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yarnzipangirl · 3 months ago

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I have a somewhat wild theory

I don't think John was the King in Yellow.

Not 'isn't now'. Never was. And I've had a few different permutations of this theory for the last few months, mostly because the one line from the Witch really stuck with me:

"Why did you leave your kingdom in the first place?"

If that's not a smoking gun, I don't know what is.

(spoilers up to 51 onward) ETA: edited to add some new thoughts!!

Then you have Scratch and Lillith, who recombined with all the difficulty of hucking a stone through a portal. Scratch who had been separate for years, had a name, had a favorite. And yet, bim bam boom, Lillith restored, easy peasy.

Meanwhile the KiY tries it in the real world and can't, then brings them to the Dreamlands to try again.

But why? For one, why is Carcosa (and the King) in the Dreamlands? That's not their traditional location. Usually, they're in the real world, in the Aldebaran sector of space. It CAN be anywhere but that's not home base.

And for another: why did the King think he'd succeed in the Dreamlands when he didn't succeed before, while John and Arthur weren't even aware of the threat?

Then I was rereading The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath and:

While other gods might have authority or access to the Dreamlands, Azathoth doesn't. Azathoth.

Azathoth, who is Nyarlathotep's father and boss. Who is Nyarlathotep's responsibility to keep asleep and keep happy. Who's dream IS reality. Who, if he wakes up, all of reality ceases to exist so Nyarlathotep has to keep him sleeping.

That thing whose being makes up the Stones. Those Stones that Kayne has had the boys find two of but doesn't seem inclined to let them actually touch.

Now, just a reminder: we've heard about three stones. And those three stones are the body, the spirit, and the soul. See where I'm going with this? What's missing? What do you actually need to dream?

A MIND. A consciousness.

ETA: I keep the text there because that is how I originally wrote it but more thinking has me thinking that no, John IS the soul of Azathoth. The one stone we haven't seen, that Kayne doesn't seem to care about finding. The 'fractured' soul, of course. Why Kayne said he had "too much soul" for the King in Yellow in EP 40. Why Noel had to go: because he saw what John projected out looked like and it wasn't what Yellow looked like. And I wonder if the reason John didn't have his memory to start but he kept it after the second jaunt to the Dark World is because his memories are in the Spirit, the Grey Stone. After all, how would you be able to know anything but by accessing the memory of Azathoth?

Why did the King flee the Dreamlands when that portal opened? He didn't. But Azathoth's soul consciousness, trapped in the Dreamlands where it could never return so Nyarlathotep could muck about doing whatever the fuck he wanted, ran for it. And the King, sensing he'd fucked up and not wanting to be on Nyarlathotep's bad side... tried to retrieve the prisoner he was supposed to keep track of.

And failed. So he dragged him back to the Dream lands, figuring he'd tame him again since he has no power there but it didn't work. "John" fought him. So he threw him back into the Dark World, assuming that would be safe. But John didn't forget and built a Kingdom there. And Kayne had a Problem.

What does Kayne do every time he talks to John? Belittles him. Makes him think he's nothing. Calls him names. Tears him down.

-The Fungi from Yuggoth: XXII. Azathoth

And the part that *really* gets me is Kayne's so caught on John and Arthur, that whole 'only has eyes for you' bit... Azathoth's other name?

The Blind Idiot God

You know. A God with his eyes missing. And what does Yorick call John?

Not the King in Yellow. Never the King in Yellow, nor Hastur despite calling out Lillith and Kayne's traditional names. He calls him My King. Arthur is master. John is his king. A being that sees through the eyes of others calls John his King. ETA: And the eyes are the window to the soul.

Kayne treats Yellow as 'his guy' but not John. The way you would if someone was doing you a favor for a while. And someone you might punish for fucking your favor up. Yellow, who has the traditional rotting and corruption of the King inside Larson that hasn't happened at all to Arthur.

Big G. Been bugging me since Season 1.

John has no access to Arthur's dreams. Arthur has to tell him about them. And the one time he slept (Horig), he didn't dream.

ETA: Not to mention that the thing they've been seeking for the whole time, the most common fandom trope, is John gets a body. What is the Blackstone, guys?

I can keep adding on. But I think you get where I'm going with this.

So TLDR:

I think John Doe is a John Doe, his identity still unknown... and despite intense effort from the King and Kayne, despite it being inconvenient to Kayne, *not* the King in Yellow. Never was.

And everything else. And *that* is why Alia needed him to hope. Because as long as they believe in hope, there is a chance.

Instead, he is entirely his own. The Consciousness Soul of Azathoth. His belief shapes him.

Whether Kayne likes it or not.

#malevolent podcast #malevolent spoilers #malevolent season 5 #john doe malevolent #wild mass guessing #red string board

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a-drifting-mannequin · 24 days ago

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Language Barrier

Fandom: Sonic (MOVIE) Pairings: Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone; Stobotnik Warnings: Cussing Chapter 1: Falling asleep

Summary: Whenever Robotnik feels immensely frustrated, Stone often hears something nearly illegible to his ears. Upon closer inspection, Stone feels like this problem would’ve been defused long ago if he had spoken up.

