Hello!! Love your limbus yuu posts and noticed how you said that you were on canto 3, so I was wondering what canto you're on now? And off your planning to make any additions to limbus yuu post!!! Love your work!!!
hello Anon! I am in the early stages of Canto 6! due to the fact that I did announce that the sinners were only at canto 3 I do not plan on adding to head-cannons. I actually think canto 3 is a great place for the sinner to be sent to twst. due to their worst treats being on display. there bonds not being fully formed. and for them to not be as strong as they are in other cantos. I do find that Sinclair feels oddly unresolved after this canto?
I do want to say a lot of my thought would change if it was in another canto. canto 4 would be a tragedy to rip Yi Sang out of due to it being his ending. as well as the first look at the sinners growing as people. I understand how compelling it could be if I were to rip them from after all of the endings go there cantos. but the drama of them having unresolved issues in the PM universe makes it pretty compelling. it gives them a reason to want to get back.
I do want to also state that yes my options did change on the charters themselves. I don't plan on changing them.
finally... thank you so much for your kind words! I love limbus so much. and twst is the perfect world to have PM charters enter. the less gritty tone, but so what serious vibe gives the proper horror elements of the PM verse to shine. while still keeping things light.
Darkness comes in all forms in the [Dark Exploration Records]. As an open-source wiki which anyone can contribute to so long as what they’re writing fits within the “rules of the universe”, it’s only natural that there are as many settings and dangers as there are types of human experiences. With inspiration ranging from traditional folktales to modern urban legends to foreign horror stories, so long as someone wrote it and the mods approved, it could be found on the [Dark Exploration Records] wiki…and in the terrifying creepypasta-infested universe which Kim Soleum somehow was currently enduring.
Except…
Well. As a coward who has read through practically every page on this wiki (and had a (currently still broken) cheat item attached to his phone that allowed him to review every page he’s read besides) Kim Soleum…has no idea what kind of Darkness he’s just been thrown into.
He is currently sitting on the thick purple rug of what looks like an study from some western fantasy school series, stone floor and walls, tall thin windows crossed with diagonal metal bars, purple velvet curtains, a large mahogany desk with two candle holders on each side which are lit with purple flames, seven portraits of figures who don’t look fully human (wait, isn’t one of them just a lion?!) floating in the air behind it…
And that’s not even getting into the people(???) who are now staring down at him with expressions that set his well-honed survival instincts screaming.
Two of them look human enough. An older grey-haired man in flowing wine-color robes with a green jewel at his throat, face stern and pitiless even with a runny nose. A younger man who may be about his own age with half of his black hair dyed white, continuing the monochrome theme with a huge black and white striped fur coat paired with a blood red tie.
And then there’s the guy with the glowing yellow eyes peering at him from behind a bird mask and top hat, purple lips on too-pale skin, with a glittering feathered blue-black coat and golden claws on his gloves?!
No way that’s human, whatever that is!!
“おや?” The bird-man-demon(?!?!) says. And then he launches into the flow of a language that Kim Soleum recognizes, but has not spoken since the one elective course he took in university to round out his credits.
‘If this is a western fantasy setting Darkness…why the hell are its denizens speaking Japanese?!’
Kim Soleum jumps at the sharp crack! of a riding crop hitting leather, which one of the more human men is now pointing at his face?! Sir, even if you say something else angry-sounding and demanding to me, this citizen of Korea still won’t understand you!
“M-my apologies.” He stammers as his mind works furiously to try to remember which Darkness this could be. This isn’t anything like Sekwang Technical High School, nor does it seem to fit any of the locales in “And They All Lived Unhappily Ever After”. “I’m afraid my comprehension of Japanese is rusty, so if it would be possible to speak slower…?”
The three people turn to look at each other, confusion evident on the human-like ones’ faces, clearly having even less understanding of Korean than he does Japanese.
Then the older man with the runny nose makes a gesture and the green gem at his throat glows—!
It feels as though spiderwebs settle over him, sticky-soft and cold, before the melting away into nothing. Wh-what the hell was that?! He’s not been contaminated so soon after being rescued from Braun’s Late Night Show, has he?!
“今は私たちの言っていることが理解できますか?” The wine-robed gentleman asks in a soft, hoarse voice.
“Sorry, ah, go-gomenasai.” Kim Soleum stutters, desperately trying to recall knowledge he has not used in years as he moves into a kneeling position. “Wakari-ra…? I still don’t understand.”
“結局、失敗に終わった。” The flamboyant man in the heat trap of a coat sighs. “やはり、トレイン先生の能力は病によって制限されているようだ。いや、もしかしたら、元気だったとしてもこうだったのだろうか？”
The wine-robed gentleman’s face grows cold and his next words are clipped. “私の能力を見せてやりたいなら、喜んでお見せしよう、若造め。”
The flamboyant man grins, raising the riding crop (why???) again but the bird-demon-man rises from the desk with a dramatic gesture to the pair of them. “落ち着け、二人とも！この客人は明らかに混乱していて、我々に負っている恩義を理解していない。もし彼が我々の監督生と同じく異世界から来たのなら、これは幸運ではないだろうか?”
The three turn back to stare at him. Please don’t look so eager Mr. Bird-Demon-Man it’ll only make your scary side than much worse when this Soleum can’t give you whatever it is you want.
The older man frowns. “これが、あの監督生と同じ場所から来たかもしれないと本気で思っておられるのですか？ それはあまりに馬鹿げた話です、校長先生。まず第一に、この存在は―”
“これは、まさに教育の宝庫と言えるでしょう！この「道具」――おっと失礼、生徒たちが学ぶための「教師」を使って、彼らがどれほどのことを習得できるか、想像してみてください!” The way that demon sweeps around the desk and stands before him gives the image of a crow or raven, about to snatch something shiny. The golden pinpricks glow as they study him.
