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demethinkstoomuch · 2 years

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How Would The Locked Tomb Cast Do At Survivor?

Yes, it is time for my highly-researched opinions about how my current hyperfixation’s cast would do at my favorite reality game show!

I went through big chunks of the cast and sorted them into groups by playstyle/likely outcome/role in the season. A few characters are not easily sorted into a group, so they’re on their own. This mostly assumes the cast is isolated, though I may assume “someone like so and so” as options for tribemates; if I have a Blood vs Water thought, how they’d do with their loved one, I’ll bring it up. I will be ranking the groups on their likeliest boot orders, with a bit of wiggle-room, because after a certain point, that stops being super meaningful. I should have just done a Brant-Steele, I wouldn’t have to organize that.

Away we go under the cut!

...Survivor? That’s still on?

Let me give anyone unfamiliar with a 22-year old show a quick rundown: Game starts with everyone divided into usually 2-3 tribes of 6-10 people each. At this phase, immunity from tribal council earned in challenges is tribal, and the losing tribe goes to tribal council and they vote someone out. The tribes might swap players or change considerations, Survivor hates consistent formatting; somewhere in the 13-10-ish range, the tribes merge and immunity from the vote at tribal council becomes individual. People voted out join the Jury, who watch tribal council; at the end, the final 3 face the jury for Q&A or speeches, and the jury votes for the winner. You can get 1-use immunity from a vote by finding a hidden immunity idol. I am treating Final 4 as a point where no one meaningfully controls who goes home, because the current mechanic kind of works that way. I hate it, and am ignoring its existence.

Now, please note that Survivor is a very, very swing-y game. The things that win you the game one season might not in another, so there’s only some cases where I’m very sure how they would do, and some cases where I think there’s a range -- if you’re in theory capable of making it to the final 7 or so, and capable of doing it without screwing yourself out of victory, there might be a universe where you can win... or you could just miss your shot, who knows.

The Total Disasters (Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Silas, Judith, Mercymorn, Honesty, Crux, probably Pash, maybe Ortus but maybe not)

Look, some people are not destined to win Survivor. That’s most people, honestly. But some people are very, very clearly destined to be voted out immediately. These are people who cannot disguise any part of themselves to get along, who cannot chill, who need to have things their way or the highway, who eschew social bonds in favor of their own machinations and standards. Survivor is a game of connection, and it’s a game of connecting to people who are nothing like you. You can see why everyone on this listing might be total, unmitigated disasters.

Judith is the most likely person in the universe to force the entire tribe to just sit there in the shelter, we have no need for duplicity or sneaking off for private strategy talks, we will just eliminate the weakest link, It is very straightforward! No one likes that. It never goes well.

Harrow and Honesty are both very likely to get in trouble for immediately scouting for idols -- and not being subtle enough about it. Harrow is at least reasonably likely to find one, though. Honesty probably just applied when he heard about the time a cellophane-wrapped block of cocaine washed up on the beach during filming. It could happen again, on a different beach. Maybe production won’t take this one away. It could happen! Silas is most likely to interpret the immunity idol as a form of idolatry and be pissed about it. Both of these stories actually happened, though one never made it to the show. (Also, no one would want to see Silas after he’s gotten dirty. It’d just be sad.)

For some reason, undefinable for me, Mercymorn feels like she’d last a round or two, she just has big “third boot” vibes. I think she can maybe be functional enough in her hate to stick around. Ortus can stay out of this group if he does not quote too much poetry, and is not too big a downer. Pash can if she does not get into too many fights.

Precious Cinnamon Role Too Good for this Game, Too Pure (Nona)

Nona lives in her own category. She probably would be a form of disaster, but a very different one. Nona’s social skills honestly would preserve her from Harrow’s fate of immediate vote-out. That said, her inability to lie and her general softness would combine to make her a major problem as an ally: you could not tell her anything. She would be very uncomfortable about votes. I think she probably would not get very deep in before her unease at voting people out would make her too unreliable an ally to keep. I’m picturing Marquesas’ Gabriel Cade as I say this, and that was pre-merge. Cinnamon roll too good for this game, too pure.

On the other hand... I feel like there is an incredibly unlikely chance, if the stars align, that Nona could win. It would be a disaster season -- and probably very funny. This would require everyone else to be missing at least one of the following Survivor skills: Surviving to the End, Being Likeable, Removing Threats. Nona would have to be the only person whose two remaining skills are Being Likeable and Surviving to the End. If that happens, maybe everyone else would all self-destruct on each other while Nona has a fun adventure with all the blase innocence of a Cartoon Baby in a Cartoon Construction Site, and people like her more than the other members of the Final 3. This has happened before, so let’s call this Fabio upside.

Sit-Out Bench Gracers (Cytherea the First, Dulcinea Septimus)

These two have more or less identical early games, and only slight divergences in the late game. In the early game, they’re massively endangered due to, you know, being dying. Their hopes are twofold: #1, That the rest of their tribe can pull their weight, and they can be queen of the Sit-Out Bench; #2, that their social games are enough to protect them on likeability and they can shift the targets over. If that happens -- if they make it through the early game -- then they have a good shot at a deep run. They’re both likeable and cut-throat, a good combo... But then, do you want to go up against the inspirationally dying girl? Do you? You don’t, right? You cut that. I think Cytherea has a better survival rating than Dulcie, because being underestimated is Cytherea’s biggest skill, I think.

But let’s say they make it to the end-game: then, Cytherea’s ability to be under-estimated becomes a detriment. You have to be able to sell your game. You have to be able to sell your game and be respected for it, and the person who gets in close with personal reliance and deep intimacy, and then slits your throat callously? The jury tends not to like that. That tends to piss them off. In that regard, Dulcie, who’s just more edgy and less likely to play it personal, has a better rate of winning. But these differences would play out only in the rather unlikely endgame. I’d rather see Dulcie, though; she’d give an amazing confessional. I get big Courtney Yates energy from her, a tiny skinny girl, 0 physical presence, but hell of a sass on her. (She’d probably be less mean than Courtney, but I’m just saying.)

Smart Mom and Mom-Adjacent People (Abigail Pent, Juno Zeta, Commander We Suffer, The Angel)

So, there’s some good long-term potential, very little win chance, and very, very good Early Boot chances here. This is where Mercymorn would fit if Mercymorn were capable of Chilling. Let’s get to explaining that mess of a set-up. There are two driving factors: We’re dealing primarily in this group with “older” (Survivor “old” runs from early 30s to anything else; the show skews young, on average) women or women-adjacent people who are very smart and not capable of disguising it. On average, they’re not very physically tough, which becomes a problem in the early game -- they just might not be enough in challenges early on. On the second level, being undisguisably smart and no-bullshit can become...A little bit threatening. A lot of smart older ladies smell the rats early -- and the rats freak out and take them out. Which is more or less what happened to Abigail Pent in canon, so that seems a likely fate for her in Survivor.

But lately, that type has done a lot better, which is fun and exciting, so let’s talk about the final danger: If they last to the end, people might not like it when “Mom” betrays them. They very well might undervalue her strategic chops if she stays in deep. Even if they did not come here to be “Mom,” they don’t want it, stop that. But how you are perceived in Survivor is more relevant to how the game plays out than who you are or what you do. Survivor is not a fair game, and the double wombo-combo of agism and sexism is ruthless. But man, when this type does really well, they are a delight: they can be chaotic, ruthless, canny, and just really gratifying to watch. We Suffer probably does the best on the grounds of not being a necromancer, and therefore, being physically the toughest -- she has the most Chaos Kass or Chrissy upside (both of whom were delightful, think that this trend is BULLHONKEY, and nevertheless failed to escape it.)

Slow Down, You Crazy Child (Isaac Tetteres)

Isaac is a funny one. He’s pretty OK, but I think the odds of him melting down in a paranoid and self-destructive spiral are very high. This could begin at any time, but ultimately means that when Isaac spots a big threat, or starts to feel like someone is coming for him, he will come at them so hard that it destroys anything he’s built. Which is a shame: he could build stuff. Observation is a valuable Survivor skill, and I think he’s not actively repellant, so he’d probably make some decent alliances early on. But if you act like everyone is out to get you, you’ll make people out to get to. And if you show your chops too early, you might just take out your target...And then get taken out yourself. This quality is one that makes him one of the types of players Nona needs a whole season of to win: he’d be one of that season’s better players, too. It’s just that the best that sort of disaster comedy season has is juuuust sharp enough to cut themselves.

There’s some sort of connecting thread between himself, Augustine, Naberius, and Ianthe, but their over-all outcomes become so different that it becomes hard to lump them together. But if I did, that type would be: Too Schemey. How good they are at the socializing, how likeable they can be, how concealing of their cunning, determines their fate.

The Meatshields (Gideon Nav, G1deon, Marta, Pro, Colum, Aiglamine if she’s not too old for it, Jeannemarie if she doesn’t get into too many fights, Ortus if he can get his act together.)

This is, of course, an enormous group. The basic thing prognosis is this: If you are physically strong, you will be valued in the early game, and viewed as possibly threatening as a challenge threat in the middle of the game around the top of the merge. Even though, basically, if what you’re primarily delivering on is raw strength, the challenges really stop being geared that way. Survivor individual challenges are a lot more endurance, balance, and puzzle-based. People will still target those they perceive as threatening...And most of the people in this group do not have the ability to avoid that, so they’d probably all go in the early to mid merge. This bundle are not strategically very dynamic, though some of them -- Gideon, I mean Gideon -- are at least socially engaging. But the rest of them, except Jeanne, really wish this was about surviving, and not about people. It’s not, though!

Gideon has the upside of being very likeable, but you have to be way more clued-in, and willing to use those clues, to fare really well. But she gives a FANTASTIC confessional, which makes her a delight to have. She’d get asked back, but Survivor still resents you skipping Leg Day. Her namesake, not so much -- but if Gideon Nav improbably makes it to the end, she could win. Her namesake, though... if he’s lucky, someone picks him up as a loyal #2, and he gets voted out to weaken them or dragged to the end as a dead fish, setting his leader up for an easy win. 0% chance of winning. The rest would be loyal enough to be good allies, except Jeanne-Marie, who might be loyal, but could be a bit too much of a firecracker (though that makes her a good person to take to the end) ...But they’re all too honorable to wriggle out of trouble, and not strategic enough to take out bigger threats, so win odds are low.

The Godfathers (Commander Wake, Hot Sauce)

I think that they both operate on Having a Gang. If they have a Gang that they can be absolute ruler of -- and, given people, they will seek to become absolute ruler of -- and can dominate its comings and goings, it will become a thing of iron, and if it has the numerical superiority, they will march the Gang to the End and crush the other alliance/tribe/whatever. What if Boston Rob really, really hated necromancers? What if Boston Rob were a 14-year old girl?

Forced into a situation where her numbers are inferior or her tribemates resent the idea of being controlled, Wake has far and away the better odds compared to Hot Sauce, but she’s still more likely to go scorched earth and hopes to ride the chaos. Which...rarely works, honestly. I think Hot Sauce would have a harder time, being younger and all. They both have an incredible charisma and force of will which will hopefully get them their Gang, but Wake’s edges are harsher, while Hot Sauce is more withdrawn. Both are under considerable threat, playstyle-wise, of the whole premise of The Gang just not working with the cast around them. Like, most people don’t really like the idea that they are not allowed to have independent strategies in a strategy game. Their approach is more or less a high-risk, high-reward one. It fails at inflection points: the start of the game, the swaps, the merges, where they’re capable of being outnumbered or outgunned or overthrown. Wake probably has a better sense of who to take to the End Game than Hot Sauce, but that’s down to not being 14.

The Dads (Magnus Quinn, John Gaius)

These two technically have very different fates, but I thought their superficial approach would be alike enough. Both are reasonably physically competent mature men who are approachable, sociable, and not obvious about taking charge. They’re charming, reliable, and competent without being overwhelmingly so, which gives them good odds. But Magnus isn’t cutthroat, isn’t deceptive. This makes me think he’d go through the tribal stage, and he’d do well -- but when the time comes for his alliance to cannibalize itself, he won’t be long left, so he’s in The Zone, but loosely, 12-5 or so. Magnus is a great guy to have in your alliance, though, and a really great guy to have in your cast. He’d get an invite back and he’d do exactly the same, but we were expecting him to be delightful, not successful. He probably makes the DVD cover, so good for him!

John is deceptive, and he’s never as sentimental as he looks. His best-case scenario is that he activates his manipulation skills, plays innocent, finds someone worse to stand beside, and he is the coolest man on the ice. His worst-case scenario is that he makes a plan, over-reaches, and bungles it, perhaps melting down in a “who voted for me???!!” paranoid spiral, and does not understand why people do not want him to win. I’m not sure which I find more likely, but either could happen, and at just about any time. Winning is possible for John Gaius, unfortunately.

