town. Games are only fun when you're Winning after all, and he won't give them another chance to elude capture.

However, the funniest ending would simply be that they got away long enough to catch the attention of a patrolling Autobot, who after hearing about what happened, decides to take them back to the Autobot base until the Autobots can find a better solution to their predicament. Maybe they still pop by the base every now, and again after they're relocated somewhere safer, and they run into the newly-minted Autobot Knock Out months/years after the first time the two met. He hadn't quite stopped looking for them, but he also didn't have all the time in the world to search. So finding them here was a stroke of bad luck for the both of them. Haha.

Oh, I can imagine the shock he’d feel when the timer runs out and he realizes that you actually won his game. That wasn’t supposed to happen. He’s an apex predator! How could some measly little human stay hidden from him?! No doubt he’d feel frustrated and a little embarrassed that a human made him look like a fool after he hyped himself up. And while I could see an outcome in which he stays true to his word and lets you go, I hardly think he’d do it. His ego is just too big.

So, he takes you anyway. Nevermind what he said before, he’s changing the rules he made up for his game. Struggle and fight all you want. He’s in charge here, not you.

As for if you managed to escape the trainyard whether through the help of an Autobot or on your own, this would definitely piss him off. Knockout doesn’t like it when he loses, no matter what situation he’s in. He’d be sour about it for weeks and would make it his goal to track you down and steal you away, no games necessary this time.

However, it is impressive you evaded him. He has to give credit where it is due. You truly are a lot more interesting than the rest of your kind.

Over time, like you said, he’d never stop searching for you. However, he can’t dedicate his entire life to finding you, so his hunt for the little human who escaped him has to be put on the back burner for quite some time. And though you’d never be able to forget the incident where a giant alien robot kidnapped you and hunted you for sport, the terror of the encounter would die down with time to the point where it would all feel like a distant nightmare when you recall it. But if you eventually encounter him when he’s turned Autobot…well, Knockout is still Knockout, no matter what faction he’s part of. Seeing you again would fill him with a sense of ecstatic glee. “After all this time,” he’d say, kneeling in front of you and extending his hand to gently brush a claw over your head. “I’ve finally found you again.”

You’d just stare up at him in horrified shock. Knockout would chuckle and shrug. “What, you thought I forgot about you? Oh no, no, no. How could I ever forget about the little human who finally gave me a run for my money?” He’d grin. “Let me ask you…Are you up for another game of chase?”

[narrators-journal]

The SEES sexuality (plus a bonus)

To break up the persona 2 content and feed my persona 3 fans, have some thoughts on the SEES’ sexualities. Excluding ken, of course, and koromaru lol.

Yukari Takeba

Possibly a hot take for the p3 fans, but Yukari...isn’t my cup of tea. So, I don’t tend to comb over her character the same way I do Minato lol. So, the only real thing I have to go on for her sexuality is vibes, and the movies to say that she seems like she’s a bit of a man-hating lesbian type. Maybe she doesn’t know it, but she’s got that vibe to me.

Mitsuru Kirijo

Mitsuru vibes like she’s got too many gender issues to be dealing with sexuality too, but I think she vibes like she, like Yukari, likes women more than men. But, she also vibes to me like she doesn’t exactly look to date, maybe is some flavor of asexual and/or aromantic.

Akihiko Sanada

Akihiko is so fuckin’ gay. Namely for Shinji, but he doesn’t seem to show any interest in women in general in my opinion. I mean, he’s got a whole fan club that he seems to avoid more than anything, and while part of that is his tunnel vision on fighting shadows and protecting his friends, him and Shinjiro definitely have somethin’ more there lol. So, I think Akihiko is pretty solidly gay. At least for the most part, I’ll give him some bisexual wiggle room with Kotone.

Fuuka Yamagishi

Fuuka is a weird one. Like Yukari, she doesn’t really spark a lot of combing through and picking apart, but she also doesn’t give any strong energy. I can see her going either way, being hetero, or being bi, or maybe even having no real interest in relationships. But, if I had to chew on it, I’d say she’s maybe bisexual, or lesbian. She seems to have a fat ass crush on her best friend, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she got flustered about Aki being shirtless, or seeing Shinjiro being a sweetie.

Minato Arisato

This is gonna be another slightly heated one, but I think Minato is pretty firmly gay, or maybe grey-ace or some level of aromantic. Because in the game, his relationship with men seems just...so much more intimate. Like, Kenji gave him a damned choker, and Hidetoshi refused to frame him for power. Mans gave up his life goal to protect Minato. Something’s there. In contrast, his bonds with the women, while not stiff, don’t feel like they develop natural chemistry. Plus, in the movies, I just never got the vibe that he liked damn near anyone outside of Ryoji. So, I can’t really see him liking women almost at all. He’s either grey-ace, gay, or ryoji-sexual to me lol.

Shinji Aragaki

Shinji strikes me pretty strongly as unbothered by relationships. He doesn’t seem very interested in dating, since...well, y’know, his personal shit. That being said, he does strike me as pretty firmly bisexual. He has no real desire for a relationship, but he’d sleep with a woman or a man, Aki or Kotone, doesn’t really matter to him.

Aigis

I don’t think Aigis’ asexual like some might assume because she’s a robot. After all, she ends up basically growing a proper sense of self/a soul in the game, so she’s pretty well human. But! I do see her as demisexual and biromantic. She takes emotional connection to develop any sexual feelings, but either gender can get her romantic attraction.

Ryoji Mochizuki

There’s no competition. Ryoji is aggressively bisexual. He’s not choosing shit, he wants both lol.

Junpei Iori

I think Junpei is heterosexual, but bi-curious. Because, naturally, he seems very interested in women, but he seems to have a big ol’ crush on Akihiko, and maybe Minato. Would this grow into a proper bisexuality? No clue, but let’s be serious, we all know it doesn’t matter.

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

Besides my obvious annoyance with the new season because of the horrible character understanding from the writers and their ADMITTED goal to change Gaitán's ending, there are other aggravating issues with it:

1. The pacing:

This new novela knows it's in a rush, but we can tell, too. The first episode seems to attack the viewer with so many different new facts and characters and issues. It straight up starts with: Roberto's funeral, Armando and Betty separated and having been so for years now, Armando's presidency in the gutter again, lots of economic issues within the company again, Mila gone for years and her distance with Betty, a new guy that Marcela is suspiciously protective of and planning together to get revenge, Daniel being dead for going to jail from illegal business practices, etc. And all of this in the span of 1 episode. It just hits you with so much that it doesn't even give you the chance to get to know the characters. We haven't seen most of them in over twenty years, and some of them never, so we basically don't know them anymore! It's going so direclty and straight to the point that it feels more like a badly written fanfiction.

2. Lack of builup for tension

Jesus, there is very, very little tension here for the big things that matter. [SPOILER] In one episode we find out that Ecomoda is in bad shape, and just a few ones later, Armando is turning himself in. We don't see him slowly driving himself insane with his moral dilemma, we don't see him desperately trying everything to fix it, we don't even see him turning himself in! Just one episode ends with him saying he was turning himself in, and the next one starts with Armando's mugshot. That's it. No tension at all

3. Bad editing

One of the things that I loved about the old novela were their transitions. The first episodes were amazing with this: while Betty was looking at the magazine of the collection launch and giving her opinions and commentary, we were seeing the pictures of it and then we're taken to the moment the picture was taken. While Gutierrez, Armando and Roberto are talking about Betty and why Gutierrez discarded her, Roberto asks "why would a candidate so well prepared and qualified only want to be a secretary?" And then we see Betty going "because I'm tired of looking for a job!"

Those kind of transitions were incredible, I loved them so much. Now in this new series it just cuts abruptly to something totally different.

4. Inappropriate setting

They really, really tried to make everything seem so modern, and in their effort, they ended up making it so plastic and fake. The office doesn't look like an office at all, but rather a gallery or the lobby of an exotic hotel. The desks almost seem out of place. Sure, it's a fashion business, but it's just so fake looking. Most offices, even modern ones, still look like offices. This one just doesn't feel like it, and that really takes me out of the story.

Finally, and just as a little pet peeve that, objectively, idek if it should count but I'll include nonetheless because I'll forget to make a separete post about it: the robot and the hacking. It's just so cringy and cheap. Are robots like that even in the market fr? AI robots that follow you around and are in the shape of a sewing mannequin? And the whole hacking thing... ugh. As I said it's a personal pet peeve but I always find it cringy when they make these super high-tech knowing characters that can hack on everything and we see on the screen the codes and all of that. I found both of these elements so tacky and unnecessary lmao why not just hide cameras?? Nooo, let's make Daniel wannabe a finance and hacking genius lmao ((this part isn't part of the list I just wanted to vent because my hubby and I died of cringe watching one episode last night where Mila's AI Moving Robot Sewing Mannequin told her someone was hacking into the cameras and Ignacio is cyber-fighting to hide and we see a split screen of him and another of what he's seeing through the cameras and eventually he just closes the lid lmao)) ((anyway little rant over sorry))

[please-someone-give-me-love]

ONE PIECE 1122 SPOILERS REVIEW

I want to say there are a lot of things that I find really interesting in this chapter. The whole narratove, lore, development, there are a lot of things to talk.

The first one is the fact that there has been the belift that ONLY pirates would be able to find the one piece, which was proof to be false, everyone could find the one piece and here we are reading people's reaction to that. Some of them react ingenous or reacive and untrusty but others react with emotion.

What I find interesting is there's someone saying that "isn't that the reason on why the world sank in first place?" And it's so interesting this because ffor what we know, the reason of why the world is sinking is the goverment not necesarily the pirates.

Anad Vegapunk also mentioned a lot of being in a neutral side of what happened. I mean, we still don't have a lot of info but it's just curious to point it.

Second aspect is Koby and a lot of people will be hateful or angry at him but listen to me.

Luffy didn't help Koby expecting him to gave his life and dreams for Luffy, he didn't hope that Koby would quit his own dreams just for Luffy and this is a big mischaracterized thing the fandom has towards them.

We saw Luffy and Koby more as friends than rivals when in reality, Luffy and Koby's relationship is a pretty resemble to Garp and Roger's relationship, which means that both are RIVALS and friends, Koby's sense of duty intervene on Luffy's goal, so they would eventually be in each others path but in opposite sides.