He, he thinks he heard the word “sensei” in there? That means teacher, right? So then, does this Darkness expect him to take on a teacher’s role given he’s an adult?
‘So long as there isn’t any contamination like in that hellish kindergarten, I guess it’s fine…’
“You want me to be a sensei?” Kim Soleum speaks loudly and slowly, pressing an hand to his chest. “Me? Sensei…dayo n-ne?”
“そうだ、そうだ！ 先生だ、お前は先生になるのだ！ ああ、なんと私は賢く、そして優しいことか！ このような者にまで、救いの手を差し伸べてやるのだからな!” The crow demon seems ecstatic, nodding wildly and gesturing to him vigorously. The demon turns to the flamboyant man. “クルーウェル先生、翻訳薬の調合は先生にお任せいたします。もし監督生が役に立たないとなれば、この意思疎通の不備は実に煩わしいものとなるでしょう。”
The flamboyant man sighs, casting a critical eye over Kim Soleum. “ポーションがこいつにそもそも効くのかどうかという問題はひとまず置いておくとして……何か手立てがないか考えてみるよ。”
The older man’s face twists in disdain, but his bow is formal and respectful. “それならば、これで失礼いたします。私とルキウスが明日、仕事に出られるほどに回復したかどうかは、また改めてご連絡差し上げます。”
“素晴らしい!” The demon claps his claw-tipped hands together. “さあ、あなたです……ミスター外国人！これからあなたが住み、働くことになる場所へご案内しますので、どうぞ私についてきてください！”
Kim Soleum does not want to take this crow-demon’s hand. He’s terrified that he will suddenly lose the limb, or have his throat torn out, or experience a slow, wasting death curse if he does.
But if he doesn’t, who’s to say all that won’t happen anyway if the crow-demon is displeased?
The claws are sharp enough to leave pinpricks in his skin as he’s hoisted upright with more strength than the crow demon’s wiry frame suggests.
“さあ、外国人さん、行きましょう!” With that unintelligible command, the crow demon strides towards the study doors and flings them open, shoes clicking in time with an ornate cane.
Kim Soleum follows once he sees the flamboyant man watching him with a sneer, one eyebrow raised.
High-school age boys in black western-style uniforms fill the halls outside the study, some talking with their friends or hurrying to classes like normal, everyday high school students.
But the majority of them have strange lavender growths sprouting from their heads and exhausted expressions, stumbling around with their eyes directed to the floor, as if the growths are pulling them or something.
The crow-demon sees his expression and flaps a hand with a disingenuous smile. “そんなことはお気になさらず、外国人さん。あれは単なる……一時の流行にすぎませんよ！ ええ、まったく。この愚かな子供たちときたら、自分たちの遊びのために、なんといたずら好きなことでしょう!”
Kim Soleum’s resolve sharpens with understanding. ‘I need to be careful and play along until an escape condition becomes clear to leave this Darkness.’
‘The moment I let my guard down, or let my cowardice slip…’
‘…These demons are definitely going to murder me!!’
The crow demon leads him out of the school, across what seems to be more like a university campus.
Away from the gothic castle-like buildings, down a central walkway with statues of the seven figures in the portraits in the office. Some kind of school representatives or founders? They’re not cute enough to be mascots.
Two look pretty human, four decidedly less so. One is just a lion.
Why???
The whole time, the crow demon is still chattering away, throwing arms out to gesture to this or that structure as if he’s a tour guide.
Never mind that Kim Soleum has no idea what he’s being told, and can’t contribute to the conversation in any meaningful way.
The problem is, no matter how much he’s seeing, he can’t place this Darkness. He’s wracking his brains frantically, trying to recall everything he can from the [Dark Exploration Records], or even if it had a sister wiki in Japan which might have produced this knock-off Darkness he’s in.
If he can’t recall this Darkness, he can’t know its weaknesses. If he doesn’t know its weaknesses, he can’t solve it quickly and escape. And if he can’t do that…
‘I may as well kiss Director Ho’s infiltration mission and the chance of ever getting a Wish Ticket home goodbye…!’
As he worries, it seems they’ve made their way away from most of the buildings. The quality of the path they’re taking has slipped from neat brick to worn cobblestone to trodden dirt.
‘What do I do if this demon leads me somewhere isolated to murder me or cut off my limbs? I still have the Nostalgia Candy, and the Happy Maker auto-injector—if I can escape his grasp, those should let me run far enough away to hide and plan my next move.’
He follows the crow-demon around a bend following a wrought iron fence and a building finally appears. It’s an old stone mansion with a green roof, 3 stories tall…or maybe 4? It looks like someone decided to keep building at odds with the preexisting floors and never was told to stop. For some reason there’s a round room on the upper floors with a pointy spire roof for no clear reason.
‘It looks like something I would’ve designed in a simulation game. When I was eleven.’
A figure is speed-walking away from the building and gradually getting closer to them on the path. He’s dressed in the uniform all the other students were wearing and has his head down, seemingly oblivious.
“ああ、ちょうど今、あなたのルームメイトがやって来ましたよ！” The crow demon waves an arm. “監督生！ 監督生、こっちです!”
The student jerks to attention, body stiffening at the sight of the demon. He begins walking towards them at a much slower pace than before.
