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quillyfied · 2 months ago

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Happy Halloween and Happy Ghostfuckers, time to dig into the chest cavity of this episode and not come back out until the next! Another banger of an episode; someone in the Helluva Boss tag called it the Truth Seekers of season 2, and I am so inclined to agree, actually. Equal parts reaction and analysis, and 100% spoilers, like, did that even need to be said?

First: MILLIE MY BELOVED. After a season and a half (over five whole years) of some pretty lukewarm development and attention, having this episode start off with Millie being her happy cheerful self is already such a breath of fresh air, especially given the relentless nonstop personal drama Blitzo and Stolas have been part of for the last couple of episodes. It’s great that this episode is starting after a brief time skip, too; feels more natural for an audience that has had three months to process it all. Watching Millie step right into emotional support is amazing, too, for reasons that have been hinted at before; Happy Campers was so good for her and Moxxie’s characters and I’m prepared to fight about it. Having one of the few women in the cast be relegated to “emotional backbone” doesn’t feel as bad when she’s already expressed insecurity about her importance in life, shown that being an unbelievable badass doesn’t always give her the kind of attention she wants, and isn’t afraid to knock the people in her life down a peg when they aren’t supporting her back. Yes that was just from Happy Campers, and this episode reinforces that with further excellent context. But sshh. We’ll get to that later. Time to watch Loona and Moxxie breaking down because they’re sick of Blitzo’s shit but not to the point of leaving him yet (because they love him too shsshhhshshsh).

Interesting that after a few weeks of moping, NOW is when Blitzo is starting to ramp up his destructive behaviors; what tiny glimpses we were allowed to get in the mission shorts showed a Blitzo that was coping but seemed to be holding it together (you’ll pry the idea that Blitzo’s inability to work the crystal in Mission: Antarctica is directly related to his confidence, not his skill, out of my cold dead rotten hands). This sudden left turn into emptying IMP’s bank accounts and forcing Moxxie and Loona to act out his grief with him appears…new. Maybe lying around eating ice cream and cheese (bro) like a sad sack while watching human television isn’t a new behavior, but the Blitzo-level catastrophic destruction masquerading as retail therapy reads to me as a sudden snap, maybe due to the proximity of a certain lunar cycle. It’s certainly looking on par with running three rings to Wrath and maxing out someone else’s credit cards on shitty horse riding lessons (something that, based on the vague timeline I’ve been able to wrangle out of this godforsaken show, Millie wouldn’t have been present for, though to be fair it’s not like Blitzo ever really has a measured emotional response to anything).

(Viv, if you’re listening, consider this a brief cosmic request for Secretary Stolas to help poor Moxxie with this paperwork. Please. PLEASE. PLEEEEASE.)

I love too that Millie’s approach as default team Emotional Intelligence isn’t to meddle, either, because that also shows maturity on her part; letting the grown ass adults around her handle their shit while still being sweet to them is such a good and necessary component of the IMP team. Hang on having another Millie Feelings Moment while trying to have some sort of chronology here.

…it’s entirely purposeful that Bethany Ghostfucker has Charlie’s hair, right? Because they share a voice actress? Which means…Blitzo has now cosplayed some reference of Charlie…THE STREAMS THEY ARE CROSSING.

I also love how nOTHING could have prepared me for realizing that Blitzo’s outfit in this episode is a cosplay. Of a HUMAN. WHO FUCKS GHOSTS. I don’t know why I am so surprised at how literal the title is; this show continues to both sicken and delight me XD (raunchy humor isn’t my thing and Blitzo was definitely pushing it for me this episode, but also…it’s so nicely balanced with the real emotional breakdowns that I can’t even be mad about it)

Anyway, back to Millie and her Emotional Genius: very glad that she realizes what Blitzo is going through requires a little more babying than usual, and VERY glad that she and Blitzo already have an established system for when he needs to be babied and she doesn’t initially cave to it (I will be buying that magnet, thanks Spindlehorse). I also love how Millie encourages Loona to step up and help Moxxie (who also desperately needs some help, but Millie really can’t focus on him right now because she needs to focus on the root of the problem, which is Blitzo), essentially through begging but also just by being her usual kind self. And that quiet little moment of Millie using Loona’s name for maybe the first time ever is just…mwah. Chef’s kiss. No notes.

Sidetracking again to wonder why the subject of ghosts is just now coming up when Blitzo literally has an alert light labeled “Ghost.” Like. I feel like Blitzo believing in ghosts while Millie staunchly does not is such a good dynamic to play with, but also why is this the first that it’s being addressed. XD Okay, I get it, throwaway gag from the first episode that is becoming relevant now and maybe didn’t have that much thought put into it when it was first made, but I can dream. Or pick relentlessly at tiny details while completely missing the bigger picture. It’s fine. I’m fine.

What I’m not fine with is how Blitzo can completely trash the van in nearly the same way two episodes in a row (assuming that IMP going on the run is happening in Mastermind, which is far from a given, but phwoar would it be maximum emotional impact, to have an episode showing IMP finally moving into their shitty office and how much it means to them, only to have it ripped out from under them the next episode LOLOLOLOL). I’m mostly irritable that my prediction was untrue :P Although I am glad that the prediction that this hotel guy was Leviathan was disproven, because let’s be honest, that would make no sense. Some rando infestor demon, though? Totally on point. Also makes sense why he “falls” for Blitzo’s bullshit disguise; he knows they’re imps because he’s also a demon. Something new to play with. Though it’s interesting that even when Rolando goes rooting through Blitzo’s head, he still doesn’t seem to know either of their real names. Informational blind spot? Would make sense, with how the fight goes down, but later. Later.

Side note to wheeze with relief because when I first watched this episode, it was without subtitles, and I thought Igor was wheezing Blitzo’s name. Him saying “bitch” makes more sense actually. That’s fine. It was much creepier thinking he was saying Blitzo’s name actually XD

Listen. Listen. We know that Blitzo sort of self-medicates with sex and sexual humor. We know that he’s loaded his confidence eggs into the competent at sex basket, because his competence at emotions has a body count (literal). Much like how it was painful to watch Blitzo operating at maximum asshole behavior at the beginning of Apology Tour what with his relentless insistence at returning his relationship with Stolas to safter, sexier ground…watching Blitzo try to distract himself with a sexually charged silly new hobby is equally painful. Because for him, sex is surface level, because anything deeper is dangerous (lord above please ignore the innuendo IGNORE IT). If sex happens to come with emotional attachment, he ruthlessly severs it. But Blitzo being horny isn’t the problem, it’s his disregard for the people that get caught up in his horniness (and he certainly knows how to weaponize his raunchy humor and sexual charisma when it suits him). The Scooby Doo antics are hysterical, but watching Millie start to buckle under the strain of indulging Blitzo is as fascinating as it is inevitable. We already know Millie doesn’t have infinite patience even for Moxxie. So to watch her reach her limit with Blitzo when she might be the only person in IMP whom we have never seen snap at him…delicious. Absolutely the best. And GOOD ON HER for snapping at him for cutting her off, which is a thing he does all the time with everyone ever but rarely gets called on (because he’s waltzed off at that point usually).

And, as I dearly hoped, it’s Millie that starts to really get through to Blitzo, not by being gentle, exactly, but by being her refreshing blunt-not-bludgeoning self. She gives Blitzo the reaming he deserves, but doesn’t belittle him about it; she just points out that his behavior is harmful, draws a boundary, and leaves. Exactly what Blitzo needs…though his brain is certainly going to fuck with him about it first, because lol rejection-sensitive dysphoria being exacerbated by fucked up haunted trauma illusions is a BITCH.

When the gif for this episode dropped and it was Blitzo sliding down a ventilation shaft, I never saw a single other person remark on the dark liquid in the corner of the gif sliding down the shaft after him. I didn’t say anything about it either, just noted it and freaked out quietly every time the gif passed me by. NOW KNOWING THE CONTEXT OF THE DARK SLIDING LIQUID MAKES IT WORSE. I already suspected it was blood (Hellborn blood to be exact). I did not suspect that it would be THAT MUCH BLOOD. Though it’s interesting that Blitzo doesn’t recognize it as such, never calls it that, never seems to realize it. So. Maybe it isn’t blood (spoiler: it’s not blood, I am just dumb and didn’t realize what it is until a third viewing, good job me), but it sure as hell resembles Hellborn blood enough that I have the heebie jeebs. And the visuals are just SO CREEPY—Blitzo is practically drowning in it as he’s dumped into a waking nightmare, and like. Blitzo is an assassin by trade now, and we know IMP did a lot of in-Hell contracts before switching to corner the Sinner market, so there would ostensibly be a lot of Hellborn blood on his hands, but he doesn’t care about that. A job’s a job. The blood he feels guilty about…well…we know, okay, I won’t insult y’all’s intelligence by rehashing it, because it’s about to be made real damn obvious anyway.

THE HAUNTED MILLIES BEING ALL THE TIMES SHE COULD HAVE DIED IN PREVIOUS JOBS THOUGH. Bless the people smart enough to pick that up and throw that spaghetti at the wall because folks it STICKS, it’s so obvious and SO GOOD. And SUCH a neat little insight into Blitzo’s head, too: he cares SO MUCH about his employees, his family, and it does actually haunt him, how many close calls they’ve had. It does occur to him that his actions affect others. It’s just never bothered him, certainly not to this degree. I fully blame Apology Tour and Verosika for getting him started on considering how his actions have consequences for other people, how he “hurts other people’s fee-fees” but also routinely leads his team into dangerous situations where his mistakes could cost them all. And these phantom (lol f-word) versions of Millie not only driving this home through the visuals, but saying the quiet part out loud, asking Blitzo if he realizes this about himself? If he’s ever loved someone without hurting them? FUCK.

I said so many times I wanted Blitzo broken in half; I have FEASTED, friends, because Blitzo’s issues are bigger than Stolas and if he doesn’t address them, he won’t ever be happy with himself, let alone with anyone else, romantic or platonic. ALSO, feast upon the intersecting themes between Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel, because “you think you can change?” immediately put me in mind of “addict trash like you doesn’t change,” which…I believe whole-heartedly is something that Val said to Angel, maybe even said in that moment, but the framing of it and Angel’s character arc made it so clear to me that Val’s words had become Angel’s own. Except Angel started proving him wrong. He started struggling, however small and desperately and weakly, to change who he was, to become someone he actually liked instead of what everyone else wanted and liked. Blitzo is in the same boat. Because both of these shows are so much about how hard it can be to become a better version of yourself, especially in a world that’s set against you being that person, that will hurt you for daring to be better, to be different, to be YOURSELF. What Blitzo is going through right now is the emotional beat-down that every person who has ever wanted to self-improve despite (or maybe even because of) trauma or mental illness puts themself through. If you’ve ever been this mean to yourself and driven yourself to a sobbing panic attack, clap your hands (clap clap).

And then the low blow. The tearjerker. The cry-maker.

Teenage Blitzo running to his mother. Calling out for Mama. Telling her about the scary dream he was having. AND SHE COMFORTS HIM. She never turns on him, she’s never angry, she never even flinches as she’s burning alive in front of him. Ghosts aren’t real (sad) and we aren’t ever going to meet Tilla except through other people’s eyes, most likely Blitzo’s, but that double-edged knife of knowing that Blitzo both was so loved and loved so hard back, only to be the one who got her killed…we’ve known as an audience for a while now that this is the biggest burden on Blitzo’s soul, the one thing he may never forgive himself for and can’t conceive of anyone else forgiving, because it’s what’s Fundamentally Wrong with him: he makes everyone’s lives worse. How can he love when he is so completely destruction incarnate? How can he reach out to Moxxie, to Millie, to Loona, to Stolas, to Fizz, when the person dearest to him crumbled to ash in his hands and it’s his own fault?

How can Millie look at him and tell him he’s wrong, that he made her life better?

Fuck hang on cry break FUCK I forgot to remove my eye makeup before doing this lolololol

Okay. Pivoting to scrutinizing this flashback, because the first thing that is immediately apparent to me (besides how hot Millie and Blitzo are DAMN) is how much older and more tired Millie looks. Millie in particular. We’ve become accustomed to Millie looking a certain way, so the new look is certainly exciting, but it’s the expression that’s really the kicker here. She looks hardened and badass, but so, so tired. She’s tired of just being the muscle. She’s tired of scraping by for a buck, and fewer of them than she deserves. My theory that Wrath is saturated with imps of a similar skill set is correct; my theory that Helluva Boss isn’t going to address the class/race issues they’re drawing on in any meaningful way might yet be disproven. Because Millie doesn’t have horrific family trauma. What she has is what every imp has: systemic oppression and its accompanying insecurities. We got hints of this back in Happy Campers, when she was so thrilled to be the center of attention and important and liked, and NOT for how well she kills people. Now it has further context, and is why Millie being the Emotional Support of the team is so important to her as a character: she never thought she could be anything else. She never let herself believe she could be anything but someone’s underpaid goon that was going to die an early death and be as meaningless as everyone told her she was. Until Blitzo and IMP carved out a space for themselves and moved to THE TOP RING IN HELL. The one where Lucifer lives, the one where the Goetia seem to congregate, the one ring that, despite being a flaming hellhole (lol) that is full of weird dead humans and is constantly being beset by angels at least once a year, is considered the one place imps can’t make their mark. Gosh this episode is so important for making so much of that thinly-veiled subtext all throughout Helluva Boss into text, for underlining Striker’s compliment to Blitzo for making a name for himself by owning his own business, for saying EXPLICTLY AND OUT LOUD that imps aren’t even good enough for the shittiest, most moth-eaten office in Pride.

I’m still not holding my breath on Helluva Boss actually solving anything socially within itself, because that seems like a tall order. But it is no longer too much to ask for Stolas to grapple with some pretty heavy questions about his behavior and his preconceived notions, his internal biases and the ways he has hurt Blitzo in return. SECRETARY STOLAS PLEEEEEASE, I AM BEGGING.

Anyway. Time to drool over the fight choreography, first of this fight between Millie and Blitzo, because it’s GORGEOUS. They have what I was hoping so hard for them to have: fighting as a love language XD Blitzo and Millie understand each other on a pretty instinctual, almost primal level; their fight is a dance, not just because they’re both good at it. It’s an extension of their friendship, or what will become their friendship. Their bodies are their most basic communication tool, Millie often through touch and snuggles, and Blitzo through either fighting or fucking, depending on what’s needed. They both have killer instinct, which Moxxie’s anxiety often chokes out within himself and which Loona hasn’t really had the chance to hone.