The Grand Vizier Probably Eats Brunch (Augustine the First)

I think Augustine maybe could win. I think it’s not a sure bet, but sometimes, you just have to be just charming enough, just good enough at pretending you care, just clever enough, without being any of those things too much. I think Augustine is good enough at playing second fiddle who turns around and tries to murder you that it will serve him well. That’s a winning role in Survivor. I could also see him on the losing side of the post-merge dynamics -- in which case, he’d go somewhere in the 10-7 zone, but outside of that scenario, I think you can pencil Augustine in for any point between Final 8 and Victory, Inclusive.

Too Dangerous To Live (Coronabeth Tridentarius, Palamedes Sextus, Camilla Hect)

All of these are people who I think could do very well at Survivor, except for the part where there is really no disguising how well they could do at Survivor. They will probably be valued members of their tribes and alliances, in the hub of things, making moves and doing great! Until everyone looks towards the end-game, and what do they see? This is the longest write-up, because each of them is a different picture of a great Survivor player in their field.

They see that Palamedes is crazy smart and has about 35 million scenarios for the endgame planned out. He can probably solve any puzzle put in front of him in, like, 3 seconds. He’s quite likeable most of the time, a good dude, and undeniably respectable as a strategic force in the game. He’d murder a final tribal speech. He runs the slight risk of being the sort of high-strung nerd who goes home early, but I think he can avoid it. He’s less likely to avoid being a high-strung nerd who gets voted out late. He’s a season’s fallen angel, the person who played brilliantly but fell short. Unless a miracle happened, but I think he’s in the Christian Hubicki slot; everyone’s gonna love this nerd, which is part of his problem. Some of the fandom will absolutely love him. They will be right, and not joyless reddit husks.

They see that Camilla is, for all she’s a little quiet and anti-social, a formidable challenge beast. She can do everything a Survivor individual challenge is likely to expect of you: she could throw beanbags at things, she could walk on balance-beams, she could endure in weird postures, she can solve a puzzle at the end. And she’s got a very strong strategic sense and understanding of the game rules, fully capable of recognizing who the threats are and who’s working against her and so on. She can find idols like she’s pulling them out of a pocket. I think she’d be the worst of this bunch at selling her game at the end, and the worst at convincing people to not target her now, but there’s a chance it works for itself.

They’d see Coronabeth. Who is Coronabeth, and is almost, very nearly, the perfect Survivor player: endlessly charming, endlessly charming, percieved as fantastic by all who survey her. Every move gets credited to her, even the ones she had nothing to do with. But she probably has a lot to do with a lot of them, because she is also rather cunning in the way a social-strategy game like Survivor is concerned with. And she is physically capable enough to win some immunities. Coronabeth could win Survivor by just standing there.

And the entire rest of the cast would go, “Huh, that’s a problem for me, because I would like to win Survivor. That is what Survivor is about, winning Survivor. And they could definitely stop literally all of us from winning Survivor.” And then the threat singularity would begin, and everyone’s mission would be to Get Out The Biggest Threat. Now, any of these people could go a few rounds on immunities or idols or stupid tribemates -- Corona gets the most out of stupid tribemates and the least out of idols because she’s less good at those -- but it’d be risky. They’d be sprinting through fire, scrambling from tribal council to tribal council like they’re walking on a tight-rope. Which makes a great show for the jury, which makes them more likely to win, which makes them more threatening, lather, rinse, repeat. The luck is, more likely than not, going to run out at some point. It will most likely run out somewhere between the final 7 and the Final 4, with 5 as a very likely point: last call before it’s too late to stop them, oh god, somebody, please stop them!

Funnily enough, I think a Blood Vs Water with Palamedes and Camilla dampens both of their chances, because they can’t protect them both. A Blood vs Water with a Redemption Island twist, where someone who can do well at challenges can come back, though... Then he and Camilla would absolutely wreck shop if she gets voted out early, hiding his threat level a bit, and then she wins her way back at the final hour, and then they are an Unstoppable Survivor Machine. Let’s call this the Paul Scenario.

Almost Perfect, Except For the Glaring Part Where She’s Ianthe (Ianthe Tridentarius)

Ianthe is almost a great Survivor player, if only she weren’t...Ianthe about it. She seems to be aware enough that you have to charm people to at least make an attempt. And she’s clever and cutthroat. But...Would it be enough to overcome... Ianthe? And, if so, then what? Could someone willingly vote for Ianthe to win a million dollars? Could someone Ianthe has backstabbed turn around and applaud her? I think Ianthe would gloat too much, honestly, and that would end up making people turn away from respecting her game. She is her own worst enemy. I think she makes it pretty far, though -- and either gets taken out for being too schemey, or she stays and is a 0 vote finalist... But maybe, just maybe, she’d have a shot.

Here is what her shot looks like: She needs a Coronabeth. She needs someone who is attention-drawing that she can pair up with and hide her threat level behind. Unlike actually playing with Coronabeth, though, she’d need to get that person to about the 5-6 remaining point and then take her out... after lining up a collection of saps who absolutely could not get more than a few anti-Ianthe votes, and those guys take her to the final 3. Like, say, Babs. Everyone hates voting for Ianthe, but they just can’t vote for those other guys, because in some way, they are worse. That’s what an Ianthe win looks like. Missing any of those elements means that Ianthe probably falls just short of a win.

Mr 0 Votes (Naberius Tern)

Oh, hey. It’s the guy Ianthe needs to take to the end. He is his own special sort of disaster: he’s the perfect goat, his own worst enemy. No one’s going to vote for Naberius to win. In general, he strikes me as the exact sort of player that could lead to a Nona win if there were enough of him in a season: he’s smart enough to know how to strategize, but not so smart and not so charming that he wouldn’t overplay, and not nearly subtle enough. He thinks he’s a strategic mastermind, he probably has a confessional or three about how he’s the one controlling this game. He isn’t. He could really go at any point in the game, honestly. If he goes early, it’s because he’s a slimy, whiny twerp who overplayed his hand and overestimated himself; if he goes at top of the merge, it’s because he’s a big physical threat. After that, though... He probably doesn’t go home in the 8-4 zone, not if anyone can help it. He’s the perfect losing finalist, you want to take him to the end no matter who you are. Unless he’s not your sacrificial goat, or unless there’s no better targets vulnerable. Then he goes. No one’s sad about it.

THE WINNER, GENTLEFOLK! (Pyrrha Dve)

Bow down before your new Survivor God. Pyrrha is really, really, really good at Survivor. She is probably the single best Survivor player of the cast, prove me wrong. A huge part of that is that she’s capable of lying low, in addition to being charming, a great liar, cut-throat, cunning, and physically capable. I think she is capable of taking a season of Survivor and ruling it in a way which is so low-key and so complete that she makes a really boring Survivor season, because she’d crush all the life out of it. They might want to take her out every week, but they can’t -- but next week! But no, not this week, either. And so on. Pyrrha’s said all these things, but really, she’s in with them, right? They need her. They can’t get rid of her now. And the chance slips away... Things could break badly for her, but she would need some bad luck to not charm her way, subtle and powerful, to the win.

#The Locked Tomb #TLT #Survivor #Stacking Obsessions #I'm not listing the entire cast in tags #I'm not a monster #Nona the Ninth Spoilers #I am in delight imagining the clown-car pile-up scenario required for a Nona win. It'd be hilarious.#I am not going to call Ianthe Russell Hantz but I thought about it #But I didn't want to be so insulting to Ianthe.#Meta #TLT Meta #The Mortifying Ordeal of Posting Your Dumb Crossover Concepts #Courtney Yates rather did look like a malign fairy #Camilla Hect on Redemption Island would be a delightful terrifying experience #Just looming in the background.#People getting on the DVD cover almost regardless of placement: Gideon/Magnus/Pyrrha/Anyone Too Dangerous To Live #People getting on the DVD cover if they do REMOTELY well: Ianthe/Dulcinea/John/Augustine/Any Smart Mom-Types/Nona/Any Godfather Type #Babs might get on the cover only as a losing finalist but only MIGHT. G1deon would not get one even as a losing finalist.#Harrow would at least like the food!#The None or the Plain White Rice Boiled in Water

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darkestprompts · 11 months

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A reminder that the Brant Steele Hunger Game Simulator exists. The first DD run went great, Dismas *immediately* died of hypothermia day 1

Dismas's Mountain speedrun ends in tragedy as it turns out his coat isn't *that* good.

#asks #anon #dd dismas #dd highwayman

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skyblr-hunger-games · 1 year

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Welcome to the first ever Skyblr Hunger Games simulation! Over the next several days, your Sky Kids will be participating in a competition to determine who is the ultimate survivor. This simulation is being run by @skykid-nadir

The Game Plan

The game will take place over several days. Updates will go out two to three times a day, each one covering either a Day, a Night, or an Arena Event. In traditional Hunger Games style, there will be 12 Districts with 2 Tributes each, for a total of 24 contestants. I will be using Brant Steele's Hunger Games Simulator to run the game. Most events will be left as are, but I will be updating some to fit more appropriately into the world of Sky: Children of the Light.

This is an entirely fan-run event. We are not affiliated with ThatGameCompany or with The Hunger Games. All Tributes belong to members of the Sky fan community and the original creator will be credited.

Submitting Your Sky Kid

Each individual may submit 2 Sky Kids to participate in the games. All creators will be credited and their Tumblr accounts will be linked. Please let me know if you would like to be pinged when a post involving your character goes up!

Applications will be open from today until Saturday, April 29 at 11:59 CDTk (GMT+6). After that, I will add each submitted character to the bracket on a first come first serve basis. If you submit multiple OCs, they will appear in the same District. If I am unable to receive 24 submissions, I will supplement the rest of the Districts using NPCs from Sky: Children of the Light.

To submit an OC to the tournament, either message @skykid-nadir (my main blog) or send an Ask to this blog. Submissions should include your OC's name, pronouns, and a picture of them. Unfortunately the simulator I use only allows he/him or she/her pronouns, so nonbinary characters will have their pronouns chosen randomly.

Content Warnings

While the general content of this simulator is so extreme as to be comedic, there is some particularly violent content that might be disturbing to some participants. I will make an effort to add content warnings to anything particularly graphic or violent, but it is possible something will be missed. Deaths are not described in detail but include causes such as suicide, burning, suffocation, drowning, and crushing. There are also multiple events which reference characters losing their minds or stalking others. There is no shame in changing your mind about participating or in requesting a trigger be tagged.

#skyblr #sky children of the light #sky cotl #hunger games simulator #The Skyblr Games

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team-mythic-beasts · 2 months

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Team Mythic Beasts: Let’s Talk Designs!

Also Included: (Updated) Birthdays, Ages, MBTI, Heights

(Note: Special thanks to @levijonescc, creator of the Aveyond 4 x Hetalia mod, for inspiring this project; without you we may not be here today. Btw I suck at drawing humanoid characters so I used this base)

It took me almost seven years to finalize the boys’ designs, but here they are!

Besides the pictures, I’ve also invited them here to explain the thought process behind their outfits. They will go in order of color, so this time we’re starting off with… Jones!

❤️ The Wolf- Jones Fitzgerald

(Apr 25 ♉️ | 29 y/o | INTJ | 177cm / 5’9”)

It’s only fair that the best-looking guy in the bunch gets the first word… so why does Luke keep getting all the spotlight? I’m supposed to be the main character!

Anyways, hope you aren’t too scared from all the spikes and flame patterns that I wear. Intimidation is a huge factor in designing a villain outfit, and I take great pride in being called scary. The flames are for another reason too— I’m a fire mage, and those who cross me shall beware the heat.

The cape was a reward from a quest I took up long ago. I saved a village from a demonic wolf, and they gave me some of her fur to wear as a trophy. In a way, it’s a reminder not to let my beloved Hiro go down the same path as his mother… but I do look quite big with the cape, don’t you think?

Even without my armor, cape, and giant coat, I still look like I’m onto some villain-y business, with the vest and jewel… Wait, what do you mean “yeehaw,” Makoto?! I’m not a cowboy!

🧡 The Dragon- Ludovic Brant

(He forgot 😢 | 70+ y/o (physically 25) | ISTJ | 200cm / 6’6”)

… Hello there. I did not expect such a quick debut.

As you can likely tell from my hardened look, my story is about battling demons. I was promised greater progress by the others in Team Mythic Beasts, and they have been of great help in my quest.

I made my armor from various monsters that I have slain in battle, but the helmet, specifically, is from an a assassin sent by my former captor. It put up a tough fight, that’s for sure, but nothing beats the fury of a dragon.

Underneath my armor is a simple outfit I put together in Moriad, where I have lived as a refugee for quite a few decades now. I asked my dwarf neighbors if they could make me custom wear, but it was too much for them. Therefore, every piece is made by hand, by myself.

… Yes. That is all.

💛 The Lion- Mikkel Anderson

(Dec 5 ♐️ | 19 y/o | ISFJ | 183cm / 6’0”)

Evil beware, the Lion of Team Mythic Beasts is here!

When I was a young lad, I’d be carrying heavy stuff everywhere to build up strength for all this armor that I wear now. That means I have to eat a lot of food every day, too! But underneath all this steel, I’m just a humble little guy from the city outskirts.

