#the sewer squad

[rosie-kairi]

What’re your thoughts on Mog? Have you seen the events with him and the other keykids?

I love the sewer squad they were such a fun addition to the chi saga. Like, yeah they're really not that important in the grand scheme of things but they are your friends. You have significant interactions with them and you really feel like a friend group due to all the little side events khux would sometimes have where you did A Thing with them.

One half of me wishes we got names for them (beyond just "Mog" and "[descriptive adjective] keyblade wielder") but I also understand why we didn't. Their designs were randomly picked out from in game outfits to make it feel more like they were fellow players you (the person playing it on your phone) might actually form a party with. There was no point to giving them names because it's not like they were Skuld or Ephemer levels of important. Giving them names might've created an expectation that they would be plot relevant when they were really just there to show that, y'know. that Player had friends they cared about.

Anyway Mog specifically. I thought he was funny as hell. absolute icon for having a speech bubble that just said "*screams*". Cringefail loser. I remember there was a joke theory that he was Demyx and I thought that would be funny as hell. Can you imagine.

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

[thetwilightroadtonightfall]

it really is a shame that sewer squad (Player’s friends) never got canon names because they were a very queer friend group to me. lbr they probably all named themselves. Probably went to Daybreak Town’s pride parade and made headlines calling themselves a whole ass fruit bowl collectively

[saintmeghanmarkle]

The 2023 Kaboom! Annual Report acknowledges the #𝑺𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒓𝑺𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒅

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author: SeptiemeSens

submitted: May 23, 2024 at 02:05PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[dandelionvirus]

Idk what more ridiculously rule breaking thing I want more

Brain figuring out time travel in a way to bring all the wrongfully dead in the mobile games to come together and beat the shit out of MoM in unison

Or the dandelion leaders all being adults and not ghosts (other than ven) and telling Sora and co to get the fuck out of the way this is their fight to finish with MoM or the foretellers or whatever

[djkibrit]

Sewer Squad (+ the "Friends are not my power" guy) sprite edits that I did back in 2021 (damn... It's been long haha)

There are some things that I would change as of now: I would keep the "Funky Glasses" kid's Galaxy Hair, completely redo the "Frog Gal" outfit, better the drawing of the "not friends" shirt and some other minor nitpicks. But I was really proud of them at the time

General Observations: 1. The outfits' parts were taken from Roboloid's Assets Gallery; 2. Mog still uses his "Mog Hat" (the sprite of him was just supposed to show how he looks underneath it); 3. The "not friends" clothing was too similar to the one of Mog, so I tried to make it more unique; 4. I tried to keep the sprites kind of close to canon (in most cases at least) to still make the characters recognizable

Underneath the "Read More" is a comparison between the canon sprites and my edits

[serenedash]

A member of the sewer squad, requested by @maxiepdmoore-art !!! I have nicknames for all of them and I call her Captain :)

[barcodegaybitch]

Why do I smoke?

Because it makes me one step closer to death...

Because I hope I get cancer and die...

Because with every cig my mind stops for a second...

Because I don't care if I destroy myself...

Because nothing matters anymore...

I'm going to kill myself anyways

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

How much would they charge us to stop talking?

[gatorbites-imagines]

In that case… Could I please request Killer Croc/Waylon Jones with a supringly really attractive boyfriend (like a male version Jessica Rabbit level hot, like it dosen’t even make sense for someone to be that hot) who no one understand how Waylon pulled. Waylon’s boyfriend is very sultry and alluring.

And Waylon roughly breeds his boyfriend doggy style 😇.

Thank u :)

Waylon Jones x Male reader

Headcanons

Guten Abend squad, how is everyone doing? Classes are still running at a max level, and I’m starting to think this is just how it goes. So, time to chillax with some Waylon.

Not as smutty as I would have wanted, but this honestly just built a life of its own and started running.

We see in the comics, or at least in one run, that Waylon does have game and knows how to pull somebody very attractive, so its not too surprising so could pull you. That’s what you think at least, since he’s a great guy, to you.