I also love that moment before Blitzo tips the pool table, the whole “reputation is everything” “Oh yeah? So what’s your reputation?” Because. BECAUSE!! Millie is an exceptional assassin, but in this fight in particular, she is so different from how she is in the rest of the show. She’s a proper Wrathian imp assassin, angry and hard and relentless. Compare that to the beginning of Ozzie’s, when she scuttles into frame holding an axe in her teeth and screeches about how she’s still so jazzed up, clearly amped and so much more joyful than she is during this flashback. Again, said it at least twice, will say it once more: she looks so exhausted, like she’s burning herself out just to make it. And she isn’t a unique case in that regard by any means. It’s working for Blitzo that makes her unique, that gives her joy in her work instead of making her rely on how other people see her. Sinners already don’t care about her or her feelings; her next meal isn’t contingent on appearing as hardened and badass as possible, it’s on a Sinner having a grudge, which is an exclusive meal ticket that only Blitzo could have weaseled them into.

I also want to point out that this fight between Blitzo and Millie? Pretty well mirrored by the fight between Millie and Rolando!Blitzo. The way Millie blocks him with her forearm, the way she slams him into the wall—those are things Blitzo did to her, back during their first fight. Granted, Millie getting the coolest anime punch-stop of all time is something that’s all hers, because Millie is so special and had no idea until she found a new life. She is the happiest imp there ever was and she kicks no less ass for it.

(WHERE IS MY TIMELINE, IMP WAS AROUND FOR A YEAR BEFORE THEY GOT THE BOOK AND THE OFFICE. Unsure of how long after meeting Loona and Moxxie this meeting with Millie takes place, and this does scramble around the timeline of how long Blitzo had the book before Stolas calls to make the arrangement, and where does Moxxie and Millie’s marriage fit into this? They’ve only been married a year, so probably started dating pretty soon after meeting…still have no idea on when Stolas and Blitzo’s first time happened and how long after that was Loo Loo Land. I will tie myself into knots over this, must stop now.)

Anyway. Putting the fights to bed for the moment, gotta get in on those good good BFF snuggles, which will go immediately into Blitzo’s Trauma: The Movie. After Rolando does the honor of driving home the point that yeah, imps have it real fuckin’ bad in Hell canonically and textually and said out loud and everything, thanks for asking.

…oh. Right. Rolando dissolves into black goo. Blitzo wasn’t crawling through a tunnel of blood. It was a tunnel of Rolando. That’s somehow worse. Ah well. My point about Blitzo’s regrets and visually looking like he’s wading through Hellborn blood stands.

Small detail that’s standing out to me in this episode: how much Blitzo is holding his chest during the Rolando fight. Wondering if he’s cupping the pendant he almost lost, or if he’s injured in the chest pretty badly. Which is SO IRONIC if true, because. Y’know. Feelings. His are hurting.

Gosh this fight with Rolando is so scary, though. We’ve never seen infestor demons before (unless you count the Glam sisters, but they weren’t in their element, so to speak), and the power differential between Rolando and Blitzo and Millie is pretty stark. Different from the fight between Striker and Millie and Moxxie, Striker overwhelms with skill. Rolando is overwhelming with power. Don’t you just hate it when higher-class demons have special powers that reinforce the hierarchy? Bullshit. Anyway. THE FIGHT TAKING PLACE NEAR THE POOL IS SO GOOD. Because why wouldn’t an Envy demon have the water advantage? They’re literally fish people. And it’s TENSE OKAY.

BUT NOT AS TENSE AS BLITZO’S TRAUMA: THE MOVIE IS ABOUT TO BE.

I find it particularly significant that Rolando licks up the scarred side of Blitzo’s neck and then says a few minutes later that Blitzo’s level of insecurity is “intoxicating.” Yeah I imagine he’s super tasty to demons who feed on that kind of thing. See previous horrific trauma hallucination. Which I now have reason to believe wasn’t based entirely in reality; we already know all the Millies didn’t die that way, and now a snapshot of Blitzo finding the pendant in the wreckage. He didn’t watch his mom burn to death, not the way he was forced to watch in this episode. Goddamn. Rolando is an asshole, huh?

The Cash backslap really took me aback, actually, not just because Blitzo flinches away from it. The stills show that Cash does it while holding Blitzo’s still-burned wrist in his other hand, so this is really soon after the fire; one has to wonder if Cash did it because Blitzo caused his mother’s death, or if it’s just for the circus. Hard to get a read on Cash, no idea what his attitude towards Tilla is besides a gleeful willingness to use her to manipulate his son. I suppose I’m also shocked because I never really doubted that Cash probably hit Blitzo at least a little, but…a backhand, to me, reads of casual violence, something that’s done without much thinking about it. The way Stella reared back to backhand Stolas and we know by her shocked expression that he’s never caught her wrist to avoid the impact before. Terrible comparison, by the way, and by terrible I mean great but causing me emotional distress. I hadn’t suspected that Cash was likely just as physically abusive as he was emotionally abusive towards Blitzo. Nice to have the confirmation. I hate it here.

Okay, because I haven’t seen the screenshots anywhere yet: first scene of Millie and Moxxie is from Murder Family when Moxxie unties them. Second…I don’t know, actually, and I’m embarrassed to admit that. Maybe Truth Seekers? I could make the argument for Exes and Oohs if Moxxie was in a wedding dress, but I’m not sure. Any of the many times Blitzo has intruded on their time together, I suppose. And, fun fact: the shots that are playing in Blitzo’s eyes when Rolando forces Blitzo’s eyes open are the ones of Fizz and Verosika in Ozzie’s again. In case that was information you wanted. It’s also upsetting that Loona in LA is part of the reel of Blitzo Thinking Everyone Hates Him, because the fight in Spring Broken at least makes sense to flashback to. Though I do keep forgetting, constantly and with an insistence that infuriates me, that Loona and Blitzo were also having a fight during Seeing Stars and when she kicks him off of her at the end, it’s while Blitzo is apologizing for threatening to replace her.

I find it very interesting that there’s a split-second of Barb that cuts in when the Stolas part of the reel plays; it’s so fast, but right after Blitzo pulls away from Stolas’ hand in Ozzie’s, there’s a second shot of Barb as she’s yelling at him in Happy Campers. Significance? Probably that their separation hurts him just as much as his current one with Stolas, he’s just had more time to try and get used to it. Or represses it more.

Oh hey. Blitzo in his head is back in uniform, crystal and all. Nice. I didn’t even realize it. (…Crystal and all. Like it’s become part of his self-image already. HMMM.)

So interesting that Rolando chooses the most obvious pressure points to try and get to Millie…without realizing that coming out of Blitzo’s mouth, it completely robs them of power BECAUSE of their heart to heart. Millie already knows in her core that Blitzo rejects that image of her, because it’s an image of himself that he also rejects and he refuses to let her wallow in it. Their friendship is built on, well, building each other up in that way. Why in fuck would Millie listen to this asshole wax on and on about how she’s a lowborn inbred hick (what the fuck dude) when he’s currently possessing the guy who helped her break that image of herself? Like. Come on, asshole, use your brain, not your bigotry. But I guess that’s also the point of this episode, showing with explicit clarity that IMP is special because of all the anti-imp sentiment they’ve had to wade through and dismantle within themselves, so why would a supposedly “superior” demon think he had to hit any harder or more precise than that? Also. Though. The careless way Rolando is just throwing around Blitzo’s body is pretty sickening.

Special moment of silence for how Millie knows that Blitzo can take a beating that few others can and uses that to expel Rolando. I’m not crying. It’s fine.

“You’re dead, Bethany!” This is. Such a weird thing to say. Especially when you just went on a pleasure cruise through this guy’s deepest darkest fears. You can pull out what haunts him in the night, but not his name?? Counterpoint: he didn’t CARE to pull out Blitzo’s name. Because he’s an imp.

The knocking Rolando into the pool thing was hysterical, though. Such an anticlimax. Right before the electrocution and the eye-popping and all. Lol.

“FUCK hotels!” Says the man who was casually cosplaying an aspect of the princess of Hell who runs a hotel. I love these shows. I love the casual interplay between them. A crossover one day would be the best thing ever.

“I’ve never had a real friend that I didn’t want to fuck.” That is such a blisteringly honest thing for Blitzo to say that I don’t think he expected it to come out of his own mouth. And I love that Millie knows it has nothing to do with her and everything to do with Blitzo, and how Blitzo feels about Stolas. I just don’t think Blitzo realized he felt that way until he said it out loud.

And wrapping this all up with a nice bow with some Loona and Moxxie character growth, where she ACTUALLY takes care of him instead of leaving him to his own devices! Giving half a shit prevents arson, folks, love to see it.

This had the exact structure of Truth Seekers that got me hooked on this show in the first place: cutting the raunchy humor (which is hit or miss with me, usually don’t like it overmuch) with really deep, complex, and honest character moments. The way Blitzo mentors both Moxxie and Millie in different ways while still relying on them is just so satisfying. Even more satisfying is seeing Blitzo change from a one-note loud pervert into a complicated guy who has real feelings about other people and doesn’t actively want to hurt the people he cares about because he DOES CARE. He’s a fuckup, and he’s trying, and it’s so, so, SO good.

I’m sure I have forgotten to wax eloquent about something or other, but it’s almost four hours later and definitely almost five thousand words into this thing, so I’m gonna cut myself off here. Toodles! See you all in November for Mastermind, which is gonna be FINE I’m sure!!

#helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #quilly's hellaverse theories #GHOSTFUCKERS IS REAL GOOD Y'ALL CAN'T STRESS THAT ENOUGH

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lu-is-not-ok · 1 year ago

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Everything you need to know from Leviathan

First things first: this is Not a story summary of Leviathan. This is merely a collection of all the pieces of characterization, backstory, and worldbuilding that I believe is or will be relevant in Limbus Company.

I encourage everyone who has finished Library of Ruina (or doesn't care about spoilers to that game) to read Leviathan yourselves, as I will be skipping over most of the actual plot of the novel.

Also, due to the nature of Leviathan as the direct sequel to Library of Ruina, some endgame spoilers to that game will inevitably come up. That being said, I will try my best to keep those spoilers as minimal and vague as possible.

Preamble: Done. Let's get into this. Something something long post warning ahead. It's also kind of chaotic and borderline incomprehensible. If I missed something then, uh, whoops.

Event Timeline:

The end of Library of Ruina directly causes an event dubbed "the first miracle" by some, and "the second passing of White Nights" by others, during which the people killed in the Library would begin returning to the City as if nothing happened.

An orphanage in the Backstreets of District 22 (V Corp's) was at the epicenter of this event, being destroyed in the process and causing the Ring to take interest in the children raised there.

The events of Leviathan follow half a year after this event, and seem to take place over the course of at least a few days. It's as of yet unclear how much time has passed between the end of Leviathan and the beginning of Limbus Company.

Vergilius:

Vergilius comes from District 22 (V Corp's), a Nest filled with wide water canals and boats that make use of them, making it somewhat reminiscent of Venice.

Vergilius used to be the operator of a highly-experienced and skilled Fixer Office. The lowest Grade Fixer at that Office is Grade 3 until a rookie joins them during the events of Leviathan. This Office seems to be dissolved by the end of Leviathan after half of the Fixers working for it die.

Vergilius's title, the Red Gaze, is a stealth pun in Korean. The word used for Gaze is a homophone to the characters used in an epiphet meaning Immortal Poet.

The red eyes Vergilius is named after appear to have a certain kind of aura to them, which causes him to draw attention to himself and be easily recognised. For missions where stealth is involved, Vergilius has a special pair of glasses to make his gaze less recognisable.

Also, Vergilius owns whole-ass calling cards with his Fixer title and a portrait in a Roman-inspired style.

As a Color Fixer, Vergilius is extremely strong and fast, being able to crack the ground underneath his feet when running at full sprint and literally cut through buildings. In fact, Vergilius's body is heavily augmented with artificially woven muscle fibers, which Vergilius compares to hydraullic cylinders and motors in how it feels to use them, though they're not literally mechanical. Despite that level of power, he's noticeably less experienced or skilled than another Color Fixer seen in Leviathan - Iori, the Purple Tear.

Speaking of her, Vergilius appears to know quite a bit about her, including her name, what happened to her in Library of Ruina, and what one of her goals is. She's also implied to have taught Vergilius a technique called Shin that gets introduced later in Leviathan. Also, Iori calls him a junior, implying a difference in either age or experience between the two. Oh, and he also knew Roland.

In addition to knowing those people, Vergilius appears to have also known Carmen before she died. He recognises the nickname Carmen uses for him within the Light as the one she used for him back when they knew each other. Also, back then, Vergilius's weren't as they are now, implying they've known each other before Vergilius was a Color Fixer.

For some time during his work as a Fixer, Vergilius has had the ability to sense "Flow". A fate-like pressure that he sees as trails of shadows and light, pointing him towards a destination he doesn't know. It's a force he notably struggles to resist, only being able to by following dim Flows, rather than the slow but bright Flow. However, doing so merely brings ruin to Vergilius's life, as the dim Flow inevitably guides him back to the slow Flow.

For ten years, Vergilius has been visitting an orphanage in the local Backstreets, donating money and goods and spending time with the children there. He even keeps an old photograph of him with all the orphanage's residents on him.

Before he found the orphanage for the first time however, Vergilius would go on rampages and kill people he believed were contributing to the horrible current state of the City. One of those rampages involved the slaughter of a whole Syndicate, the leader of which was Lapis's father. It's heavily implied that all the children within the orphanage landed there as a direct result of Vergilius's actions.

Vergilius is consistently shown to be stoic and emotionally distant, yet deeply caring underneath his aloof exterior. This is most clearly shown through his relationship with Garnet, the previously mentioned rookie who was raised at the previously mentioned orphanage. Though Vergilius denies Garnet's claims that he raised him, and regularly thinks about how Garnet's sentimentality is going to get him killed, yet he also can't help but feel proud of Garnet in moments where he truly shines, care a lot about Garnet's safety, and feel horrible guilt when he fails to protect him.

Back during his rampaging days, Vergilius is unable to show mercy, with his "attempt" to do so involving giving the last survivor a cut that would let them survive for a few hours, in gratitude for giving him a code to the door. Inversely, current day Vergilius appears to have softened, as his gladius has a heating mechanism that immediately cauterizes the wounds it inflicts. This ensures non-fatal wounds remain not fatal, even if leaving his target alive could cause him issues later on.