Oh, this medal? I got it from Lord Kristan! He’s the legendary founder of my hometown, Alphica, and he’s been watching over me and my nan since I was born.

So… that should cover everything about my outfit. You can probably tell I’m not as flashy as my friends; they’ll have a lot more to talk about than I do, I’m sure!

💚 The Weasel- Arthur Blackwood

(Oct 23 ♏️ | 36 y/o | ESTJ | 175cm / 5’8”)

Ha ha ha ha ha!!! If trouble is what you’d expect at the sight of a witch like me, then you’d be right— but you’ve got to be a total numbskull to get on my bad side. My long, sharp nails aren’t the only things you should worry about.

Not a fan of heavy clothes, since potions is my specialty; a simple coat, protective armwear, and a ragged cape does the job for me. As for the bird skull on my shoulder, one of the Raven Lord’s “beloved children” decided it was a good idea to get in the way of my curses— (MAKOTO’S NOTE: THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.)

Purple and cyan? Meh. Black, green, and silver? Classic. No idea what the witchcraft school I went to was thinking when they designed our uniforms, but I’ve done a better job than they ever will. It’s a shame my brothers don’t think the same.

That’s all you need to hear from me. Now get lost before I turn you into a frog!

🩵 The Eagle- Finn Dentrad (né Teryekol)

(Aug 28 ♍️ | 24 y/o | INTP | 162cm / 5’3”)

Looks like my days as an adventurer are not over yet!

My outfit used to be a lot lighter. Shorts, summer jacket, loafers… they’re comfy, no doubt, but I needed something to reflect the things I’m actually good at— engineering and mechanics. So I decided to switch them out for some heavy duty wear.

Now, I’m fully covered up from the neck down, because building stuff, especially gadgets, isn’t really a safe activity. My coat is long enough for protection, but not too long as to get caught in the middle of moving gears. Yikes! Just thinking about that frightens me.

My eyes are just as important for my talent, so I’ve switched out my hat for a pair of goggles. Combine that with my new coat and waist pockets… don’t I look a lot more reliable now?

Oh, one more thing… I’ve had so many people tell me how heavy my backpack is. Is it really? The only stuff in there are bigger mechanical parts and my robot dog Hanatamago, that’s all…

💙 The Bear- Fra’ser Du’randt

(Jun 26 ♋️ | 39 y/o | ENFJ | 175cm / 5’8”)

*yawns* … Oh, hey there. Sorry, I was busy… looking into other people’s dreams.

How is that possible? Well, not long after I came to this world, the Lord of Dreams made me his assistant. He gave me the power to access the dreams of other individuals at any given time, whether I’m awake or in the process of dreaming. Dispelling nightmares is my job, as well as my specialty.

My Lord designed and created my entire outfit. Blue and purple are the colors of dreams in this world, so it’s only natural that he would choose such hues. The sleeves of my coat are styled just like his, and my base wear resembles the uniform I had at my last job. I do miss my friends back there, but I’m happy to be able to serve my Lord. He is truly a kind deity.

Of course, fighting night terrors is a dangerous job, so the cape and armbands serve as protection. My downwards moon earring also acts as a talisman. All in all, it warms my heart that my Lord had considered so much when he made me this costume.

💜 The Fox- Lucas Reynard

(May 6 ♉️ | 110 y/o (physically 20) | INFP | 178cm / 5’10”)

Oh wow, I’m finally last for once. You probably know me well enough by now, as I’m all over this blog as well as Makoto’s Instagram page, if that’s how you found us here.

Every single item you see on me is a gift. Most are from my sisters, but gods have asked of my favor as well. I have no idea what they saw in me, but… alright. Pretty cool, I guess. If you want to know from whom is which, do let me know. By the way, if you look very closely at my choker, it has my initials on it.

Somehow, training with my family had helped me grow a pair of wings, fox ears, and a tail. No, this doesn’t make my hearing any better, nor can I fly... These parts are made of mist, and depending on my mood or energy level, can sometimes appear translucent or not show up at all.

The face markings... I got them while learning how to shapeshift under the God of Colors. He told me that every shapeshifter, whether born with the talent or learned it later in life, has a unique mark, or a combination of them. It’s not evident in my main form, but when I turn into a fox, the canine facial structure reveals the full shape of my marks— four diamonds.

Oh, sorry, I spoke too much… Well, if you want to know more about our outfits, feel free to ask. For now, have this— our very own mascot collection, Team MiniB. It was my idea, by the way.

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mickeys-malarkey · 2 years

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BATDR Analysis/Post-Playthrough Theory Revision Pt. 2/4!

Fair Warning: Lots of spoilers and some pretty gruesome topics ahead (this game definitely lived up to the “scarier than BATIM” promise, wow)!

The unexpected key to understanding how the stories of BATDR, TLO, TIOL, and even DCTL intertwine: “The Mug and the Maiden: Vol. 1 by Sir Wilton Moore”

(This is my absolute favorite part, it made Wilson one of my favorite characters in the entire series~! 💕)

Let's just get this outta the way, “Wilton” is literally only one letter away from “Wilson,” this thing was definitely written by some version of him. Now, I'm sure most people skipped over this thing like my brother did, it's very long and seems borderline nonsensical at first. But I think it's much more important than it seems on the surface; not just comedic relief to break up your horror adventure or meaningless flavor text to fill out the world, but in fact a “twisted riddle that reveals more than meets the eye,” as Wilson's character bio says. Here's some screenshots, if you wanna read the story in full (described in alt text like everything else, if you can't make it out):

When I first read this, it struck me (when I wasn't busting a gut laughing) that several descriptions sounded very similar to characters in the Bendy games and books (and that there's a lot of returning repeated themes, like people going by two different names). The mouse who went to find cheese in the governor's basement, got crushed by the false wall, and eventually only briefly had the fact his wife worried when he didn't come home mentioned (also who apparently decayed much faster than he should've, his body practically reduced to nothing by sundown) sounded like Brant from TLO following Bill and Constance into the factory's secret moonshine basement hoping to get a scoop, getting crushed by the secret door, and eventually only briefly having Bill wonder if he had anyone who would miss and go looking for him (also who freaking turned into an ink bubble and popped moments after passing out from the pain so that the only remnants of his body were ink splatters). The cheese store man with big eyes and ears and belts of cheese around him sounded like Norman (I mean, besides how the man has a hobby of eavesdropping on and watching everyone from the shadows, just look at his ink form: The Projectionist). The ugly lizard man in the blue cloak with the distracting eyebrow hair sounded like Joey Drew in his blue bathrobe who many complained in BATIM was designed/animated too uncannily so that they found his face distracting. Riktor the Cracked sounded like Wilson with his scar (speaking of which, I'm not at all convinced that he's who Boswell Lotsabucks really represented. I'll explain more as we go)…

In fact, it occurred to me that Riktor's entire story sounded similar to the story Wilson tells about himself, both directly and through context clues (no, I'm not gonna bother with writing out sound effects/tones for this guy; that would add so much extra text that this would be incomprehensible. Just assume that the whole time he's talking he's wheezing like it's physically laborious for him to breathe and he has a Resting Villain Tone™).

“It seems that Arch Gate Studios, in all its misplaced admiration, was so eager to absorb the life's work of that crooked charlatan, Joey Drew, they didn't fully realize what they had acquired. Call it fate that I just happened to be there on the loading dock that morning. When the delivery boys dropped one of the crates, it smashed open, and inside there was something truly special. A mass of yellow steel and beautiful rivets. Some kind of machine. No one knew what it was. So the fools put it on display for all to see. But I could tell that this crude device held secrets. Secrets that could be mine.” ~ Wilson Arch, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “The Machine” audio log (emphasis added)

(I'll come back to the red part later.)

“When I first entered this world, it was an untamed wilderness. A wretched, crawling slum, ruled by that grinning demon. From chaos, I brought order. From order, I brought peace. Once you cut the head from the snake, the snake bleeds out quietly onto the ground. Now the only question that remains is: ‘What if the head grows back?’” ~ Wilson Arch, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “The Snake” audio log

“The machine speaks to me revealing its many possibilities. What I can accomplish using its power is beyond any measure. Life and death can become a thing of the past. Poverty and hunger, a distant memory. I can remake the world anew. But does the world deserve such a gift? For now, I have bigger matters at hand. A man in a black coat came asking at the front desk about the machine. Said he was from the Gent Corporation. Fortunately, the receptionist knew nothing and he left quietly. Later, I found his name on the sign-in form. Mister Allen Gray.” ~ Wilson Arch, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “A Gift To Mankind” audio log (emphasis added)

(I'll come back to the green part later, too.)

“It's been years and my face is still a mystery to my co-workers. They don't know me. They avoid me as if I carried some infectious disease. At first, I felt this was an insult. But now… it is a gift. With the right costume, I can play the part of anyone. I can go completely unnoticed, hidden amongst the shadowed walls. As a clerk, an artist, a producer. Or even… a lowly janitor.” ~ Wilson Arch, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “In Plain Sight” audio log

Wilson: You must be very tired. A quick rest will do you good. Betty will show you to your room. She's my housekeeper, among other things. . . . Audrey: And… do you trust Wilson? Betty: This is the realm of the Ink Demon. His shadow hangs over us all. I don't trust anyone. But Wilson takes care of me. Keeps me safe. He once said I remind him of something he called his… “mother?” Tell me, is that a good thing… where you two are from? Audrey: I'm not sure. I don't think I ever had one. Betty: Well, no matter. Now, I was told to make sure you get some sleep once you got here. So get nice and comfy and relax. I left something for you on the table that might just help you nod off. It's my own recipe. Works very fast. Just follow the instructions. Carefully.

Riktor was a “distant descendant” of one of the Three Grand Flagon Kings whose ancient exploits were legendary, though which one he comes from he isn't sure. I think this 100% confirms that while Nathan Sr. was never officially involved in JDS, he was always pulling strings behind the curtain, cause that brings the count to Three Kings of JDS. We, the audience don't know which of the studio's three original “rulers” (as Audrey calls herself at the end of the game) Wilson is the apparently-estranged son of – Henry Stein, Joey Drew, or Nathan Arch Sr. – until right before he dies (I know when Audrey was confirmed Joey's daughter, he first said he wanted to save his father's life, and I hadn't yet questioned if “Fake Henry” was actually fake or not, I wondered if maybe he was Henry's son), but there's definitely a reason he told Audrey, “shh, don't fret. We're going home,” when he sacrificed both her and himself to the Ink Machine: they were going home, to the place their fathers ruled over so very long ago!

(Anyone notice that they literally call the Ink Dimension a “kingdom” right there in the game's description??)

Riktor is called “the Cracked” even though everyone can see that he isn't cracked at the time the narrator is telling us this, and the narrator basically calls us stupid for wondering why the heck that is; we find out he gets the crack from being used to shatter a lizard man's face (which must've gotten better seeing as he was seen again the next week) at the end of this story that begins with the deaths of two major characters. Sure sounds like Wilson being called “the Man Who Killed the Ink Demon” even though half the Lost Ones we run into say “he says he killed the Ink Demon, but I saw him” and we frequently get chased by him ourselves, and how he basically calls anyone who questions this filthy slanderers; we find out that he's been trying his darndest (describing his previous attempts at doing so as cutting off a serpent's head that winds up growing back) and the reason he sacrificed himself and Audrey to the Ink Machine at the beginning of the game was because he needed her for his big plan to finally kill Bendy for real.

Riktor was the second son of his parents; the first was apparently more well-known because the narrator says there's probably no need to tell us his name, and apparently nobody liked him. Sure sounds like how everyone just already knows that Nathan Arch Sr. must have a son named “Nathan Arch Jr.” since he's called “Senior,” and Exhibit A for Boswell Lotsabucks not being Wilson: we just got confirmation he's Nathan Jr.'s younger brother! Also, I can smell the intense sibling jealousy, roflol. Either that, or… did Nathan Sr. also dislike his Favorite Son™, but like him enough to make Wilson jealous?? I mean, he does only ever mention having one son throughout the whole series and, as @dreamfisher-nux pointed out, says that son is as important to him as Bendy was to Joey, but he actually rarely ever speaks of even him and, unless that “Nathan Arch” portrait in Archgate's animation department is actually a replacement one of Junior (or perhaps even Nathan III, either of which would support my “Nathan Sr./Nathan I is actually dead from old age, at this point, the reason the JDS museum is bankrupt is because his [grand]son is nowhere near as ruthless a businessman as his [grand]dad, and Nathan Sr./Nathan I's soul is the ‘new evil’ in the Ink Dimension” theory), then we don't even see his face where we see Nathan Sr. and Joey's; he claims Junior's the one who gave him the idea for a studio/etc., it doesn't make sense not to memorialize him in any way, shape, or form.

(Sidenote: we also get a year of birth for Wilson, here. Twenty years before Mr. Darble Mouse/Brant “died;” he was born in 1926, so he's only 47 in BATDR… The stress of being Nathan Sr.'s son really did a number on ya, huh, bud?)

