#limbus meta

[necronatural]

What's Up With Dante's Name Anyway

It's fairly evident from the start Dante's name is not actually Dante. They express superficial "I've kind of heard of it, but idk what that is" reactions to a number of things, but make it clear that "Dante" is completely alien to them. Their own name!

Notable is that the sinners will write/embroider? their own names on their coats.

You can see Rodion uses her nickname, how she would like to be referred. DonQui's as the standard, a little uneven but clear and readable. Yi Sang wrote his in lowercase. Ishmael started writing hers, then before she finished tore the lower half of the coat off, preventing her from finishing her name. Gregor's is distorted; why that is is unclear, but the top 2 options are "he's right-handed and couldn't fix it once the mistake was made" and "he never learned to write to begin with". His profile seems to be the only one that's been typed out, so either way, he physically struggles to write, thus proving these are written by the Sinners personally.

Now look at Dante's.

They've interpreted the name phonetically. It's so alien to them they don't even know it's Italian. This is absolutely not their name.

Now, important to note Dante is a sinner too! They're in the lineup as #10, and they have a subtitle name just like the rest of them, "DURANTE". Durante is the poet Dante Alighieri's full name; "Dante" is a nickname, a term of familiarity.

Coincidentally, while their profile doubles down on "Dante", their jacket in that profile is written with...what's this??

DURANTE. The subtitle name.

Now, the subtitle names (purpose unknown) are also written out on the sinners, also clearly written by the sinner themselves, in their native language. On their weapons! (Mostly; Yi Sang's is on his bag, and as his knife is sheathed and obscured we can't tell if it's on there as well.)

Notable is Outis, of course;

Her subname is just her name. That's because she's based on Odysseus; "Outis" is a pseudonym, the written word's first John Doe.

This makes the reversal a little strange; going by a LC-assigned pseudonym, but your subtitle is your true name? That doesn't sound right. While it's obvious Dante can't go by their real name (their identity is being withheld for a reason, as mysterious as it may be), something is up!

My current theories are

Funniest possible option: They've been provided with a nickname as their alias, which is alien because absolutely no one has ever referred to them by nickname before

Durante is a surname; they would never be referred to as "Dante" because their first name (notably missing from their promo art's coat) is the one that would get a nickname. Notable that Durante is generally a surname nowadays.

Durante is just an alias, just like Outis', but can no longer be used due to the secrecy around Dante's previous identity

Durante is the name of D corporation (D-corp being where Dante was found, and the region that is soon to experience a mass-death-event of around 200,000 people in June of 985), which they are the CEO/Face of

Durante is the name of a specific role within the D Corporation that is self-evidently very high up, possibly tasked with being the interface for their Singularity (their Star?)

[cyborg-squid]

At the end of Canto IV part 2, thought 1: I feel like what may snap Heathcliff out of his Distortion (or at least contribute to it) would be Nelly telling him the truth of the conversation he only partially overheard; where she does profess her love for Heathcliff (albeit talking down of him while doing so):

"It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff, now; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am. Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same..." and on the next page "-my love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath- a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff -"

She loves Heathcliff, but also wants to possess him, to own him, body and soul, and wants the status that comes with marrying Linton while she's at it, and while you could say that Heathcliff is hardly blameless when it comes to Cathy's death, it is not as much on him as 'Heathcliff?' says it is, and to assume so is plain (if unknowing) selfishness on Heathcliff's part and ignores Cathy's own agency. But all Heathcliffs (LCB, Mirror World, and original book) put Cathy up on so high a pedestal, particularly after their long seperations from her.

Limbus Catherine is definitely up to something (complimentary), Heathcliff Distorting at this point in time, being told and shown that he is solely responsible for both Catherine's happiness and her sorrow, that he is her cause of death, that 'he' must punish 'himself' for being happy (mirroring book!Heathcliff's own acts of revenge and life-ruining), for having these adventures, how could he be doing that when he killed Cathy?! She's binding him tighter to her, I don't think she's alive in the normal sense but she's definitely out there and by pushing Heathcliff to the brink with Distortion and pulling him to her with senses of guilt and responsibility and love and longing, she may be getting what she wants at last, to truly possess Heathcliff, to be one with him, especially evidenced by her text being the exact same color as his.

thought the 2nd: I'm betting part 3 will have Nelly open up whatever is in that big box she's been carrying around, probably some sort of weapon, I'm personally hoping for a pile bunker.