Vergilius's motives for taking care of the kids at the orphanage despite being the one who orphaned them are as complex as they are layered. Guilt is clearly a part of that, as Vergilius believes there's no reason for him to see Lapis again when Garnet offers to take him along for his meeting with her. Another part of it might have been Vergilius secretly wishing that one day, one of the kids would realize what he'd done and take their retribution... however it's unclear how "canon" that particular motivation is due to it only being brought up in a vision of a Mirror World. The orphanage was also a reprieve from his former reality filled with wails and begging for mercy. It was a place of warmth, filled with voices of delight waiting for him every time. At the same time, it was a source of hope for him. A place where he could redeem himself, to raise children who could live with the heart he couldn't have, and who could potentially change the City with their virtues alone. All of these motivated Vergilius to cover up and forget about his true goal. One he's been actively burrying during his visits at the orphanage.

That goal? Redacted from the viewer. The first explicitly set up mystery in Leviathan. However, we know that it is directly tied to how Vergilius wishes to change the City.

Vergilius believes that the City is deeply wounded, with its injuries having festered for a long time. He believes that the way to change it is to continue spilling blood, never letting it dry out. To try and pierce through the City's thick shell into its wounded core. When describing the world he wants, he says it's "a world that can only be understood once you feel it with your whole body".

After a talk with Carmen, Vergilius effloresces into his E.G.O, which allows him to wield blood as both a weapon and armor. It also allows him to become one with pools of blood, however he would be unable to leave them if they were to dry while he's inside. However, the usage of his E.G.O is limited by the amount of other people's blood he has available to him. If he were to run out, he'd be forced to use his own, dying painfully in the process.

Also, Vergilius keeps coming up with one-liners when beating people up. It's kinda funny.

At the end of Leviathan, Vergilius is invited into Limbus Company, being promised to give him Lapis (who had been replaced by Charon) and Garnet (who has been reduced to a tiny glowing jewel) back. Thinking back on his past, Vergilius accepts, though the story ends before we get to see the exact terms of his employment.

Charon:

Previously, Charon was known as Lapis, and was one of the kids at the orphanage Vergilius would regularly visit. She was especially close friends with Garnet, who would later become a Fixer and join Vergilius's Office. In fact, Garnet notes how Lapis wouldn't usually open up to anyone but him, and when they did talk she would often talk about Vergilius. She's also noted to not be a fan of studying.

Lapis ended up at the orphanage after Vergilius killed her father during his slaughter of the Syndicate he led. While we don't get to know much about her father, we do know he cared deeply for her, to the point his last words were calling out her name.

In a flashback to her childhood, we learn that Lapis would always suck on bitter candy as she's able to preserve it and suckle on it little by little, whereas sweet things melt away much sooner. She follows this anecdote of hers up by revealing her wish to "try all the flavors in the world" when she grows up.

After aging out of the orphanage, Lapis got a job at a fruit-harvesting company. During the events of Leviathan, Lapis has decided to meet up with Garnet at a private location. However, the area turned out be occupied by Syndicate members, including that of the Ring, and Lapis was kidnapped to be used in the Ring's experiments with Mirror World technology.

At the end of Leviathan, Lapis turned out to be the only of the "gems" to have survived the experiments. However, she did so because she was the only successful one. Her former identity was completely erased, replaced by that of Charon. Initially, Vergilius is hesitant to make contact with her, feeling like keeping his distant will save both of them from pain. However, he relents when Charon finds a still living piece of the jewel Garnet had turned into.

Gubo:

Gubo is one of the researchers at N Corp, and during the events of Leviathan he comes to an auction held by the Ring for the sole purpose of gaining access to their Corridor and retrieving Aseah.

His connections to a Wing allow him to casually bid 10 billion Ahn like it's nothing. Gubo is also notably frustrated when the auctioneer appears to be breaking their own rules, trying to convince them that doing so would put their gallery in ill repute.

To enter the Corridor despite his failure at the auction, Gubo is willing to sacrifice the lives of the people that had accompanied. Notably, Vergilius is able to tell that Gubo did no fighting himself due to his appearance, reckoning he merely hid while others fought in his stead.

Gubo is someone who's willing to keep himself calm and composed regardless of the situation. He's constantly calculating ways to reach his goal, willing to do anything and pay any price to do so. However, that composure is said to reflect insecurity, obsession, and yearning. He is shown to take some ridiculous risks in pursuit of his goals, attempting to attack Vergilius twice despite being clearly outmatched against a fucking Color.

Despite N Corp being at potential odds with the Ring, due to them kidnapping Aseah, Gubo doesn't act hostile towards the Ring's members outside of getting rid of those who were directly standing in his way.

Aseah:

During Leviathan, Aseah is the main researcher working on the Mirror World technology for the Ring. He's specifically working on modifying and tuning an invention made by Young-Ji, the Glass Window.

By that point in time, Aseah had already joined N Corp, however the Ring kidnapped him to use his knowledge for their own gain. Despite such seemingly dire circumstances, Aseah does not seem bothered to be working for the Ring in the slightest.

Aseah is a cold and usually emotionless individual who only cares about his research. In fact, he only ever shows emotions, specifically passion, when realizing he's made a breakthrough or describing how the technology he's researching works. He's easily swayed to risk other people's lives for the sake of pushing his research even further.

One of this main motives for using the Glass Window is to create a Singularity to surpass Yi Sang's creation, as well as any other competing technology of this kind. Despite his self-imposed rivalry with Yi Sang, Aseah still calls him a friend.

At the end of Leviathan, Aseah is successfully retrieved by Gubo . However, a question is posed: for both to get back out of the Corridor, Aseah must be able to know how to navigate it. If that's the case and he could have escaped this whole time, why didn't he? He must have had reasons to not fly away, even though his cage was wide open. Add that to the mystery counter.

Limbus Company:

Limbus Company shows up at the very end of Leviathan, being a new enough Company for Vergilius to have never heard of them before.

A Special Operations Team from a department called LCA raids the Ring's lab, specifically searching for Vergilius. A woman with hair that seems white from far away, but appears graysih close up, approaches him. This is revealed to be Faust, and she's the one who gives Vergilius an offer.

Work for Limbus Company, and we can bring Lapis and Garnet back.

The Ring:

The Ring are a Syndicate that are said to only believe what they see with their own eyes, and are dedicated to the creation and display of various types of art. They also hold auctions for various pieces.

Some of the Ring's art falls within our understanding of it, such as paintings and sculptures. A large amount of it however includes acts of extreme violence or otherwise cruel behavior.

Many of the lower-ranking members of the Ring and Backstreets residents under their protection are considered to be akin to students, being graded on their pieces and taking art exams. While the Ring does allow resits on their exams, flunking too many times will result in death. In such an environment, a lack of inspiration causes people to have mental breakdowns.

As far as we've seen, the Ring hold two different types of art galleries, which I'll refer to as Syndicate-facing and Public-facing respectively.

Syndicate-facing art galleries are structured more like schools, complete with classrooms and suspicious "art" exhibits within the halls. One of those exhibits we see are "statues" of people with animal heads. However, these statues are actually sill living people that are forced to stay completely still under the threat of violence, or "scolding". Oh, and those people also had their mouths and ears sewn shut. This particular exhibition is revealed to be a part of a test that the Ring was holding that night.

Public-facing art galleries look more akin to modern art galleries we'd see in our world, and their lower floors are accessible to pretty much any public person. These floors are filled with more standard types of art, like paintings and sculptures. The top floor of these galleries is considered the VIP floor, where auctions are held and the true disturbing nature of the Ring is shown to the guests there.

During the auctions, every participant has a veil put over their head, and they are to bow in respect when the one holding the auction enters the stage. The art pieces sold on these auctions can be anything from paintings of real slaughters that took place in the City, to objects made out of or containing pieces of actual people, to straight up dancers stuck eternally dancing in glass stages in which time flows slower. Additionally, the person who wins the bid on the "meister's most cherished work" will be allowed into the Ring's Corridor.

At the time of Leviathan's events, the Ring not only has access to the Corridor, but also Mirror World technology in the form of the Glass Window.

A secret research lab was kept hidden within one such Corridor, where the Ring would test Mirror World technology on "gems" - young people who came from the orphanage at the epicenter of the Miracle. These experiments involved these people experiencing many Mirror Worlds at once within their mind, with those people physically shattering if pushed too far.

The Ring's goal with their research of the Mirror Worlds is to open as many Rifts to as many of them as possible, with one of the high-ranking Ring members saying they wish to open ten thousand rifts at minimum.

This plan appears to be thwarted by the end of Leviathan. It's vaguely implied that N Corp and/or Limbus Company seized the tech in the Ring's possession, leaving it unclear if the Ring still has access to it currently.

Over the course of Leviathan, we learn of two different high positions within the Ring: Docents and Maestros. Each can be identified by the kind of ring they wear on their ring fingers. Also, all of the ones we've seen thus far are gender non-conforming as fuck.

Docents are responsible for taking care of and monitoring the art galleries. Notably, they are responsible for guiding guests and giving lectures on the lower floors of their public-facing galleries. These lectures appear to involve explaining the ideals of their Maestros. Docents wear two-coiled rings that extends down the top of their hands and coils around their wrists.

Maestros are responsible for holding the auctions and appear to have a high amount of control over the Ring's actions. They wear three-coiled rings. They also notably act a lot more according to what they believe is true art, as opposed to the Docents who can still be swayed by money and social standard. As an example, Maestro Jumsoon decides to give his most prized artpiece not to the person bidding billions of Ahn, but to the person who convinces him they can complete the piece due to being personally involved in what it represents.

N Corp:

The physical location of the Ring's secret lab appears to be within N Corp's District. However, due to its entry point being connected to the Corridor, it's unable to be accessed from outside the Corridor.

One of N Corp's main source of income and culture are so-called suicide vending machines, or vending machines that dispense canned experiences that specifically allow a person to experience suicide. This bit of technology is considered both amazing and condemnable, and is said to be one of the main reasons people move to N Corp's Nest.

N Corp Taboos are upheld vehemently. Recorded footage of that secret lab, even without knowing it's located in N Corp, would result in Taboo Hunters being sent out over the breaking of the Nest filming taboo. They are highly efficient, going after everyone who had seen the recording before finally retrieving the footage.

M Corp:

M Corp's full name is MDM Enterprise. In Leviathan, we see M Corp do business with the Ring through delivering their product to them - an entire moonlight stone.

A moonlight stone delivered in a massive box filled with a flesh-like cushion around the stone. Opening the box requires using an unlocking mechanism composed of multiple various levers. Everyone present in the same room as the box during its opening are required to wear ear plugs, while those actually opening it also require airway protection. Upon being pulled open, the stone needs to be cut out of the flesh cushion using a knife.

If sufficient ear protection is not worn during this process, the sound the stone emits while being forced out of its container will cause all that hear it to experience a "wave of hiraeth". This is shown as a sort of dissociative state where the person rambles about the ocean being their home and family, and how they need to return to it.

The moonlight stones themselves appear similar in shape to large pearls. The Ring appears to use them by putting them in translucent containers, where the stone is attached to multiple electrodes and tubes for a yet unclear purpose.

The Light:

After the second passing of White Nights, people would begin transforming into forms similar to cocoons or eggs. This happens when a person becomes aware of how unbearable the world around them is, causing them to retreat from reality.

When seperated from their bodies, people establish their... Redacted. Yet another mystery. However, it's implied to be something along the lines of the ideal world they wish to create, or the dream they wish to make true. If they manage to set this Redacted and endure the process, they can be born anew as a Distortion (or potentially with Effloresced E.G.O). If they can't their bodies are seized by their sins, resulting in the creation of a Peccatulum.

This process is pointed out as being different to the process of Distorting that we're used to seeing, though it's not yet unclear to what extent.

The inside of the Light as utter stillness, shimmering as if somethered in light. When someone is inside the Light, Carmen attempts to guide them towards a specific conclusion, acting kind and trying to absolve them of any guilt over their actions, while showing an utter lack of pity or genuine feeling. She's able to see past the facades people put up, directly looking into what they have been through. She uses that knowledge to direct people towards realizing their true desires and wishes.

Carmen is able to meet and talk with people whose hearts "crack". Who are too overwhelmed with their emotions in the moment. When she discovers a person's true wish has been buried and hidden away, she acts as if the act is so painful that it hurts her by proxy. She uses this opportunity to offer these people the power to create they consider right, one only for their own eyes.

She claims that she's helping everyone paint the City with their own colors, much like the Light, in which all colors perfectly blend together. When it's pointed out to her that doing so would be impossible, due to everyone's colors being different and thus it being impossible for them all to exist together in perfect harmony, Carmen responds by saying everyone should be dedicated to protecting and fighting for the sake of their own world, even if it means fighting the entire world itself.

Carmen describes the process of Distorting or Efflorescing E.G.O as becoming a "self unbound by the eyes and standards of the City", with Carmen attributing the latter to being Ayin's idea. Carmen says that she believes the final destination of everyone's ambitions is Love, specifically unconditional Love towards oneself, as the only person that can truly understand and love them is themself. This is where Carmen and Ayin come into conflict. Ayin believes people should be able fight using clothes and tools, holding the human form in high regard. Carmen, on the other hand, sees that as unnecessary moderation, and argues one should express their love through their body, so that it and their heart can become one.

Effectively, Carmen is trying to guide people to only caring about themselves and their desires, disregarding everything around them. She does so through a "friendly, yet ruthless pressure", by offering the seemingly perfect solution of absolute self-love at the cost of being blind to one's reality. She knows what the "right" choice is, and will be disappointed if one were to choose the other option, but she won't stop anyone from pursuing their desires even if their way is different from what she's envisioned.

...There is a purpose to it all. A goal Carmen has for herself. After all, she's a person too. It's another bit of information that's redacted, setting it up as yet another mystery, but we do have a hint towards what it could be. Somehow, a person who was given power by Carmen failing to fight for their wish appears to contribute towards Carmen's personal purpose.

Speaking of that, Leviathan reveals another, more violent way to defeat a Distortion. By proving the fundamentals of a Distortion's beliefs wrong, by breaking the foundation upon which their wish was built, the Distortion begins to fall apart. With nothing left to its form but vague concepts, an Abnormality is born, tearing out of the Distorted person's body and killing them instantly.

Peccatulae:

The Peccatulae are the result of the process enabled by the second passing of White Nights, in which a person retreats into a cocoon-like form upon finding the world too unbearable and faces an ordeal within. If the person fails the ordeal by not being able to find a wish for which's sake to return to their world, their body is left to be fed on by their sins. This results in their bodies transforming into manifestations of those sins - the Peccatulae. Once this transformation takes place, it cannot be reversed.

Peccatulae are not Distortions, as they are what happens when one lacks the strong desire needed to either Distort or Effloresce E.G.O. They are also not Abnormalities, as unlike them the Peccatulae can be killed.

The Peccatulae visually lack any humanity they may have had before the transformation. At the same time though, the cries they let out are compared to that of humans burdened by life, by the sin of bearing sin.