This was something already established since Water 7, they both knew they were growing stronger and that some day they would need to face each other and it was even more confirmed in Marineford where both of them "fight" for their own goals and their conclusion of the whole event was almost the sense "I need to get stronger"

Luffy is not expecting Koby to be only his friend but also his rival, so don't feel betrayed by Koby saying something that was already established!

My third aspect and probably my biggest point is Elmeth.

Oh boy, I cried so much with this giant robot but let's explore slowly.

I LOVE the way is constantly telling us that LUFFY IS NOT JOYBOY HIMSELF! JoyBoy is dead, so it can't be him, Elmeth said it by himself(?) And I think that was such a beautiful writing, "there's no way that you are still alive but it looks alike you so much, I can't avoid to feel like that time" (forgive my bad translation pls)

The sense of nostalgia of Elmeth knowing that JoyBoy is dead but even with that he can still see him through Luffy in a certain way that even if it's not JoyBoy, it's still similar to him.

And this is what I love about Oda, he literally went directly to say "Luffy is Luffy", hiw personality, his story, his goals and motivations are because of his own persona, not only because being related to JoyBoy and I like the way just reafirm by saying "I think you confused me with another person", he is just unaware of all the comparision and history JoyBoy could have because he doesn't think as himself as JoyBoy.

And finally, the part that broke my heart was when Elmeth was talking to JoyBoy and they are full "I will help you from the past" and "thank you, it makes me really happy because when you died I will know that you would still be by my side" "there's a lot of time yet, so much time that is hard to me to think that I will be alone in the future"

BOY I WAS BAWLING MY EYES. It's just the way so sweet that Elmeth talks about and to JoyBoy, you can sense his love for this person that now It's just vanished in time and that is a vague memory from someone in the past. THE WHOLE ANGST IS SO HEARTBREAKING.

And as someone in grief, this hits double, because it's a feeling that I have feel due to missing my beloved ones, it's a feelings that a lot of people have of wanting to know that no matter what, the other one would be always with us even if they are not in a physical state and it just hit me so hard.

And this stuff is what makes One piece so especial to me, the way that made me cried isn't normal, this knot in my throat because the grief felt so real when I was reading. It just the nostalgic aspects that really push me more as well.

A lot of people focus more intol the whole haki revealed and the way JoyBoy looks but to me the most precious part of One piece would be this type of emotional writing.

[frozen-spaghetti]

Papyrus' Heaven Theory - I Swear It's Not Card Friends

Updated June 4th, 2024. Currently probably the definitive version of Papyrus Knight.

Part 1 - The Flaws with Papyrus Knight

a. "It's out of character"

Well, this is the main flaw that Papyrus' Heaven is made to address. However, this section is to run through the argument, so let's see here:

Papyrus is often seen as a simple, happy, and whimsical guy. And on the surface level, in Undertale at least, he does seem to be.

He also has one core difference when compared to the rest of the main cast: He cannot kill you. Toriel can kill you if you're not careful. Sans can kill you in his battle, though it's hard to reach. Undyne and Asgore have essentially made it their job to do so. Mettaton lives in a killer robot body designed to murder humans, a body created by Dr. Alphys. Flowey is a genocidal maniac who will kill you, only to revive you and do it over and over again.

But Papyrus? The only instances of him being able to kill you were a rare glitch in older versions of Undertale, which appears to now be an impossibility.

Now, someone this nice surely cannot have been an evil Knight in another timeline, right?

Well, let me present you a mini-theory within this theory:

Papyrus' Disremembrance Theory

There is a LOT of evidence that Papyrus is intentionally making himself forget many things, many important things.

Dialogue from the King Papyrus ending as well as the Lost SOUL battle paints a dark picture for Papyrus' backstory. Him saying absolutely nothing during part of the fight is haunting, and could imply that he's unable to remember what he would've said at that point. This is especially relevant as it comes at the same time Sans says "you'll never see 'em again," which is a very likely reference to his time in Deltarune's reality. The King Papyrus ending is quite terrifying too, it alludes to his "usual encouragement" not always working, which seems to imply there are past coping mechanisms of his.

This—coupled with the evidence that he's from the DELTARUNE reality—implies he is deep in denial and has forced himself to forget nearly everything. By the way, if you're not aware of said evidence, check out my post detailing the evidence Sans and Papyrus are from the DELTARUNE universe. It's fairly good, but I did not address the sun argument...so I will now.

A major argument against the Papyrus Deltarune theory is that he doesn't know what the sun is. Clearly, he cannot be from Deltarune's Light World if he does not know what the sun is!

Well, my answer to this is fairly simple. He likely has beaten the Deltarune reality out of his mind so hard that he doesn't remember what the sun is. He has to strain himself to even remember there was grass, after all. He does use the term "sun on my skin" but I believe he isn't fully aware of the connection between "the sun" and a big ball in the sky.

To wrap up Papyrus' Disremembrance theory, I'd like to point out that it nicely contrasts Sans' whole "don't forget" thing. This is even reflected in the Lost SOUL dialogue; Sans is clearly grieving while Papyrus has fully made himself forget.

Now - back to the main point!

Since we have established Papyrus is in denial, and has made himself forget practically everything that occurred in his time in the DELTARUNE reality, we can now treat his Undertale incarnation as a "soft reset" of sorts. Many traits of his shine through, but he is a fairly different person.

For example, I believe one of his core traits is his "I WILL BE THE ONE!" mentality.

If Papyrus really is the Knight, him being obsessed with a goal of causing a world-changing event to happen would add up. The core motivation for both would be to become worshipped and to achieve what he perceives as the greater good.

It would also be consistent with how Asriel—the Angel in Undertale's world—deceived him into doing his bidding. Assuming that the Knight is working for Deltarune's Angel, that could be a recurring theme for Papyrus' story.

Lastly, I will mention how most Papyrus Knight theories mess this up. They often claim he does not know about the Roaring, or that he makes the Dark Fountains just to get some Darkner buddies. And, while that may be on the surface level closer to his Undertale characterization, it does not add up with the in-game evidence. Queen makes it clear that the Knight goes by 'Roaring Knight' and King implies he was ordered to fight the other kings by the Knight. This clearly implies they are devoted to doing the Angel's bidding, regardless of if it's morally wrong.

b. "He's from Undertale, so he can't be the Knight"

I won't spend too long on this one since it is absolutely unchangeable, but I will bring up a counterpoint, one that I explained earlier.

Papyrus is kind of a Deltarune character???

If anyone who first appeared in Undertale counts, it would be the skeletons.

Hell, W.D Gaster in Deltarune is very heavily implied to be the same Gaster who built the CORE in Undertale's reality.

It appears the skeletons are strange, interdimensional beings. Gaster exists everywhere at every possible time, and Sans and Papyrus are known to have hopped realities.

Essentially, this argument is a bit weaker for someone like Papyrus than someone like Undyne who isn't the same character across both games.

I do get it, though. However, I do think there is room to debate he's being treated weirdly compared to nearly everyone else.

This line about Papyrus.

This damn line about Papyrus.

I don't think it proves he's the Knight at all, but Toby Fox is totally conditioning us to wonder where the hell Papyrus is.

And given the way the newsletters have been using Papyrus, it's honestly odd to imagine he won't have some strangely major role in the plot.

I could easily use something like this GIF as "evidence" but it really isn't. I could argue it ties Papyrus to a future Dark World location, I suppose. But really, the main takeaway is that Papyrus is treated extremely weirdly when compared to the rest of the returning Undertale cast.

c. "Nobody knows who he is"

Well, this flaw is near-unfixable. However, it is possible to turn it into a slight strength.

Firstly, though, there are ways for him to be more known to the main cast.

Deltarune has teased a Papyrus hangout in a similar vein to Undertale's date. Not only has Sans directly told you that you'll hang out with him soon, but the Steam page hints that Papyrus is busy—implying he will show up later.

This could easily pay off in a hangout later in the game, which causes the Fun Gang to familiarize with him. Hell, it's possible there's a Dark World adventure with him later on. However, I have a question to pose to you:

Does it really matter?

Well, likely, yes. Though, it is potentially not as much of a flaw as you would think.

Consider, for a moment, who else do we know for sure has created a dark fountain? Kris. And, tell me if this sounds familiar.

"Antisocial person lacking friends, who—in the grand scheme of things—lives under the shadow of their older brother."

Sure, this isn't exactly that unique of a character archetype, but if the two Dark Fountain creators share those traits, it could mean something.

Kris isn't as unknown as Papyrus is, but still— many people do not know them very much. Some don't even know their name; Undyne addresses them as "Asgore's kid" and even the ones who do know their name are not quite familiar with them.

Some More Weird Parallels Between These Siblings

Kris and Papyrus are both compared to Luigi from the Mario series.

Yes, I get it's stupid to bring up Luigi in an essay about Papyrus being the Roaring Knight, but hear me out here.

In debating Papyrus Knight since I wrote the original draft of this essay, I've mostly encountered the response that it's a basic trope and cannot be considered as an intentional parallel.

However, knowing Toby Fox directly acknowledges it and considers both of them to be Luigi-like characters...that makes it far more plausible of a comparison to make. Both of them are younger siblings who, despite their circumstances, wish they were "as good" as their elders, being Asriel and Sans. Just LOOK at Kris' room.

Papyrus and The Fun Gang

Papyrus is absolutely one of, if not the best character to make the Knight in relation to the Fun Gang.

I know that sounds odd. How? The Mayor is a character who they all at least know exists, and a similar thing could be said about Alvin, or even a more out-there candidate such as Alphys.

But...one thing nearly everyone else has in common is that they are figures of authority. Figures not nearly comparable to the teenagers who were pulled into a universe-defining story which puts fate into their hands.

This could apply to Kris (albeit limiting the affected parties for obvious reasons) and arguably Dess, but Papyrus really does work the best from the perspective of an "equal" antagonist.

This becomes especially clear when you consider the main antagonists so far.

A king, a queen, some criminal mastermind guy. To have their creators and ultimate superior be just another sad teenager like the Fun Gang could work as a better story.

Now.

The main issues with Papyrus Knight have been fairly addressed.

They will be hard to correct, but I have gotten them out of the way in order to pave the foundation of my theory. If the Knight is creating these worlds, why? They don't just want little Darkner buddies...if so, why would they order Spade King to overthrow the other kings?

Well, the motivation comes down to one word.

...

Okay. This is a bit funny. When I originally made the theory, I considered Dess was controlling him to create an Angel's Heaven. But now i go against said idea. But I'm too lazy to change the title, so pretend that nothing happened.

