#i miss the mysterious lifeform...

[sillypicklz]

PikTober day two: lifeform

"isn't it beautiful, Dingo? ehehe..."

the humble plasm wraith:

[arolesbianism]

Sits in shambles I didn't read maybe Jorge's id correctly in the mysterious hermit logs the first god knows how many times I read them and only just now realized that it's the same id as the scientist that speaks in the agricultural notes log why must I be so bad at reading

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hi! I have been reading you for a long time and would like to ask you something for the first time… The last message flow to the Lethal Company from the Nutcracker was WILDLY SWEET, however, it hurt me from the bracken that was shot through the lytic…. May I ask the bracken and the reader where the bracken constantly goes behind the reader's back…. JUST TO HUG! Someone from the team warns about the danger and the bracken gently takes the reader in his arms to his lair for even bigger hugs!

Bruh you have no idea how soft i am for brackens hfghhs (when I first started playing LC, they were ALWAYS killing me...but now they just like to pop out and scurry away when I look at them, so I consider us to be pretty chill)

Anyways woe Bracken fluff be upon ye <3

.....

Of all the creatures you've encountered during your time with the Company, Brackens were certainly the most complicated.

Even though there's been countless documents and reports of employees scanning, studying, and dying to these aliens...they were still seldom understood. The data on the terminal said so.

There was one in particular who had such a unique behavior pattern that remained a mystery to you.

And he lived on Experimentation, which was supposedly the "safest" moon to land on and gather scrap from.

Most of the time, however, that was a load of bullshit...as you and your crew had many encounters with aggressive lifeforms such as hoarding bugs, Thumpers, spiders, and turrets that were placed in the most inconvenient spots...

Hell, even an Earth Leviathan showed up and nearly consumed your entire ship.

As of right now, though, you were on-track to making the third profit quota's deadline. So a trip to Experimentation was an order, as you could grab minimal loot and still gain enough leftover money to buy some much-needed ship upgrades and tools.

Or maybe new suits or jack o'lanterns.

None of you were good at managing your budget.

But during this trip, you were less focused on getting loot and more eager to see....a certain someone.

Hopefully, he hasn't forgotten about you or mistook you for another random employee.

While two of your coworkers headed into the facility's main entrance and one stayed behind on the ship, you ascended the stairs leading up to the fire exit--armed with nothing but a flashlight and a walkie-talkie.

[Nearby activity detected!]

"Oh come on...can you be anymore vague?" You huffed, slightly annoyed that your scanner displayed the message before you could even touch the damn door.

"Activity" was awfully broad and could mean literally anything was waiting for you on the other side..

It could be a bunker spider or snare flea waiting to drop down on you and catch you by surprise.

It could be a Hygrodere spreading itself all over the floor, anticipating you setting one foot into it before drowning in its slimy body.

It could even be a simple turret ready to turn you into swiss cheese.

However, there's the possibility that it could also be the one entity here who didn't wanna give you a painful death, and you hoped to god you were right.

So you took a leap of faith and entered.

Surprisingly no danger was immediately present, although you did find a lot of good loot inside the room and smiled. "Oh sweet!" You grabbed the rubber ducky and Rubik's cube in the nearest corner, pocketing them. "This should set us way above-"

"Something's behind you!"

"Huh-?!"

All of the sudden, a pair of large arms wrapped around you from behind, pulling you back and causing your oxygen tanks to be pressed against the creature's chest-

Wait.

You only knew one Bracken that did that, and you couldn't help but laugh. "Oh my gosh, you scared me! You know you can't keep doing that!"

"Krrrrrr.." The entity purred softly, nuzzling his face against your neck as its leaves rustled with happiness.

With a chuckle, you patted his arm affectionately. "I've missed you, too, buddy. I told you I'd be back."

Knowing it was this Bracken, you felt safer than ever. He had a habit of greeting you this way: by sneaking up behind you like the rest of his species typically did, and attacking you.....not by snapping your neck like a twig, but by embracing and nuzzling you.

Of course, nobody in your crew believed that you've got a dangerous alien predator on Experimentation who always waited for you. Who loved you like a dog and would kill a Thumper for you.

If only they could meet him...but then again, he was shy.

"Don't tell me it's that damn Bracken again...did you tame it or something?"

The staticky voice of your coworker over the walkie-talkie startled the poor Bracken out of the hug, as it dropped you and flared its leaves out, wondering where they were.

"Relax, we're cool." You huffed, annoyed that they spooked your friend. "I gotta conserve my battery so...signal me when it gets close to midnight."

"....fine. Just don't die. Over and out."

After switching off the device, you turned back to him and smiled apologetically. "Don't worry. They're far away, so they won't bother us." You removed your helmet for the moment.

He nodded in understanding, crouching down to get a better look at your human features.

For some reason he never minded prolonged eye contact with you--and that was a good thing....otherwise, you would've been dead a long time ago.

You smiled and patted the top of his head, before he suddenly sprung up and scooped you up into his arms, lifting you completely off the ground. "Woah! Hey! Where are we going?" You asked as he carried you out of the room, taking you somewhere further within the facility.

Considering the Bracken knew his way around, you weren't too concerned with getting lost.

On your way to this unknown destination, you spotted a hoarding bug skittering down the hallway, eyeing the brass bell attached to your belt.....only to freeze as the leafy entity glared at it.

Luckily it understood the appropriate time to make eye contact with a Bracken, as it eventually looked away from him and decided to leave for another part of the facility.

It seems most of the creatures were knew who was the alpha.

'Man, whoever's tracking me must be so confused right now..' You thought to yourself as he continued walking.

Eventually you both arrived at a place many employees dubbed the "Bracken Room": a large open illuminated space with yellowish walls that looked out of place in the facility.

After setting you down on the floor, you looked at the Bracken with confusion, wondering why he decided to bring you here....until he brought you into another hug, wanting to sit down and have you in his lap.

You just smiled and wrapped your arms around him, giggling as he tucked his head underneath your chin, wanting to listen to the sound of a human's heartbeat.

Now you understood.

All he wanted was to take you to a quiet, safe place away from all the other monsters and employees. A place where he could have you to himself...at least for a couple more hours, anyways.

You knew the ship wasn't leaving anytime soon, so you didn't mind keeping him company.

While other Brackens are among the top three reasons employees hated their job...this one made you love it.

You feel so lucky, you'll consider buying a lottery ticket if you ever returned to Earth.

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

Them reacting to reader using their vision in weird ways

Characters: Ayaka / Furina x gn!reader (separate)

warnings: none

a/n: When I updated my masterlist yesterday, I noticed that I hadn’t written for Ayaka in a long time, so I decided to use my 3 brain cells and think of something to write for her. Why is Furina here as well? Easy, since I love her and want to dig myself into an even deeper hole for when it inevitably turns out I got her whole personality wrong once Fontaine comes out in a few days.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Ayaka

Crossing paths with you while walking around the Kamisato Estate was as common as seeing a bird fly over the horizon. You were everywhere, from filling out paperwork in the garden, running errands for her brother or sneaking off to pet whatever pet you had laid eyes on to rushing past everyone to fetch Thoma before he could waste more of his time trying to fulfill one of Ayato’s impossible assignments. And although you seemed to be in a hurry most of the time, you always made sure to stop and chat with Ayaka whenever she passed you.

Your conversations were brief, but that didn’t mean that the young Kamisato didn’t appreciate them, making sure to keep an eye out for you whenever she could, so when she finally spotted you while talking to another resident of the estate, her eyes immediately began following you, not wanting to lose track of you before she had the opportunity to at least greet you. Something that had to wait until her current conversation was over.

Your face was as red as it could be, not that she held it against you. It was a scorching hot day and Ayaka was lucky enough to have her fan with her whenever she felt it became too unbearable. You however, having both of your hands full with paperwork you were presumably carrying to her brother’s office, weren’t so lucky. But just as she thought about offering you her fan, you carefully put your chin on top of the papers, pressing them between it and your right hand before quickly grabbing your anemo vision with the other and creating a wind as an impromptu fan.

“Miss Kamisato?”, her conversation partner called out her name in a worried manner, probably noticing her space out when she failed to answer a question, causing Ayaka to snap back to reality as a small blush formed on her cheeks, quickly apologizing. Luckily, the other person didn’t seem to care too much, asking the question again.

“So, about your order…” However, their voice quickly faded into the background as her attention once again shifted towards you, your previous stunt seemingly having caused a few papers to fall to the ground, leading to you silently staring at them, probably thinking about what to do next. 

Instead of bending down and picking them up however, you once again used your vision to create a breeze that caused them to fly just high enough for you to catch them without having to move an extra muscle, smiling to yourself as you put them back on top of the other papers before your gaze met hers.

Before Ayaka knew it, you were waving and smiling at her, your vision still in hand , and before she managed to stop herself, she was waving back, only to be dragged back to the present once again when she saw her conversation partners confused look, causing her face to grow even redder than last time, especially when she heard a snicker escape your mouth.

Furina

Furina had hoped for a million different things to spice these mind bogglingly boring days up, a sudden mysterious criminal causing chaos while evading police and setting off an intriguing investigation, a comet filled with alien lifeforms crashing into the surrounding area, a judge pronouncing a word embarrassingly wrong… ANYTHING.

So when she noticed a person throwing their pyro vision into a pot of water to heat it, she couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, continuing to watch them with rising interest as it became increasingly clear the water had gotten too hot for the vision to be fished out, her smile only growing larger with each bubble that rose to the water's surface.

“You need something or are you just here to watch and smile?”, you eventually asked as you turned your head towards her, your face portraying a miffed expression, one bringing her even more amusement. Meeting a stand owner that was accidentally more entertaining than most shows she visited in the last couple of weeks wasn’t exactly on her bingo sheet for that day, but she definitely wasn’t complaining.

“No, I’m just watching”, she stated, not even attempting to hide her amusement. Only for you to look back down at the pot with an increasingly worried expression.

“You got a cryo vision or something that I could throw in to cool it?”

Your question earned you nothing but a deadpan expression, only for the silence between the two of you to suddenly cause it to shatter within an instance, Furina breaking out in laughter as it became increasingly clear that you were being serious, eventually ending up in her having to wipe away her tears, stopping her laugh several times to look at you with a face nearly begging you to say you were joking before continuing even more uncontrollably.

“If you intend on continuing to laugh instead of helping, then please go away”, you eventually stated, your face withholding any emotions as you stared at her, only for her to finally calm down enough to speak.

“Just pour out the water”, she managed to say between her laughs, causing you to shake your head.

“Great, and where do I quickly get new water from then?”, you asked sarcastically.

“Hello? You’re talking to the Hydro Archon here, water should be the least of your concerns”, she wheezed. Only to immediately stop when she heard a laugh coming from you, her expression darkening as it was your turn to laugh at her.

“Yeah right, good one. Let me help you find your parents, I’m sure they must start to get worried about you”, you laughed and laughed until you buckled over holding your stomach, not able to stop for even a second.

It took Furina all of her willpower not to take the boiling pot and pour it over you, the only thing stopping her being the knowledge that doing so would rob her of one of the few entertaining people in her country.

[worriedvision]

Stuck in one place - Kazuha

Gender neutral reader, Kazuha travels to Mondstadt and finds a person who lives in the wilderness, seemingly bored of everything in Mondstadt just looking the same. Unhappy ending

_

When he came to Mondstadt he made the mistake of visiting you - a person who lived in the wilderness of Mondstadt. He was intrigued when hearing of a mysterious "being". Nobody knew who you were, nor were there any missing people's signs up besides the travelers sibling.

He spent time with you, convincing you people made places interesting once he realised you were very introverted but you loved playing your guitar. The music was quite pretty, but ominous to anyone who bought into the rumours you were a deity who planned to kill anyone who got close.

Of course, Kazuha couldn't help but be curious. Perhaps you were like a siren by luring people in with your music, but Kazuha thought you were simply sad.

When you first met, you were immediately taken in by him. You couldn't help but find him attractive, his soft voice matching his appearance. He sat next to you, offering to befriend you because of your music interest.

He'd visit you every night he was in Mondstadt, which led to the inevitable catching proper feelings for him. Ones you hadn't known, ones to warm your chest. He always gave you something interesting to look forward to. He even took you into the town once to show you how many different personalities there are, which once again made you think you were in love.

The last day he was in Mondstadt, you confessed to him. In response, he gave you a reality check.

"I'm afraid I travel alone." Kazha replies.

"I can come with you, please." You insist, only to drop back upon seeing Kazuha become more uncomfortable with your insistence.

"...I can see why you fell for me - I'm the first human you interacted with in a while." When you hear this, you just feel very embarrassed. "I enjoyed our time together in Mondstadt, however I'd prefer to just be friends. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can look at anyone the way you look at me."

Nodding, you slowly turn around nd hunch over, head in your hand as you realise how desperate you have grown.

"Next time I visit Mondstadt, I would like to see you again."

"...Don't visit me again." You blankly reply, Kazuha looking down at his feet. "My time in this world is short, it wouldn't have worked."

"...What?"

"You heard the rumours of a land Siren, yes? Well, that's true - I don't know my origin, but this guitar is a large part of me. I have no family, no friends."

"Apart from-"

"No, even you aren't a friend. All you are trying to do is soften my rejection, that much is clear." You sigh, grasping your guitar. "I have been given orders to burn the guitar, destroy my lifeform. I just wanted to leave this world without any regrets - so thank you for confirming you will never look at me the way I look at you."

"Perhaps if I speak to the Acting Grand Master I can find a cure for...you..." Kazuha stops, noting you have already started to walk away.

He hears you start a fire, and he spots the orange gleam of light that erupts when you throw the guitar in. Kazuha runs up to see you one last time, and you look...neutral. you don't look relieved of sad, you're just there.

Well, not now that you were growing more difficult to see as more of your dorm gets burned in the fire.

The fire died down after some time, leaving behind the guitar strings and the pegs holding them to the one existent body. You are no longer here, Kazuha could tell.

Kazuha places the strings in a more visible slit, finding a stick and making a headstone for you before paying his respects, leaving your body to rest.

[gxthicupid]

𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗢 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗱 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 + 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦

𝗡𝗘 𝗭𝗛𝗔 𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗬

I know this theory has been talked about a lot, but I would like to put my own thoughts and opinions about Ne Zha’s age. Of course, Ne Zha died at the age of 12, yet in the series; considered to be a somewhat spin-off/sequel to the Journey to the West novel, he appears to be physically an adult.

Understandably, some people wanted to defend the idea of Ne Zha physically and mentally grown since Journey to the West by using other country’s beliefs of Ne Zha depicted as an adult, however, other countries still depict Ne Zha as a child, and the crew for LEGO Monkie Kid revealed he was canonically a child during Season 4, Episode 5 “The Court of the Yellow-Robed Demon”. This leaves to the question of how he managed to appear older. 

I have been pondering on the idea for quite some time, and while going through several posts of people’s headcanons, references from other media depicting the other characters from Journey to the West, I have come to a conclusion. 

To support this theory, I will be using Macaque as an example to answer the mystery behind Ne Zha’s sudden ageing in LEGO Monkie Kid. It has become abundantly clear Macaque has a missing eye, and in the Season 3, Episode 8, “Benched”, while trying to retrieve the third Samadhi Ring from Tang, for a split second, the tip of his tail becomes slightly white. 

While going through fanart, people often depict Macaque, having glamorised his looks in order to hide his features (i.e., his scarred eye). Saying that, I believe Ne Zha has adapted to glamorise his child form into an adult form, possibly from wanting to fit his mental age physically and feel comfortable. Macaque so far, hasn’t shown his true form for a prologue time, I believe Nezha can hold his adult form without any difficulty. 

𝗠𝗞’𝗦 𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗬

Season 5 of LEGO Monkie Kid is bound to show Nuwa, or MK’s supposed mother, on the show. Most people are wanting Nuwa to be a loving and caring mother, however, I do not believe that will be the case considering the direction the show is taking on MK’s backstory.

In the Season 4 special “Emperor’s Wrath”, the Kings of Hell in the Underworld are shown to be devising a plan for the upcoming events for Season 5, and personally, I believe Nuwa will be some sort of secondary villain associated with the main plot in Season 5. 

I am predicting that Nuwa has some strong connections, or at the very least, is acquainted with the Kings of Hell. Perhaps in the past, the Kings of Hell held a grudge against Sun Wukong after erasing his name from the Book of the Dead.

They weren’t able to change the pages since the paper magically link to the people whose names are written, and possibly, recreating a new set of paper will negatively affect the other people’s mortality; which the Kings of Hell are not willing to risk. 