Those cries are also seemingly able to affect one's mind, causing memories associated with the Peccatulum's Sin Affinity to resurface.

The Glass Window:

The Glass Window is a piece of technology created by Young-Ji, which was co-opted by Aseah and studied by the Ring. This technology is considered to be a Singularity by Wings and Grade 1 Fixers.

The main function of the Glass Window is superimposing Mirror Worlds onto whatever is viewed through it, though in a blurry state. It's noted to be less stable than Yi Sang's Mirror technology, but in exchange it's capable of superimposing a much larger number of Worls at the same time.

The amount of Mirror Worlds and their intensity can be controlled through modifying the Glass Window's Refraction Rate. A higher Refraction Rate allows more overlayed Worlds to stack, at the cost of "yielding more of one's heart to the Glass Window".

Surviving high Refraction Rates without physically shattering involves attaining focus - a process involving perishing one's heart without killing it.

Most weapons cannot damage the Glass Window.

The Corridor:

The Corridor is a piece of technology that the Ring owns during the events of Leviathan. It's a liminal, seemingly-infinite space that can connect to places all over the City. As long as the area they wish to link has an exit, a matching entrance will appear within the Corridor.

Many of the doors within the Corridor are locked using mental locks, to be able to enter them one needs to think specific mental keywords as they attempt to open the door.

Inside the Corridor itself, electronics such as video recorders and ear pieces appear to malfunction.

Despite the Corridor being a mostly linear space, the complex and intricate rules by which its passages connect make it more than possible to get lost within. As such, navigating the Corridor is usually done when accompanied by a guide.

To navigate the Corridor by oneself, one needs to always remember two things - their starting point, and their destination. Knowing those two points will allow one to be able to find their way by feeling which directions to take. This is due to a phenomenon called Reversion of Causality, a phenomenon which some Singularities take advantage of as well.

Breaking through a wall in the Corridor leads to a massive hall made of constantly shifting purposeless surfaces lined within even more purposeless doors. Staying within this outer hall is dangerous, as one would become stuck here if the doors within the Corridor reassembled themselves.

Shin and Mang:

Shin is a technique Vergilius learned from (who's implied to be) the Purple Tear. Shin involves completely relinquishing the control of one's body to one's mind, specifically one's memories and the feelings associated with them. When Shin is used, it causes glowing rings to appear around the weapon (or body part if weaponless) one is using to fight. The glow of these rings is constantly emphasized to be that of the moon.

Vergilius describes Shin as "the power of Light", and "the power of sin".

To use Shin, one needs Mang (referred to as luna/lunae when not a proper noun), often multiple of them. Using Mang is described as filling onces emptied minds with dense and heavy memories, then letting the lunae of these recalled feelings guide one's movements.

Random Miscellanous Bits of Info:

It's a tradition in District 8 (H Corp's) to gift apples on Christmas Eve, to wish the giftee a peaceful night.

Cellphones in the City seem to be at a stage in-between Iphones and slightly older smartphones. The screen only takes up roughly half of the phone, but it appears to be a touchscreen due to the lack of mechanical buttons.

Related to that, payphones also exist in the City. The District the payphone is in gets shown to the one recieving a call from one.

The Seven Association holds seminars for new and aspiring Fixers that teaches them the basics, such as information about major Syndicates, Singularities, spatial awareness, etc. The Seven Association also holds Fixer qualification tests.

Higher education is something one can pursue in the City.

There are still video recorders that use videotapes in the City.

Cognition-warping ID Cards are a thing within the City. However, they are noted to only be useful for brief deception.

One of the canonical Mirror Worlds is literally our world.

Airplanes don't exist in the City.

#lu speaketh #limbus company #leviathan project moon #project moon #this took. so fucking long to write down.#my mouse ran out of batteries in the middle of me writing this #it was hell #but it is done

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tayjerma · 9 days ago

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i don't have much of a good request but maybe some josh x fem!reader angst and fluffy ending? it could be set around Thanksgiving or christmas, whichever you prefer (I would do Christmas but its entirely up to you🤍).

i can’t dare to dream about you anymore

a/n: i chose christmas cause i’m native and don’t give a shit abt thanksgiving, although there isn’t much of a holiday-ish theme lol. undercase is on purpose and i’m gonna leave the ending up for interpretation because i’m not that good at writing fluff! based on gold rush by taylor swift, and did a gender neutral reader for my sanity. my first x reader fic so bear with me if it's not what u hoped. also sorry for how late this is lol i love writing but i am too much of a perfectionist warnings?: from a 3rd person pov. not proofread. christmas. reader is in college. timeline is vague and messy because i am too x. not gut wrenchingly angsty but not particularly happy either. open ending. implied f!reader, but remains gn i believe.

you had met josh last school year in college. this school year, he was nowhere to be found. so instead of staying in l.a. and sulking about him – for some unbeknownst reason, you and josh weren’t particularly close – you decided to take a train ride to your parents’ house for the holidays, because you had missed them badly. besides, what’s there to do in l.a. for christmas anyways? okay, lots of stuff, but none of it really grabbed your attention. josh did, but he isn’t here, so even if you wanted to ask him if he wanted to spend the holidays with you, you couldn’t.

did you want to? i mean seriously, you don’t even know josh like that. sure, he’s pretty in an obvious kind of way, but you have no idea how he acts with his friends. there was that one time he brought that chris guy to a lecture and the two of them got kicked out, but that didn’t really say anything about him other than he’s an idiot. so obviously, you don’t know him well enough to think of him this way, whatever ‘this way’ is.

… however, you can’t help but. josh was always nice to you in class. he seemed quite interested in whatever thing you had to say that week. maybe down the line somewhere, you could be a good friend of his. someone to lean on. but he hasn’t been in class the past couple of days, and shows no sign of coming back. it’s weird, josh always seemed to enjoy himself in class. but, who knows, honestly? maybe he left town early for the holidays. hadn’t he lost his sisters a year or two back? that must be hard. really hard.

you can’t help but wonder what kind of holiday he’s having. is he having a fun day? maybe not, the holidays without someone as close as a sister can’t be that good. maybe he has a partner keeping him happy? maybe he was too busy with school for a partner.

what are you doing? c’mon, you don’t know him like that. maybe part of you wishes you did though. maybe that’s why you’re on the train, thinking about his stupid face, instead of your family. but… he was always nice to you in class. so surely, he didn’t hate you. and you had done a project together a week ago. and he was always so intrigued in your thoughts and opinions on the matter. but, who knows? maybe that’s just how he is with everyone. he is a nice person, after all.

right. we’ve established that. josh is a nice person, and you can’t stop repeating that to yourself. and it makes no sense. would you even be happy with a guy like josh? he’s a contrarian, almost always for the hell of it. maybe after a while you’d get annoyed with it. or maybe you’d like the challenge. it’s fun to prove someone wrong. most of the time, at least.

but he’s also sweet, always knows how far is too far. he knows not to push things when they’re grating on the floor. but maybe you wouldn’t even call him out on whatever point that’s cryptic he’s making. maybe you’d stare into space and forget about it 5 seconds later. or roll your eyes in faux amusement.

okay, what are you doing? josh is an actual guy that you know. would he even be okay with this intense thinking about him that you’re doing? probably not, right? you can’t know that unless you ask him, of course. but maybe that’s for the better. just let the allusionment of him stick in the back of your mind. it’s not doing anything bad, anyways. plus, you’ve got your family to get home to.

the train is pulling to a stop, anyways. you need to get off and have some much needed warm tea. it’s been a long day of doing practically nothing. so, you shuffled off the train, and a nice man who had been sitting across from you helped you get your bag out of the top compartment. it’s sort of precious to be back in your hometown, and for a second you just stand on the sidewalk, before you start dragging your bags along.

“do you need any help with those?” that familiar raspy voice calls out to you. and you know he’s talking to you, because this is an empty street in the middle of a friday.

“josh?” you smile when you turn around to see his stupid face standing behind you.

hope u enjoy <3 reblogs appreciated

#until dawn #josh washington #joshua washington #josh until dawn #josh washington x reader #josh x reader #joshua washington x reader #josh washington x you

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shadowgast-recs-weekly · 6 months ago

Text

PWP Recs

Sometimes you just want to get to the point. Twenty-four recs under the cut - comment and kudos if you like them!

Spell Slut by First_Mate (10627, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: fisting :)

Series of one-shots: Essek takes his due payments from Caleb for the favours he did for the Might Nein and uses the opportunity to run some experiments.

Reccer says: If you like your Essek woobification-free, and especially if you like possessek (possessive Essek), this is a real treat!

Caught In Your Undertow by MoonwalkingCrab (13647, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Set in a vague alternate timeline after episode 107, Caleb is lost in his thoughts on a quiet evening when Essek comes to visit.

Reccer says: Is there anything better than porn with feelings? Because it is very porn and there are many feelings.

A Favor In Kind by literalfuckinggarbage (4208, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Yussa spends an evening in Widogast's Nascent Nein Sided Tower alongside Essek, and they discuss with Caleb the repayment of favors.

Reccer says: Caleb deserves to get got by two powerful elven mages at one time! Representation of a trans man who’s had the full package done

Somewhere Only We Know by DotyTakeThisDown (3803, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb and Essek, now married, meet in a demiplane created just for them.

Reccer says: It’s sweet, hot, and optimistic, just lovely really!

a hearth to your hold by renquise (5538, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek had been gone a while. The two are happy to be reunited and have sex about it.

Reccer says: It has so many feelings packed in to wonderful porn! So tender! and A+ use of mage hand, of course

put your sweet lips on my lips by LadyOrpheus (15750, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Omegaverse

Heat fic without the alpha/omega aspect, just good old drow biology

Reccer says: Very interesting take on heat fic. Also extremely sexy.

where's the point in hurrying (when waiting feels so great) by mllekurtz (4438, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

"You weren’t paying attention." That was Essek’s justification, delivered in a perfectly even and reasonable tone, when he entered Caleb’s study for the second time that evening, wearing nothing but jewellery.

Reccer says: Love love love their whole dynamic! They feel so in character and are very sexy about it.

warm inside (with) you by flammablehat (2023, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Dubcon/Consensual Non Consent

Essek is sleepy. Caleb is horny

Reccer says: Both soft and sexy! Its obvious they care for eachother and sleepy sex is a fav of mine.

a question of luck by renquise (4847, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

After a night out, Caleb is desperate to express just how much he's attracted to Essek

Reccer says: Another sexy one! Love how pieces of their relationship are shown, along with their care for eachother.

Genre Studies by AnaliseGrey (3959, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

“I suppose you're going to tell me this isn't what it looks like?” “Nein, it is exactly what it looks like.” and what it looks like is tentacles.

Reccer says: Love Caleb being 100% down to explore Essek's kinks!

The Climax by Checkhov (4640, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

After their climb up an anti-magic tower and their endless teasing, the wizards decide to take a long rest in the stairwell. Essek endeavours to make this a peaceful night and fails spectacularly.

Reccer says: I couldn’t have asked for a better endcap for this series! From mutual pining to mutual masturbation, chef’s kiss

Mitosis by queenbeetle (4325, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn

Similacrum enables many Calebs to play with a single Essek

Reccer says: Scorching hot! Overwhelmed Essek is always wonderful.

Struggle by measuringtheabyss (2880, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek ties Caleb up, edges him, then forces him to come three times in rapid succession until he's screaming and crying. Caleb has a *great* time.

Reccer says: Short and sweet. If you're a fan of forced orgasms and/or overstimulation, then this fic is for you.

shrimp vision by Nevenne (3202, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

In earlier editions of D&D, instead of darkvision, drow had infrared vision, meaning they could see heat. This is about what might happen between Caleb and Essek if the latter could see the former’s, um, warm spots.

Reccer says: Xenobiology, Caleb is a horny little shit, Essek is very done, and Caleb bottoms. What more could you ask for?

i’m the powder, you’re the fuse (just add some friction) by bloodredribbon (7747, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek is prim and proper and neat as a pin. Caleb is a messy gremlin and a brat, and it’s kinda turning Essek on.

Reccer says: I love it when Bratleb fucks around and finds out! Frankly, so do Caleb and Essek both. Excellent magical bondage and brat taming here.

something beautiful, a contradiction by bloodredribbon (2514, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb is really into Essek's makeup.

Reccer says: I liked it!

Caleb Kind Of Fucks Up by im_sorry_dont_judge_me (9213, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb misses Essek. Essek calls and has terrible (or maybe great) timing.

Reccer says: I really love accidental voyeurism PWP and this has got to be my favorite of the trope!

Artificer Devices from Late-Period Aeor: An Experimental Interpretation from Arcane Reconstruction to Functionality (E. Thelyss, C. Widogast) by renquise (5858, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb replicates an Aeorian fuch-machine for Essek

Reccer says: Super hot, and their care for each other is obvious.

Sweet Desecration by witches_chant (3061, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek ties Caleb up and challenges him to be good to get his reward.

Reccer says: It's so well written, it feels poetic.

open up the deepness (Essek on the beach) by lakrisrot (10599, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek enjoys a bunch of beach days and gets very horny about it.

Reccer says: This is one of my absolute favorites, it's so beautifully written, the characterization is on point and it's a lot of fun - even on the 10th re-read.

for you it could be anything by nox_nocturnal (1614, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb is too attracted to his partner for them to even make it out of the kitchen

Reccer says: They're so in love! The characterization is wonderful, as is the sex

Soup Powered Fuck Machine by VexedVixen (4388, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb makes Essek his favorite soup. Essek rewards him.

Reccer says: Dirty talk and praise kink, yes please! Does the meme justice lol

Hold Fast by Anonymous (3059, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Bondage, Spanking

Caleb endures the best, worst predicament bondage, while trying to be quiet.

Reccer says: The word "hot" doesn't do this fic justice but it is indeed smoking hot.

i still worship the flame by dreadelion (4820, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek experiments with shibari on caleb.

Reccer says: Wonderful fic inspired by wonderful art.

Aeor is for Lovers is an 18+ Shadowgast Discord server. The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. All fics, unless otherwise specified, will primarily feature Shadowgast. Have any questions about what this is? Check out the FAQ! Next week, we’ll be back with Lifespan Angst Solutions!

#critical role #essek thelyss #caleb widogast #shadowgast #cr fic recs

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sevensoulmates · 8 months ago

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7x05 Buddie Meta YDKM Part 2 (of 4)

Part 1. Part 3. Part 4

I just want to make an aside and say that I'm really happy they didn't go the route of having Maddie just "know" about Buck's queerness. As much as it's a funny headcanon, in real life "the glass closet" reaction from other people can feel invalidating, and Buck obviously reacts defensively when Maddie says "Wow", wanting to know immediately why she would say that. Also, just because Maddie is his big sister doesn't mean she automatically knows everything about Buck. I'm glad that both she and Eddie reacted with some surprise but mostly just acceptance.