I imagine you two met after he left the circus, maybe you guys even left together. With Waylon being the circus’s “freakshow” and you only being there as eye candy to sell tickets. With you both being reduced to nothing but your looks, you two find solidarity with each other, and fall in love.

No one ever really took your love seriously back then, just thinking you were using Waylon for protection, since someone as pretty as you couldn’t be safe anywhere.

Insert the “seriously, what do you see in that guy?” “he makes me laugh” scene.

If we go with the verse where Waylon was in Halys circus, then the only ones that seemed to have some version of acceptance of your love was the Grayson’s. it was one of the reasons you two left the circus, having a strong feeling of what had truly happened to them and who caused it.

After leaving the circus, you couldn’t live in the sewers like Waylon. This meant you got an apartment, in the beginning in crime alley since it was cheapest.

You may have been so beautiful it would drive people mad, but you also had a head on your shoulders. So, in the end you set up a legitimate business, maybe you even become something akin to a designer. Mainly because your lover is so big, there’s no other way to get him clothes.

And maybe during your time in crime alley, you stumble upon a scrawny kid who, though he may act tough, still has a light in him. And maybe that kid ends up being batman’s second robin, who remembers how kind you were to him and everyone around you, so he doesn’t go as hard against Waylon.

The past you have with the Grayson’s also means that Dick takes it easier on Waylon, and they even settle down and talk at times. You’ll regularly find the two former robins hanging around your art studio, even years later when they aren’t robin anymore.

Your lover goes to Arkham, a lot. But you never hate him or even argue with him. You’ll just pull up to Arkham in your most beautiful outfit during visitors’ hours and hold Waylon’s hand as you two act like a new married couple, even if it’s been twenty at this point.

And it may have been twenty years, but you just seem to have become more handsome with age, aging like fine expensive wine. You don’t become shrewd or corrupted by the world around you, instead you stay kind and patient. You’re still in Gotham though, so you’ll turn violent if you have too.

No one really believes that Waylon purrs, until you show up and he becomes as meek as a kitten, ready to roll in your manicured hand.

Its no secret that you, one of the most famous designers around, and Killer Croc, are together. But its just such a normal part of everyday life now, that no one really questions it. your works never been dirty, you help those around you, and lift up poor and struggling artists whenever you can. So, what if your husband is tearing up the road trying to bite Batman to bits.

Theres a viral video in Gotham of you stepping out during one of Waylon’s rampages, and just scolding him, wagging a finger in his face and still looking so unbelievably gorgeous as you do so.

And yes, of course your design trademark is crocodile scales, or anything along those lines. You’ll never use real crocodile skin, but you do use the print or shape.

After all this time, people don’t fear Waylon as much as they probably should, all thanks to you. Its kinda hard to fear a guy when you know his boyfriend is unofficially titled the most beautiful man in Gotham, who’s also as giving and kind as the Waynes, whilst being more involved in the nitty gritty, since you still live in Crime Alley.

Someone has threatened Waylon with telling on him to you at least once too, which doesn’t stop him, but it does cause him to freeze and get an “oh shit” expression, long enough for people to run to safety.

Being one of the most skilled fashionistas around also means you have met the Waynes on multiple occasions.

The shared past with Dick and the circus, and Jason, though you don’t remember him as vividly, means you get called on more than most.

As you measure them out and start making designs, conversations flow, and Damian most likely ends up bluntly just asking you why in the world you decided to pair up with Killer Croc of all people.

You correct him in your answer, referring to your husband as Waylon, and then you just start waxing the poetics. Of your shared past, of the deep unshakable love you both share, and how under all his struggles, Waylon truly is an amazing man.

You’ve never confirmed that Dick was Robin, even though it was very obvious. Its not your place to judge how he, or his family, deal with their trauma or whatever they have going on. Your lover swims through the sewers, you can’t really say anything.

A few passing comments are made though, obviously. You tell the Waynes to “take it easy next time they see Waylon, wont you?” with one of your heart shaking winks before you saunter out, ready to start putting together your latest design.

Its kind of an accepted, not really a secret, secret. Its never put into words, and they know that you know, and you know that they know you know. Nothing ends up happening with it though, outside of you making some jokes and judging their hero outfits.

