#monitor philips | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

solifloris · 6 months ago

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:: yapping under the cut, so spoiler warning <3

actually first of all, an edit ::

itS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT I MIGHTVE DEFAULTED TO KIERAN BC OF HOW THE ENDING SCENE PLAYED OUT??? (i.e. luke giving kieran the masks) SO I BASED A LOT THE PERSONALITY SECTION BELOW ON THAT 😭 but like. disclaimer it was never explicitly mentioned who went through the transformation onset. im just like. you know. assuming it was kieran 😭 but there's actually!!!!! no confirmation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FUCKING EVERRRR WHEN I CATCH YYYOOUUUUUUUUU 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

i think we all kind of had this notion, in the back of our heads, that the twins were taken in by sylus as kids.... i think maybe some of us have thought of the possibility that they would have been experimented on by Ever................

but i don't think any?! of us?! would have thought of it to be to this extent?! 😭😭😭😭

::: random disorganized thoughts

i haven't yapped on the dash in a while, but KUDOS TO INFOLD BC????? this was a really smart way to slowly offer more information about the experiments that we know so little of.

the people we know of who have been part of these experients are either MIA (caleb, potentially), unable to speak coherently (the patient in zayne's branch story), or don't seem to remember anything about it (mc)... in a similar manner that anyone else who knows about the experiments hasn't really spoken up about them, or... well, you know. are dead. (josephine 😭)

but the fact that we get essentially insider info from the pov of the actual subjects is??? some crazy lore development?

i've seen a lot of general assumptions about what the experiments entail exactly, but this is a literal direct reveal that experiments gone wrong result in the "abominations" that we see in dawnbreaker's universe....... and it's like, this heavy realization that ever is really doing shadier shit than we realize and that they will continue to do so 😭 if they're working with xander sciences to, via dr. carter, potentially find a way to "immortality" or something............... and the risks really are dangerous to THIS extent....... and they've done MORE experiments, not just on luke and kieran???? that's like, insane?

these experiments were cruel 😭

mentions of kieran getting beat up for attempting to escape, is one thing, considering they were kids .... and then on top of that, THIS?

"Because of those side effects, their senses are bound. Fighting each other during heated arguments no longer relieves their anger. Instead, it's a form of self-torture. But they soon discovered that fighting could earn them many things: painkillers, sedatives, and if the fight was severe enough, even a pass on the next day's "trials." So, despite their reluctance, they became experts at fighting each other."

the researchers knew the side effects of the experiment included shared senses, and yet? the way this is phrased is so chilling... because this is from the pov of the twins, who view these things as rewards. likely they're given to stop the fight, or minimize the damages..... but luke and kieran view these as benefits? that are worth the pain they might inflict on each other by fighting? like what do you have to go through to view these things as beneficial to you?

moreover, the researchers would have had more power to completely stop the fighting altogether, but they didn't. they simply kept giving these things and it feels so sick and twisted to me that they'd just let it happen 😭 they were CHILDREN 😭

also the reveal that philip was a former experiment too (with the fact that he's mentioned he used to monitor aether cores as his previous job?! ;O) ... AND that he outlived the supposed "time limit"... AND that he's a younger twin, but the older twin is not at all mentioned so it likely means that the older twin didn't survive...... combined with the fact that we know only kieran has gone through (but miraculously survived) the onset of the transformation, and luke did not? i wonder if it's an only-one-twin thing, or both these cases are truly anomalies and other cases of twins (if there are any) haven't gone this haywire/our of prediction...........

which, by the way, we also don't get context on 😭 like now we know that the onset of transformation apparently doesn't guarantee a full transformation? suddenly "fully recovered" and leaving nothing but scars??????? if we go by the timeline, it would have been two years since they escaped (successfully), and yet their data had specified they only had three months.... this means that since then, they've allegedly been living life just fine with sylus, and just like philip, they've outlived the time limit......... i wonder how these experiments will progress, because ... if we go with dawnbreaker's universe being in the future, how does the transformation get that bad...? so many questions about these experiments......... im tearing my hair out fr 😭

also makes me wonder that ....... how much does sylus know, i wonder? if it's been two years since this account, and the twins crumpled and discarded the data report... does sylus know they were former experiments? that supposedly, they only should have had three months to live? that philip was experimented on, too? even the researchers mentioned sylus' name, i wonder what kind of deals he's done with them before...