Part 2 - Papyrus' Heaven Theory

The General Idea

If you just want the key details of Papyrus' Heaven, here you go.

Papyrus doesn't want the Dark Worlds for friends, for fun, for adventure, or whatever. He is fully convinced that whatever he is doing is working toward a great new future.

In Undertale, we see his "I WILL BE THE ONE!!!" mentality with his ultimate goal of saving monsterkind, by capturing the final human. I believe he felt that very way about being the Knight. That he is ultimately a legendary hero.

This parallels the Fun Gang, who are also a group of inexperienced teenagers lacking friends who have been turned into prophesied heroes of the world.

Papyrus is aware, in some way, that a Roaring exists and believes it's either a necessary evil or the key to the perfect end for the world. He is not going to have a Berdly moment where Ralsei tells him it's bad and he stops.

What he did hurt him so much that he repressed the memories and vowed to be a better person.

Now, let me look at a few of these points in further detail.

"Papyrus doesn't want to make fountains for friends, fun, or adventure. He believes he's bringing a grand future."

Well, I can sense a counterpoint coming.

If he is aware of the Roaring, and believes it could be used to help save the world, why would he not just start the Roaring right then and now?

Well, I feel the easiest way is to connect this to Gaster.

Sans is fairly obviously connected to Gaster, but what many people don't consider is the strange level of meta knowledge he possesses. Not only does he wink at what we can only conclude is the Player, but he fairly accurately knows the release window between chapters of Deltarune. (2 years to describe the window between Chapters 1 and 2, which is correct if you don't round upwards.)

Given he says you'll most likely see Papyrus again when Asriel returns, we can infer this will likely be around when a major story moment occurs. This is probably sometime between Chapter 5 and Chapter 7, however it is most likely during Chapter 5 proper, as that chapter may take place in the Flower King shop for various reasons. These include but aren't limited to the likely placement of the Church in Chapter 4 based on various context clues, the potential for a Flower King area to serve as a pseudo-endgame with Flowey characters and the like, and the May 2024 newsletter giving us some content regarding the Flower King shop a while after Chapter 3's development completed.

There are also many reasons to believe Chapter 5 will end with the Roaring beginning and heavily feature the Knight, such as Chess Theory and the original release schedule.

Regardless though, given that Papyrus is known to have some form of relationship with Gaster, I could see him having some level of fore-knowledge. It'd be interesting if Gaster actually needs the Knight for the Legend to come true, and thus is affiliated with them.

"In Undertale, we see his 'I WILL BE THE ONE!' mentality which may carry over into his attitude as the Knight."

Papyrus is strongly devoted to his goals in Undertale. Sometimes, painfully so. He is very, very committed to making sure Frisk is captured. Even after they become friends with him, he continues to aid Undyne in capturing him.

And yes, he is very aware of what he's doing.

Papyrus very much knows the consequences his actions have, and does not cease even despite the fact he is friends with the person who is going to be murdered; their blood would be on his hands. Yet he is unrelenting.

I imagine this is a personality the Knight could have.

To endanger children by placing Dark Worlds in a school and a library, and to continue creating these Dark Fountains even after having learned of the Roaring (if he didn't already know of it) is something I cannot see many characters doing. Of course, that can be addressed with others, but Papyrus in particular is very stubborn, or to put it another way, determined.

Regardless of whether a Knight Papyrus would want recognition or love, I believe he absolutely considers himself to be a hero. Perhaps he is misguided. And, if the Delta Warriors are also misguided, then it'd be a double misguide. Two opposing sides, and yet both manage to be wrong in a sense.

Does Papyrus Want Recognition Again?

Speaking of, though, it is entirely likely that Papyrus wants to be hailed for his work as the Roaring Knight.

Perchance Sans is being truthful when he says Papyrus wants friends, and Papyrus takes that in an unhealthy direction using Dark Worlds.

While Kris used the Dark Worlds to make new friends with Lancer, Ralsei, and Susie, as well as improving their bond with Noelle and Berdly, the Knight has been shown to have manipulated the chapter bosses in order to worship them. Maybe not directly, but they absolutely have displayed behaviour that implies that the Knight feels like a god to them.

It is presumable that Papyrus may also want to gain praise from other Lighters in this manner as well, but he certainly has taken the role of a 'god' to some Darkners.

"Papyrus is aware of the Roaring and considers it necessary to fulfill his grand goal."

Given Queen calls the Knight the Roaring Knight, this is a pretty clear-cut case.

As I mentioned in the last section, Papyrus absolutely does know his actions have consequences, and it's very hard to change their mind. In Undertale, thankfully, most of his actions were benevolent. But in this case, he is really acting in a dangerous manner which is bound to hurt many people.

"What he did hurt him so much that he repressed the memories, and vowed to change and improve as a person."

I already covered this earlier, during the Papyrus' Disremembrance segment.

However, I do want to expand a little more on a specific argument against it here.

I've seen Papyrus' ignorance at what a human looks like being used as a point against him being from the Deltarune world, or a point against him having met Kris.

Now, if Papyrus' Disremembrance theory is correct, that explains that argument away.

Next, I'll cover more tangible evidence for the theory.

Part 3 - Some Potential Evidence I Guess

Susie Is QC Lmao

When talking about the Roaring Knight and the Dark Fountains, Susie says this:

"The Roaring Knight…

(...)

Since they started showing up,

Everything’s gotten a lot more interesting, hasn’t it…?"

This is odd. It's very, very similar in wording to the way QC describes Sans and Papyrus being new in town. She says the following:

"There’s two of ‘em…

Brothers, I think.

They just showed up one day and…

… asserted themselves.

The town has gotten a lot more interesting since then."

The focus on the Fountains being new and the very similar choice in wording leads me, and others, to believe this may be an intentional parallel. Of course, there are other Knights who could be 'new' like the Vessel, but Papyrus fits the best by far, because of the fact the original statement was about him and Sans.

Papyrus and Dreams

Papyrus is weirdly frequently connected to dreams.

If you take even a casual glance at Deltarune, it's pretty clear dreams are significant to this game.

"This robot was the embodiment of a lightner’s dreams."

“The edge of shadow, where reality and dream meet.”

In the Undertale 5th anniversary alarm clock winter dialogue, Papyrus talks about how he let Sans sleep despite wanting him to help to clean up after the holiday party, and adds that this dream was his gift to him.

"SO I LET HIM SLEEP.

HE BETTER NOT EXPECT ME TO CLEAN UP BY MYSELF NEXT TIME! THAT GOOD DREAM WAS MY PRESENT TO HIM! NYEHEHEHEHEH!!!"

In Papyrus’s room, upon inspecting his bed, he talks about his dream of driving down a highway:

THAT’S MY BED! 

(…) 

OF COURSE, THAT’S JUST A DREAM. 

SO INSTEAD I CRUISE WHILE I SNOOZE.

Papyrus and the IcePalace Maze

Now, I'm including this one more for the hell of it rather than because it's really evidence. But, regardless, here it is.

On the Spamton Sweepstakes website, clicking on the black door of the blue and white d_a_m_n_y_o_u_t_e_n_n_a page leads us to Noelle’s blog.  https://deltarune.com/icepalace_glaceir/. In her blog entry, she talks about the cross shaped maze in the ice area from the game Dragon Blazers. If the player wasn’t accompanied by a specific character to guide them, they got lost and became stuck forever.

In the Undertale 5th anniversary alarm clock winter dialogue, Sans describes how Papyrus threw a holiday party for everyone and made a maze out of snow and ice, in which Asgore got lost:

"this winter, papyrus threw a holiday party for everyone. 

[...] oh yeah, he even made a, uh, a “welcoming puzzle” for the party.

a giant labyrinth made of ice, snow, and musical ornament, 

you, uh, had to get through it to get to the front door.

think asgore got lost in there for a while.

undyne had to go save him."

Mettaton refers to it as a "mind maze" which is extremely interesting if it truly is referencing a Dark World.

To be clear, though, my claim is that it is a parallel to Papyrus' previous actions, not that they really created a Dark World here. That would be silly.

The True Meaning of the Word Font

There is a very compelling case that the word 'font' means 'Dark fountain.'

Papyrus (as well as Sans and Gaster) use the more common modern definition of 'font' which is essentially just a computer typeface.

However, the more traditional definitions oddly line up with a description of a Dark Fountain.

Don't put too much stock in this one. It's mostly a fun coincidence!

"A receptacle in a church for the water used in baptism."

This one should be fairly obvious.

Darkness is compared to water a lot. Down to the word 'fountain' being used at all. The filename for the background in the intro is "IMAGE_DEPTH" and the sound effect when Kris and Susie fall into a Dark World is called "ocean."

The 'baptism' part is especially interesting though.

A 'holy fountain.' Not only does King describe fountains as Holy, but so does the soundtrack. The theme of the Dark Fountains is called THE HOLY. Given it is in all caps and fairly reasonably connected to Gaster, it's interesting that a skeleton who uses a strange font himself would describe them this way...

"A reservoir for oil in an oil lamp."

Not much to say on this, other than the fact oil is VERY dark. A very dark liquid such as Darkness may be comparable with oil.

"A source of a desirable quality or commodity, a fount."

Now this really just describes the Dark World.

Not only does the Dark World act as a form of 'Dream World,' but it actively amplifies the skills and powers of those who enter.

Monsters are able to use magic, or at least harness it more powerfully than normal.

Given the way Dark Worlds work, you could very much consider them to fit this definition of font.

Papyrus' Heaven - Conclusion

This is my first long-form theory, and I hope you liked it. Please point out errors or holes, and I'll go back and edit them!

Updated June 4, 2024 to reflect changes in my, and other people's, visions for how it should go.

[timmie15]

How would you rank the more major AC6 characters based on how much you like them?

hmmmmm i had to think about this a LOT since I love everyone..

All of them are so well written, even the minor characters imo

But when it comes to major characters.. hm

Not even sure honestly

Though, my opinions contain [spoilers] from the game!!

I'm a dirty Iguazu lover. He's such a great character holy hell. He may be a pathetic pos but he's relatable. He's so fueled with spite and hatred that he doesn't realise how powerful he actually is. He's a great pilot, but his inferiority complex and envy is what takes him down. Something that anyone could experience at one point in life. He's realistic, with flaws and all. He's not perfect and that's why I love him the most. A tragic character, but in his final moments he spills his true feelings of envy towards you, and honestly this made him grow on my heart.