Riktor was “accidentally” put under a sleeping curse by a seemingly kind witch who at first offers him cake, then when he's still convinced she's evil instead offers a scone, which he does accept. She seems confused when Riktor falls asleep after eating it, then just finishes her cake and walks away to get a civil service job like she doesn't care; when he fulfills fate's purpose by getting cracked and wakes up, she just nods from her faraway office like she knew what was gonna happen all along. This witch sure sounds similar to Betty, the seemingly kind doll-like housekeeper who “accidentally” winds up sending us on a convoluted and pointless scavenger hunt for the final sleeping draught ingredient that honestly felt like some sort of test to see what we'd be willing to do if we thought we were supposed to with the way she just happened to catch us right before we went through with killing the fish we already sent into shock with the suspiciously convenient piano… and when we finally do take the sleeping tonic we're captured by Twisted Alice— Wilson, buddy, pal, friend, did your dad have your mom put you through some sort of obedience test, at the end of which she drugged you with some kind of sedative, and that was the reason you happened to be on the loading dock when the crate broke (Betty, honey, I… don't think it was a compliment)…??? Also, wait— why did you make an ink creature who reminds you of your mother the housekeeper? And... oh gross, was my initial assumption as to the meaning of “among other things” correct—?? Wilson, are you not the son of Tessa Arch but Nathan Sr.'s illegitimate son from an affair he had with the housekeeper (a bit Soap Opera™, but… it happens)?!?! Is that why he hated you (also, clearly Nathan Sr. did not learn his lesson, seeing as he was looking for girls to dance with at the Sparkle Unicorn a year after Wilson was born… Tessa, honey, you need a better husband. Blink twice if you need help escaping your current one)?! Nathan, dude, it's your own dang fault if you can't keep it in your pants!! Don't take it out on your kid, ya @$$hole!!!

Riktor sits unsold on the cheese shop man's shelf for years. Sure sounds like how Wilson goes unnoticed by all his coworkers in his dad's studio (or wherever the heck he was working when he recorded that audio log) for years.

Riktor became a “hero” not through his own actions, but by “accident,” just happening to be in the widow's sack when she swung it at the ugly lizard man. Sure sounds like how Wilson just happened to be there when the crate containing the Ink Machine was “accidentally” dropped and broken, setting him on his seemingly noble mission.

Riktor goes off to fight another great Evil that awakened at the stench of death, his adventures not over yet. Sounds like Wilson setting his sights on Gent CEO Alan/Allen Gray/Grey (he spells it all the ways in different audio logs/memos), who's apparently been trying to get the Ink Machine since JDS was still around (I dunno if I believe that, except by a very specific technicality, which I'll explain later) and isn't happy Archgate has it now that Joey's dead, hm…?

My most important epiphany about this story, though, came while I was complaining to my bestie how creepy and nonsensical it was that the “who's the real villain?” attention seemed to be being pulled in even more directions than before, now, and even less attention was being paid to Nathan Sr., his audio logs making him out to be a genuinely friendly and grief-stricken man who didn't know what was going on with the ink machine and was creeped out by its apparent influence… Why the absolute heck was so little attention being paid to the man within whose animation studio/museum two of our main characters – one of them his own son – perished at the beginning of this game and so many of whose previous statements absolutely do not line up with what he's saying now?? Then, I noticed the weirdly specific discrepancies in The Mug and the Maiden, and I realized…

“I just received the call. Joey Drew is dead. What a quiet end to an extraordinary life. Last I heard he was staying in some cramped apartment downtown. You could practically hear the rats through the telephone when he called me last April. In spite of that, old Joey sounded quite happy when last we spoke. More like the excited, hopeful young man I knew once upon a time. Ah, well, farewell my friend. What will become of your creations now?” ~ Nathan Arch Sr., Bendy and the Dark Revival, “End of an Era” audio log

“I'm ready for something different in my career. I've built steel companies from the ground up, dabbled in petroleum, even tried political office once. ‘That Nathan Arch,’ they used to say, ‘He's got the magic touch!’ But I'm hungry for a bit of fun, I think. Something both the masses and I can enjoy. My son suggested movies. Open a studio! Now I love a good film as much as anyone, but the magic of animation, now there's something special! My old friend Joey knew the thrills of bringing characters to life, rest his soul. Maybe with a bit of elbow grease and a small cash investment, I can resurrect the past.” ~ Nathan Arch Sr., Bendy and the Dark Revival, “Inspiration” audio log

“The papers are signed! The animation staff is hired! Arch Gate Pictures is open for business! As of nine o'clock this morning, Bendy and all his little cartoon friends now belong to me. I'll admit, it's strange owning a dear friend's legacy. But I think Joey would be content knowing it's safely in my hands. ‘You just gotta believe,’ he used to say. He was such a showman. Well, I believe Joey. I wholeheartedly believe!” ~ Nathan Arch Sr., Bendy and the Dark Revival, “Grand Opening” audio log

“I haven't had much sleep the past few nights. I usually can separate myself from the office when I get home. But lately, I've been feeling something pulling at my mind. My thoughts fall to the Joey Drew exhibit we opened last week. Outside one or two of the artists, I don't think I've ever seen a single soul go inside. It's a shame how so many of us refuse to learn from the past. The past can give us our greatest lessons. But still, ever since we moved in Joey's old things, there's been a strange feeling around Arch Gate. Like the ghosts of long ago are wandering about. Calling out to me.” ~ Nathan Arch Sr., Bendy and the Dark Revival, “The Exhibit” audio log

…the widow symbolizes Nathan Arch Sr., and there are actually two characters that symbolize Joey— the ugly lizard man, yes, but also the widow's dead husband. We already examined, in small part, how similar her interactions with Riktor's story were to Archgate's interactions with Wilson's; let's get more in-depth examining her story, now.

The widow was already planning on adding her cheddar cider idea onto her preexisting business before her husband died, she was just using distraction from her grief over him as an excuse to kick her plans into gear. Sure sounds like how Nathan Sr. admitted to working on his museum for years before when we find out Joey apparently died, back in TIOL, but then he turns around and tries to gaslight us into thinking that this is a new idea he just had shortly after Joey's death to try and spice up his life while also preserving his beloved friend's memory in BATDR (and, by extension, that TIOL is no longer canon), doesn't it? Also, wow, the repeated theme of alcohol returns, once again. 👀

The widow just goes from grief-stricken, to making herself skip mourning her husband to move on with her life, to suddenly crying about her situation in front of the cheese store man with the big eyes and ears so he'll give her what she wants (including things that don't match what she originally said—? Swiss? You were supposed to be getting cheddar?? And how are you picking up things like some random cat, a personalized pen, and the cheese store man's cash box “on accident???”). Sounds an awful lot like how Nathan Sr. just goes from “oh no! Joey's dead!” to “oh well, wonder what'll become of the Bendy IP” and then kicks his aforementioned plans into gear (and how he, for some reason, grabs that random painting of Joey's I was confused about and keeps this machine which also makes no sense for him to keep if he doesn't know what it does— it could be completely unrelated to Joey as the engine out of some truck or boat that a previous tenant left behind, for all he knows), hm? I realized the cheese store man doesn't symbolize Norman, he uses Norman's image to symbolize all observers of Nathan Sr., Joey, and the situations surrounding them. 👀 Both Nathan Sr. and the widow are putting on a performance of grief to manipulate observers (this also feels like more gaslighting us into thinking TIOL is no longer canon)!

The widow is the best-looking creature in the kingdom, who all the men desire now that she's single, but that seems implied to only be because nobody knows about the beautiful deer woman who lives over the hill. I wonder if it's not an accident that nobody knows about the deer woman, cause that sure sounds like how Nathan Sr. makes himself out to be the most innocent, kind, and intelligent character in the whole series, especially after not only erasing the evidence of multiple people's existences but also writing a whole smear note against Henry in TIOL that seemed to successfully gaslight a lot of fans into believing that Henry might be the real villain. 👀

The widow gets angry when the ugly lizard man tells her he's reformed, saying right after previously saying that she has to go because she has no time and he eats people that it's boring if he's not gonna be the danger in the story which means she came all the way there for nothing (wait, I thought you supposedly came to the forest by accident because nobody in this place can read) and now that's why she should just leave, causing him to panic and beg her to stay while claiming that actually he's not reformed he was just putting on an act to manipulate her. Sure sounds an awful lot like all of Nathan Sr.'s manipulative self-contradiction (e.g. saying he wants to dispel the negative rumors about Joey and then turning around and saying things about him that he really shouldn't be saying if that were his goal) and how I pointed out in my original analysis/theory that he seems to get off on not just turning people into Murder Puppets but also seeing how absolutely brutal he can make them while still having them believe they're in the right and was not happy when one of his favorites' (Joey) conscience grew loud towards the end of his life, doesn't it? Is… this saying Nathan Sr. did something to make Joey play the villain again, after he was reformed…? Might this even be saying that it was under Nathan Sr.'s manipulation that Joey claimed responsibility for a lot of things that he didn't actually do…? 👀

*Stares at the ending of DCTL when Joey claimed that A: Sammy was nabbing random people who stayed at JDS too late at night under his orders when it was clearly implied to be because of his own hallucinations, and B: Buddy had been hired specifically for the purpose of sacrificing “a real person,” meaning someone who hadn't had their soul leeched out by the ink; which doesn't make sense because, for one thing, that should mean they'd already be in the Inkwell without having to die like in TLO, and for another, it's implied Buddy was hired before Bendy (the first ink creature, apparently soulless because Joey's soul failed to merge with him for some reason, seeing as it's heavily implied that Mr. Unger can tell that Joey's hand perfectly matches Bendy's handprint) was even created – heck, before the Ink Machine was even working, seeing as Buddy witnessed Tom bringing Joey blueprints – with Twisted Alice (the second ink creature, who definitely has a soul) being implied to have also been created by the time he dies, so he can't have been hired for that specific purpose*

The widow acts surprised that something in her sack of cheese smashed the ugly lizard man's face, despite swinging it at him like she fully expected doing so to save her. Sure sounds like how Nathan Sr. acts confused and creeped out by the strange energy contained within the museum exhibits in BATDR despite keeping this junker-looking machine as if he knew full well it was related to JDS and having made very ominous comments in TIOL about how he now understands all of Joey's unhinged musings which should also mean he definitely knows what it does, successfully gaslighting most players into thinking that he didn't take the Ink Machine for nefarious purposes (and, by extension, that TIOL is no longer canon), doesn't it? Not to mention his company's “accidentally” setting Wilson on his seemingly noble mission… 👀

Riktor winds up having a lovely friendship with the widow once he “saves her life.” Wilson wanted his dad's attention and approval (what child wouldn't want that from their parent? Poor baby /gen 🥺), but seems to know at this point that the best he's gonna get is showing him he succeeded at life despite what he thought of and how he treated him (or possibly… that he can be a useful puppet too); he tries to trick Audrey into giving him her soul with the lie that they'd be saving his dad's life with his big plans and doesn't even get the extremely messed up “good enough” ending because he gets freaking shredded in his own soul extraction machine (I was not expecting— there were pieces of him on the floor, my gosh 😰).

Now… I want to get into the widow's dead husband symbolizing Joey in addition to the ugly lizard man a little more. I still think I was right about Freaky Teeth Bendy's link to grayscale being a hint that he's Joey, but now I think there's more context around that. In my original analysis/theory, I mused about how it seemed like Nathan Sr. was trying to create a very specific image of Joey in the public consciousness with his notes in TIOL (a simultaneous A: genius and saint whose inventions should be accepted with open arms, and B: perfect scapegoat to take all blame in case we don't… *Stares long and hard at the fandom's reactions to the Memory of Joey*). I also mused on how several characters seemed to have become personifications of different parts of Joey's psyche once inked, but right now I want to make special note of the fact that Susie Campbell/Twisted Alice's story seems to parallel Joseph Dempsey/Joey Drew's in many ways.