::: personality notes

(bc its not a post from me without this <3)

but like first of all it's so.... incredibly heartbreaking..... because we've known from the start that the twins have always loved chaos and mischief and, essentially, the life of crime—but i think a lot of us assumed it to be because of working for sylus

when it actually goes far far back........

and not for very savory reasons.

what we don't know is how long they've been experimented on, or how they were chosen to be experimented on—but what we do know is that the conditions weren't exactly ideal.

and the thing about human experimentation is that although the word "human" is in there, it's completely disregarded in a metaphorical sense. test subjects are test subjects—they aren't seen as human in the eyes of these researchers anymore, or at least, most of them, anyway. and dehumanization is dangerous, because it only means that the researchers can let go of all and any attachment and do all kinds of things. they're not human anymore, so why bother showing tact, right?

and it's exactly what we see with luke and kieran. them being trapped there and, again, the whole thing with their fights........ these fights were probably observed and regarded as invaluable data, so why stop them? why not just subtly encourage them to do it more?

and you can see 😭 how much 😭 this affects them 😭 the cold detachment that THEY have for human life, how it's so easy for them to kill and harm and steal and do all these things without even batting an eyelash.... how the FIRST thing they did when they escaped was kill a guy, and THEN decide they want to kill sylus next?

like you realize that the environment they grew up in was likely cold and detached and void of thw warmth that you would usually give to children........

but instead of particularly developing fear or hatred or anger or some sense of righteous or justice—

they just viewed it as..... normal.

kieran talks about getting beat up like it's nothing. luke jokes about it and has that habit with the ice, like.... that was clearly trauma, but to them it feels as if they've grown so used to it that it isn't trauma anymore, it's just normal. just like the response they developed to fight each other with minimized harm, all to get those painkillers or sedatives or passes... it's normal.

and because it's normal, they feel like they can do it, too. it's so easy.

the fact that they're in the n109 zone, too?

extremely easy.

"throw away all morality and compassion, and this place will be a paradise!"

because that's exactly what they did. that's exactly what they were taught. and the n109 zone is the perfect place for that, a paradise if you will, because going out of it means unlearning the things they've been used to since they were kids.... because anywhere else would mean putting on more than just a physical mask, because anywhere else wouldn't feel like home, because anywhere else would have them likely scorned and disapproved of more than they already have been.

—"'You want to live? I'I give you five minutes. Run.' The young man's voice is chillingly playful reminiscent of a child taunting caged animals at a zoo. It'd be infuriating if Linton weren't paralyzed with fear. He glances back to see the door to the cargo area is wide open. A nauseating stench of blood wafts out. Inside, a few motionless researchers are drenched in crimson. They're clearly beyond help. In the center of the compartment, two sets of restraints that should have secured a person have been cut open. The escapee now crouches beside him, his blade brandished."

—"'Time's up! I hope you found a good spot.' Footsteps echo at the alley's entrance and are accompanied by the young man's cheerful laughter."

—"If it weren't for the shining blade in his hand and the blood staining his clothes, Linton could almost believe this was just some harm-free game of hide-and-seek."

—"'Okay, okay, save your excuses," Kieran, holding a blade, rests his cold hand on Linton's shoulder again, which sends another shiver down his spine. 'People will say anything when they're begging for their lives. One of the researchers told us how sorry they felt for us. You think we believe that?'"

—"Kieran sits cross-legged in the filthy alley, resting his chin on his hand as he watches Luke pin Linton against the wall and press the blade to his throat. In the darkest hours of the night, the spurting blood vanishes. And so, the final cry of a life on death's door is swallowed by the darkness."