[enkephallic]

Limbus Company: Deep Analysis of Sin

So, I decided to take a deeper dive into the different sin types in Limbus Company.

The TLDR Version:

Wrath - Unable to accept something

Lust - Having a strong desire

Sloth - Losing sight

Gluttony - Satisfaction-seeking

Gloom - Controlled by pain

Pride - Contempt of others/selfishness

Envy - Desire to surpass

Regarding the sinners' skills, the sin position is important as well. A S1 sin is a surface-level appearance, but S3 represents something deep inside them.

The detailed explanations are under the cut!

Wrath

Wrath, on the surface level, can present as being irritable or hard to get along with.

Wrath S1 examples

LCB Ishmael, who seems irritable and nitpicky at first.

Seven Heathcliff "Why am I doing this stupid job?"

Hook Office Hong Lu "Don't speak so softly, I'll feel homicidal"

S2 gets closer to how they really feel. The feeling of wrath comes from the feeling of "I can't accept this" - whether it's how they're being treated, how their environment is, etc.

Wrath S2 examples

LCB Heathcliff (past speculation) - Discriminated, mistreated, resenting what's happening to him

LCB Sinclair (past) - I don't want to get prosthetics

W Corp Hong Lu - Bored with his job.

And S3 wrath represents a strong rejection - they won't accept Anything they deem contrary to their own beliefs and ideals. It is a violent refusal.

Wrath S3 examples

N corp identities who are brainwashed - Kill all the dissenters and heretics.

Pequod Ishmael - "It's MY way or the HIGHWAY, god damn it!" (Throws a fit if another ID kills an enemy)

R Corp Ishmael - Hates it to the point she's looking for Singularity information of old R corp

LCB Rodya - I can't accept this armchair revolution and endless poverty. I have to kill this old windbag.

Lust

Lust in this case is a pursuit of something non-physical - a relationship, an ideal, a core element of your self. On the surface level, this can present as really wanting to be something.

Lust S1 Examples

LCB Don Quixote - Wants to become a great Fixer.

W Corp Ryoshu - Wants to be a great artist.

Sous Chef Gregor - Wants to improve his cooking.

S2 is a little stronger than just normal desire. They will willingly hurt other people or trample them to achieve their goal.

Lust S2 Examples

Tingtang Gangleader Hong Lu - Uses violence and is callous to those invading his turf

The One Who Grips Faust - Massacres Sinclair's village to get what she wants

LCB Ryoshu - Her idea of beauty ties in with violence

S3 is a little different - It's desiring something so badly on an existential level. It's pretty much what they live for.

Lust S3 Examples

R.B. Chef Ryoshu - Needs to be one of the Eight. Will stop at nothing to achieve this.

N Corp Heathcliff - Not brainwashed, doesn't really want to be. Wants to preserve his "true self".

G Corp Gregor - After an irreversible transformation, fully believes his reason to exist is to be a killing machine.

Interestingly, both LCB Heathcliff and Hong Lu have a Lust S3.

Sloth

Sloth is inaction, watching from the sidelines, not seeing what is in front of you. This can start with just simply being misguided, believing something to be true when it's not.

Sloth S1 Examples

W Corp Don Quixote - "I am working at a Wing!! CHOO CHOO!! Sally forth!!"

LCB Outis - Her piss-poor act of blind acceptance and obedience.

LCB Meursault - It is simply none of my business if Sinclair hyperventilates and vomits on the floor.

S2 sloth is more purposeful, not taking action when one should or purposefully being ignorant of reality.

LCB Faust - Does not tell Dante and the others a lot of information and doesn't stop sinners from running amok.

LCB Hong Lu - Despite being perceptive, does not seem to register bad situations as bad or react to pain appropriately.

G Corp Gregor - This feels wrong but I'll just continue with it anyway.

S3 sloth is a total loss of vision, not being able to see what's important to them. Losing sight of all they used to desire, and doing nothing about it.

Dieci IDs - Lost their memory and doesn't even remember what was most important to them.

K Corp Hong Lu - Doesn't seem to mind his total loss of freedom and autonomy, despite desiring freedom in other IDs.

LCB Yi Sang - Could not care about anything he once loved or aspired to be, until he was able to gain his wings once more.

Blade Lineage Don Quixote - Once used her strength to fight alongside her comrades, but now kills for purely her own sake.

Gluttony

Gluttony is a desire to be satisfied, whether it's something material or psychological. This can present like greed or selfishness at first sight.

