Work Text:
Characters: Aka/Who's who?
N - Abno (O-5-??)
V - Abno (F-02-??)
J - Abno (F-01-??)
Two are related to some kind of fairy tale (N's case is going to be a bit different)
Not quite sure what to number the two (or three) digits at the end. But each abno is labelled in the order they come in, for example: The Silent Orchestra' last two digits are "31", meaning that it's the 31st abnormality.
Going by this logic, N's name should be O-05-111 (Not counting Bald-Is-Awesome), so V and J's name should be 112 and 113 at the end respectively.
But I might change it just a little bit, just adding a few numbers difference between their names: Like making N's name be O-05-131 and V's name be F-02-156 or something. It's nothing too major, just thought it was worth considering. Adding a small gap between each of their numbers emphasises that they weren't all captured one after the other, but instead at different times. It doesn't really add to the story, but I'm a sucker for small details like those.
Uzi - Agent
Thad - Agent
Doll - Agent
Rebecca - Agent
Lizzy - Agent
These 4 are the ones that Uzi is going to end up spending a lot of time with, considering she's working in the same department as them.
All the workers in the bunker - Agent
The other workers will obviously interact with Uzi, but just a tad less, depending on who they are.
Nori - Sephirah (Gebura replacement)
Yeva - Sephirah (Binah replacement)
Teacher - Sephirah? Maybe an Agent? Team Captain? (Netzach replacement if he is a Sephirah)
Alice - Sephirah (Beau could be added to make the Tiphereth duo)
Khan - Deadbeat dad lmao
Tessa - Sephirah (Malkuth replacement, most likely)
James Elliott - Sephirah (Yesod replacement)
Louisa Elliott - Sephirah (Hokma replacement)
Dr Riley - Sephirah (Chesed replacement)
Mitchell - Sephirah (Hod replacement, probably)
Cyn/The Solver - (Absolutely no clue. Could be an abno or the big bad of the story, could end up being the Angela stand in)
Most of the Sephirah were really easy to choose, like Nori and Yeva for example. Having Nori be the Gebura replacement really clicked with me, considering how both like to absolutely kick ass. Adding Yeva to be the Benah replacement also felt like it really worked too. Since, in murder drones, Yeva was the one to save Nori from the Solver by throwing that wacky cross into her face, so wouldn't it be a nice twist if Yeva (being the Benah stand in) was the one to strike down Nori? And how does Yeva being an Arbiter effect their relationship in this crossover? Would there be any difference in the first place? Would they know each other beforehand? Maybe they've done missions together or something. Maybe Yeva would've had a harder time putting her down, seeing as they've had a positive history together. Or, hell, maybe they hate each other in this, I'm still trying to figure that out.
But then.. how does Uzi and Doll fit into this? If Nori and Yeva in this universe somehow friends instead of enemies? Or vice versa? Is Yeva forced to kill Nori because something went wrong? Maybe that explains why both of them are the way they are in this universe. Instead of being rivals, Yeva has to put down Nori not for the sake of the higher ups, but out of mercy instead, with Uzi and Doll being none the wiser. Maybe they could find out as the story progresses.
I honestly didn't have any plans to make Khan into a bigger character, and I don't plan to. Him trying to be a better dad to Uzi seems like a neat enough fate for him. Of course, I could make him an Ayin copy or something, but I have other characters I could use for that anyway. And I feel like him being clueless about what goes on in the facility to be pretty in character for him, considering how he doesn't really do much in MD, and the fact that he doesn't even know his wife is alive in the first place.
The deadbeat dad who literally beat his wife to death is going to be just as relevant here as he is in the show.
Choosing the rest of the Sephirah wasn't that difficult. I still have doubts about some of these choices, but I can see them working out. Alice and Beau specifically work so well as the Tiphereth because they're a duo, and one clearly takes the reins while the other is simply just there. Which is true in both Murder Drones with Alice running the show, to Tiphereth Female (Lisa) running more smoothly than Tiphereth Male (Enoch).
Story: Aka/What's going on?
For those who haven't realised, Lobotomy Corporation has a LOT of religious subtext. The departments are just an upside down version of the Jewish tree of life. Each department head is also named after each section of the tree. Like Geburah coming from "Gevurah", which is strength or judgement, but don't quote me on that.
Because I have no idea how to handle the topic of religion like this, especially the way it's depicted in Lob Corp, I'll make an adjustment to the world of this MD X LC crossover.
Instead of wings, we have metals. Instead of those wings being connected to an angel, these newly branded "metals" are part of a factory.
The factory is what rules over the other wings (Now rebranded as metals) and is the supreme authority that all others have to follow.
Each metal feeds the factory, and each provide their own special gimmick to the machine. For example:
R Corp: Specialises in soldiers, creating the best fighters that money can buy. Their singularity gives them the ability to clone, which is why they're able to create the toughest soldiers out of all the other corporations. They're why we can call the rabbits in Lob Corp.
