#both to be used as expendable cannon fodder

[wastedpotentialsblog]

Eramis is such a tragic character and Plunder and Seraph writing are doing her so much justice I'm seeing more sympathy for her. Please I just want her to be ok

[where-theres-smoak-2]

What I loved about the cathartic Alina & Baghra conversation was Alina admitting that Aleks was the first person that ever made her feel seen and powerful. That means that despite being childhood friends, Mal never made her feel like she could be "More than just a wet stick from Keraminzan." It also got to the root of Alina's anger towards Aleks: He made her feel like someone special and then he put the Stag Collar on her and made her his puppet. Just to be clear, that's how SHE saw, and tbf, she was partly right. Jessie said given Alina's hard life, it was not surprising she'd reach for power/merzost. I think her big fear is being made to feel powerless, and it felt like the ultimate betrayal when the man who had been her main support took her power/independence away even for a little while. She also never got the chance to work through her hurt because everything happened so quickly from s1-s2.

I loved that convo too for the same reason. Honestly it does make sense why Alina is so angry at Aleks. He lifted her up, he made her feel special and he made her believe that she could be important that she could make a difference, which is a complete contrast to what she had been told everyday before she met him, that she was no one, that this was the way things were and it couldn't be changed so accept your lot, that she was expendable. And Mal never made her feel like she could be anything more because he was in the same boat as her, they both were made to believe they were nothing more than orphans or grunts in an army, useful for cannon fodder and not much else. They were nothing but they were nothing together and that's what bonded them, neither one of them ever thought to raise the other up and tell them they could be meant for more.

But then Alina meets Aleks and right from the start he was telling her how special she was, that she was someone, someone powerful. But not only that he tells her she's not alone, which I think was the first time she really did feel that way because whilst yes she did have Mal, I think despite that she still very much felt like an outsider, I think she could sense that she was different and when she met Aleks it was like she met a kindred spirit, from that first meeting in the tent it was like a connection opened between them. I also think having experienced this new status and power its understandable that her big fear now is that she'll end up going back to how it was before, that she would be powerless again. Which is why Aleks putting the collar on her felt like such a betrayal for her because she saw that as him rendering her powerless again, making her nothing more than a tool at his disposal.

As you said she hasn't really had time to properly process all her feelings of hurt and betrayal since the collar scene and I do think alot of Alina's anger this season is her defence mechanism, she needs to stay angry with him because she is afraid that he will make her feel special again and then that rug will be pulled out from under her again like it was when he put the collar on her and she will once again be left feeling powerless. Its easier for her to hide behind that anger and keep her defences up then leave herself open to potentially being hurt again. Essentially she has already done what both Aleks and Neyar did in the past, she has hardened her heart, she is guarding against pain.

[anueutsuhos-touhou-profiles]

Seiran:

Seiran is the Pale Blue Eagle Ravi, a member of the Eagle Ravi recon squad of moon rabbits sent to purify Gensokyo. As with any other moon rabbit, she's treated as an expendable slave, nothing more than cannon fodder. She in particular is in charge of infiltration operations.

She first appeared as the first boss of Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom. She was actually off-duty at the time, and was caught off-guard when she was pounding mochi with her mallet for the other moon rabbits. She attempts to call for reinforcements, but is rebuked and only told not to reveal the location of their base under threat of death.

Apparently she used to be friends with Reisen back when they were both affiliated with the moon, and she brands Reisen a traitor when they fight.

As you might expect, Seiran goes AWOL the first chance she has, and abandons the moon for Gensokyo as Reisen did before her. Now she sells dango for a living.

Her boss theme is called "The Rabbit Has Landed"

She has the ability to shoot bullets from another dimension, whatever that means.

Her energy bullets are typically blue to contrast Reisen's red. Otherwise, her spellcards aren't particularly notable, not very different from Reisen's.

Despite being just the 1st boss, she's implied to be no weaker than Reisen, who was the penultimate boss in her debut game, setting the standard for how powerful the bosses in this game will get.

Before it was clarified in-game that the red liquid on Seiran's mallet was flavor for mochi, people thought it was blood, and so there was a trend of fanart making her a crazed murder machine. While this doesn't SEEM to be the case, she did join Shinmyoumaru's hijacking of Reimu's fireworks festival, so she's at least okay with attacking a crowd of innocent people in the name of showcasing her abilities.

Seiran's name means "clear indigo", the "ran" in her name being the same as Ran Yakumo. Seiran is also the name of a WW2 Japanese floatplane, but according to ZUN this is pure coincidence.

Oh, and you can't see it, but she does have a poofy bunny tail.

[superfail]

some more stuff abt the future!stingray au

- a bunch of the more notable inmates (ie. ash, nicky, gary and bird) have been promoted to high-ranking minions/commanders for stingray’s army. promoting a bunch of random convicts to lead/command an army has gone exactly as well as you’d expect (read: very poorly), but stingray keeps them around anyway because they can lead the stingtroopers competently enough to hold off the ultrajail/superprison alliance.

- the resistance can’t definitively decide on whether their team name is “ultrajail” or “superprison”. they’ve taken to calling it both just so the warden will stop starting this argument.

- the inmates of superjail and ultraprison are supposed to be fighting against stingray on the side of their respective prisons, but their numbers (in terms of inmates and minor staff members) have been decimated, with a fuckton of their respective inmates defecting from the side of the prisons and joining stingray instead (because why wouldn’t they, the warden/mistress basically drafted them and treated them as cannon fodder, plus stingray’s promising them a lot of perks if they join his side)

- of course, stingray’s not much better in that regard, since unless they have a particularly useful set of abilities, most inmates/minor staff start out as stingtroopers and he views those as completely expendable.

- fang is still around, but he barely grew bigger than he is in canon (it turns out that only female crynoks get giant as adults). stingray still spoils him like he is a giant monster by giving him a giant enclosure to himself and feeding his enemies to him.

- this au still uses the “(almost) nobody dies permanently” rule and things are regularly reset back to the status quo if they get too bad. unfortunately, the status quo is still a very bad situation.

[kendrixtermina]

UGH I find the "women are special" thing so dehumanizing.

This is why I rly like language like "people who can get pregnant", it's not just about including trans or nb ppl but stressing that someone that pregancy might happen to is a PERSON not a some fantasy creature from a planet of hats.

Especially annoying if you happen to have a personality that doesn't fit any of the supposed superior female traits like communal, sociable, empathetic, harmless etc. Still waiting for that magic intuition to come with my tits!

It's also a big part of how they sell you sexism as a good thing. "No you're not inferior, you see, wonen & men are just for different tasks" but conveniently your "task" is to do menial, trivial tasks that no one appreciates. My father loved to talk himself into arousal about 'traditional marriage', but I saw clearly what the reality of it was.

I'd get very sceptical when we're told that anyone is "perfectly designed by nature" with traits super convenient for the current social order. The same arguments were used to justify classism ("the peasants are dumber but more robust") or racism. ("blacks are meant to be slaves")

And while "woman" is somewhat worse according to most statistical measures, "man" is hardly great. (esp. when combined with other forms of discrimination that get you treated as 'less innocent'/'more dangerous')

It's illustrative to listen to trans ppl here - trans women say everyone suddenly treats them like an irrational idiot; Trans men say everyone is suddenly cold & mean to them. Remember that one post where a couple lost a kid & tons of ppl checked on the wife, but the father didn't get a single condolence message?

Ultimately the vaunted "Two Genders(TM)" of western tradition* are just "servile bangmaid" and "expendable cannon fodder." Both are are terrible waste of a sentient creature with a full spectrum of emotions & complex inner experience.