He looks young to Kim Soleum’s eyes, maybe just out of middle school. He’s short and slight, enough that his uniform sags at the elbows and ankles. His hair is messy and long bangs cover most of his face. What features are visible are sharp and freckled, pulled tight in wariness.
A good attitude to have when facing a demon like this! But wait, isn’t it strange that a native of this Darkness reacts to a prominent figure like the crow-demon in this fashion?
Unless…this is because Kim Soleum is here?
…
It’s a sensible stance to take towards a strange new adult, for a child, but it feels a little disheartening too…
“監督生、新しい先生にご挨拶をお願いします。” The crow demon gestures between him and the student. “先生もあなたと同じ境遇ですので、仲良くして、新しい環境に馴染めるよう手助けしてあげてください。”
Whatever he said makes the boy jolt to a stop in the middle of bowing. “同じ…？待ってください、校長先生、どういう意味ですか？この方も…?!”
“さて、外国人さん、お部屋へどうぞ!”
The crow demon spreads his hands as if presenting the building behind the fence. “さあ、異邦人殿。ここがお前の宿舎となる。この私が特別に慈悲を垂れ、新装なったばかりのこの場所をくれてやろう―”
“申し訳ありません、学園長。ですが、それは叶いません。” The student raises a hand in a ‘stop’ gesture, as if to forestall what the monster is about to say. “アシェングロット先輩との契約において、この寮は担保として差し出されておりますので。”
The crow demon freezes, then turns to the student. The air feels cold all of a sudden, like a storm is about to break. “担保か?”
“慈悲深い学園長先生が私にこの件の調査を許可してくださったことを、アズール・アシェングロット先輩は、契約した生徒たちを解放するためなら「いかなる手段」をも講じることへの、学園長先生からの承認であると解釈しました。” The student squares his shoulders, looking the crow-demon in the face before bowing his head. “そして、これこそがその「手段」だったのです。”
Kim Soleum almost feels inspired by the show of resoluteness in the teenager. Good on you kid, for telling this monster whatever it is that he doesn’t want to hear so baldly. 10/10 points for guts.
0/10 for self-preservation.
The demon begins squawking like the bird he resembles, pacing around, arms raising and lowering sharply in time with his yelling. Kim Soleum still has no idea what the problem is or what’s being said, but the fierce scolding tone is universally understandable. He even has to take a step or two back to avoid being hit with the end of the crow-demon’s cane.
The student stands there with his head bowed, seemingly unmoved by the tirade being poured onto him.
But the blankness on their face is…off. Someone who truly didn’t care about receiving a scolding would look more annoyed or bored, while someone who felt they were genuinely at fault would naturally show signs of guilt or contrition.
Instead, this blank, mask-like body language, so focused on not reacting to what sound like condemnations, lets him notice other factors. Like the fact that the child’s fists are balled so tightly at their sides that their knuckles are white and trembling. Or the fact that their jaw is clenched hard to let them better tuck their head into their chest, eyes staring down sightlessly.
If anything, rather than a rowdy student being corrected by a teacher, doesn’t this scene resemble an employee enduring a needless chewing out from their boss more??
The child flinches back at a sudden rise in volume and proximity from the crow-demon and Kim Soleum is treated to a flash of grey socks stained a dark rusty brown-red.
“Ah, excuse me,” This feels dangerous, especially when the crow-demon rounds on him with a terrifying anger burning in its golden pinpricks.
But he’s certain there isn’t a person alive who could stand by and watch an adult yell at an injured child, demon or not. “I mean no disrespect, but it would appear that this student is suffering an injury. Would it be better to continue this conversation after they receive medical attention?”
‘And stop making me the unwilling witness to your shouting at students! Any school official with decorum would wait until outsiders had left before issuing discipline! If you’re pretending to be an authority figure, then act like it!’
Even if he isn’t understood, the crow-demon proves his point by resettling his coat and straightening his waistcoat with a faint air of fluster, clearing his throat unnecessarily. It seems like the denizens of this Darkness do put stock in the conventions of courtesy and polite society, or do a good job of pretending to at least.
The student stares at Kim Soleum, mouth hanging open, then bows to him deeply.
“My deepest apologies for not addressing you properly, Seonsaengnim. If you could please excuse the rude question, wo-would you happen to be from 韓-ah, Hanguk?”
!!!
Someone who not only speaks his language in this western fantasy Darkness, but also is familiar with his home country!
“Yes! Y-yes, I’m from Korea. I’m a—” let’s not traumatize the child by mentioning that he enters horror stories for a black company that took away all the progress he’d made towards going back home just yet! “—currently an office worker, for a pharmaceutical company. Do you know where we are right now? I learned a little Japanese in college, but I’m very rusty so I haven’t been able to understand anything so far.”
The student’s face creases in an expression that looks too adult for their age. An unpleasant mixture of regret, worry, resignation.
“I…I’m sorry to say we’re not on Earth anymore, Seonsaengnim. This place is another world, known as Twisted Wonderland. It doesn’t have any of the nations we know, and every one person in five of this world’s population possesses the ability to use magic. We’re currently on the campus of Night Raven College, an all-male boarding school recognized as one of the top two high schools for magic users.” Without changing the respectful and deferential tone he’s using, the teenager continues. “The useless sack of feathers beside you there is Dire Crowley, the illustrious headmaster of this elite school. He’s meant to be helping me find a way to get back to our world.”
Kim Soleum chances a look at the useless sack of feathers, doing his best to keep his face neutral.
‘Student-ssi, is it really okay for you to share your disrespect for that guy so blatantly like this??’
The demon preens, having heard its name and likely assuming from the student’s tone that his words are complimentary.