Leading to the Kings of Hell requesting the aid of the creator of humans, Nuwa, since the residents of the Celestial Realm are not going to approve such a dire plan without the approval of the Jade Emperor.

Maybe the Kings of Hell gained Nuwa’s interest throughout a promise with a type of reward at the end of deal, and making her create a lifeform with equal or stronger power than Sun Wukong.

From the flashback in Season 4 Episode 6, “Show Me The Monster'', there were several stone statues of various animals before the creation of MK (hinting there were several attempts to create the perfect lifeform). 

The idea of creating MK as a mystic monkey probably links to the Journey to the West novel, in the chapter where Macaque shapeshifted into the Monkey King and deceives the other pilgrims; and before the reveal of the Six-Eared Macaque, it was stated that the imposter was close to Sun Wukong’s power level, which, I’m assuming, Nuwa took note.  

Since Season 4 has hinted that Sun Wukong had some sort of connection with MK before he was created, I am predicting that he possibly knew Nuwa as a friend before she became an acquaintance with the Kings of Hell. Nuwa used that relationship as an advantage to analyse his skills and powers, while discussing using Sun Wukong as a pawn to help MK to be trained by the Monkey King, in order for MK to unlock his powers later in life. 

Reasoning why I believe Sun Wukong isn’t aware of Nuwa is supported in the Season 4 special, “Emperor’s Wrath”, when Azure Lion was defeated, Sun Wukong questioned him who set him free from the Scroll of Memory, and Azure Lion had no recollection.

Supporting this theory, judging the age of MK when he first met Pigsy in Season 4, Episode 6, “Show Me The Monster”, he seemed to be around the age of 5 years old, which when he should some remembered of Nuwa or Sun Wukong to some degree, but it’s possibly she must have erased MK’s memories. This might be an ability that she might use in Season 5.  

Nuwa must have deceived Sun Wukong somehow to convince him to protect MK when he proves himself to have potential to become Sun Wukong’s successor, not only to allow MK’s abilities to develop and become stronger, but she might also use MK to spy on the Monkey King from afar.  

To support this theory, I will use the 5th Anniversary LEGO set of Monkie Kid, as Nuwa is seen to be in disguise while running a jade shop in Megapolis. Perhaps she purposely dropped MK off at Pisgy’s Noodles and lived around the city to observe MK and waited until he was ready to wield the staff. Sun Wukong must have done the same, but without the knowledge of Nuwa’s plan with the Kings of Hell (To learn Sun Wukong’s weaknesses for the sake of devising a plan).  

In the pilot episode of LEGO Monkie Kid, “A Hero is Born”, MK needed to deliver some noodles to a customer, but ended up dealing with the Demon Bull Family. Perhaps Nuwa also purposely made MK make the trip so that he can find Monkey King’s staff and allow MK to meet Sun Wukong and start training because Nuwa might have a deadline to finish her end of the deal, before the Kings of Hell will take action in Season 5.

𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗬𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗞𝗘𝗬𝗦 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Connecting to the last theory, I believe there will be a likely chance that Season 5 will introduce the other mystic monkeys from the Journey to the West novel. Judging from the direction of the LEGO Monkie Kid series, there will be new characters introduced other than Nuwa, considering that Season 5 will focus more on MK’s past, and him learning how to control his monkey powers.

For those who aren’t aware, in the Journey to the West novel, it is canon that there are a total of four mystic monkeys, which includes Sun Wukong (Spirit Intelligent Stone Monkey) and Macaque (Six-Eared Macaque Monkey). 

The other two are known as the Red Butt Horse Monkey and the Pass through Arm Ape Monkey (using the translated names from the Chinese characters).

Since the series does slightly alternate the Journey to the West lore, perhaps the Red Butt Horse Monkey and Pass through Arm Ape Monkey were created before Sun Wukong and Macaque, and the idea of MK being a new mystic monkey existing in the LEGO Monkie Kid show does bring their attention and they will contribute to the main conflict of Season 5 (Perhaps they know much more about the upcoming conflict with the Kings of Hell and MK’s monkey power awakening).

This prediction might be a bit of a stretch, but since MK’s monkey powers will most likely be one of the main focuses for the plot of Season 5, I believe these two monkeys are willing to become an influence; both negatively and positively.

Reasoning for this prediction is connected to the fact that the Red Butt Horse Monkey is known to have the ability to avoid death and lengthen its life, which I believe might lead the show to make an alliance with Nuwa and the Kings of Hell. 

Meanwhile, the Pass through Arm Ape Monkey might be helping MK through his glitching when it comes to his monkey form, and might have more knowledge about dealing with  MK’s problem than Monkey King.

To support this theory, in Season 4, Episode 7, “Pitiful Creatures”, when Wukong first sees MK’s glitching, he looks like he doesn’t look like he know how to deal this side-effect of unlocking the monkey powers, considering that Sun Wukong and Macaque were already created as monkeys and were able control their powers. 

The Pass through Arm Ape Monkey might have known of MK’s existence through the battle against Azure Lion in the Season 4 special, “Emperor’s Wrath”, as the sky and the whole world was breaking apart, and since the Pass through Arm Ape Monkey can manipulate the moon and stars.

It could be the reason why the Red Butt Horse Monkey told Nuwa and the Kings of Hell about MK’s powers.  

I don’t have anything else to say about this theory/prediction. However, if the series doesn’t show them, there HAS to be some influence, Easter eggs, etc. connecting to these mystic monkeys.

𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗡 𝗕𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

Aside from Sun Wukong and Macaque having their pasts explored, the series does have the Demon Bull King appearance in these flashbacks since he was once a member of the Brotherhood, first revealed in Season 4, Episode 2, “New Adventures”, as everyone is discussing who will be the next Jade Emperor after overthrowing the current one.

From this single flashback alone, DBK was shown to be a good guy, fighting alongside his sworn brothers for they thought was right, and it does beg the question: What made him change his morality from good to bad?

In the pilot, Season 1, “A Hero is Born”, he is first introduced as the main antagonist whose goal is to conquer the world, and suddenly Sun Wukong traps him under a mountain despite DBK being his sworn brother. This minor detail is very unusual considering that in Season 3, Episode 10 “The Samadhi Fire”, showcases Sun Wukong, Demon Bull King and Ne Zha helping to separate the Samadhi Fire from Redson as a child.

Judging from this scene, the event must have taken place post to the Journey to the West, as the Monkey King isn’t wearing the circlet, as most of the flashbacks which are taking place in the Journey to the West shows him wearing the circlet given from Tang Sanzang. The pilot does show Sun Wukong wearing the same suit of armour as in Season 3, Episode 10 “The Samadhi Fire”, and it's strange how the Monkey King went from helping the Demon Bull King to fighting him. 

Either something happened between the events of removing of the Samadhi Fire and the events occurred in the pilot, or off-screen there was some conflict between the two, but set a temporary truce to help Redson with the Samadhi Fire.

The most assumed event that could pinpoint the morality change of the Demon Bull King would be when he and Princess Iron Fan met during the battle against Heaven. However, I highly doubt that. Since this event took place before the birth of Redson, and if Demon Bull King and Sun Wukong didn’t have conflict during this time period, then this accusation would be inaccurate. 

This wasn’t a theory or a prediction, however, I REALLY do feel like talking about this since it’s been bugging me for quite some time. I hope that Season 5 will be able to resolve this plot hole and perhaps it might correlate with the main plot of the next.

While I do hope, I also doubt it since the Demon Bull Family has not had much screen time in recent seasons. But simultaneously, I bet there will be a chance since the new 5th Anniversary LEGO set does display Redson working at the BBQ restaurant in Megapolis, so maybe a slim chance. 

I was going to talk about Peng and Erlang working together in Season 5, considering the current conflict with the Monkie Gang and Peng, and due to the fact that Erlang is a cousin? Brother? Or a family member of the Jade Emperor according to the Journey to the West novel, and wanted to avenge his death.

(Probably ignore this one, this was a last minute theory)

But I didn’t know what else to talk about and it does seem like the two will be working on their own.  

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the theories that I have come up with. I haven’t gotten the chance to re-watch all of the episodes of LEGO Monkie Kid, so I mostly relied on my memory. Leave some comments about your thoughts and theories of the series or what will happen in Season 5.    

[saklasnabal]

Yapping about Samarie being the Uterus Doll

Samarie in her moonscorched form inflicts Teratophobia.

The 2nd meaning of Teratophobia is not elaborated in the game, in the Book of Fears, Teratophobia is only elaborated as:

Teratophobia - Fear of monsters and malformations.

When the “malformations” have a specific meaning to it:

In the design of Samarie’s moonscorched form, "Dysmorphia," she shares the exact similarities with the Uterus doll. Both are missing their left eye, have a right hand with four fingers, their left hand lacking any special details, the right leg is marked dominant over the left, lastly, both are pregnant. This connection of them being pregnant is tied to the phobia they evoke, Teratophobia, “the fear of birthing a malformed child”, this phobia perfectly characterizes the Uterus dolls, as they give birth to malformed children, thus it was obviously chosen as a fear they fittingly inflict, but the game chooses to never fully state what Teratophobia means. So I think the game is intentionally hiding information about Samarie, but paradoxically in a way gives the biggest hint to Samarie’s identity by hiding the information. 

As Samarie is the only one who shares similarities with Valteil’s Uterus doll, means that she may be its fully developed version. Since Valteil is just a reference for Valtiel in Silent Hill 3, who appears with a yellow head, and appears altogether capable of resurrecting the dead, this reference explains why the Uteruses have embryos assembled in their bodies for the purpose of rebirth, so Samarie's not a doppelganger in Marina’s ending B, but completely alive. This also clarifies why Samarie said her body quickly deteriorates:

Valteil creates the Uteruses, mechanical lifeforms resembling pregnant women, for his personal pleasure. However, Valteil disliked the idea of his creations outliving him and decided to create beings out of living flesh with a limited lifespan. 

The Uterus doll appears meticulously crafted due to the specific features that match only Samarie’s moonscorched form, "Dysmorphia": having only a right eye, a right hand with four fingers, a dominant right leg over the left, an embryo (the reason for Dysmorphia's large belly) with the Uterus's design, and lastly, the fully developed Uterus doll version has a "Radiant soul." The Uterus dolls initially had no soul, perhaps to allow the vessel to specifically occupy a "Radiant soul". Thus, the doll could have been a replica of a deceased woman; given that the Samarie we see in Termina is the fully developed version of the Uterus doll, the real Samarie is the dead woman whom the Uterus doll is modeled after. I believe the actual reason the Uterus dolls have a limited lifespan is to speed up the process of rebirthing themselves into their current state by aging them faster. As mentioned, Samarie is a fully developed Uterus doll kept away in the ninth circle, alongside confined children, meaning, Valtiel may have used naturally gifted children to create the Uterus dolls, hence Nash’rah calling him a pedophile. 

Samarie’s right hand as “Dysmorphia” has four fingers with an Eye of Ra on the palm, which I believe connects to the four figures in Reila’s fingers, with one of them, at the middle finger, having a similar sun halo like “Dysmorphia”:

Samarie’s name appears to be a stand-in for Magdalene, as both names are derived from cities—Magdala and Samaria, respectively. Magdala, meaning "tower", aligns with Samaria, meaning "watchtower". Additionally, this parallels Alessa Gillespie’s first name; Alessa is a shortened version of Alessandra, which originates from the Greek name Alexandra, meaning "defender". This mirrors the meaning of Samarie’s name, "watchtower”.

Adding to Valteil's reference to Valtiel, Valtiel is attempting to reborn God:

“Presented in Silent Hill 3, these myths help establish backstory for God. They can also be heard in "Sun", track 22 from the game's soundtrack. God is the mysterious entity worshipped among many members of the Order”

In the beginning, people had nothing

Their bodies ached, and their hearts held nothing but hatred

They fought endlessly, but death never came

They despaired, stuck in the eternal quagmire

A man offered a serpent to the sun and prayed for salvation

A woman offered a reed to the sun and asked for joy

Feeling pity for the sadness that had overrun the earth, 

God was born from those two people

God made time and divided it into day and night

God outlined the road to salvation and gave people joy

And God took endless time away from the people

God created beings to lead people in obedience to Her

The red God, Xuchilbara

The yellow God, Lobsel Vith

Many Gods and Angels

Finally, God set out to create Paradise, where people 

would be happy just by being there

But there, God's strength ran out, and She collapsed

All the world's people grieved this unfortunate event

Yet God breathed Her last

She returned to the dust, promising to come again

So God hasn't been lost

We must offer our prayers and not forget our faith

We wait in hope for the day

When the path to Paradise will be opened

I think "Sun", track 22 from Silent hill’s soundtrack may be the reason why Samarie has a Sun Halo in her moonscorched form, because it’s probably a reference to the “Halo of the Sun” in Silent Hill:

This symbol has been borrowed by Silent Hill's cult from Indian traditions where the red circle represented the light of their main deity - the god of the Sun. With time it was established as a symbol of the religious organization - the Order, though it had numerous changes and significant additions. The Halo of the Sun carries deep meaning as it reflects ideas of resurrection, the God and the inner world. The symbol is usually drawn in red. Occasionally drawn in black or other colors, but blue reverses the meaning into a curse on God and is therefore forbidden.

Samarie has the 'Masturbation' skill. On a surface level, the obvious reason for her having this skill is that she is a fully developed Uterus doll. However, we can delve deeper into the sun symbolism associated with her. Samarie is prominently symbolized on the right side, and in her moonscorched form, her right hand features an eye. This eye could be linked to the Eye of Ra and might reference the Hand of Atum. According to mythology, creation began when Atum masturbated or copulated with himself to produce Shu and Tefnut. The hand he used in this act was personified as the goddess Iusaaset, which may explain why Samarie has the masturbation skill. If Samarie is the figure with the sun halo in Reila's right hand, then the label "Creato" on Reila's right palm could reference Samarie's connection to Atum/Ra's creation mythology. Reila's left hand, labeled "Interitus," meaning destruction, could further extend this mythological reference. Sekhmet, the destructive aspect of the Sun god, was sent to punish humanity for their disobedience and only stopped committing genocide after becoming blackout drunk. Ra, the sun god, is also associated with rebirth, as he was believed to die at the end of each day and sail through the underworld to be reborn. In Silent Hill, Alessa is connected to Samael, a sun deity. In Fear and Hunger, the equivalent of Samael might be Grogoroth, because Samael is also known as "The Blind God" and Grogoroth is the only blindfolded god in Fear and Hunger. This connection suggests that Samarie and Alessa share a similar role as the “Mother of God” in the mythos of both universes.

Let's look at the old design of the Uterus doll:

Another interesting thing in this old design, is that the Uterus doll only has her left rib, this could be a reference to “The Lady of the Rib”:

Her name is reinterpreted first as a pun on nin-ti, "lady rib," and then nin-iti, "lady of the month," which according to Dina Katz reflects the fact that the compilers of the text selected her entirely based on her name's potential for wordplay and were "not interested in her religious background.”

Ninti's name can be translated as "mistress who keeps alive" or "mistress (of) life."[1] A variant form of her name might be Nintiḫal, "mistress who allocates life." [2] However, Jeremiah Peterson notes that due to the existence of the divergent variant spelling Kurratiḫal it is not certain how the cuneiform sign NIN should be read in this case.[3] 

Since the Samarie we see in Termina isn't Samarie, but rather a child forced to become her, I guess that it’s actually Willem behind the identity of the Samarie in Termina:

Samarie’s human battle sprite, is the only one to share similarities to the fairy tale drawing of Willem meeting Pocketcat at Funger 1. They both have the same specific positions for the right hand being pulled back, the left hand forward, the left leg at the back of the right leg, the right leg forward, they both have the same thin ribbon on their sharp collar as well, and how the right ear is shown rather than left ear for both of them. If this is the case, then there we go, Samarie’s backstory is told since Funger 1 as a fairy tale.

Continuing, observing The Butterfly's behaviour in Fear and Hunger 1, I find it similar to Samarie’s behavior in Termina, due to these lines:

1."J-just wait and see!"

2."I will become a beautiful butterfly!"

3."T-the kind that soars the flower fields in caressing sun light."

4."I will get to see sun!"

5."Y-you do not understand me!No one ever understands me!”

Comparing it to  Samarie lines:

1."I'm no one... Just a lonely caterpillar waiting to shed her skin..."

2.“Like a moth! I'm finally close to bloom!

3. “A hairy moth in the night!” 

4.“You're just one of them! That's what they all say! All but her.”

5.“Marina! W-why would you say that!? You must understand me! YOU MUST!”