I like that they're making it a point to show that even though it feels like Buck liking men is coming out of nowhere, it's really not. He's felt feelings for men and sexual attraction to men in the past, he just thought it was all normal. This also reminds me of his relationship with Eddie (and not just because Buck admitted to being an ass man and we all know who has the best ass on the show) because he views the relationship he was with Eddie to be "normal" best friends when it's really not true. There's a lot of nebulousness there but then in the scenes where it very much stands out that this is not typical male best friendship. But Buck just didn't realize it, and my guess is Eddie doesn't realize this either.

Very brief aside, but my roommate thought this line was interesting because apparently "clefts" in men are supposed to be generally perceived as "super manly" or known for being something The Manliest of Men have (think Clark Kent/Superman) and I just find it interesting that Buck's attracted to something that's very stereotypically masculine. Once again proving that he's attracted to the male form, not just personalities or such.

Qualifying Tommy as "Eddie's friend" here is fascinating because I really think Maddie was flashing back to the last episode when Buck was in her kitchen complaining about Tommy and Eddie, and Maddie had justified it as Buck being "friend jealous" only for Buck to turn around and date Tommy all of a sudden. I think a lot of things are slotting into place for her now, and I think a lot of her "wow" comment was also her thinking about the implications of this too.

Hence why this next line feels pointed. It's very straightforward, practically bashing us over the head at this point. Buck's not sure of his own feelings yet. I don't think this is meant to say he's unsure of being bisexual or attracted to men, but that's he unsure of what he's feeling in regards to who the object of his affection is at the moment.

"If there's something you need to tell Eddie, you will. In your own time."

Are you kidding me? Could you BE any more blatant? It's not "you'll come out to Eddie when you're ready." or "you'll tell Eddie about Tommy when you're ready". It's a purposely vague line because Buck doesn't know what his feelings are just yet, but those of us who have been paying attention know. What he has to tell Eddie goes far beyond just his newfound bisexuality. And once Buck figures out what his feelings are, that's when he'll tell Eddie that "something". And it's not gonna happen on anyone's timeline but Buck's. This line really leads me to believe that Buck is a strong contender to figure out his feelings by the end of the season and may end up being the first person to admit their feelings (possibly later on in season 8).

Trigger warning for Eddie/Marisol post-sex scene:

Firstly I want to draw several comparisons to Eddie's previous scenes with his love interests. The first is that this wide shot of the setting before panning to them in bed reminded me of the scene in 4x08 Breaking Point where Eddie is on his date with Ana and we hear grunting/moaning sounds, but it's a fake-out to them just sitting on the couch learning math. This time, it's not a fake-out, they really were having sex in this scene. The second parallel is the fact that Eddie and Marisol are lying together upside down on the bed. In my opinion, this is a blatant call-back to Shannon and their sex scene in 2x10 Merry Ex-Mas. Which to me signals a couple of things. 1.) That Eddie is very obviously trying to force Marisol to be a replacement for Shannon and 2.) He's doing the same thing with Marisol that he did with Shannon and using sex as a distancing method.

I know that sounds contradictory. Why would he ask her to move in if he's been trying to distance himself from her? Bear with me and I'll explain in a minute.

We know that Eddie doesn't know Marisol all that well, as proven by this episode. So what were they doing all of this time when they've been dating for months? Just not talking? Nope. Apparently, they've been having sex. So much sex apparently that they haven't been able to have any "get to know you" conversations.

With Shannon, the two of them had sex because it was easier than actually trying to talk to each other. Because when they would talk, it would always devolve into screaming fights. If Eddie is subconsciously trying to make his relationship with Marisol into the one like with Shannon, that may be an explanation as to why he's been so hesitant to actually get to know her at all. I'll come back to this more later.

Now I'm curious if anyone else picked up on this line because it felt like a clear parallel to season 5, but not to Eddie's last relationship. Instead, it felt like a parallel to BuckTaylor shortly after she moved in 5x13 Fear-O-Phobia. Not only is BuckTaylor paralleled because Buck also asked Taylor to move in on a whim in order to save a failing relationship, but it's also where Taylor decided her couch (any couch theory truthers out there?) was better than Buck's couch and therefore he would have to get rid of his in order to make room for hers. To me, that showed Taylor's clear inability to make any compromises with Buck, and anywhere she lived would always be her place, and not theirs. This parallel is interesting because it just makes me think that it's foreshadowing more incompatibility for Eddie and Marisol in the future. With Marisol "invading Eddie's home", the more of her that is moved in, the more of himself he has to get rid of, shut down, or deny. That's not to say Marisol is on the same level as Taylor Kelly, oh no, but it might just show that this relationship Eddie has with Marisol might just be as unhealthy for him, as Buck's relationship with Taylor was for him.

I also find it interesting how Eddie starts to make what he's learned sexual. He's not talking about your general "slapping of the hands or arms with a ruler", spanking very much has one definition, though it can be used in both PG and sexual situations. Spanking of a child's bottom is used as punishment, often to cause shame, in order for the child to not do certain things again. (This might be a controversial take but) spanking a child is physical abuse, and often has psychological repercussions on a child as they grow up. Eddie here seems to be insinuating that he was put through something similar when he was young. But then he also conflates it with the sexual form of spanking which should normally be fine between consenting partners. To me, I think Eddie is now subconsciously mentally connecting shame, punishment, and the conditioned urge to Never Do It Again or suffer the consequences with having sex with Marisol. The question then begs, what is Eddie so ashamed of and what are the consequences he's so afraid of?

I find it very curious that rather than Eddie being concerned that Marisol is too religious for him, or that they might have differing lifestyles that may not be compatible, he worries how this will affect their sex life. In my opinion, it's because on some level he's aware if he can no longer have sex with Marisol, what else are they supposed to do with the time they spend together? Do they have anything in common? Do they share any hobbies? It's especially interesting juxtaposing 7x04 where Eddie was having a BLAST going on dates outings with Tommy, and they had so much in common and Eddie was just asking Marisol to babysit multiple times a week. So with the little time he has been spending with Marisol recently, all they've been doing is fucking.

It's the same pattern of distancing he did with Shannon. She got pregnant, they got married, Eddie immediately enlisted and preceded to spend most of the following 4-6 years away from Shannon, only seeing her for short periods at a time where they spent most of the time they did see each other fighting. When he was back, Eddie was emotionally distant, which was a large part of the reason Shannon left in the first place. And when she came back, and he didn't have any other ways to distance himself? He used sex instead, and only really got it into his head that he wanted to get back with her when she had her pregnancy scare.

That's not to say there weren't good moments, or that Eddie didn't love her. But I do think a large part of the reason Eddie looks back on that time and romanticizes it is because he enjoyed the concept of being married to her and the safety net that provided him. Their marriage/feelings for each other were nuanced, but it can't be denied that from what we've seen on screen (which is all we can really call canon) it seems like a large part of their marriage was spent in (mutual) deep dysfunction.

So now that he doesn't have sex as a way to distance himself from Marisol what does he do? Avoids her physically as much as he can.

Additionally, I would like to touch on something known as the Madonna-Whore Complex:

After we see Marisol in her nun attire, the next time Eddie sees her, he sees her as the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ, aka, the ultimate Mother Figure in catholicism. One could argue that Eddie's turned off because she reminds him of old teachers who apparently used to physically hit him and probably weren't very open to certain things that they would classify as "sin" or "ungodly".

Towards the end of their relationship, Eddie very much only saw Shannon as Christopher's mother, enough so that Shannon even questioned if he wanted her for her. Now he seems to be going through a similar problem, but instead of Marisol being the literal mother of his child, he's seeing her as this Mother figure and therefore unfuckable, hence his struggles to feel arousal about her after this. But as we're shown later as proven by Bobby, it does feel as if Eddie is using the whole Catholicism thing as an excuse to distance himself from Marisol.

So what's the truth of this? The Madonna-Whore complex is rooted in misogyny and patriarchy, but where do queer or repressed queer men fall into this category? That might be a little above my pay grade to answer, but it is still something interesting to think about.

This was very telling as well. "To avoid not having sex" essentially means he was purposefully avoiding having to talk with Marisol in order to turn her down for sex. Idk, but if you're in a good enough partnership where you're at the point of asking them to move in, it's usually assumed that you at least know how to communicate to your partner that you don't want sex. Why is Eddie afraid to tell Marisol that he doesn't want to have sex with her? It makes sense if ALL they've been doing most of the time they spend together is having sex. If he has to tell Marisol no to sex, what are they going to do then? Talk? Actually get to know each other? God forbid.

This starts the series of scenes in this episode where Eddie does everything in his power to avoid having a conversation with Marisol because now his sex-crutch is no longer there to distract the both of them.

I'll admit I didn't know what the "Manchurian catholic" and "sea monkeys" dialogue lines meant but I've since done some research and I get it now. "Manchurian Catholic" is a reference to the movie "Manchurian Candidate" which is basically about a man who has was brainwashed into being an assassin, highlighting the psychological effects of suppressed memories and trauma. Sea monkeys were a children's thing where you had like shriveled shrimp where if you add water, they blow up in size. Basically, there are three lines all pointing to the same thing: Eddie's sitting on a well of repressed feelings (that are attached to shame) that may have been conditioned "out" of him over time.

This is what is known as Catholic Guilt. The question then becomes: What does Eddie feel guilty for? What "sin" has Eddie committed that is making him feel so guilty? Having sexual relations with a woman who was an almost-nun? Having pre-marital relations? Could be on the surface.

The show is acknowledging that Eddie is far more repressed than he even realizes. I feel like these lines are inviting the audience to think deeper: what is Eddie repressing here? Is it really just that he doesn't want to have sex with Marisol because God is watching and judging him for pre-marital sex or sleeping with one of his exes (thank you Bobby for that amazing line)? Or is it something different?

Marisol never actually got far enough to be a full-blown nun. She made the choice not to continue with it, but Eddie still has a problem with it. The main part of the problem, in his own words, is that he can't get aroused when he looks at her anymore. Not only that but he's been unable to even masturbate because the thought of her turns him off that much. Like my dude, there's no rule that says you have to imagine your girlfriend while jacking off. A lot of people, even people in loving committed relationships, have sexual fantasies that don't necessarily involve their partner and it doesn't necessarily make them a horrible person. I think it's interesting that even in his sexual fantasies Eddie's so strict about being "loyal" to his partner, that he can't even allow himself to imagine anything else other than her when getting off. But now, he can't because the nun things turns him off that much.

I can't help but wonder, is it really the nun thing, Eddie? Or is it that Marisol's strong connection to catholicism reminds you of times when you were forced to push down parts of yourself that were only starting to blossom in order to conform to what your religion and your family expected of you. Is it that the nun thing turns you off so much that you can't get hard? Or is it because now that you've been reminded of how you suppressed your feelings growing up, the reservoir of feelings has bursted and you're being reminded that women....just don't do it for you in general. But to think about men is to invite shame, punishment, guilt, and pain, and to be avoided at all costs.

Maybe it's easier to pretend it's the nun thing and not a women thing.

On a slightly more humorous note:

Buck's "I wish I could help you with that" line is VERY interesting. Freudian slip, mayhaps? Do you wish you could help Eddie get off, Buck? DO YOU? ;)

Other than that, I also wanted to point out that this scene in the gym is a parallel to 5x02, when Buck and Eddie last sat in these exact spots and Buck did the exact same thing and gave Eddie good advice about how to handle his last girlfriend Ana, basically telling Eddie to stop stringing Ana along. I find it interesting we're getting callbacks to Eddie's last break up because last time he also decided he was just going to stick it out and it was only Buck giving him some perspective that allowed him to finally make the decision to break up with her in the following episode.

But this time, Buck isn't able to fully tell Eddie all that he wants to say, which is the truth about himself. He gives him advice to talk to Bobby. And Bobby's conversation with Eddie is the LOUDEST in the entire episode.

This scene is incredibly revealing because it shows that Eddie isn't even really sure if it is his feelings regarding Catholicism that are triggering this reaction in him. Bobby rightly points out that the effects of being raised Catholic don't just go away once you leave the faith. They can have lasting and lingering consequences, some that people might not even realize until later in life.

Bobby very blatantly tells Eddie that this adverse reaction he's having to Marisol's past as an almost-nun is likely a reaction similar to his panic attacks that he had about Ana when things were moving too fast with her back in season 5. Bobby says Eddie never talks about her, not in any way that makes it seem like he was so serious about her as to ask her to move in. This comes out of nowhere for Bobby (and the rest of the characters) just as it does for the audience. This is to show us that what Eddie is doing IS out of nowhere and is a decision that should be questioned not just by the audience but by Eddie as well.

The fact that Bobby is comparing this reaction to how he acted with Ana really does harken back to the "repression" storyline of season 5. Eddie's subconscious is trying to tell him something, but he's ignoring it (as he always does) and is instead doing the exact opposite of what he should do and doubles down on Marisol.

And Eddie, as always, gets the exact opposite message of what Bobby's trying to tell him. Because Eddie's not a commitment-phobe. He commits too much, too fast, almost as if he cares more about getting to the "committed" part of the relationship, and doesn't care enough to actually build an actual bond with the women he's with. And Bobby gets to the heart of it by name-dropping Shannon. Because the crux of his commitment issues started with her. When he felt so guilty for getting her pregnant and then later for abandoning her for the military, that he basically vowed to stay committed to her for the rest of time, in life and in death. She's been dead for five years at this point, and Eddie is still hung up on his guilt over her. And no, I will not say he's hung up on her or his romantic love for her because that's not true as proven by his next line.

All I have to say is THANK GOD. Thank GOD the show is finally acknowledging that Shannon and Eddie did not get married because they really wanted to, or because they just loved each other so much. They got married because they got pregnant and were pressured into getting married by their catholic community and families. The show is finally starting to deconstruct Eddie's marriage and his romanticizing it over the years.

This line blew me away. Because he doesn't say "I loved her" or "I loved being with her." He loved being married. He liked being committed. He liked the knowledge that he had what was expected of him, a wife and a child. He liked being settled, knowing that he wouldn't ever have to go back out and make himself vulnerable to find another partner. He would never have to crack himself open so far to be truly known and get hurt. They could both hurt each other so deeply and it wouldn't matter because Eddie at least did his duty. He married her, made an honest woman out of her in the eyes of the church and their families, and provided monetarily for her. But he never gave her him, not fully, and that comes straight out of the mouth of Shannon Diaz herself.