Well, he’s not going to risk his skin by breaking the illusion.
Kim Soleum puts an impressed smile on his face as he asks, “And how long have you been here?”
“I arrived at this school’s entrance ceremony on August 30th.” The student says, still sounding as though he’s speaking nothing but praise. “The date today is December 2nd.”
What the fuck.
He can feel his jaw twitch as he fights to keep smiling and nodding, to keep his tone light and respectful. “I see. It must be tough.”
“I like to think I’ve adapted, somewhat, thanks to some friends.” The boy says modestly. “In any case, the building behind us is Ramshackle Dorm. I’ve been living here since I don’t qualify for any of the official dorms, so that’s probably why Crowley decided you should take up residence here too, until we can find a way home.”
The student gestures to the building. “Unfortunately, we can’t stay here at the moment, because technically the school doesn’t own this building right now.”
What?
How can a building be on school grounds and somehow be independent of it?
“Well, to be more accurate, this dorm is being held as collateral.” The student explains, folding his arms. “Seonsaengnim, have you seen all the students with anemones on their heads? The frilly purple growths?”
“Yes, I have.” He nods, considering this new information. “They’re sea anemones? How do they survive out of water? What causes their growth?”
“They’re signs of the person’s enslavement for violating a magic contract—all the guys who have them made a deal to ace final exams but since too many contracted and succeeded for everyone to make it into the top fifty, those who didn’t are now forced to obey Dorm Head Azul Ash—”
“監督生!” The crow-demon (Dire Crowley, the headmaster) yells, barging between them and nearly sending him to the ground. “さあ、新しい先生に私たちの学校に対して悪い印象を与えてしまうようなことは、やめておきましょうね？”
Kim Soleum has no idea what that means. But with the way the student stiffens again, jaw clenching…
‘The child is being threatened. This demon doesn’t want me to learn anything about this situation, either because he doesn’t want to risk looking bad, or...’
“Ah, don’t worry about explaining further if it’s going to be troublesome for you.” He says, stepping around the demon and smiling at the student. “I think I understand the gist of it—this must affect a significant portion of the students if this guy is depending on you to help him fix it.”
The student bows respectfully to him, tone once again carefully modulated to ‘polite regret’ despite his words. “Yes—so that Headmaster Crowley doesn’t become too busy to cut off my food stipend, he’s gracious enough to rely solely on this Prefect to tackle the issue for him. Isn’t he kind?”
He nods to the crow-demon with a wide smile and says in a voice filled with awed excitement. “What a piece of shit.”
The Prefect’s face spasms against a laugh.
The crow-demon nods, mollified, and tells him. “まあ、君の謝罪のおかげで、ひとまずは丸く収まったようだね。私がこれほど寛大だからこそ、今回の過ちは大目に見てやることにしよう。”
The boy straightens after swallowing his laughter, facing the demon. “校長先生、ご厚意ありがとうございます。一つ提案してもよろしいでしょうか?”
“どうぞ。” The crow-demon waves imperiously in response to their question.
He doesn’t know what the student’s asking, but let’s take stock of the situation while they talk.
This Prefect seems to be a high school student from Japan who, if his words are to be believed, has been stuck surviving in this Darkness for at least four months. He’s fluent in Korean, and seems to have a pragmatic mindset—his explanations were clear and concise, giving as much information as needed to understand a situation without getting too bogged down in details. This could be something he’s been forced to develop, if the adults in this Darkness decided to make him earn his keep by “helping out” and he’s grown used to his situation, but it could also just be his personality.
There is the possibility that he’s a trap created by this Darkness—the trope of a friendly-seeming ghost who can understand you and claims they want to help, only to feed you misinformation and turn on you before you can escape. It is odd for him to be so skilled in speaking Korean at his age, especially with the formal, business-like language he uses. Someone who learned Korean from a relative or from living in the country for a while would speak more naturally than this.
At the same time, he does seem genuinely wary of the crow-demon headmaster, and shackled to his whims. If he is a ghost, then it could be wise to play on that to generate sympathy, alleviate the conditions bothering him, and convince the ghost to lead him to the real exit since he has no way of researching which Darkness this is. And if he is a human…
Kim Soleum may be a coward, but even he’s not craven enough to abandon a fellow survivor to a ghost story without at least trying to save them, let alone a child.
The Prefect turns back to him. “Seonsaengnim, Crowley’s agreed to let you stay in the school infirmary for the time being. The beds there are comfortable and the staff are kind and unobtrusive, so it shouldn’t be an unpleasant experience. By sunset tomorrow, I should have the dorm situation sorted out, so I must ask for your patience until then.”
He blinks. “Ah, thank you for your consideration. But, can I ask, why sunset?”
‘No matter how you look at it, that’s an oddly specific deadline…’
The Prefect gives a wry smile. “Because by then, I’ll either be free from the magic contract I signed to save everyone else, or I’ll be enslaved too.”
!
“Ah, please don’t worry, Seonsaengnim.” The student tries to reassure him with a serious expression. “Even if the plan I have doesn’t work, I’ll do my best to negotiate with that guy so you have a place to stay, I swear.”
No, he’s more concerned with the fact that you could lose your freedom over this than having somewhere to sleep!
‘Isn’t this guy a minor as well? Hey, crow-demon-headmaster, what exactly are you pushing your students into?!’
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Kim Soleum asks. “From what I could gleam from the Headmaster, I’m apparently meant go take on a teacher’s role while I’m here, so you can rely on me if you need.”
“Ah, no, I can’t trouble you like that, Seonsaengnim.” The student shakes his head, hands raised. “You just arrived here, I can’t push my problems onto your plate. I still have some pride left, after all.”