With age you’ve become less sultry and alluring, at least in the way the public can point out as obviously as before. You have simply mastered your field, and know just how to play people around you if you need too.

Though, you didn’t really learn to master it for the public. It’s mainly just for Waylon, so you like to see how his nostrils flare, and when he starts chuffing in the back of his throat when you saunter around in nothing but a silk robe.

The bats know that the first place Waylon goes when he gets out of Arkham is to you. But…they also all know to wait at least a day or two before they come for him. To allow you to spend some time together, but also because most of them have caught of glimpse of you… reunions…

Bruce wont admit it, but he’s at least impressed with you being able to take two of them at the same time, even after all these years. He might note down your many skills somewhere… just in case.

Reunions with Waylon are typically a hot and steamy affair. Or well, as hot and steamy as a guy whose as cold as a reptile can get. There are days where either of you may not be up for it, and then its just cuddles and having some nice domestic time together before he’s taken back to Arkham again.

But when it does get hot, then you are very happy you own the entire building. Waylon can get quite loud, but never as loud as he still makes you even after all these years.

Sure, you’ve learned to handle it more after all this time, but it still makes you squeal when Waylon fits both his shafts inside you at the same time, lifting and moving you around like a doll.

Where Waylon may be rough and violent in every other part of his life, Waylon is slower and much more careful in the bedroom. He doesn’t want to lose his senses and hurt you on accident. You have some very faded bite and claw scars on your body, back from when you first got together, and Waylon likes to remind himself of that.

Sometimes you do want him to be rougher about it, so you pull all the skills you’ve gained over the years. And Waylon is but a man, even with the scales and all, so he can’t resist you for very long. It always ends up with you writhing, face in the pillow that’s stained with your tears and drool or pleasure, as Waylon growls and snarls behind you, his big, clawed hands moving you back and forth with ease.

He always feels a bit guilty about it afterwards, especially seeing how much you leak all over the sheets. Expect to find yourself being pampered and loved on for the next couple of days. Even the bats seem to leave you to it, most likely having heard your cries. You get a feeling the people in the next building heard them too. But you honestly don’t care anymore.

You may have Waylon, and many others, wrapped around your finger, but so does Waylon with you. And neither of you really seem to mind anymore.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

🤥 Deceptive disinformation by Meghan and her Sewer Squad 🤥

📌 source (sugar account): https://www.instagram.com/theformermstig

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author: SeptiemeSens

submitted: July 31, 2024 at 02:44PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[maniacwatchestheworld]

So about the Batfamily and ghosts...

So I was looking through the DPxDC tag and just... Ghosts are actually like a known thing that Batman and Co. know that they sometimes have to deal with...? Batman does sometimes need to deal with supernatural threats, including spirits and ghosts among other things (Solomon Grundy is an undead gangster and tends to live in Gotham's sewers. Jason Blood can turn into the demon Etrigan and he often lives in Gotham). So Bruce and company would ABSOLUTELY believe that Danny is a ghost by the time the rest of the Batfam is there once Danny shows off his ability to turn intangible and fly.

As two examples of ghosts that are not uncommon for Batman and squad to have to deal with, on the rogues side, you have Gentleman Ghost aka James Craddock.

Who was a 19th century thief/highwayman before he was killed and cursed to never be able to pass on. He tends to travel around, stealing things and causing general mischief, so Batman sometimes runs into and has to deal with him. Also he's British by the by, so have fun with that! (Also you know. His character design is just rad as hell so I personally always love to see him pop up in things!)

And on the heroic side you have Deadman aka Boston Brand.

(Yes, he did die in those clothes.) He was an aerolist acrobat (he did much of the same type of things that Dick Grayson did at the circus) who died during a performance and was unable to pass on until he found his killer... But then decided to stick around anyway to help the Justice League out where he can. Normal people typically cannot see nor hear him, so he has to possess others to be able to communicate with the living.