Classically, I love Rusty. He's the total opposite of Iguazu. He seems chill and all. [Spoiler] But hell he's a great spy. In the mission when you had to collect data about him and you find out he's a RLF spy that gets in that situation where he has to eliminate his own people.. It broke my heart, but hell it's respectable. He's doing his best, but I'm sure his heart is heavy, doing these sacrifices for the greater good. He's skeptical of you too, which also is why I love him. He doesn't trust you easily, and thinks that you're still a threat because nobody knows what's your next move. One day you may help someone, while the other day you could backstab only for money. But later, in the Liberation ending.. he finally trusts you, since you have the same goals.. and he remains your buddy. When you have the Fires of Raven route, the fight made me cry. It felt heavy to fight him, even in that moment he doesn't want to kill you, even if he must. It could have ended differently. Somehow he still had trust in you, and probably he feels bad that even you, like the corps, are a threat to Rubicon. He's a true guy and sacrifices to save the many, yet his end is tragic.

I adore Ayre too. She's intelligent and supportive, but I hate how mischaracterized she is by the fandom. I consider her a total girlboss, but so kind and supportive. Someone you can call a friend in this miserable world. Of course, at first she seemed a bit cold to me since, as anyone, she barely made contact with you, yet still helps you in anyway she can later on. She knows about Rubicon, but her flaw is that she's naive. I like that about her. In the Fires of Raven, when you both fight, she still has that hope that you'll change your mind about your choice and the idea to walk together. The feels man..

Walter is also such a great character, though cold and hides a lot of stuff from you, still cares about you, yet hides it. This caring shows a lot when you finally fight him in the Liberation ending, even if brainwashed, he realises that your actions are also driven by your own friend's wishes.. He also hides his own feelings towards others too, like when you accept to kill Michigan. Michigan may be in good terms with him, but doesn't stop you either way, yet has this hidden grief in his words that hides it with "this is just a job". He tries to be cold, but this demeanor slightly cracks in certain situations.

A honorable mention is Snail. I love to HATE him. Like, he's such a corporate scum of a human being that you love to hate him from that. Egoistic bastard that sacrifices for HIS own benefit. It's a typical villain that's just pure evil that's backstabbing his own people. I love it, I love this character type. He doesn't have any good things other than his strategy methods, but he's dirty and uses others. Yet, people like this exists in real life too.

I could yap about all of the characters all day, since I love ALL of them. They are so unique in their own ways and the cherry on top is that they are so realistic personality-wise. I played AC6 for big robots and stayed for these peak characters!

[just-animaxiz]

I really like my idea of Randy and Spike having a brotherly bond so here are some HCs!

To start things off, Randy and Spike seemed like a weird choice to make a dynamic of but think about it! They're both red-coded, have an order to follow or failure will lead to consequences, and they're both music lovers!

Spike is definitely the big brother. He seems to be a young/mid adult while Randy is just a teenage boy! Though, that didn't stop them having opposite roles at times, where Randy has to act like the big brother here.

When they're together, it somewhat scares some of Randy's classmates off by seeing this tall 7'3 ft robot with glaring eyes while Randy is charting with them. What they didn't know is that this is his sign of protectiveness over Randy since he gets on his good side.

They often play the good/bad cop in roles, and sometimes Spike gets too real in his position as bad cop. It ended up with wet pants and white hair, and so Randy scolded him for making a scene. Spike didn't care, though, but he'll understand if it's someone Randy cares about.

Spike is shit at video games - The dude's never touched one in months. Randy teaches him, though, and overtime, Spike gets good.. At music games mostly!

When Spike first learned Randy's the Ninja, he's having a hard time choosing what to believe: His enemy is not an immortal dangerous for or the fact that a CHILD has been using the legacy and has been on the brink of his fate after every SINGLE FIGHT!

Randy, on the other hand, is shocked and nervous at Spike knowing his secret; however, at the same time, Spike doesn't show any signs of a threat to him and is just... There?

Spike no longer cared about capturing the Ninja or prove his worth to McFist, but he's still conflicted on the idea that his archenemy is a teenage child. His main goal is to support his people at Scrap City and find materials for repairs.

Fun fact: When Spike found a way to get out of Scrap City and went scouting to gather materials, he often spotted Randy doing his civilian life and was a bit envious at how lively normal the boy's experiences are.

After knowing Randy's the Ninja, Spike had a gut feeling to keep him away from going Ninja or doing something very dangerous. He felt like Randy should be humble for his life as a human boy.

Randy would be annoyed at Spike blocking his duties, often reasoning that He's The Ninja and his job is to protect his home, similar to how Spike wants to protect his City.

The difference is that Spike chose this role because his city was a sign of "Nothing", and no one would care enough to take pity or love for his people. Randy, on the other hand, was chosen as The Ninja and his whole life relied on it or else he'll be nothing.

As reluctant as he is, Spike would let Randy do his business as long as he helped along, knowing Randy cannot do this alone. The boy is a bit stubborn but eventually agreed.

When time passed, the two went from being awkward to eventually like brothers. Randy is protective of Spike getting hurt while Spike doesn't want Randy repeatedly risking his life for others.

Even though Spike is caring towards Randy, he is still the rebellious bad bot and so expect Randy having to hold back Spike before someone gets hurt!

They both sparred together in-between, with Spike helping Randy train for improvement!

Who knows - Maybe Spike will be an upcoming role to help the Ninja?

[lukerycyja-reblogs]

Repairs

I have no idea what I'm doing, it's probably ooc but I don't care, since there isn't much new content bout Ramattra (people don't have taste if they don't simp for a robot man) I will write it myself

"You are aware I was made to fight and kill humans, right?" He asked you as your hands were buried in the depths of his metach chest cavity, untangling multiple wires from this current spaghetti state.

You hum gently as the radio in the background plays some old tunes from before the war. Among the mess of mechanical parts and oily tables, an R-7000 unit was hanged by the shoulders from the ceiling. It's legs and arms were destroyed and unusable, yet that didn't stop you from attempting to put him back together.

"Well, you aren't good at it then" you said as you tweaked yet another screw, slowly making progress towards your goal.

He made a sound as if he was scoffing, and if his face could, you were sure he would look like an angry toddler right now.

You listen to his speech, enjoying the sound of his voice. Yes, you were tempted to change it, so he would speak as a kid after inhaling helium, but decided that this would be only if he majorly pissed you off. After all, in the state like this, he couldn't do much anyways. At least you can let him ramble.

"You made those customisations yourself?" You asked, wanting to know more about him and not about his views on politics.

Topics like those can quickly tire anyone out and you really didn't feel up to a debate tonight.

"Yes" was the short answer.

"They make you look cute" you blurt out bluntly and continue your work, not expecting a reaction out of him.

There was silence for a moment and then you heard a quiet whisper.

"... cute?"

You stopped you snort last second, as you wanted to know more about his feelings. Laughing right now would probably make him angry and closed off again.

You then cheer as your hands connect one of the last pieces together, marking the finish of the work for today. You finally cleaned up the mess in his chest and fixed his chassis. Now, you will have to rebuild his limbs. Probably from scratch, as there are no known R-7000 units available anywhere. Great.

"I'm afraid you will have to spend more time with me, big guy. Will you tell me your name today?" You asked as you always did at the end of the day.

You never really expected an answer. He had to live through hell and hated humans with a passion from what you could gather. There is no way, that he would even share his name with a human like you-

"Ramattra"

What a suprise.

[yanderecrazysie]

Good day! 😁

I had this brainrot for days now and i feel like your the perfect writer to send you this crazy idea so unto the actual request:

Lets have yandere shinsou x ex-besfriend shinsou. So here’s the details, you know how shinsou was bullied when he was young due to his quirk being villainous? How about the reader being the only friend he had, the person who defended him and cared for him. Shinso sees you as his hero and you and him were close in middle school. But here comes the problem despite the reader having a perfectly heroic quirk like being invincible for a short period of time, the reader doesn’t want to be a hero and is content being a general course student but this feels like an insult to shinsou as he works so hard yet he sees you having a quirk that he wishes he had and your not even using it to be a hero. Shinsou wants you and him be a heroic duo of brains and brawn but the reader is happy in the general course, that is where reader belongs but shinsou can’t accept that which leads to a big fight between them. I can imagine shinso going off on reader for being wasteful of the quirk they were given and generally insulting the reader and the general course and just storms off. Fast forward a bit and we see shinsou eventually getting his dreams of getting into the hero course with the help of aizawa. Shinsou tried so hard to forget about you but he can’t even when he is now in the hero course and achieving his dream yet he feels empty as you’re not with him. Due to cross class excercise you and shinsou meet again but you keep your distance from him which hurt. Cue angst and shinso pining till he turns yandere, shinsou misses the reader and he wants them back to his side, he wants the reader to be as close as to the reader before and he’ll to whatever lengths he need to.

-sorry for the very long request, I just wanted to see your perspective on this idea/brainrot

Awww thank you so much! I’ll do my best to deliver!

Title: So Far Away

Pairings: Shinsou Hitoshi x Reader

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, swearing, insults

Summary: Shinsou has achieved his dream. Mostly.

“How do I live without the ones I love?

Time still turns the pages of the book it's burned

Place and time always on my mind

I have so much to say but you're so far away”

-from “So Far Away” by Avenged Sevenfold

Becoming a part of the hero course was supposed to be a dream come true, but really, it was bittersweet. 

You were supposed to be here with him, but you were so stubborn.

Shinsou had become friends with you on his first week at UA. Somehow, someone had figured out what quirk he had and, to his dismay, the old bullying started up again. And, like in junior high, the teacher turned a blind eye to it.

You, however, did not.

“How dare you judge him when you don’t even know him? Do you know how useful that could be for being a hero? He could just tell the villains to put the handcuffs on themselves and they would!”

Shinsou couldn’t verbalize just how much he appreciated you saying that. Not only did you shut up the other general course students, but you tapped into his one and only goal in life: becoming a hero.

It hadn’t been fair, the physical exam. How was he supposed to stop robots with his quirk? It made him feel useless, helpless.

But you didn’t make him feel that way.

Maybe you were unbothered because you were invincible yourself, quite literally. With a quirk like invincibility, you would make a fantastic hero! The two of you could become heroes at the same time- the brains and the brawn, together forever.

But to his dismay, when the sports festival rolled around, you showed no interest in working hard and making it to the end.