S1 Gluttony Examples

LCB Rodya - "I want meat, I want money, I want to gamble!"

LCB Ryoshu - "Let me smoke. Let me do as I please."

Lantern EGO Don Quixote - Curious about the abnormalities and wanting to know more about them

S2 Gluttony is wanting more at a crucial point in their life, or desiring more than they could chew. It could also mean getting hooked into something or addicted.

S2 Gluttony Examples

LCB Ishmael - "I quit my job, I need something that's not labour hellscape... Hm? That hag can sure talk..."

R Corp Heathcliff - Began deriving enjoyment from killing

N Corp Don Quixote - Didn't even need the brainwashing, got hooked onto the N Corp ideology herself

S3 Gluttony seems to be the final stage of seeking what they desire - being satisfied, even when they shouldn't be.

S3 Gluttony Examples

Tingtang Gangleader Hong Lu - Seems completely happy and enjoying himself

Seven Heathcliff - Actually learned to like his job

W Corp Hong Lu - Doesn't want praise or a raise, just fine with how things are now

Gloom

Gloom represents pain, and how it affects how the person treats their situation or other people. On the surface level, they may appear melancholic or having given up.

S1 Gloom Examples

LCB Yi Sang, LCB Gregor - Self explanatory.

Rosespanner Meursault - Crushed by work

R Corp Ishmael - Headache, pain, does not like it here

S2 Gloom is a moment of despair, when something in their heart was broken. This may also involve guilt and inflicting pain.

W Corp Don Quixote and most W Corp IDs (Except Hong Lu and Ryoshu) - The shocking reveal of what W Corp really is.

N Corp Heathcliff - "What the hell am I even doing??"

Lobotomy EGO Heathcliff - "All my friends are dead."

S3 Gloom can represent letting their pain affect how they treat others. Lashing out, being insensitive to others' pain, or simply giving up and accepting the hurt as inescapable.

W Corp Yi Sang - Abandoned hopes for freedom, just wants it to hurt a little less

G Corp Outis - Knows she cannot escape the unfair treatment

LCB Ishmael - Lashes out and hurts others because she is deeply hurting, making it more painful for her too

Pride

Pride is the belief that they are different from other people, and so the rules don't apply to them. This can seem as arrogance at first, even if they are not actually like that.

S1 Pride Examples

LCB Sinclair - Rich boy 1

LCB Hong Lu - Rich boy 2

LCB Faust - Doesn't hide that she thinks she's better than everyone else

S2 Pride can contain disdain for other people, and believing they are better than those around them. Therefore, their actions can be excused in their eyes.

S2 Pride Examples

LCB Meursault and LCB Outis - Competent and they know it themselves. Outis thinks of her comrades as dirt and points and laughs when they die.

W Corp Ryoshu - Her art comes from chopping up the dead and deformed passengers, doesn't give a single shit about them

LCB Rodya - Believed she was special enough to make a difference and split the hag's skull.

S3 pride goes a step further - their own desires take precedence over anyone else's. They may even see other people's lives as literally the same as a blade of grass. If they want something, they'll trample everything and anything.

S3 Pride Examples

The One Who Grips Faust - Probably doesn't even give a shit about the grand ideology or her minions. Just did it because she could, and wanted to.

The Middle Little Sister Don Quixote - "I can kill anyone who disrespected my organization!"

LCB Ryoshu - Has the littlest regard for human life.

Envy

Envy can start out with the simple desire to surpass someone, to become better than others. To want more than what other people have.

S1 Envy Examples

Tingtang Gangleader Hong Lu - Began wanting to be stronger, to have more power.

LCB Heathcliff - Rich bastards are annoying, they don't deserve it more than I do

Shi Ishmael - Just wants to survive in a world of dog eat dog

S2 envy is the need to be better than what you once were, to surpass yourself and get something accomplished.

S2 Envy Examples

LCB Yi Sang - Bettered his own craft and created the mirror.

Pequod Members - Lay their past self to rest, and opted to hunt the whale.

R.B. Chef Ryoshu - Wants to make better and better pies

S3 Envy is the result of their desire to surpass - or that they have accomplished something, but with a heavy price.

S3 Envy Examples

W Corp Ryoshu - Extremely powerful, but her sword will suck up her health if she doesn't charge it properly.

R Corp Heathcliff - Gained insane power but lost something important to him in the process.