‘Is it really pride, or distrust…? Is he trying to hide something from me?’
He glances at the crow-demon-headmaster, who is smiling expectantly at him.
‘Then again, if this guy was the only person who I could rely on while trapped for four months, I wouldn’t have any faith in adults either…’
Better not to push, if he wants to preserve the goodwill he’s accrued. It doesn’t sound like anything’s happening until tomorrow, so let’s fall back for now.
“…all right, if you’re sure.” Kim Soleum peers at the boy. “But please, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help if you need. As strangers in this world, we both need to look out for each other, right?”
The Prefect blinks at him, then his mouth hardens in determination. “R-right! Ah, on that note, Seonsaengnim, please be careful of any magic attacks aimed at you. The people of this world seem to have some kind of innate resistance which means they won’t get hurt too badly, but since we don’t…the consequences for us are much more severe.”
‘Why is that knowledge you feel the need to impart?? Wait, how often do people get attacked in this place for you to have this experience??’
The boy tugs up both of his trouser legs to show off his bloodstained socks. Was he forced to endure some kind of lacerations to his feet? But his shoes appear intact, so how…?
“えっ？” The crow-demon peers down in a state of apparent shock. “なんだこれ？ どうしてこんな怪我を?”
“僕たちが調査をしている最中に、アシェングロット先輩が罠を仕掛けた契約書を置きっぱなしにしていたんです。それで感電してしまって。” The Prefect deadpans. Then, considerately, he translates. “Ashengrotto-seonbae left a trap out for me and my friends while we were investigating today. I’ve never been electrocuted before, but I wouldn’t recommend the experience.”
Electrocuted?!
“はぁっ!?”
“In any case, please excuse me, Seonsaengnim. I need to consult some of my upperclassmen before tomorrow. I leave you in the Headmaster’s capable hands.” The Prefect bows to them both. “校長先生、先生のことは、その確かな手腕にお任せいたします。私はこれから、アシェングロットへの対処について先輩と話し合いに向かいます。それでは、どうぞ良い夜を。”
And before either of them can get a word out, the boy turns and all but sprints down the path back to the school.
“待て、監督生！ 戻ってこい！ 監督生!!” The crow-demon headmaster calls after him. When the student fails to materialize, he pinches the bridge of his mask and mutters, “やれやれ、あのガキのせいで、ストレスで羽が抜けちまいそうだ。”
Kim Soleum still has no clue what he’s saying, and doesn’t like the idea that he might sympathize with this guy’s sentiments if he did.
The headmaster straightens and turns to him with a clap of his hands. “さあ、異邦人さん。こうなっては仕方ありません。ひとまず医務室までお送りしましょう。今夜はカマック先生が、しっかりと看てくださいますから。”
With no other options, Kim Soleum dutifully follows the demon back down the path they came from.
As promised, the infirmary beds are comfortable.
But he would’ve appreciated knowing that, aside from one large, jovial man who keeps trying to offer him suspect pastries, the rest of the staff are ghosts straight out of a western horror story!!
Why are ghosts even staffing a school’s infirmary?? Please tell him they aren’t former patients who died here!
They may leave him alone because he feigned being tired and turning in early, but how is Kim Soleum meant to get any rest with them floating overhead and appearing through walls the entire night?!?
‘It’s impossible! This is the nightmare scenario for a coward like me!!’
Someone save him from this insane unidentifiable Darkness already!!!
@ gsgw fans on tumblr who want to know what tags/names to search to find korean fanart on twitter.!!! Im just gonna compile as many as I can into 1 post for convenience 🫶
괴담출근 - gsgw/gdcg (general abbrv); also 괴출
김솔음 - kim soleum (노루, 노루씨 = roe deer(noru), mr. roe deer; 포도, 포도요원 - grapes(podo), agent grapes)
there are too little project moon and twst crossovers but i think yuu being a lobcorp agent is WAY FUNNIER than just a random person from project moon
Yuu, seeing an overblot for the first time: wow. babys first qliphoth undeterred facility breach. kinda nervous. *deadpan*
Ace, confused as fuck: Yuu what the fuck are you talking about
also the explanations about abnormalities gotta cause havoc because god knows if the cast meets a he above (or waw above if its malleus) theyre fucked. this is also considering that theyre HARDCORE NERFED by qliphoth deterrence (most especially apocalypse bird and white night because HOW THE FUCK)
even funnier if yuu has like a waw+ ego suit. like youre telling me you SURVIVED THAT SHIT??? AND LIVED TO TELL THE TALE??? (even funnier if it's paradise lost or twilight. yk. the worst two alephs? thus far? funny as hell). or better yet, a COLLECTION of ego suits.
yuu is suffering less in twst and they question how ane why. on cue. the horrors known as the city. yeah they would not want to be there or get yuu home atp.
mind you thats not even explaining the lack of work ethics, the frequent deaths, and the plaguing nightmares many things cause there. especially during book 7 if yuus dream is a thing. from one hell (war) to another (lobotomy corporation). in hell we truly live. lament
I've always loved this idea and your ideas are sparking my neurons!! The cultural differences would be so huge, like imagine the horror stories that they could tell, "ah yes that was the day where nothing there wiped out half of the safety team!" If it does go to the direction of yuu having a dream there are so many ways to go, like a work day with no deaths or a dream where they decided to work at a different company or for like an association and whoever is there has to break the news like..hey... You actually work at evil murder monster management sim place, not like much of any of the other corps would be better, but hey, id much rather be apart of WCORP then impossible to survive monster management sim.