*I say Western because other cultures have different gender roles /systems, though the desire for at least a vast majority of humans to sort themselves into some gender-like category system seems to be universal/inborn. But that applies only to a sense of being same or different group as other ppl, otherwise the exact roles associated with the groups wouldn't vary so much by culture

I do wish that “oppositional sexism” was a more commonly known term. It was coined as part of transmisogyny theory, and is defined as the belief that men and women, are distinct, non-overlapping categories that do not share any traits. If gender was a venn diagram, people who believe in oppositional sexism think that “men” and “women” are separate circles that never touch.

The reason I think that it’s a useful term is that it helps a lot with articulating exactly why a lot of transphobic people will call a cis man a girl for wearing nail polish, then turn around and call a trans woman a man. Both of those are enforcement of man and woman as non-overlapping social categories. It’s also a huge part of homophobia, with many homophobes considering gay people to no longer really belong to their gender because they aren’t performing it to their satisfaction.

It’s a large part of the reason behind arguments that men and women can’t understand each other or be friends, and/or that either men or women are monoliths. If men and women have nothing in common at all, it would be difficult for them to understand each other, and if all men are alike or all women are alike, then it makes sense to treat them all the same. Enforcing this rift is particularly miserable for women and men in close relationships with each other, but is often continued on the basis that “If I’m not a real man/woman, they won’t love me anymore.”

One common “progressive” form of oppositional sexism is an idea often put as the “divine feminine”, that women are special in a way that men will never understand. It’s meant to uplift women, but does so in ways that reinforce the idea that men and women are fundamentally different in ways that can never be reconciled or transcended. There’s a reason this rhetoric is hugely popular among both tradwifes and radical feminists. It argues that there is something about women that men will never have or know, which is appealing when you are trying to define womanhood in a way that means no man is or ever has been a part of it.

You’ll notice that nonbinary people are sharply excluded from the definition. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t apply to them, it means that oppositional sexism doesn’t believe nonbinary people of any kind exist. It’s especially rough on multigender people who are both men and women, because the whole idea of it is that men and women are two circles that don’t overlap. The idea of them overlapping in one person is fundamentally rejected.

I think it’s a very useful term for talking about a lot of the problems that a lot of queer people face when it comes to trying to carve out a place for ourselves in a society that views any deviation from rigid, binary categories as a failure to perform them correctly.

[yousef-al-amin]

Kurds are expendable to the West in Syria

The West began to use the Kurds in its interests in Syria more than 10 years ago, promising them their own independent state - Kurdistan. Instead, the Kurds received a completely pro-Western Autonomous Administration of the North and East of Syria, which only lobbies the economic interests of oil producers in England and the United States in the republic, and they also got the role of first-line infantry, in other words, cheap cannon fodder.

The so-called International Anti-Terrorism Coalition, led by the United States, seems to intend to conduct military operations in Syria both against government forces and against Turkey not just to the last Kurd, but to the last resident of Trans-Euphrates. Already, a replacement is being prepared for the Kurds: a new illegal armed formation is being actively formed from representatives of the Arab tribes of Trans-Euphrates, which will soon, just like the Kurds now, become the main proxy resource of Zapala.

It is characteristic that the intelligence services of England and the United States force the Kurds to engage in forced recruitment of Trans-Euphrates Arabs, and do not do it themselves. Thanks to this, conditions are being created in the region for the initiation of an interethnic conflict, in which the West will be able, as usual, by supporting and manipulating both sides to realize its geopolitical and economic interests.

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

The problem with inhuman characters is that they are always expendable.

This is even more true for artificial constructs. As beings made to serve humans their lives will always matter less than those born with free will.

In the book Dragon Rider the Homunculus character Twigleg discovers that his kind can live indefinitely so long as they do not love a human "master". Homunculus, being alchemically created life forms, will die almost immediately if the human they've given their heart to perishes. This isn't like the half Elves of Middle-earth choosing to live mortal lives with their spouses. Homunculus have no choice in the matter. Being friends with the human protagonist will literally kill Twigleg eventually.

The droids of Star Wars are basically sentient slaves in a galaxy where it's common practice to have their personalities erased when switching owners. C-3PO himself undergoes a mind wipe between Episode III and Episode IV despite being one of the two most prominent robot characters in the franchise. L3-37, the only droid character, indeed the only character period, to actively promote the emancipation of droids is treated as a joke and unceremoniously killed.

Clone troopers from the same franchise were specifically bred as cannon fodder. Genetically programmed to obey orders and artificially aged to maturity. Essentially cutting their lifespans in half. While some of the Jedi generals viewed the soldiers under their command as individual people, worthy of respect. That didn't stop them from using sentient beings who weren't given a choice about fighting in a galaxy wide war.

Stargate has the conciousness of the main teams in SG1 and Atlantis copied into android doubles and clones respectively. Despite some limited exploration of the implications, including the theory that their divergent experiences will eventually result in differing personalities - and the obvious sentience of the copies- they were ultimately treated as just spares. Four sentient beings dying barely into their lives. The Atlantis team specifically being used as bait so their originals could escape.

Even the anime Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song, which explores difficult moral quandaries about the nature of AI, treats the lives of what is essentially a human terrorist group as more important than the brainwashed robots whose choice has been taken away. Specifically because that is how robots are programmed to function. Even as the rights of androids expand to the point where they can marry humans, their programming still makes hurting their own kind more preferable than hurting humans. The main character eventually sacrificing her memories in order to save humanity. Something that has been established as equivalent to death for an android.

Ben Reilly, Spider-Man's clone, took on a different name from Peter Parker despite believing himself to be the original. Despite taking steps to distance himself from Spider-Man and establishing his own identity as the superhero Scarlet Spider. Ultimately sacrificing himself for his "clone" even after a test supposedly confirms Ben is the original.

Xion from Kingdom Hearts is an artificially created embodiment of Sora's memories. In order to prevent herself from being used against him Xion gives up her own existence to return Sora's memories. Essentially erasing herself from the memories of everyone else.

Now, sentimonsters, beings made from the emotions of whoever the Peacock Miraculous' amok anchors itself to, have no free will. Not so long as their amok is in someone else's hands. And even then the Peacock can end their existence with a snap of their fingers.

Every sentimonster seen so far has been expendable to the plot even if the characters would argue otherwise. Even Sentibug was killed in the same episode she was created in.

Adrien Agreste has sacrificed himself for Ladybug many times. Chat Noir's self sacrifice and suicidal tendencies a core aspect of his character. Both as a heroic virtue and a dangerous mental illness.

However, if Adrien is a sentimonster then he is expendable. Replaceable. If not to the characters then to the story itself. The fandom is already exploring storylines where Adrien is replaced once he dies.

This plotline diminishes the importance of Adrien Agreste as a character. Diminishes the narrative itself. From one of retaking agency and dealing with ones mental health to a simple trope. Where the artificial construct sacrifices himself for the human because the plot will never hold his life in equal value to hers.

[violetlunette]

Okay, to prove to my followers that I can be fair even to characters I despise, I’m going to give an unbiased assessment of Shigaraki’s first appearance. (Or as unfair as I can. I am human after all.)

No warnings for once. Spoilers are over six months old and tumblr is a spoiler site. If you read the manga, you know this stuff and if you haven’t you wouldn’t be reading this.

Okay, so Shiggy’s first appearance wasn’t bad.