—"In less than half an hour, the gleaming knife is stained a dark red. The twins present it to Sylus. 'Well? The trash is on the ground now. Do you want us to do anything else?'"

—"The hands holding the knife slightly tremble from excitement, not fear. Fresh blood drips from the blade's tip, their palms, and their nearly identical faces."

++ also, the fact that they're LITERALLY so desensitized towards death and the prospect of dying....... like their sense of danger is just? completely replaced by thrill? 😭

—"Whatever. It doesn't matter. We finally made it out, and if we only have three months left ... Since we're on borrowed time anyway, why don't we go out with a bang? How about doing something epic in these last three months?"

—"Excited, Luke hops onto the hood of the truck. 'Let's kill him. Nothing can be more epic than that, right?' Kieran bursts into a fit of laughter. 'What if he's a hundred times stronger than us? If we try to kill him, wouldn't that be...' 'Even more fun!' they exclaim in unison."

—'So what?' Luke sits cross-legged, the enthusiasm in his voice gradually fading and being replaced with calm. 'Have you seen the ones who transformed? I'd rather get killed and die early than become... something like that.'"

and, yet....

at the same time, there are hearts in there. just like how sylus may be who and what he is, but he's not..... heartless. he knows what warmth, and compassion, and kindness mean.... in the same way that the twins still do.

they're not always detached and prioritize chaos and fun and messy things—they know what it's like to feel emotions, they're human. despite having been treated as if they were not.

i feel like we've always seen them so unhinged and jokey but to me this is inferred proof that they feel so much, you know? you kind of have to wonder if... maybe the reason why they mask it is because they don't know what to do with it. like, they used to fight each other to relieve anger.... they can't do that anymore. that's one emotion they never learned to express properly. and sadness, and anxiousness, and grief, and fear.... they have severe reactions to kieran's onset of transformation, of sylus about to kill them—in the same way that excitement and joy are things that they feel so much more.... now that they're outside the research facility.

—"From a distance, Kieran senses Luke's body go rigid onstage. He quickly realizes why Luke reacted that way. It's because of him. At some point, two wisps of black-red mist have enveloped his body."

—"The person before him musters all his strength to aim the knife at his heart. He tries to push it in... But he hesitates and freezes as he notices his brother, who's bound to him, curl up into a ball because of their shared agony."

—"'Let me help you... I'll help you.' The weight behind the word help is unmistakable. Its true meaning is unspoken but clearly understood."

—"'I'lI die with him.' That's his response to Sylus. He takes a few deep breaths before flashing a sly grin. "I don't care anyway."

—"They shudder uncontrollably. At first, they manage to hide their terror. But as the mist grows sharper and touches their beating hearts— So this is what death feels like. The feeling of being at death's door finally breaks their resolve. Fragmented pleas escape their lips. 'No...'"

—""Stop..." "I thought you had a death wish. "We don't...!""

maybe they don't know what to do with it.

but...........

maybe being around sylus has them learning how to do that. maybe being around sylus has given them some semblance of a feeling of warmth, and compassion, and kindness that they've missed out on. he spares them, allows them to find a home with him. in his own way, i'd like to believe that he... encouraged them to live a little longer. the twins who were so acceptant of death and the fact that they may not live long... maybe he gave them a little bit of purpose, a little bit more reason to cling to life a little. he saw that they don't actually want to die, and i think he pushed that further so they wouldn't do something like that again. whether they're aware of it or not, it's probably why over the past two years, the twins have come to admire and respect sylus so much—more than just for his strength and his power, but also for the kindness he's shown them.

which, also— the differences in their personality are shown a lot here and it was so interesting for me !!!!!!!!!

kieran is obviously still the calmer one and a little more on the rational side.... but i think this also makes him prone to overthinking and seeing things too rationally, so luke is there to balance things out. but it probably makes him worry more, probably makes him more vulnerable to negative emotioms, probably makes him feel more than he lets on...