Samarie on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line speaks as if she's undergoing metamorphosis, as if her skin is hardening into a chrysalis like The Butterfly.

But in the second line, she mentions that she’s like a moth, and moths, unlike butterflies use cocoons to transform: 

Chrysalis:

The exterior surface of the pupa stiffens into an outer protective covering. This usually takes shape and colour, which helps camouflage into its surroundings.

Cocoon:

In order to protect itself at the final transformative stage in the absence of a hard outer shell, moth caterpillars tend to twine cocoons of silk around themselves. This is before it reaches the final molt stage. The silk stiffens into a protective case, which allows the pupa to undergo metamorphosis without any such hurdle.

Samarie's dialogue in the two lines I presented reflects the speech pattern of someone who inside a cocoon, and the presence of inhabitants known as "half-cocooned" implies that the rest of the residents in Prehevil suffer from metamorphosis, further evidence is the lines of a few moonscorched individuals indicating it crawled within their skin, burrowing deeper, connecting to Samarie's speech pattern of speaking in the position of being within the cocoon. To put it simply, both Samarie and the inhabitants behave in the manner of someone who is cocooned. Notably, Marina is the sole individual designated as "Cocoon" which I believe is the answer to this phenomenon:

If you take a gander at Rher’s theme, the truth about the Moonlight:

Who of us doesn't cover their true face and hide behind a persona? In the broad daylight we adopt a social role depending on the surrounding people. We put on a mask that works as the public image of our true personality. Do we hide our face to avoid the judgement of the people, or do we look down in shame as the sun watches our every move? A sun that knows our deepest longings and lustful thoughts.

Only in the darkness of the night does the true and vile nature of men get revealed. We share our decrepit bodies only to the select few under the moonlight. Despite what lowly thieves, covering in the shadows, would like you to think, the moonlight hides no one.

The moonlight’s theme is the idea of unmasking and revealing inner truths, in an unsettling transformative way:

 "Abraxas is the god who is both good and evil, light and darkness, life and death. He is the god of the fullness of life, and he is the god of transformation. Yaldabaoth is the same god, but he is also the god of the unconscious mind. He is the god of our shadow selves, and he is the god of our fears and our desires.”

The theme of the Termina festival delves into the unconscious mind, highlighting the concept of transformation symbolized by Abraxas. This theme of metamorphosis, called as moonscorch, is prominently portrayed in Fear and Hunger 2, evident in the inhabitants who often express feelings of their skin being worn, with sensations of crawling and burrowing, which is why you have malformed individuals referred to as "half-cocoons", this symbolism suggests that Abraxas/Grogoroth uses human skins as a cocoon for transformation. In Fear and Hunger 1, The Girl's literal pupation during battle exemplifies the metamorphosis and skin-wearing concept central to Fear and Hunger Termina. Additionally, Abraxas/Yaldabaoth is the god of Fear and “Desires”, basically Fear and “Hunger”. Therefore, it is not The Girl but rather Grogoroth who is the true god of Fear and Hunger just in a different form.

Another indication that Grogoroth is Rher is just by analyzing Pocketcat, Pocketcat possesses hopeless individuals living in the dark, indicating that he serves The Child of the Dark, Yaldabaoth. He is a mask, akin to wearing the skin and body of others and adopting it as a mask, this ability is exclusive only to Grogoroth. Therefore, Grogoroth is the creator of Pocketcat, signifying that Grogoroth is Yaldabaoth, and Rher is merely a shedded skin of his, leaving behind a husk. Another clue supporting the notion that Pocketcat is Grogoroth's servant is evident in his request for sacrifices, particularly in Termina, where he seeks to obtain the heads of contestants, and Grogoroth is The God of Human Sacrifices. Additional evidence supporting Grogoroth as the creator of Pocketcat lies in their similar smiling demeanor, both grinning like an absolute ass.

An exemplary demonstration of The Girl being “a Cocoon”, is The Girl unraveling herself in a metamorphosis during her battle, embodying The Ancient Soul linked to a specific Old god, namely The God of The Depths, due to her venturing into the deep to rebirth the old god anew. If this is truly the case, this can explain 2 things:

1.If Marina’s body is worn by Grogoroth, then I believe it's a key piece to Pocketcat’s identity, due to Marina's Changeling soul, since I think Pocketcat is fae-like. Faeries are often called "fair folk," a nickname that reflects both their typically pale appearance and their obsession with truth, lies, bargains, and payments. Pocketcat exemplifies this by demanding unusual transactions in his deals, such as children and decapitated heads, in exchange for goods, and he speaks in a vague manner. Also, A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures, Pocketcat is a magical furry. 

According to legends about changelings, abducted human children are either given to the devil or used to strengthen fairy stock. This aligns with Pocketcat hunting children for Rher. A changeling steals the identities of others; it's essentially just Grogoroth's wearing humans as a meatsuit ability, which is reflected in Pocketcat being a mask. I think Pocketcat is the embodiment of the Changeling character trait of Rher, meaning the Changeling soul is aligned with Rher as it reflects his nature, considering that faes are tricksters, and Rher is referred to as a "trickster god." Rher embodying the Changeling soul also explains why there are doppelgangers in Termina that appear malformed, as changelings are doppelgangers but deformed. Adding to this, maybe Pocketcat's subtle association with being like a fae is hinted at by the "Pocketcat Tales", which is a “fairy” tale, and Willem, from the second "Pocketcat Tales" book in Termina, seems like a story where faes take children away to their realm for whatever agenda they might have with the child.

2. Continuing with the “What if Marina is a skin worn by Grogoroth”:

The hint of Grogoroth wearing her skin was there since the start. I mean, pay attention to the wording:

“All the new student would have to choose an older god that they'd let inside them.”

The initiation ceremony doesn't say you get to choose which older god to serve, but which older god would be allowed passage into the body. 

That entire line of “All the new student would have to choose an older god that they'd let inside them” just screams:

"To relieve the feeling of fear, Gro-Goroth wears the bodies and skin of men and women alike. He might still be walking among us, masked under the skin of people and hanging bodies, blessing us with his blood magic.”

In simple words, Grogoroth is an old god that gets inside people's bodies and possesses them.

The older gods mentioned in Marina’s character history are Grogoroth, Sylvian, Vinushka, Rher, All-Mer, and The God of Fear and Hunger, if they all enter a human body for vessels, then essentially, they all are Grogoroth, as he is the only one who disguises himself within human skin. 

Looking at Marina’s moonscorched form again:

“Ghaaaah... Ghaaah...” The host body is breathing heavily.

She’s referred to as a host. Also, If you look at the wording of Marina’s moonscorched form it’s called cocoon, not like the inhabitants who are referred to as half-cocooned. The term "half-cocooned" used for the inhabitants suggests they are not suitable encasements for a larva, resulting in them being incomplete. In contrast, Marina is called a cocoon, making her a perfectly compatible casing for a caterpillar, like a moth, finally close to bloom. Marina also has Teratophobia, as I have stated Teratophobia is a double meaning fear, the first one would be, the fear of monsters, and the second one is, the fear of birthing a deformed child, and Marina’s moonscorched form is called “Cocoon” and she has the Changeling soul, changelings are deformed children of faes, so it’s the latter part again. If her moonscorched form is labeled as "Cocoon," it literally represents a fuzzy wuzzy moth of doom that's gonna hatch:

Since I referred to Grogoroth as Abraxas, I believe that in Marina's moonscorched form, when she mentions her father wanting your death:

G-ghaah… W-why…? He tells… Y-you must die…” “H-him… H-he wants you… dead…”

“Are you talking about that 'thing' on your back?” “F-father… Please… …Please…..”

I think she is referring to "Abraxas the Unbegotten Father'' as he is possessing her body. To me, these lines seem like Marina is taking the backseat, and Grogoroth is completely controlling her body as his own. So, I think the only time Marina ever speaks is in her moonscorched form, while the rest of the time it is just Grogoroth purely acting as her.

Or due to Marina's human battle sprite being based on a Deviantart fanart of Claudia Wolf, the lines that Marina utters in her moonscorched form, “F-father… Please… …Please…..” may imply that both Marina and Claudia share the same kind of fathers, a physically and mentally abusive religious fanatic, so in that line she might be begging him to quit beating her up:

At Jacks Inn, Claudia and Vincent have a conversation. Claudia is angered that her father was killed by Heather, despite Claudia's hatred of Leonard. Claudia tells Vincent that he has no place in Paradise because she believes he is mocking God. In response, Vincent brings up Leonard Wolf's abusiveness to Claudia and claims that her will to create Paradise is due to a lack of love in her life.

Claudia had an unfortunate, horrible, and extremely abusive childhood. While her mother is not mentioned, her father Leonard is revealed to have raised Claudia as a strong believer in the cult's faith and inflicted physical punishment and emotional abuse for any irreligious behavior he caught her doing. This involved screaming, hitting, beating, and kicking her on the floor until she would cry from the pain and accept his god and the Order as her faith. This, in turn, resulted in Claudia bearing a strong hatred for her father. In addition, Vincent claims Claudia was "totally brainwashed" by Dahlia as a child, and because of this, some of Dahlia's traits may have been passed down to Claudia.

Marina's moonscorched form is based on “Anima” from Final Fantasy X. It is said that “Anima” was inspired by Anima Sola, which means “lonely soul” and depicts a woman suffering in purgatory, bound in chains. Once the chains are broken, she is destined for heaven. Perhaps, like Claudia Wolf, Marina is a lonely woman suffering faithfully for God’s return. Thus, we can also interpret Marina's moonscorched form as a desire to bring about the rebirth of God, similar to Claudia, because a Cocoon again, is a protective covering that nurtures the growth of the caterpillar. Additionally, Marina's Changeling soul could be seen as a parallel to Claudia's name, Claudia meaning “lame” or “limping”, and Changeling myths are just histories about disabled children treated less human, so they’re both symbolized as disabled.

Marina's daddy issues lore is just Claudia Wolf’s daddy issues, where she utterly hates her father but mourns his death. Due to the reference, Marina’s father is just like Leonard Wolf, a man who physically and mentally abused his daughter due to perceiving her lacking devotion to God, yet still somehow cared for her. Also maybe part of Marina’s personality:

Marina is a curious young woman who speaks very informally. She often speaks her mind about any given situation.

Is inspired by Claudia’s: 

If Claudia disagrees with something, she does not hesitate to speak her mind, and Claudia has a very strong will. She does not want to be a "mere bystander in this world" 

Not only that though, her personality is also inspired from Heather Mason, because Marina yelled “a Heather Mason line but change the words” when Samarie killed her father:

“Listen, suffering is a fact of life. Either you learn how to deal with that or you go under. You can stay in your own little dream world, but you can't keep hurting other people! Besides, I'll never forgive you for hurting my father!” 

—Heather to Claudia Wolf

Heather is a seemingly normal and carefree girl who loves shopping, though she has a few rough edges and tends to be blunt when talking to others. Heather has a sharp tongue and can be very snarky, sarcastic, and humorous such as her "joke" to Douglas Cartland in the "Normal" ending.

Samarie is a fully developed Uterus doll, created as a replica of someone who died aeons ago, and she is deeply connected to Grogoroth. This connection is suggested by the way Samarie speaks, as if she is within a cocoon, reflecting Grogoroth’s practice of using humans as "meat suits" to serve as cocoons for him. Since Grogoroth is likely Yaldabaoth, "the god of our shadow selves, our deepest fears and desires", Samarie's feelings toward Marina may be influenced by Marina's own fears and desires, as Grogoroth could be using Marina’s body as a cocoon. Samarie's brutal killing of Father Domek, merging him into the church walls, mirrors Marina's deep feelings toward him, a man obsessed with religion, symbolizes the abuse Marina suffered for years at the hands of her father due to his religious fervor, Marina likely harbors a fear and desire for retribution.

Samarie's delusional rant:

“Kaka! W-what do you mean? Why are you playing this role? Can't you see!? Look at the darkness! Look at the darkness that hangs above! It’s a world created just for us! This world won't judge us! We can be one! Y-you just have to see what it has to offer! We can craft our own world. It can be just how you like! We can't waste this opportunity!”

Could be Samarie channeling Marina's own internal conflict—her fear and desire for a paradise. Like Claudia Wolf from Silent Hill, Marina likely fears the idea of being "a mere bystander in this world." Claudia believed that true humanity comes from understanding suffering, and she believes that to reach Paradise, people had to share in suffering, which would ultimately bring them together. Marina may fear a world remade into a “paradise”, but deep down, she desires to change the course of the world.

In Samarie’s speech, the line, "It’s a world created just for us! This world won't judge us! We can be one!" might indicate that Marina, like Claudia, seeks paradise due to loneliness, so Samarie’s obsessive behavior toward Marina could be a reflection of Marina's intense fear of isolation and her desire to be loved.

If Samarie is indeed like a manifestation of Marina's inner fears and hunger, this would echo Silent Hill 2’s Maria, who was created from James’ psyche in response to his subconscious. Just as Silent Hill mirrors the mind’s subconscious, Prehevil seems to do the same. The parallels between Maria and Samarie also extend to their associations with Magdalene. For Samarie, both "Magdala" and "Samaria" mean "tower" or "watchtower," and are names of cities in Israel. When Maria dies in Brookhaven Hospital, the song “Magdalene” plays, signifying her connection to Mary Magdalene, who was the first to witness Jesus' resurrection tying into Maria's own "resurrection" which parallels Samarie’s association with rebirth.

Both characters also share insect symbolism. Maria has a butterfly tattoo on her abdomen, symbolizing rebirth, much like how a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. During the final boss fight, Mary/Maria attacks with a swarm of black moths, which are sometimes seen as symbols of death. Meanwhile, Samarie delivers lines connecting herself to moths:

"I'm no one... Just a lonely caterpillar waiting to shed her skin..."

“Like a moth! I'm finally close to bloom!" 

“A hairy moth in the night!”

Adding to this, in Silent Hill 3, Heather Mason encounters Alessa's butterfly and moth collection in her room at the chapel. One display case has broken glass, with a butterfly or moth missing, possibly referencing the Floatstinger, a creature symbolizing transformation. The moth drawing on the graffitied walls of the Nowhere room, where a young Alessa is found crying, further symbolizes this theme. The Floatstinger may represent the idea of transformation, much like how part of Alessa's soul became Cheryl Mason, or how the town transitions between the Otherworld and Fog World.

Anyways, The ancient gods Sylvian, Rher, the God of the Depths, and All-Mer have left skin of themselves behind. With a recurring theme of shedding skin associated with metamorphic ascension in this game, Grogoroth stands out as the sole practitioner. Based on how The Girl underwent a metamorphosis during the battle, it seems that to manifest the identity and form of an archon, a human is necessary to act as a cocoon. Therefore, the gods I mentioned earlier are essentially Grogoroth's cast-off skins, derived from humans, enabling him to alter his form. They never perished; they're essentially one entity, masking as a human.

Adding to Rher, Since I pointed out that Grogoroth is Samael “The Blind God” from the image above, Samael is a Fallen Angel of Death, and as I have stated that Grogoroth is Rher, that could be the reason why Rher transforms into an Ophanim in his battle because he’s a fallen angel “They are dubbed as “many eyed ones”, “The thrones”: known as 'ophanim' (offanim) and 'galgallin', are creatures that function as the actual chariots of God driven by the cherubs”. Since Grogoroth is Rher, this could explain the statement "he is a curious kind, more so than many of the other older gods." This is because curiosity involves a keen interest in the surrounding world, meaning he obsessively desires to pry right through everything, hence Rher having the ability of Mind Read, especially Ophanims are angels of knowledge. Grogoroth being a Fallen Ophanim explains why he has so many eyes in his battle sprite.