LCB Sinclair - Was able to avoid getting prosthetics but his whole family dead.

Pequod Heathcliff - Managed to get out of the Middle but is covered in scars he can't erase.

I will continue to write more specific theories, but this is how I feel about the sin affinities right now! I'd love to write about EGO and enemies as well soon.

[picaroroboto]

first level understanding: Meursault is the only Sinner with the Screwloose Wallop EGO because of the robots to autism connection

second level understanding: it's because the machine that asks "Do you love the city you live in?" and turns you into a cyborg if you don't is essentially a machine that punishes deviation from the norm, just like how in l'Etranger Meursault is punished more for processing grief in an unusual way than for the crime that he actually did commit.

[offshore-brinicle]

You know, despite the fact that the Tearful Thing's storyline is often overlooked in analysis of Canto IV I feel like it's actually very significant that Yi Sang and the Tearful Thing are actually paralels in a lot of ways. It all started with them making a simple wish to share happiness with others, and that wish led them to knowledge or power that would eventually be exploited.

Think about Yi Sang's situation in N Corp where, much like the Tearful Thing, he's kept locked away and dehumanized, being "harvested" for the mirror and forbidden from interacting with others while being intentionally kept in a state of perpetual misery while the other workers at N Corp altered what he produced in that isolation for their own gain without any interest on where what they are handling truly originated and with what purpose it came to be, exactly like how the Tearful Thing is treated by K Corp researchers.

The fact that his final monologue CG happens in front of the vat, with the screens that were used to overwhelm the Tearful Thing with sadness and despair so that it would keep crying and producing more material for K Corp, now showing Yi Sang's own memories of regret and sadness and despair instead feels extremely deliberate. Not to mention the fact that his EGO is called "Crow's Eye View"

[toriyaki]

My Limbus OC, Darwin. A member of the LCCB whose life's dream is to write her own book on all the monsters and beasties she's encountered while on the job.

Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, Darwin's journal entries are done with a Company Issued Ballpoint Pen™ inside a Company Issued Composition Notebook™.

Darwin's abno entries will be tagged "Darwin's Notes" on my blog :3c (Keep in mind, I originally made these notes and guides for my friends who recently got into Limbus. They are by no means a meta guide, and are only based off my own personal experiences with these abnos as well as the tactics I personally found to be effective when dealing with them. Don't cancel me for any mistakes I made pls thanks ;w;)

[lesbianredhoodedmercenary]

happy father's day i'm thinking about this outis line again

I always thought it was a bit out of pocket considering this isn't too long after the events of Canto III, even with how Outis was being harsher this Canto.

But I then I remembered that Outis' son is the same age as Sinclair.

Her son, who thinks that she died in the Smoke War (the in universe equivalent to the Trojan War as depicted in the Iliad and the Odyssey) because she hasn't been home in years. Her son who cannot cry out to her. And her son, who is currently in much the same position as Sinclair regarding his self-perception and ability to fight, as Telemachus refers to himself as "a weakling knowing nothing of valor" (Book 2 of the Odyssey, line number and exact wording depend on translation).

I think this line reflects more on Outis and her anxieties about her family thinking that she's dead, as well as a reference to Telemachus experiencing his own journey to manhood, much like Sinclair.

I think there's also things to be said for the parallels between Sinclair and Telemachus, even just the ones imagined by Outis. Hell's Chicken had her showing a very paternal worry over his diet (raise your hand if your dad has ever said you'll be short forever if you don't eat right). Overall, even though Sinclair and Telemachus only share the bones of a coming of age narrative, Outis is seeing connections there because she misses her family.

As with this one. Again, she's showing her hand more than she means to. Though she's talking to Dongrang, I think she's also talking to herself. Trying to reassure herself that home will always be waiting. Dongrang, however, decides not to return, but to pursue glory no matter who he hurts in the process. The Odyssey also contrasts the pursuit of glory with the desire to return home. Odysseus has to choose humility in order to return.

Outis has been keeping up a careful persona around us, but it's slipping. Her desire to return home is seeping through even as she tries to assert herself by clinging to the glory from a war that's long since ended.

