I'm not putting an eye warning because there is nothing wrong with his eyes. The pupils are merely hidden!
With no ability to trust others, he keeps to himself. If he doesn't dislike you, he'll be a neutral party, only aiding you to inform you of the Actor's plans to create stories and to give a warning:
When he meets other muses from his time, he'll treat them like strangers, which can be quite upsetting for those who had mourned him. But those people would see that he's not quite himself. He might have been a bit of a jerk in life, but the warmth is gone.
And if he doesn't like you? Well... you should probably run. This "Dark" doesn't do monologues.
Maybe at a later point, when putting up the proper verse info, I'll share some headcanons to give you a proper introduction. For now, I'm sticking two things under the readmore: a way to tell the difference between the split in the story, and Wilf meeting Liam.
One thing I've always been transparent about is this: the Wilford that's on this blog wasn't supposed to exist in his timeline. William was supposed to die.
For the sake of good manners, I'm putting everything under a read-more.
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Everything would play out as intended, until William and Abe first confront one another. It's tense, but Abe shoots first. He was aiming for the shoulder to try and disarm William. Knowing the soldier would be able to kill him instantly, he pulled the trigger too fast... and hit William in the neck instead.
William died almost instantly.
Celine wasn't supposed to be there. She was never meant to interrupt the confrontation and distract from the intended scenario. Her arrival meant that others were killed or gravely injured, while the one who was supposed to die survived.
But in this timeline...? William dies. There's another argument, but the Manor's influence has subsided.... And everyone else walks out the front door and into the safety of the external grounds. Alive. Safe. Traumatised, but they survived.
There's no Attorney stuck in the mirror. No Dark. No one driven mad from ten hours of mourning and watching death undo itself. Nothing. Just the missing corpse of the actor, and a dead soldier.
William's body is left alone while the others wait outside for the authorities. A brief investigation is undertaken to confirm what was said was true. But before the body can be taken away, it too vanishes.
The Actor sneaks out stage right in the stolen corpse.
As for William? Well... He was stuck alone in the Void. There's no looping hellscape here. No need for it. Instead, he's stuck in the same space as Mark's corpse. He can leave whenever he wants! Gosh, if only he had the magical skills to do that. But he doesn't! And he has to wait. For months. Until he absorbs enough of the Manor's energy to amplify his own abilities, ultimately claim and reshape the corpse, and push himself back into the world of the living.
His trust is gone. He paid that price to get out (I'll explain that properly for Dante another time). He's a soldier, completing his tasks on his own, getting revenge on those that wronged him - starting with setting the Manor on fire.
This... Is Liam.
He looks a little worse for wear. The bullet went into the side of his neck and out the other side. Though the entry and exit wounds are covered over now, the damage is done. The nerves related to the brachial plexus were damaged, essentially leaving his left arm paralysed and permanently drooped. However, he CAN move it, however wonky the movements might be, and this is solely through using his powers to manipulate his limb to bypass the use of the nerves. He won't tell anyone this unless he learns how to trust another again and let hkmself be vulnerable. Because of this, the only presence of a red glow is in the area from the left side of his neck to his left hand.
He also has no pupils visible. There's no reason for this. They're unharmed, but lacking them makes it harder to read his expression. If they do appear, they're simply black dots. His skin is pale grey, the eyes are essentially dark grey, and the pupils would be black, so there wouldn't be too much overlap there.
His scarf was taken off during the initial examination of the body and was removed from the site. His glasses, however, were dropped by mistake when he was burning the Manor.
The jacket is ripped. Some parts, like the left collar, were torn to try and lessen his pain when he first woke back up. The ends were pulled off when it got snagged. All medals have been ripped off, but he still wears the dog tags.
Liam spent a long time in the Void alone, and then longer after that on his own. Because of this, he doesn't talk a whole lot. If he does, it's to the point. His voice sounds a little hoarse from lack of use.
That's all I can think of for now, and I'm very tired. I'll leave you with this second sketch I quickly finished when I got home a little earlier.
Finally: why "Liam"?
Simply put, it's an alternate way to shorten the name "William", and it's one that no one used in life. People who knew him would be less likely to join the dots if they heard the name "Liam" in passing.
Wilder is 5 years older than Liam and 7 years older than Sage, because his parents were still in college when he was born. They absolutely weren't ready for kids but they did their best. They also waited until they were more financially stable to have any more kids, even though they both knew they wanted a large family.
Today has been a normal day... And by that I mean I haven't had a free moment to do anything once I got home. But! I did have a moment in work where I attempted to sneaky doodle something important for Liam: the explanation of how the arm works.
It's not really accurate but hopefully it'll give other muns an idea of what's in my head.
The best comparison I can give you is what happens when a mannequin is being positioned. The person reaches out and makes the necessary adjustments. The movements made in this process are stuttered and lack the fluidity of natural movement. The sharpness in the movements is subtle, but very much there if you notice.
The hands I drew in faint red don't actually appear. It's my attempt to share how exactly it moves, and this goes as far as opening and closing the hand. This arm is what's known as a flail arm, which can be obtained through a traumatic injury. Essentially, it's dead weight. Liam has learned to use his energy as an external force to literally manhandle his own arm to try and get it to function normally. He'll default to using his right arm, but the left will also be used, whether it's to support holding something, or whether it's being forced up to its previous position pre-death.