For this fic, they'll be rebranded as:
Titanium: One of the most common metals used for war. They make some of the finest soldiers that the city has ever seen, being the ones that offer protection to the other metals of the factory. They make sure everything is where they should be, and make sure everything arrives where they should.
If it wasn't obvious, R Corp's replacement has the exact same thing that the og has, but they're a lot more buddy buddy with everyone, considering that all these metals are supporting a factory, thus, they need to feed it, which requires cooperation with other metals. There is still beef between these metals like in Lob Corp, but not as much.
Titanium will still keep R Corp's singularity, that being the ability to clone soldiers. This also applies to the other metals.
The reason I chose the topic of "metals" instead of keeping the idea of wings is for three reasons:
1st is the one I mentioned before. I am a complete fucking oaf and I don't know how to make Lob Corps religious subtext any better, so this'll probably be easier.
2nd is that I want to be a tiny bit original in this fic. I don't want to just make N, V and J into a new abno and call it a day. I also want to change the story just a little so it wouldn't be a carbon copy of the original. At the end of the day, I'm writing a story, and I want that story to be unique in its own way.
3rd is that... Murder Drones is about machines... Go figure that I'd choose "metals" as the new governing bodies for the setting.
If I had to name every major wing we see in the series, I think the following names work pretty well.
Titanium (R Corp): Description above.
Steel (S Corp): The most used metal in history, makes everything from agriculture to industry work in the first place. Steel feeds the city thanks to their singularity, which helps them make the equipment and foodstuffs the city needs to survive.
Gold (J Corp): The most valuable metal in the world, serving as the currency for most nations in history, even surviving to the present day. Gold is the wealthiest amongst the other metals, to the point of having its own casinos. It's referred to as a haven for gamblers and risk takers. If you win, you're set for life. If you lose, you'll be the one mining the gold that'll end up in someone else's pocket.
Copper (L Corp): One of the building blocks of modern civilization. Once used for tools, now used mainly for wiring thanks to its conductive properties, making it an excellent way to transport electricity from A to B. Copper makes the power that keeps the factories lights on, which includes the other corps. Life in L Corp is extremely dangerous, with a few dozen people dying everyday within its walls. But when the fate of the entire city is at stake, sacrifices must be made.
Iron (K Corp): Another cornerstone of civilization in the modern world. Used to make everyday items, to construction equipment, to tools and machinery, It's also used to make medical equipment in order to help those who need it. Iron's singularity is biotechnology, the means to heal and repair any injuries that someone may possess. Their HP Bullets can heal even the most fatal wounds, which explains why Steel and Copper both ask for its services so often.
Silver: (F Corp): Second only to Gold in terms of value. It was the main currency of many nations years past, also acting as a way to trade with other countries, opening themselves up to others in search of something in exchange. Silver's singularity allows them to "open" anything, whether it be a in a literal sense, as in opening a door, or in a more conceptual sense.
Nickel (G Corp): Extremely vital in making components due to its high-temperature strength, mainly being used in the construction of jet engines. Nickel's singularity lets them make spheres that control gravity, which proves to be very affective when used in transportation.
Mercury (M Corp): A dangerous material with devastating consequences on the human body if used improperly, especially in the medical field. Though, if used correctly, can be incredibly beneficial. Mercury produces something called a "Moonlight stone", which protects the mind of its user from mental attacks, whether that be through hearing the screams of countless people, seeing something monstrous which you can even begin to describe, or direct attacks on the mind. The stone is usually put into clothing and jewellery, and is mainly used by Fixers and the people at Mercury.
Bronze (P Corp):
Lead (N Corp):
Cesium (T Corp):
Tin (U Corp):
Aluminium (W Corp):
Brass (X Corp):
I got lazy so I didn't finish these other ones, but you get the gist. They're just the other wings but their names are replaced with metals. I don't have any plans to mention them too much in the story, let alone have perspectives in the other corps, considering we don't have that in Lobotomy Corporation. There isn't a point in me fleshing them out if I haven't played the games, and also the fact that they barely have a mention in Lob Corp.
Who knows? Maybe I'll play one of the two games someday and shout "LIMBUS COMPANAAAEEEEE!!!" every five seconds like every other Project Moon fan and add some neat little easter eggs in the chapters.
But you get the idea, right? Robots from the funny robot show makes the Korean rage game have more robotic themes. I know it doesn't sound like a work from the gods, but this is just me writing down what I'm brainstorming, alright?
I'm just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks, and I'm still trying to figure out what is the best consistency for said shit throwing.
As I'm writing this, I realised I haven't addressed the whole "Jewish tree of life" thing...
Uhm.. fuck it, I'll call the tree an assembly line or smth.