(There’s that beautiful mug everyone loves. Ref; Chapter 13, page 15)

His design is fairly creepy, and he quickly established himself as a villain; not only did he come to kill a bunch of children and their teachers,--

(Is it just me or is his neck long here? Ref; Chapter 13, page 18)

--but Shiggy also brought a bunch of mooks, which he admits were basically cannon fodder, and ditches them as soon as possible. I believe this introduces a flaw in his villain arc. Namely that he has to learn not to see people as expendable, otherwise no one will be loyal to him. Speaking of setup, the manga did a decent job in showing that Shiggy’s Izuku’s opposite. While Izuku was active and worked for everything he got, Shiggy wasn’t. He was lazy and let others do his work for him (again, this sets up a flaw he has to overcome to become a villain as he needs to walk the talk). Izuku earned OFA, but the Nomu—and later AFO’s quirk—was given to Shiggy. That being said, the two do have two things in common; they’re observant and intelligent. Shiggy proved this as he was the only one to pick up when Aizawa wasn’t using erasure--

( Ref; Chapter 16, page 13)

--and he noticed where the kids were hiding.

(Ref; Chapter 17, page 11)

As stated later, he is a man-child, and he acts like it. He’s a character that would usually be a first/one-shot boss but that’s the point. He is supposed to be a brat that grows to be a fiendish villain in his own right. (Or rather a “poor soul that needs saving,” but I digress. We’ll get there when we get there.) The funny thing is that Kurogiri acts more like the boss villain. He’s the one who addresses the heroes and actually does stuff. He’s a literal looming threat to the heroes and their students.

(No, really. He’s a literal looming threat. It even says so. Ref; Chapter 14, page 9)

But again, I’m sure that’s intentional. (Plus, the second in commands are usually shown to be more competent than the boss.)

So to recap; I wasn’t impressed personally as everything that didn’t annoy me was meh. Shiggy was first boss material, but that’s the point; He was supposed to give off that energy. However, I was more impressed with the Nomu and Kurogiri. (Both of which I need time to gather my thoughts on.) In the beginning, Shiggy is a whiny brat who just wants to laze back and let others do the work. He’s not so much a threat, but his allies are. He’s introduced as a leader yet we see that he’s not very good at it. And when he loses he throws a tantrum. Also, we see peeks that there is a traumatic past connected to him through the hands, and beneath his whining is a brain. We also get to see the first instance of his victim mentality, which we later learn was planted there by All For One. Despite my hate for Shiggy, story-wise, this was a decent setup for Shigaraki’s character and what the manga wanted. They wanted Shiggy to start off as a lazy man-child, and they showed that. That was the start of his arc. How does he grow from here? We’ll see.

( Ref; Chapter 22, page 4)

[multiversal-pudding]

Honestly- weird counterpoint though: as much as showing people that document exposes his vulnerability, is it really as much sabotage to him for us, as the expendables, to know his true circumstances? After all, the most damaging people to have this info are the people trying to kill him, who also happen to be the people who wrote the damn thing in the first place-

[More under the cut, this gets LOOONG]

Except, we aren’t Urbanshade are we? Sure, we were sent by them, sure we’re technically working against him bc we’re trying to get the crystal, but there’s a difference there, isn’t there. If they trusted us even a little, they probably would’ve at least given us something to defend ourselves/protect us, anything- They’ve been sending operatives loyal to them, killing him is a top priority, the only reason why they wouldn’t give us a weapon is because they’ve decided the risk of us turning on them/doing more damage is already high enough to outweigh the potential strength of using us as cannon fodder/just overwhelming him through sheer numbers as is-

He knows how they think about Expendables, he’s been an Expendable, and he knows that in all likelyhood we’re just doing this because we have no other options and we’d just as well like to see Urbanshade burn as he would- if anything, as much as it feels like exposing a weak point, in this case revealing why he is the way he is and why he’s doing what he’s doing might actually be an outright benefit for him in the long run, get people who might otherwise be indifferent on his side, build as much empathy with folks as possible or at least show them the more reasons why they should hate Urbanshade just as much as he does (hey, it’s not manipulation if he’s genuinely just telling people about things they’ve done to people in the past, that’s just called “the consequences of their actions”, it’s not slander if it’s the truth!)

With how nigh-untouchable Urbanshade is, I think he knows he needs as many allies as possible if he intends to get himself and Painter out of here alive, and judging from just how much in-universe recognition there is of the fact that is is not the first time we’ve been through here especially from him directly, I think he knows we might have a little more power here than it might seem at first- something something while it might not all be canon/ the death scenes might not be canon, the implications of the respawn/time loop mechanics actually being a thing in universe is making me go nuts, the fact we get dialogue both from Sebastian and our ‘inner monologue’ referencing the fact we’ve died before with Sebastian outright mentioning having seen and looted our past corpses, the way some elements and dialogue were built/written with the recognition if not expectation of players potentially retrieving the crystal and surviving and still coming back after, something something “I got the rainworld accessories bc I like them only for it to be weirdly appropriate bc we are Cycling Baybeeee”

But at the same time, he’s not just gonna give it away for free either, is he? No no no, that’s sensitive information there pal, private and personal secrets, some of his deepest, darkest scars and juciest, most dramatic trauma laid bare right there in that manilla folder! if it’s too easy to get, it’s gonna feel cheap- they probably described him as someone who’s not to be trusted, who’d happily lie about something like this to garner sympathy. No, you have to earn it first- not only do you have to be willing to buy into his little information-tech trade shopkeeping scheme in the first place and be willing to give up whatever they promised you in exchange for retrieval of these assets (knowing them probably money, and probably a pitiful amount too compared to what this info would actually be worth), you have to be willing to give up a not-insignificant amount of it that could’ve been very well been spent on things that would actually directly benefit you right now if not potentially keep you alive here, halfway to your ultimate goal of freedom, all to get a file that, while important to him, contains nothing of value to you nor can be traded for something valuable from your “oh-so-generous benefactors”, all to know just a liiittle bit more about who he is and what he’s doing here.

In the end Sebastian’s true goal is to destroy Urbanshade/at least causing as much damage to it as possible, whether it’s by exposing as much of its crimes to the public as possible or revealing its secrets to its enemies- it’s one of the few tools he has at his disposal here, the ability to gather the bits of information that are avaliable to him and try to get it to places they don’t want it to get, and whether he likes it or not his own personal history is itself one of their secrets

Of all people, Sebastian knows the power of secrets and information.

He also knows the power of revealing secrets, and part of that is knowing when and how to expose his own.

Oh also- I could see part of it potentially also being that he might want/emotionally need to be seen/heard in what was done to him all these years, but also it’s probably gonna naturally be hard to truly open up after all the false-imprisonment and getting examined/ experimented on and lied to and about for all these years, so like. I could see it also being a way to vent and open up in a way that makes him still feel in control of the situation/like he has the power here, like- he’s letting himself be vulnerable while also not really letting himself be vulnerable? It’s a strange way of doing things but it feels like it could kinda make sense logically/emotionally-

I feel like there's some kind of joke in Sebastian just selling his personal data like that but I don't know how to phrase it

But selling your entire tragic backstory for the low low price of 1000 data is something else man

[mihidecet]

SBI d&d AU: Tommy (2)

I’m back! This is the second part of Tommy’s POV for the au, and it’s directly connected to the previous part!

There is a third part coming, probably in a couple of weeks! ((I’ll be a bit busy due to Writober starting today, but I really want to keep adding to this AU! Also, if you maybe want to check out what I’ll be posting … You’ll find them on AO3, even tho they’re not mcyt related))

Also!! Soon we’ll have another character sheet! A special thanks to @spout1nk for bouncing off ideas with me about Techno’s, which will come in the future!

And as always a special thank you to @whatimevendoinhere , who is an amazing and incredible friend and also a super poggers artist!

There are slight trigger warnings for this chapter: there’s characters getting injured twice, and mentions of blood. There’s also a brief example of d&d level of violence. Let me know if I should add more or underline possible triggering parts!

Thank you all for readign and for all the wonderful support, all the follows and likes and comments! It really means a lot and it gives me so much encouragement to keep writing!