In death, as in life, Liam is the overworker. He has bountiful stamina, but this process does cost energy to constantly maintain, even if it's now second nature. Try it, if you can. Let your non-dominant hand fall limp, and use your other hand to maneuver it to raise the limp hand and wave it, while forcing the limp hand to want to drop. It takes effort to hold it up.
Detective Lincoln's valiant confrontation with the heartless murderer of beloved actor Mark I.plier led to the killer's untimely demise, unable to face proper consequences before a court of law.
The disgraced soldier - Colonel W.illiam Jackson Barnum - was confirmed dead on the scene after receiving a fatal gunshot wound to the neck, despite attempts by the manor's cook to keep him from bleeding out. All witnesses were brought outside while waiting for the paramedics to take the body.
But in the time between them leaving, with everyone accounted for, and the paramedics arriving, the body disappeared. Despite a thorough search of the residence, it was nowhere to be seen.
JANUARY 4th, 19XX
M.arkiplier Manor, a place that had been left untouched following the actor's murder last October, was set alight in a suspected arson attack. No witnesses could confirm seeing anyone come or go. The fire was successfully contained before it could spread to the garden or nearby buildings, but it is likely the building will need to be demolished if no one is willing to undertake the costly reparations.
Firefighters at the scene confirmed the source of the fire was in a small study, where a small movie projector had been damaged by a bottle of alcohol. Nothing unusual was discovered, aside from a cracked pair of round glasses with peculiar lenses attached. The public is advised to contact the authorities if these curious spectacles sound familiar.
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As the 'villain' of the timeline, Liam Jackson is out for revenge on those who wronged him, just like the Actor would have expected. The Manor has been dealt with. He's not too keen on long monologues and idle chitchat, but if he is neutral toward you, that's currently the closest he's able to get to liking someone, and he'll make sure to inform you about the stories that the Actor may be trying to weave.
He doesn't want connections. He doesn't want bonds. He's been working alone for YEARS in the Void prior to his escape. But deep in his core, he's a soldier, and he knows he needs to do the right thing to protect the innocent... Even if that means being the villain that is so desperately desired.
So.... If you survived this fateful weekend... How are you going to handle seeing the figure of a man you saw die?
Further guidance/headcanons, if needed, under the read-more.
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Liam, like he did in life, bases his trust of people on those he knows. While he himself may not be able to feel that sense of loyalty or camaraderie, he knows people like Damien and the Attorney didn't actively contribute to his demise. As such, he will be neutral (which is positive, all things considered) toward them, and he will even try to offer advice while keeping you at arm's length.
However, if he meets Mark, or someone openly associated with him, his walls shoot straight up, and he will have little time for you. He will be the villain if he has to be. Shoot him, stab him, do whatever you want. Just be ready to run when you realise that won't stop him. He could block pain in life, and in death it's even easier. Even if you do kill him... He'll remember. He'll find you. :)
If he meets Celine... It will be somewhere in between this. By default (ie, not taking particular interpretations into account), he knows the relationship was loveless, and he was the fool for letting it happen on the pretence of playing along and acting like it was something that could have been genuine. In a way, his death was partially because of her.
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The entire of his left arm is paralysed, hence the droop in his shoulder. He uses his abilities to manipulate it, but it is still limp. I will explain more if needed, but consider it more like unseen hands maneuvering a doll's arm rather than magically having a way to 'overcome' it. The movements aren't natural, almost like how one pretends to move when they act like a robot. Practice has made the movements more fluid, but a watchful eye will notice it's still slightly 'off'. He's been doing it for so long that it's habit. Unfortunately, it can still tire him out if he over-exerts himself.
If you ask him about this, he will flat-out lie about it and blame the stuttering movement on the fact that he's dead.
(Side note: Liam willingly confessing his arm is paralysed is a sign that he trusts you. Liam willingly not using his powers - removing the red glow - and letting the arm fall fully limp is him showing complete trust in you.)
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He's blunt. He may insult a muse directly when making a point. I do apologise in advance for this.
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Powers include: using doorways to teleport, use of his energy to manipulate an item (only used on his arm), the creation and use of pocket dimensions, ability to conjure knives out of thin air, unlimited bullets in his gun of choice.
(note: this may be added as I've had more time to think.)
Sage is underestimating Liam. One of her biggest fears is that he'll remember and that knowing his past will break him. Honestly? Azazel thinks it will, too. Because why wouldn't it?
But they're both forgetting that that rage in the family is genetic and Liam got it, too. It's not as obvious. He's a happy dude, living a good life. But it's not going to break him if he remembers his family, if he remembers dying.
It's going to infuriate him. He'll be just as angry at Wilder as Sage is. He was their older brother. He should have protected them. He never should have fucking messed with Azazel. (It helps, probably, that Wilder and Liam rarely saw eye-to-eye to begin with.)
But also? He's going to be just as angry at Sage. What right did she have to make that deal? To resurrect him and take his memories? To make that call without his consent? To choose a second chance with Azazel? To care about Azazel? The last part being the most damning.
It's easy to think that Liam is too soft to handle the truth. And maybe he would be if he were most other people. But instead? He's going to be just as willing to burn the whole world down as both of his siblings are.
A Concept: Liam and Juno, drunkenly belting along with this cover, at one in the morning. They both get very into it, but at different points, and it always leaves the other giggling for 10 solid seconds before they can try again.
