ahmedmootaz

[ahmedmootaz]

:(

[ahmedmootaz]

Probably the most obvious remark ever,

But it's pretty much all I can offer with regards to Limbus here. I'll leave the heavy theorising to the rest of everyone here, heh.

So, Hong-Lu' Canto....it's pretty much a 'rise and fall' story of a Chinese Dynasty within the City, no? A dynasty falls and another rises, a cyclical event as old as time, for no dynasty was meant to live on forever. It's like the rise of the Ming and Tang dynasties, historically speaking, when one dynasty grows corrupt and feeble, another takes it's place, though obviously in a far less organised manner than what happened in Hongyuan.

However, the difference here is that the dynasty in question and it's Elders sought to obtain immortality at any cost, and they fall into the trap many immortality chasers find themselves in: What is immortality really worth if it cannot stop the ageing process and the frail health that follows? In Canto VIII, this is in the sense that H-Corp. isn't a great place to live and has been like this for quite the while now because the dynasty ruling it simply isn't changing. It's been there rotting and growing more corrupt, but chasing immortality both:

A) Distracts them from taking care of the Corporation.

B) Means that they could be on their last legs and yet they just won't pass away.

In that sense, we can see why it is considered abnormal and against humanity to chase immortality in this Canto, and why cutting them off and allowing Xichun to be in charge restores things to their natural order.

We can then take this a step further and say this could be part of why the City is ailing. At some point, the natural cycle of rise and fall was replaced by a cycle that is abnormal, attempting to remain forever and using methods that stop the gears from turning and let them rust and decay, but never move forward. Of course, the City still suffers from a myriad of other issues, but this could be a major element to why the regular cycle of rise and fall just doesn't exist or change things for the better as much as it does in our world.

Again, it's an obvious remark, but it was still fun to come up with. Do share your thoughts!

[ahmedmootaz]

I just realised that the de-agers can be weaponized.

Imagine if Zena comes back to, oh I don't know, collect their ex-Arbiter and just gets blasted into childhood.

I know they probably won't be used as weapons in AiP but it's a funny thought.

Dear Anon,

It is not only a funny image, but one I have thought of a couple of times! I imagine that a lot of funny scenarios could arise from various PM characters getting shot by the De-Ager and then acting more innocent and somewhat tragic as children since we know that these innocent children would grow up into the far less happier characters of the City.

Still, the idea of a little Zena that gets zapped back into youthful childhood and clinging onto "big sister Garion!!" as she might remember her is as cute as it is hilarious, especially if the beam misses Baral and Luda, forcing some tense cooperation between the Library's denizens so everyone gets what they want. The real trick would be to find a method to make re-aging Zena a little more difficult than just Angela summoning a new De-Ager or Ayin reconstructing one.

Maybe, long-after AiP, Ayin does get to work on a machine for Benjamin Hokma's wrinkles, but then leaves with Angela and Roland for a quick week-long excursion to the Ruins to map them and study them, only for Zena to arrive for some unexplained plot reason and accidentally turn-on the half-formed De-Ager, shooting herself with it and forcing the Librarians to take care of a short-tempered bratty little kid who can't stop getting touchy-feelsy with the only other person in the Library who actually looks like her: Binah.

A journey in which Binah may or may not realise she's not as emotionless as she knows she is, the Librarians discover than even Arbiters had innocent origins, and Baral and Luda contemplate if anyone in the Library is truly sane. Call it "Arbitrarily Cute!" or "Chronic Arbitration!", with the formal and informal meaning of chronic playing off of each other, heh.

Thank you very much for your interesting question, Anon! Until next time, take care and see ya'! And I apologise for the late reply!

[ahmedmootaz]

Is the reason that X only has 10 years to live at all related to the Script, which went on for only 10 years in the outside world?

Dear Anonymous,

First of all, apologies for the late reply! I was a little busy these days, so I apologise for responding so late!

To be honest, I originally intended to have a few scenes that delve deeply into X's lifespan, but then I began writing AiP when I thought it would be a short spin-off in my main PM AU. After AiP grew to its current length, I decided to abandon the "main sequel" that I had planned for TMFoA, but the reason X's lifespan would be limited to those ten years is because of the constant repeats and reconstructions of his body over and over until the body itself became frail and weak. I chose the 10 year mark arbitrarily, but I think it fits well with the theme of 10000 years passing within the Corporation and 10 years passing in the outside world, like a price that X has to pay on top of everything he already gave for enduring for so long.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask them! Once again, thank you for your kind ask, Anon, and until next time, take care, and see ya'!