I think that the dead husband symbolizes the Memory of Joey, who in turn is the image of Joey that Nathan Sr. has ingrained not only into official real-world history, but also into the memories of everyone trapped in the Ink Dimension. Did anyone notice that… the Memory of Joey literally introduces himself with the intro of the BATIM audio log I think directly addresses that Joey hated being who Nathan forced him to be (“I believe there’s something special in all of us…” Nathan Sr.'s just outright flaunting that this is his version of Joey straight out of the gate)? What about how the nasty mouth-spider monsters we fall into a nest of right before meeting the Memory of Joey for the first time… those were called “Widows…” and the boss one was called “King Widow…??” Or how the followers of Amok, who decorated everything including themselves with Widow motifs, had a whole thing about “passing on the name” when the previous holder dies…??? 👀👀

“Within our isolated walls, Lord Amok reigns. The drips and drops of the leaking world above cannot stop his rule. Those who oppose Amok's hand, have their bodies crushed and fed into the narrow pipes that lead below into forgotten sewers under our feet. Those tunnels are even deeper, even darker, than this one. There is only suffering down there. But, should anyone defeat Lord Amok, cast him down, our small kingdom will belong to the conqueror. This is the secret of Amok's immortality. Pass on the throne, pass on the name.” ~ Unknown, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “Next in Line” memo (emphasis added)

(Holy monkeys does the first red part reek of Nathan Sr.'s disappearing people mafia-style, as well… 👀)

The husband “didn't do much. Until he died…” Does that sound like Figurehead Joey having his image hijacked by his “good friend” Nathan Sr. postmortem to A: create a much more successful business in the real world than he did in his lifetime as a human, and B: meddle much more personally in Ink Dimension affairs, to anybody else…? 👀👀👀

The ugly lizard man, on the other hand, symbolizes Bendy and his Dapper and Freaky Teeth sides, who in turn are the Joseph Dempsey and Joey Drew sides of the real Joey. At the point in his life that Audrey knew him: the healing heart of the reformed old man who tried his best to be a good friend and uncle/father vs. the habitual remnants of the “become a manipulative abuser” survival mechanism brought on by Nathan Sr.'s manipulation and abuse. I'm especially convinced of this after listening to the experiment logs detailing how inhumanely the Keepers treated both Freaky Teeth and Dapper Bendy in their attempts to help Wilson vanquish the Ink Demon…

“Experiment thirteen: The Ink Demon is successfully sedated for transport. Laboratory 9 is prepared for arrival at the receiving bay. Be advised that sedation will not last long. Termination must commence immediately upon reception. Wilson will expect a detailed report of the creature's demise.” ~ A Keeper, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “Experiment 13” audio log (emphasis added)

“Experiment twenty six: Frequent delays due to the Ink Demon's refusal to terminate. Keepers have administered quarter hourly sessions of physical tortures and surgical invasions to wear down his powers. All of these efforts have been ultimately unsuccessful. A new method of control must be devised. Termination impossible.” ~ A Keeper, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “Experiment 26” audio log (emphasis added)

“Experiment forty four: We have successfully pressed the Ink Demon into the form designated as Bendy. He is smaller in size and harmless in this more timid state. His powers are also greatly reduced. Using lengths of steel wire to cut into the side of his body, he now registers emotional responses. There were tears of ink documented. Screams of pain. It was delightful to see such progress. The Ink Demon will remain in this small form indefinitely.” ~ A Keeper, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “Experiment 44” audio log (emphasis added)

…and the way Wilson said, “to truly destroy such a monster, he must be dethroned. Humiliated…” How the actual heck do you humiliate a soulless ink blob and why would that help you defeat him? That line just doesn't make sense, unless… Well, I'll just say that all sounds uncomfortably similar to some of the things I talked about suspecting Nathan Sr. did to Joey (loving to belittle him and watch him suffer, especially in front of large groups of people?? Having him kidnapped and tortured for failing/disobeying too many times, his mobility problems being caused by injuries he sustained during that time??? Etc????) in my original analysis/theory, based on things said in the books and BATDR archive images. Which… doesn't make me feel good about the ending of The Mug and the Maiden…

“…But for now, dear reader, we return to our own lives. So let us end this tale with one closing thought, shall we? Be we cracked, or small, or even dead, there's always a purpose to where we all are led. Be brave, and strong, and lest we forget: Fate isn't quite done with any of us just yet. The End” ~ The Mug and the Maiden: Vol 1 by Sir Wilton Moore, Bendy and the Dark Revival, ch. 5 (emphasis added)

“They promise us peace. But they bring us only more pain!” ~ The Ink Demon, Bendy and the Dark Revival, ch. 5

I think “fate” is symbolic of Nathan Sr.'s machinations, I was right to describe Joey as being “a very-long-term abuse victim who can't even escape his abuser postmortem” in my thought summaries… and this actually might still fit my “the perfection vs. imperfection of the ink creatures comes from the intactness vs. brokenness of their hearts, not the purity” theory, if we include healed/healing hearts like I said Dapper Bendy represents. Anyone notice that Dapper only seemed to turn back into Freaky Teeth after betrayal? When Audrey tells him, “it's okay. I won't hurt you. I promise. It's okay. See? I'm your friend. I won't hurt you,” only to accidentally hurt him with her powers? When she talked to the Memory of Joey in what I suspect was actually Dapper Bendy's hideout, not his (Dapper was just down the hall on both sides of it… the Memory of Joey might've literally just been camping the doors to keep Dapper out and catch Audrey)? When she promises him that they'll stay together and she won't let anything happen to him, then disappears for way too long talking to the Memory of Joey yet again before walking right up to the front door of the laboratory that tortured him alone because he's disappeared presumably in heartbroken fright?? Coming to kill Shipahoy Wilson after it freaking ripped her legs off (and had Wilson's soul banished from it, which – alongside the very fact that Shipahoy Wilson was capable of not just physically existing, but also being alive without his soul in it just like Bendy before Joey's human death and unlike, from what I can tell, literally every single other ink creature, which I'll come back to – tells me that his soul may have been powerful enough to defeat him just like Audrey's, but I'll come back to that, as well) and then save her when she's bleeding out on the cold laboratory floor??? Freaky Teeth literally even calls Audrey a traitor when she chooses to play the End Reel partly to resurrect the Memory of Joey in the end.

“It's time, Audrey. Your road is broken. Join the Dark Puddles and give in to your suffering. You have nothing. You are without purpose. Your very existence was a terrible lie. You're a mistake. A monster. Like me. But I will make you strong. I will make you meaningful. It's time… *Offers his hand, which Audrey accepts* We are one. The daughter of Drew. The power of the Demon.” ~ The Ink Demon, Bendy and the Dark Revival, ch. 5

“…The only important question is this: Who are we, Henry? I thought I knew who I was… but… the success starved me. Nothing left but lines on a page. In the end, we followed two different roads of our own making. You, a lovely family… Me… a crooked empire. And my road burned. I let our creations become my life…” ~ Joey Drew, Bendy and the Ink Machine, ch. 5

Sounds to me like what might've felt like freedom to Joey/Bendy (and Nathan Sr. certainly wanted him to think was freedom) – becoming a monster – was not actually freedom (*stares at my notes on Constance and Susie/Alice's personification of parts of Joey's psyche, particularly how they're both conflicted between feeling bad about doing/being forced to do bad things and doing them because it makes them feel so powerful/in control/etc., and then at how Dapper Bendy admitted he doesn't want to hurt Audrey like Freaky Teeth does* …It was odd how Audrey worded her apology, wasn't it? “I didn't mean to hurt you… and I really don't think you want to hurt me either, right?” It's almost like… she already knew that both Bendys were the same being…), like the kinds of circumstances under which I noted that Joey's “cruel prank” survival mechanism kicks in were when Audrey saw her dad's ugly side, and like Freaky Teeth merging with her in that moment was symbolic of her leaning on her dad's maladaptive coping mechanisms generational trauma-style.

“I reached up and pushed [Mister Drew] away, hard. Harder than I'd ever pushed anyone away before, and he fell back against the wooden stage with a crash. I felt strangely powerful. I also wasn't in any pain anymore. I stood up. I marched over to him. It was my turn to stand over him. He cowered. He actually cowered in fright. I felt really good about that. ‘What did you do to me?’ I asked. ‘Now, Buddy,’ he said, holding up a hand, ‘don't be angry. Just remember I saved your life.’ ‘What did you do?’ I took a step closer, placed my hands on my hips. I enjoyed that my shadow loomed over him like this, filling his small world with darkness. ‘You're angry. You're frustrated. You can't express yourself, I understand, but don't you see that I fixed you? And now you're, you're—perfect!’ . . . He was talking to me like I was stupid. Like I was him, the happy wolf who shares my mind. I know he was excited about it then. I could feel him pulling me, wanting me to go to Mister Drew. But at this moment, back then, I was much stronger than he was. Mister Drew didn't know that. That was my advantage. I turned to him. We stood face-to-face. He smiled. ‘Come with me.’ He extended his arm toward me and I grabbed it. I held it hard, and he cried out in pain. I wasn't going to kill him. I can't kill. That's not who I am. I threw him to the floor. And I stood over him. And breathed for a moment. I ran then. I ran away. Into the darkness of the theater, down the trapdoor and through the vents. I just ran. I disappeared into the building. Into its secrets that even Joey Drew himself didn't know. I hid. I hid and he didn't find me. He couldn't find me…” ~ Daniel “Buddy” Lewek, Dreams Come to Life, pg. 288 and 295 (emphasis added)

*Stares at my notes on how it seems like Joey went into hiding to escape Nathan Sr. after JDS shut down* Maybe I'll be right that there's yet another secret ending that will involve unlocking Grayscale Mode to fully reveal the truth (though I'm sure that'll take a while for anyone to uncover if it exists, considering what unlocking BATIM's Grayscale Mode was like)? Maybe something involving merging the Memory of Joey with Bendy the way Bendy merged with Audrey in the default ending, or separating the Bendys and revealing them both to also be Joey, either way symbolizing that we can only know the truth by looking at the full picture? Or revealing the Memory of Joey to straight-up be Nathan Sr. in disguise (which would support my “Wilson's not actually the ‘new evil’ in the Ink Dimension, it's Nathan Sr.'s soul” theory)?

Back to the fate thing, there's actually a freakish number of “accidents/coincidences” and weird amount of attention that gets called to the “accidents/coincidences” before they get brushed aside in this series. Remember all the ones I called out in my original analysis/theory? Remember that rant of Wilson's I mentioned earlier, about how nothing that's going on makes sense?

Audrey: You did this to me. You brought me here. Turned me into this… this thing! This doesn't make sense! I've never done anything to you! Wilson: Open your eyes and look around you! None of this “makes sense.” Drawn walls. Nightmarish creatures. An ancient studio that died out almost thirty years ago. It's all fiction. Utter nonsense! And yet… in here, it exists. It breathes. It flourishes! Reality guided by its master's pen. The foundation for a new reality we can bleed into our own. Just think of it. Anything we create in here, we can release out there. *Pours blob of ink into hand* But first, this world must be controlled. *Makes a mini Bendy out of the ink blob* Made safe. *Plops mini Bendy onto his suitcase and pokes it until it stands up* These… things. These angels and demons. *Mini Bendy waves at Audrey, she waves back* Are they really life? *Picks mini Bendy back up* Or are they just… *crushes mini Bendy* stains? Old mistakes ready to be cleansed away for newer, greater things?

How the flipping heck does this rant make sense as a response to what Audrey said? It doesn't, unless there's a hidden, second meaning to it. Another riddle? Is he telling us that there's a specific reason that this doesn't make sense? That there's a Puppet Master behind the curtain, pulling everyone's strings, altering our perceptions of reality through gaslighting, manipulation, and complex plots executed in secret, and who sees people as playthings to shape into monsters that may not be who they really are and will destroy and/or erase any who become a liability or that he simply grows bored of? That many of his victims turn to Joey's Illusion of Living “philosophy,” deciding that if they're not allowed to know what reality is then they're going to create their own, better realities in order to cope (which Nathan Sr. of course loves and encourages because that makes them easier to control, so it'll only be safe if someone takes control away from him)?

“…And I got to know the world underground. I got to know the theater and the studio. I watched, hidden, as they were merged together. I watched Mister Drew fire people and hire new ones, and I watched as he tried to make the machine work. I learned that pictures came to life. Like I always feared. Like I always knew. And so I decided to write this down. And I think, I think I'm done. I think I have to be done because, Dot, I'm so tired. And he's getting stronger. Now I'm really not Buddy anymore. I am also Boris. Descending deeper into this world of aging, yellowing madness…” ~ Daniel “Buddy” Lewek, Dreams Come to Life, pg. 295-296 (emphasis added)

Something tells me that the entire reason Wilson speaks in riddles is because he figured out that's the only way he can trick his dad into letting him say what he wants to say… and that the version of him who wrote The Mug and the Maiden did so because he could tell that his dad's Murder Puppet process was working on him… and that he indeed connected to the hivemind, as that one Lost One was worried about, but for much less nefarious reasons than they thought… *Stares at my notes on how Joey seems to have had to jump through hoops in order to be permitted to publish TIOL and then create the hivemind in order to get more S.O.S.es out*

“That Wilson! He's everywhere! Yet he's nowhere! I don't know how he does it! It's madness! Madness!! What if he's inside my head? What if he can hear my thoughts?! Can you hear me now, Wilson? Can you?! You won't get me! I've got a plan! If I tear out my brain then you can't hear my mind! Ha! I'll show you! I defy you! All hail the Ink Demon! Hail! He's not dead, I tell you! He will rise again! And his dark revenge will be terrible!” ~ Unknown, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “In My Mind” memo (emphasis added)

Maybe all that's another reason Nathan Sr. hated him, he really was “one smart mug of cheese…” Too smart to be kept alive— was Riktor putting the cowbells on the skunks symbolic of Wilson warning people about what his dad was doing?! And was the great skunk famine that forced Riktor to “seek a new purpose” and get a job as an adventurer symbolic of Nathan Sr. punishing him for doing so, starting him on his journey to Murder Puppet status?!?! @inkdemonapologist pointed out that TLO calls attention to how these teens seem to have been swept up in the mess they were “for no reason,” they just happened to be in the wrong places at the wrong times (I don't recall any specific parts to quote, myself); now this fairytale calls attention to how the mouse (Brant) and the widow's dead husband (Joey) didn't need to die because there was a nearby cheese store, brushing the reader's questions as to why the mouse did this aside as unimportant? Could… this be saying that the “accidental” events of TLO were not, in fact, accidents?