I think the idea of Vinushka is to be "Yahweh," who was called the god of storms, since Vinushka’s symbol looks like a tropical storm. Yahweh is believed to have evolved into Jesus Christ, who is referred to as All-Mer in this game. The Sulfur God represents the concept of Yahweh being evil:

From at least 200 BCE onwards a tradition developed in the Graeco-Egyptian Ptolemaic Kingdom which identified Yahweh, the god of the Jews, with the Egyptian god Seth.[17] Following the Assyrian conquest of Egypt in the 7th century BCE, Seth was seen as an evil deity by the Egyptians and not commonly worshipped, in large part due to his role as the god of foreigners.[18] Seth's appearance was thought of as resembling a man with a donkey's head.[19] The Greek practice of interpretatio graeca, ascribing the gods of another people's pantheon to corresponding ones in one's own, had been adopted by the Egyptians after their Hellenisation; during the process of which they had identified Seth with Typhon, a snake-monster, which roars like a lion.[20]

Other than that the indication of Sulfur God being All-Mer was just an entire Ghost reference to their Year Zero song:

Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub

Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer

Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub

Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer

Since dawn of time the fate of man is that of lice

Equal as parasites and moving without eyes

A day of reckoning when penance is to burn

Count down together now and say the words that you learn

Hell Satan, Archangelo

Hell Satan, welcome year zero

Hell Satan, Archangelo

Hell Satan, welcome year zero

Belial, Behemoth, Beelzebub

Asmodeus, Satanas, Lucifer

Crestfallen kings and queens comforting in their faith

Unbeknownst to them is the presence of the wraith

Since fate of man is equal to the fate of lice

As new dawn rises you shalt recognize

Now behold the Lord

Hell Satan, Archangelo

Hell Satan, welcome year zero

Hell Satan

He will tremble the nations

Kingdoms to fall one by one

Victim to fall for temptations

A daughter to fall for a son

The ancient serpent deceiver

To masses standing in awe

(To masses standing in awe)

He will ascend to the heavens

Above the stars of God

Hell Satan, Archangelo

Hell Satan, welcome year zero

Hell Satan, Archangelo

Hell Satan, welcome year zero

Hell Satan, Archangelo

Hell Satan, welcome year zero

Hell Satan

Samarie is kept in the ninth circle, and I think Grogoroth's appearance was inspired by Dante’s Inferno description of Satan at the ninth circle:

Since Sulfur God is equivalent to Satan in Fear and Hunger, this is another indication that Grogoroth was just Sulfur God. I mean it's called the ninth circle, that’s basically where Satan is.

Perhaps, the God of the Depths is a reference to The masculine aspect of God is Depth, also called Ineffable and First Father. Depth is the profoundly incomprehensible, all-encompassing aspect of the deity. He is essentially passive, yet when moved to action by his feminine Thought, he gives the universe form. Meanwhile, The Girl is The feminine aspect of the deity is called Silence, Grace and Thought. Silence is God's primordial state of tranquillity and self-awareness She is also the active creative Thought that makes all subsequent states of being (or "Aeons") substantial.

The giant statue of All-Mer in Prehevil facial features resembles the statue of Priapus in Pompeii, the god of the phallus, who is said to be worshipped alongside swarms of bees; this could explain the existence of The Beekeeper Dude. Additionally, his hair looks like Abraxas's hair in a human-like form. Due to the connection of a fertility god and being Abraxas, I believe the real identity of this All-Mer is another one of Abraxas’s identities, namely Saklas, the archon of fornication, whom I believe is Sylvian. In addition, I compared Baphomet to Sylvian in the image above, because Sylvian embodies the aspect of being both male and female, which symbolically represents the equilibrium of opposites, which is similar to the concept of “God” in Silent Hill. In Silent Hill, "God" is named Samael but is often referred to as "Her”, it rings a similar vein when Pocketcat asks you who “She” is:

“Say old sport... the one who dreams all this... The dreamer buried deep underground. Which type do you think she is?”

Again, Samael is Grogoroth in Fear and Hunger, because Samael is called “The Blind God,” and Grogoroth is the only god who wears a blindfold. Silent Hill’s Samael is symbolised as Baphomet, both male and female, embodying duality, which Grogoroth also represents, symbolized by a hermaphrodite hanging on his body. When you answer Pocketcat's question about what type “She” is as the extroverted type, he thinks the sentiment applies as well, since I referred to Grogoroth as Abraxas, the god of the fullness and transformation of life, which matches Pocketcat’s description of extroverted artists:

“Artists fall into two categories. There are the ones who see something taking place in the world. Maybe it's wrongdoings of their fellow pedestrians, maybe its abuse of power by those sitting on top of the pyramid scheme... Whatever it is, it feeds their inspiration and creativity and they desperately want put their own spin on it. It must be very spontaneous I imagine. Painting a picture in an inspired frenzy or composing a piece of music that beats in sync with the world. I call these people extroverted artists.”

On the other hand, Abraxas is also Yaldabaoth, the god of the unconscious mind, the shadow of ourselves, the embodiment of one’s fear and hunger, which explains why Pocketcat also agrees that “She” is an introverted type:

“Then there are the other half of poor sods. The ones who dwell in their own thoughts and insight. They want to paint a picture of their inner world. Maybe in hopes that someone else would understand them a little better... Or maybe to connect with the few like minded individuals? Maybe these artists would want to depict the picture of times as well? But only if the event taking place would strike a chord with the monolouge they are having with the world. I call these people introverted artists.”

Additionally, Grogoroth, much like a caterpillar uses a cocoon to transform into a moth, utilizes human experiences, emotions, and perceptions to undergo metamorphosis:

“Now that I think about it... There might be a third kind as well. My favourite kind actually. Authors who don't even have a clear picture in mind when they start their creative process. They let the story right itself, let the brush strokes dictate the direction of the story instead of trying to force their own will on it. Such chaotic process can lead to unexplored directions. Inspiration can be a creative process, don't you think?”

Grogoroth inhabits the bodies and skins of men and women alike to change form, as humans serve as the medium through which God changes. Therefore being the third type.

Since everything written about here is about trying to learn what Samarie is, it’s made to answer two main questions:

Why is Samarie alive in Marina Ending B? She’s a fully developed Uterus doll kept at the ninth circle. Naturally gifted children were used to create them.

Why is Samarie really connected to Marina? Grogoroth, using Marina as a cocoon, exerts a profound influence on Samarie, who is deeply connected to him. This connection is evident in Samarie’s speech, as if she’s within a cocoon. As Grogoroth is Yaldabaoth, the god of the unconscious mind, this resulted to Samarie absorbing Marina’s fears and desires, which have twisted her into a disturbing stalker.

The rest is mostly yapping to support the main yap of the focus, Samarie.

We can disregard the rest of the parts but let Samarie being a Uterus doll and Marina being like Claudia Wolf remain. Surprisingly, Marina is the one who is alike to Claudia Wolf, despite being portrayed with a personality similar to Heather Mason. Being based on Claudia Wolf explains her actual relationship with her father, because Marina’s daddy issues was just taken from Claudia’s entire daddy issues lore. My speculation is since she's based on Claudia Wolf, her moonscorched form as a "Cocoon" reflects her desire to rebirth "God" herself, just like Claudia, and her Changeling soul shares symbolism being disabled with Claudia's name meaning “crippled”.

Meanwhile Samarie has been portrayed as Stanley Coleman, a guy who stalked Heather Mason:

I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond to your love.

It's all over.

  Leonard despises me — because I made fun of it, saying it would come to this.

If it weren't for his meddling, I would have been able to meet you in just a little while.

  Then I could have taken you to my world.

A world for us alone, more beautiful than this one.

And I had been waiting for this day, for today. The day I'd see you, the day you'd save me.

  Today.

Heather, watch out for him.

  Leonard is no ordinary guy.

Farewell. I loved you.

Heather, my goddess.

  Heather, my lover.

  Heather, my

Along with the mixture of being Claudia Wolf, due to this line:

"When did you stop believing in God? God lives! Just look around you!”

Combining the 2 lines would make this line Samarie says:

“Kaka! W-what do you mean? Why are you playing this role? Can't you see!? Look at the darkness! Look at the darkness that hangs above! It’s a world created just for us! This world won't judge us! We can be one! Y-you just have to see what it has to offer! We can craft our own world. It can be just how you like! We can't waste this opportunity!”

Adding to Samarie being potrayed to be like Claudia as well, is how Claudia’s appearance is similar to Samarie:

Like, Samarie looks like a Goth version of Claudia Wolf, with black hair that has front bangs and black eyes:

But despite all that, this isn’t who Samarie truly is. As mentioned, Samarie in her moonscorched form, "Dysmorphia," inflicts teratophobia, the meaning of teratophobia is only half-revealed, making it deceptive. And her appearance as "Dysmorphia" closely resembles the Uterus Doll, implying her as the fully developed version of it. And she has a lot of symbolism tying her similarities to Alessa as “Mother of God”. 

Then there’s that way she speaks again:

"I'm no one... Just a lonely caterpillar waiting to shed her skin..."

“Like a moth! I'm finally close to bloom!

 “A hairy moth in the night!”

Moths, unlike butterflies, use cocoons—an outer protective covering to nurture their growth. Marina’s moonscorched form is called "Cocoon," which suggests that Samarie isn’t only like Alessa; she also shares similarities with Maria, because she speaks as if she’s within the cocoon, and her symbolism parallels Maria’s as well.

Anyways, I switched  Claudia and Alessa’s outfits to Marina and Samarie’s, because it fits in some way:

[xf-cases-solved]

S2E9: Firewalker

Case: After eight long episodes, Mulder and Scully are finally back where they belong—together as partners on the X-Files. Safe in the knowledge that they definitely, for sure, will certainly never have to face losing the X-Files or each other ever again, the two of them take on their first new case. Dr. Pierce has arrived at our beloved basement office with an ominous home movie of his dead coworker and an unexplainable shadow moving inside a volcano, where a team of scientists are doing volcano experiments in what Wikipedia tells me is Oregon, or maybe Washington (unclear). Pierce explains that he used to do volcano experiments too, but he left after he got into it with his project partner/Mozart to his Salieri, Daniel Trepkos, who had been, evidently, "slipping into madness." 

Mulder—a man with a deep appreciation for visual aids—agrees to investigate the mysterious murder volcano. Despite Mulder's concern that she should maybe take more time to heal up after the whole "kidnapped from her home, shoved into the trunk of a car, abducted by ???, had ??? done to her body, and returned under mysterious circumstances on the brink of death and several months of her life missing" thing, Scully insists that she has lost enough time already, and is ready to get back to work, because the alternative would be processing her trauma, and that is just not something these characters know how to do.

So our heroes make their way to the research site, and when they suddenly don their Adventuring Gear™️, it soon becomes clear that we have been thrust inside a "we dug too deep and unleashed something deadly" episode, after we learn that the research team dug too deep and unleashed something deadly. While the episode itself is not as cool as "Ice" or "Darkness Falls," the "Alien"-esque way the overgrown spores burst out of peoples' throats is fairly delightful, and so although I often forget this episode even exists, it does get points for that. 

Trepkos has either made a terrifying discovery down in the volcano that is a threat to all humankind, or he hasn't taken his lithium—one of the two; The X-Files fulfills its duty as a science fiction show by discussing the possibility of a silicon-based lifeform (I'm partial to Star Trek TOS's "The Horta" myself); I am aware that it's bc everyone is full of evil spore parasites, but the vibes on the research base are Rancid, and I dislike every NPC we're introduced to, with the exception of maybe Dr. Pierce, but he and his beautiful mustache unfortunately get murdered, which, given the other deaths in this episode, is actually not the worst way to go; Scully, who has repressed all her emotions and is ready to take life by the horns now that she's not on her deathbed, is almost once again on her deathbed when one of the NPCs purposefully tries to infect her with the exploding neck spores, meanwhile Mulder is trying to get information from Trepkos, who looks like a hotdog you dropped into a firepit and won't stop talking like the know-it-all white boy in your philosophy 101 class; and Mr. and Mrs. Spooky take a his & hers quarantine for A MONTH, because time in this show makes less sense than the episodes themselves.

Does someone die in the cold open: I believe they are already dead.

Does Mulder present a slideshow: No, but we still got visual aids.

Does the evidence survive the investigation: Nope! Mulder says at the end that his report is the literal only record of what happened, lmfao.

Whodunit: Silicon fungus spores? I think?

Convictions: Trepkos should have been arrested for murder, but since everyone else already exploded, Mulder let him go tell lava rocks about the parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant or whatever until he beefs it. 

Did they solve it: I'm torn between "yes" and "yes, but." If I use "Ice" rules, like I did for "Darkness Falls," then technically I should give it to them, but also in those episodes there were other surviving witnesses, and in this one, Mulder did just sort of... let a known murderer go. Like, I get that Trepkos wasn't going to offer anything substantial, and also Trepkos was trying not to infect the entire human population, so I don't blame him necessarily, but from a legal point of view I think that's like, ill-advised... Yeah, man, as much as I want to give them a win on their first case back on the X-Files together, I think I'm gonna have to go with—yes, but they let a murderer loose and Mulder lied about it in his case report, and also there's no physical evidence and no other witnesses, so while they probably can close the case and be chill about it, going by my scale, they didn't pass the test this time around. 

(I legit am sitting here being like, "okay, but should I give this one to them??" but I think that if you have to lie on your official report about stuff, then you didn't solve the crime in a way the justice system would be down with. So. That's my ruling, and I'm sticking to it. It be like that sometimes. Or like, a lot of times, if you work for the X-Files division.)

[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Time meaning nothing. Do you often find yourself watching, let's say, a popular 90s sci-fi television show, only to begin questioning how the timeline works out if you're using like, linear time as your metric? Well, this is a public service announcement to let you know that in all things, but ESPECIALLY in popular 90s sci-fi television shows (definitely not naming names), time means nothing. How long has it been since a particular event? Doesn't matter. What year is it? How could it still be that year? How have that many things happened in that short amount of time? Don't worry about it!  Remember — time means nothing, and also nothing matters at all!

***

General Total Stats:

(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 15 (I'M SORRY, BUT HE LET A MURDERER GO, OK??)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, It's Me": 9

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 6 (no, but there was fun dramatic irony of us knowing she was stuck with an infected jesse while she didn't)

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 13 (even if trepkos didn't hold him at gunpoint, being at risk of exposure to the spores is instant mortal danger imo) 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 13 (i mean, yeah)

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably Intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 18 (i actually wasn't going to up this stat, bc i didn't think anything mulder said was really over the line in terms of how you would speak to a coworker/good friend, but then i rewatched the scene where he tells scully he's counting on her to save their lives, and the intensity of his heart eyes was overpowering. between that and him gently cupping her chin at the end, i feel justified in upping the stat)

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 5 (wasn't on screen, unfortunately, but at least she's able to do autopsies again!)

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 2 (reminder that this stat is for when she gets pulled into a hospital to help or starts treating someone's wounds or something) 

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 21

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car Are Hurt or Killed: 2

Total Number of Times Someone Correctly Guesses a Password: 3 

Total Number of (Plot Relevant) Nosebleeds: 5

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Tasted/Sniffed/Touched Something Questionable Without Following Proper Safety Procedures: 3 

Total Number of Times People Fight in a Parking Garage: 1

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 3 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 4 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "The Truth is Out There": 2 

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 16 

Total Number of Maggie Scully Sightings: 3

Total Number of Lone Gunmen Sightings: 3

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 3 (no more krycek for right now 😔. but like mulder's projector, i want to believe he will return)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 12½ (could not have even began to guess)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 6

[ellikiins]

How it started, versus how's it going.

Happy Sonic 3 release day. Have my forever evolving OC I had since I was, like, 10. You'll never guess who she is based off of because I was (still am) obsessed with Shadow and Maria.

Dramatic retelling of her lore below

A timeline set between SA2 and ShtH, the Commander is fueled by revenge and the paranoia created by the destruction of Shadow's crusade after his 50 year slumber. Due to G.U.N.'s lack of preparedness, the Commander's pet project began, modeled after the Ultimate Lifeform Project. This one hobbled together by the late Gerald Robotnik's notes and lab scraps. This creation was to be a weapon solely controlled by G.U.N. to overthrow a threat such as Shadow, and to be a superior lifeform. Moreso further inspired by the Commander's trauma, the project dubbed "the Superior Lifeform" was made in Maria Robotnik's likeness. Although hopes are high, the Commander's own ego and faith within G.U.N. is overstated because without the same formulas the Doctor used, and the lack of nurture to grow her skills, she could never truly be superior to Shadow.

Maria is lead to believe she is a mobian with amnesia indebted to G.U.N. as a special agent. She is dedicated and steadfast in her work, however without G.U.N., she feels she is lost, purposeless, and craves to be something more and to learn who she can be.

When a new terror faces the country, she is determined to take it down and protect civilians, leading Maria to break command and go AWOL. Although only successful in scaring it off for now, she realizes she has more strength and power than she ever imagined. Thereafter, she is court-martialed and incarcerated by G.U.N. military police.

Broken out by a mysterious bat and hedgehog, she is taken in under their wing. Despite being afraid of what this means for Maria's future, she is determined to take down this new threat without G.U.N.'s overbearing control, and practically embraces her fugitive status. This time is taken to hone her skills and uncover what she has been missing, and maybe learn to have a little fun along the way.

This black hedgehog seems so familiar to her, but also feels so incredibly dangerous. Walking the fine line between enjoying her new allies and the growing pit of distrust in her gut, she learns her true purpose is to destroy this very hedgehog who took her in.