[ahmedmootaz]

If I remember correctly, in The Many Facets of A it is brought up that due to X being a (somewhat) rushed clone he only has about a decade (if he himself is right) left to live. This really feels like a Chekhov's Gun moment to me, and makes me super worried for X. What if he's wrong about the time? Maybe when he starts feeling the effects it will played up for laughs with Angela instantly fixing him. Maybe he gets put in a book until the librarians can figure out a cure. Or maybe, just maybe, there is nothing they can do for him and he dies with friends and family by his side.

Considering how many emotions this fills me with, you did a good job. Do you have any plans for this?

Dear Anonymous,

Why, yes, you did remember correctly.

And yes, I do have plans for this, though they wouldn't be plans if I outright shared them don't you think~?

On a more serious note, I myself have a lot of ideas for where this could go, and I have thought about evoking various bits and bobs of symbolism here and there, but I don't know if AiP has the narrative space to delve in detail about this particular topic. I have the possibilities in my head, but AiP has already treated so many ideas and scenes, but even if AiP doesn't contain the whole concept, that doesn't mean I'll leave the gun uncocked, or even unfired for that matter. It just means that I might graze your ears with the bullet and leave you wondering when I'll be able to reload this stupid gun again because it's a matchlock from 1545 and I am dropping the ramming rod in a pile of brown sticks every few seconds.

Still, I promise there will be some payoff, if nothing else, and I hope that you look forward to then! Until next time, Anon, thank you so much for your question! Be well, take care, and see ya'!

[ahmedmootaz]

Hello, folks!

It's been a while, hasn't it? Almost two weeks, in fact, but here it is: At long last, Epilogue II.5!

I'm really proud of this one. It follows up quite well on the Chapter before it, and I think I explored some really good themes for all of the characters involved here. I hope that everyone enjoys it! I have other thoughts on this particular Chapter, but they're in the author's notes on AO3.

And I'm really eager to hear your feedback, criticisms, thoughts and reviews! Do not worry if they are long, I appreciate each and every one of them and I hope to see you hopefully soon with another Epilogue (the very last one!)! I eagerly await your reactions!

Until next time, folks! Be well, take care, and see ya'!

[ahmedmootaz]

Finally...after five-thousand years...It's here...Epilogue II is FINALLY here!!

...Well, the first part of it is here, at least, heheh.

Hello, all! It's great to finally come back with another Adventures in Parenthood Chapter! I've spent far, far too long writing this one, though I hope it was worth the wait, at least! I've had to cut this Epilogue into two parts due to it going over the Archive's word limit, but don't worry! The second part will be out in two weeks, hopefully! This two-week pause will simply allow me to get a head-start on Epilogue III, though depending on how said start goes, I may or may not release the second part a little quicker~

This Epilogue was a lot of fun to work with, especially due to Roland having a prominent role within it, although I admit, the fact that it took so long to be written was a bummer. Oh well, hopefully that doesn't happen again.

In any case, I'd love to hear you folks' opinions on the new Chapter! I can't wait to hear and read all of your thoughts, opinions, feedback and criticisms! Until the next half of the Epilogue drops, be well, everyone! Take care, and keep Facing the Fear, to Create the Future!

See ya' soon!

[ahmedmootaz]

Writing And Translation Commissions Are Open: An Announcement!

Hello, everyone! It's been a while since the last non-ask post, no? Indeed, while I have been busy attempting to write my Fan-Fics and the like, I have also decided to make an important announcement:

I am accepting commissions!

Translation and writing commissions to be precise!

I also wish to preface this by saying that, while working on commissions will not impact my work on AiP, it will limit the number of asks I can answer here on Tumblr as I will dedicate the time I used to give them towards writing and translation commissions.

So, without further ado, here are my commission services:

1. Writing:

I will write commissions between 1K words and 10K words when it comes to length. I expect 3$ per 1K words. When it comes to the story you wish to commission, all you need is to send me a vague plot of the story you wish for me to write and give me what the general atmosphere will be (comedic, serious, crack, etc.) and I will closely update you on the progress of your commission as it is being written.

