#g corp gregor

[balamist]

[sleepyminty]

Bad end friends

[smeesecheese]

Some Greg doodles I drew instead of working

[lu-is-not-ok]

Have You noticed that Gregors E.G.O.s (With possible exceptions of AEDD) are more his semi-sentient arms E.G.O.s. They all either require sloth, or are sloth EGO, representing him letting the arm do whatever it wants. It also ties in with how both Lantern and Legerdemain corrosions are arm overtaking the body. And here we also have exception of AEDD which doesnt involve sloth, and in which corrosion its clearly gregor who's in control while corroded instead of his arm.

Alright, so, I'm going to take this opportunity to ramble about Gregor's bug arm in general. Not just how it related to his E.G.Os, but also in his other Identities and the main plot as well.

Strap in, cause this is likely going to be a more of a ramble than a proper guided analysis. Though, I will try to split these into sections somewhat.

Gregor's arm in the main story

Let's start by exploring what we know about Gregor's arm from the main story content. I'll be mostly focusing on Canto I, since that's where we get most of our info about Gregor, but I'll also dip into other Cantos and base Gregor ID's voicelines as I see fit.

So, Canto I. The Outcast. We learn a lot about Gregor's past here, about his trauma from the war, the way he and the other soldiers were treated after the war ended, and the way other veterans see him as a deserter and traitor due to him (arguably) being able to reintegrate into society better than the other soldiers.

We also learn where exactly his arm came from - a procedure performed on all G Corp employees and soldiers, some of which were actual children at the time. From the flashback we see of Gregor after the procedure, we see that he let himself cut the apple on the day of his fifteenth birthday, meaning he had the procedure when he was fourteen. A procedure that his mother performed on him, no less.

The Canto 1 dungeon itself takes on a rather interesting form. The first few encounters directly tie back to Gregor's past, with him being faced with other veterans who recognise him, and a Head Manager that Gregor himself recognises.

A Head Manager who is still stuck in that military mindset, still believing he's in the middle of a war because he's still struggling to survive just as much as he did during it. It's only when Gregor reveals that he was struggling just as much when he tried to become part of society does the Head Manager realize that Gregor wasn't the utter traitor he thought he was.

Things get interesting when we go further into Floor 2 of the Dungeon, where instead of a direct callback to Gregor's past, we get to learn about Yuri's story, having it directly parallel Gregor, as the two are both people who had to run and abandon their peers to survive a horrible event. It's an experience Gregor greatly sympathizes with, and I believe is one of the reasons why Yuri's death hits him as hard as it does.

However, the part I really want to focus on is the final floor of the Dungeon, the fathoms of Gregor's ego. We see one scene play out over and over again, each time details becoming skewed and more exagerrated. The aging bomb changes from aiming for a soldier's outpost to aiming for a Nest, going from only targetting the enemy to also hitting innocent civilians. Tomah goes from acting professional if a little energetic, to outright manic and obsessive over Gregor's status as G Corp's hero.

This, I believe, is extremely important to Gregor's character. The whole bottom floor of his dungeon is a symbolic representation of his PTSD. How he's constantly reliving his trauma over and over again, with his memories of the actual events being unreliable and more so driven by his recollection of how he felt during them, rather than objectively remembering what happened.

And this is where I go back to his arm, as I believe it too is a representation of Gregor's PTSD. The way Gregor describes his arm as a seperate entity, as something that acts on its own without his control or input, reminds me of how some people describe their experience with PTSD and trauma as the feeling of always being afraid of a monster that could creep up on you at any moment.

We see that Gregor is somewhat capable of hiding his arm, as shown in the flashback CG of him on the subway, where he hides that arm under a sleeve and behind his back. Most of the time, he can hide his trauma and live as normal of a life as he can, joking about the propaganda posters his face is still on.

But all it takes is one small thing. One small trigger. And just like that trauma comes crashing back to him, his arm goes out of control, attacking whatever or whoever triggered it as if it were still on a battlefield, fighting for Gregor's life. Just like Dante's words throw Gregor into a traumatic flashback, the seemingly kind act of a stranger at the wrong time threw his arm into a frenzy.