—"Transformation within three months... That's a fancy way of saying we won't live past three months."

—"Luke leans against the armored truck. He raises an eyebrow. Then, his eyes widen as he looks at Kieran, and he pounds his fist on the hood excitedly. 'What is it?' Based on that reaction alone, Kieran knows his brother's mind is probably concocting another scheme to turn the world upside down."

—"Eager, Kieran leans in. Despite Luke's ideas always ending up as messes he has to clean up, the prospect of doing something epic still holds an irresistible allure."

—"But Kieran quickly suppresses his bubbling excitement. He tries to be sensible. 'Wouldn't it be easier for Sylus to kill us than for us to kill him?'

—"Kieran hadn't particularly paid attention to Sylus's demeanor. Knowing Luke would keep an eye on it, he noticed something else. From the moment Sylus entered the room, it was as if an invisible barrier had formed around him. No one dared to cross this unseen line to stand near him. It remained that way until the very end. He had entered alone, and he left alone. Kieran can't help but muse out loud. 'Is there someone who can get close to Sylus?'"

—"He's about to bolt out the door when Kieran, as if he's done this a million times, grabs his collar and pulls him back. He presses the finished darts into Luke's hand before releasing him. 'Now we can go. l've been tailing Sherman for a while. Onychinus isabout to attend an important business meeting. Sylus might be there. We should check it out.'"

and like, it has seemed a little bit more like kieran has been acting like the older one... but i think this really brings to light that although he's the more "sensible" one in a sense, he really does need someone to balance him out?

and in contrast to that, luke, despite being more excitable.... genuinely has such a caretaker personality 😭 he's so caring towards his brother i wanted to CRY????????? and he's also the more positive one out of both of them 😭 like he feels like the younger one sometimes, but i think it makes perfect sense why he's older... he looks out for kieran sm :(

—"'Whatever. It doesn't matter. We finally made it out, and if we only have three months left ... Since we're on borrowed time anyway, why don't we go out with a bang? How about doing something epic in these last three months?' Luke leans against the armored truck. He raises an eyebrow. Then, his eyes widen as he looks at Kieran, and he pounds his fist on the hood excitedly."

—"Excited, Luke hops onto the hood of the truck. 'Let's kill him. Nothing can be more epic than that, right?'"

—"'Did he look... bored to you?' Luke breaks the silence. Kieran hadn't particularly paid attention to Sylus's demeanor. Knowing Luke would keep an eye on it, he noticed something else."

—"He's about to bolt out the door when Kieran, as if he's done this a million times, grabs his collar and pulls him back."

—"'Let me help you... I'll help you.' The weight behind the word help is unmistakable. Its true meaning is unspoken but clearly understood."

—"'I'lI die with him.' That's his response to Sylus. He takes a few deep breaths before flashing a sly grin. "I don't care anyway."

and the very end 😭😭😭

i feel like this truly spoke volumes of luke's character 😭 it's so touching? the fact that he really asked someone to make masks for them so they'd look like twins again? 😭😭😭 my heart 😭😭😭😭😭

::: extra

this is important,

PONYTAIL !!!!!!!!!!

AND THEY HAVE LONG HAIR.... (had? have.......... did they ever get a haircut after, i wonder....)

ALSO the fact that kieran is really good at making darts. . . . ALSO the fact that we know kieran is covered in scars...

(casually consuming any drops of appearance notes)

THAT IS ALL, THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK.

in conclusion. i love them to death 😭

#im so. unnormal about them #ive been thinking about them the whole day i fear #love and deepspace #love & deepspace #lnds #lads #l&ds #luke and kieran #(this user is a luke and kieran truther)#lndthonks 🌹#lnds garden 🌹

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silkenwinger · 2 months ago

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Hello fellow human,

I've seen your main list (wait I forgot how it's named), anyway, I've seen at the very bottom there is a little "Graves" mention but no Graves 😔 so I've come to request you.

....