The price and the length of the commission will be agreed on before the writing process commences so that no misunderstandings occur.

I WILL write :

Platonic/Familial relationships.

AUs.

OCs

Fluff/Angst, Hurt/Comfort, etc.

Any type of story except the ones in the list below.

I will NOT write :

NSFW.

Real-life politics.

Stories about real people.

Shipping stories (except for the ships I already have on AO3).

I am open to talking in length about the commission in order to provide the most satisfying results!

Fandoms I will write for:

Lobotomy Corporation

Library of Ruina

Limbus Company

Kim Possible

Ducktales

The Disney Duckverse in general, including the Italian comic verse.

Portal 2

If you have any specific Fandoms in mind that you want me to write for and it's not in the above list, you can tell me about them and about the story you have in mind and if I am able, I will write for that Fandom.

2. Translation:

When it comes to translation, I am able to translate to and from English and French. Whether it's a comic you wish to read in another language or a work of yours that you want to see translated to another language, I can translate to and from these languages. This also includes voicing over translations if you so desire, or reading certain works in a translated language.

When it comes to fees, it will depend on the amount of words or pages translated and how much effort is needed; a comic page being translated will not be priced higher than a novel's page being translated, for example. If you have any concerns regarding the pricing and the fees, they can be addressed through private messages.

3. Voice over and voice acting:

I can voice over or voice act dialogue in the two aforementioned languages (English and French) in any small projects that might require them. Samples will be provided of my voice and voice acting to give you an accurate image of what I am capable of so you can decide for yourself if my voice fits what you have in mind. However, voice overs and voice acting require constant communication between me and whoever requests them so as to provide the best possible result when it comes to the emotions and pauses shown in the voice over or the voice acting, should they be required.

The fees for this commission in particular will vary based on the length of the recording demanded, and as with the translation fees, they are flexible and negotiable within private messages.

All payments will be done through PayPal!

If you have any further questions, comments, or inquiries, I am willing to answer them!

[ahmedmootaz]

New Adventures in Parenthood Chapter Coming Soon!!

And if you're wondering why it took so darn long, this is why. Yup, I did take WAY too long, but I hope the wait was worth it! One step close to the end!

I would like to thank everyone for waiting for so long, and I'd also like to ask for a few more days to edit this leviathan and trim off any bits and bobs that might not be the best to read. I hope you enjoy Epilogue II! And feel free to ask about it however you want!

Thank you all for your support, and I hope to see you on AO3 near the end of this week!

[ahmedmootaz]

The sado-masochistsn side of people is really coming out today huh? And just after Hokma's birthday too. :*(

The poor guy is probably going to be retraumatized the most upon seeing Ayin dead.

Dear Anonymous,

What can I say? To be a fan of Ayin, you must think like Ayin, and that...well, that meant we were never really going to be the, uh, cheeriest bunch, let us say that.

And as for Hokma, well...yes, that's true, in a way, although part of me wishes to say that after he knew Ayin for so long, he'd know just how prone the amber-eyed scientist is when it comes to events that put a dent in his ability to continue enjoying his life experience within his mortal coil, and so while that may not prevent the grief from setting in, it will definitely...Well, at least make Hokma able to come to terms with it fairly quickly so he can 'create the future'.

...I apologise dearly for the joke.

Until next time, Anon, be well, take care, and see ya'!

[ahmedmootaz]

Have you seen the new Angela announcer voicelines from Limbus Company for the Anniversary Event? Seems like she has a sense of sarcastic/snarky humor AND punny humor!

Probably got the more sarcastic humor from Ayin and being trapped underground in despair for so long.

But where do you think she learnt the shrimpy dad jokes and puns? You think she inherited it from Carmen, got taught puns by Benjamin, got scripted puns by Ayin, or just came up with all the jokes herself because of Wellcheers?

Dear Anonymous,

Honestly, I'm fairly certain that Carmen seems like the type of woman who probably liked these sorts of jokes, and I can imagine she had a whole pun book that she probably read from time to time, so I think that as her memories were transmitted to Angela, she probably inherited those jokes from her.

She also could've gotten them from the employees; she was forced to watch them for the tens of thousands of cycles in the Corporation. I'm sure that they cracked a few jokes every now and again, and given Angela often had nothing better to do, perhaps she watched them as they cracked the jokes and might've gotten the dad puns from them, and any shrimpy jokes might've been from Agents who work with the Wellcheers vending machine, probably.