An important part of that is revealed in a Canto II cutscene, where Gregor admits he doesn't know what exactly could trigger his arm to "rage out of control", as he puts it. For all he knows, the stimulation caused by dancing could be enough to do it. It also might not. The fact that something as seemingly innocent and neutral as dancing could be a trigger, and the fact that Gregor himself doesn't know all of his triggers, both further point to this metaphor being intentional.

Plus, there is the motif of Gregor's arm regrowing no matter how many times it's cut off. Just like one can't just get rid of one's trauma and PTSD, Gregor can't get rid of his arm. It's something he has to learn to live with. Like he says in one of his Chatter lines, he had to accept he's stuck with it, like it or hate it.

Gregor's arm in other Identities

So... an interesting thing happens to Gregor's bug arm in his alternate Identities. Other than G Corp Gregor, who'd still have gone through the procedure as he did in the main world, all other Gregors all lack that arm, having a prosthetic in its place. And likewise, the arm means something different to each different Gregor.

We already discussed how LCB Gregor's arm is a metaphor for his PTSD, a symbolic, physical manifestation of his trauma.

G Corp Gregor's arm is actually quite interesting in this regard. It comes from the same source as LCB Gregor's, and has a similar role of serving as a physical reminder of sorts, but it's the details of what it reminds Gregor of that is different here. For G Corp Gregor, his arm is a reminder of why he's fighting in the war in the first place - because he didn't want to helplessly watch from afar. While he's aware it and the other side-effects of the augmentation won't let him return to civilian life, he claims he doesn't regret it.

It's a twist that makes sense considering his situation. Whereas LCB Gregor is a Gregor who left the war with the arm being a grim reminder of what he had to do during it, G Corp Gregor is a Gregor still in the middle of it who uses his arm as a way to remind himself why he's in this situation in the first place.

Now, we got to our first prosthetic arm Gregor - Liu Gregor. Here, Gregor has an almost utilitarian view of his arm, seeing it as a source of fire for his cigarettes and as something that helps him in combat. He specifically points out how his prosthetic arm can't feel pain, calling it outright invincible because of that fact.

It's a fascinating subversion to how LCB Gregor and even G Corp Gregor view their arms. Whereas for them their bug arms have an almost sentimental value in a way, being reminders of their trauma and the reason they're fighting respectively, Liu Gregor's prosthetic arm is almost like an afterthought to him. Just something to light a fire and fight with.

Though, I do think the way Liu Gregor seems to focus on the fact his prosthetic arm feels no pain specifically is important. Considering his Core Sin of Sloth and how much Liu Gregor seems to try to shirk his work, claiming that straining himself is a good enough excuse for a whole week of rest... There's something to it, I think, though I can't quite put my finger on it just now.

Chef Gregor is an interesting Identity when talking about Gregor's arm, because it has the least importance out of all the Gregor IDs. All we learn about Chef Gregor's arm is that his mechanical one can get sore (implying it's of high-enough quality to feel pain, interesting when you contrast it with Liu Gregor's prosthetic), and that his old arm is implied to have ended up as an ingredient (though how much of that is the truth and how much is Gregor fucking around with Dante is unclear).

If Liu Gregor's arm is an afterthought in his eyes, then Chef Gregor's arm is a joke to him. There's a level of casualness and levity to the way Chef Gregor talks about his arm, to the point it just feels like just another ordinary part of his life... as ordinary of a life as being a cannibal chef can be.

Honestly, it's kind of refreshing to see his arm be treated as just another part of him and nothing more than that. As much as I love digging into every single dialogue line and design choice for deeper meaning (and I appreciate just how much this kind of reading is facilitated by the way Limbus Company is written), sometimes a prosthetic arm is just a prosthetic arm, no strings attached, and I think that's great.

Rosespanner Gregor is up next, and here we get to see another interesting take on Gregor's arm. For this Gregor, his prosthetic arm is actually of his own creation. His invention, his to-be workshop product, a machine he created to facilitate his dream of leaving Rosespanner and starting his own workshop.