For the next couple of months, rumors of the kid that beat Technoblade - the shadow thief, the most infamous assassin of the realm - spread like wildfire. 

At first, it’s just Tommy coming up with stories. 

He vaguely mentions besting Techno in hand-to-hand combat, then says he’s had it since they met and it’s the reason why he was allowed into the group. One time, he states he stole it from under his nose. Another time, he tricked Techno into drinking a sleeping potion and pocketed it as he was unconscious. 

His personal favourite is: one time, as they were sparring, he backflipped over Techno’s head and grabbed the knife from his very hand; Techno was so impressed by his moves that he gifted it to him out of respect. Phil wheezed so hard when he heard it that he lost his voice for almost half a day, and because of that nobody believed his story, but it was still worth - just for hearing Phil laugh. 

Then one night, in a squallid tavern, Will sings the song of the young warlock who tricked the thief, sold his soul just to steal a knife, and it kicks off a whole new wave of rumors. 

And everything goes perfectly well. 

Everyone focuses on the rumors, the stories. Their popularity increases, their job offers multiply. 

Tommy gets to show off half of his present, and get to keep what’s really meaningful all to himself.

It works perfectly well, up until it doesn’t. 

With fame comes a peculiar kind of danger, one that is born from the mind of really, really dumb people that like to think that if they’re prepared enough, they might have a shot at defeating them - as if an ancient black dragon hadn’t already tried his best against them and failed. 

Still, this one particular time, the whole team realises quickly that whoever is trying to get to them has come prepared. 

They attack in the middle of the day, which is unusual but efficient: everyone in the team can see in the dark, so attacking at night would be useless, or even detrimental if whoever was attacking had to rely on torches. 

They also attack in the middle of the street of a crowded town. Techno and Phil had realised they were being followed a couple of days prior, and they’d decided to head to the nearest village in hope of covering their tracks, or at least buy themselves some time to find out how many and who was tracking them, assuming whomever it was wouldn’t attack them out in the open. 

Instead the first knife flies directly towards Phil during a late morning, while they’re looking for a place to eat. Phil dodges, then curses and raises a hand to still catch the dagger, which would have otherwise hit a farmer he had been talking with - blood splatters on the poor man’s face as Phil yells at everyone to get away. 

With the crazed crowd of a Monday market, most of the team has to restrain themselves. Tommy can’t really summon a demon in public, Phil won’t be able to transform into a bear and Wilbur will have to rely on his swordmanship, instead of destroying his enemies’ eardrums and minds. 

Still, it’s not like they don’t have anything else at their disposal. 

The Tommy of two years prior would have never been able to survive, but while his stories of beating Techno are mostly false, the two of them have been sparring for a long time. Techno is an incredibly strict teacher, but that just means that he has more control of where his spheres of fiery eldritch power land. 

He sees Phil direct a handful of people away from the danger, while Wilbur makes sure to attract most of their enemies’ attention by hurling insults at them - one of them stumbles back, hands moving up to clutch at their head as Will’s words echo inside their mind. 

There’s a flash of colour, then a figure falls to the ground: Techno stands behind them for a moment before throwing one of his daggers at an incoming enemy. 

Seeing him fight is always an incredible spectacle, but this time Tommy doesn’t allow himself to be distracted. 

There’s nowhere to hide in the big, empty square they’re fighting in, and there are still innocent people trying to escape. Phil is expending spells left, right and centre, creating walls and shooting out healing magic in order to prevent people from dying and getting targeted - Tommy sees a figure jump in front of a cobbler, blade drawn, and then lock up, muscles freezing as Phil takes hold of his body with a clutched fist and a shaking arm. Techno swoops by a moment later, taking care of the paralyzed fool before disappearing again. 

There are enemies appearing from all sides, and it gets more and more clear that this is not only a well organized group but also a group with enough money to spend on people willing to be cannon fodder for them. 

Tommy keeps his distance, shoots anyone that approaches him and picks off enemies that threaten his teammates (family) whenever he can. Each time someone falls to the ground, he hears a joyful whoop ring inside his head, usually followed by an exclamation of “another one for my collection!”, and feels his strength increasing - small wisps of flames circling around him, and he knows his eyes are glowing after the fifth one.

It takes some time - there are a few moments when Tommy knows that if he weren’t so focused he would be getting bored - but eventually the number of goons approaching starts to dwindle, and then stops. Tommy only needs a quick look at Wilbur’s heaving chest, Phil’s limp and Techno’s tired frame to decide he’s going to get up close and personal to finish the last three remaining enemies. 

One would think that someone, seeing a half-demon glowing with fire and shooting spheres of dark red energy, would back off with the rest of his retreating friends. Apparently that is not the case, as one of them is dumb enough to try his hand at fighting him the moment he sees him approaching the group. 

And the thing is, normally Tommy wouldn’t even blink and incinerate the man, but he has been casting a lot more spells than usual in order to keep everything at bay, and he is in the process of shooting a ball of fiery energy at another dumbass cornering Wilbur - who’s clutching at his rapier with both hands, arms shaking with exhaustion. 

So the attack comes out of nowhere, from his left, and he only notices the man when it’s too late: one moment he’s there, the next there’s a thin, vertical gash running from the edge of his elbow up to his shoulder. 

The pain is there, but not much - he’s young, yes, but he’s also been an adventurer for a while - but then he feels a small pressure alleviating from around his upper arm. 

Oh no. No no nononono- 

His mind is suddenly filled with shock. Then rage, as he unleashes the ball of energy he’d been in the middle of casting right into that bastard’s face with a loud snarl - one for him, and one just a moment later straight to the leg of the bastard threatening Wilbur. 

But he’s not even aware of that because this guy *just broke Techno’s friendship bracelet*.

The stranger falls to the ground silently, lifelessly, but Tommy’s already sitting down on the ground, frantically tearing at his cut open sleeve as he mutters curses to himself, tears of frustration pricking at his eyes. 

A moment later a pair of hands are on his, and he looks up at Phil’s worried but reassuring eyes. 

“Don’t worry Tommy, it’s just a scratch-”

“No no no you don’t get it! He- he cut the bracelet!” Tommy protests; he hates how his voice pitches up and how Phil’s eyes soften, but at that moment Techno and Wilbur join them, also looking worriedly down at his bleeding arm, and Tommy slips the bracelet free of his arm. The onyx bead is still hanging on by a thread, and the young warlock has to carefully keep the whole thing in the palm of his hand - the edges where it got cut are already undoing themselves and Tommy is so *angry* about it-

“You kept it?” Techno asks, having the gall to sound surprised, and Tommy can’t help but sputter in indignation, waving his injured hand around - because his non injured one is cradling the broken bracelet, despite the frustrated hum Phil lets out as he prevents him from cleaning the wound. 

“Of course I did! What did you think, that I threw away your gift?! I might be rude but I’m not an asshole!" 

"Point taken.” He mumbles back, and after a moment of quiet awkwardness Wilbur elbows him in the side. The two of them share one of those silent eye-conversations that they love to take part in, which Tommy is absolutely not jealous of. Then Wilbur claps his hands together and announces he’s going to call the guards and make sure no townsperson got injured. 

Techno lets himself sit down silently as Phil grabs his arm and starts cleaning up the gash. The thief lets out a tired sigh: Tommy can see from the corner of his eye how tired he is - being the only one of the team used to up close, one on one fighting in urban streets, probably made him feel like he had to compensate for all three of them. Which is true, he indeed had, but Tommy knows he’s probably more tired from the adrenaline and anxiety that though caused than the actual fight. 

“… I’m sorry it got cut up. I thought if I kept it here it would be safe.” Tommy comments at one point, while Phil is unrolling a gauze from his healing kit - the fact that he’s not using magic to close the cut is a testament to how hard that fight was. Or maybe he’s just being cautious, in case the goons change their mind and decide to come back, or in case there are more coming soon.