Still, it's nice seeing Angela in Limbus, even though I doubt most will be listening to her talk and talk and talk for too long, ahah.

Thank you for the Angela-related ask, Anon! Until next time, be well, take care, and see ya'!

[ahmedmootaz]

I have a funnier mental image for you. Adam going around parading a trumpet in Ayin's head and/or office annoying the living shit out of the Ayin like the the very annoying trumpet boy. Ayin tries and gives chase but Adam runs just a tad bit too fast to be caught, but when Ayin gives up and walks away, Adam waddles behind him just a tad bit too far to get grabbed and follows behind Ayin. Adam trumpeting a cartoon sound track much to Ayin's even greater fury, leading to Ayin trying to chase Adam and failing and the cycle repeating all over again.

Dear Anonymous,

Adam is very much like a Loony Tunes cartoon here.

And you know what, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. He'd a little stain of terror on this world who likely doesn't conform to the laws of physics and logic. He's his own guy, but if he gets caught by Ayin, he'll never conform to the laws of remaining alive, either.

Yes, this was quite funny indeed, Anon. Thank you very much for it, heh. Until next time, be well, take care, and see ya'! Once more, thank you for the very funny mental image.

[ahmedmootaz]

⚠️I like to imagine that L Corp employee armbands glow in the dark so that in less-than-optimal lighting conditions you can still kind of identify who’s who and where without attracting too much unwanted attention

Dear Anonymous,

Pffft. That's a funny idea. But it's also practical in a way, espeically considering the fact that the lights often go out in the Corporation, though now I'm wondering if some of the Agents will modify their armbands to have little miniature Abnormalities on them that help light the corridors up...

Honestly, I quite like this idea. It's customisable, it's Canon-adjacent, and it's simple. Thank you very much for sharing it, Anon!

Until next time, be well, take care, and see ya'!

[ahmedmootaz]

Does anyone else find it supremely ironic that we have an angel-and-devil-on-your-shoulder dynamic that has multiple twisted levels with Carmen and Ayin in Limbus Company?

Carmen the luminous angelic saint, so beautiful, enthralling, charming, and altruistic ironically pushing people into being utterly selfish and thinking only of themselves and causing a massive death toll consisting of entire Nests and Backstreets of a whole District depsite wanting the exact opposite before Enoch died.

Ayin the dark devilish warcriminal, so scrunkly, sopping wet, pathetic, reclusive, neglectful, shit at communicating, and bloodsoaked ironically trying to stop Carmen and push people into being more kind and empathetic and thinking beyond only of themselves despite having soaked his hands in at least an entire District's worth of blood as they took down the old L Corp in a bid to fulfill Carmen's dream no matter what.

It's like seeing an angel and a devil switch roles!

Dear Anonymous,

Indeed, this is one my favourite role reversals with the two of them because of the levels of tragedy and intrigue within it.

After all of these years of yearning, of wishing for an end to his suffering and suffering he caused on so many people, Ayin finds himself dragged into a situation where he was to play the hero, not for someone else's dreams, not for wholly selfish reason, but for the City's people whom he once worked to help so much. . He had to play the hero before, and now he has to be a hero. And I cannot imagine the heartbreak he has to endure seeing what has become of Carmen after the time she spent as the Bucket...

And I wonder if it's sort of a mutually tragic situation here. Maybe Carmen really does think she's saving people from become the emotional and physical husk that Ayin became through his stubborn selflessness that he solely endured for her through love. Maybe she wants to destroy the concept of loving other people and selflessness because she knows how it can destroy good men. Like her dear Yinnie. And at the same time, Ayin knows that this isn't who Carmen is...or at least, it's not the same woman he knew throughout all of the time he worked with her in the Old Lab.

And to me, the sweet, delectable irony lies in knowing that Ayin was always described as without ideals. He went through with the Seed of Light just to make Carmen happy despite knowing he should've went through with it for the inherent good it would've caused everyone. And yet, now when he has the chance to join Carmen in her new quest against the City, when he can be happy by her side if he just turns a blind eye like he always wanted to...He decides to hold his ground. He decides to stick to Carmen's original plan, and honestly, I think that's some very major character development for him since it essentially means that he grew from solely loving Carmen to loving her for her ideals and for who she was. When she basically became an entirely different person post-Light release, he held onto the ideals of the woman he used to love, and that made him the perfect man for the job of countering Carmen in the Light.