“Again I shook my head. Didn’t [Constance] understand that this was not how it worked? She hadn’t lived in my world. Any company that could afford such a machine, that could hide it, that had such dark huge secrets, they had to be protected by something huge as well.” ~ Bill Chambers, Bendy: The Lost Ones, pg. 191 (emphasis added)

Bill's right, not only did Joey definitely already have the investors money, at this point, based on DCTL, but he also must've already had Nathan Sr.'s protection, like I pointed out in my original analysis/theory… So, why, exactly, were Joey and Allison in Atlantic City schmoozing Bill's dad? Were they trying to get the richest, most influential, most dangerous man in Atlantic City on their side in order to get out from under Nathan Sr.'s thumb after whatever event happened in between DCTL and TLO to start waking Allison from his trance? And did Nathan Sr. decide to retaliate by causing the very same man to put a price on Joey's head for causing the “death” of his son so that Joey would have no choice but to come running back with his tail between his legs and beg for his protection from Mr. Chambers??? Was the diving board incident sabotage staged to see if Bill was as good at fixing things as the rumors said, and then were the blackout at the party and projector malfunctioning during the ad screening further sabotage staged to impress Scott so that he'd bring Bill into the Ink Machine situation???? Could everything have been orchestrated in order to ensure Bill would come back until he “died” (none of the kids in TLO actually died, remember. Brant and Bill were absorbed by the ink, and Constance was still alive last we saw her. For all we know, she's only in the Inkwell now because it became too much work to keep taking the very, very temporary “ink cure” every single day), specifically?! Except, perhaps… Well, I have a sneaking suspicion that Brant was the only person involved in this fiasco who was never supposed to be there… I'll come back to that in a bit.

Back to Nathan Sr.'s side of things, could it be that behind all the horrible events in this series that get written off as “accidents/coincidences,” there really is “always a reason, even when you can't understand it,” as the Memory of Joey says? There's another very specific and horrific incident in BATDR, itself, that literally gets described as “fate dropping a solution in your lap.” I wonder if this side story, told through memos and an ink window message…

“Management has come up with a new way to ‘reward’ us employees: Instead of paying out bonuses or overtime, they've started handing out these little tokens that you can spend in company vending machines. Besides that, these tokens ain't got value of any kind. Obviously, a lot of people didn't like the idea. But the best part about the whole thing is that, within a week, someone figured out how to make fake tokens that fools the vending machines. We started calling the fake ones ‘SLUGS.’ Now, I can't remember the last time I've seen a real token around here. Them SLUGS are everywhere! Probably costing the studio a TON of money in snacks alone.” ~ Hudson Doyle, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “The Slug Problem” memo (emphasis added)

“Fate is a strange thing. Just when you think you've run out of options, it puts a solution in your lap. Andre stopped by my office to say goodbye on his way out the door. As far as everyone else knows, he's gone home to Rio. But, he never made it. Never even made it out of the kitchen. Little Andre slumped over dead right in front of me. Barely even made a sound. And here I was worried about running out of meat for today's special. Fate is a strange thing. Just when you think you've run out of options, it puts a solution in your lap.” ~ Chef Buck, Bendy and the Dark Revival, “A Bit Of Fate” memo (emphasis added)

…could be yet another of the many incidences there seem to have been of Nathan Sr. A: disappearing anyone who displeases him mafia boss-style, and B: turning ordinary people into Murder Puppets through suffering that made them believe they were in the right by committing their horrific acts, all without anyone ever being the wiser Nathan Sr. himself was even involved? Did he hire the worker who figured out how to make the counterfeit tokens to do so and/or to share the info on how, in order to make sure the studio – especially the cafeteria and snack machines – would be so flooded with them that if he ever needed somebody to conveniently dispose of a body for him, all he'd have to do would be to ensure the person just happens to die in front of this chef in desperate need of free meat? 🤢🤮 And what if this particular story, centered around food, and the fact that so many characters now kill us by “consuming” us, is also a way of Nathan Sr. getting back at Joey, once again twisting his dreams into something horrific to continue punishing him for his disobedience postmortem…?

“An amusement park. A land. A fully immersive place where illusion and reality danced together to create something else. Something wholly new. It wasn't just about fun rides or tasty treats, though of course we'd have plenty of that, it was about an experience. A whole new way of looking at life.” ~ Joey Drew, The Illusion of Living, pg. 204 (emphasis added)

“(After Richie is sent to get Joey because the teens have no idea where else to turn for help and then Buddy describes in excruciating detail all the sensations of drowning and fatal injuries that the soulless Ink Demon inflicts upon him, leading him to beg Dot multiple times to just give up on him and save herself and Jacob because he was beyond saving and he knew it.) The five senses: Touch: nothing. Taste: nothing Sound: nothing. Smell: nothing. Sight: blackness. And then: Nothing [I was already dead when Mister Drew got there]. . . . I'm dead. That's my dead body. ‘You see, I saved you,’ said Mister Drew. . . . ‘That's your body, Buddy. But it isn't you,’ said Mister Drew, crouching beside me. He said it as if he could read my mind. I looked at him angrily. I knew now I couldn't speak. I didn't even bother trying. I pointed instead, at the body's face, torso, legs… Something is missing. ‘Those are just parts. The real you. The real you is here.’ Mister Drew reached up and touched my chest, placing his palm firmly on my ribs. ‘Your soul.’ . . . ‘I saved your soul, Buddy. And you saved me. You're going to save Bendy.’ . . . ‘This is going to be wonderful. You'll see, you'll see,’ said Mister Drew. ‘Now come with me. I've set up a nice little room for you. A nice place. You'll like it. There's food.’” ~ Daniel “Buddy” Lewek, Dreams Come to Life, pg. 284, 291, 293, 294, and 295 (emphasis added)

“Because ultimately there is no conclusion to this story. Even after my death I am certain the story of my life, of my studio, and of my philosophy will continue. Of course, I intend to live forever, so that will never happen! Ha, a joke indeed, but in a way not a joke, for what is art but a doorway to immortality? The greatest Illusion of Living then, living on after we are no longer alive. What is more of an illusion than that? All this being said, while forward has always been my direction, and backward has always been unnecessary to me, I will concede that there may indeed come a day in the far-flung future where I will revisit all that I have done, walk through the halls of my mind, and spend time with the characters of my past. I hope then we can all sit around a table and have a drink—the fictional characters and the real, Bendy, Boris, Alice, Dr. Squier, Isabel Newsome, Mr. K, and so forth—and toast to the great accomplishment they were all instrumental in helping me create: the Illusion of Living.” ~ Joey Drew, The Illusion of Living, pg. 248-249 (emphasis added)

…When I first read that second-to-last paragraph of TIOL, it sounded like Joey was saying he wanted to immortalize particularly interesting people alongside himself or something. But now, with the broader context, I think it's sounding like he was hoping to make a paradise for people who've suffered in life (the scene where Buddy notes he seems disgusted driving through a crowd of his neighbors in their poor neighborhood easily explained by his shame over his own poor-person origins that Brant became, in part, a personification of) and that he couldn't bear the thought of losing. If Norman and Dave were really already infected by the ink (as anyone who spent too much time around it definitely was, seeing as it could slip off pages to crawl into the mouths of sleeping people), they would've already been “safe” in Joey's mind. The only one in that pile of bodies who wasn't “safe” was this boy who reminded him a lot of Henry; these kids came to him for help and Buddy was already dead with zero chance of resuscitation when he got there. Of course he'd try to bring him back, why wouldn't he?? Of course he'd try to soften the pain of knowing his human body was dead for Buddy even if he had to keep up the ruse of the reason behind events to avoid Nathan Sr.'s wrath, why wouldn't he???

What if the Ink Dimension originally existed for Joey's regret but now exists for Nathan Sr.'s revenge? What if it started out as a poorly-executed attempt to rescue those who fell victim to Nathan Sr.'s machinations, including at Joey's hands under his influence (*stares at my notes on how Joey seems to have genuinely hoped his Illusion of Living coping mechanism would help people, and on how he seems to have used the Illusion of Living to pretend he'd saved Lottie's life rather than having lost her to suicide*), and eventually became a prison for whoever Nathan Sr. wanted, including Joey (similarly to my original theories)? Perhaps the machine was speaking to Wilson of Joey's true, original intentions? “Life and death can become a thing of the past. Poverty and hunger, a distant memory. I can remake the world anew…” Maybe the whole “entertaining the masses” angle was largely or even purely to get Nathan Sr.'s approval of the plan, like how it seems a lot of the horrible and/or nonsensical things he said and did were to keep Nathan Sr.'s approval?

“‘…but after that comes the team. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a good one?’ . . . …You have to find the right mix, you have to find men who can work without you looking over their shoulder but at the same time don't feel that urge to add their own personal improvements. At least not without your permission. You need loyalty, so you need people who share your vision. But you don't want them taking over either.’” ~ Nathan Arch Sr.'s business advice, The Illusion of Living, pg. 149 and 150 (emphasis added)

Did anyone notice all the Alice in Wonderland imagery in BATDR? The memo heavily implied to be from Dapper Bendy/Real Joey titled “White Rabbit,” Twisted Alice throws that “tea party” for Audrey where we have to play a game of riddles (remind anyone of the Mad Hatter and Wilson?) with the Lost Ones in Wilson's mansion… Alice in Wonderland imagery joined the hivemind when Bill Chambers was infected. This is all another callback to TLO…!! I wonder… was the Alice in Wonderland stuff how Wilson was trying to warn the kids about what his dad was planning to do to them…? It wouldn't surprise me if he chose Alice in Wonderland for his warning riddles because he could tell Bill was familiar with it and he hoped both of the other kids would have it as fresh and clear in their minds (much like he seems to have done in making his fairytale's main character a cracked mug, trying to communicate what happened to him to Audrey. I'll come back to that)… Was this incident how Nathan Sr. found out that Wilson was helping his victims escape, the incident that genuinely started all the trouble in Wilson's story as the mouse dying supposedly started the trouble in Riktor's…?? Was Wilson being punished off-screen while Joey was collecting the “oysters” who almost escaped as he now had no choice but to do…???

“‘“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “to talk of many things…”’ replied Bill, walking toward it. I followed him. ‘The Walrus?’ I asked, feeling a little concerned. . . . ‘From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Have you ever read the book?’ he asked, still looking at the machine. I didn't want to admit that I was not much of a reader… . . . ‘I know of it,’ I replied. I was standing next to him now, but I didn't want to touch the machine. Something about it made me uncomfortable. ‘Well, it's a poem from the book. The Walrus and the Carpenter take several young oysters for a walk along the beach.’ ‘Odd,’ I replied. Perhaps odder still was why on earth he was telling me any of this. Why was he acting so strange? It occurred to me then how dangerous innocuous strangeness could be. The beginning of our night together had been such fun, but now it had turned, like overripe fruit. I felt my defenses rise. . . . (About what looking into the machine felt like) A hole, like Alice's from her book. I knew that much. She fell for forever and ended up in a completely new world. I felt a shudder rising in me. I didn't want to fall down any holes today. . . . ‘How does the rest of the poem go?’ I asked, trying to make him feel a bit better. I looked up at the machine. It rose up so high when standing this close. There was a pipe here, large and winding like a boa constrictor. ‘Oh, it just goes on and on, more absurdity, very typical,’ replied Bill, standing next to me and looking up as well. ‘Of why the sea is “boiling hot?”’ But of course that's not true. Was that what the absurdity was then? Just a lie? ‘What's the point of it?’ ‘They eat all the oysters,’ said Bill. He was looking closely at the pipe. ‘I don't understand,’ I replied. ‘They invite the little oysters for a walk and then eat them.’ He tapped on the pipe. It made a hollow sound. He moved his hand and tapped again. The same sound. ‘That's the point of the poem?’ Something about that horrified me. ‘I don't know. But that's what happens.’ Another tap. Another hollow sound. ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘It's what happens.’” ~ Constance Gray, Bendy: The Lost Ones, pg. 147-148, 149, and 151 (emphasis added)

(I'd already noticed, when I first read this, that it seemed like something was telling them that bad things were gonna happen to them. At this point, it definitely sounds like Wilson saying that he didn't yet know why, but he did know that Nathan Sr. was using Scott and Tom to take them on this adventure and “kill” them. Yup.)