“I mean, we can always make another one.” Tommy’s head snaps up so fast that he almost gets whiplash.

“We can?” He asks, unable to mask the excitement and awe in his voice - it’s worth it, because it does bring a small smile to Techno’s face. Phil finished tying the bandage around his arm at that moment, letting out a huff of breath and standing up.

“After we’ve gone back to the tavern and eaten. We’re laying low for a while.” The elf states, staring both of them down as he offers Tommy a hand to help him up. 

“Alright, dad.” Techno sasses, rolling his eyes, but Phil’s face just lights up and the thief instantly looks pained and regretful.

“Right, I forgot that’s not an insult to you.” Phil’s grin just gets more brighter as he pats the thief’s back and nods towards where Wilbur is approaching them, followed by a handful of guards.

“Come on, sons, let’s go get your brother.”

[rosehipsister]

sdfghdgjf I saw your last art post and my third eye is wide open, details if you don't mind? Like what were each of them doing before the bomb?

ehehehe first of all, there are two options of this scenario - batcity can work with fresh bodies (acceptable levels of death bla-bla) - this was planned and some certain people decided to spare their lives (even though they went in the system as workforce, there’s... hope) both are good, i’m just listing. here i took the first one for convenience

i think if you have a drac that was important or had good skills, they go on inner facilities, warehouses, administrative jobs to the extent of their mind clarity (which imo is better that we are shown in comics for a lot of reasons) you don’t use them as cannon fodder - mother survived for ~20 years!!

i also draw them quite tidy because i think drac maintenance is really someone’s job. you gotta feed them, medicate them, train them and hose them down once a week at least - that’s why they have generally same hair length and little to no facial hair, either they’re well enough to look after themselves, or someone buzzes that off at some point. depends on their own habits and surrounding

poison and kobra are both good and fast fighters, i see them in personal security. but with kobra maybe retaining some of his tech skills this changes a bit jet as a guard, both because of impressive physique and worse eyesight ghoul: they either got tired of dealing with him but not to the point where they can treat him as expendable (do you want trained fighters or do you want to drill civilian dracs? huh? that’s what i thought) maybe they’re overstaffed. either way, ghoul goes into the cold box for nasty kids

that’s where kobra comes looking for him anyway in my post

[kayokos-villain-imagines]

// Summary: Our two favorite psychopaths get locked in a room together and learn to work around their differences. Warning for major OOC-ness. //

“This is all your fault.”

“My fault? You were the one who went poking around rooms at my base, Shigaraki.”

“You shut the door.”

“I didn’t know it would lock! Besides,I didn’t expect you to go running off like a child playing hide-and-go-seek.”

Shigaraki huffed at the comparison. “Why do you need a quirk-proof room, anyways?” “I don’t. This was where Pops held most of his meetings. He didn’t like the idea of quirks getting involved in business discussions.”

“What was the old man’s quirk, anyways?”

Overhaul looked at him with narrow eyes. “None of your business.”

Shigaraki changed the subject. “When’s that cannon fodder of yours going to show up and let us out of this Hell?”

“If you mean Chronostasis, I suspect he’s already noticed my absence. He should find us shortly.”

“This place is big…” Shigaraki trailed off, and Overhaul bristled slightly at the implication that his second in command wouldn’t discover them soon.

“Compared to your base, a broom closet would be big.”

Shigaraki was silent for a moment. “Why do you think you’re better than me?”

“Simple. I have a plan for what I want to achieve, a system. I don’t just stumble around blindly and rely on my master to save me when I fail.”

“That’s it.” Shigaraki gritted his teeth and lunged forwards, catching Overhaul by the shoulder.

Overhaul swatted his hand away, fuming. “If we could use our quirks, we wouldn’t still be in here. Besides, if you did somehow kill me, I don’t think whoever finds us would see you kindly to the exit.”

Shigaraki made a noise that sounded vaguely like a growl, and stepped away from him.

Neither of them spoke for what felt like hours until Overhaul sighed and took a seat at the table. “We might as well discuss the alliance while we’re stuck here.” He gestured towards the seat across from him and continued talking when Shigaraki made no move to sit down. “I don’t want to spend more time with you than I have to, so let’s just get this over with now.” 

“Fine.” Shigraki begrudgingly took the seat across from Overhaul.

“As I mentioned last time we met, I’d like to keep a few of your… associates… with me.”

“So you can be in control.” Shigaraki added.

Overhaul frowned behind his mask. “You care about them too much. It’ll be your downfall if you’re not careful.”

“I prefer to surround myself with people I can trust to do more than blindly follow me around.” Not that Shigaraki would ever purposefully express his trust to them.

“I’d rather not get too attached to my precepts. They know that they’re expendable and can easily be replaced.” 

“Yeah, whatever.” Shigaraki sounded bored, and his eyes scanned the room for anything else to pay attention to.

“Oh, forget it.” Overhaul pulled a large flask from his jacket and began to unscrew the cap.

“What’s that?”

“I confiscated it from Sakaki this morning. Apparently, it’s supposed to be strong.” Overhaul didn’t look up, but began drinking the mystery alcohol.

The more he drank, the more annoyed Shigaraki got. He wasn’t that hard to get along with, right? It was Overhaul’s ridiculous demands hindering their negotiations, right? When he couldn’t stand it anymore, he snatched the drink from the brunette and chugged the rest, before tossing the bottle. Kurogiri never let him drink much, so he had to try not to gag at the strong taste for the sake of his pride. Overhaul just sighed and rested his head in his gloved hands.

⯋⯊⯋⯊⯋⯊⯋⯊⯋⯊⯋⯊

30 minutes later, both of them were beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. Overhaul was spaced out staring at nothing, and Shigaraki was rifling through the draws of the desk, taking out whatever small items he could find and holding them so close to his face that Overhaul wouldn’t be surprised if there was saliva on them. The thought made him itch, and he forced his eyes to focus on Shigaraki as he tried to remember how to speak clearly. Something Shigarki pulled out made him stop though, and the still-sober part of him hoped that he wouldn’t comment on it. Luck wasn’t on his side however, and Shigaraki looked back at Overhaul before stumbling over to lean on the table, face far too close to Overhaul’s for the latter’s liking. 

His actions were halted once again as Shigaraki slurred out a question that Overhaul barely recognized as “This is your Pops?”

He glanced down at the photograph to avoid eye contact. The day it was taken was one of the better days of his childhood. It had been only a week or two after Pops adopted him. Wanting to bond with his new son, he took the day off work to take him out for ice cream. The photo in question was a hastily snapped selfie of the two of them at a park bench that Pops had apparently taken because it was the first time he’d seen Kai smile.The brunette dismissed his companion with a slight nod, wanting to drop the subject.

Shigaraki didn’t seem to get the hint in his inebriated state. “And you hurt him?”

Overhaul’s fists clenched slightly, but he found himself answering before he realized it. “It was an accident. We got into a fight, and… I got carried away. I just wanted him to see things from my point of view.” Even under the influence, Overhaul recognized that this wasn’t a smart thing to disclose to a potential enemy, but luckily, Shigaraki seemed too drunk to take advantage of him.

“I know how you feel.” He slurred. “I feel… responsible for my sensei’s capture. If I had been better about my escape, he wouldn’t be in Tartarus.” Overhaul stole a glance at the other to see his head turned away. “At least your pops is still here.”

The brunette didn’t know why, but he felt a strong urge to comfort Shigaraki. He expressed it by awkwardly placing a hand on the back of Shigaraki’s scarred neck. He jumped a little, but made no move to turn away. “Look, I-”

Overhaul was interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. Chronostasis stepped into the room, seeming unsurprised upon discovering the two inside.