Short collection of five times Stone couldn’t (or more like outright refused to) understand Robotnik and one time when he actually responded.

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“God fucking hell!” Robotnik’s voice echoed through the empty lab, bouncing off the metal walls that surrounded him. His goggles were quickly tossed off of his head, landing on the floor with a dull thud, just beside the chair he was sitting on. Stone stood not too far away, watching the scene unfold with a silent sigh. Steaming coffee in hand, he approached the doctor with caution.

Ever since this project that had been bestowed onto them a week too late, Stone and Robotnik has been working their asses off to meet the deadline that was only a week away. Stone had sent many angry emails to Commander Walters during the first day of the project under Robotnik’s orders, but inevitably got no response in return which only served to fuel the doctor’s fury.

‘You can’t rush perfection’, they say. It didn’t look like G.U.N.’s higher-ups understood that. Even an average person shouldn’t expect too much from a genius.

While the deadline didn’t do as much as scare the pair, the unnecessary feedback and additional details that were missing from the original requirements was what throwing Robotnik off the edge. The doctor didn’t do so much as to walk out his lab, insisting on sleeping at the main console and refusing food. Stone had taken it as a mission to make sure that Robotnik was hydrated and eating, even if the doctor didn’t touch the food for an hour after it was placed down.

Coffee remained a necessity. Stone had consider switching the doctor’s usual latte out for something decaf, but the smell of decaf coffee had a huge difference compared to the latte the agent was used to making. Robotnik would notice right away, even when he hadn’t taken a sip of the liquid, so Stone decided against it.

“Your coffee, Doctor.” Stone said calmly, pressing the warm cup against Robotnik’s cheek in hopes of calming the man down.

For a moment, a flash of malice crossed those tired eyes. Robotnik’s body tensed up similar to a scared animal about to attack. And, in a way, he did try to attack Stone, unsuccessful or not.

The gloved hand that weren’t laid on the holographic keyboard clenched into a fist, pressing down on the buttons in the palm of his hand in a way that would’ve broke them. Robotnik’s fist came flying towards Stone, seemingly in a practiced move. If Stone hadn’t dodged it, he was sure he would end up with a broken nose and spilled coffee on the ground.

When Robotnik finally registered the fact that it wasn’t another no-name agent mocking him for feeling frustrated, his eyes soften almost instantly and the doctor took a moment to calm down and regain his composure. Stone’s gaze was unwavering, laced with a little surprise but his eyes were dominated mostly by genuine concern and worry for the doctor’s health.

Grabbing the steaming cup with a mumbled noise of appreciation and an unspoken apology, Robotnik tilted the cup upwards to completely drain all of the liquid in it. Stone watched with concern.

Placing the cup down with some force, his hand darted out to grab onto Stone’s tie, pulling him down so their faces were inches apart. Stone remained calm, glancing curiously at the doctor, noting that he might have to inflict some actual injuries onto the doctor in order to get him to sleep. The deadline be damned; he would prioritize the doctor’s health over a few machines. If said machines weren’t the badniks.

“Do you see this, Stone? Do you see what they’re making a genius like me do?” Robotnik asked, a finger pointed accusingly at the screen in front of him. His voice was a mixture of a breathy laugh and a scream that would’ve torn the universe apart. The universe in question was Stone.

Stone didn’t reply, understanding that was a rhetorical question and wasn’t meant to be answered. Instead, he offered the doctor a subtle nod, agreeing that this project was by far one of the stupidest thing they’ve been subjected to.

Field work was more stressful than this, but it would help Robotnik burn off some pent up energy and Stone’s pent up rage. It would do them both good but Walters had restricted field missions from Stone’s hands, instructing and treating him as if he was Robotnik’s caregiver. It’s not like it was ever a dull day working for the doctor, he just wanted to kill someone sometimes.

Then again, Stone reminded himself that Robotnik was too important to be out on field missions, both to him and to G.U.N.

If the doctor was severely hurt or wounded, it would take a while for him to recover. That meant delayed projects, no more commissions and efficiency within the lab plummet at a rate that was considered most concerning.

With a frustrated groan, the doctor released his tie and got back to work, hunched over like a shrimp and typing away at some codes before hastily turning to restart the assembly. Stone leaned down to pick up where his goggles had dropped, handing it back to the doctor and making sure to avoid touching Robotnik as much as possible. He needed his personal space right now.

Stone stayed leaning over Robotnik’s shoulder, occasionally moving some unwanted parts away and grabbing tools without the doctor needing to name it. Sparks flew and the sound of the badniks whirring behind the pair as they cleaned up any mess that was left behind filled the lab’s atmosphere. Stone could almost relax if it wasn’t his unwavering devotion and worry for Robotnik.

Of course, staying like this kind of hurt his back and his shoulders. Opting for a more comfortable position, Stone instead leaned against the arm of Robotnik’s chair, being able to relax better but still making an effort to not let his hip touch the doctor’s arm. Robotnik made no comment on Stone’s change of position, clearly too focused on the assembly than whatever his agent was up to.