So yes! Batman and family do know that ghosts exist and have dealt with them before! And in fact, they have special equipment to deal with them and other supernatural foes they may face! Specifically they have access to the material known as Nth Metal, which is able to effect and hurt ghosts even when intangible otherwise. They have batarangs made of Nth metal, but Nth metal can be used to make anything that you can use metal for. So Nth metal knuckles or handcuffs are not out of the question. Nth metal does tend to be pretty rare on Earth, but eh. Brucie is rich af so that's not much of a problem for the bats.

So there you go! Some info on Batman and his experiences with ghosts! I hope you find this useful and can use some of these pieces of information in your fics and headcanons or whatever! This has been a PSA!

[froot-batty]

(most of) The sewer squad!

Surprisingly, Clay and Croc were super fun for me to color. Rat was the one that kicked my ass this time

(P.S. sorry about the lore being so long down there)

Waylon Jones was originally born in Louisiana. He was born into a relatively low income but very big, very loving family. He was also born with Epidermolytic Ichthyosis, which caused patches of his skin to blister or thicken, sort of like scales. This would be the first thing he'd be bullied for as a child, and it would only grow worse as he went through school and his undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia would make it ten times harder for him. He would eventually decide to drop out of school, both because of his learning difficulties and the bullying.

One thing Waylon had always loved was boxing. His father had taught him and all of his siblings the basics of boxing, and Waylon was one of the ones who really took a shining to it. It helped that he was a naturally bulky guy who could put on muscle pretty easily. So now that he was out of school, he decided to put his free time towards participating in amateur boxing matches. It didn't rake in very much money, and usually took place in some guy's backyard or a junkyard, but he thought it was a lot of fun - and, most of all, he was good at it.

He made the choice to move to Gotham after he'd collected enough money to start a life somewhere else. He loved his family, and it hurt to move away from them, but a big city like Gotham provided more opportunity than backyard brawling. And indeed, it did! He graduated from probably illegal homemade boxing matches to actual, professional matches - still nothing above amateur, but it was something, and it made a lot more money!

It was during this time when he'd gain the nickname Killer Croc, from a combination of his skin condition, how big he was, and where he'd been born. (He didn't actually kill anyone though, he was a sweetie. He's just killer at boxing).

Things started going downhill for him when he finally won enough matches to go up against another relatively popular name in the amateur boxing league. This opponent, not wanting to lose against what was still a fresh face in Gotham, conspired to cheat in order to win. Because it's Gotham, and anyone can be made to look the other way, no one caught the man as he mixed plaster of Paris with his hand wraps (which hardens into something similar to concrete) before the match.

Safe to say, Waylon lost the fight pretty badly. While he would have been a good sport about it, he knew that who he'd fought had cheated, and he was pissed. As soon as he was out of the hospital, and his face was healed enough for it, he caught the other boxer as he was leaving the gym. He tried to convince him to admit that he had cheated and forfeit his win, but they'd end up getting into an argument that'd turn physical when he tried to punch Waylon.

When the cops arrived, instead of breaking up the both of them and taking them both in, they instead arrested just Waylon. Because the other boxer chose to press charges, Waylon was shipped off to BlackGate Penitentiary after a hasty trial. But he didn't stay there for very long.

Doctor Hugo Strange, head of Arkham Asylum, had followed Waylon's arrest closely in the news. He took an interest in the boxer specifically because of the irony of his nickname. Strange would go on to convince the superintendent of BlackGate that Waylon was unfit to be housed in a regular prison because of how dangerous he might be - Arkham would be a much better fit for him.

Strange promised Waylon that being in an asylum would greatly reduce how long he'd have to spend incarcerated, as he could get out of an asylum when he was proven "sane". But Waylon was given a cell in the lowest pits of Arkham - in the basement, where Strange made his monsters. And he would become the living test subject for what would become Kirk Langstrom's own bat-serum; his nickname, Killer Croc, once a source of pride, becoming a cruel prediction of what he'd become.

Unlike Kirk, however, Waylon is permanently trapped in this new form; shunned from society and now living as Gotham's monster in the sewers. Forever a Killer Croc.

??? (Nickname: Rat/Rats) was born in....Well, actually, no one really knows where it came from. Rats was there the first time Waylon escaped into the sewers, and it seemed it'd been there a long time before that, too.