“My beam landed on a wide toothy grin. Sharp teeth loomed above me. Like the Cheshire cat's smile, just floating there. But I knew the monster had claws. It looked at me, or at least seemed to. I was paralyzed. I couldn't move. I couldn't turn off the flashlight.” ~ Bill Chambers, Bendy: The Lost Ones, pg. 267 (emphasis added)

(Could this be Wilson saying that the smiling face everyone's so afraid of, aka Joey, is not the real danger, the real danger is the unseen claws who won't allow anyone to escape nor to look at anything but the smiling face, having found out what the reasons behind Nathan Sr.'s plot were?)

“Here we go. This was madness. But weren't we all mad here?” ~ Brant Morris, Bendy: The Lost Ones, pg. 273 (emphasis added)

(This is the line that made me realize we were dealing with a hivemind. Brant wasn't there when Bill was talking about The Walrus and the Carpenter, there's no reason for this line to cross his mind other than someone else's thoughts were entering his head.)

“I started running again. I didn't feel tired, even though my muscles ached. I felt grateful for my rage. It spurred me on. It made me want to get out of here, and most importantly it made me confident that I was right in all my decisions. I knew this was probably problematic in the real world, but in this strange underground world, I was like Alice from the book. This wasn't reality. It was Wonderland. I was falling down a rabbit hole except I was running along it and it was sideways. We're all mad here. . . . Something yanked me from behind. My head snapped in a whiplash and I fell hard on my back, dropping everything in my hands . . . I saw a shadow along the wall, a creature. The monster? No. It seemed to have two long ears. Like a rabbit, or possibly some dog. But it was tall and human sized. And fleeting. The shadow vanished down the hall. It left me. It had attacked me and then left me. I didn't understand. I turned to look at the mess around me. I watched as the poker rolled away from me a few inches and then suddenly vanished [over the edge of the cliff I'd just narrowly been saved from running off of].” ~ Constance Gray, Bendy: The Lost Ones, pg. 277-278 (emphasis added)

(First of all, Constance literally told us she hadn't read the book, so this can't not be more hivemind shenanigans. Second of all, could that second part be Wilson saying both that the reason Joey ran to Atlantic city after Buddy died was to try and prevent Nathan Sr. from hurting anyone else through him and that the reason Dapper Bendy runs away and hides so much, even tiptoeing away if he's not sitting down during battle, is to protect us from Freaky Teeth?? I'll come back to the first part in a moment.)

My gosh, that all adds whole new levels of chilling to the story… and sends me to whole new levels of “I hate Nathan Sr. and wanna adopt Wilson—” he was such a good, sweet boy, the poor baby /gen… 😭 Back to that sneaking suspicion… Does the amount of attention the story draws to the idea that Brant might just be a nobody whose disappearance won't even go noticed not seem… excessive, to anyone else?

“Knock knock! Who's there? Brant. Brant who? That was all my mind could tell me, repeating the same phrase over and over. Brant who, indeed. Did he have a family? Were they missing him? Would the police start looking for him? Brant who?” ~ Bill Chambers, Bendy: The Lost Ones, pg. 216-217

It feels like… this moment might not just be about Bill's emotions. Like it's not just him wondering this because he's been effing traumatized. It… feels like Wilson might be trying to tell us that his dad didn't have a reason to lure Brant in. Like, perhaps, he's panicking because he, himself, doesn't know if this boy's disappearance will garner attention. Like… he didn't think this through enough, and now he's regretting it hardcore. I wonder if it was Brant's “death,” specifically, that got Wilson caught because he did a little orchestration of his own trying to get our beloved Mr. Reporter-In-Training to expose his dad to the world just like Brant, himself, had originally planned to do to Bill's dad, but things really, really didn't go according to plan…?! 🤯 Moving forwards, I wonder if that especially important line of Buddy's at the beginning of DCTL was a message from Wilson, as well?

“This has always stayed with me: Of all the memories that are getting mixed up a bit in here, in this brain, in this head, this… this for some reason just sticks out. Right then when he clapped, the lights came back on. It was like they were waiting for him, it was like he was in control of them. He wasn’t. But I made that connection back then. Somehow it made sense that maybe, just maybe, he had the power to do that. He didn’t. And he doesn’t. Don’t let anyone make you think he does.” ~ Daniel “Buddy” Lewek, Dreams Come to Life, pg. 20 (emphasis added)

While we're on the subject of Wilson and the abomination that is Nathan Sr.'s deplorable parenting (this is the worst possible way I could've been right about Wilson being just another Murder Puppet, oof… 💔🤬), I find it strange that Wilson's scarred-blind (heavily implied to be his dad's fault by The Mug and the Maiden) vs. undamaged seeing eyes are switched in the real world vs. the Ink Dimension. In his human body, his right eye is whited out presumably due to the same injury that scarred that side of his face. In his ink body, the right glows just like Audrey's, Porter's, and so many other characters', suggesting he can see through it, whereas his left is dissolved into black ink on the same side of his head as what appears to be an injury from either falling and hitting it or being bludgeoned. And then both of his eyes are blacked out and he's undamaged in his posters— until you get down to his laboratory and discover that he's subtly colored his posters so that you can tell that his eye sockets are empty and bleeding? There's gotta be some sort of symbolism, there.

Where has left vs. right been important before, in this series? Anyone remember in BATIM…?

And what about in TIOL…?

Angel: Spending my time with a devil has been an enlightening experience. Working with you over these years with you sitting on that left shoulder, so far yet so near, all our debates, they were invigorating for the spirit Devil: So that is a yes [you'd miss me if our human has become only good and I have to leave]? Angel: I suppose it is. Devil: I won't miss you [if he's become only bad and you have to leave]! Fighting all the time, trying to trick you into agreeing with me, trying to push you off that right shoulder of yours. The violence and the anger. I won't miss it at all! Angel: Oh, but you will, dear Mr. Devil. (Pause) Devil: Maybe I would a little.

I think Wilson's posters symbolize the fact that if we allow Nathan Sr. to gaslight us into ignoring the evidence of his crimes, then we, the audience, are blind to the truth behind the horrors of the series. And I think that the difference between the two has to do with how Nathan Sr.'s manipulation and abuse completely and utterly fudges up his victims' consciences (“…most importantly it made me confident that I was right in all my decisions. I knew this was probably problematic in the real world, but in this strange underground world, I was like Alice from the book. This wasn’t reality. It was Wonderland. I was falling down a rabbit hole except I was running along it and it was sideways. We’re all mad here,” as Constance said… To people living in the literal and figurative real world, it looks as if Nathan Sr.'s victims just have no consciences and are evil for the sake of being evil; but, in the literal and figurative imaginary world that Nathan Sr. traps his victims in through gaslighting and so on, they're seeing the good intentions/desperation/etc. behind their actions, and therefore see themselves as good and their actions as justified even if they still have a sense that maybe they're not, in reality) and possibly also the different ways we perceive the results of Nathan Sr.'s actions in the real world vs. the Ink Dimension (not a fully formed thought, feel free to disregard that one). By the way, did anyone notice Bendy seemed to have control of the right hand – that's the hand he crushed the Memory of Joey with – while Audrey seemed to have control of the left hand – that's the hand she picked up the End Reel with – when they were first sharing a body? 🤔 This feels a possible hint that the End Reel was created by Nathan Sr., not Joey, as part of turning the Ink Dimension into a prison (“those tunnels are even deeper, even darker, than this one. There is only suffering down there,” after all)… and that the Memory of Joey/Nathan Sr. is not actually a good entity, but Bendy/Real Joey is, at the end of the day…?

As for Boswell's monocle meaning he was actually Wilson… Exhibit B: Boswell first appeared in 1932; Nathan Jr. and his baby bro Wilson were literally little kids at that point. Exhibit C: monocles usually aren't worn all the time in real life like they are in cartoons, they're usually used by farsighted/longsighted individuals and kept in one's pocket until one needs to pull them out for reading. If Nathan Sr. did have a monocle, he probably would not be wearing it to pose for a painting. Exhibit D: Ignoring that one slightly similar design detail, and regardless of whether the “Nathan Arch” portrait is of Senior or Junior, I think Boswell resembles the round, mustachio'd Nathan much more than the angular, bare-faced broomstick that is Wilson…

…In conclusion: honestly, it sounds to me like people being convinced that Wilson and Nathan Jr. are the same person and therefore Boswell must not be Nathan Sr. is literally just another example of Nathan Sr. successfully gaslighting everyone into an altered perception of reality (and you should just assume from this point forward that when any form of the phrase “Nathan Sr. is altering reality/memories” comes up, you can replace it with “Nathan Sr. is gaslighting us,” lol). Speaking of which, now that I think of it, I'm very suspicious of the fact that the comics where Boswell seems like a decent and oblivious person and Bendy seems to be (trying to) take advantage of him are sepiatoned, whereas the comic that I think got the two main comic artists disappeared is in black-and-white… *Stares at my notes on the possible symbolism of the sepiatone color pallet representing a preserved altered perception and the grayscale color pallet representing an easily destroyed purer perception* Also, my gosh, they make him look so goshdanged welcoming and saintly in his portrait. That smile is glowing with Santa Claus Vibes and I don't trust it.

Curious about Henry and Allison's story retcons being blatant lies and my theories on Audrey's origins, Gent CEO Alan/Allen Gray/Grey's true identity, etc? Read Part Three!

To Read the Original Analysis/Theory: Part One • Part Two • Part Three • Unexpected Part Four

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for-whom-the-bell-tolled · 2 years

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Part 2 of my brant steele NHL Hunger Games simulation:

It’s always nice to see Phil the Thrill and Sid having a bonding moment!!

Wow. RIP Sid. But it’s okay bc Nate isn’t separated from his boyfriend and unfortunately follows him.

Connor, you kinda had it coming.

Well I am officially down 2 people I was pulling for!

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brantsteelebb · 2 years

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terrance higgins

#bb24 #bb24 terrance #terrance higgins #brant steele

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theicarusconstellation · 5 months

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i put all the characters in my dune hunger games au into the brant-steele hunger games simulator and feyd won💀

#alia got lit on fire with a molotov #ms girl can never die peacefully ig #dune #thg

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embersofhope-if · 1 year

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If anyone wants to use the Brant Steele hunger games simulator but doesn't want to have to enter in all the names themselves I have a saved simulation you can use with the code 6SY68O13 I have my MC set as the female tribute and Aurel as the male but you can easily scroll down to district 8 and swap the two.

putting this out here for yall!!<3

#thanks anon!#mc better be a fucking beast in that arena #or it isnt lore accurate 🙄

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whgmasterofceremonies · 6 months

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Round 21?

Ignore the fluttering of pages as I dust off my notes to check whether the number is right...yes, 21!

Attention, writers! Are you tired of That Character living in your head rent-free? Alternatively, are the people of That Character's world or immediate surroundings tired of them living in their heads rent-free? Are ya ready to make them pay their dues by chucking them into a Hunger Games simulator and seeing who wins, with optional Hunger Games AU writing prompts along the way?

That’s right! We are NOT dead, so if a few people are interested, it's time for another round of the Writeblr Hunger Games! For those who don't know, the basic format for the WHG is that writers submit their original characters as potential candidates. Then I put them in the Brant Steele Hunger Games Simulator and share the results of them fighting each other to the death.

This round's going to look a little different. Instead of random characters strictly fighting for their lives, you would choose your most special someones to compete in the True Chosen One Challenge. Whether your character has a canonical destiny, a headcanoned prophecy, or just way too much of your brainspace, this competition will force them to face their fate. Whoever rises to the top shall win the title of True Chosen One! (Chosen by the simulator algorithm, anyway.)

This post is just for y'all to let me know if you're interested, share the news with anyone you think might be interested, and let me know any thoughts or suggestions you have. If more than a few people are willing to at least throw a character into the ring (no writing necessary), then I'll soon tag interested folks with a post with more explanation on how to submit a character and what happens from there.

This is intended to be a somewhat more lighthearted, faster-paced WHG round, so there's no expectation of intense participation if this time of the year gets hectic.

#Announcement Post #Writeblr Hunger Games #Round 21

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latibvles · 2 years

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SAD, BEAUTIFUL, TRAGIC.

beautiful, tragic // the triumph of life over death.

i will keep my body strong, my mind alert, and my heart stead-fast. i will be kind, tolerant and understanding; above all, I will dedicate myself now and forever to the triumph of life over death.

masterlist | gallery | taglist

TAGLIST: @liebgotts-lovergirl , @softguarnere , @monalisastwin

SUMMARY: after commandeering a search and rescue for victims of the Eindhoven bombing, Daisy must reap the consequences of her actions. At the very least — she isn't alone.

WARNINGS: misogyny, descriptions of burn wounds , lack of care for self (?)

“Hold right there, Lieutenant,” It’s a voice she doesn’t recognize, heavily accented. She turns around to face whoever’s stopped her — to find a bordering on furious looking British soldier making his way towards her. The pin on his red beret is the only indication of his rank — a Captain — and he comes to a stop in front of her, gesturing to the ambulance. “And just who in bloody hell authorized this little skirmish of yours?!” he barks out. Daisy follows his gesture with her eyes, then looks back to him, balling her hands into fists.