Who does she believe when all she has ever known was G.U.N.? How could she possibly take down a creature so powerful, yet seems moreso like home than G.U.N. ever has? She refuses to do the Commander's bidding ever again, but the Commander knows what she is made of, and knows she never really had a choice in the matter.

[oncexinxmyxdreams]

Walk Into My Mystery Part 5

Bike Guardian

It's Friday evening when Shadow meets up with Hope. He skates by her side while being alert for any stalkers.  

They take a desert trail which allows more open skies. The stars seem extra bright.  

Hope suggests taking a break. She packed a thermos of cocoa in the Harley's saddle bags.

Shadow seems distracted. He's staring at the stars. Hope could describe his gaze as bittersweet.

She figures he misses home and family. Her estimated guess is that whatever the cannon was destroyed Shadow's family, making him the only one left.

She'd like to know, but wants him to talk on his own terms. She's been there herself. She hasn't even brought of her past.

They talk a little and agree to keep up this routine. Shadow likes traveling at night. Somehow, it calms his mind.

"I think I get what you mean," Hope tells him. "When I'm riding especially at night, I feel closer to myself. It lets me get away; lets me feel."

So begins a new routine...and friendship.

They take different routes and don't have any run ins with Hope's stalker. Seems like he's backed off.

She shows off riding tricks. She even lets Shadow ride during some stunts. (He had to convince her he didn't need a helmet since he's the Ultimate Lifeform.)

Speaking of lifeform, she asks what exactly is he? At least by species. She's been guessing porcupine hydrid. Nope, hedgehog.

She was going to teach him how to ride...until he said he knew how and showed off. You bet he used chaos energy which left Hope speechless.

Did he eventually take her on a ride with her own Harley speeding up a water tower and hanging midair and teleporting at the right time to earth? Hell yes and Hope was enjoying it!

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

AB, Mogwix and Co.

This was a piece of art did by one of the other amazing players at my D&D table for The Wild Beyond the Witchlight campaign and I love it! The robot with the hat is my PC, Environmental Analysis Automaton A-B4 or AB for short. They're a Circle of the Shepherd Druid trying to find their creator who went missing at the Witchlight Carnival under mysterious circumstances.

The other member of our party include Buttercup, the minotaur college of lore bard, Pan, the half elf college of eloquence bard/fey pact warlock, Mogwix, the goblin wizard, and Goramorn, the dragonborn way of the dragon monk.

I've been playing them for a while now and thought I'd share some of what I wrote about their creation.

Also, after this campaign wraps up we'll be starting a Curse of Strahd campaign which we will be streaming on twitch! Let me know if any of you are interested in watching or at the very least would like to hear about my PC for that campaign.

Memory Banks: 00.00.00.00.001

Visual data: 

Environment: enclosed, wood interior, man made 

Danger rating: Yellow; tripping and magical hazards  

Lifeforms: 1 Humanoid, Designation: Human Male

Audio data:

Human Male:

…there was light. Ah! Yes! Third time’s the charm, or eleventh in this case. 

 Alright Environmental Analysis Automotom Prototype A-B4, let’s see if you’re the one. Oh, that really is mouthful isn’t it? We’ll have to come up with something different. Of course, if all goes well you’ll be able to do that yourself some day, eh?

Why anyone would want to scrap you is beyond me. Well you know what they say, man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

 Oh, well…I suppose I shouldn’t say that. Readings look like you’re picking up everything audio and visual. Excellent. Was a bit worried about your memory banks. Obviously for an analysis unit all you’d really be worried about are the plants and the like pertaining to your programming. Admittedly it was a spotty job. But the storage is just about perfect. Probably will need to work on expanding it. Wouldn’t want you to have to erase memories to keep new ones. 

Oh well, details to be sorted later. Made a bit of a mess myself. 

Welcome to the world A-B4. I’ve got a feeling you’re going to be spectacular. 

Analysis:

Environment: Moderately hazardous

Humanoid: Mostly harmless

Memory Banks: 00.00.00.00.102

New Program: Designation: Speech 

Audio Data: 

Julian:

Sorry AB. Seems as though I might have crossed the wrong wires. Your visual input is temporarily down, but let’s test out this new feature. 

Oh there have been so many things I’ve been wanting to ask you. Your vocabulary should be up to snuff. I took special care in your speech pattern recognition. Best way to learn is through doing, after all. Doing in this case having been listening to my rambling for the last few months. Hopefully it did us both some good. 

I think it did. It’s how children learn at any rate. 

Alright, first question: what is your name? 

Searching…

Statement: Designation: Environmental Analysis Automotom Prototype A-B4

Julian:

No, not your designation. What is your name?

Statement: Request unclear. Specify. 

Julian:

What do you want to be called? 

Statement: Request unclear. Specify. 

Julian:

Well, I do suppose it’s still a bit early for you to have proper wants now isn’t it? Still got a lot of programming to get through. We’ll save your name for later. Hopefully you won’t resent me calling you AB in the future. 

I hate to ask what your thoughts on me now are.

Statement: Answer. Analysis of Human Male, Designation: Julian. Wizard. Middle Age. Diet: Tea. Sleep pattern: Inconsistent. Communication: Heavily Verbal. Danger level: Yellow. 

Julian: 

Now that’s a shining endorsement, I must say. 

Statement: Understood. Analysis confirmed. 

Julian:

Alright, next on the list, fine tune your audio input to recognize irony. 

And I’m hardly middle aged. I don’t plan to die at seventy. Well, seventy-two if you’re getting technical, but I’m nowhere near the top of the hill let alone going down it. 

Statement: Understood. 

Julian:

Let’s just get your eyes working properly again. 

Memory Bank: 00.00.00.200

New Visual Data: Still Image: Tiefling Female. Expression: Unknown. 

Audio Data:

Julian:

Happy. See the smile? She’s happy. 

Facial Expression: Happy. 

Statement: Understood. Smile means happy. 

Julian:

Alright. Now let’s go back to this one. 

New Visual Data: Still Image: Dragonborn Male. Expression: Happy. 

Julian:

Understandable confusion. See how his brow creases. That’s anger. 

Question: Showing teeth indicates happiness and anger?

Julian:

I’d say it’s usually either or, but yes. The subtleties are in the eyes. Mouths may lie, but the eyes always tell the truth. We’ll get more into the nuances once you get the basics down. 

Question: What is lie?

Julian:

Deception. It’s when a person says one thing but means another. 

Question: Like irony? 

Julian:

Ah no…well, sort of. It comes down to intent really. It’s when somebody makes a false statement and indends for another to believe them. 

Question: Why lie? 

Julian: 

Any number of reasons. Some people lie in order to trick somebody into doing something they want. Other times people lie in order to comfort another. 

Statement: Definition unclear. 

Julian:

Fair enough. I think this is just something you’ll have to wait to figure out when you’re older. 

Statement: Understood. Question will remain unanswered. 

Memory Bank: 00.00.01.002

Julian:

I do hope you don’t find these memories too boring once you properly wake up. I mean, most days are boring, but from what I understand you’ll be able to remember everything that’s ever happened to you, this included. 

I can only imagine what you’ll think of me. Try to be charitable. I’d argue no parent in the world has put this much effort into the actual creation process. 

Oh Gods, me a father? That doesn’t sound right. I’m not old enough– Well, I am plenty old enough, but I never saw myself as the fatherly type. 

Forget I said anything. Or, no, don’t forget. That’s not an order. Just an expression.

I’m really not giving you much of a leg up if I’m your example am I?  We’re going to have to make sure you get out more.

Memory Bank: 00.00.01.095

Visual Data:

Environment: Lab

Danger Rating: Yellow, tripping and magical hazards

Lifeforms: 1 Humanoid, Designation: Elf Male

Facial Expression: Surprised, subcategory: Unknown

Audio Data:

Unknown Elf: 

What in the nine hells? 

New Visual Data:

Lifeform: 1 Humanoid, Designation: Julian

Facial Expression: Surprised, subcategory: Put-out

Julian:

What are you doing back here?

Elf Male:

I should be asking you the same thing. You’re not seriously considering this. 

New Visual Data:

New Facial Expression: Elf Male

Facial Expression: Angry, subcategory: Very

Julian:

There is a reason why I keep my work private. 

Elf Male:

It’s one thing to work with automatons, maybe dabble in trying to awaken one for a period of time, but this? Do you realize what magic you’re tampering with?

Julian:

What I’m doing is just taking the awaken spell and to its most logical conclusion. Where exactly am I going too far? 

Elf Male:

To create a sentient creature they require a soul. You think you can just create a soul out of whole cloth?

Julian:

Last I checked quite a number of creatures create new souls every day, oftentimes by accident. 

Elf Male:

You know what I mean. Those are living, breathing, biological beings touched by the divine. This is a machine. Whatever programs or even magic you put into it, all it will ever be able to do is pantomime mortal emotions. It will forever be soulless unless you give it one or somehow deluded yourself into thinking you could create one. 

Julian:

I am making no claims to my personal ability to isolate the soul. My only claim is that something doesn’t require biological parts to have one. 

AB has no baseline instincts, not even survival. They were initially programmed for cold, calculated analysis of raw environmental data. All I’m doing is attempting to give them the ability to ask why and the choice to find the answer. 

Curiosity, in its purest form. That’s where it all starts. I give them the baseline ability to recognize emotions in others and the rest writes itself. How they decide to react will ultimately be up to them as they grow to understand and empathize with the world around them. Now look me in the eye and tell me that’s not any child you’ve ever met in your life. 

Elf Male: 

All without a soul to guide them. 

Julian:

You really haven’t met many children, have you?

Elf Male:

This isn’t a joke, Julian. Gods, do you not hear yourself?

Julian:

What exactly am I doing wrong? I’m not hurting anyone. No bodies are being exhumed. No souls have been stolen. No deals have been struck. All I am doing is what every wizard has done which is explore the full extent of our reality. 

Now either you’re right and what I end up making will merely pantomime mortals. Or I’m right, and I will have proven that souls are not given to us by some divine entity. What we call a soul is created within ourselves for each other. No gods required. 

Elf Male:

I can only hope I’m right.

Julian:

And I can only feel sorry for you. 

Visual Data:

Elf Male: Out of range

Analysis:

Elf Male: Potentially harmful

New Visual Data:

Lifeform: Julian

Facial expression: Sad, subcategory: unknown

Question: Are you sad?

Julian:

Not sad, AB. Disappointed perhaps.

Statement: Understood. Expression is disappointment.

Question: What is disappointment?

Julian:

It’s when you hoped something would be different from what it actually is. 

I wish I could tell you people like him are a minority. I wish I could say that others will see you and fully accept you as the person you will become. 

Some of them will. I think most people will want to. It’s hard to say. There is a great deal of ignorance and fear in the world, and a lot of people are content to leave it that way. 

Do try to be patient with us though. We’re only mortal. 

Statement: Request unclear. Specify. 

Julian:

I guess what I mean to say is, go into the world assuming people want to be kind.

Statement: Understood.

Question: And this can cause disappointment? 

Julian:

More often than not, but you’ve got to do it anyway. 

Statement: Understood. 

Memory Bank: 00.00.00.01.269

Audio Data:

Julian: 

I really do hate to admit it AB, but perhaps Dustain was right. Arcane magic will only get us so far. You’ve progressed nicely, but something is missing. Just that last little umph. 

Don’t worry, I’m not about to ask a god for help. Bastards would just rub in our faces. 

The awaken spell is the baseline of all of this. Perhaps that’s the best place to start. The magic innate in nature is separate from the divine. You’re not so different. Metal is merely refined elements found in nature. Just because you’re man made shouldn’t exclude you. 

Hmm, perhaps I shouldn’t have wiped all that analysis programming. 

Memory Bank: 00.00.00.02.154

Julian:

Now this is silly, isn’t it. I’m not even sure if this is going to work. But, I think I’ve got a lead on something that might finally wake you up. Not sure when I’ll be coming back, if I will. Of course, if I don’t come back, you’ll hardly care, now, will you? But, you might care, someday. Depends if this works. Memories are funny like that. They change the more you remember them. That was the point of all my ramblings anyway. 

What am I trying to say here? Wish me luck? Wish us luck? 

I can’t wait to meet you.

[goddamnwebcomics]

Sunnyside

It’s an action urban fantasy webcomic by a user named TheLazyRipp. 

After going missing and being found a week later in his underwear and dealing with a month of hospital checks, Julian Andrews is trying to return to his usual mundane life as a sophomore at Sunnyside High School. A task easier said than done as, during his month of routine checks, the boy had been experiencing some weird dreams of him being abducted and experimented on by some mysterious individuals that seem all too familiar to him. Couple that with the fact that his body is functioning a lot differently than he remembers, his classmates are developing psychic abilities thanks to a meteor-shaped hole behind the school, and the sudden appearance of parasites turning the student body into zombies, there’s enough definitive proof that there are some alien lifeforms threatening the entire town of Sunnyside from the shadows. 

It’s an okay comic with a pretty standard plot and cast of characters. It can get really melodramatic and overly expository in writing for my taste, whether it be from selling respective character motivations or when they need to explain their abilities, but that’s what you get when you read another webcomic inspired by whatever manga series the author was inspired by, like YuYu Hakusho, if I’m correct on this one. The art can get uncanny at times with the mildly exaggerated facial and body expressions, wide shots, and zoom-ins, but it does sell the fight scenes well enough.

Uhhh yeah I can see what you mean with that last part. I can see it being an entertaining read.

[dracarialove]

📄 Posting my finished fics here, too 📄

The Spy's Final Mission

Rouge is an agent tasked with returning a living weapon to his containment. Shadow is an experiment who merely wants to find his family and be free from captivity. Once they meet, a huge payout from the President and worldwide glory may not be enough for the super spy to ignore the intrigue of the mysterious Ultimate Lifeform.

Ship: Shadow/Rouge

*Originally published Feb. 24th, 2024

[Chapter 1: Dichotomy]

Rouge the Bat was the top agent and spy in her field.

Efficient, arrogant, and not adverse to using sly tactics to get the job done. She was G.U.N's best tool for tough tasks that required someone quick, quiet, and clever.

Whether the assignment was scouting out threats, infiltrating high-security facilities, or ripping weapons away from dangerous organizations without detection, she was the ace up their sleeve. She had a morally gray stance on the methods she often used to complete a mission, which made the President uneasy, at times.

Occasionally, he feared that she or the other high-status military personnel might go too far one day. That if she got to be too self-serving, she might persuade their soldiers to bend more rules than they were allowed to.

But Rouge hadn't let him down yet, being reliable in succeeding while not technically committing crimes that could be considered immoral. With this in mind, and with the knowledge that they needed her talents, he trusted her as much as he respected her; which was plenty enough to consider the bat more of an asset than a liability.

On one particularly cloudy day, just after she completed a rescue mission for one of their teams that'd gone missing in a high-risk area, her boss received a report that a classified weapon of theirs was stolen by the endlessly troublesome Dr. Eggman.

He looked to Rouge, who lounged in the brown leather armchair that'd unofficially become hers – it was where she'd been seated when she first met the President, and it had become her regular sitting spot when she collected her reward for a job well done.

"Agent, I'm sorry to ask you to stand up so soon," he started, watching her shoulders slump and her head tilt to one side. She wasn't tired, but was clearly a bit annoyed at having to go on another assignment already. "I've just been informed that Dr. Eggman stole something of ours, and it's urgent we get it back."

"Oh," she said, perking up from her vague exasperation. "That's all? Well, sneaking into his base is a piece of cake, I can do that again and be back in no time!"

She stood up, stretching out her arms and wings while the President spoke of her payment. "I hope you understand we can't afford to pay in priceless jewels every time. Since that scientist has never been much of a challenge for you before, I have to be more mindful of what can be spared from the budget."

"Hm," hummed disapprovingly from her closed mouth, which pulled into a doubtful line. Her hands found their place on her wide hips. "That's a shame, Mr. President. Truly, a pity you can't match the value of urgently getting back what he stole…"

The human man was worried she would refuse if not compensated to her liking, so he started trying to bargain with the treasure hunter. While he offered rings, vacations, and anything else that might be of lesser value than her typical taste, Rouge's mind wandered off to a rumor she'd heard about the doctor's secret stash of precious gems.

She didn't know for sure if it was real, but she reckoned even if it wasn't, there must be something he'd gathered or stolen that would look better in her collection.

"Tell ya what, Prez," she said, cutting off the overlander's offer, "I'll accept payment in the form of keeping anything I might decide to grab while I'm in his base. Sound fair?"

The man hesitated. "Well… I don't like encouraging you to steal."