Rats is like a cryptid to most of the Gotham population. But, like, the kind of cryptid where everyone knows it's real, you just don't encounter it that often. 12 year old rat child in the sewers? Yeah, everyone knows about that

They're shy, unnerving, and tend to be nonspeaking, their only appearances to most of the public coming from brief glimpses in the sewers or, occasionally, guiding people lost within them back out.

To the rogues, though, Ratcatcher is a source of information. It seems to know far more than it should, due to communication with the all-seeing eyes of it's many rats. But how much it's willing to help depends on how much it trusts you, which is usually not very much at all.

And if they don't want to talk to you, then Waylon will be sure to escort you quickly out of the sewers.

(Fun fact: Rats communicates mostly in ASL!)

Basil Karlo was born and raised in Gotham. A lover of performance from the moment he could join the theatre club in school, he was dead set on pursuing an acting career after he graduated from college. His first experiences were small background roles or roles in commercials, but even then directors could see the acting potential lurking within him.

Small roles grew into more major roles, as they grew from background actor, to minor actor, to eventually starring in major roles. And they were a popular guy! Pretty face, charming voice, they became Gotham's own star!

In one of these movie roles, Basil would grow very close to one of his co-stars. Their relationship would move very quickly from friendship to romance, as it does when you work so closely with someone. It might have even moved a little too fast, as they decided to get married the moment they returned to America from their filming location. She moved into his home in Gotham, and things were good, for a little while.

But a lot of cast romances end up not working out, and this was one of those cases. Basil and his wife began to drift apart, focusing on their own careers and neglecting one another in the process. Their relationship began to decay, and with the nature of Basil's career, there began to be...people on the side.

They thought he kept these escapades a secret. They did everything they could to not let their wife or the public know about their cheating.

Of course, this was a pipedream.

This all happened around the time J's Red Hood Gang was at their peak. They figured out Basil's secret, gathered material, and would present the evidence to Basil himself. To keep their secret safe, Basil was forced under the Red Hood.

Basil...did not take well to what he had to do as a Red Hood. But he was desperate to save face amongst the well-to-do of Gotham, so he continued doing the bidding of J and her gaggle for a good while.

Until the day, with no interference from the Red Hoods, their wife left them. She had apparently been contacted by one of Basil's partners, and now they were going to leak that to the press during the divorce proceedings.

Basil's life was ruined. His reputation was in shambles, and he was doing more work for criminals than directors. But he decided he was going to change that. What was the point of working as a Red Hood if they had no way to blackmail him anymore?

So they attempted to leave. They confronted J and demanded that she let them go, and without waiting for her response, left.

Red Hoods were waiting at their home when they got back there. They kidnapped them, dragged them to Ace Chemicals, and proceeded to pour an experimental chemical onto their face. This chemical made flesh like clay—moldable, which the Hoods used to their advantage as they toyed with Basil's face. Morphing it into different shapes and expressions for their own amusement.

When they were done, they dragged him to the vat where they were developing that chemical and threw him into it, expecting him to die.

Unfortunately for Basil, they did not.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

So, I've thrown Sora in there, that breaks this trend for a hot second (and I did this because he's my son and I love him; and he's my favorite Kingdom Hearts character, tbh), but I've decided that for a long while... I'm just going to have my icon be the KH gals that I love. First I had Kairi, and then Xion and Naminé. And after the random Sora, I think it'll be Aqua, Olette, Ava, Skuld, Strelitzia, Nameless Star, Vor, Urd, and Vala. Not necessarily in that order.

[serenedash]

Theres been so many amazing additions to this post I love khux so much jfhdkhdid

I cant believe I forgot to mention spirit pets and pvp!!!!! Remember when we all thought Brain made the dream eaters and then the finale Did That lol

Tbh I remember when pvp was added I was extremely impressed with how it was handled lore wise, it was an incredibly smart move to let wielders fight each other but without any real competition that could lead to another war due to everyone understanding it was just data recreations and how that fact alone led to new developments irt strelitzia and the reveal that they were still in the data

Another thing I forgot to mention is how in unchained chi/union cross, there is NO keyblade war in the main quests. I remember everyone was really confused when we got to that point in the game and everyone was like??? But in chi this is when the war happened????? And now we know its because we were just reliving the events but without those sad memories like I mentioned in the original post, and how that manifested in khux as dreams and it was a side event disconnected from the main plot.