IDV has returned to put me on a chokehold so I have since word-vomitted a fic idea that I cannot yet commit to making a full-blown fic, but it will be here as an archive of sorts!
Initial Idea:
Luca reacts to Alva's arrival as the Hermit in a sort of manor purgatory AU!
Not thinking too much about the details, but everyone's here at the same time and they all live in the manor that's split equally between hunter and survivor side. They all play the games for the mysterious baron's amusement.
Outline:
Prologue
- Luca is enjoying his purgatory in the manor and playing through matches in bliss. He makes friends, bullies hunters and generally has fun... until it's announced that they'll be having a new hunter next season: the Hermit
- They meet in a match and Luca is looking forward to playing against the new hunter only to do a doubletake at the Hermit and flips out cause He Knows That Face but Who The Fuck Is That
- Alva pretends he does not Know Luca. Ann judges him for this but lets him have it as they are cat cult buddies (probably not very relevant this fic)
- Luca is crashing out because he's getting flashbacks of this guy but cannot for the life of him figure out why or who he is. They keep getting into matches together but Alva doesn't have the heart to knock Luca down so he always ignores him in matches
- This frustrates Luca because clearly the other guy knows who he is but will never stop ignoring him. So, of course, he decides to be petty and make life harder for Alva in each match. Alva starts losing badly whenever he has a match with Luca. Ann talks to him about this and how he can't keep ignoring Luca, but Alva with his terribly guilty heart doesn't listen to her advice
- The breaking point is reached when Luca says something very insensitive one match and Alva stops holding back. Match ends awkwardly after an explosive argument in which the survivors surrender and drag Luca back to the manor screaming.
"Why won't you just talk to me?! I know you know who I am—I may not know who you are, but the anger I feel every time I look at you cannot mean anything good."
"...."
"I know you can fucking talk, Hermit. You always look so guilty every time you look at me. Why is that, huh? Who were you to me?"
"..."
"I've always known I was imprisoned unjustly. Were you the reason why? Did you ruin my life and land me in prison, is that it? That why you can't even fucking look at me?!"
"Enough."
"So NOW you talk—"
- Alva has a flashback mental break that leaves him catatonic for a while. The hunters are worried. Meanwhile Luca has an epiphany with his scattered memories so he's writing down everything he remembers so he won't forget again. His anger is fresh and man is on a warpath
- Next few matches Luca keeps volunteering to join to take out his anger on the hunters. He is very very toxic thanks to instability and too much pent up emotion. Literally one step from insanity
- The hunters are upset that Luca is taking out their family drama on them and demand the survivors to keep him off the match roster. The survivors argue over points but ultimately put Luca under house arrest cause he's getting even more unstable.
- cut to a flashback arc
Flashback/Past Arc
Note on The Epic Misunderstanding, Luca thinks:
- Alva is a homewrecker who cheats on his own wife with another man
- His father is a piece of shit but even he doesn't deserve his life's work stolen and published under someone else's name
- Alva only took him in out of pity and to further disguise/bury his crime
Alva POV (flashback is purely in his POV as Luca is still crashing out):
- His marriage was a lavender marriage with a female inventor named Mary-Jane (made it up; it's a combo of irl Edison and Lorenz' wives' names—Mary Stilwell and Jane Loban) who broke up with her girlfriend because the girlfriend was getting engaged. They met after Alva broke things off with Herman. The two had separate bedrooms but got along harmoniously
- Alva was college friends and eventual co-inventors with Herman with a side of gay, but after Herman said he fell in love with the woman his parents set him up with and wanted to make Alva a side piece, he broke things off.
- Alva still attended the wedding cause he's publically best friends with the aristocratic Zeeman family. He and Luca's mom (Johanna Balsa, named after irl inventor Pieter Zeeman's wife) have a good friendship but things are awkward with Herman
- Despite the awkwardness, they continue working on the perpetual motion machine but Alva notices that Herman is slowly spiralling into obsessing over it. They have multiple arguments that blow up in one big argument where both got so angry they started throwing hands and a fire started. Herman dies in the fire, Alva survives with burn scars
- Alva is too ashamed to face Johanna (Luca's mom) so he sends letters instead, with apologies and explaining how the fire started. Johanna is understandably angry but she's been chronically ill for a while so she doesn't have the energy to grieve too much for her absentee husband. Alva offers to take them in but Johanna declines becuse pride and anger. She tells him that she's been suspecting the true nature of their relationship for a while. Alva swears they stopped doing anything after Herman's marriage. Johanna can't believe him, so they part ways there.
- Fast forward a few years and Alva eventually gets the news that Johanna died and left poor teenaged Luca alone. Loan sharks come for the Balsa fortune and Luca is left homeless on the streets.
- Alva consults his wife on what to do cause he can't in good conscience leave poor Luca to fend for himself. His wife suggests they should take him in.. so they did
- Luca spends the rest of his teen years with the Lorenz family. Alva shares with him his inventor work and reminisces on his time with Herman. Luca gets inspired to follow in his footsteps... until he discovers the perpetual motion machine idea and also starts obsessing over it like Herman did.
- Alva still has PTSD from the incident with Herman so he forbids Luca from looking into it further but did it in a terribly suspicious way.
- Luca, being a dumb teen who is too curious for his own good (esp with something that his bio father had a hand in), starts sneaking around to find more clues about it.
- He's generally happy and about to graduate college with a physics degree when he finds a drawer full of Alva and Herman's notes and the letters with his mom. Luca immediately gets the wrong idea cause Alva didn't keep enough of everything to get full context. He also read the doomed yaoi pair's angry letters (lmfao), which causes more misunderstandings
- cue confrontation
"Was it fun lying to me!?"