It's probably the most unique interpretation of his arm that we see thus far. It's not a reminder of the past like it is for LCB and G corp Gregor, and it's not just part of his everyday life like Liu and Chef Gregor. No, for Rosespanner Gregor his arm is an accomplishment, a path towards a more successful life. I don't know about you, but I personally find that very interesting.

Finally, we got the most recent Gregor - Zwei Gregor. Similarly to Liu Gregor, Zwei Gregor sees his arm as an asset, a trump card he hides under a glove to reveal when his client is in danger. In fact, his prosthetic arm is shown to be strong enough to not only wield a zweihander without the help of his other hand, but also to stop a strike that could have bisected a person.

Zwei Gregor never actually talks about his prosthetic arm directly, only alluding to it due to him hiding it as a sort of surprise tool that will help him later. However, I believe it does show that this Gregor views his arm in a purely utilitarian manner, similarly to Liu Gregor. An interesting connection, and I suppose it fits with them both being Association members.

Gregor's arm in E.G.Os

That's right, we're finally talking about the thing the ask was Actually about. I'm so good at answering questions in a clear and concise manner. /s

Starting off with Suddenly, One Day, something about it immediately caught my eye. For all the other base E.G.Os, the striped "prisoner" garb is worn by the Sinner in question (Faust included, while she doesn't wear it in the illustration, she does have it on in the attack animation), however in Gregor's case, the striped cloth is wrapped exclusively around his arm.

Notably, it doesn't look like it's some actual piece of clothing that Gregor could have worn but just didn't, no those are actual wrappings specifically for the arm. It's a fascinating visual when you think about Gregor's arm as a representation of his trauma and PTSD. It's not the Gregor everyone sees that's a prisoner, it's not the person he acts as while living in a society, it's his traumatized self he keeps hidden that's the actual prisoner to the trauma he's endured.

As for the Library floor symbols on those wrappings... Yeah, I have no clue. The only connection I can make is that Gregor is Jewish and the symbols also represent the different Sephirot from the Tree of Life, so it could be a reference to that.

The attack itself involves the arm bursting out of the prisoner wrappings and attacking against Gregor's will. While this could represent how his arm can go into a frenzy out of Gregor's control, there's another interesting interpretation I just thought of.

Each finger of Gregor's frenzied arm in this E.G.O takes on a different form. I don't know what the common theory is on those, but I believe these are meant to represent the factions that Gregor fought on the side of during the war. The bug-like finger represents the old G Corp, and the smoking red finger could represent the old L Corp, the source of the smoke during the Smoke War. In Outis's Uptie story we're told E Corp and F Corp also fought on that side of the war and could potentially be represented by two of the fingers, but since we don't know how canon that is to the main world, I'm not going to try and guess which of the fingers represent them.

With all that said, I believe in this way Suddenly, One Day's arm could also represent the war itself, specifically the side of it Gregor has found himself on, how he was effectively made the leader figure of that side against his will, and how despite being the face of the war he himself never had any real control over how it went.

...Okay that was a lot, I'm going to hopefully speed through the other E.G.Os because I'm not gonna fully analyze those (and I already analyzed AEDD anyway), so.

Legerdemain has Gregor's arm take on the form of an apple on a stem, the roots of which are spreading all over Gregor. Gregor seems to have some control over his arm here, but he does seem to somewhat struggle with it, having to hold onto it with his other arm and hesitating before attacking.

Like you mentioned in the ask, the corrosion here involves the branches (and now also maggots) completely taking over Gregor, with the maggots within the apple being the ones controlling his actions here.

I think Gregor's arm here is interesting to interpret, as it seems to generally represent himself, or rather how he's viewed by others. During his Awakening, it's shown as a golden apple, representing the golden poster boy that Gregor was seen as during the war. However, in the corrosion it becomes rotten and overtaken with maggots, showing that despite his seeming priviledge and higher status he was seen as just as much of a rotten pest as the rest of the soldiers.