“Why don’t you want to make it to the next round? We could work together and one of us could win!”

But you didn’t care. You simply wished him the best and lost in the first round. 

You could have been with him in the cavalry race! You could have fought against those hero course students and taken them down, one-by-one. You could have even taken down Bakugou if only you had tried!

When Mr. Aizawa reached out to him, asking if he wanted to train with him, he was thrilled. He’d asked if you could join him and Mr. Aizawa had agreed.

But when Shinsou told you, you’d waved him off, uninterested in something like that.

“Sorry, Shinsou, but I don’t really have time for that,” you said dismissively, “I don’t really want to change classes, especially not to a different department, so it’d be better if I didn’t waste a teacher’s time.”

“Why don’t you want to change to the hero course?” Shinsou asked, blown away by your attitude, “You could be a literal superhero! Isn’t that the greatest thing to strive for?”

“Not really. Sorry,” you wrinkled your nose a little at the idea, “I just don’t feel the same way you do. There’s too many heroes out there, they don’t need me. I’d rather have a more practical job, you know?”

Shinsou didn’t understand you. Maybe that’s why he lost his temper. 

More likely, it’s because he couldn’t stand the thought of being a hero without you.

The daydreams of you starting a hero agency with him crumble to the ground around him and he’s yelling before he knows it.

“Are you stupid? You’re wasting your quirk on a boring everyday job? What, you’re too much of a coward to do some good in the world? You’re just a selfish bitch.”

You jerked your head back as though you’d been slapped and tears filled your eyes. Shinsou immediately regretted his words, but it was too late to take them back now.

“Fuck you,” you said shakily, “Go be a fucking hero on your own, bastard.”

That was the last time you’d spoken to him. After transferring to the hero course, this was the first time he was seeing you in weeks- at a cross class training exercise. 

You don’t try your best, that much is obvious. You have no competitive spirit, even now.

Shinsou is shaking when he approaches you, scared to death about what you’ll say.

Before he can even get out his apology, you’re turning your back on him, ignoring his outstretched hand.

His heart shatters in his chest. Tears burn his eyes.

He’s miserable without you. 

The next few days, his performance in class suffers. It’s hard to think about math when his mind is only on you. Your absence is a constant ache in his heart. 

He knew he had hurt you, that much was obvious, but he couldn’t find a moment to apologize. All he wanted was to make amends and have you back in his life.

One night, as he walked back to the dorms after another distracted day, Shinsou couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to salvage whatever was left of your friendship. 

And if you didn’t accept his apology this time, maybe he’d have to resort to something a little more… convincing.

[ynisreal]

wires (8) - michael afton x reader

author´s note: helloooo tumblr! so, i've already uploaded these two chapters to ao3, because my main fan work consumption is on the site… sorry for the delay in posting them here :P summary: Michael tells you part of the truth. You and Michael clean up the establishment. Where is Ennard?

"You know what his goal is, right?" Henry's voice echoes in Michael's memories. Of course he knows, that same goal was hinging and hammering on Michael's memories all the way to your house. "Ennard must be looking for a new body to camouflage himself with again," Henry reminds the younger man of each metallic limb entering his stomach and wearing his skin like a coat. Michael wasn't going to forget the animatronic's purpose, having experienced first-hand what the big robot intended to do.

"I know, but he won't be able to find one so quickly. The person he chooses has to be injected by Remnant through the scooper before he dies or, anyway - during, as happened to me," Michael's answer to Henry's question pops into his memory, reminding him of the seriousness of the situation they were in, "I don't think Ennard knows about this, so until he finds out, there will be other bodies just like Noah's, failed attempts to find a puppet for this piece of shit."

That's Michael's fear. It's the same fear that makes him hold on a little tighter to the hands that are intertwined on his torso. You notice the change in his grip, finally understanding that you weren't the only one afraid of going back to the establishment. All along the way, Michael has been giving you these little indications that he was also afraid of what had happened, even though he didn't want to show it to you. The sudden grip on your hands, the slightly controlled breathing and the tension in the broad shoulders of the man in front of you. When there was a red light and Michael's motorcycle stopped, the man's hands brushed against your thigh, his anxious fingers tapping out a frantic rhythm on your skin. Honestly, you feel a little guilty for not comforting him, but you know how serious Michael is about his secrets and what he decides to share, so you don't want to force an opening and end up fighting with him again. You don't have the strength to get into a fight about who yells the loudest with Michael right now, with the vivid images of Noah's organs racing through your head.

"Thank you for coming to pick me up," you thank him, trying once again to distract yourself and Michael from the fear you were both feeling on your way back to the establishment. "Sure, I promised I'd help you carry the weight on your back, and I'm going to do just that," Michael replies, in a slightly happier tone than his demeanor showed. He was trying to reassure you and show confidence, which you could appreciate in him.

You smile under the large helmet that surrounds your face, "Is this the extra helmet you use when you offer girls a ride?" you joke, trying once again to ease the tension in his shoulders. However, this seems to have the opposite effect when you feel his shoulders tense up once again, perhaps even a little more. This makes you open your mouth in shock, "Wow, here I was just joking, and little did I know that I was another one of your victims," you imitate an angry tone, wanting to hear what Michael's response would be.

"Calm down, it was only two," Michael replies quickly, turning his helmeted head slightly in your direction, keeping his eyes on the road. "Apart from you, of course," the last comment being added in an obviously teasing tone, the man clearly amused by the little jealous tantrum you were throwing. "Hm, I see, should I assume that they also worked with you? Or that you also wrote them notes?" you add, continuing to dramatize the situation, amused by the lightness in which you and Michael were chatting, which completes its task in distracting both of you from the fear hanging over both your minds.

"No, that was just you," Michael says seriously, which surprises you a little, given the joking tone the subject was taking.

It's true. You feel it almost immediately.

"I didn't used to get too involved with the people I had sex with or talked to, that only started with you," Michael adds, not really caring what his words meant or what they suggested.

True. Again.

Your cheeks immediately blush. Shit, how Michael had the ability to dominate your thoughts and make the problems surrounding your head seem like ants next to his magnitude. "Well, what's in the past doesn't matter, I'm glad you've changed. You're the kind of person that everyone would love to meet," you replied awkwardly, not knowing how to react to Michael's sudden confession, letting the first words that came into your mind take over your facial muscles and spill out of your mouth.

Michael doesn't answer. After all, that clumsy little reply of yours brought a light into Michael's mind. He had changed, after meeting you, after so many months locked in the silence and darkness of the establishment, after dying and having to drag his own corpse out of a dark alley, Michael had changed. And this change was a good one, of course he still had certain reactions or behaviors that were already automatic in his brain, but even unconsciously, he had opened up to you, he wanted that opening. Michael was willing to open all his scars for you to look inside, through all the blood and pain.

"We're here," Michael says, seeing such the familiar establishment lurking on the sidewalk. You raise your head to look through the tinted window of the helmet, feeling your stomach rise in your throat and threaten to come out of your mouth. Days passed, Noah's case was still open, analyzing suspects, the sun still rose and fell the same way as before, but your fear was still there. Michael's company made you feel safer, knowing that neither you nor he would ever walk those same corridors alone, but it was inevitable that you would create various scenarios in your head about how the two of you would end up dead in the same way as Noah.

Michael noticed your hesitation, so he squeezed your hand that was still wrapped around his torso, signaling that he would be entering with you. He would help you carry the tiring weight of fear, even if his hands were growing calluses from having carried the same fear alone for several years.

The engine noise ceases and you look around the parking lot, unaccustomed to the scenery belonging to the establishment. You remove your helmet awkwardly, wrinkling your nose as you feel some of your hair being pulled along with the material. Your eyes meet the dark glass of Michael's helmet, and you wait a few seconds, a little confused by your companion's delay, when it finally hits you.

"Do you want me to go in first?" you ask, your voice soft and your head tilting slightly in sympathy. Michael's gentle laugh makes itself known and he lifts his hand to stroke your cheek.

"No need, just wait for me at the exit to the parking lot," he replies, knowing that you would feel uncomfortable entering the establishment alone, but you still wanted to make him comfortable. Michael still had no plans to show his face to you, that hadn't changed, so he appreciated your respect for his secret.

You nod and give him a small kiss on the hand that was hidden in a glove, which you assumed was part of the bike's equipment. Your footsteps echoed through the establishment as you walked up to the large red door that marked "Exit" in black letters. Michael waited until the footsteps were far enough for him to take off his helmet, wrinkling his nose when he felt bits of skin from his face getting stuck in the material. Shit, he would have to buy a wider helmet to avoid the cracks that were forming in his face, leading to some black patches from the necrotic muscles. He picks up the backpack he had brought, reaching for his hoodie and the black surgical mask he had brought. After lifting the hood from the hoodie, the upper part of his face was hidden, along with the lower part which was covered by the mask.

After a few minutes, you hear Michael's footsteps echoing through the garage, signaling to you that he was coming to meet you. "Is this the exit?" you ask, given that he's been working in the establishment longer than you. Michael saw the red door next to you and made a positive sign with his hands, showing you the new bandages that covered his fingers and hands. The famous mask and hood you were used to seeing every week are back, and you finally realize how much you had missed Michael. Honestly, you were grateful. A lot of feelings went through your head these last few days, especially with Noah's death and the story Henry told you, which helped you realize that: life is grey. It doesn't judge, it doesn't help or facilitate nor does it hinder or slow you down. Life gives what it can, and now, you were extremely grateful for what little Michael shared with you. Whether it was a blind kiss, a faceless figure or sweet words that were muffled by the mask. Life gave it to you, and you felt grateful for what seemed so little to other people, but was immense to you. And for Michael too.

"And the wage earners always come back to collect their wages," Michael said casually, letting out a theatrical sigh as he opened and held the large, eye-catching door for you to pass through. You let out a small laugh, "True, the chocolates my sister likes are very expensive these days," the same joking tone in the man's voice is heard in your own, enjoying the light mood you were starting the shift in. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's just your sister who eats them," Michael says sarcastically, calling the elevator as he pushes the button that instantly lights up. You let out another laugh, pushing the man's arm a little too hard, just to provoke him. But honestly, with the short contact of your hand on his toned arm, you realize that even if you had used one hundred percent of your strength, Michael might not have moved at all.