"I thought you were better than this. I—I thought you were better than him!"
- Angry Luca scarily resembles Angry Herman and Alva is highkey traumatized from the fire incident (crippling survivors guilt o7), so he just freezes at the accusations and it Makes Him Look More Guilty!!!
- Luca gets angrier and starts throwing shit like the dumbass he is. Then Alva snaps out of it but by then its too late—Luca triggers an explosion and the lab is set on fire immediately.
- Alva is terrified (he got a deathly fear of fire after Herman rip) and Luca is too, blanching cause as angry as he is, he didn't mean to push Alva and trigger an explosion
- Freshly electrocuted Alva overcomes his fear and runs through the fire to get to Luca and he ducks cause he thinks Alva is gonna hit and kill him.. but sike, he's thrown out the window and into the garden below, landing on the bushes safely as the lab fucking explodes behind him
- Luca immediately regrets things and runs back in just in time to save momma Lorenz, who drags him out cause there is no saving the house when the fire is spreading so quickly. Luca's anger is diminished to tears as they wait for the fire to die down. Alva is proclaimed dead and Luca crashes out cause Alva ended up dying saving him.. with all the answers dying with him
- Luca's grief turns to hysteria and he demands answers from Mary-Jane (momma Lorenz) who can only apologise for her husband's mistakes. Luca is disappointed that she didn't even try defending her late husband
- The police and firemen come and investigate. They conclude that Luca was the one who started the fire and consequently murdered his mentor. The news go crazy over this
- Luca is jailed and has a terrible time because he's disgraced nobility who killed a respectable middle class inventor that social climbed. Things happen and he ends up in the manor... eventually
- Meanwhile, Alva wakes up in cat cult and is understandably confused. He spends a while in solemn silence processing everything that happened and regretting things. His poor heart cannot go on o7
- Cat god offers to take his heart if he dedicates himself into being its apostle. Alva considers it only for a moment before accepting cause he has nothing to lose and it's probably the least he could do after being graciously resurrected from the dead
Reconciliation Arc
- Alva hears about Luca's mental spiral once he's out of his and decides to come clean. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief and promptly lock them in a room together.
- Luca does not want to Talk. He just wants to murder now cause his twisted mind thinks Alva totally deserved it. Alva explains everything chronologically as far as he remembers and apologises for not coming clean when they were still alive.
- Luca is fucking devastated and he does not know what to believe. He hyperventilates over it and ends up passing out. Alva takes him back to the survivors' side and explains the situation. The survivors take over his care!
- Luca wakes up remembering everything and immediately writing it all down, filling the gaps he didn't want to see before. He only has Alva's word for it but his story makes more sense than Luca's version (explains why he never knew Alva as a kid among other things)
- He asks for permission from the baron to send a letter to the publisher of Alva and Herman's papers to ask if they ever got Alva's approval and turns out they did not. Alva had objected but they published it anyway and they were the one who crossed out Herman's name
- Luca's world is shaken but he gathers himself enough for a match. He talks to Alva again in the match but much more amicably, having pieced his fractured mind somewhat together again
"...Balsa. I threw you out the window in the midst of a panic attack to save your life. How can you say I never cared? I would die for you. I did die for you."
"...and I was too fucking blind to see it."
"There were circumstances you were unaware of. I withheld vital information from you. I do not blame you for misunderstanding."
"I—I killed you. You know that, right? I. Killed. You."
"You were angry and the electrical circuits in the lab failed."
"Because of me. I did that—I pushed you and knocked over a glass of fucking water over an active circuit and it exploded. I started the fire, Lorenz."
"...I believe we should continue this conversation another time. Believe it or not, Balsa, I do not hold contempt against you for my death. It was a misunderstanding born from both of our follies. What is done is done, there is no need to scratch at that scab again."
"I—hold on, I'm not done with you."
"The Baron will not be pleased if we were both dallying all match. Please return to decoding, I will target your teammates."
"Down me and camp the fucking chair then—"
- Alva swooshes away and Luca angrily decodes. Alva downs two survivors and is now chasing the rescuer who is chiling because Luca is aggressively decoding and is about to be done with the last cipher. Alva chairs one person (Doctor) and the rescuer (Forward) + harasser (Prospector) decide to sell because they're all injured with no tide turner
- Luca makes his way to the gate still in thought (and angry) and opens both gates as his teammates arrive to greet him. Norton and Ellis take one look at Luca... who says he's gonna go rescue Emily
- They think its not worth the potential draw cause Alva has detention, but Luca looks too angry to argue with so both of them return to the manor while Luca runs back into the field. Luca saves Emily even though she spammed him to leave through the comms. It ends up being a no hit rescue and Emily self heals before running for it
- Alva chases Emily but Luca grabs his staff before he can stun her
"Balsa."
"Lorenz."
"Do not make me hit you."
"Do it, bitch."
Alva does.
"You gave me a fucking concussion—what gives, old man?!"
"Well since you wanted to be chaired so bad, I thought I might make it an enlightening experience."
"What enlightening?! Bullshit."
"You wanted to talk, didn't you? There's only us two now. Feel free."
"You're just gonna let me slug around?! I'll bleed to death!"
"You won't actually die."
"I know! I've been here longer than you!"
"Then it's good that you know."
"So now your sense of humour returns. Great."
"I'm sorry that you cannot appreciate good humor."
"You—I hate you so much."
"...."
"...."
"...look, I—I'm. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Alva."
"There is nothing to forgive."
"You—the hell do you mean by that?"