Next up, Lantern. Here, Gregor's arm takes on the form of a branch and a fairy, the only visible part of the Abnormality Faelantern. In the Corrosion, Gregor becomes overtaken by the plant, specifically becoming caught by the underground portion of it, the true core of Faelantern that uses the branch and fairy as a lure.

In this case, I believe Gregor's arm is meant to represent the propaganda he was involved in creating. The "tales" his fairy is reading are the tales of old G Corp's victories and the honorable soldiers fighting in the war, trying to bring more people willing to fight on old G Corp's side. However, his Corrosion shows that he was just as caught up by the source of that branch as anyone else captivated by the propaganda, he was suffering during the war just as much as everyone else.

Now, onto AEDD. I already made an analysis on that E.G.O right here, but to summarize: AEDD represents the abuse Gregor went through at the hands of Hermann, and it shows him acting out because of that abuse in a way that mimics her, with him fully putting himself in her role when he Corrodes.

In this way, I think Gregor's arm while using AEDD represents something similar to the one in Legerdemain - it represents Gregor himself, though in this case it represents how Hermann sees him.

Just like you also pointed out, Gregor is fully in control if his arm in this E.G.O, and yet it's the one E.G.O where his arm is most clearly a seperate entity - taking on the form of a full shock centipede. I think to understand exactly what it means, one should interpret that arm centipede as Gregor, while the Gregor using AEDD should be interpreted as a representation of Hermann.

This, I think, makes the AEDD arm make a lot more sense. The reason why the arm appears to be a fully seperate entity, yet is completely under Gregor's control? Because it represents how Hermann had full control over Gregor, seeing him as another bug in her army of pests, yet special enough to dedicate more of her attention to.

Perhaps that's why the AEDD Corrosion involves both of Gregor's arms turning into centipedes, with one of them glowing with electricity. Hermann's bug soldiers are her weapons, her arms in the war, but Gregor is a special one. A pest that got to glow a little bit brighter than the rest.

To summarize...

Man, Gregor's arm tells us a lot about his character and themes, huh? From being a symbolic physical manifestation of trauma, to a reflection of how other people view him, to just being your everyday prosthetic arm. And I think it's Really Fucking Cool, so I hope you all do too.

[meursaulter]

touch starved

[snoddie]

Perfectly normal G Corp Gregor art

Nothing odd at alllllll

[cloverpatches]

"Employee Gregor, reporting for duty! It’s an honor to join your mission, Manager !!"

My first ever completed Limbus Company cosplay: G Corp Gregor! Can you spot the Little Buddy-?

[stairswell]

yippee rb n g corp

for my friend @heartbunnymoth :3

[buzzsawbrando]

bung :)

[jerichosuffers]

Just a little guy!

[limbuscompanysituations]

Thank you for answering my ask! If you don’t mind fun facts, I will just type random stuff and the readers can do with that what they will^^

While most cockroaches can glide, American cockroaches can fly. From what I’ve seen in the fandom, most people seem to suspect that the bug traits come from a German cockroach, I think the American one could be likely

However! That doesn’t go along with the way that little cockroach that accompanies him is drawn. See, looking as the back of it (no visible wings) and the coloring, it doesn’t match with my first point. It’s darker than the American cockroach. The thing is, it’s dark enough that I could even speculate that it is a female, which would be supported by the wing thing as well. Furthermore, this extends to Gregor’s right arm too. The colour thing. So, if someone is willing to trust a random bug lover on tumblr and really wants to validate their trans headcanon, you can run with this point I suppose

NSFW: there’s actually a lot of conflicting information about this, and after reading some articles and books (not solely on that matter, just bugs in general!) I can share some info. While the common consensus seems to be that cockroaches do not have a penis in our strict understanding (so that’s one headcanons for you) there are structures that we can call a penis and it will be perfectly fine to do so. However, if we are looking at penis-like structures, quite a few sources claim that in that sense, cockroaches have two. I prefer the version in which there’s none, but like you said, people can headcanons whatever. And uh. If you ponder what that could mean for the G corp ID. Yeah