Playing in real time gave the player real impact when it came to Ephemera too, which I saw people mention in tags. Like there was a very noticeable empty space with him gone and some people might know I used to actually really hate Ephemera because I felt so betrayed lmao, and I think people now don't understand how much khux fans love Skuld for that reason because in those months you played without Ephemera, you did EVERYTHING with Skuld leading up to the war so it made it easy to get very attached to her so imo it made me sad how skuld was kinda shoved aside in union cross but that's not what this is about,

But also speaking of Skuld, someone mentioned parties being important to plot too! And if you never played khux, you could form parties with friends and help each other in boss battles or play multiplayer. Skuld was a party leader and had Ephemera in her party before he switched unions, which I always thought was a neat bit of lore (fun fact canonically the player, Skuld and Eph are in Anguis and Eph switches to Unicornis, most likely to get closer to Ira as the leader of the foretellers to get the book lbr) and a MAJOR part of khux gameplay thats rarely talked about is the NPC's the player is friends with. In English fandom a lot of people call them the sewer squad since you first meet them in the sewers and they're in basically every event and holiday sidequest and it can be read as this is the player's party if you didn't have one yourself. And tbh I know it meant a lot to see these NPCs in the ending scene with the dream eaters because these guys really were loved by the player base and tbh its a real shame the only one that has a canon name is Mog but regardless, their sidequests always showed how important parties and friendships were in khux and you never see anyone talking about them since it was side quests (this can also be said for the "friends ARENT my power" guy and his friend, who were also important NPCs) like you see people make cutscene compilations for khhx and they're just. Never there. Truly another part of the khux experience that's lost on most fans who never played

I mentioned this in on another post but Im gonna put it here too for everyone, a major impact on the khux experience was kh3 trailers since kh3 released in the middle of union cross and I'll go thru it for those that didn't play, SPECIFICALLY on Lauriam and Strelitzia-- marluxia and larxene were shown in a trailer after they were introduced but BEFORE the sibling reveal. For many people this was proof that Lauriam killed Strelitzia since they drew parallels between namine in castle oblivion and rapunzel in the tower and figured Strelitzia was in a similar situation. And THEN it was reveled Strelitzia was related to either Lauriam or Elrena BUT the Japanese was very vague and it wasn't specified and we had a length of time where we had no idea who she was even related to but with the appearance of Larxene in Frozen in a trailer, people thought her appearing in a movie about the bond between sisters was proof she was Strelitzia's sister. It really was a wild fucking time to be alive. You can tell real intense khux fans from casual fans when they tell you to play kh3 in the middle of union cross and then go back and finish khux,

Let's talk khux gameplay and plot,

imo I think part of khux's story telling and the impact of the story gets lost now that the game is defunct. I always thought people didn't appreciate how the gameplay and the mechanics actually had an impact on the story and while that impact become virtually nonexistent later on, I always thought it made the story far more engaging when the game was just chi/unchained chi and also the English translation didn't do it too well ngl

Anyway what I'm specifically talking about is the medal system. Also I feel like the whole bangle thing wasn't explained well in game but really it just comes down to leveling up medals specifically. If you never played khux, you equip medals to your keyblades and they doa specific attack and to level them up you combine multiple of the same medal and you could see how leveled up a medal is by the amount of yellow dots next to it and, in JP at least, this was called "guilt" and like wow that name fucking slaps. And when nightmare chirithy reveals the player has been collecting darkness this whole time thru the medal system, you have literal guilt on your conscious. You are guilty of collecting darkness and negative emotions like guilt to use for your own power. And in Back Cover when the foretellers are made aware of this, there's no stopping it and ofc the player can't stop either, they HAVE to get stronger, you literally have to keep playing the game,