The elevator finally opens its doors, making a loud noise, as apparently all the doors in this establishment do. Michael lets you in first, extending his arm between the open space of the doors to prevent them from closing. As you enter that familiar environment, the reality of the place you're returning to makes itself present in your stomach again. Memories of you running through the corridors and praying to any entity that would listen to you so that you wouldn't be the next victim return to your mind, letting the discomfort begin to grow in your body. You are not alone is what you try to repeat to yourself, as an attempt to stabilize your anxiety. And it was the reality, you weren't alone, Michael was with you, the man who always tried to help you and ease your worries, why should this time be any different? It wouldn't.

The man next to you found your sudden silence strange, imagining that the memories and traumas of that night must be tormenting you. He still didn't know the details of what you had done or what you had thought on that day, only receiving the narrative through indirect sources—via Henry and the reports the older man had brought home. His imagination filled in some of the gaps, relying on the fact that Michael had been through similar experiences a few times to make accurate assumptions. "Close your eyes," Michael says impulsively, his voice coming out hoarse, surprising even himself as if his body had taken action before he realized what he was about to do.

You hardly needed time to react, immediately complying with Michael's request and allowing your sight to be stripped away. Your swift response exuded desperation, a realization that left you a little embarrassed. It became clear how effortlessly Michael could read your body language, especially in your most vulnerable moments. Your other senses took over, enabling you to listen to Michael's movements. You heard the elastic of the mask being stretched and the friction of the material against the man's skin, indicating that he had removed the object. Almost immediately afterward, your sense of touch allowed you to feel Michael's lips meeting yours. The kiss was slow and sweet, the small cuts on the man's mouth adding a subtle tickle, especially when you reached out to grab the material of his hoodie, bringing the two of you even closer. The affirmation you sought was present in the shared kiss—Michael was here. The same Michael who had promised to help you, no matter how challenging things became.

The sound of the elevator doors opening echoes through the closed room and you feel Michael's hand cover your eyes, even though you've kept them closed. The sweet taste of the man's lips disappears, replaced by the cold breeze that envelops the bare lower part of your face. "We're here," Michael whispers, his husky voice close to your ear. You nod positively, a little nervous about your prolonged lack of sight. The hand covering your eyes finally leaves, allowing your vision to return, the dim lighting of the establishment invading your eyesight again, irritating you slightly.

You glance at Michael, who already has his mask back on. The affirmation you were repeating was now firmly in your mind, so you didn't hesitate to take the first step, making your way towards the heavy, noisy doors of the main hall. This time, the loud sound didn't startle you, showing how determined your brain is to ignore any kind of fear, focusing solely on the mantra hammering away at the back of your mind. Michael follows you, satisfied that the little bit of encouragement he provided in the kiss worked, pleased with the image in front of him: you attempting to move forward. It won't be easy, but he can try to make it easier for you.

Michael follows you, noticing how you're walking a bit too fast through the main hall, searching for the cleaning utensils to organize the chaos that the police and investigators had left behind. Michael's strong arm appears in the corner of your vision as you reach for the mop bucket.

"Doll, slow down, I'm here to help you," his voice is once again close to your ear, "I'm glad you're determined, but don't forget that I also have my role in helping you," he continues, grabbing the bucket with ease and placing it on the floor in front of you.

"Okay, sorry, I'm just afraid this wave of motivation is gonna leave too soon," you express, rubbing your hands on your uniform, a sign of your sudden hyperactivity. "So don't use it all up within seconds, just take a deep breath and calmly use up your motivation battery, so you don't go into total denial about everything that happened," Michael says calmly, raising his arm to pick up the other utensils. "Honestly, denial would be a good way to deal with all this," you admit, watching as the man in front of you, once again, gathers up all the items and then leaves you empty-handed.

Michael turns his head towards you, letting the dim light illuminate the upper part of his face. With so many emotions over the last few days, you'd forgotten: Michael's eyes were completely dark. A dark black that consumed all the light in the room and didn't reflect a single glint. You remember the drawing you made that associated this feature, which at the time you thought was imaginary on your part, with the eyes of a powerful villain. It's true, it was a look that would make any villain envy the darkness and emptiness that his gaze conveys. But you couldn't possibly think that about his gaze, knowing that Michael wasn't a villain, at least not in your eyes. You looked away, not wanting Michael to find out that his eyes were uncovered. After all, if he kept secrets, you could keep yours.

"Don't say that," the man's voice is serious, "Denial won't do any good, in fact, reality will only hit harder afterwards," Michael says. Truth, you feel it again. Damn, you wish you could tear your insides apart so you could stop feeling these intuitions. Feeling your body betraying you and agreeing with Michael.

"Yeah," you reply dryly, in denial about being able to stay in denial, basically. "I hate to be cliché, but time heals all wounds, and well, justice heals other wounds too," Michael looks back at the shelves, reaching for the cleaning cloths and gloves.

"Have you experienced this before?" your voice comes out hoarse, a little frustrated with Michael's advice, not wanting to accept the reality that you would have to cope with your emotions and fears. The man doesn't stop in his movements, continuing to throw the cloths he found into the bucket in front of you. He takes a few seconds to respond, as if he's thinking about what to say.

"Yes," Michael says, "Noah wasn't the first death in this establishment."

Well, what the fuck? Isn't this kind of information usually shared with new employees?

You don't answer, your body speaks for itself, your eyes going wide and your hands clenching your uniform. "What do you mean?" your voice comes out a little broken, your fear returning almost instantly. Michael realizes this, so he makes the decision to tell you this story in another manner. "I'm going to tell you, I just need you to close your eyes so I can comfort you," he says, his voice heavy with anxiety. Shit, it was hard having to be careful about the secrecy of his appearance and keeping you physically close at such times.

You sigh and close your eyes again. Michael brings you close, covering the top of your face once again with his hand and letting his other hand caress the fabric of your uniform that was covering your shoulder. "It's been a while since that body was found," Michael is careful with his words, not wanting to scare you or expose himself too much, "Henry, the man you met, was the one who found the body, but the killer was already identified in that case, so you don't have to-"

"Did this man come back to life, or did something happen to him after death?" you ask curiously, remembering the tale Henry had told you. You really didn't believe that the man had come back to life, so you assumed that it must be some kind of lesson or significance that the employees of this establishment shared. Well, you were partly right.

"What do you mean?", the hand on your shoulder stops abruptly, surprised by your question. "Henry told me that he knew a story about a man who had another chance in life after he died," you explain, your hand reaching for Michael's to return the caress on your shoulder that was helping you to calm down, "Well, I assumed that it was a well-known tale in the establishment, and since Henry found the body, he may have tried to pass it on to me," you conclude, a little confused by your own statement. "Forget it, I must look crazy," you add, finally finding Michael's hand as you feel the familiar bandages around your fingers.

Michael smiles beneath his mask, evidently Henry must have shared the story of his death with you. "Would you like the story to end like that?" Michael asks, resuming his caress on your shoulder, "For the corpse that Henry found to come back to life?". You think for a few seconds, not understanding Michael's question, but regardless, you decide to answer: "Yes, it would be less gruesome than ending up with Henry running around the corridors afraid of being the next one, just like me," you shrug, the sincerity in your voice making your speech seem a little too casual for the reality of your statement.

"Okay," Michael smiles, a smile so big that he's afraid the necrotic tissue on his cheek will tear deeply. "You mentioned that the killer was identified, is he under arrest?" you ask.

That's going to be impossible to explain, Michael thinks.

"No," the man replies sincerely, not wanting to delve into who, or rather what, the killer was. "That's why I'm here with you, it's safer for both of us, and believe me, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that these same stories don't repeat themselves with you or your sister."

"My sister?" you vocalize, your hand that was stroking Michael's bandages quickly ceasing. "Michael, what does my sister have to do with this?", your voice sounds irritated, which makes Michael hesitate in his movements. Shit, he said too much.

"She has nothing to do with it, Y/n, calm down," Michael blurted out as he felt your hand grip his tightly. Not that it was actually hurting, but he could sense the desperation in your tone. "I only vocalized my concern for both of you, I know how much you love and care for her."

"Okay, but why should the murder in this establishment worry my sister?" you asked once again, the irritation you felt still not subsiding.

"There's a killer on the loose, Y/n, that's what I'm saying, we don't know where he is," Michael knows that what he's telling you is the opposite of comforting or calming you, but it's the truth. He didn't want you walking the streets carefree or letting your sister come home from school completely alone. Ennard was still on the loose, and he was testing bodies until he could find one that would hold up, which won't happen until Ennard realizes that the corpse needs Remnant.

You sigh, letting the depth of Michael's statement settle within you. He was presenting facts that were difficult to accept, the realization that your sister or other people could be in danger. You couldn't afford to let fear paralyze you, to be as openly vulnerable as you were being, you needed strength and courage in this moment, especially since your little sister depended on your protection and care.

While Michael could bring you comfort and motivation, this line of thinking brought you courage and determination. You had to control your emotions, after all, it wasn't just your life that depended on it.

It worried the man when he didn't hear any response from you, but soon after, he listened to your breathing become more controlled, as if you were trying to calm your thoughts and stabilize your heart. "I understand, thank you for clarifying that to me," you finally reply, your voice strangely calm, "I needed to hear that, thank you Michael," you add, raising your hand to caress his other hand, which was still positioned over your eyes.

Michael smiles, satisfied with the conclusion of the confusing and unexpected conversation you two shared. So he carefully lowers his mask, sealing the discussion you two had with a small kiss, just to bring you and him a sense of comfort and closeness after a sensitive conversation for both of you.

When you feel the hand being removed from your eyes, Michael is already wearing his mask and standing at the same distance he considers safe. Your gaze falls on the utensils already positioned in the bucket, apart from the mop and broom in Michael's hands. You crouch down to pick up the bucket with the cloths and cleaning products, but Michael's arm reaches for the item before you can grab it.

"Why do you still try?" Michael's voice is laced with teasing, totally different from the tone you two had been talking in a few minutes ago. You let out a hearty laugh when you saw that Michael was practically hugging the broom and mop with one arm, squeezing them tightly against his body so they wouldn't fall off, while his free arm was carrying the bucket. "If you'd rather contort yourself to carry the bucket than let me handle a broom, honestly, you're crazy," you smiled, holding out your arms, hoping that Michael would make an exception for today.

"Call me crazy all you want," he says, ignoring your offer and starts walking through the corridors in search of the mess made by the investigators. You roll your eyes, amused by Michael's extreme insistence on being a gentleman, but you still follow him down the corridors to start your day shift.