A less intense fact (and one that makes me look less deranged) is the way Outis and Gregor’s hair is drawn. Let me explain. This is more of a neat fact than a ground for developing ideas though. So, as I come from an organisation (can’t really mention them, but uh, think about an intense and more serious version of scouts I suppose? Sorry can’t name it, but yeah) there’s a lot of talk surrounding hair. Traditionally older people go with the idea that hair should not touch the uniform. If you are serving your hair should be short or braided in a crown. However, with time it became more acceptable to only have it tied. It can never be loose, obviously, but most younger lads opt for tying it while serving. This isn’t probably about that, most likely they are drawn with their respective hairstyles because it fits them, but I think it’s nice that it can be explained away in a more reality-based way^^

This one is book based actually. Kafka detailed the way in which his man character’s tastes had changed. He specifically said that after being transformed, he did not enjoy fresh food. It didn’t taste right, so the protagonist resorted to eating stale, moldy food that appealed to him. In reality, that kind of food isn’t great grona real life cockroach, but older food does interest them more. Just don’t feed our six legged friends mold! I believe that while Gregor would not share that with the rest, he could also now enjoy somewhat less fresh food. And that trait was definitely something that, if given the chance, they would have given him. Looking at the history of the military (another interest of mine) from the rations perspective, soldiers don’t get the most fresh stuff anyways, at least it was like that in the past. So it would be deneficial to alter them in a way in which that aspect is not a problem to the leaders (I say this not as an example of a good idea, but more so because I think it goes along with the dehumanisation aspect. Like, people tried to have human-ape soldiers irl and one of the pros that was recited among them was that it would be cheaper to feed them whatever and avoid complaints)

Gregor canonically likes to sleep on his side, though in the book he cannot do that anymore after his looks change. So maybe that’s the case with his Limbus-ified version as well? If I remember correctly he did said it was the right side he liked sleeping on, if so, then it could very well apply

All in all, those are cockroach facts. He is a person and I’m not trying to dehumanise him further by claiming everything I say must apply to him because of his looks. Definitely not. Though even if it did, it’s all chill, he’s great and different habits nor changed anatomy take away from that^^ I just happen to like cockroaches and I remember that line about the bug-related features growing more prominent at times, so I decided to share things, it’s up to the readers what they pick (if anything) from the list. Quite frankly I have stayed up for way too long trying to convert my bug knowledge into coherent English. This is not checked for mistakes. I’m very sleepy. So, I’m sorry if the contents are not up to your standards or if people find it boring. I hope at least one person can use that info to make up something was cooler and more thought out than my list here

Also, hi to my friend who also reads your blog! It’s not very hard to guess this ask is from me, the cockroach facts give it right away hah

Bug facts! Bug facts! I love bug facts! And so comprehensively explained too! I didn't think about the likely difference between cockroach species, even though it should be pretty obvious that insects as common as cockroaches would have wild variations lol Thank you so much for the bug facts! As for my two cents, I keep brainstorming with a friend about the possibility that the bug Gregor becomes in the book is something closer to being a dung beetle than a cockroach, but at the same time it's sort of interesting because a cockroach is sort of a vermin? And the imagery in C1 is very... full of vermin, dirty animals, etc.

The information about haircut/hairstyles and Outis vs Gregor makes sense and fits their personality so well too, amazing.

I was actually discussing with a friend not so long ago about Kafka's Gregor eating softer foods, and they were tying it to the fact cockroaches can't really bite into harder things. I don't know, just something that I think about sometimes.

These are so comprehensive, thank you so much (once again) for the meal. I will bite into it and use this new information to be more insane about these fictional characters!

[mortemdecay]

Dolls up your mid 30s bug man

[jeff-the-box-boy]

[lavendercookiestar]

Ishamael and Gregor from memory

[lu-is-not-ok]

been reading your analysis like the morning newspaper and let me tell you i love your writing a lot!!!

anyway...kcorp hong lu and spicesang may have the same skill affinities but not the same skill slot

so i raise you: g corp gregor vs seven outis

Okay. This is actually Very Interesting to me, since full Sin Affinity overlaps aren't that common. So, let's talk about it!

Both G Corp Gregor and Seven Outis have the same Sin Spread: Gluttony, Sloth, Lust.