Another part of the game that I appreciated is the way the name changes factored into the game; chi was the original "world line" that the dandelions existed in and at first unchained chi had come off as just a remake but really what we're playing is the continuation, where the player and the dandelions are now in this unchained state/new world line and they're reliving their time as wielders but now without the war/"dark" memories and finally when they relive everything and get back to the "present," they continue on after into "union cross" which I feel like. wasn't explained well in game that much tbh but if you didn't understand what that meant in game, it was just to say that unions didn't matter anymore and they were all dandelions so the unions. when the unions are crossed.

and tbh the experience of playing this game in real time also added to the experience a lot and the impact of the story especially with a player insert character. I think the most effective use of this game being played in real time was Strelitzia. Now in the english version, everything with Strelitzia was all one update and the english ver was behind so honestly they had to do catch up they couldn't really afford to lag behind. But in JP, which most khux fans kept up with using fan translations, Strelitzia's introduction and her death happened about a month apart so it gave the players time to actualyl grow attached to her and THEN we get crushed. You can easily pin point the exact time certain khux fan art was drawn bc in a group drawing of the dandelions Strelitzia is there instead of Lauriam since he was only introduced after her death

and another thing! It only became apparent by the end of the game but khux actually takes place over the course of about 4 years. which is fucking insane. because the dandelions were stuck in the data for 4 years and didn't know it until the glitches started. and the game ran for roughly the same amount of time and we weren't even aware of that either until the glitches! ("why 4 years" there are cutscenes that literally say "4 years ago" so yeah girl what the fuck haha)

Anyway yeah this was just me rambling I think about this so much all the time can you tell. I hope missing link does something like this too tbh it makes it more fun and makes it feel that your actions as the player actually have impact on the story

[cosmicjoke]

AoT Short Stories Vol. 4: The Former Underground Jail- Levi & Eren:

Okay, again, I'm honestly just struck so much by Levi's kindness, and the awkward but resolute way he tries to express it. I'll never, never understand people who don't get this about him.

So this story revolves around Eren's early days of being in Levi's Special Operations Squad, and having to be kept in a cell in an abandoned castle after a marching exercise ordered for the entire Survey Corps ends up being aborted due to a heavy rain. Because it isn't just Levi's squad that Eren is around here, they have to take the precaution of keeping him separated from the rest of the group, as they still don't know what the nature of his Titan powers are, or whether the can be trusted.

Levi is left keeping watch over Eren in the cell, and notices how miserable he is, sitting in his soaked rain gear. Eren points out that members of the SC don't trust his Titan powers, and they don't want to add to their already substantial worries:

"'That's right', his commanding officer Levi said before turning the lamp in his hands towards Eren. The young man almost looked like an abandoned puppy there with his rain gear still on as he dripped with water, not revealing his expression. Levi's already furrowed brow deepened even further.

Ugh... He looks like one of the beggars in the Underground City. All alone in both body and spirit, just wandering... He's supposed to be humanity's big hope?

Levi let out a loud sigh before delivering a short order.

'In any case, take off that wet rain gear and give it here. You look like a sewer rat. I'll dry it off using the fire upstairs.'

'... Okay.'

Eren lifelessly unlatched his gear, then wrung the rain out of it before handing it to Levi. He noticed Eren's cold and trembling hand and spoke to another one of his soldiers waiting upstairs... He couldn't it if Eren stayed this depressed.

'Petra! Team up with Oluo and guard Eren.'

'Yes, Sir!"

Here we see see Levi's great compassion on full display. He feels awful for Eren, and can't bear to see him so depressed, but doesn't know how to comfort him at all. He compares in his mind the way Eren looks to the beggars on the streets of the Underground City, and wonders how someone who looks that way is meant to be humanity's hope. We can see here Levi's own conflict in putting so much of a burden on the shoulders of someone who's clearly not equipped to handle it. They don't have a choice, but Levi clearly realizes that Eren isn't someone who should be in the position he is. More than that, Levi clearly wants to cheer Eren up, but struggles with knowing how to do so. This is the thing people don't seem to understand about Levi. He's the kindest and most compassionate man, but again, because of the way he grew up, he was never taught the proper way to express that kindness and compassion. Nobody ever showed him how to be gentle or sweet, even as he longs to be. The very fact Eren's clear depression is bothering Levi so much speaks volumes. He doesn't want to see this poor kid suffer. He wants to relieve that suffering, but doesn't know what he can do to lessen it. He's torn between keeping the rest of the Survey Corps safe, and helping Eren. So he calls Petra down to look after Eren for him, knowing she's more well-equipped than he is to doing and saying the right things in order to bring someone comfort.