From the worst possible man for a job, to the best possible man for it, you have to admit it's a heckuvan upgrade.

Thank you for the very intriguing ask, Anon! Until next time, be well, take care, and see ya'!

[ahmedmootaz]

If Benjamin knew about Ayin's self-harm before the Seed of Light project, does anybody else like Dias know?

Dear Anonymous,

I don't think so. Dias doesn't seem like the most caring person in the world; she just seems like she was after her share in LC after the Smoke War and the power and influence she would gain. Perhaps she might've been able to figure out Ayin's personality due to her experience, but I doubt she knew or cared to know about Ayin's woes, just as I doubt Ayin interacted with her for more than strictly needed before sending her the cheques with her shares from LC's profits and never talking with her again. They don't exactly seem like they'd have seen eye-to-eye, so I think it's only Benjamin who would've known about what Ayin was up to...and of course, Carmen, too, considering he likely didn't take any precautions to hide the scars from her seeing how he didn't know she was still aware of the world as a floating nervous system in a vat, which, in retrospect, is probably part of why she hated the idea that anyone would sacrifice themselves and work for others' ideals after she witnessed her 'favourite junior' cause himself so much pain.

Thank you for the interesting ask, Anon. Until next time, be well, take care, and see ya'.

[ahmedmootaz]

Consider this: Ayin and X manage to avoid getting Clawed for breaking the No Clone Past 7 Days rule by giving X a pair of fake glasses and a fake mustache

Dear Anonymous,

-"So, you're identical twins?"

="Yes."

-"Not clones?"

="No siree."

-"Right...and I should believe you because...?"

="He has a moustache and wears glasses. I don't."

-"..."

="..."

-"Right. Apologies for the disruption, sir. Carry on."

I hope you enjoy the image you've planted into my mind, Anon. Until next time, be well, take care, and see ya'!

[ahmedmootaz]

Do you ever think that Benjamin ever found out how much Ayin was hurting (emotionally) and hurting himself (physically) before he left Ayin? Is that why Benjamin asked Angela to look after Ayin IIRC? Or was Ayin always able to hide how badly he maimed himself? If Benjamin didn't know or at least wasn't able to confirm what he was heavily suspecting, how would Hokma react in the epilogue of AIP knowing that sooner or later Roland is going to spill about Ayin's cutter and scars?

Dear Anonymous,

I think Benjamin knew from the moment Carmen died that Ayin was hurting emotionally, and I think he knew that Ayin was physically harming himself from the moment he began hurting himself. It's physically impossible to know Ayin as well as he did and accompany him during the dark times they both lived in and not know what he was going through and doing.

Even if Ayin was good at hiding evidence, I think Benjamin still knew from the way he acted. From the scar-healing gels he saw Ayin buy sometimes when he went too deep. Or just from knowing Ayin and knowing that he'd take out all of his anger and dismay on himself to not draw the attention of anyone else to his state. There was no direct evidence to confront him, but even then, I think it was obvious to everyone involved that there was something fishy amuck, and to Benjamin in particular, the situation was very clear.

And I think that Ayin knew that Benjamin knew. Both of them knew exactly what was going on, why it was going on, and how it was going on, but I think neither of them ever acted upon that knowledge. Benjamin didn't seem to be the most confrontational person to begin with, much less when it comes to Ayin, the mentor whom he respected immensely. Perhaps that was part of what broke Benjamin in the end; knowing that he was too cowardly to be able to confront Ayin about so many things, including the fact that he was hurting himself on a very regular basis. Perhaps that was why he pleaded with him, when things came to a boil, to enjoy the life he could enjoy as a Wing owner, away from the stress and self-harm that surrounded him.

Unfortunately, as we know, it didn't work out in the end, and Ayin continued with his path to release the Seed of Light at all costs, and I think that the reasons already stated in canon alongside the fact that he couldn't confront Ayin or offer him help during his darkest moments are some of the reasons that drove Benjamin to distance himself from Ayin.

Thank you for the interesting ask, Anon. Until next time, be well, take care, and see ya'!