"Oh, darling," Rouge chuckled, swatting the air and flashing her signature charming smile. "Stealing from a menace like Eggman is hardly a crime!"

A small sigh left his lips, but he didn't have much room to try and change her mind. She had a point; and it was more beneficial for him than having to spend from his own pocket. So, the President agreed to Rouge's terms, and she set off to complete the mission.

***

Shadow the Hedgehog was an experiment recently revived by G.U.N.

He was awakened when his cryostasis pod was opened, where he was immediately defensive towards the men pointing guns at him. Distrusting of his lucidness after coming out of a frozen state, they tranquilized him before transferring his unconscious body to a room where they could monitor his next awakening.

They strapped the lifeform's body to a table to keep him restrained and checked his physical state to determine the risk of attempting to reprogram him to their liking. His vitals were perfect – a marvel to them, as he was created decades before, unable to grow in size or strength since he'd been sealed away.

Regardless, they had gone long enough without using his powers for their own duty of establishing order in the world. He was an artificial being, and thus could be changed and taught to obey as one of their soldiers; but as it stood, he was too powerful to let loose yet.

So, he would remain detained on Prison Island, and would be sealed back into containment once they finished the initial testing of his potential.

Pacified into inactivity, he was left to lay still while the scientists assigned to analyze him prepared elsewhere for the research they would conduct on his sleeping form.

When he woke a second time, sooner than they'd thought he would, Shadow first felt a sense of confusion at where he was, seeing no one in the empty room.

It was a different place than the last location his memories held, and when he tried to sit up, he found himself strapped down. Oblivious to what was happening, he started to feel a pang of panic and worry growing in his chest as his heart rate rose.

He looked over at the beeping monitor beside him and saw it spiking with his heart beat. It was something he was familiar with from the ARK, something humans used. And he remembered briefly being released by them.

'What do they want with me? They were the ones who… locked me up before… right? Do they wish to question me? Dissect me? Or is this… an experiment?'

He couldn't pin down the memories from before they opened his pod, brief flashes of dreadful images flittering in unpleasant snippets. All he knew for sure was that these were humans he couldn't trust, and that asking questions in his head would get him nowhere.

So, he started feeling out the strength of the straps. They were tight, but not unmovable if he put a decent amount of effort into straining against them. He spent a minute getting the straps loose enough to give him a chance at slipping out. But then, he heard the far door begin to open.

They were coming.

[sonicasura]

Call them a cheater, but Dart had been enjoying Halloween in one of their transformations.

Emphasis on had.

Apparently—the presumed extinguished Elite-One was BlackArachnia. She proceeded to essentially kidnap the Autobot’s human ally, then nearly killed every organic lifeform in the city by misusing Sari’s key. What did the terrifying she-spider do now after knocking the Prime out and ultimately failing to restore herself? Cry her Spark out on a rooftop.

Jettison rolled their optics as they walked up to the half-organic cybertronian shocking her out of her pity party. “You could have just asked instead of nearly killing the entire city….”

The (insecticon?) she-spider barely had any time to react as a bright flash of green enveloped them both.

————————————

When she opened her optics, she realized for the first time in ages—she only had two!

Blackarachnia—was she still Elita?—scrambled for the nearest reflective surface which ended up being an Earth organic’s building. The windows reflected back her pre-halforganic state… though there were still some differences. She had the barest hints of those fanged denta in her mouth except a cursory feel revealed missing venom glands. Her yellow plating was much dimmer looking than it used to be and resembled Arachnia’s in orientation.

Her optics were a speckled between blue and orange mixing both her optic colors.

But otherwise? She was a full-spark cybertronian again without any hint of an organic component in her. “…How?” Her own voice was a bit raspy from partial dehydration. The restored femme could only turn her optics to the direction of retreating pede steps so impossibly light. Blitzwing’s pet (human?) was walking away carrying some sort of fabric sack.

“W. Wait! What… Why?” She couldn’t help asking though her words came a bit haltingly.

The little organic kept walking, though they shouted behind them. “How is the same way I transform, what is repairing the damage to your CNA, and why is so you’ll stop moping!” It (they, by Primus the little organic had been sapient all along) answered in quick succession without much fanfare. “I don’t care what you do now. Come back to the ship or join the Autobots! For the rest of tonight, I am off the clock.”

————————————

As the Autobots drove home, there was a surprise waiting them outside of their base. A very awkward looking restored Elite-One having her servos folded over one another. She looked up as Optimus stumbled into his mech mode. “…Is there still a place for another failed Autobot Academy member on the team?”

—ROB’d Anon.

Elita would probably spill the news to the Autobots about the Decepticons being on Earth and the truth about the “creatures”. Though, Dart’s still very mysterious afterward.

The Omnitrix would be able to restore Elita-1's unstable CNA. It probably took a while for Dart to realize Black Arachnia is the very femme that vanished in Optimus' story. She has quite the work to do in order to make up for her past misdeeds.

[dovithedarklord]

Age of Monsters - Chapter Seven

Pairing: OFC x Simon "Ghost" Riley, OFC x König

Tags: Slow Burn, Slow Build, Enemies to Lovers, Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, POV First Person, Not Beta Read, Medical Inaccuracies, Military Inaccuracies, AFAB OC

Trigger Warning: The story will contain violance, blood and smut in detail. Please, keep that in mind!

⚠️MDNI⚠️

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Author's Note

Leona and the small team reflect on the past over a drink. And this is the last calm moment before the storm.

Hello!

I don't have a separate trigger warning for this chapter. There is only a pleasant conversation going on to make the past clearer :D

Have fun!

I.M.L. - Infected mammalian lifeform.

if you're interested you can find the story on AO3: Chapter Seven

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I stroll through the maze of the base with springy steps, and my lightness is further enhanced by the fact that during the night, I finally managed to make up for all the minutes of sleep I missed so far, which was topped by doing nothing for the rest of the day. Thanks to my beauty sleep and long relaxation, the vitality seems to have found its way back into my body, and it almost feels strange to finally exist without pain, injuries, and tension within the walls of this god-forsaken establishment. Of course, it’s also undeniable that such a healthy glow graced my face after escaping the clutches of death, which would've been difficult to achieve with other means. And while at first I thought that my exciting little adventure yesterday would at least haunt me a bit, I was positively disappointed in my own subconscious, because it didn’t entertain me with any horrific images in my dreams. After my favorite masked Hunter and I rolled back between the safe walls of the base, I was convinced that even though I had experienced or committed certain types of violence, and I was by no means an angel, I lived with the suspicion that my struggle for survival would leave a deeper mark on me. But nothing else remained after the incident, only the sparks of my enlightenment, which still glow vividly in my mind even now, on my way to Price's office.

The revelations that came with my newfound wisdom were only solidified when I saw the reception committee made up of my two cheerleader boys after our arrival, who welcomed my dirty, bloody, and most of all, worn-out person with the right amount of shock and concern. And from the mixture of surprise and worry on their faces, the warmth in my rough little soul, which I had tried to forget before with every fiber of my being, was renewed. And as MacTavish, cursing in a voice distorted by his strong accent, observed my state that was light years away from pleasant, and as Garrick firmly assured me that they would not torture me to death the next day, it was once again confirmed in me, that it was a good idea to come back and stay with this team.

As I turn into one of the corridors swimming in the light of the setting sun, my destination appears in front of me, to which I received a rather mysterious invitation from the captain during the morning, who didn't bother to explain his intentions as to why he would like to disrupt my day off. Of course, I have a hunch that he's curious about the details of my outing with Riley, and I'm almost glad he called me to have a chitchat, because, despite my revelations, I still have questions that I'd like to ask him. I'd like to believe that my entire field trip was just a figment of the masked Hunter's brain, and that he was behind the plan just by himself, but what kind of superior would Price be if such mischievous things could happen without his knowledge? And the realistic side of my brain demands to know the reason why the bearded man thought it was a good idea to send me into the wilderness for a survival game. Of course, my soul was filled with motivation to selfishly soak up the kindness potentially directed at me and to behave in a slightly nicer way from now on, but I didn’t become a saint overnight, and I didn't forget that I owed this new experience to some kind of agreement.

I knock on the door of Price's office when I arrive and stop in front of it, and when I hear a loud "Come in!" filter through, I wrap my fingers around the doorhandle and open the entrance to the Hunter's cave. And as my eyes take in the picture unfolding in front of me, my eyebrows rise in interest from the small group waiting for me in the room. The Hunters glance at me almost simultaneously as my arrival interrupts them from whatever they were doing in their rather intimate solitude around Price's huge table. And suddenly I have the sneaking suspicion that I've fallen into something that I'm not sure I want to have anything to do with. Especially if I was pulled away from the joys of my already rare me-time due to some work-related nonsense.

"Woods!" MacTavish springs up from his place next to Price's table with intense enthusiasm, and with a huge smile on his face, he beckons me in, inviting me inside. I am no longer surprised by the man's raging energy, but now it somehow irritates me less than when he conveys the same image toward my suffering person from the side of some training site. "Our little survivor has arrived!" The man states, emphasizing my brand new status, and the irrational glee that dominates his features dispels the suspicion that arose in me at the sight of the team.

"I hope I didn't drag myself this far for a meeting, because if I did, I'll stab someone." I note seriously, but I'm not able to get rid of the slight impudence in my voice, because the eager cheerfulness emanating from the Scottish man inevitably transfers to me. And as I step inside and close the door behind me, and my eyes continue to wander to the glasses resting on the table, I'm starting to realize that luckily, I didn't show up in this lovely late afternoon hour for the torture I assumed would take place. And the speculation arises in me that maybe, just maybe, this small gathering was organized in my honor.

At my statement, the faces of the Hunters present also light up with amusement, and it does not escape my attention, as I examine them more closely, that, unlike usual, they have now all put on strangely average clothes. Gone is the usual little hat from Price's head, and none of my little torturers have their tactical vests on, which they normally throw on at every opportunity. And because of this, the atmosphere of the whole office gradually becomes more informal, and I am suddenly glad that my day will truly only be about accumulating pleasures.

"Maybe another time." Says Price with a reassuring smile on his face, and as he pulls out a bottle, presumably full of whiskey, from one of the bottomless drawers of his desk, my mood suddenly notably improves. "Now we're celebrating!" He announces easily, and in order to support his intention, he unscrews the cap of the pre-conjured bottle to pour the golden liquid into the glasses situated on the table with practiced movements, which elicit voices of agreement from his other little companions. This is probably one of the rare occasions when they can take a little break from their strict daily life as a Hunter, so it's no wonder that the sight of booze can bring out such heat from his buddies.

"Aye, that's right! Now that you're finally on the mend, we have to celebrate that you came back in one piece!" MacTavish gives his reasoning of the motive for the small party, still grinning, and then quickly reaches for the glass he's chosen for himself, with at least as much vehemence as if he hadn't enjoyed such delicacies in a long time. Which is probably the case, but I can't decide whether it's the alcohol or the promise of celebration that gets him so excited.

"Since we can't leave the base now, we brought the pub here!" Garrick explains, eagerly taking one of the glasses full of alcohol from the middle of the table, which looks temptingly real and presumably doesn't cause blindness. And I understand his zeal, because it's really rare when someone gets hold of anything other than shit made in the basement from pills and who knows what chemicals, and puts their greedy little hand on a drink left over from the memories of the old days. This further reinforces my intuition that today's little assembly is a significant event, because even if Price might have obtained the whiskey as a reward for one of his heroic deeds, it's still a rare delicacy that you don't just guzzle out of boredom. And because of this, for some reason, that fuzzy tingling feeling fills my stomach in a disturbing way once more, which starts to annoy me to the extreme with its completely unjustified appearances, since it weakens the success of maintaining my collected and relaxed image.

"It's very kind of you, to sacrifice your office for something like this, captain." I look up at the aforementioned person, who, accompanied by a suggestive smile, chooses a victim from among the glasses left in the middle of the table, and for a moment I realize that there's a nicely poured drink left not only for me, but also for a surprise person as well. Of course, this starts a very unpleasant sinister feeling in me as to who else they would like to invite to this charming event. And since my battery for tolerating social interactions hasn't really recovered from yesterday's stressful experiences, I'm rather reluctant to accept the idea of hanging out with someone other than the little team present.

"You've gone through an unusual ordeal. It's fitting to toast with a good whiskey." Price interrupts my increasingly suspicious observations, and he grabs one of the glasses with ease and holds it out to me, so that he can provide me with the celebratory refreshment. I accept the drink intended for me with perhaps more enthusiasm than necessary, and as its full-bodied, bitter aroma reaches my nose, I forget about my annoyance for a moment. Of course, this doesn't last long, because I become quite aware of the fact that the captain just has let me know rather mischievously that he had a very active hand in my little tour.

"That’s true. Now all I'm interested in is whose brilliant idea it was in the first place." I share my doubts with the people present, with a rather indifferent expression on my face, because I want them to believe that despite the fact that I almost kicked the bucket in that fucking forest, I'm such a badass that it won't leave a lasting mark on me. Which is true to some extent, but the new me who came to life while running for my life and beating the mutant to a pulp, and who was capable of doing anything to stay alive, won’t disappear into the shadows of the past anytime soon. And because of this, the whole situation will live vividly in my mind for a while.

My concerns hit my new drinking buddies unexpectedly, and as their eyes meet for a moment, it is already quite clear to me that, albeit to a different degree, each of them had an involvement in the organization of my outing. I plop down on one of the chairs, suppressing the barrage of insults on the tip of my tongue, because even though I'm aware that testing my loyalty was a completely logical step on their part, it still doesn't alleviate the disappointment that somehow, and rather inexplicably rears its head in me. Since it means, the rational voice was right when it whispered to me that the trust shown to me was as fragile as a fancy Chinese porcelain vase.

"Perhaps you should ask him this question." The captain points towards the entrance of his office with his head, and his face has such a suspicious expression that it doesn't make me calmer at all.

But before I could delve into the eyeballing of the Hunters', and before I could start further questioning, I'm interrupted by the opening of the door, and I, forgetting about my gloom, turn towards the person incoming. The tall figure appears on the threshold, whom it would be difficult to mistake for anyone else, and for a moment it is difficult for me to understand why he turns up to such a cheerful occasion. But then, as he enters the scene of the small private party and the door closes behind him, I realize that Riley has also decided to pay his respects at the small gathering, which could even count as an honor if I consider how much time he wanted to spend in my vicinity outside of training. But the details of yesterday afternoon's intermezzo in front of the hut reflexively pop up in me again, which sufficiently overturns the confidence I felt until now. Up to a point, I had effectively forgotten about the situation caused by my little trap, which had developed between us in the intimacy of nature's soft lap, but now, as my gaze meets the man's dark eyes, the unexpectedly discovered foreign feeling jumps in my stomach once more, and I want to disappear from here with immeasurable desire, and at the same time pick up the thread of his harassment again.

"I don't have to ask him, it's clear why he did it." I pull myself together, taking on my seriousness again, pointing my finger at the newly arrived masked man, who only glances at Price with interest at my remark. "He considered me a risk, so he decided to get rid of me."

"Simon did express his concerns." The captain agrees with me, and there is a hint of urgency in his voice, which suggests that he wants to conduct this conversation as calmly as possible. And for me, this only confirms the assumption that is slowly starting to take shape in my head regarding the antecedents. It was Riley who, after assessing my behavior towards him, decided to present his observations and his nice little idea to his captain to solve the problem. Based on the kind words he occasionally addressed to me during the moments we spent together, and in light of my behavior, I am not even surprised about this. And I already came to terms with this and the motivation I felt to refute his assumptions, while I was wandering in the forest. I'm more interested in how Price reacted to this whole mess, because it would help my soul a lot if he tried to stop his masked friend's plan from happening with at least a nasty look. Then I won't have to drink to suppress my anger.

"Don't sugarcoat it, Price." Riley interjects, who walks up to the table with comfortable steps, and grabs the last remaining glass from there with his gloved hand. And he takes his seat in the chair opposite me with such casual calmness that I have never had the pleasure of observing before. "It would have been pointless to keep someone here who doesn't want to stay." The man repeats the same reasoning he gave me before the whole impossible mission, and the matter-of-factness and indifference in his deep voice is no less cutting now. And I have to remind myself for a minute, that I'm no longer standing in front of the pile of trees towering over me, and whatever he assumed at the beginning, by sitting here, I've already proven somewhat the opposite.

"He didn't trust whether you would work together with us in the long term, but I didn't agree with him." Price continues his side of the story, and I only reward this statement with a cynical look, because I’m sure he didn't tell anyone anything new with this. Because if I knew that my long-term plans didn't necessarily want to be realized here, then they were certainly aware of that. "That's why the forest came into the picture."