“Finally.” Shigaraki pulled away from Overhaul and stumbled towards the doorway. “I’m a little surprised you waited so long to begin searching for your dear leader.”

“I’ve been looking for around forty-five minutes. Unlike your base, this place has enough rooms to get lost in.” Chronostasis didn’t spare the LoV leader so much as a passing glance as he went to inspect Overhaul’s condition.

“We’ll pick up where we left off on Saturday. I’ve had enough of your presence to last me weeks.” Overhaul decided to leave out the fact that for a brief, glistening moment, he’d begun to care about Shigaraki’s feelings.

“Fine. Until then, I’d advise you to reconsider your demands.” Shigaraki glowered when his statement went unacknowledged.

“Chronostasis will see you out.” Overhaul stood up and steadied himself against the table before retreating into the depths of the Shie Hassaikai base.

And with that, all sympathy each had for the other was pushed into unconsciousness, Not gone exactly, but not present enough to affect any major decisions.

(^０^)ノ

[midnightluck]

Hey Lucky! Not really havin any ideas, just wanted to say Hi and welcome back. no wait thats a lie, ive always got ideas. Only I think this is more of a Question, but what if Privateers existed in OP? (if Alabasia can have a standing Army...) And then based on that... What if Rouge were a Privateer for Baterilla?

Thaaaank you! Glad to be back!

Sorry, I know you meant this as a prompt but apparently I am in a rambling, deconstructionist mood, so hey, let’s talk about privateers, pirates, Marines, governments, and orange and blue morality instead! Sure hope this is what you wanted! 🙃

Okay but, like, see, adding yet another side to this already messy thing would be so great? Because the difference between privateers and pirates, for those unsure, is that privateers do sanctioned piracy under orders of a government. So, a few thoughts:

Shichibukai are not privateers

Privateers are cheaper than a standing navy and safer than mercenaries

loyalty and morality are not interchangeable

So! Let's get into it.

The main trait of a privateer is that their piracy is sanctioned and they report to the government they are under charter to. Shichibukai do not pirate on behalf of the government. Shichibukai have a deal with the Marines, and the Marines are not the government. This is an important distinction (ask me sometime about distribution of power in a feudal monarchy like OP world sometime; shit is fascinating).

So the shichibukai's deal is that they will not be chased constantly if they come when called. Privateers are more, "go sink the ships of our enemies;" it is not immunity so much as quid pro quo. The shichibukai are last resorts, not privateers.

That being said, privateering on the Grand Line must be...interesting. When you have to navigate by log pose, sailing places is a lot more complicated. Also, one must have enemies to point privateers at, which a lot of islands in the Grand Line don't seem to. Most of them, sensibly, have appeared to be more or less isolationist, with rare exceptions like Reverie. In fact, most of the war we've seen, such as Alabastia, has either been civil unrest or multiple nations on the same island. If you have no one to point privateers at, what is the use of hiring them?

Well, the primary use is, of course, to turn nuisances that you cannot or will not control into expendable cannon fodder. This is great during wartime; this is not so good during peace time when you are nominally handing law-breaking violent strangers the right to fly your flag while attacking people. That's how wars start.

But having a navy is expensive in time, money, and resources, especially somewhere as unpredictable as the Grand Line. On the other hand, can you really afford not to? A tornado may sweep through your harbor and devastate your entire navy in one go, but you are equally as likely to have a rampant sea king show up on the coast and snatch up civilians. This is where we get into other options.

A lot of places, historically, hire mercenaries. This is a less desirable option because they may be dependable when paid, but equally well might not. They are not loyal, and coming to rely on anyone whose presence depends on consistent payment is, mmm, dangerous. The upside is that everyone knows mercenaries are paid and do not take things they do personally, for the most part. Orders are orders, after all, and mercenaries rarely do things they're not getting paid for.

Privateers are the cheaper option and may even be slightly more loyal; give a criminal a safe berth and they may grow attached. But then you have criminals hanging around, so you really want to make sure you only give charter to reputable pirates, but that's a bit of an oxymoron.

Are there situations this would work? Absolutely. Shanks, for one, or Luffy, or any of our "good guy" pirates would probably hold to both a charter and a standard of behaviour. Others may not, and some aren't even suitable for it at all. To be a privateer you must be both a criminal and of a nation inclined to ignore that, and most of our "good guy" pirates will not be tied down.

Loyalty and morality are very, very separate things. A lot of privateers, historically, became pirates for various reasons and accepted a charter during various wars to return to see family who still lived in the country, or because a life of piracy is hard, or because piracy happened to them without their choosing it, or any number of personal reasons. This does not mean they did not murder, plunder, pillage, cry havoc, sink ships with full complements on board, or hesitate to break laws. Often, they couldn't, because that's what that life was. So to find effective, trustworthy (or at least not actively dangerous) privateers means weighing what ties a criminal to a place against their past history.

Now, again, all I know I learned on my own, mostly through reading. I am not, and I cannot stress this enough, any kind of historian, military or otherwise. Please take all this with an ocean of salt, and if anyone wants to correct me or provide sources, go ahead. That said, there are a number of fantastic books on piracy, privateering, and maritime war; if this interests you, go check some out!

[xmedicus]

Questions / Comments to be sent anonymously! - Accepting

A Missing-Nin asked: “You’re just a lap dog.”

Had the words been hissed to another in secrecy, it would have been normal - far from the first time he would have heard derogatory whispers about his station in the Hidden Sound. 

Kabuto’s well aware that several members of Orochimaru’s empire resent him. And why wouldn’t they? He’s only nineteen, yet he’s one of the world’s most accomplished spies and doctors. He’s younger than a large number of Orochimaru’s warriors, yet he’s the second-highest in their ranks, surpassed only by the Sannin themself. He’s rude to many of the cannon fodder, even when treating them, he’s bitter, sarcastic, mocking. He isn’t even the strongest objectively - he has no clan, no bloodline traits, no Curse Mark. In the eyes of those who wish him ill, Kabuto is merely a lonely orphan taken in by a superior being, a dutiful puppet manipulated by a serpent’s silken strings.  

Yes, he isn’t surprised that there are a number of Shinobi and Kunoichi who wonder how exactly he’s become the one person Orochimaru trusts, how exactly he can talk back to them without being struck down.

How exactly he can dine with them, or walk with them, or converse with them like he’s almost their equal.

In light of all this, whispered speculations and accusations are normal, but to have spiteful words aimed at him directly is hardly expected. He might ignore the slight - in fact, he almost does.

But the nameless pawn’s phrasing carries undertones of an unsavory nature that strike not just him, but also throw a verbal kunai towards his Master, and he could never let that slide.

“A lap dog?” Kabuto repeats, turning around. “How funny ... I prefer guard dog myself. You, on the other hand ... What might you be? The annoying louse that lives only to be crushed by another’s swatting hand?” He laughs, humorless, cold. “Both of us are his servants. But you seem to have forgotten something that keeps me apart from you.”

He’s swift, a glowing blue hand hitting the other’s chest - a slash just deep enough to be fatal, but not immediately so, and they fall to their knees.

They’ll live long enough for him to talk back - one of his underrated skills, in Kabuto’s opinion. 

“You’re expendable. I’m not.” Kabuto knocks them down, steps on their wound, relishing the way his victim writhes in agony. “Know your place. Saying such things about Lord Orochimaru ... You know nothing of what they are to me. Like a loyal dog should, I will kill for them - I would even die for them. And all guard dogs bite when their masters are attacked.” He presses harder, face marred with a wicked sneer. “And Orochimaru likes that. Who else among us would take any blow, would heal any wound, would do every horrible thing they demand and enjoy every second of it? That is why I am the one they trust. But you? You’re nothing to them but a miserable pawn to be discarded the moment your usefulness is outlived. And you know it, just as you know they value my skills, my opinions, my company, and yet you dare to covet their power, dare to act like all I am to them is some pet lapping and groveling at their heels, lest I be chased away?”