[fengchikelp]

please i want her e.g.o so bad please please

[smokewars]

im just saying i think its interesting that despite how ultimately bleak, selfish and cruel the city and its residents are - its still extremely common for people (mainly fixers) to work together. and yeah i know its because there's strength in numbers, but at the same time a lot of those people get attached to others in the offices or syndicates they work in. they celebrate together, go drinking together and some of them even fall in love with each other. despite everything, there's still love and companionship to be found in that hellish world

[soft-hardboy]

🎏 Kiya Toriya :: Sinner No. 25

i realized just how behind i am on posting stuff on tumblr for limbus i am so behind ive barely even posted like all the finished pieces or introductory things for oc stuff!!! the title link btw leads to his google drive document with all of his info! document preview

and also the full sprite sheet since he has full emotions too that im regularly adding to

[zwei-association-official]

*you are greeted by the sounds of hustle and bustle of various fixers and civilians as you enter the office building. You a greeted by the receptionist in a tone that couldn't sound anymore robotic or disinterested if they tried."

Hello, Welcome to the Zwei Association Headquarters.

If you are here for a prior arrangement please wait in the lobby to your left. If you are here for our currently open contracts, the contract board is to your right.

Otherwise just take one of these forms and go fill it out... over there... or something.

*the receptionist vaguely gestures to a stack of papers besides their desk labeled "questions and requests"*

Hmmm.... oh yeah, and remember we are "Your Shield".

*behind them is a corkboard dotted with various reminder notes and stickers, as well as a framed picture labeled "Employee of the month"*

OP here. Yep this is an askblog for Zwei Association. My first time ever running something like this so please be patient with me on somethings.

I'll try to have ooc stuff be handled this way, in these little indented blocks past the "read more" and possibly the tags. I don't know yet, I'll figure it out as I go.

As for no goes/guidelines: no NSFW obviously, don't be an asshole. Nothing illegal or anything like that. Do try your best to make it pretty obvious who you're talking too/if you're talking in character cause I will admit sometimes that can just go straight over my head. And overall just play nice.

Also yes I am willing to change out the "Employee of the month" picture on request. I'll even do OCs as long as they're zwei themed. Just note that i might not do it right away cause I kinda want there to be some time between changes if that makes sense

Lastly Here's a link to a bunch all the characters walking around the association, just to help give you an idea of what's going on and who's on the table. EDIT: Hey would you look at that a whole bunch for PM themed askblogs have showed up \(￣︶￣*\)). for those who want to check some of them out here's a convenient placeholder link created by 7association-was-here that links to a bunch of them. go give some of them a look when you get the time

[necronatural]

Limbus Company theory

Okay, I have absolutely no idea if anyone's noted this yet. Did anyone pick up that the Sinners are held down by a Sin, represented in their EGO, and their Canto are about their struggles against another sin entirely. The branch creates a space for 'penance'. When Rodya entered the field of effect of the branch, Baba Yaga went crazy, freezing the entire mine. There's clearly some paralleling at work here.

So let's go through.

Gregor, Canto 1: Sloth V Gluttony (survival); note that this expedition failed, and we later explore Sloth with Yi Sang

Rodion, Canto 2: Pride V Gloom; note that Rodya refused to actualize

Sinclair, Canto 3: Gluttony (Greed) V Lust

Yi Sang, Canto 4: Sloth V Gluttony (greed); Dante's resonance begins

Ishmael, Canto 5: Gloom V Envy; Dante's resonance progresses

When we look at the dominant sins of the remainder...

Heathcliff, Canto 6: Envy...

Don Quixote, Canto 7: Lust…

Hong Lu, Canto 8: Gloom…

Ryoshu, Canto 9: Wrath…

Meursault, Canto 10: Pride…

Outis, Canto 11: Pride…

Faust, Canto 12: Pride…

Dante, Canto ?: ????

Sins not confronted yet: Sloth, Pride, Wrath

Sinner sins left to explore: Envy, Wrath, Lust (If we're talking strictly what progressed Dante's clock, Gluttony & Pride)

Assuming Dante's doomsday clock setting is moving in 5 minute intervals, Dante currently has 2 positions left on their clock; 5 minutes to midnight and midnight itself. It's made almost explicit that their resonance with sinners is the tool with which they resonate with the branches. By obtaining each sin, they're building to some sort of complete whole.

Predictions based on this theory; Pride being so back-heavy probably means we're going to scramble for branches with Hermann. It gives the impression that for whatever reason Pride is necessary, which is interesting.

My own theory: Rodya says she'll settle in the cold [Gloom] for a little longer, and Sonya says she doesn't have the mark. I'd say this might mean Rodya hasn't sufficiently resonated. Sonya may have tried to bait her in hopes of getting better results in this regard.