"It didn't even cross your mind that I might perhaps, I don't know... die?" I ask, boldly planting the edge of my sarcasm in my voice, because this question justifiably emerges in me, which I doubt they didn't count on. They also were conscious of exactly where they would send me to see the scenery, and I don't think that they wouldn't have calculated into the adventure that I might end up as a mutant dinner. I'd rather not even ponder on what they would have done if I had taken Riley's advice and vanished into thin air as much as my opportunities would have let me. And Price still gave his thumbs up to the mission, which made me uncertain about the genuineness of his kindness towards me. And that upsets me much more than the experience itself.

"It was a dangerous idea, I admit. But I knew you'd be able to do it." Declares Price, and at this announcement, the annoyance I felt for a moment eases, because the man's beard-framed mouth stretches into a smile that takes my breath away for a moment. "I was sure you'd survive and come back." He carries on, and suddenly I can't decide how to react to his revelation. But I don't even have to worry about that, because he gets around the table with deliberate steps, and when he arrives next to me, he smoothes one of his big hands on my shoulder with gentle determination. "After all, you already belong here." The man gives his final justification as easily as if he had stated the most self-evident fact in the world, even though I understand the weight of what he is saying full well.

And as his fingers squeeze my shoulder softly for a moment, I grasp without further explanation what his message is to me. Even though he accepted Riley's deadly plan to find out about my intentions, it still caresses my calculating little self that, contrary to my suspicions, he was hoping all along I wouldn't prove the masked Hunter's hypotheses right. And I quickly swallow the suffocating emotions down my dry throat, because even though my soul is affected by the confusing mass of feelings caused by the whole situation, I would still rather fold a scarf around my neck from my own legs than get all sentimental.

"I haven't fully forgiven you for all this shit, just so you know." I state quickly, and as the reproach returns to my features again, Price, accompanied by a soft laugh, gently pats my back, and then returns to his appointed place behind the table. It’s remarkable how efficiently the Hunter can smooth over rather serious situations, and I suspect that years and routine are behind this exceptional ability. "I still have the smell of mutant intestines in my nose." I pull the corners of my mouth in disgust, because although the wild boar-like creature rearranged by my two beautiful hands did not affect me, the smell that remained in my nose after my whole scouting mission in the forest, even more so. Because it stayed there even after the sixth shower, effectively throwing me back under that fucking stack of trees.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it in time!" MacTavish reassures me helpfully, at least as calmly as if he hadn't just exactly outlined that I will have the opportunity to see what I experienced up close plenty of times in the future. And based on his tone, this can really be a very ordinary occurrence to him, which could be similar to when someone begins each morning with a coffee and a cigarette in order to get their biorhythm working. How practical it can be to become desensitized to bloodshed.

"I don't know if I want to get used to it." I flash my eyes at the man with the mohawk, who is just casually sipping his drink instead of taking my comment to heart. Of course, I know that I have not only proven that I am reliable and a good girl, but that I am also capable of surviving in the field, which means that I won't be able to avoid these adventures from now on. So I warmly recommend them to be more useful as human shields.

"It gets easier with every mission, don't worry." Garrick explains with real sympathy in his voice, and his features are dominated by such bloody seriousness that it becomes evident, that he really is just trying to alleviate my uncertainty with his good-natured affirmations. "After a while, you don't even pay attention to the guts and the blood."

"I can't fathom how could I survive without this wonderful experience up until now." I grumble, and the cynical eyeroll I do as I take a sip of my whiskey is instinctive, and I hope that the beneficial numbness of the alcohol will moderate the irritation emerging in me. And as it travels down my throat and into my stomach, it leaves behind a far more intense and pleasant warmth than the booze bought in the colony was ever capable of. I wonder what I left all those credits for during my evenings spent hunting. What a robbery. Luckily, it wasn’t my main goal to drink myself under the table.

"By the way." Garrick interrupts my musing, and his dark eyes are filled with genuine curiosity as he leans forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. "How have you managed to bypass the system so far? I heard it's impossible to cheat on the screenings." The Hunter asks his clever little question, and with this perhaps formulates one of the big mysteries that may have occupied his and his small team's brains, because after hearing his observation, all eyes are turning to me in sync. And I don't blame them for this, because their interest is legitimate, since it's truly almost impossible to get around the system. Almost. But if there's one thing I've learned in my life so far, it's that nothing man-made is foolproof.

"Only for those who don't know how to work their way around it." I note mysteriously, and a sly smile twists on my lips at the confusion on the Hunters' expression. No matter how much we may have buried the hatchet, it seems that my little inclination towards evilness won’t just disappear from me, which, knowing the origin of the little trial I experienced the other day, I do not even try to calm down.

"And how did you do it?" Riley breaks the silence, and I only cautiously raise my bright eyes to scan his features emerging from under the balaclava. The area that the black textile allows to show to the world is microscopic, but even this small surface is enough for me to be able to analyze him, since I have been pursuing this hobby for weeks. Underneath the blurred dark paint, his face is motionless, and there's unflinching attention hiding in his gaze, which inexplicably creates the urge in me to cooperate with him a bit more willingly, since he directs his focus on me without any hostile intent for the first time.

"I have a personal involvement in the subject, so I had enough inside information to be able to deceive the recruiters." I submit to the persistent examination and curious looks with a tired sigh, recalling the little operation I carried out during my school years, with which I laid the foundation for my future hide and seek. "I was lucky because I was thirteen when my abilities manifested, much earlier than what would be typical. It would've been impossible not to notice the change." I continue, and the morning flashes vividly in my mind, when I woke up drenched in sweat and disorientated, and saw my pretty little teeth and my even more beautiful eyes in the mirror for the first time."That's why I stole the credits from one of my classmates and bought some under-the-counter contact lenses and veneers. And the rest was even simpler. It wasn't the first time I had seen the test, I knew what parameters they were looking at and where the samples were stored. So, after the screening, I went to the school infirmary and exchanged my blood and urine samples with that of a random stranger. I knew the test would only show a match to the Healer DNA parameters, so I wasn't afraid of getting caught." I outline the events, and a kind of resigned calm settles in my voice, which belies the panic that overcame me at the time.

It would be impossible to erase the morning from my mind, when the recruiters sent by the government showed up to do their routine test on the young fourteen-year-olds to see if they would get lucky and find a Healer among them. We already knew weeks in advance when the big day would be, and in a morbid way to me, everyone was waiting for it with such fucking excitement, as if they were bringing one of the fabulous gifts that can be won at legal gambling to the little hole they called school. But while even I would have erupted in frenzied joy for ten thousand food stamps, or even for an ID card providing unlimited medical care, the fact that I could join and act as a battery for a bunch of strangers didn't excite me too much. And since my dedication to my own interests was already working stronger in me, I carried out my small campaign with thorough planning. I even surprised myself with how talented I was at forcing myself to stay calm, when one of the ladies in uniform ushered me into a hastily assembled booth in one of the classrooms. Although my pulse pushed my body to the brink of fainting, and the remnants of my pathetic breakfast were in my throat waiting to return to the outside world with each heartbeat.

Perhaps my biggest luck during my little plan was that the whole system was designed by a bunch of presumptuous dilettantes. Since the Healers who carried the mutation in themselves manifested spontaneously at the time of the appearance of the virus, when forty-six years ago they discovered the DNA test that would unmistakenly show the status of the Heale, they didn’t bother to conduct tests among the adult population of the time. So all I had to do was to look for a civilian who, based on their age, belonged to this pleasantly insignificant and neglected group, and so I could be sure that I was exchanging my sweet little samples for brand new and completely unknown material. And after that, getting into the school, which had no security system of any kind, and switching a few vials from among the samples left behind, was child's play. Mainly in light of the fact, that the exposure of my Extreme nature was a much more pressing fear in me than the slap on the wrist I would have received for the burglary. And my success couldn't be spoiled even by the fact that I waited sleeplessly for weeks for the enforcers to show up and drag me away.

My little speech is greeted by stunned silence for a minute, and I can almost hear the gears turning in their brains as they try to process what they heard. Although I suspect that they have already performed much wilder and riskier magic tricks than this. And compared to that, my confession can only be a cute moment in a children's story.

"Where did you get the blood and urine samples from?" Garrick breaks his quietness and frowns with a mixture of shock and disgust, as he takes a sip from his glass to digest what he heard, and I only note his dismay with an amused snort. Which I only find funny because it's quite comical to hear this indignity coming from someone whose job description includes wading knee-deep in mutant remains.

"I bought them from a hobo. You'd be surprised what a person can do for a food stamp." I remark while curling a suspicious smile at the corner of my mouth, cleverly holding back on the fact that I also stole the mentioned food stamps from an unfortunate fellow student. They seem to guess the origin of the goods used in the business, because Price just holds his glass to his mouth with a frown, his expression also telling me that, in addition to my many little naughty deeds, the fact that I am a thief does not even reach his threshold of irritation. And this is truly a lesser crime than the fact that my little hands were already involved in uglier things. And it's a greater shame that there is such harmony in the colonies that anyone would sell even their own mother if they could get more food, drugs or real alcohol, or even extra privileges. Of course, I can't complain, since it is precisely this miserable imperfection that has benefited me so far.

"How did you know so much about the test?" The captain asks the question that seems more important, and he fishes out a cigar from the drawer of his desk with easy movements, so that when he starts puffing merrily, he can turn back his undivided attention to me again. His blue eyes scan my face curiously, which leads me to conclude that the files probably only contained reliable data about my adulthood. No wonder, because from Laswell's point of view, only my current state and my crimes as an adult mattered.

"As I said, I have personal involvement in the subject." I confirm my previously mentioned little statement, and even though not a single cell of my heart wants to recall the haunting images trapped in the past, for some reason I have the irrational feeling that if I was lured into such an intimate party, I shouldn't keep silent about these long-forgotten trivia. "My mother was a Healer and my father was a researcher who worked with Hunters and Healers. I've been exposed to information since I can remember. Together they tried to experiment with a medicine that could replace the power of the Healers. That's why they dealt with the topic quite in-depth." I elaborate, and forcefully keep the coldness of objectivity in my voice, because I don't feel the slightest need to start lamenting on the past now. "But since it wouldn't be profitable for the government if the leash of the Hunters were out of their hands, they didn't finance the research sufficiently. Unfortunately, breakthroughs still cannot be achieved without resources." I point out the obvious easily, and they only reward my suggestion with a rather gloomy look, and from this, I know that it's not the first time that this idea crossed their minds either.

Therefore, I don't have to explain my hints any further for them to know what I mean, because they can experience first-hand how badly the system ties their hands. It's also quite unpleasant that they become the property of the colonies and their governments from the first moment they crawled out of their mothers, since as Hunters they are not even lucky enough to live a somewhat normal childhood, because everyone knows what the future profession of babies with glowing red eyes will be. But perhaps it’s really sad that they will never really have the opportunity to break away from the authorities, because the government provides them with what they wouldn’t be able to keep their sanity without. As long as the screening, registration, and employment of the Healers are in the hands of the governments, they are the only ones who can order their little helpers alongside the Hunters. And if a Hunter were to get a drug that would eliminate this parasitic relationship, then what would stop the little heroes from biting the hand that feeds them but also holds their leash? There is nothing more dangerous than giving the possibility of free self-determination into the hands of a person who can tear out someone's esophagus with their bare hands and fold it into a bow.

"What happened to them?" MacTavish suddenly speaks with a serious expression on his face that rarely appears, and which suggests that he might already know the answer, but he trusts that I would refute it. Although this question is not in the least unexpected, it strays into much more uncomfortable territory, and even I don't know whether it’s only because of my stubborn hatred or the pain living in the hidden corners of my head that I am affected by his unsuspecting interest so sensitively. And I hate the way a tiny little muscle twitches on my face, something that might not be noticed by anyone else, but their eyes are much more attentive than that, and as soon as Garrick's dark eyebrows run together and he draws a worried frown on his forehead, I curse the fucking hole in my skull where these memories are lurking.

"My mother died because the Hunter she regenerated didn't let her finish the fun in time." I answer after a moment of suffocating hesitation, and I don't like the surprised pity that appears on the Scottish man's face after my confession. "And my father, unable to bear the disappearance of the love of his life, stole a car and drove to the red zone himself." I share the fun relics of my childhood with them, and I direct my eyes to the golden whiskey in my glass instead, trying not to let the pain in my voice take even a single molecule of space, because the ache begins to pulsate dully in my chest again at the mention of the past. "The car was found a week later, and considering the circumstances, it was probably attacked by a mutant, which he obviously did not survive."

And as soon as this last cute little fluff leaves my mouth, I can experience how deeply my melodrama made an impression on them. My eyes carefully rise from my glass again, and as I quickly look around the room, I wish I had remained silent. Because I dislike the way my stomach clenches unpleasantly from what I read on their faces. The way Price's features are somber as he leans forward on the table clutching his cigar, or the way the disbelief in Garrick's gaze meets MacTavish's eyes glittering with shock as he turns to face him, or as Riley's body goes still for a blink of an eye, releases emotions in me that I don't want to feel it in the slightest.

I'd be lying if I said all this ridiculous family drama didn't entertain me with creative nightmares for years, but time has, if not erased, transformed the pain into far more effective tools. Because this bitter chain of events pointed to important facts. After my mother's death and the circumstances surrounding it removed the veil of naivety from my eyes, a very legitimate and strong determination arose in me to not end up in the same way as her. And the fact that my father didn't even see my existence as sufficient motivation to not want to be turned into confetti by monsters, showed me that the only person in this cruel world I would ever be important enough to was me. These were the first teachings that I managed to acquire through the lessons of life, and perhaps I am grateful for this priceless knowledge, since they made me who I am. And it may be true that there are many more negatives in my little soul than good, but they undoubtedly guided me toward my goals and survival with great effectiveness. That's why it makes me angry that even though I don't need anyone's pity, the idea that, thanks to my little tear-jerking story, they might see the reason behind my actions so far evokes that idiotic gentle tenderness in me. Not that this changes the fact that the crimes I have committed are still reprehensible.

"Well, let's not dwell on my sob story anymore, because everyone has a similar tale. That's just how it goes around here, isn't it?" I start rambling again, because I don't want to tolerate this melancholy anymore when I'm here to finally relax. I pour the contents of my glass down my throat with a few brave sips, hoping that the effects of the alcohol will finally catch up and erase the images buried in the past flashing in my head. "Let's talk about how this team was formed instead. As far as I know, it's quite rare for a European colony to let trained Hunters transfer to an American one."

Changing the subject provokes a rather sharp reaction from the small team, and this immediately raises the question in me as to what kind of territory I am straying into with my little quizzing. And as soon as I see the angry expression that crosses Price's face, I understand that my assumption is not far from reality. Whatever had happened to bring their fates so closely intertwined had made quite a deep impression on all of them.

"Luckily we had help." Price takes his cigar between his lips, voicing his little explanation with a dubiously easy tone, and I find it interesting that he wants to put on a mysterious act right now, when it's his turn to tell the dirty and painful little secrets.

"Laswell?" I mention the woman's name, but even without it, I know that the boss of the base is the one who can get involved in such deals with impunity. Laswell is like a phantom, sometimes she appears, sometimes she disappears, but after each time she shows up, she brings information with a shady origin and leaves behind a myriad of tasks. Undoubtedly, the woman works efficiently, but it’s difficult for me to understand how exactly she manages to get such goods, whether it’s information, weapons, blood, or my procurement. And because of this, the seemingly harmless lady immediately gets a much more dangerous classification in my mind.

"Kate went through hell with us, so there was no need to convince her to help." The bearded man shares this little crumb with me, still shrouding the real answer to my previous question in cryptic darkness. And although I can conclude from the sudden heavy atmosphere in the room that perhaps I am truly trying to poke a wound that still hasn't healed yet, the desire for knowledge in me doesn't let me back down.

"Don't leave me hanging, I've pulled out the skeletons, now it’s your turn." I continue to insist, conjuring a rather unsightly expression on my face, trusting that the mention of my miserable childhood is convenient enough to expect the same honesty from them. Secretly, of course, I hope that I will gain some additional useful insight, because even though I don't want to run away with passion anymore, uncertainty and the lack of knowledge are still not among my favorite states.

"It won't be a happy story." Warns Price, and his mouth stretches into a bitter smile that is completely foreign to him. And I start to wonder how traumatic the experience must have been, which led them to this point, if even the always calm, determined, and above all, self-confident Hunter's face twists into such a broken expression. And I almost feel guilty, as curiosity settles in my brain like an itch that won't stop. Almost.