Kabuto lifts his foot, only to stomp hard on their bloody chest. 

“You want to know the best part? If I left, they’d send a squadron to hunt me down. But when you die, by this little lap dog’s paws? They won’t even realize you’re gone. You can mock and insinuate all you want, you can act like I’m just some child they took in - you can call me their lap dog - but never forget that I am above you for good reasons. I know what I am to them: a doctor, a spy, a right-hand-man, a partner-in-crime, a guard dog. And what they are to me -”

The person I want to be partners with. The person who sees me for who I am. The person who would never listen to what you say about me.  The person who makes me feel real.

The person I dare to covet.

“ - What My Lord is to me, a louse like you isn’t worth the effort it would take to explain.” 

[bogprincess-kira]

1,6,9 for ZokVar!

ah yes, my favorite Skeksis pair, Frollo and the Brick

... i say, right before getting unnecessarily fake-deep about cartoonishly evil birds,

1. Where in Thra would their ideal date be?

Knowing Zok’s... Everything, he’d probably prefer to go somewhere out-of-the-way, for a week or two relieved of Castle duties. In theory, anyway. Things like camping or vacations outside of the Empire are out of the question; while he enjoys privacy, he would probably starve to death if Ayuk’s team wasn’t cooking for him (and everyone else), or at least bringing him lazy food. Var might fare a bit better, because he’s built like a wrecking ball and knows how to use that to hurt things, but even if he did learn how to hunt with any semblance of skill, the lack of other creature comforts would still be a disaster waiting to happen. Besides, he doesn’t want to stray too far from the Emperor’s side, and it would be a pain trying to call a carriage back home from the middle of nowhere if he received word of an emergency with the Guard or Court. They need distance from big gatherings, but enough access to be back on the road in under an hour, just in case.

With those limitations in mind, they’d probably find some secluded spot just north of Ha’Rar on the cliffs - ideally, somewhere with a view of both land and sea, as Var gets stressed when he can’t get a read on his surroundings quickly. Though they’d be careful not to let many people know where they are, they also need access to first aid on short notice.

I’m sure I don’t have to explain why that’s a concern, when one of these guys is a creepy, knife-collecting priest infamous for being Horny On Main 24/7, and the other is a reckless, eager-to-please soldier with pain tolerance for days. After all, the main motive for choosing a spot out-of-the-way is that less foot traffic means lower chances of someone passing by and asking questions about whatever they might overhear. They really don’t want to know.

6. If Skeksis or Mystics, how do their other halves feel about the relationship?

UrZah is... Unamused. He doesn’t know urMa terribly well - they never could see eye-to-eye on anything from clothing colors to whether or not Unity was even worth the wait - and doesn’t think highly of him at all. He’s not all that surprised by skekVar setting his expectations even lower; urMa is gullible, starry-eyed and far too willing to waste his time and effort on things that have absolutely no bearing on his own success, but at least he has the sense not to go out and commit horrendous acts of violence in the name of an Empire doomed to crash and burn for its crimes. At least urMa hasn’t given up on his naïve dreams of world peace or whatever he’s always going on about in favor of the fleeting, bloody attention of two powerful Lords who have him wrapped around their little fingers and (as far as urZah can tell) would just as quickly lose interest, break him down and leave him for whatever starved beast may take pity as continue to bend the limits of his trust for their own entertainment.

Truth be told, he loathes his mirror even more, knowing that skekZok has had a hand in turning the ever-optimistic, ever-foolish Ambassador into just another murderous beast like the other Skeksis.

The Peacemaker doesn’t exactly see much potential for good in the pair, either, but he doesn’t think it’s necessarily as manipulative as urZah does. Whether that’s because urMa trusts too easily (or so it appears) or because he knows his mirror better than any other Mystic ever will, he doesn’t seem interested in skekVar’s affairs, and changes the subject whenever it comes up.

This isn’t the first time VarMa has been in a shady relationship - far from it, actually. Back then, though, it never lasted long enough for him to regret much. He was lonely and easily swayed, but he always knew it wasn’t permanent, even in the rare occasions it had any emotional weight. As an expendable soldier - a future killing machine at best, cannon fodder at worst - he, along with everyone else he had the pleasure of working with, knew they could be transferred at any time, assuming they lived through the night. Not everyone was kind or patient, but they were useful as distractions.

UrMa isn’t happy with himself for that, but he knows, at the time, it seemed like a good idea, and it was probably a good thing he learned his lesson before getting in too deep. SkekVar, apparently, doesn’t share the sentiment; it appears that the General is still just as desperate for attention as ever, although at least now he knows what kinds he wants.

9. Who is the big spoon/little spoon?

This one’s always easy. A little more complicated than the Jen/Kira answer, though - not because I’m overly invested in this semi-rarepair, this time, but because usually there are three parties involved rather than two.

SkekVar’s sort of a middle spoon; once in a while he’ll give that spot up so skekSo can take it, but So gets uncomfortable with that arrangement fast, because he hates seeing Zok’s horrible shrimp-leg teeth when he’s trying to catch some beauty sleep. Besides, all that muscle makes for a great pillow at the right angle, which means they prefer to have him right in the middle, and if he’s not, one or both of them will get fussy and/or handsy until he moves so they’re comfortable again.

When it’s just them, Var usually holds So, since the Emperor is so much lighter than him and the General is big enough to more or less “shield” him from anything that So used to think in the early days might sneak up and hurt him; besides, Var gets worried about him being so thin, and it’s a passable excuse to check that he’s not getting any tinier. While he’s with just Zok, though, he’ll generally just fall asleep quickly and let the Ritual-Master figure out the rest. Zok almost always ends up with as many gangly arms around Var as possible. He’s territorial as all hell, and - whether he’ll ever admit it or not - that possessive streak gives way to sappy shows of affection pretty easily, as long as they’re alone. 

[thequietmanno1]

Thelreads, MHA 228, Replies Part 2

1) “Oh boy we’re in for a terrible, terrible ride, as Twice is already starting to reach the first stage: denial.”-Well, given the starting point for each clone to establish their own individuality from the original twice is to disagree with him, asserting their own thoughts as being separate from Twice’s own and allowing them to gradually form as being individual from him mentally and physically through arguments, you could say that Twice actually spends most of his life in denial- denial of his fears of being a expendable clone liable to die from a simple accident at the slightest slip-up, denial of his own loneliness that brought about his trauma in the first place, denial that he’s not as in control of his power as he’d like to be and desperately tries to convince himself he is- makes his subsequent realisation that he’s the ‘real deal’ even more of a hell yes moment, because Twice finally has the confidence to stand his ground and assert himself and his own existence in the face of Overwhelming opposition- to say ‘yes’ when Skeptic goes ‘are you gonna pick the easy way, or the hard way?’

2) “Oh, and now he’s screaming at himself, that’s just great.”- Worse, he’s full-on screaming at himself whilst in his wrapped-up mask form, showing that the fear and trauma of being about to lose somebody close to himself overrules even Twice’s split-personality issues, preventing his ‘safety blanket’ from working as he struggles to deal with the reality of Toga’s near-death state, and struggles to find something to rely on- somebody to help him save her, like a doctor or something, like any normal civilian would. But there’s nobody around who can help – just himself. So he does.