"When Petra descended the stairs and saw the despondent boy with slumped shoulders alongside her superior officer unable to fully handle the situation, she seemed to recognize what was going on.

'Understood. Um... So is he staying locked up here until the rain stops? That seems a little...'

'That's the decision for now. I'll go check with Hange. If this castle is built to be sturdy, it shouldn't have trouble keeping Eren in check no matter where he might transform... If I know that for sure, I'll give him permission to walk around.'

'Good. I hope he can. Looks like squads with some of your corpsmates are here too, Eren. You want to meet them, don't you?'

'I don't know. I'd be happy to, but...'

'I'm sure they'd love to see you! You've been training away from them for so long.'

Seeing Petra cheerfully encourage Eren made Levi realize once more that he had made the right choice selecting her for his squad.

'Either way, stop sulking like that. This weather's irritating enough on its own.'

'S-sorry.'

As he watched his officer climb the steps from behind, Eren's lowered face wore an expression that had grown the smallest bit more relaxed."

Again, we see that it isn't a lack of wanting to be kind on Levi's part that makes it a struggle for him to offer Eren comfort here, but simply a lack of knowing how to. Petra understands this about Levi, and realizes immediately what it is he's asking her to do, and launches into saying all the right things to Eren to offer him that comfort. This really does demonstrate in such a powerful way just how kindhearted Levi truly is. He thinks about how he was right to select Petra for his squad, upon seeing how easily she's able to encourage and lift Eren's spirits. He picked Petra because he saw her own, great kindness and compassion, and unlike him, an ability to appropriately express it. Levi's own kindness and compassion is every bit a match for Petra's, he just doesn't know how to express it in a way that others will understand. He tries, but it always comes out in this very blunt and at times seemingly rude manner, leading people to think he's callous and cold, when it's exactly the opposite. He tries to help Eren here by offering to dry off his wet clothes for him and then promising to talk to Hange to see if the castle is a safe enough environment to let Eren walk around freely in. He doesn't want to keep Eren in that cell. He wants him to be able to roam around freely and talk with his friends. He calls Petra down specifically because he doesn't want Eren to feel so bad, and he knows Petra will know the right things to say to lift him out of his despair.

Levi's kindness just kills me, as does his own, personal struggle to express it. It really highlights the tragedy of Levi's life, that someone with such a loving and compassionate heart was raised in an environment and by people that made it so difficult for him to convey those feelings to others. Levi's life growing up in the Underground tried so hard to snuff the kindness out of him, but all it really managed was to make it harder for him to express that kindness in a way that could be understood. This is why I'm always going on and on about what an amazing person Levi is, that through all of that, all of the hell he grew up experiencing, and his own struggle simply to survive, he never lost hold of his inherent empathy for others. He never let the cruelty of his life turn him cruel. The tragedy in Levi's struggle is in how it warps people's perception of him, making them think he's some unfeeling, cold-hearted person, when in reality, he cares more deeply and feels greater compassion than anyone. It's tragic to realize Levi's already horrifically awful childhood continues to affect him so profoundly into adulthood, to the point it causes him to be completely misunderstood by his peers. It must cause an immense sense of isolation in Levi, this struggle to make his actual feelings known, and to have people assume he's something he's not, just because he was never taught how to properly express himself and what he means. He tries so hard, though, both to show he really does care, and to offer kindness and comfort in whatever ways he can, even when it makes others look at him like there's something wrong with him. That's exactly what Dimo Reeves meant when he called Levi "awkward but kind". And that really is a testament to what a good person Levi is. He doesn't really know how to offer his kindness, but he tries anyway, because he feels so much intense compassion for everybody.