“Disese gottverdammten Idioten, ich werde sie verdammt noch mal eines Tages umbringen.” Robotnik muttered under his breath in clear frustration after a few minutes of silence, removing his goggles again and titling his head up towards the ceiling, his hands coming up to drag down his tired out features.

The quietly said sentence snapped Stone out of his focus, eyebrow arching in confusion as he turned to look at the angered man. With his extensive research on the doctor, Stone knew that with his position within G.U.N, his language set must vary, from the most basic known languages to some more obscured. From the tone, Stone knew he was speaking German, but didn’t feel the need to respond to Robotnik with the same language. What he was actually curious about, however, was how suddenly Robotnik could change his language and accent.

Instead, Stone masked his understanding of German with slight confusion and intrigue.

“Doctor, could you translate what you said?” Stone requested politely, removing himself from where he was next to the doctor to stand beside him, eyes still directed towards Robotnik while his hands stay clasped in front of him.

“Stone, if your files say anything about you then you should’ve known what I said.” Robotnik resorted, eyebrows furrowing but his eyes never met Stone’s.

Stone stayed quiet for the rest of their work hours, only ever answering Robotnik’s direct orders with short responses. When work hours were over, however, Robotnik insisted that Stone stay at the lab in case of an emergency. Stone didn’t try to argue with the doctor, or point out the obvious excuse the doctor made.

Stone made himself comfortable on the couch that Robotnik had readily off to one side within the lab. Stone safely assumed the reason to have the couch here was because of the many times he saw the doctor sleeping at his monitor, never bothered moving to his own bed to get proper rest.

It was about midnight when Stone felt like his drowsiness was becoming overwhelming. Although he wanted to stay up to assist Robotnik with literally anything, his body and brain were betraying him.

Through hazy vision, the agent saw Robotnik turning around to look at him. A neutral expression laid on his exhausted features.

“Go to sleep, Stone.” Robotnik said simply. No sentiment.

“I can stay up, Doctor.” Stone replied, though he was sure that was a lie itself.

Robotnik didn’t say anything further, didn’t try to carry out the small conversation to make sure Stone stayed true to his words.

The agent did fell asleep at some point, much to his disappointment, laying on his front with his face slightly turned to one side to breathe on the couch. As he drifted off, the quiet drumming of Robotnik’s fingers were the only source of white noise Stone got.

The lab was cold; he could still feel it while he let sleep claim him, sending small shivers across his body as he tried curling in on himself before remembering that he was laying front down on the couch, face turned to one side to be able to breathe.

While he struggled in his sleep, trying to move his limbs that were already heavy from sleep, something that Stone assumed was a blanket was laid gently on his back. Immediately, all the shivering ceased. Stone swore he heard something that sounded vaguely like the doctor, but Stone blamed it on his tired and sleep deprived mind.

He definitely wouldn’t forget what was said to him, though.

“Godnatt, sykofant. Jag behöver dig fortfarande.”

Sometimes, Stone still surprise himself by the fact that his brain can still process his surroundings even in sleep. Maybe it came with the training, maybe Stone was just paranoid.

Morning came relatively quick, the sound of the alarm in still in his pocket waking Stone up with faint sounds and an annoying buzz. Stone groaned and rolled over to the best of his ability, staring up at the sleek black ceiling. He’s still in the lab, still in his suit now wrinkled. Stone used the back of his hand to wipe away at the dried drool on the side of his mouth.

No one was in the lab, all the badniks still in their charging station. The quiet hum of the lab could only provide the agent so much comfort before he was scrambling off the couch, rushing to his temporary quarters a room or two from the lab he was sleeping in before.

Stone couldn’t possibly work in this condition. He didn’t even look presentable enough to be in front of the doctor.

Stone rushed into his quarters and let the door behind him slid shut, concealing him from the soon-to-come judgmental eyes of the doctor.

Throwing open the wardrobe next to the bed he barely slept on, Stone sighed in relief when he saw the line of black attires still hung up and ironed perfectly inside. Taking one off and slipping inside the adjoined bathroom, Stone spent extra time carefully making himself look perfect. Shave a little there, comb down a cowlick here, make sure his eyes didn’t look sleep deprived.

After feeling content with how he looked, Stone exited his quarters with an air of perfectly tamed confidence, feeling like he could start the day normally.

As normal as it could get as Stone tried tiptoeing around the events of last night.

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Special thanks to @aramossy who is Swedish (love you)

Translation (in order):

Disese gottverdammten Idioten, ich werde sie verdammt noch mal eines Tages umbringen (German): These goddamn idiots, I'm going to fucking kill them one day

Godnatt, sykofant. Jag behöver dig fortfarande (Swedish): Goodnight, sycophant. I still need you

#agent stone #dr robotnik #dr eggman #stobotnik #language barrier #5+1 story #the typical 'oh a string of events that may or may not have connections but still highlights the main premise of the story'#ivo robotnik

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