This may mean ...

The last few Cantos will be a losing streak (LOL)

Someone who hasn't cleansed themselves of their opposing sin/formed the mark of cain will get the branch; I'd imagine this person shares sins with Dante, Vergilius, or Charon, who I believe are probably Envy, Wrath, and Lust respectively (OOP @ WHO WE'RE MISSING ⬆️)

In that respect Vergilius V Sloth, Charon V Pride, Dante V Wrath. I even think the wrath Dante is opposed to could be Vergilius

Very notable there's only 3 sins missing; it could be possible we already have Dante's branch; they were very obviously part of the group of Cain Marked, and again, their clock started at 25-to-midnight and just kind of sat there for a little while. It's also possible it didn't move until Yi Sang because their sin was Gluttony (ambiguous manifestation)? If Hermann also represents Lust ..... Think about it

Rodya's refusal of the call of Cain might become plot-relevant, just as our failure to observe what happened to Gregor on the myth arc timeline of 3 years ago and relationship with the Big Bad makes it obvious he's going to be a core character in the future. We can tell based on those who have the mark of Cain that he just doesn't have the chops, so mayhaps their mutual exclusion will be a surprise tool that will help us later.

And of course, my theories for the sins that weigh down our remaining Sinners: Heathcliff V Sloth, Don Quixote V Wrath, and Ryoshu V Pride. I predict all the Prides share Rodya's opposing force, which is Gloom; we see this in the books these characters are based on, with Meursault's despair of being sentenced to death being overcome by his Pride, Outis putting herself through grueling trials for the sake of returning to her family, and Faust beginning with suicidal depression leading to her pride creating(summoning) Mephistopheles.

I think it would be pretty funny if Dante was Gretchen's evil baby. Or that Gretchen might have been their previous self, manipulated into giving birth to Dante (extremely vulnerable and exploitable state), which they will be disgusted by and put to death. How many representations of the Divine Feminine in classic literature can Dante represent any% speedrun

[cyborg-squid]

I'm thinking about the moment with Meursault in Canto 6, when he talks about ensuring Heathcliff's safety even if it means forsaking the Golden Bough, as well as Heathcliff stabbing himself with the Bough which I couldn't help but think was inspired by when Yi Sang was stabbed with one, and what I love about it, more than just Sinners becoming friends, 'found family' sort of stuff, is that it comes after this period where. Dante really has a lot of doubts about the Sinners relationships with each other and themself, the fact that the Sinners, and even Vergilius, are all in this for their own reasons and goals. And there's Ishmael pushing everyone away in SEA and her Canto, and even back at the very beginning with the Sinners just murdering each other at 1st meeting.

It'd be one thing if it was like "Oh, they're friends now because they've been fighting alongside each other and have good chemistry" or whatever, but because this improvement in Sinner (and Vergilius!) relations comes after Dantes understandable doubts, and moments of downright unfriendliness and hostility between some of them, makes it so much better.

And of course, it also makes sense after the experiences we've had with the Golden Boughs so far, them showing and reflecting the past of the Sinners, as well as going up against people from their pasts; the characters with the most 'successful' Bough acquisitions, with them more fully confronting their pasts and manifesting EGOs (Yi Sang, Ishmael, Heathcliff), they come to better understand themselves, and of course, the others Sinners (and Dante) who witness it would come to understand and empathize with them as well, at least to an extent!

In a way, it mirrors the Floor Realizations of Library of Ruina; Angela's relationship with Patron Librarians starts in a much worse spot than the Sinner relationships, but it's through these Floor Realizations that the pasts of Angela, and then Roland, and the Sephirot themselves are put on display, are shown truly to one another, where motives and intentions can be understood, even if not agreed with. And of fucking course, doing all the Floor Realizations is the only way to get the true ending, understanding and acknowledgement and change is not only beneficial, it is necessary, not only to the individuals themselves, but to the City as a whole.

It is somewhat of a glib simplification to call the Floor Realizations and then the Golden Bough encounters 'therapy', but it's really not all that wrong.

I'm sure other posters have expressed it better before, but the way the Golden Bough successes have been helping their Sinners, makes me think of the end of LoR, how Angela and the Library can and will change the City and the people of it, for the better, contrary to the apathy expressed by Roland and others earlier in the story. "That's that, and this is this." That's just the way things are. But things don't have to be that way, and structural change begins at the individual level, starting with people being more honest with themselves, an overlapping belief of both Carmen and Angela (which is part of why there's this fine line between Distorting and manifesting EGO, two sides of the same coin).