What Eddie is seeking from Marisol is not a partnership, it's not a genuine connection with an individual. Because to create those kinds of relationships requires exposing yourself and letting in the possibility of being judged, of being hurt, of losing them. And Eddie doesn't want to be so invested in a person like that ever again. He already experienced that kind of loss with Shannon, and even they didn't have that kind of deep soul connection. I wonder if Eddie's afraid that he wouldn't survive that kind of loss if it was actually a partner he really deeply and unconditionally loved. It might destroy him, and that scares him.

So instead, Eddie would rather just skip forward to committed, to moved in, to married, to settled, and just stick it out when he has panic attacks, when he feels like he's sleeping next to a stranger, when sex is as deep of a connection he can ever get with a woman.

But when his body fights back, in various ways, in panic attacks, in sexual dysfunction, he doesn't listen to it. He ignores the signs.

Go to part 3!

Part 1, Part 3, Part 4

#911 abc #911 speculation #buddie #meta #911 meta #buddie meta #analysis

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the-whispers-of-death · 3 months ago

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Team Bonding Exercise #1: Trust Falls

Before reading further, if you're a minor or an ageless blog, please don't interact with this post and blog!!!

***If you haven't read anything involving Stone or The Lions/this is the first time you're seeing a post of mine, here is Stone's masterlist and The Lions masterlist. There's also Ladder's masterlist, but besides the basic info post, everything else in her masterlist can be found in Stone's.***

A/N: Okay, so this has been a very long time coming, lol. Took me a long time to get to writing this, but I'm finally motivated to do so. Sorry it took me so long, but I hope you still enjoy it.

@jupiter-reimagined there's a small treat for you, if you can find it. :)

It's important to note that this still follows the "two months until the mission" timeline, so while it has been more than two months since the reunion for us, that's not the case in the universe. Just a little clarification for y'all.

Stone was too busy staring at Kali to realize the others were walking into the training room, everyone having been called there by Price and Kali. He still couldn't believe he's in Kali's presence again after a year of not seeing the man at all. He found himself yearning for the man to take off his mask and neck gaiter so he could see Kali's face again.

He snapped back to reality when everyone else was inside, Soap on one side of him while Ghost was on the other side of him. Everyone was waiting with abated breath to hear what the two captains had to say.

"So, as everyone knows, we have two months until the upcoming mission and it's imperative we trust each other since our squads are going to be split up," Price said, eyeing everyone in front of him. "And one of the first bonding exercises that we're going to do is trust falls."

That made everyone except Stone, Ghost, and Sarabi to groan. Stone's lips twitching beneath his muzzle-like mask to keep from smiling when he heard Simba grumble about how juvenile that exercise seemed.

Kali rolled his eyes, whistling to get everyone's attention. "I know, trust falls are so annoying. But it works, I promise." His eyes went to Stone briefly before looking at the rest. "It'll be simple, first we'll start with doing the trust falls with people in our own squad as a warm up and then work our way into doing trust falls with people of the other squad. So pair up, go on."

Stone got paired up with Ghost first, Ghost being the one to fall. He vaguely heard Soap promise not to move out of the way when Gaz fell.

"You okay?" he asked, noting how tense Ghost was. He had his arms out, waiting to catch Ghost. He couldn't help but try and soothe the other man. "Don't worry, you've seen my fast reflexes. And I can definitely lift more than you weigh."

Ghost let out a soft snort at that, nodding his head as his nerves were eased. "Now you're just making me worry for when I have to catch you," he replied before closing his eyes and falling backwards.

Stone didn't hesitate to catch Ghost, feeling the shorter man's weight settle nicely in his arms. "See? I have you," he murmured, watching Ghost open his eyes once he realized Stone did in fact catch him.

"Shut up," Ghost grumbled before getting up and switching spots with Stone so he was behind Stone now. "Okay, big guy. Time for you to trust me."

It was harder than Stone thought, since he knew he was heavier than everyone else. Still, he ignored his father's old words of not trusting anyone and fell backwards. Relief washed over him when Ghost caught him (albeit he struggled a bit to keep from falling with the weight), a warm fuzzy feeling spreading through his chest when his trust in Ghost was affirmed.

Meanwhile, Kali was having fun catching and falling during this exercise.

He trusted people easily, maybe a little too easily, but he knew to trust his gut. So even when they all eventually finished doing trust falls with their own squad and switched to doing them with the other squad, he had no problem falling backwards and letting the 141 members catch him.

He was steadily getting closer and closer to where Stone was, aching to have Stone in his arms, even if it was for a trust fall. They already trusted each other, but they still had to do the trust fall, for the exercise.

"Okay, Stone. I'll fall first, okay?" Kali asked, getting in front of the man.

It was so easy for him to be able to turn his back on Stone, a smile coming across his masked face when he heard Stone's response a grunt. Oh, how he missed hearing Stone's grunts.

Each one was unique despite them not sounding different at first and if you spent enough time with the man, you'd eventually figure out what grunt meant what.

Kali took a deep breath before falling backwards. It was like second nature to him despite him never having fallen into Stone's arms before, he just fell and knew Stone's burly arms would wrap around him. And Stone did wrap his arms around Kali, catching him with ease.

He stared up at Stone, grinning beneath his mask as he stared into those enchanting brown eyes. The light hit the brown in a way that made his eyes look like honey.

"I knew you would catch me."

"I almost didn't, just for fun."

Kali gasped at Stone's confession, standing upright and placing a hand on his chest in mock-hurt. "Jail, Stone! Jail! How dare you even think about not catching me?" he asked.

His reward for his silliness came in the form of Stone huffing softly in amusement. Ah, he'd never get used to that sound. Sure, hearing Stone laugh fully would beat the small huffs of amusement, and damn did he want to hear Stone laugh more than he did when they reunited, but he'd take what he could get.

"Let's see if you catch me, Mufasa," Stone said, switching spots with Kali.

Despite being in front of Kali and about to fall backwards, his back was devoid of any tension. He trusted Kali more than he trusted anyone else. He was safe, and that thought made him fall backwards with ease.

Kali caught him, struggling with Stone's weight like everyone else did, but he quickly regained steady footing faster than anyone else did. He looked down at Stone, smugness clear in his eyes.

"Caught you," he said, time seeming to slow down as they both got lost in each other's eyes. "I'll always catch you, Vikram. Always."

Stone's eyes softened and he relaxed into Kali's arms. "Promise, Ashok?"

"Promise."

Sarabi coughed, breaking the spell those two were under. When they both scrambled to straighten and turned to look at Sarabi, they realized everyone else was looking at them.

"Uh, we all finished our trust falls, Captain," Cerberus said, filling Kali in on why they were all just standing there. "You guys were the last pair to finish."

Kali cleared his throat, trying to make his embarrassment of being lost in everything that was Stone disappear. He clapped in his hands and said, "Right, well, good job, everyone! Hopefully this did in fact work in helping build trust. I believe that's all we had for today, right, Price?"

Price nodded, amused at Kali's embarrassment. "Yes, that's all we had for the bonding exercise. Go and do whatever with the rest of your time."

One by one, everyone left the training room. Nala, Simba, Gaz, and Soap all went the same direction, trying to stifle their laughter at what had happened.

"Do you reckon they noticed we could hear them?" Soap asked when they were away from Stone and Kali.

Simba leaned against Nala as they walked. "No way, they noticed. I'm sure Mufasa's hoping we didn't notice, though," he said, giggling.

"'I'll always catch you.' What is this, a rom-com movie?" Nala asked, shaking his head at the memory of his captain and Stone. "God, I can only hope they don't pine for long and tell each other their feelings soon."

Gaz shook his head. "I don't think they're going to confess their feelings any time soon. They seem like an oblivious pair."

"They are oblivious," Sarabi said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He frowned when everyone else jumped in their spot. "What?"

"Nothing, Sarabi." Simba patted Sarabi's arm. "Anyways, I'm going to bet that they'll eventually blurt out their feelings in front of us during an exercise."

Nala wrapped an arm around Simba's waist. "I can see them doing that."

The other three nodded in agreement, their conversation dying off as they parted ways to spend the rest of the day doing whatever they wanted.

A/N: The ending was a little longer than I thought it would be, sorry if it felt abrupt. I again hope you enjoyed this bonding exercise.

The next one should be funnier and definitely more suited for building trust. Just a little tease for y'all: It involves blindfolds.

Reblogs are welcomed & appreciated! Asks are open, feel free to pop in and talk or request something! (SFW requests only at this time, please and thank you)

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let-spretend · 1 year ago

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hey !! very self indulgent fanfic here, wanted to insert reader into the game itself so lots of dialogue is directly pulled from chp 15. armageddon !! could be platonic if you squint ‘cause it’s pretty vague. still open to requests and criticisms.

liu kang x reader !!

"There is nowhere to run, Shang Tsung. Nowhere to hide." Liu Kang opens his arms, looking side to side. "We have banded together to rid all timelines of your evil. The threat you pose to them ends today." He points to the ground.

"Such certainty, Liu Kang. That this battle will end in your favor." Dark Shang Tsung only spits back with venom.

"It can end no other way. Because across all timelines, the arc of history bends toward justice."

"Does it? In this timeline, it bends toward me." Dark Shang Tsung's arms engulf into flames and he starts to swing his arms into a circular motion. Chanting, he shoots a beam of fire towards the sky. Slowly, a portal starts to rip open, lighting up the area. "Behold, Liu Kang, the hell I unleash upon you!" He motions his arm toward the portal and skulls start to pour out, creating a pathway. Dark versions of everyone start to come out, with Quan Chi leading the herd. Dark Shang Tsung and Liu Kang stare each other down, while Dark Shang Tsung's army starts to line up near him. He yells for them to charge, gesturing toward all of you. You start to run up the stairs, with the rest of Liu Kang's army also doing the same. You don't pay any attention to who you were fighting, just interacting with whoever decided to stand in your way. You push and kick your opponents into the green waste between the pyramid stairs.

"My godly might will strike you down." You turn your head to see a Li Mei in similar attire to Raiden. You get into a ready stance and are ready for anything she tries. You notice crackling occurring between her fingertips and you realize she was a version of someone's timeline's Raiden. You land the first punch, cornering her into a wall. Continuously you strike, pushing her down to the floor for enough time to escape. She falls with no intention of getting back up.

You sprint toward the stairs again, climbing up to one of the many platforms on the stairs. You see a flicker of green in the corner of your eye. Before you could act, a version of Syzoth punches you right in the face. You fall to the floor, clenching your cheek. You send a low kick, causing Reptile to meet you on the ground. You push yourself into the air and aim your feet toward Reptile's face. "How you like that, Syzoth?" You chuckle, imagining your timeline's Syzoth being defeated by your hands. Before she could respond, you lift her up from the ground and throw her across the platform. After this action, dozens of dark Shang Tsung's people come rushing towards you. You start to run, sucker punching a dark Kenshi along the way. You hear Sento clank to the ground as you turn the corner. You see an oncoming shadow but no people around. You clamor to the ground as a heavy weight jumps onto you. A person that appears to be Sub-Zero towers over you, ready to strike. You roll to your right and get up onto your knees. "So eager you had to jump onto me?" You banter. She sneers and sends icicles toward you. You crouch down and go for her feet. She acts quickly and jumps up, coming down with a kick. It lands on your stomach, you grunt in pain but punch her in the face as she lands. Blood paints her face as she attempts to wipe it off. Her stance now staggered, she summons an ice flail into her hands. She lunges toward you but you block, the flail breaking on impact. You suck in from the pain and cold it left. You slap her face and punch her in the stomach three times, sending her a couple feet in front of you. As she goes down with a thud, a Dark Sonya that has Kano's eye starts charging toward you. She kicks for your face and tries to slash your arm with her blade. You block all of her attempts and reply with a punch to her face. Her face swings back as her robotic eye releases a deadly beam. You hold her face away from yours and punch her with brute force. She cries in pain and falls.

"You get to be killed by a megastar." You turn around to be met with a Shao Kahn dressed in Johnny's attire. You can't help but let a loud laugh escape your lips. He charges at you and you go flying, landing next to the defeated Sonya. He walks over slowly and you jump up and kick his stomach to keep him from coming any closer. He groans and you keep at it. Punching in any place open and finishing with a kick to the balls. He yells out in pain and topples over. "Learned that on from you, ironically." You retort. You hear a mix of low growling and yelling above you. It was Goro. He jumps off of the roof and lands next to you, making you almost fall over from the impact. He hurls his hammer into your face. Your face burns with pain and you clutch it instinctively. You thought your whole face was taken with the hammer. Goro tries to hit you again with his hammers but is stopped by a punch. He falls onto the stairs but kicks your aid back. You look up to see a Ninja Mime Cage being caught by more Cages. Johnny taps him on the shoulder. He jumps back up quickly and turns his head to the right to see why Johnny tapped his shoulder. Janet also taps him and he faces her. Johnny shouts and "Ms. Cage" does the same. Probably to hype themselves up. Ninja Mime smiles at their antics and also yells silently. You chuckle at the mime's attempt at yelling. He notices your laughter and sends you a wink, but is quickly interrupted by Goro. He swings his hammers toward the three of them and they all dodge. Johnny back kicks Goro in the balls while Ninja Mime flips in the air and kicks his calf. While he winces, Janet kicks him in the face, leading him closer to the ledge. Johnny sends a green blast from his hand hurling toward Goro. You don't remember your timeline's Johnny having powers. Ninja Mime tries to land a finishing kick but Goro grabs his leg. He bends it in an unnatural way, a crackle left his leg. Despite that, he does not make a sound. Although his face contorts in pain and distress. He is tossed by Goro into the green abyss. The Cage's both kick him onto the ledge, pushing him off politely with a send off. Johnny sends you a thumbs up but Janet gives you two. You smile and pick yourself up. You hear yelling behind you but don't bother to turn as another Dark version of Johnny starts to approach.

"You've clearly no sense of self-preservation." You sigh again. "I don't have time for this." You say, in a deadpan voice. Janet scoffs. "Oh, you will." You run towards her and she braces for some sort of attack. But all you do is push her to the floor and take off. "Ugh! Come back here, Y/N!!" You ignore her and run up the never-ending stairs. Your breathing was starting to become shallow. You try to drink your spit to somehow calm yourself and also give you hydration. But it obviously didn't help. You try to look down while running to keep you from seeing the amount of stairs left, knowing the consequences. But you stop, hearing many footsteps ahead of you. You look up to see 4 people. You scan their faces and they all seem familiar but you couldn’t quite place it. Before you could attack, you’re surprised by a weaponized fan.

“Allow me.” Kitana declares.