She opens her mouth to speak, but he cuts her off.

“Because I am acutely aware that your orders were to remain in reserve, here. Not take off unauthorized into the night with not one, but two military-owned vehicles. So I’ll ask again, who authorized this, Lieutenant?!”

Daisy swallows hard, as she looks into his unforgiving, blotchy face. She tries to steel her features. What would Ginny do? Hold her head up high, for starters. Shoulders back. Maintain eye contact.

“No one authorized me, sir. It was my order.”

“And just who are you authorized to give orders to, Second Lieutenant?” He spits out her title like an insult. She tries to ignore the intent.

“No one, sir.”

“And you’re aware that this will be reported to your CO, correct?”

“I—”

“What’s going on here?” Daisy breaks eye contact, looking to the voice. Speirs walks forward, a blatantly irritated expression on his face as he interjects into the conversation. They lock eyes for a moment, before he turns his attention back towards the Captain. “Is there an issue here, Captain Owens?” The Captain sneers, looking at Daisy before shifting his attention to Speirs.

“It seems your nurse thinks she’s in a position to deliver orders and lead rescue missions in bomb zones without authorization from a ranking officer. With that, several of my men followed suit despite orders to remain in reserve.” She can’t read Speirs’ expression and he doesn’t acknowledge her beyond a brief glance.

“And how many of your men were lost in the Lieutenant’s… rescue mission.”

“None, yet.” Speirs narrows his eyes, brows furrowing.

“Then I’m not quite sure what you’d be reporting, if there are no casualties. It’s her job to evacuate the wounded, isn’t it?”

“I’ve no reason to explain myself to you, Lieutenant.” Captain Owens seems to take on a more authoritative position that makes Daisy’s fists ball tighter in irritation. She desperately tries to bite her tongue. Speirs looks past him, letting out a sharp breath.

“Captain Brant! Maybe you can come settle this?”

Daisy looks to the right, watching as Ginny hurriedly makes her way forward. The concern is evident on her face as she looks Daisy over, looks to Speirs, before her eyes finally set on Captain Owens and she blatantly rolls them.

“And what is it that I’d be settling, exactly?”

“Captain Owens wants to report Lieutenant Clarke,” and then, with irritation laced in every word, “Seeing as he outranks me I’m not important enough to know the exact reason why.”

Ginny scoffs, nodding slowly as she, too, turns to look at Captain Owens now. Daisy is nearly certain she can see a dark cloud forming over the three’s heads.

“Well, you don’t outrank me, Captain. So please do tell me what it is that she’d be reported for exactly?” Captain Owens chuckles in a way that is so familiarly and frustratingly condescending.

“Insubordination, and theft of a military vehicle, Captain.” Ginny narrows her own eyes at that.

“But it wasn’t theft. At least, to my understanding, it was First Lieutenant Ward at the wheel, who, to my understanding, is authorized to operate ambulances and was given the keys, isn’t that correct?” There’s a slow nod from the other Captain. Ginny’s voice is even in spite of her blatant irritation. “And, if my memory serves correct, you didn’t give her the order to remain in reserve. I did. And as far as I’m concerned, negating my order to fulfill her duty as a combat nurse is hardly grounds for insubordination.”

She then looks to Daisy, and the two men follow suit. Daisy shifts, focusing her attention on her friend, her Captain.

“Lieutenant Clarke, how many of our men and women were wounded?” She furrows her brows. Daisy lets out a small puff of air.

“None severely as far as I know. There might be a few minor burns. First degree at most. None of us had to be carried out.” Ginny nods, satisfied with the answer, then looks to Captain Owens again. He opens his mouth.

“She still—”

“Still what? Saved several lives, including that of men in the Royal Army? Is that what you’ll report? Or will you tell them she was insubordinate and stole when you know that isn’t the truth?!”

Ginny takes a step forward — not enough to be in his face, but enough to challenge him. Or rather, dare him to challenge her own authority. Her face hardens into that of an intense glare.

“You want to report it? Fine. But you tell the full story, tell them that my Lieutenant upheld the oath she took when she was sworn in. That she got into a military-owned vehicle with an authorized technician, and a fellow medic, entered the city and saved not only countless civilian lives, but the lives of your men in the process — after you went against the orders we were given months prior and did not allow us to go with the Airborne division this morning as we were ordered to initially.” She pauses for a moment, glancing from Daisy, to Speirs, and then returning back to Captain Owens. The silence is heavy.

“And then, when we do reconvene with them — take accountability for any lives lost due to the lack of medical personnel with them in Nuenen. Or do you think Peake, Sink, and Strayer won’t question that? Especially since a member of Colonel Strayer’s staff is bearing witness to your threats against my Lieutenant.”

Captain Owens’ eyes snap to Speirs. She follows him, and notices the twitch in Speirs’ lips, the masked satisfaction glinting in his eyes. Then, Owens looks to her, and Daisy returns his stare — not breaking her impassive expression as he glares, as though the hardened expression on his blotchy face will make her flounder. It doesn’t.

It’s a silent retreat. He doesn’t give any of them the satisfaction of a goodbye nor salute as he turns on his heel and leaves, borderline stomping away like a petulant child. Daisy lets out a sigh, running her hand down her face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“Don’t be sorry,” Ginny claps a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile like the one from when she led that map-reading class. “You did what you had to. Bet he’s just mad he didn’t think of that,” then, her gaze shifts to Speirs. “He didn’t give you a hard time too, did he? Didn’t mean to uh… throw Strayer’s name in there like that. Needed to prove a point. I'm lucky he didn't call my bluff.” Speirs waves his hand, dismissive.

“Doubt he’s gonna go to Strayer anyways, ma’am,” he responds, then refocuses his gaze on Daisy. “And you — you’re fine? Not wounded or anything?” Daisy shakes her head, wordless. He gives her a once over, then gives a nod. He looks like he wants to say more — but he doesn’t, looking over his shoulder.

“I was looking at a bit of intelligence sent from Battalion. I need to get back to that. I’ll see you later, Clarke. Thank you, Captain Brant,” Daisy watches as he turns on his heel to go, walking back the way he came. Part of her wants to will him to stay. She elects to ignore that part of her, staring at the back of his head before turning to once again look at Ginny.

“I can go to the Aid station, they might need—”

“No, no, I’ve got it, Daisy,” She reaches to clap a hand on Daisy’s shoulder again, giving it a squeeze and a shake. “You’ve already done a lot. Let me wrangle a few girls to help out, you go rest up. We’re moving out tomorrow morning. You’re going to need the rest.” Daisy looks down, and gives a nod, knowing not to protest. She mutters out a quiet ‘yes, Captain’, turning towards the barn that she and several women were sleeping in.

When she approaches, it's relatively vacant save for a few bodies. She moves to where she’d placed her back, in a far off corner, sheds her jacket and shirt, wincing as she does so. Daisy looks at her arm — the skin angry and red, pieces of her jacket scorched through and leaving small parts of her skin blistering. She hadn’t noticed it until they got into the ambulance. She’s silently grateful the darkness kept her wound from being made apparent. It didn’t look too bad, just needed to be covered so it could heal. Thankfully, she still had a bandage left from what they brought.

Daisy wraps it precariously, turned away from the other women as she does so, brows furrowed in concentration. Her neck stings a bit, but the jacket’s high collar is enough to cover that anyway.

Only once her own wound is covered, does she pull her shirt and jacket back on and allow herself a moment’s respite.

They’re up early the next morning, packing their bags quickly. Company E sent a runner after all, discouraging passing through Nuenen as it was completely overrun by German forces. So they would go around. Several convoy trucks were destroyed in the previous night’s bombing — they’ve just enough to transport all of them, so long as women once again sit on the floor of the truck, a woman’s hand on either shoulder to ensure she doesn’t slip out onto the road.

“Eleven wounded, four dead in E Company alone. Still waiting for reports from the other eight,” Ginny had told them before they left. “For now, we’re linking up with E anyway until we receive reports on the other eight. Then we divide and conquer.”

Patty bounces her leg in anticipation. From her spot on the floor, she notes the way Rita picks at her nails, wordless, the other hand maintaining a firm grip on Daisy’s shoulder. Foster looks out over the side, lip between her teeth. Gone is yesterday’s brimming excitement, a heavy question having over the women that none of them wanted to ask. Who were the four dead? She looks at Jane, who sits on the edge of her seat. They share a knowing look.

What if you knew them?

She tries to imagine what she’s going to do, if she learns it’s Liebgott or Eugene who died. Even Luz, who she slowly but surely warmed up to, or one of the quieter, albeit still kind individuals like Sergeant Lipton. She still doesn’t have an answer, and maybe it’s selfish, but she really, really hopes she won’t find out within the next few hours.

They avoid Nuenen entirely, waiting and listening out in uneasy silence for the pepper of gunfire. It never comes. Foster perks her head up.

“Over there!”

They see the remaining tanks first, and then the convoy trucks. Men in infantry uniforms, some with their helmets off, stand in the adjacent field and on the gravel road. Daisy searches intently for a face she recognizes as their own trucks rumble to a stop. Ginny steps out, and the women make their way off, greeted with a conglomerate of different phrases. She watches, for a moment, as a dark-haired man approaches beside Captain Winters.

“There you are, you missed all of yesterday’s fun, Captain Brant!” He drawls out sarcastically. Winters rolls his eyes.

“Sorry. Was fighting in the second revolution. We’re two-for-two against the Brits now, if that’s any consolation.” The dark-haired man chuckles. Winters raises a brow, fond smile on his face

“You didn’t dump the tea without me did you?”

Pulling away from her eavesdropping, Daisy looks around until her eyes finally fall on a familiar white band. She swiftly makes her way towards him.

“Eugene!” His gaze snaps to hers, eyebrows raising before he gives her a smile. She makes her way towards him, and restrains herself from bringing him into a tight squeeze. He opens his mouth to speak, but someone cuts him off.

“Good to see ya, doll face. Now maybe the Doc’ll finally let someone look that fuckin’ hole in his leg again.” Guarnere pipes up as he crosses the threshold, past them and onto the grass. Eugene follows him with his eyes, lips puckered as though he’s tasted something sour. Daisy looks down at his leg and, sure enough, there’s a hole and a bloodstain, but he isn’t bleeding.

“You’re wounded?” She looks up at him, his gaze, however, is focused on the bandages peeking through her jacket, much more clear in the daytime.

“You’re wounded?” She frowns.

“You can’t just spin my words on me all the time. And I’m fine. Treated it last night,” She refutes. “When there’s a chance, I’m taking a look at that. No buts. Okay?” Eugene lets out a sigh that sounds a lot like surrender, gives her a nod and one of his gentler smiles, bordering on apologetic.

“Yes ma’am. You should probably find Liebgott though. Seeing Eindhoven all lit up last night, I think he was worried.” She nods at that, turning her head to find the lanky man in question. It takes her a few moments, because everyone looks pretty similar in uniform, as is the intention, but eventually her eyes settle on his figure. Hunched over, arms wrapped around Rita in a hug. Half her face is obscured by his shoulder, her brows furrowed and her hands fisting the back of his jacket tightly. They separate, she says something to him with amusement on her face, and he turns around entirely.

Daisy approaches with a smile.

“She approaches me this time,” He teases. Daisy rolls her eyes, shaking her head. This time, she takes his hand, he spins her like routine before pulling her into a hug with the same arm.

“Just to keep you from whining about me hiding again,” is her retort, and he rolls his eyes, shifting so his arm is draped over her shoulders lazily. “What’s the next move?” Liebgott grimaces.

“Keep pushing North. Somehow, someway we’re making some kind of convoy route. They want us to keep it.”

Daisy nods slowly as he and Rita lapse into conversation, reaching up to mess with Joe’s fingers as her own gaze shifts to Patty, who seems to be milling about in search of somebody. She approaches Sergeant Randleman, a gruff but kind man she’s only ever spoken to a handful of times. They exchange words Daisy can’t hear, and while Patty is initially spirited, she watches as her friend slowly but surely deflates, until she’s nodding solemnly and Randleman is wearing a gentler expression.

“Easy Company, let's move out!” Winters’ voice cuts through everything, and then, shortly after that.

“In line with Easy, First Company!”

The three exchange looks, she watches Liebgott reach for Rita with his free hand. She tentatively takes it as he leads them towards one of the trucks, hopping up and offering a hand to each of them respectfully to pull them up. Eventually Roe falls in beside them and Randleman sheds his jacket, revealing a bloody mess on his shoulder as he sits on the edge of the truck.

Roe immediately goes to check on the wound, and Daisy waits patiently to check on his, as the truck begins to rumble down the road.

#band of brothers #ronald speirs #band of brothers fic #ron speirs #ronald speirs x ofc #ronald speirs fic #hbo war fic #hbo war

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