So what I'm getting to is that I think the Golden Boughs have, in some way, been intentionally released from the Library in an attempt to bring about change to the people of the City, to have people go through positive changes like those some Sinners have had so far. From 'Lament', "stolen from the tree's hand", as well as Dante's new ability having the text "Sapling of Light" (iirc), you have these connections to trees and nature, specifically the Seed of Light project, as well as the 'boughs' of Golden Boughs.

Now, I do think things might not be going exactly as 'planned', the Limbus Company swooping in and taking the Golden Boughs; this attempt at mass self-help being caught up within the corporate gears of the City. Faust, Vergilius, others might have the proper idea of what the Boughs are all about, but you get the feeling that who (Dias???) or whatever is backing the Limbus Company has different motives.

I feel like all this, this idea of what the Golden Boughs might be and their intent, is kind of old news at this point and it's probably already been figured out by a lot of players, I've had it in my head for a while but was only able to properly articulate it now.

[enkephallic]

Hong Lu's Eye and Gloom

There's a few things Dieci Hong Lu, Liu Hong Lu and Yurodivy Hong Lu have in common - they all possess a gloom skill. And after their third skill, there's a shiny sound effect along with his eye sparkling.

Here are the examples of what I'm talking about:

Surely it can't be a coincidence. But what does this even mean? My theory is as follows:

Hong Lu's eye functions like the moonstones woven into Liu Association's clothes. Library of Ruina reveals that these outfits are great for dealing with distortions, as they enable the wearer to wall off psychological distress and mental harm.

Perhaps he was born with this, or it was fitted onto him at a young age. But if his eye really enabled him to shut off his emotions, it's possible this was used by his family for their own gain. It would also explain the way he's seemingly indifferent to murder and pain.

[picaroroboto]

oh right I did say I was going to post about Dante Limbus Company earlier. I guess I should do that now. Not that being obligated to do so is a burden for me there is a lot worth thinking and talking about with that clockhead.

With my fixation on Silent Protagonist Player Characters of the sort from RPGs and gachas, I've been meaning for a while to dissect what I feel is one of the major common themes for a lot of these sort of characters - a sense of "emptiness". With a variety of tropes like little to no facial expressions or dialogue options, androgyny, amnesia, no canon name or backstory, etc, space for the player to imagine or project themselves is created.

But while Dante has a lot of these tropes going on - amnesia, nonbinary, faceless and mostly voiceless due to the way the clock works, they are not a player-insert/self-insert character. They are a player vessel since they are the viewpoint character: the metaphorical camera is placed behind their (metaphorical) eyes. Unlike many other examples of player characters, particularly in gachas, they have a distinct internal monologue with their own defined thoughts and feelings. They have their own personality, it's just that said personality is unassertive and lacking confidence, which is in no small part due to the confusing and powerless situation they're trapped in.

The times we do see shades of a deeper personality are interesting though: we can tell they have some sense of justice and compassion even as they understand more and more that such things are almost impossible in the City, they sympathize with and want to connect with their Sinners even with all the pain and difficulties they put them through. They have no head, no memory, no voice, almost nothing at all except a sort of determination to get those things back and to understand what's going on around them.

This turned into a bit of a ramble since I didn't really have a specific direction to this post other than recognizing that while they have a lot of similar tropes Dante isn't a pure player-insert. I'm a little behind in story - just finished Canto IV - but I'm certain that as the story goes on we'll understand a lot more of what goes on behind that clock (literally and metaphorically), and I'll be enjoying every second of it.

[offshore-brinicle]

Can I say though Yi Sang and Aeng-du's instant connection and solidarity is one of my favorite things about this event, it's just so sweet and also so special how they find that feeling of safety just from also knowing someone from the homeland they have left behind while they remain so out of place in The City. It stands out so much when the general mentality of the world is "everyone for themselves" but S Corp's people and those who had to leave it behind seem to have found so much understanding and sympathy with each other.

Overall I find it so interesting and unique that more than any other District in The City the people of District 19 feel such genuine attachment to the land and its heritage, not just with Aeung-du, Kim and the rest of the Blade Lineage but going back to Dongbaek and Dongrang's EGOs too, it's just so special to see that very united sense of culture and heritage in a world that despite being multicultural and multilingual seems to have largely left such notions behind