You happily oblige and let her slay the four in front of you. She ruthlessly slices off limbs and heads. One head with sunglasses on, rolls down in front of you. Weirdly, it felt like a taunt. You try not to think so deeply about it. "Thank you, Princess Kitana. Or.. maybe not a princess?" You say, with uncertainty. It was hard to keep track of everything and everyone. Kitana only chuckles. "You are too cute. Kitana is just fine and you're welcome. Now hurry. There's no time to waste." You were about to reply to her before she was tackled by some person. You were caught by surprise and your first instinct was to help her. You figure she was able to defend herself, but mostly it was the fact that you were being approached once again.

"Reptiloids are apex predators." She calmly says. This time it was a Reptiloid Sindel. You sigh and get into a ready stance. You don't even bother with a quip. Before Sindel could even attack, the ground starts to crackle with red lightning. You look around your surroundings for anything and your eyes land on a chain hanging from a pillar. You kick the pillar to push yourself toward the hanging chain. Sindel screams in pain from the lightning and a figure that looks like Kung Lao, lands. You could see that stupid hat from a mile away. Sindel falls to the floor with severe burns but the figure pays no attention. He removes his hat and cleanly slices the chain you were dangling from, in half. You fall to the floor but get a glimpse of his face. It was Raiden's. "Ew!" You exclaim, not being able to fathom that 'that' exists. He practically flies into you and your stomach burns from his lightning. You dodge his attacks from his hat and begin to punch once he puts it back on. Getting a closer look at the Kung Lao-Raiden mashup, your eyebrows furrow. You push him toward a torch and his clothes catch on fire. He screams and tries to put it out but falls off the pyramid, not realizing where he stood. "That was an abomination.." You breathe out, as you watch him flail to his death.

You jog up the stairs, tired, before noticing two figures. You look up to see Dark Shang Tsung and Quan Chi up at the top, staring down at you attempting to run up the stairs. You see Shang Tsung talking to Quan Chi but can't make out what he says from all the yelling around you. You keep running up the stair trying to catch up. They face each other and start to create a bubble of magic, mixed with orange and green. They both raise it into the sky and throw it into your direction. "Shit!" You dive onto the next platform, as you watch it pass by you and hit many others toward the bottom. Your body aches from the fall and fatigue. "Ugh.." You slowly start to pick yourself up try to continue up the stairs.

But distant growling could be heard from around the corner. Just as you start to catch your breath, three dark clones of Mileena charge toward you with sai in their hands. The two in the back stay in a standby position, while the Mileena in red attire attacks. You grab her arms and make them cross, using her left hand with the sai to puncture her right shoulder. You twirl her to make her face her copies. You use her body to block their advances, also using her arms to attack them. You slice the neck of the Mileena in yellow. You stab the side of one in blue and stab her again but with both sai in the stomach. You kick the Mileena in your hands and take the sai out of hers. You stab her in the chest but have no time to take them back out, as another Mileena charges. You block, but she swipes you off the ground, flipping her sai to face your eyes. You catch her arms and use all your strength to keep her away. She tries to push harder with her body weight but you turn her arms inward, gouging her eyes out with the sai. Her blood flings onto your face as you push her off of you. You stood up quickly, looking at the scene. You were breathing heavily, scared of what could’ve happened. "Fuck..” You just stare at Mileena’s lifeless body. A little bit of payback for Kenshi's eyes.

"Hurry Y/N! You are almost there!" You look up to see a very ethereal-looking Shang Tsung cheering you on, with a version of Quan Chi by his side. But they are both blasted with a green force, which seemed to be sucking their souls out. You watched as their bodies were being ripped away from their skeletons, the flesh sploshing onto the floor.

Dark Shang Tsung was on his knee, supporting himself. You start to run up the pyramid stairs again, angry, but interrupted by a different Quan Chi body slamming you to the floor. You let out a grunt, landing on your arms. "I don't have time for all these distractions.." You state. You waste no time and punch his stomach. Blood sputters out of his mouth from the sudden blunt force. You take a small knife from his belt and decide it was now yours. You swipe for his neck and push in deep, and glide the knife across. Blood spews out and you are drenched in it. "Ugh.." You lightly push him and topples onto the floor. Now you have his and Mileena's blood on your face. You sigh as you start to run, trying to find the stairs again. You hold your new knife tightly, ready for any attack. But instead you find Liu Kang on the stairs, fighting off some foes. He kicks them off and notices you climbing up the stairs. He turns his body and attention towards you. "It's only a little further, Y/N. Follow me." He lingers a little, sort of assessing you. He slightly furrows his brows but gestures for you to follow, which you do.

You both reach the top where Dark Shang Tsung and Quan Chi seemed like they were waiting for you to arrive. You pocket your small knife and form your hands into fists. You looked over at Liu Kang to see him with barely any injuries and effortlessly vibrant. You try to cover up the fact that you were heaving from just climbing all those stairs and the fact that you were admiring him at a time like this.

"Your defenses have failed, Shang Tsung. This is over." Liu kang instructed, while tilting his head slightly.

"I do not think so." Shang Tsung delivers a simple, yet defying answer.

"Realize, sorcerer, that you've brought this on yourself. Avarice and ego have again proved your undoing. We have no choice but to eradicate you." You had to be completely honest, you have no idea what avarice meant but you only nodded in agreement with Liu Kang. You note in your head to start using that Word-A-Day calendar from Johnny...

"It is you who will be eradicated. You and your followers." Shang Tsung's eyes linger on you when he mentions Liu Kang's followers. "And once you are dead, all timelines will be mine." He starts to run toward you and you react the same. You throw a punch but he dodges and extends his claws out. He raises his arms and scratches your chest. You grimace in pain but don't stop for it. You aim a kick to his face and follow with another one. He blocks them all and pushes you and kicks you in the head. You get dizzy and fall to the floor. You try to get back up, knowing Liu Kang needs your assistance. But you couldn't. You slump to the floor, trying to fight the urge to close your eyes. You try and focus on the sounds of grunting and punches being exchanged. You hear Liu Kang's high pitched yells and fire leaving his hands. You cannot stay on the floor any longer. You ignore the gnawing pain in your head and shake it. Your eyes open right as Quan Chi releases a beam in the form of a snake attack Liu Kang. It entraps him and tangles him so he cannot move. Your face contorts that into a scared one, but you take a deep breath.

You try not to seem nervous to your enemies and hold your expression blank. You slowly start to approach the two. "Your position is precarious." Quan Chi states, with a bit of enthusiasm laced within it. "To survive, you must submit." He stops walking and forms his hand into a tight fist. Shang Tsung approaches you, slowly. "Yes. The question you must ask is: if Liu Kang couldn't finish us, how possibly could you?" You didn't say anything, only replying with a solemn facial expression.

Shang Tsung jumps up and tries to land a kick onto your face but you slide and make him miss. He swiftly turns back and punches you consecutively. Every blow hurt, but reminds you that you needed to win, not just for you, but also for Liu Kang and the Realms. You block and grab onto his arm. You throw him onto the ground and start to do the same. Just punch the shit out of him. He cries out in pain but uses his feet to kick you off of him. He extends his claws again and swings in whatever directions he could think of. "Two can play that game." You pull out your small knife and pierce his lower stomach area. He instinctively clutches his wound and you take that opportunity to bash his head onto the ground. He stops moving, but you could tell he was still breathing.

"And they called me the Chosen one." He looks down at your work but looks to you smiling. You were tired but still super happy Liu Kang complimented your efforts. "Thank you, Liu Kang. Should I..?" He places a hand on your shoulder. "You have done more than enough, Y/N. Please, permit me to end this." He lightly squeezes before letting go and again lingering to take a look at you. You look back with an honest face. He blinks and turns away. He begins to swing his arms and sand starts to fall out of his hands. Dark Shang Tsung and Quan Chi slowly start to fade away into sand, then blown by the wind.

"May that be last we see of you." Liu Kang sends the sand off, watching it fade away.

The ground beneath you starts to shake and soon cracks. Liu Kang looked equally as puzzled but you still ask him. "What's going on?" He looks over at you, then back to the few specks of sand. "The timeline! Without Shang Tsung to hold it together, it's falling apart!" His eyebrows furrow as looks at you but he shakes his head, looking at the ground. "You must return to your timeline before this one collapses." His arms engulf into flames and it surrounds you. "Thank you for your aid and presence, Y/N. May we one day meet again.." Before you could process his words, his warm flames start to hug you. "Wait, Liu Kang! I've got so many things to-!" Everything around you turns into white and you're scared for what's to come. Was he going to restart the timeline? Or did he only remove you out of there? You had so many questions and everything had moved by so fast. You could only hope that he would come see you again.

#liu kang x reader #mk1 x reader #mk1 liu kang #light angst #gender neutral reader #liu kang

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gwenboucharddidnothingwrong · 9 months ago

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i think we can all agree that it’s not gonna be as simple as ‘arthur gets his daughter back, john and arthur get to live separately’ right? but what if it was? (well not quite but hear me out)

kayne has shown that he’s able to interact with faroe in other timelines, and also transport people (john and arthur atleast) between those timelines, but would he really be capable of creating a whole new faroe for arthur even if he is telling the truth? or of giving john his own body? i don’t think so.

i reckon that, for kayne to bring back faroe in the ‘middle c’ universe, he’d have to take her out of another timeline, which would cause all sorts of problems elswhere. (although tbh i wouldn’t put it past kayne. he doesn’t seem all that bothered as to what effects his actions have on other timelines). even if arthur got faroe back, would he just be forced to let her go/have her taken away from him because of some interdimentional reasons beyond his control?

also, what’s so special about the arthur in our timeline? i mean, kayne is most likely not even from the ‘middle c’ timeline, and the whole ‘darkthur’ thing shows he’s been following what’s been going on in the other timelines. who’s to say he’s not been making empty promises to every other arthur and john? AND IF HE HAS WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN (does he need the same thing from multiple timelines?? tbh i don’t think this point is particularly likely, but just putting it out there)

and as for john getting his own body - he wouldn’t be getting his own back. unless kayne is planning on reuniting him with the king in yellow, where the hell would he be getting that body from? would it be human? would it not? (OR HE COULD JUST PUT HIM IN PARKERS DEAD BODY SSJSJDJGJKFJGG)

the promises he made them are really vague which makes me think he’s definitely not giving them the full picture of the deal they’re making (i mean considering it’s kayne we’re talking about i guess that was a given but still).

also i get that, considering the threats that kayne has made, they don’t have much of a choice but to do what he’s told them to, but what about the repercussions of giving kayne what he wants? it’s clearly not gonna be anything good, and now i come to think of it we know next to nothing about his actual motives. so far he’s pretty much just showed up, killed people, and caused problems.

i’m gonna be real i wasn’t paying that much attention at this point in the episode so i can’t actually remember exactly what he wanted arthur and john to get, but considering the threats he made to make sure they didn’t have any option but to do what he wanted, it’s gotta be really important to him.

and tbh, i’ve got a feeling kayne is working for someone, or atleast being made to do this. he went to some pretty big lengths to prove to john and arthur not only how much power he had, but to make it clear what he was willing to do with that power. i don’t actually have much evidence to back this point up tbh but IVE GOT A FEELING ABOUT IT OK

and also why does he need arthur to do it? is it arthur specifically that he needs for whatever reason? i mean that would make sense, why else would kayne be forcing him to do it, and why else would he have gotten john to try and make arthur get that stone (was that what it was? again, i’m bad at following for the whole hour) in new york.

but has he made them do whatever it is because he knows something will happen? has he made all those promises to john and arthur knowing it won’t matter either way because they aren’t going to make it back?

tldr, even if kayne were to give john and arthur what he said he would, there’s no way it would be as simple as he says it is

(wow, didn’t expect this post to go on for so long, well done for reading if you got up to here, have an unrelated doodle i drew in my physics book below the cut and go drink some water or something)

(his name is jumbo!)

#malevolent #malevolent podcast #kayne malevolent #john malevolent #arthur lester #faroe lester #long post #malevolent meta #excuse my spelling cba correcting it #malevolent spoilers #like i said i didn’t pay proper attention to the whole episode so do let me know if there’s any incorrect information in there #wrote this whole thing while listening to hamilton soundtrack lol #txt

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thryth-gaming · 1 month ago

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Same Breed, Different Hunters: Vampires

So, in Monster of the Week, playbooks all provide a lot of versatility in how they can be put together or interpreted. In this case, however, we're going to zoom in on something more specific: the Monster's Breed.

This one is less about the mechanics of the game and more about considering the vast number of specific entities that we lump into certain famous categories we've convinced ourselves are far more narrow than they really are. Part of this is due to a decision to take folklore from various cultures and lump it together into whatever category due to certain superficial commonalities.

For example, European dragons are very different creatures both in terms of metaphysics and role in the cosmology from Asian dragons. For that matter, Norse and Greek dragons are very different, as are Japanese and Chinese dragons. About the only thing these beings have in common are they have a vaguely reptilian appearance... which often takes a bit of mental gymnastics to get even there.

However, for this case, we're going to talk vampires. And we're going to talk pop culture vampires, because I'm not going to trust my approximate knowledge of many things on actual folklore that I'm ripping off from the top of my head.

I'm going to hit the Curse, Natural Attack, and Moves rather than a full build.

Violet O'Neill - Feeding as Need

Violet O'Neill never appeared in a game in a condition where she was actually depicted as a full on undead creature. When she was first introduced she was paraded as a case where the science team had "cured" someone of undeath, much to her perpetual discomfort. It turned out later that, no, they hadn't cured her. They'd just stabilized her and made attempting any other cures a bit more dangerous. Which resulted in her just persisting as a stable-undead woman.

Here would be the characteristics of an alt-timeline Violet:

She needs to feed on life-energy through breath. If she doesn't she grows progressively more corpse-like and feral.

Her vision would start to fade and be replaced by an ability to detect life-force or breath.

So, for her, this would be her build:

Natural Attack: Breath Stealing (1-Harm Intimate Life Drain Ignore Armor)

Curse: Feed (Breath)

Moves: Supernatural Sense (Breath), Something Borrowed: Connect the Dots

So, she would need to constantly satisfy this need in order to keep as human as possible. Every time she backslides or fails to satisfy her hunger, she would lose a bit more of her past self. And as her Luck is spent, her need would get more and more demanding.

EDIT: I originally had her borrow Invincible. Instead, I had her borrow Connect the Dots to represent her skill as a data analyst.

Patricia Althius - Blood as Addiction

Patricia Althius is a character I played in a game of City of Mist and her vampirism came as a result of falling into a cursed tomb while she was deployed to The War (when we play CoM we always use vague labels of places and keep it ambiguous if this is a real physical world or some sort of dream space) and attracting attention from the Mythos of Lamashtu (a pop culture version).