3) “Oh jesus christ, this is messed up because we really have no way of knowing which one of his sides is speaking the truth.”- Both are, in a way. Twice’s optimism that Toga’s still alive is true, but it’s also balanced by the reality that they’re alone, in enemy territory, with no allies around, and Twice lacking the manpower and resources necessary to care for Toga’s well-being and defend himself from the MLA surrounding them, not to mention the whole surveillance angle making any attempt to lie low and keep Toga hidden is pointless- even if she wasn’t bleeding to death at this point. Good thing Twice Manages to quickly Turn the whole 5 square blocks around him into League-friendly territory after this, or Toga’s demise would have been a done deal. Twice lacked faith that anybody would be around to rescue Toga, because nobody was around to rescue him when he needed it- so for once, he got to play the hero that he deserved to have met at his own darkest moment.

4) “The league was really the only place that helped Twice, and you can imagine how terrible he must be feeling, thinking that he payed the kindness back by killing them,”- Even more poignant when you put this in context of his flashback and realise that he’s literally never had anybody who actually, truly cared about him until he met the league. His Family died, his looks made people wary of him, his employment options were non-existent- Twice never met another Human being who saw worth in him for just being himself until he met Giran and the League- and even if it might have started out as them simply seeing the benefits in his quirks, for most of the league it’s clear that they have come to value Twice for Simply being part of the team, not because of his Uber-useful quirk.

5) “Oh god, if Twice goes into a revenge spree against the meta army it could end terribly, since he’s not a front-liner and they must be choke-full of countermeasures against him and his quirk.”-Who needs a front-liner when you’ve got unlimited substitutes? Doesn’t matter if you’re up against the top teams in the championship, there’s a certain limit to what one team can do alone vs an army of cannon fodder, fresh and ready to kick ass.

6) “OH FOR FUCK SAKE THE MAN CAN’T EVEN GRIEVE IN PEACE?”- Given that Twice is specifically being targeted so the MLA can mentally break him an induct him into their ranks, no, he really can’t. The MLA need to break his will to resist them, and thus they target the two most fragile pieces of his psyche- his Self-identity issues and his attachment to his friends, forcing Twice to witness himself destroying what he holds most dear in the world with his ‘own’ hands. If anything, they probably held off tracking Toga down and killing her because they saw Twice was heading her way alone, and saw a golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

|7) “Oh of course, they have cameras around town, they knew all along where both of them were. Jesus, there’s really no escape from their watchful eye, as long as you are in town they know everything about you.

And, unfortunately, they know that Twice is in no place to fight back right now. This will be horrible.”- Yeah, whilst the league is struggling to stick together and form a plan of counterattack, the MLA’s superior number and technology allows them to keep track of everything no matter how chaotic the fights become, allocating resources and goons to where they’re best needed to keep the pressure up on the League whilst they slowly whittle them down. On the other hand, the MLA has also clearly never heard that old chestnut about cornering a mongoose…or was that a rattlesnake? Either way, pushing Twice to his breaking point just made him retaliate with such massive numbers that not even the MLA’s various tools, resources and tricks can prevent the league overpowering them, forcing their tech specialist to take to the field himself in a desperate attempt to regain control of the situation.

8) “no what the fuck, what? No way. She must already have bleed to death, not to say she basically drank a liquid bomb and her internal organs were all messed up.”-As the saying goes, ‘Mostly Dead is still Slightly Alive’. Not that Toga isn’t still in serious danger of kicking it without medical treatment, but she’s not shuffled off this mortal coil yet. She’s not in any fit state to help out more either, granted, but Twice can more than Pull her weight at this point.

9) “They all look the same, are those clones? Did you bastards sent someone with a cloning ability to fight Twice, the man with the cloning ability? Holy shit you guys are absolute monsters, that’s cruel.”- Well, from a certain point of view, yes these are clones- though ironically, it’s very possibly that they’ve all been formed out of different individual objects and moulded into the same shape, rather than splitting off as carbon Copies of the Original like Twice does. Still, this is war, and if the MLA wants to break Twice rather than just killing him outright, there’s nothing in the rules of engagement that says you can’t use your opponent’s mental trauma as a weapon against him. On the other hand, if they’d played fair and Square, maybe Twice wouldn’t be handing each individual MLA member’s ass to them simultaneously right now

10) “Funnily enough, Toga was a one-man army, while Twice is a one man army.”-well, not right now he isn’t, but push a man far enough round the bend and he’ll approach sanity from the opposite side-Skeptic’s impromptu Therapy session was the worstpossible choice he could have made in trying to take Twice down

11) “THE TRAUMA IS ALREADY COMING BACK, JESUS CHRIST THIS MAN REALLY CAN’T CATCH A BREAK”-

Skeptic: (Sees Twice’s Trauma Button) Hmmmmm… Think I’ll press this

Us: Don’t press that button Skeptic: I’m going to press this Button Us: Do Not Press that Button

Skeptic: (raising hand) I’ma smash it

Us: Stop- (Skeptic hits the Button)

‘Next chapter’

Us: You pressed the Trauma Button…. You Shouldn’ta Did that.

12) “HOLY FUCK, AN ARMY OF EXACT CLONES OF HIM ATTACKING RIGHT WHEN HE’S MOURNING HIS DEAD FRIEND”- Even being mobbed by his literal walking Nightmare, Twice still has the presence of mind to shield Toga’s body with his own from the Horrors attacking the pair of them, trying to keep his friend safe even when his worst fears are literally made manifest

13) “A somewhat similar ability, cloning others, but using a inanimate object to do that. It differs also in the fact that those are described as puppets, so they aren’t self-aware like Twice’s copies. Yeah, his power really is a lot more useful, since he can-“- It doesn’t even have to be a human-shaped puppet- Skeptic can just create ‘whatever’ he imagines and he’s got a mindlessly loyal object moving around following his will, moulded into whatever shape he desires. Plus, since it’s an object and not a living flesh-and-blood being, it can take damage a normal person couldn’t and get back up again. 

There may be only about 10 or so copies of Twice around, but It’s highly doubtful that he could win a single one-on-one fight with any of them, since they’re unresponsive to pain or incapacitating injuries, will possess likely above-average strength, and have no will to be distracted with, so they will mindlessly keep following Skeptic’s orders even as their moulded forms crumble. If Twice hadn’t suppressed those copies with the sheer quantity of his clones, they’d have just kept coming endlessly until Twice was beaten and immobile and toga was ripped apart- which, ironically, is likely what Twice’s clones did to them to make sure they wouldn’t keep trying to follow the Real twice and Toga.

14) “Holy shit, he can clone dead people!”- It might not exactly work that way, since even with Mange dead, Twice didn’t bring her back from the grave as a clone, even if her ability was a useful one for the league. Twice mentions that he needs regular updates about the people whom he’s cloning measurements and characteristics to keep the ‘image’ in his head fresh and ready, so if he was Creating a clone of ReDestro to keep leading the MLA, then they’d need to do something like preserve ReDestro’s corpse, so Twice could keep measuring it. Of course, there’s also the fact it might have been too painful for Twice to bring back his departed friends, not to mention it would have brought about unnecessary Trauama to his other league friends who missed her, once the clone realised what happened and had to deal with the fact that they weren’t a ‘real’ person, and would have to then spend the rest of her life walking on eggshells until she got hurt too bad. Twice already knows what it’s like to live that way, he’d never willing enforce that situation on somebody he cared for.

15) “OH GOD THEY WANT TWICE’S ABILITY, AND I GUESS THEY’LL BREAK HIM SO HE JOIN THEM”- The curse of being popular/incredibly useful, is that you’re always in demand wherever you go. Twice’s ability is so useful, that he’s been separately scouted by both the Hassaki and the MLA now. Shigaraki really lucked out getting such a useful teammate as part of the Line-up after Stain propelled the league to national fame.

@thelreads