In my golden days I've been writing a lot of stuff about him, but I didn't post none, but I want to see your take on my idea. If you so condone ☺️

Graves and reader both under the command of Sheph. And both of them fighting like siblings for his attention, by any means digging holes beneath eachother just to be the favourite.

hiiii <333 sorry this took years :( i actually really enjoyed writing reader and oc in this one, so they might get reused for a sequel :D

You jiggled in your chair as you checked your third account. God bless Shepherd’s fat paychecks! Closing your laptop, you made your way down the barracks, smoothing out the wrinkles on the arms of your shirt.

"Begbie! Get your ass in here!” You called out from the other side to the door to your second in command.

“One sec!” You heard stumbling around, something falling, hurried steps. Begbie opened the door panting, only half of her face visible, blue eye darting around.

“You caught me unprepared, Commander.”

“Try jacking off in the evening. Now, I just got news from daddy dearest, a general briefing in one hour. This could be huge for us. I want you to warn the Arrows and meet me back in the hall.” Begbie just nodded at your commands and closed the door again.

You took care in preparing yourself for the video call. Not that you wanted to appear particularly attractive to Shepherd, ew, but you felt the need to always show up impeccable, so that your looks wouldn’t be attacked lowly. Especially by a certain someone who enjoyed kicking you when you were already down.

“General,” you chirped enthusiastically some hours later, “and Graves,” you added unenthusiastically, “good afternoon.” Shepherd greeted you back neutrally, while Philip Graves didn’t even respond, his gaze away from his camera, almost as if he had much better things to monitor around himself. The smug aura that surrounded him, the pleasure he got from diminishing you, was still evident over video call. You would have liked to chew him off, but right in front of your employer? No thanks. You did roll your eyes to Begbie though, to which she just shrugged.

“As you know, I’ve already engaged both of your services for this operation. I trust that both Shadows and Arrows will work together to retrieve the package.” Shepherd stayed in silence for a second more than normal, and it would have been daft not to get the implicit warning in it. Stop fucking around and get the job done.

Well. You’d try.

“Task Force 141 will be there as well, but their objective is different. Try not to mind them.”

“Understood, General.” You heard a tsk then, and your eyes flew to the side of the screen. Indeed, it was him again. Rage rose in you before rationality could rein you in.

“Excuse me, Commander?”

“I’m sure you won’t mind them, Commander,” he mocked, smiling sardonically, “not the way you were begging for a crumble of attention from Price last time.” The blood in your veins chilled altogether, and you felt like dying that he’d decided now was the right moment to push that knife in.

“I don’t know how this concerns the assignment,” you settled on through your teeth. It wasn’t an outright denial but it was the truth– you were sure Shepherd didn’t give a shit who you tried to sleep with, and why would he. But Graves liked to put you in uncomfortable situations to try and diminish your power in everyone’s eyes because, at the end of the day, you were competitors. That was all there was to it, really.

“Right. It doesn’t,” said Shepherd, thin lips in a hard line, and you wished, you wished it could count as a win for your team, but unfortunately he just sounded like he was sick of both of you and Graves and not that he was siding with you.

“I think he’s psychosexually obsessed with you.”

“What?” Your exclamation was almost unhearable as the driver drove on the bump with a little too enthusiasm. And frankly you hoped you heard Begbie wrong.

“He wants to have sex with you but can’t so he takes out his frustration this way.”

“You have to stop watching Youtube videos every time you’re not working.” You sighed, rubbing your nose. You didn’t particularly care why Graves had it for you; it was obviously some form of male chauvinism in response to having his source of income threatened. The funniest thing was, your Arrows weren’t even trained for the same tasks as Shadows. Existence in peaceful union was possible, if only you and Graves could find a way to get off each other’s backs.

“I’ll try to ignore him harder this time.”

Begbie raised an eyebrow, and oh– again with that smug smile! Could the people around you go one second without implying something?

“Will you only talk to Captain Price?” You glared at her. She was a formidable unit but a terrible gossip.