"Fuck, couldn't those jerks collect their damn tapes?", Michael's voice rings out through the corridors until you reach Ballora's gallery, where you were. Hearing him get angry about this makes you laugh as you organize some boxes that the cops had emptied during the investigation. "Damn it, just put that shit in the garbage can, did they have to leave it on the floor?", Michael finally makes his way to the door of the room you were in.

"Michael, it's our job to manage the establishment, their only job is to investigate," you explain, without taking your eyes off the task you were doing, sorting out the items that were for the decoration box that ended up on the floor due to the policemen's carelessness. "But it's also their job to have the minimum of human dignity and throw garbage in the garbage can," Michael replies, still frustrated by the mess that had established itself in the Funtime auditorium: badly cleaned blood, torn yellow tapes on the floor, empty coffee cups everywhere and, to complete the humiliation, the staff toilet near the auditorium was clogged. Not that Michael needed it, he no longer has a functioning digestive system, but you did, and the asshole cops apparently didn't think about your digestive system while they clogged up the only fucking toilet in this establishment.

"Are you going to unclog the toilet? I can finish the boxes quickly and get it done," you asked, turning your body towards the door. You saw Michael standing in the doorway, holding two transparent garbage bags, both visibly full. "No, I'll do it," Michael replied in frustration, not at you, but at the mess. As much as he found the months he spent alone in the establishment frustrating, he had created a sense of home for the place. For him, seeing this messy and untidy place that he'd practically lived in for months would burst a vein, well, if he had veins with blood pumping through them.

"You're already cleaning the auditorium, which I believe has been left in a mess of blood and other filth," you plead. Michael had immediately offered to clean the auditorium, knowing that it would be uncomfortable for you to relive your memories there, even more so with the blood barely cleaned up by the investigators who collected the body and the various tapes written "Crime Scene".

"No, I'll clean the auditorium and the bathroom, no problem," Michael put the bags down, sighing at the effort he'd been putting in all afternoon. It was strange, to spend the whole afternoon mopping the floor and walking back and forth through the corridors to carry bags of garbage, and not break a sweat. He felt hot and breathless from the hard work, but he couldn't sweat anymore. "I don't want to kiss you later and have you smell like stale coffee and bleach," Michael explained, putting one hand on his waist and the other to loosen the hoodie he was wearing, shaking the fabric of the collar so that a breeze of air would cool his dead body.

"Oh yeah, then I'll have to smell that on you later," you laugh, not at all convinced by Michael's explanation. "I don't want your sister to be traumatized by the stink she'll smell when you get home," Michael says, his voice carrying a provocative tone, which makes you smile once again.

Michael looked extremely attractive right now, even with his face covered. The fabric of the hoodie really helped with the masterpiece in front of you, making no effort to hide the man's physique, apart from the fact that, with the movement he was making with the fabric, you could see a bit of bandage around his abdomen. You had discovered yet another feature of your sexual preference with Michael, finding the bandages he wore on his hands extremely attractive, even if you didn't understand why he wore them. A good amount of time had passed since the episode in the control room, and honestly, all you wanted now was to have the opportunity to feel Michael like that again.

"Doll, I'm going to throw this shit away and finish the auditorium tomorrow, I need to sort out the fucking toilet by today," Michael announces, picking up the bags again. You nod positively, "I like it when you call me that," you say with a fond smile on your face, happy to have Michael working with you, it really managed to distract you from the fact that the two of you were cleaning up the mess of the policemen - policemen who had come to investigate a murder.

"Brings back good memories, right?" Michael's voice echoed through the corridors, the malice evident in his tone, but he missed the opportunity to see your cheeks blush and your eyes close in shyness. But your face bore a smile, good memories indeed.

You took the opportunity that Michael had taken on the task of cleaning and unclogging the toilet to check the Scooping Room. Over the last few days, you had called the company a few times, explaining the situation of the robot forgotten in the establishment. The secretary had been polite to you, but she repeated that there was no record of the animatronic you were describing, an animatronic with several exposed wires and white plates forming a face that held a hat on top. You were confused by the situation, which she tried to explain could be some robot from another establishment or an export error by the construction company. The secretary explained that they were swamped with demands from the redesign of this facility and the lawyers who were handling the lawsuit over Noah's death, so she couldn't give you a definite date of when someone would pick up the lost animatronic.

So, walking quickly through the Funtime auditorium, avoiding looking at any traces of blood or, frankly, anywhere other than the small door of the Scooping Room, you decide to check on the animatronic, even to see if the police had removed it or done anything to the robot. When you enter the dark room, the animatronic is no longer next to the door, which makes you think almost immediately that it must have been removed, but as soon as your eyes get used to the darkness of the room, you can see the animatronic standing next to the large scooper in the middle of the room.

The animatronic was positioned in a creepy way, its arms, which were tubes and tubes of wires, were next to its metallic body, with its eyes turned towards the door, where you were standing. Next to him was the large scooper, which you assumed was for rebuilding or destroying the robots. "Well, it looks like they left you right here," you vocalized in a low voice, making sure Michael didn't hear any noise coming from the auditorium. The animatronic was submerged in the darkness of the place, the open door with the low lighting of the auditorium didn't do your vision any justice, you could only see the white plates that formed the robot's face and the long tubes that escaped from the metal body. Some dark spots were on the animatronic's white face, which made you think that the policemen must have moved the robot and let some coffee drip onto the plates. You were still amazed at the lack of care the investigators had shown with the establishment.

When you hear footsteps in the corridor and Michael's voice calling your name accompanied by some complaints about the smell in the bathroom, you immediately close the door to the scooping room and practically run through the auditorium, taking care not to bump into anything and cause a loud sound that would attract Michael's attention. "Y/n, let's close up and leave, I can't stand that stink any longer, tomorrow I'll bring a gas mask to keep cleaning the bathroom," Michael says, as he walks towards Ballora's gallery, but quickly notices that you are no longer there. "Y/n?" Michael says louder, wanting to hear an answer from you before he turns this establishment upside down, creating more chaos than the policemen left behind.

"I'm here," you reply as you run down the corridors to meet Michael. "Where did you go? Finished with the boxes?" the man asks as soon as he sees you running towards him, his hood hiding the frown of concern that has formed on his eyebrows. "I went to have a look in the auditorium, but I came running when I heard your call," you explain, placing your hand on the old walls of the corridor, trying to calm your breathing. Well, it wasn't entirely a lie, but you still felt bad about lying in front of Michael, especially about a subject he clearly felt strongly about.

"Hm, you could have told me," Michael replied, crossing his arms, "It's okay, next time, just let me know before you go to the auditorium, I don't like the thought of you alone in that place," the man explained, his husky voice filling your ears with a tone of distress.

"It's okay, Michael," you responded, smiling awkwardly due to the shortness of breath you were still feeling. "Let's go, you need a shower," your attempts to calm your breathing allowed you to inhale deeply of the reek that covered the man at that moment. Honestly, you were relieved that he had offered to clean the bathroom, you wouldn't put up with that smell for a second before vomiting.

"Wow, look what a gentleman gets for cleaning the bathroom for a girl," Michael imitates a sad voice, "Get used to the smell, doll, you'll have to cling to me on the bike on the way home," the man adds, letting out a small laugh while your face contorts into a disgusted expression. "Honestly, I'd rather walk," you admit to the man in front of you, who, upon hearing your statement, lets out another laugh, this time more sincere and louder than the first.

"I'll walk with you then," Michael starts heading towards the auditorium, moving past you, while your figure is still leaning against the same wall, trying to rest your body from the effort you've exerted today. "I'm going to lock the rooms, wait for me here so we can head down together," he said, stroking your hair gently as he came across your clumsy figure, still leaning against the wall. Your gaze was on the floor, giving Michael free access to run his fingers through the strands of your hair, which were shiny with sweat and a little messy. For Michael, it was another reminder that your body was alive, your body was warm, sweating and flushed red, unlike the cold, purple fingers of the dead man.

You nod positively at him, feeling the touch of careful fingers in your hair go away, accompanied by the sound of Michael's footsteps once again echoing through the corridors. The wall was strangely comfortable for you, so as Michael had asked, you didn't move, letting your whole body lean against the wall as you waited for Michael to return and leave.

The man does his task quickly, locking all the rooms that had been opened in the investigation and checking if the ones that remained locked were properly closed. Arriving at the auditorium, Michael moves in hurried steps towards the door that was so familiar from his nightmares. Now he and Noah shared the same place of death. No matter how much his steps faltered or how much his dead heart screamed at him to get away from that door, he always checked to see if it was closed. It seemed that his soul recognized the place, as all the organs that were no longer active in his lifeless body twitched and writhed in pain. Michael unconsciously raised his hand to protect his abdomen, an unnecessary and useless action for his current situation. His stomach had already been ripped open, all his organs had already been expelled onto the floor, Michael's survival instinct had nothing left to protect.

Even though his hand was shaking, he reached out for the handle, which, to make matters worse for Michael, was open. At that moment, the fear ceased, the feeling of rage and revenge taking over Michael's entire body, already expecting to find Ennard behind that door. He couldn't risk leaving that door open, not with you here, not with your figure standing a few meters away from this room. The door swung open abruptly and violently, the dust that guarded the entrance flying everywhere given the room's lack of use.

There was no one there. Or rather, there was no animatronic. The room was dark, but Michael could draw this room with his eyes closed, he didn't need light, the memory that terrified him every night would help him navigate the room. The man wasn't stupid, he knew and had experience with the way animatronics hid, so he made a point of checking every corner or square meter of the small space. Michael felt his soul almost jump out of his body once again as he stood inside the Scooper Room, recognizing that it was here that he had lost his life, it was in this small space that Michael didn't see the light, Michael didn't hear, see or feel anything for the first time in his life. At least, he couldn't feel anything after he felt the large piece of metal puncture his stomach. He couldn't hear anything after his ear almost bled from his own screams. Ennard was the last vision he had.

Ennard wasn't here. Michael felt selfish for being relieved, at least, he didn't want to imagine how he would deal with knowing that Ennard was in the establishment at the same time as you were. However, that meant it was somewhere else, loose on the streets of this city in search of a corpse to dress, just as he had done with Michael.

The man quickly closes the door, locking it before going to meet you.

[moonisagremlin]

okay, so i'm re-reading ALL of the TF2 comics for my little zine project, and i have discovered interesting things and silly things.

starting with the WAR! update comic:

-The Bitch connects her microphone to different speakers to talk to both RED and BLU team.