"Very few have that, Captain." I remind the man, because although everyone can pretend that life in the colonies is full of sunshine and rainbows, since no one is in direct danger of monsters, this little thing does not negate the fact that everyone lives there struggling with some kind of misery. They are either starving, or sick, or all forms of their freedom are restricted for the protection and greater good of the colony.

Finally, Price leans back in his chair accompanied by a humorless sigh, and before he would start his little evening tale, he sends a respectable amount of whiskey down his throat, and I follow the movement with tense attention. I can only observe from my periphery how the other three Hunters keep their eyes on their leader, shrouded in silence, and an unusual troubled aura appears even on Riley's part, which soon begins to emanate from all of them.

"I was serving in Colony no. 9 when I met the boys 8 years ago. We were all members of a government liquidation unit, in separate teams, but under one management." Price starts the origin story, and his voice is once again filled with resolve. The name of the colony doesn't ring a single bell, and that makes me all the more confused, because if such a big fuckery happened, which shakes these battle-hardened men out of their composure, then it surely would have been all over the news. "We served in Great Britain's largest colony, and at the time I thought it was an honor. I think we all did." For a moment, he looks around at his companions, who only agree with the captain's statement with a small, but still grim nod.

"I've wanted to serve there since I was a kid, you can imagine how fired up I was when I got in right after basic training! I met the captain on my first mission. He saved me before a mutant could kill me." Garrick suddenly interrupts the thread of Price's tale, and I'm surprised by the sincere admiration with which he directs his gaze to the bearded Hunter. And suddenly, the image of the barely out from Hunter School, snotty eighteen-year-old flashes into my mind, who throws himself into the excitement of the unit with sparkling eyes, ready for action, and runs towards danger, as the reckless fools in that age usually do. The vision brings a faint smile to my face because I find the mental picture of the barely-out-of-puberty Garrick honestly sweet.

"Don't exaggerate, Gaz. You could've handled it on your own." Price glances at the mentioned, with a cheeky, but appreciative smile on his face, and that gives him the vibe of paternal love once again, with which he often turns to the younger man. The dynamic between the two is truly heartwarming and sickeningly sweet, but even my dark soul softens at their interactions. "Ghost and Soap joined the unit a bit later, but I was lucky enough to see what they're capable of even before that." He points to the two Hunters with his glass, thus confirming my earlier hypothesis that they've indeed known each other longer than I originally would have thought.

"Good old days." MacTavish comments with unusual brevity, and as his bright eyes shift to his glass, I get the feeling for the umpteenth time that they were involved in some sizeable shit back then, which even to this day can conjure up such an upset expression on the face of one of their most carefree members.

"The life of the unit wasn’t very eventful, as far as it was possible. But then Makarov came..." Price proceeds with the story, and at the mention of the unknown name, the unmistakable wrinkles of hatred and anger appear on the faces of each Hunter, almost at the same time, and I just study their reaction in bewilderment. But despite my surprise, I realize that we have arrived at the catalyst of the entire chain of events.

"Makarov?" I repeat the rather Russian-sounding name, and it does not escape my attention how instinctively the captain's jaw tightens after I bring up the foreign villain again. But I don't need to know who this faceless stranger is to recognize that he must be a serious asshole if he managed to sneak so deeply into the minds of every member of Unit 141.

"Leader of a Russian separatist group. At the time, he was famous for getting his hand on any weapon that his customers could pay for." Explains the Hunter, gathering strength to continue with another sip. And in me, just the phrase of the separatist group triggers a plethora of assumptions, which help to define who this anonymous criminal might be. Although these small illegally operating congregations, completely separate from the colonies, have been making life difficult for everyone for years alongside the mutant threat, this is the first time I've heard of someone who dealt with such dangerous businesses. However, this is mostly the fault of the news providers, since they only report information that doesn't cause undue panic among the already agitated population. "This is exactly what made Colony no. 9 a target. At that time, they were developing a powerful ballistic missile that would've been able to destroy nests with great precision, without causing the slightest collateral damage. It would've been a simple, clean method."

"Oh, missiles. They were really in high demand once. It's a shame these bastards are smarter now." I muse, and the set of data I viewed during the years spent in the lab flashes before my eyes, where these mischievous little rockets appeared quite often. And they never brought lasting success, or mostly nothing.

When the virus appeared, what hit humanity the most unexpectedly was the fact that suddenly thousands of mindless and bloodthirsty mutant monsters swarmed into all and any inhabited areas they could get into. The phenomenon was unexplainable, but it reached all corners of the world within a few days, and the leaders of the most powerful countries at the time had no chance to react to the threat in time. And dropping one nuclear bomb was enough for them to know, that while the explosion kills the fucking beasts, the radiation doesn't stop them and only reduces the precious resources for humans instead. The short latency of the virus and the fact that the mutation happened in a matter of hours was hazardous enough, but there was no way to wipe them out without massive collateral damage. Fortunately, the Hunters appeared, who were immune to the bite, and with their newfound superpowers, they were so effective at tearing the monsters apart that came into their path that, together with the military, they were able to push them out of the areas where the colonies are located today. Then, a good ten years after the breakout, several specimens gathered into hordes once again, made nests, and carried on with their idyllic little lives. Governments were quite disturbed by the fact that their previous purely aggressive behavior had been replaced by somewhat organized habits, but when these creatures, distorted beyond recognition, began to breed with each other, it created a whole new set of concerns. After all, in this way, they not only infected their other animal companions through their bites, but also gave birth to new offsprings, which were already stronger than their parents. This is how the lovely little missiles came into the picture, which at first successfully exterminated the nests, but then after a while these fuckers started predicting the arrival of the rockets somehow, presumably with the help of their super-sensitive hearing. By the time the package hit its target, they had already escaped. Over the years, they experimented with various missiles, but sooner or later the stunt always failed. And making these toys was a very expensive pastime with limited resources, so most colonies gave up on fabricating them altogether.

"Well, it was an interesting enough development for Makarov to notice." Price notes, running his hand along his beard with a nervous sigh. "And when he arrived, he brought such chaos with him that no one was prepared for." He brings up the climax of the tale, and just at the mention of it, the miserable expression takes over his features that I've never seen on the man before, and this sufficiently sobers me up as well. "He lured the I.M.L.s out with sound alarms, from a nest we didn't even know about. He led them all the way to the colony, where he blasted a hole in the wall and let those bastards do their thing. And they did." The Hunter's voice fills with that helpless rage that no doubt reflects what he must have felt when all hell broke loose. And everything I wanted to say stuck in my throat, because when I remember how efficiently that damned whistling, diabolical structure directed that mutant piggy towards me in the forest, angry and ready to rampage, then it’s not difficult to imagine in what condition that nest of mutants could have broken into the colony.

"Everyone was ordered out to the city, but we didn't stand a chance. I've never seen so many I.M.L.s in one place. It was like the first breakout." MacTavish joins in, and the cavalcade of emotions caused by the recalled memories sweeps over his face with noticeable grimness. "They were everywhere in 10 minutes. They killed everything in their path."

And the Scottish man doesn't need to go into detail for me to realize what horrors he must have seen there. Even history books only talked about the massacres that took place when the virus appeared in a censored form, and the fate of Colony no. 9 could've been very similar to this. And the image inevitably appears in my head, as hundreds of enraged beasts flood the streets of the peaceful city, tearing apart, killing, and devouring everything and everyone in their way. Women, men, old and young, these creatures don't differentiate between two delicious morsels, they degrade anyone into an unrecognizable bloody mess without discrimination. And this picture is so vivid in my mind that I am finally overcome by the mournful mood that has been present in the Hunters since the beginning of the story.

"Then, when the authorities saw how hopeless the situation was, we were instructed to leave the colony together with the important officials." Price goes on, and his statement deepens my shock, because even though I'm a mean bastard, even I'm not so terribly heartless. Even if the decision itself was an inhuman but logical step. "There was no room for opposition, we received an order, and our hands were tied." The Hunter recalls, and my eyes instinctively find his fingers clenching around his glass. "So, all the Hunters and soldiers left everything behind and evacuated."

"Then one of the fuckin' missiles was detonated." MacTavish snaps, and his anger deepens his accent further, which makes his entire exasperated outburst even more harshly emphasized. The resentment that rages in him even now is justified, and I don't blame him for the hatred reviving in his eyes. "The entire colony was destroyed." He adds, but the outcome was quite obvious from the moment he mentioned that damn rocket. And this confession puts the graveness of the tale in a completely different light, and it suddenly becomes painfully clear to me what kind of trauma happened to them, which later forged the small team together.

"We were pulled out because it was more important to protect the lives of the bloody government members." Garrick spits with pure loathing, and his face twists with the mixture of hatred and anger, and this is the first time I see the Hunter filled with such fury. "But no one cared about the many innocents who were killed by the I.M.L.s or the missile." He says, looking at his glass, and suddenly I understand what he meant during our little recharge session that took place in the gym, when he said that he knows what it's like to let shit happen. And I don't like the pain that rips through my chest when I see the man's hopeless rage. According to this, I wasn’t wrong when I assumed that there were bitter experiences behind his good intentions. And now, for the first time, it bothers me that I was right.

"The authorities were glad that Makarov didn’t succeeded, because that would've meant a much greater danger later on." The captain continues to unfold the events, and to vent his frustration, he raises his cigar to his mouth again, hoping that the tobacco will calm his nerves, I suspect. "I met Kate in the temporary refugee camp. I had known her before, but back then she was also among those who miraculously escaped. We agreed that our hands are tied under government leadership, and this needs to change. I didn't care if I had to get my hands dirty if I could keep the innocents clean. So Kate offered me to join her, and she helped me set up a private unit. She entrusted me to recruit who I see fit."

"It wasn't even a question we'd join after what happened." Garrick agrees, giving his comrades a meaningful look, who nod in agreement at his testimony. And I do not doubt that this experience brought them closer. Thus, it makes sense why this unit embarks on adventures that are far more dangerous than necessary, and for the first time, I don't even have a sarcastic remark about their heroism. Because I understand that they are fueled by the motivation to overcome the helplessness they had to deal with, and I can empathize with this sentimentality. In light of this, Riley's hostile behavior also becomes quite rational, because, in the eyes of someone who was driven by this trauma to protect the colony unconditionally, my callous and selfish indulgence may have been an even bloodier crime than I had previously suspected. And I'm not happy about the way this feeling gives room to an incipient sense of guilt in the hidden corners of my soul.

"What happened to Makarov?" I voice the obvious question instead, thereby beneficially suppressing the useless negative emotions that arose in me, since the mention of the unfamiliar villain promises to be a much more pleasant topic.

"That bastard hasn't been found since." Riley joins the conversation for the first time since his arrival, and the murderous temper in his eyes warns even me to be careful, even though his anger is not directed at me now. "But if he survived, we'll find him sooner or later." The man promises ominously, probably expressing the thoughts of the others as well. Because, as I take a look at the Hunters, one by one, a rock-solid determination similar to that of the masked man sits on their faces.

"It wasn't a happy story, indeed." I finally break their gloom, attempting to turn the meeting, which started out lighthearted, back to its original direction after the rather interesting trip down memory lane. Recalling so many bad experiences for one evening is more than enough, because statistically, the trauma per person in this neon-lit office is now well beyond the limits of the healthy range.

"You were right that everyone has a similar sad story." Price refers to my apt remark I made earlier, thereby confirming the fact that in this filthy cesspool that the world has become, no one gets even close to a happy ending. "That's exactly why we need all the help. So that nothing like this can happen again, if it's up to us." He nods his head towards me, and I don't have to mobilize a single molecule of my intellect to know what a significant hint the captain is giving me.

He doesn't need to spell out that I am also included in this "all help" group, because by now it has become quite obvious what kind of thrills I am invited to by being accepted as a member of the team. And now my first instinctive thought is not about escaping from the task in creative ways, but instead, I just conjure a sassy grin on my face, fueled by my newly found inspiration.

"Luckily you managed to get your hand on a real first-class Extreme Healer." I emphasize the useful presence of my humble person as I place my glass on the table and encourage Price to refill it.

"We can thank Kate for that too." The man pulls a brazen little smile on his face, that draws small lines around his eyes, and cooperates with my silent request for booze without any resistance. He fills my glass, and then the whiskey bottle goes around again to give those present the divine liquid. But before I can enjoy the pleasant tingle of alcohol again, MacTavish jumps up with renewed enthusiasm and holds his glass high, drawing everyone's attention to himself.

"Let's drink to Laswell!" The Hunter suggests cheerfully, and then he turns his gaze to me in a tenth of a second, in which the well-known mischievous light flashes, establishing my displeasure in advance. "And to Woods, the sly viper!" He shouts with complete approval to his statement, and although my eyebrows shoot up with indignation upon hearing his nickname, I am still unable to keep my contempt for long. After all, considering how I usually attack suddenly and ambush my victims, he managed to come up with a rather fitting name.

We all stand up almost in sync to comply with MacTavish's initiative, and as our glasses clink together, my scan the Hunters, finally, for the first time in my life, I feel that maybe it really won't be so horrible to work my guts out as part of a unit. Because even if not all members are overjoyed at my presence, I am sure that they are more happy that I am here than I can imagine. And this only strengthens my determination to fight tooth and nail to stay here.

[its-wabby-stuff]

yeah, i want to get an explanation for why he named himself splinter in universe. the turtles being splinters of his relationship with big mama reminded me of how leo is kind of a perfect combination of lou jitsu and big mama's personalities. his goofiness is like big mama's and his showmanship like lou jitsu's and his need to win. there are more similarities but you know. personally, I like the idea that big mama is older than draxum and that she's had so many lovers (bc she's a jorōgumo) but lou jitsu is her favorite in her whole life. i just think that supernatural lifeforms being a sucker for a regular degular person is cute. also lou is similar bc he dated a ton of ppl before big mama but wanted to marry her over everyone else <3 the hc of her name being big mama bc lou gave her that name is gold!! that's funny and sweet on big mama's end. she is so charmed by lou, bro. she totally has commitment issues haha. but it took lou 11 years to decide he wanted to marry big mama. he thought hard about that one which makes it more tragic T_T yes!!! you know how big mama canoncially has one of lou's mutant daughters? i hc big mama naming her after an artist lou liked bc she is not over him. i wonder how old the battle nexus is. i figured dating people and throwing them in the battle nexus was an ancient scheme of big mama's but maybe it was new. there's lots of lore we're missing in general :/ i think splinter is embarrassed of who he is now, so telling his kids that he used to be the coolest guy ever and now he's a little rat with no friends, insanely depressed, and kinda just sucks in general is humiliating. the person he is today pales so intensely compared to lou jitsu, he doesn't want to compare it

All good reasons, yes. 😌 📝 I love the comparison you made to Leo being like Lou and Big Mamas “child” cause I agree very much.

Honestly, knowing she’s a jorogumo (which I didn’t know about before) does make me think my headcanons are a little off. And the kidnapping lovers thing makes a lot of sense. Though I doubt many of the humans survive as long as Lou Jitsu.

Perhaps it’s just tradition that she kidnaps them when they propose.

She definitely has elapsed a lot of control in the Hidden City, so it’s very likely she’s older, or has old connections. Everything regarding the Hidden City seems a complete mystery that almost anything seems possible. Given a lot of the history, the Hidden City seems even older than New York, which would imply they weren’t kicked to the depths but chose them. And if the Hidden City is that old, are there more Yokai cities hidden under more big cities? Are there Small Town Yokai civilizations? Are they really all that suppressed if they have this many options?

(They feel like they have more control just because they are such a secret). These points kinda express how insane Draxum must sound to the other Yokai as well…

Whatever Big Mamas backstory, Lou Jitsu is proven one of her favs, and possibly the only human she’s ever actually (accidentally) fallen in love with. Alongside Lou’s own commitment issues, she was probably hoping they could keep what they had, which led them to dating for a decade.

Getting a tad personal here, but I’m writing a separated AU where Leo is in the custody of Big Mama. And one of the problems arises when Leo meets Donnie and wants to be friends with him. In a weird way, it might remind Big Mama of her relationship with Lou (too invested in the fates of someone other than herself) and she tries to stop it. It’s one of my favorite arcs, along with the Draxum one.

I’m glad you liked the nickname Big Mama coming from Lou Jitsu. I really like that one too. But if she’s been around so long, I wonder what everybody else thought when she changed her previous name (which was probably just another code name).

All this Yokai drama makes me wonder how long the boys could actually live for. Could be over a hundred years, especially cause Draxum wouldn’t strive for anything less. It’s just sad to think they could thoroughly outlive April.