“He didn’t seem interested and I’m not that pushy.” Admitting it gave you heartburn but it was the truth. A true soldier knows when to retreat.

“Aw. You should still try, though,” she cradled her jaw with her hand, “see how Graves responds…”

“And you should try to keep your head on your shoulder before it gets blown off. Understood?”

“Yes, yes…”

“Commander,” you greeted as you walked to the other car, Begbie on your heels. Graves was talking to another Shadow of his, and 141 were nowhere to be seen. You were all supposed to at least meet at the start and then go your different ways.

Graves had his hands tucked in his vest, blue shirt under. Hair meticulously fixed, soft tan on his face. Many things about him could be criticized, but his looks weren’t part of it. He made no attempt to conceal the fact that he was checking you out as well.

“Commander.”

“Oh, so today I got a hello, huh?” So long for trying to be mature about it. Your mouth had another complete conscience of its own. Graves smirked and settled on his feet.

“Now now. It’s too early to listen to your nagging, and we have a long day ahead of us. How are the ladies?” A vein in your forehead twitched. Not all Arrows were women but the majority was and this, too, was something he always poked at.

“Oh, so they get a handshake, huh?”

“They’re fine. How are the bottoms of the barrels doing?”

“Splendid and thriving. Hard not to when-” his words died on his tongue when another humvee entered the clearing, Captain Price and his Sergeant Gaz exiting the vehicle. You quickly shaked both men’s hands with a smile on your face. Despite your cheer in seeing trustworthy allies again, a voice whispered from your right.

It was done. Could it have been done a little more carefully, with a little less spilled blood? Probably. What mattered was that the “package” has been retrieved in decent form, and that Shepherd would be pleased. Thankfully, you and Graves had split roles evenly and managed not to get in each other’s way for the rest of the time. When seen from afar, he was almost bearable. You and Graves called Shepherd from a makeshift tent, 141 and its charming captain already gone.

“General, the package is already on your way,” you smiled, your arms crossed on your chest and hands resting below your armpits. You could almost feel the air puffing up in Graves’ chest.

“Not thanks to her, General,” said Graves, “almost drove us into a ditch!” You chuckled bitterly, and this time the eye roll was right in front of Shepherd.

“I did not. In fact, had I not changed the course, we would have been done for. But it is typical of you to just change the facts for your personal interest.” You could feel the wrath raising through your neck, the molten lava hot blood pooling your face. Graves, on the other hand, didn’t look bothered at all– he was still smiling through it all.

“Nervous, Commander? Jumpy?” He implicated something you did not care to decipher, the quirk of his mouth, the winkle in his eyes bothering you, unsettling your heart. Driving away, as always, you schooled your features and turned back to Shepherd.

“General, I do not think the Arrows and Shadows should work together any-”

“I’ve had it with both of you,” Shepherd interrupted you, hand on the bridge of his nose. The tone of his voice was exhausted, perhaps even begging, and you remained silent. He continued.

“You’re adults with an important position and influence. I cannot have you bickering right in front of me like a couple of moody teenagers, or worse. Every time you put this act on, I lose some of the respect I have for the both of you.” You felt a breath being kicked out of you, and settled down. Shepherd then made his last regards and closed the call, leaving you in the improvised room with Graves, silent on your side. Eventually, you turned to him when you felt him staring at you.

“Happy now? We are both idiots in our boss’ eyes.” You spoke freely, no one around to act shocked at your obvious antagonism towards the man. He laughed, again, the fool, and you had half a mind to shoot him there and then.

“I’m my own boss, baby. Try to remember that.”

“God, do you ever get less corny?”

From outside the tent, Begbie and the senior Shadow present, Lerch, shamelessly eavesdropped on their commanders.

“He’s playing the long game,” said Lerch, and Begbie nodded.

“I think there’s quite a long way to go, still…”

#cod #call of duty #cod x reader #philip graves x reader #graves cod #philip graves x you #yours truly #asks #requests #graves x reader

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