"Like I said. I could never hold a grudge against someone so precious to me. Call it foolish, but any wrong you have committed against my person has been forgiven the moment it happened."
"...that's. That's stupid."
"Maybe it is. Regardless, it changes nothing about how I feel."
"...how can you? After everything that's happened? After what I've done?.
"It simply is, Luca Balsa. I may no longer have a heart now, but I knew it as I know my own name. I loved you. I think I still would, if I were capable of it."
"...fuck, old man. Even after all these years you can still hit me where it hurts the most."
"So can you, Luca."
"I... I know. Fuck, I was so—I'm... yeah, I.. sorry. Hahah.. look at me, I was the one who forced this talk yet I'm the one who wants to back out now."
"You can return to the manor. I will see you tomorrow for breakfast?"
"Yeah—I.. sounds good. Uh. Give me a hand?"
Alva picks Luca up and walks him to the exit gates
"Wha—wait wait. You can chair me. I lost you your win—you could have won the match if you downed me earlier on."
"Might have. Mr. Campbell and Mr. Ellis are forces to be reckoned with, not to mention the addition of Dr. Dyer. You would have been rescued and Mr. Campbell would have harrassed me the entire match."
"...pft—that's funny to imagine."
"It has happened before."
"Regardless! You know me. I would have fucking thrown the match the moment I was rescued. I know you're good at downing people the moment they get up from the chair. But it was me who was downed, so you and your bleeding heart wouldn't be able to down me again."
"So you agree that you and your friends would have all escaped my grasp regardless."
"I—....huh. Fuck, I did."
"Indeed. Now go, get some rest. I will see you tomorrow."
"...thanks, old man. Fuck you for making me slug all the way to the manor though."
"Would you like me to throw you instead?"
"No—I was joking, I know I'll get teleported—ALVA- STOP- DAD."
"....you realise I do not have the arm strength to throw you that far, ...son?"
"Fuck off."
- Epilogue is Alva and Ann talking one more time as they spectate a match with Luca in it
"Did it go according to your expectations?"
"...it exceeded my expectations, in fact."
Aughhhh I'm gonna die, I just saw this beautiful edit of an animation that's Joseph x ithaqua, yet I don't know who made the animation and the creator has comments turned off. I'm going to run into a wall.
What's interesting to me is that in both situations where Reze lost, she was never overpowered but instead outsmarted. She was caught off-guard by Denji using chains and she was caught off-guard by Makima posing as a distraction so Angel could kill her from afar.
Strategy and foresight is what she lacked. This implies that the people who experimented on her only trained her to fight offensively— not to protect herself — because they didn't care about her well-being or survival as long as she completes her missions. This was already obvious but the way her upbringing (and how disposable they viewed her) can be seen even in her combat style is very sad.
There is a contrast between her and Denji here. In this arc, Denji won because of what his companions taught him. Reze taught him how to swim, Angel suggested the chains, Beam provided intel about her (and also acted as support). And of course Aki was there trying to protect him. Reze didn't have anyone looking out for her like that. Her handlers only trained her to brute-force every obstacle and if she doesn't manage to, is expected to just die.
When that guy you're so kindly watching over has a fucking death wish.
Naib's boif (Eli) got replaced by this kindness freak ('Healer') and he WONT. STOP. BEING. NICE. He keeps adding 'Cookie' to everyone's names and he's winning the hunters over! They like him!! I mean, he's really good at healing and his cooking isnt terrible and is quite good at making things stretch when in a pinch, but he's also super clumsy and bruises easy and terribly slow. Man, Naib just wants his boyfriend back. Wonder if he's ok... (Cut to Seer Cookie enjoying his time on Earth-Bread).
Naib thinks Healer (he can't seem to get a proper name) sees everything as sunshine and rainbows with how he's convinced he can befriend the hunters and survivors to work together for a better tomorrow. Or at least he does until Healer gets his first costume to wear (forced) and suddenly there's a strange man in near all-black garb laying there, waiting to be killed while muttering how everything is pointless, and the truth doesn't matter. Maybe this guy is secretly depressed... Like Gravekeeper level depressed.
Here is what each kindergartener would choose their camp to be using all the ones we have seen so far!! ( Or what I think they would)
First off with Nugget! I can't imagine him going to camp willingly unless Lily or Billy were going, since he's more focused on nuggets, shocking, I know! But anyhow, I think he would probably go to the first aid camp because Lily and Billy were going to the first aid camp. He would most likely dig the nugget cave again in Camp Campbell, so I doubt he'd learn much, but he would just be happy to be with Lily and Billy!
Now, for Lily like said above, I think she would go to Camp Campbell for the first aid camp to better help the people she saves, i mean she watched an principal turn into a monster then die, i feel like after that she may wanna be more prepared and with first aid camp she could know how to bandage people and etc. I think Billy would join for the same reason.
Now, for Billy, as I said above, first aid camp, though now on the subject, I could see him in archery with Lily.
The protagonist would have no camp; they would probably just help everyone else out the entire time and talk to us like they do in-game. Though I can imagine David putting them in a camp, or just teaching them how to read, maybe they could be in their own solo camp.
Book 6 Yuu needs to in fact be a SIBLING duo, with the same age gap as the Shroudbros, bc honestly it'd be the most heartbreaking shit to me if one (esp the younger one) somehow got snatched alongside Grim when the Charons stormed NRC
I was a little dissapointed that this reddit post was the only thing I could find when searching for LobCorp's nugget customisation options. So I did a thing and made my own.
EDIT: I forgot to add the mouths. I'm sorry, here they are