-Meet the Spy is canon in the comics.

-The Bitch can read people pretty well i guess.

-The BLU soldier and the RED demo are besties. They met at a projectile weapons expo. They knew eachother for six months before the WAR! comic.

-The Bitch doesn't have any friends (whomp whomp).

-The Bitch: "In my experience, Miss Pauling, nothing kills a friendship faster... than a healthy competition."

-Saxton Hale is... just. like. that.

-Wait, did the first design of Bidwell have a moustache?

-Saxton FUCKS. (With The Bitch. What the fuck.) ((he also tries flirting with Miss Pauling.))

-monke lore:

poopy joe was an american monkeynaut that sadly passed away in a tragic explosion that occurred moments later after the launch. mann.co was involved in this accident but they keep denying it for legal reasons (during the comic they're going to be under senate investigation soon, and it seems that they were in BIG TROUBLE, so Helen asking for weapons was actually a great way for them to dispose of those weapons involved in the accident).

-(RED) Demoman lives in a mansion in New Mexico with his mum.

-He only has one morning off a week.

-He has three jobs

-His mum is quite mad at him because his dad (rip) had 26 jobs (and somehow managed to be with his family)

-He makes 5 million dollars a year (with the current inflation that would be around- 48,980,957.43$ ????? WHAT??????)

-Demo is halfway to retirement, around his 30's

-He was raised in a home with a bad economic situation :c

-His dad killed the (obviously not real) Queen of England

-The mum misses demo's father :(

-The Eyelander is a haunted, pattern-welded damascus steel and harmonically balanced sword slowly-forged for generations in the bowels of captured english kings

-Not only did Miss Pauling gave him The Eyelander, also multiple cases with weapons that we see in-game (the scottish resistance, for example)

-Miss Pauling calls him Mister DeGroot, which is kinda weird considering they're coworkers and know eachother, but i guess that during this time they weren't really close because demo only knew her as "that wee lass that works with the angry lady who's always screamin' at us while we fight".

-BLU soldier lives in a really secured appartment with lots of locks in his door. He also has two little doors in which he can take his arms outside to necksnap people.

-He lives miserably. He doesn't let ANYONE enter his house. Only the tomato soup wholesaler or the delivery man from the rib place.

-He has BOXES filled with cans of food, so he's house really looks like a fucking bunker.

-They both fought the police together???? Friendship goals honestly.

-Neither Demo and Soldier wanted to fight eachother, they did it to defend themselves from the other one. Demo was made sure that Soldier betrayed him first, and Soldier was manipulated into believing that his best friend said he was a civilian thanks to a poorly-made robotic voice of Tavish. This all led to both of them fighting eachother for their own safety.

[hello-eeveev]

Okay okay I’ve seen some takes regarding Orym on twitter (specifically about his relationship to Laudna) that I feel the need to refute but I have a lot of thoughts and also I don’t want to get into fights so hi tumblr! rant below the cut 😊

(tl;dr I think the bell’s hells are doing the best they can in a series of complicated situations, but people are expecting a kind of inter-party conflict to come from it that doesn’t line up with the text and I don’t get it, so I guess I must become Orym’s #1 defender, feat. a defense of the c3e63 decision, Ludinus Da’leth hate, and big big feelings about Keyleth and Vax)

Take: Orym is uncomfortable with Laudna’s weirdness/creepiness, as evidenced by him always bringing it up and trying to hide and obscure her undead presence.

My opinion: Laudna loves the fact that she’s creepy. She revels in it. Orym/Liam pointing it out in narration is part flavor text, part acknowledging an important aspect of Laudna. It’s like how he always makes sure everyone knows that Orym is Small. Not to mention, Marisha brings it up in her narration as much as Liam does.

During Laudna’s resurrection ritual, Orym says, “I don’t know what Bell’s Hells will be without your darkness, Laudna. Or your light.” He values both sides of her!

Regarding Orym’s disguises for Laudna (i.e. dressing her in white in bassuras, adding flowers to her hair to give her more color in hearthdell), again I don’t think this is a sign of Orym’s discomfort with her. Remember, Orym is a bodyguard. His job is to protect others, protect the group. Yes, several members of Bell’s Hells will draw eyes, but notably, Laudna—being undead-ish, with the Unsettling Presence feature and a canonically scary physical appearance—might strike fear into others. And fear makes people more willing to resort to violence than, say, being surprised by the presence of a robot or a faun. It’s not about making her palatable, it’s about keeping all of them safe. It’s bodyguard behavior.

Also, Orym only does this when they are actively avoiding drawing attention to themselves, and as far as I know, Laudna has only had a problem with it once.

Take: Laudna looked to Ashton and Orym for what to do during the scuffle with Bor’Dor, and Orym encouraged her to let Delilah back in, all because he’s hell-bent on revenge and thinks he can use Delilah’s power to get it. He actively disregarded Laudna’s well-being to further his own goals.

My opinion: No, she wasn’t looking to them for what to do. Marisha said it herself: Laudna was barely present. She couldn’t even hear Deni$e suggest keeping Bor’Dor alive; what makes you think she’s going to see a singular nod from Orym 15 feet away? She had already done Hunger of the Shadow, was already cloaked in the “purple-ish glowing hue that hasn’t been seen in a while,” and Matt had mentioned the heartbeat long before Liam ever said anything. Laudna had already let Delilah back in before Orym nodded and before she killed Bor’Dor. It was a horrible situation all around, but Orym did not convince Laudna to let Delilah back in for his own purposes. It is not his fault that Laudna embraced Delilah’s power or that Bor’Dor died. Laudna made her choice, as heartbreaking and conflicting as it may be, so let her live with it.

And for the record, I think they were justified in killing Bor’Dor. He attacked them with a pretty powerful spell (he did Vitriolic Sphere at its baseline 4th level, which is the second highest level spell he had) and nearly killed Prism in the process. Yes, Bor’Dor did a bit of waffling back and forth between “I’m gonna kill you!” and “just let me die,” but him being a pathetic mess is nothing new. He still tried to kill them all. If they let him live, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t try it again.

I don’t know how to impress this upon people who haven’t already gotten it from just watching the show, but the Ruby Vanguard is a bad group. Ludinus Da’leth is a bad person. He may have convinced some members that his goals are noble, but they aren’t. He is misleading people for his own gain, because guess what? The concept of free will exists even with the existence of the gods! People are allowed to worship them or not, and the gods aren’t smiting people down for refusing to worship them (otherwise Keyleth would be long dead, y’all. she said out loud to the champion of the raven queen that they should use her power while it benefitted them and then find a loophole to get Vax out of her service. and she is so valid for that. 15/10 would do the same).

We had a PC, a dozen or so NPCs, and an entire arc last campaign—and then a whole 4-part series!—that dealt with wizard hubris and its unfortunate consequences. Ludinus was one of those NPCs! What makes you think that Mr. “let’s steal a holy artifact and instigate a war” “should try friends sometime” “Essek looks forward to never seeing his face again” “Trent Ikithon can keep abusing children it’s not my problem” Da’leth suddenly has people’s best interests in mind?

He and the Ruby Vanguard need to be stopped, and Orym, being a person whose driving motivation is “to protect,” is willing to do what needs to be done, even when it sucks.

Take: ooohoohoo Orym’s alignment might be shifting! We need Dorian to get him back on track!

My opinion: No? To both these statements? Firstly, Orym’s alignment isn’t shifting, at least I don’t think so. I’m not an expert on D&D alignments (I think they should be more descriptive than prescriptive/ultimately they matter less than character choices, arcs, and narratives), but I would guess that fighting to maintain the balance of nature and to stop those that would harm others for their own gain is still pretty in line with neutral good? I could maybe see an argument for that being more lawful good, but it didn’t seem like those people were talking about a shift along the horizontal axis.

Secondly, I think Dorian would do the exact same thing Orym is doing. Was that not the whole draw of the Spider Queen’s crown during ExU Prime? Power to protect and save his friends? So I don’t think Dorian would see anything wrong with how Orym is acting, much less take him to task over it.

Take: Look! Orym told Keyleth about Imogen’s mom and said “I don’t care” when Imogen complained! Bad! Mean! Selfish!

My opinion: idk that felt more like Liam being a brat to Laura than anything else.

Like, yes Liam/Orym had his own goals in that convo which were unexpected and uncomfortable, but I don’t think he was wrong to point that out. The moment Keyleth swore to take down Liliana, you could feel everyone in Bell’s Hells get really tense, and I am certain that Keyleth, who has 20 wisdom and ~30 years of experience leading her people and politicking, clocked that instantly. And Orym would have clocked that immediately, and in an effort to make sure that their group had the confidence of a very powerful druid and world leader, decided that full transparency was the way to go.

And I don’t know, this is largely speculation, but Keyleth having that information might mean that she will make sure Imogen doesn’t have to be the one to take down Liliana? Or it might make her more sympathetic and willing to show some mercy to her?

Leaning more fully into speculation bc this relies mostly on inference and assumption: while I do think that Keyleth deserves to know what’s going on with Vax, withholding that information at this juncture might have been another tactical decision from Orym. We don’t know how Keyleth has mourned over the last 30 years, but we know that she’s been angry and we know that losing Vax was and is devastating. I feel like finding out that the love of your life (“forever and ever and ever and always” “I’ll never get over you”) is suffering extreme torment such that the followers of his god are in a period of mourning, basically implying that you’ve lost him all over again, that potentially the one reassurance that you would see him again has been ripped from you, etc., etc. would cause anyone to break down on a good day. Add on the fact that Keyleth is gravely, gravely injured, and you’re basically asking for her to be completely out of commission, because 1) holy moly talk about new trauma, old trauma, grief, longing, guilt, etc. bro I’m an emotional wreck just thinking about Vax and I’m not the one living through it, and 2) that would be a lot of stress on her already extremely stressed body, the consequences of which could be very bad.

It’s a tough decision to make, and while I’m not sure I 100% agree with Orym’s, I think it’s a defensible position.

Anyway thanks for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed my analysis. Again, I don’t want to fight or get into arguments, but I’m down for some brief discussions! Emphasis on brief because I can fall into a rabbit hole very easily, which means this will be the only thing I can think of and I have other things I want to do, shadowgast to write, fearnechetney to draw, and this post already took several hours over two days to write after weeks of mental build up.