Here were some of her characteristics as a vampire:

She did not need to drink blood to survive, but it made her stronger and it felt good.

She was being molded by the mythos according to the cultural of aristocratic beauty perfection Patricia grew up with.

So, for her, this would be her build:

Natural Attack: Claws (2-Harm Hand), Bite (3-Harm Intimate)

Curse: Pure Drive (Lust)

Moves: Unholy Strength, Unquenchable Vitality

In this case, the "Lust" is not sexual, but rather an overall drive to feel that enhanced sensation she experiences whenever she's drunk blood. For her, she has to manage her willingness to give in to the thirst and remind herself that it is not something she needs. And over time, her addiction would be increasingly difficult to resist. Also note that she doesn't have the Life-Drain attack. Instead her healing method comes from one of her moves.

Eloise Weaver - Master and Stalker

Eloise is a Lasombra vampire that I have not yet gotten to play and represents a twist on the normal Dark Master situation as well. Someone had hired a vampire as an assassin and the vampire had set up an escape room as a deathtrap. Eloise was one of the unfortunates that had "won" a ticket to the escape room to give it some sort of legitimacy. She managed to not only survive but escaped and caused the vampire to obsess over her, stalking her for some time before finally catching up to and turning her. And then, it turns out that he is unable to bend her mind to his will, so she escapes again and this just deepens her sire's obsession.

Looking at her traits:

Her basic traits as a vampire don't stand out much. The strongest element is the pursuit by her sire.

While her sire has no ability to command her through supernatural influence, he will continue to harass her, hoping to "convince" her to his side.

So for her build I'd go with the following:

Natural Attack: Bite (1-Harm Intimate Life Drain), Shadow Constrict (1-Harm Magic Close)

Curse: Dark Master

Moves: Something Borrowed: Predator and Prey (Host), Shadowsight

In this case, the Dark Master's influence would get more and more intrusive as time went on and any mystery might be complicated by the involvement of one of her sire's traps or trials. Some misguided attempt to make her stronger and hone her perspective to match his. If the team manages to kill him, well, maybe word will get back to his masters.

Important here, is that the other traits of a vampire aren't gone. They just don't have near the same narrative heft. She still has to drink blood, but she clearly has that mostly under control. Getting in a situation where she is tempted to drink someone's blood is not off the table, especially when it'll help her heal, but it's not as close to the surface as the problem with her obsessed sire.

Helen - Burned by the Sun

This is referencing Kikoskia's current VtM: Bloodlines run as a Toreador by the name of "Helen." Not for any particularly reason aside from the fact that I generally don't make vampires with this Curse because it is a bit on the awkward side to use. I can see Monster of the Week making it work, but in mixed company it does often make it difficult to cooperate with the other hunters.

For the vampire characteristics here I'm going with the following:

The sunlight burns her and weakens her.

I'm going to lean into the Toreador thing and how often Kiko relies on Celerity.

So I will build her like this:

Natural Attack: Bite (2-Harm Intimate Life Drain)

Curse: Vulnerability: Sunlight

Moves: Preternatural Speed, Unnatural Appeal

The first two versions of a vampire I wrote had traits that made them a direct danger to those around them. Both Violet and Patricia could be driven to harm people that in their right mind they wouldn't want to endanger. With Eloise, she is an indirect danger to those around her based on the fact that she is a target and everyone around her is basically in the blast radius. In Helen's case, the danger is entirely focused on her, though it will limit how well she can protect other people.

And as her Luck dwindles, then it will take less and less sunlight to affect her. Maybe initially she'll be fine if the sky is overcast, but after spending a luck, that isn't enough to prevent her from taking a -1 ongoing. And finally as her Luck gets very low, she can't go outside during the day and unless she's in a magically prepared sanctuary, doing anything during daylight will be at -1.

Bathori - A Blight on the World

This build is reference to a facet of true undead from my Divine Blood setting and one such individual. But we're going to deviate from that concept in the following ways. She will not have nearly as high a requirement for active feeding and she won't have an option to just stop doing it and letting herself die. Perhaps in this case, I'm going to assume at one point she was possessed by an undead spirit that performed that starts of the ritual that would have bound it to her body but she somehow fought it off, and now has to deal with the permanent effects of the bits of the ritual the undead spirit completed before being forced out. And that will come to these traits:

Bathori saps the life-force of the land and life in her general area.

Her soul is basically stapled to her body and because it wasn't her will, she doesn't know how to undo it.

And I'll do the following build.

Natural Attack: Bite (1-Harm Intimate Life Drain Infection), Unarmed (0-Harm Hand Poison)

Curse: Inimical

Moves: Immortal, Toxic

So, in this case, she will progressively kill the land she walks on, encouraging her to lair in places that are already dead and can't be hurt by further. Occasionally, her aura of blight and draining will flare to risk causing harm to the people in the area around her and they might now even be directly aware of that. In addition, as she runs out of Luck, the region of her blight will get wider and wider. And the blight will get hungrier, being more likely to siphon the people she's trying to protect.

I also took "Infection" in reference to how people who survive a feeding by an undead might be warped such that they become "dhampir". Usually they'd die shortly after, but some will manage to survive the condition and become their own sort of immortal. Within the Divine Blood setting, Wilhemina Harker is a dhampir who manages to survive the effort to adapt to the twisting. (not that she's even been mentioned in any fiction yet).

Infection is an extra benefit though, so normally, the hunter could maybe deliberately twist a person's soul as she feeds on them in order to possibly kill them even if they escape. Or maybe she can use it carefully as part of a big magic ritual to give another hunter a permanent power. But as her Luck drops, then I'd tie that infection more and more into an expression of her Inimical trait. Meaning she might accidentally create more dhampir as she travels. And while dhampir that adapt are mostly stable people rather than Monstrous with a curse to struggle with, most of the infected will just die.

Summary

All of the characters above fit the concept of a vampire, and they are all even from a variety of pop-culture things ranging from anime jiangshi to VtM characters, but they all express the concept in very different ways. I do reuse the Life Drain option of magical attack a lot, but I ignored it for one build and gave it different flavors in the others. I was also tempted to give every version of the vampire Immortal and certainly the idea of them being ageless would be a narrative thing, but it would be a more fragile sort of immortality unless they take up that move later.

#tabletop #character creation #urban fantasy #urban horror #monster of the week #cosmic horror #roleplaying games #rpg #evil hat productions #ttrpg #vampires

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jacksgreysays · 8 months ago

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Hello, this is Mergen! I read your response to my comment in Ao3 and really, there is no need to apologize, considering that I am also not giving my answer soon. Since you spend more time on tumblr, I decided to respond here, and then I got sucked into your other passages for weeks. Thank you for giving this idea a chance and if you don't mind, I'll throw some more in for you.

Even if the math doesn't work for Souichi to be Shikako's son, you mentioned that you see the solution to the Konoha civil war in Shikadai becoming Hokage, but he is still young and there is no guarantee that he will become strong or respected enough for the title of Hokage to replace Naruto. He will have the support of half the clans, but this is just politics. So I will again turn to your OC Nara and propose to make Souichi Hokage, he is much older and judging by the description, have the will and motivation and intelligence, some can even get Deja View second coming Shikako.

The second idea was inspired by your fic about Shikako meeting Shinki's mother. I love Gaara and Shinki's relationship in canon, the best thing in Boruto, so I want to reunite this duo and while one is not born yet, we need to confirm Schrödinger's Gaara status. Since Shikako is the only one who has the opportunity to continue the search for Gaara without drawing attention to it, without hope ti find him alive, I wondered what could kill Gaara in the desert. After Gelel, he is the strongest being in Suna. So...

...what if he's not dead?

Back in time, when the war is over, his sister recently married Shikamaru and is about to have a child, everything is going well, Suna is strong and the world is at peace. What if Gaara wanted to sign the summoning contract after seeing how well Naruto and the others did with their summons and how effective they were? Perhaps he lost Shukaku and decided to compensate for his fighting strength by becoming a sage. So he uses reverse summoning and moves to some kind of summoning world. Then there are a dozen developments of events to suit your taste:

1. Gaara failed the test, he was eaten and his body will never be found. Dark enough for a primadonna Au to be real but if you go this route I will cry. Just saying.

2. Time flows differently in the world of Summons and for him 12 days may have passed when for others it is 12 years. He returns to meet a much older and tired Kanuro wearing a Kazekage hat.

3. Shikako finds the domen of the summon, which is located in their world, just very well hidden. Gaara either turned into stone and she will save him in her sage mode, or he meditates for a long time to become a sage and didn’t even notice the passage of time. A punch to the jaw from Shikako is part of the reunion.

This may be an unnecessary plot point, but it will clear the air for Gaara's family and friends.Feel free to use the ideas or not, anyway thanks for your attention!

Hello! I’m glad to see you over on tumblr since, like you said, I really am better at responding on tumblr than I am on ao3—but I do still very much appreciate your ao3 comment as well!

I do love your enthusiasm/affection for my silly Nara OC Souichi, I’m glad that he’s endeared himself to someone besides creator, lol. However he’s not actually THAT much older than Shikadai—or, well, I suppose in the world of shinobi he could be considered much older—I’ve mostly been vague about the timeline, but Souichi is 18 and Shikadai is probably 10ish. He’s due to graduate from the Academy soon. So eight years for a shinobi is a lot, I guess, especially so early on in their careers, but I would still consider them the same generation. Additionally, while he has the motivation and intelligence (and quirkiness) he really is “just an average Nara chuunin.” He made chuunin at 16 years old which isn’t BAD per se, but I think in terms of “Hokage potential” is pretty late in regard to making that international name for himself. Additionally, I know I haven’t explicitly said so, but Shikadai is ALSO motivated and intelligent. The way I see it, Shikadai is more similar to Shikako in her more desperate times, than Souichi is to Shikako in her fun relaxed times, and considering this is the bleak!Primadonna AU, it’s that desperate, battle-oriented Shikako that people would be looking for than an eccentric innovator.

Also, Shikadai doesn’t have the strength/power or the respect/influence NOW, as an Academy student, but that is roughly why if I were to write a “how to resolve the situation in Konoha” it would be a Shikadai-centered fic about how he gains that either through missions or over time or by interacting with other will-be-important figures his age.

As for your second idea—actually it was your initial theory about Souichi that made me bring up Shinki in this series, because the way I’ve written him, in my other DoS Shikaara future fic he is raised by Shikako while Kankurou is his clan head. And I realized, with your initial Souichi theory, that Shinki is probably the closest thing to a child that Shikako and Kankurou could feasibly/safely have in this bleak!Primadonna AU. Especially since Shinki, with his confirmable Magnet Release (as opposed to Shikadai with his probable-but-not-tested Magnet Release) would be the Kazekage heir and thus slightly alleviate some of the stress on Shikadai.

In the ficlet in which Shikako meets Areki (made up name for Shinki’s mother because I don’t know if she has one in canon but I kind of assume not considering what the source manga/anime is) Shinki is definitely already alive. It’s also earlier in the timeline than the first installment/ao3-chapter, so Shikako meets Areki when Shinki is probably about 8 (putting Shikadai at about 6?) and then basically adopts both of them and sort of mentors/helps raise Shinki so that he can safely be introduced to the world as the heir to the Kazekage when the time is right (as opposed to putting that target on the back of an untrained child before he’s ready)

But, that’s not your point: Schrödinger’s Gaara. I super agree with you that after Gelel he is the strongest being in Suna. I also agree that he’s probably not dead so much as like… transported elsewhere (or else-when if we’re getting time travel-y with it) or trapped somehow.

I had briefly though of Gelel Empire related things—like, just because the Dead Wastes are where the “heart” of Gelel’s power was, doesn’t mean they didn’t have other sealing arrays elsewhere through their vast empire. Also, considering sandstorms and since Gaara can control sand, it wouldn’t be to surprising if something was uncovered and Gaara went out to investigate it alone since, after all like you said, who could possibly be a threat to him in the desert where he is strongest? And then mumbledy mumbledy he gets transported somewhere (or some-when) and either can’t find his way back, or doesn’t realize how long it’s actually been, or is stuck. (I did, even more briefly, consider a sci-fi vibe, in the sense that Gaara discovers a Stargate or an old Jedi Temple or something like that but abandoned that since it would be bringing in a crossover and huge genre shift to something that already required a lot of implied background/worldbuilding from readers)

But the summoning realm is very good. And I’ve also previously posited that maybe the summoning realm is not necessarily just for summons. Like, perhaps it should more accurately be called the Spirit Realm, because while most of them are summonable creatures that theoretically look like animals, there could be other non-animal/non-contractable spirits there. I think I also considered writing a fic where the Shinigami and other gods kinda lived in that same alternate plane of existence? However, like you said, the summoning contract card is already so plentiful by itself that I don’t necessarily need to throw in spirits.

1) Oh noooooo, don’t eat Gaara! He’s a good lad TT_TT But that is maybe a little too dark for the bleak!Primadonna AU. Like, I know I have Shikamaru being assassinated, but the idea of Gaara being eaten by summons and never found again is just too dark for some reason? The assassination has political causes and ramifications at least D: Gaara in some boss summon’s stomach is noooooooooooo

2) Time flowing differently is almost… ooh… like, if he were to come back after 12 years and it’s just because time flowed differently. Like, obviously it’s not his fault, but I can see how frustrated Kankurou and Temari and Shikako (and maybe even Naruto?) would be with him if it’s like. THIS ALL COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF YOU HAD JUST COME BACK SOONER. There’s something to be said about those Fair Folklore and similar mythologies about a human going to another world and dancing for a night and then coming back and realizing a century had passed. Like. It’s almost more forgivable if Gaara comes back AFTER Shikadai is an adult (and possibly Hokage) and everything has resolved itself in one way or another because that’s a scale of time that almost seems like—well, there’s nothing he could have done. Versus any time before that would be frustrating. They wouldn’t be mad at him, but god it would be so frustrating.

3) I will always be so fond of Shikaara, so my heart does love the idea that Shikako—who is the only one who can/still believes enough to keep searching for Gaara—does find him trapped somehow (either turned to stone or in a seal or a sand cocoon that was meant to protect him but then backfired, etc etc) and not freeing him with True Love’s Kiss but, like, practical treatment either via Earth chakra or seals or, as you said, a punch to the jaw, lololol.

It’s the mystery of the ages, truly :)

Thanks again for your comment/asks, Mergen!

#jacksgreyson #mergenfox #review response #primadonna girl (says no thank you)#dreaming of sunshine #shikadai nara #shikako nara #sabaku no shinki #sabaku no kankurou #sabaku no gaara #asks #answers #archiveofourown

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