Immediately, there's a notable difference in what Gluttony means for the two. For Seven Outis, Gluttony represents her hunger for progress. To climb the ranks, towards some sort of nebulous goal. To quote her Uptie story, "Though some might scoff at how insignificant the position of directing Sector 6 was... It would be as silly as complaining about the ending of an ongoing story when the child's goal was set further beyond." Even in her role as the Director, she's still aiming ever higher.

For G Gregor, I believe Gluttony is meant to represent his hunger for survival instead. We don't see any higher ambitions in this Gregor, but it is pointed out in his Uptie story just how much the war has changed him. Just how much his need to survive this horrible event and environment has shifted who he is, to the point he seemingly completely stifles his own emotions and desires.

Despite that stark difference between the two, there is something that unifies them in how Gluttony is used - it's the most obvious reason for why they act the way they do, so clearly spelled out that it's directly called attention to in their respective Uptie stories.

Then, we get to Sloth, where things start becoming a bit more unified. While not necessarily "happy" in their current positions, neither Seven Outis and G Gregor really complain about their situations. In fact, it almost seems like the both of them are trying to convince themselves that they're fine, actually, and resign themselves to their situations.

G Gregor talks about how he doesn't regret getting the procedure, how he's honored to be part of the war... but he is still aware how taxing it is on his mind, and how he won't be able to return to civilian life afterwards. Seven Outis talks about the valuable individuals she has under her leadership, and how comfortable working at a desk is... but she admits Section 6 is the bottom rung, and she admits that her work is difficult and she's constantly too busy to so much as go out for lunch.

It's clear that deep inside they both would rather do something else, but they would never let themselves admit it or act on it. They're fine where they are, totally.

Which brings us to their Core Sin. Lust. And here I think we split off into different meanings once again.

Seven Outis, and Outis in general if we look at her E.G.Os, has a very interesting relationship with Lust. Outis, in every incarnation, is Very goal-oriented, and this is reflected in how she presents the Sin of Lust. Instead of it representing some sort of indulgence, for Outis it seems to represent a desire to reach some personal goal. To succeed in some way. This is reflected in Seven Outis, who always seems to be a few steps ahead of everyone else, always working towards some goal she has set in her mind.

And then there's G Gregor's case, which I find very interesting. G Gregor's Uptie story very directly calls out the fact that, while initially his eyes were full of passion, the war had worn him out to the point he seemingly stifles his desires and emotions. But wait, if he's actively suppressing his own desires, the thing Lust is most often about, then why is his Core Sin Lust?

I'll be honest, this confused me for a bit as well. Is it his seeking approval from his superiors? But we don't really see him do that, in fact he constantly deflects any of his own potential accomplishments onto the Manager. Is it meant to represent his old passion? Doesn't seem like it, considering we know it's not actually directing him anymore.

So, my own theory is this: G Gregor's Lust represents his desire to still hold onto some normalcy in a situation that would drive many mad. The instinct to distance himself during bloodshed, as if he weren't there. To not think too much about what he's doing. The way he constantly keeps up that same military tone, no matter the situation, as if keeping up some sort of semblance of order. The way the one worry he has is about not being able to return to civilian life. ...That might just be the one thing G Gregor wants above all else: a normal life.

With that all said, just like with Gluttony, I think there is something that these two parallel each other in with how they represent their Core Sin of Lust. And that is that... this Lust is, in a way, the source of their Gluttony. Showing how, though their motivations may seem beyond reach and their actions futile, there is a genuine, tangible goal they are reaching towards. Seven Outis will Gluttonously keep climbing the ranks until she reaches the goal she Lusts after. G Gregor will Gluttonously do everything to survive until he earns the normal life he Lusts for.

There is definitely something to be said about how Gluttony and Lust can overlap at times, and I think Seven Outis and G Gregor represent how those two Sins can work together yet contrast each other quite well.

[meursaulter]

crossposting these meurgregs from twitter. the 3rd image is "when your husband is trying to do paperwork but you have to come tell him for the 1000th time about that one time you fought six guys at once and looked epic during"